Stressing about childcare costs

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

For a child that we haven't even conceived yet

How do people in full time employment on an average income afford it?

They don't. I was on a salary that would be full time equivalent around 90/100k, after pension/tax/childcare I was taking home minimum wage. left to start my own business working round the kids (don't worry I'm not going to try and flog you some MLM shite!).

try and think of it as a joint income 50% from each salary.

wow 90 to 100k and you couldn't manage seriously? Most people wouldn't earn that pro rata and have to manage and pay mortgage/childcare /tax out of their minimum wage.

The answer is cut back on luxuries like holidays nights out clothes now and save as much as you can luckily there are schemes available now like tax credits, tax free childcare and 30 hours free funding (once they are 3) on top of this unlike 20 years ago children now entre school (nursery) at 3 instead of 4 and full time at 4 instead of 5 plus so you only have to fund the bulk of childcare from end of maternity to 2 (typically 1.5 years) after which the mane issue is school holiday and before /after school unfortunately as they grow they continue to spend your money on other things.

I didn't say I couldn't manage. But the only childcare option was a nanny (long unpredictable hours) and I was taking home around £6.50 per hour. Less if you take into account professional expenses. Didn't seem worth doing a stressful job for which I took a lot of responsibility for that sort of money.

30 hours funding isnt yet available in scotland

When we had 2 dc i worked evenings/weekends. We now have 2 school age and 2 in nursery, Im a sahm (doing a degree which should end when the dt's go to school).

I worked out yesterday if i worked just 9-5 and using the relatively cheap childminder/after school club it would cost 23k for childcare.

I currently earn £18.5k before tax (42.5 hours a week) and my husband earns £19.5k before tax (37 hours a week). We have already stopped holidays, we don't drink or smoke, we rarely go out, our only luxury as such as a gym membership.

Would you qualify for tax credits?

We earn £15k and £18k. Dc are 7 and 3. We juggle everything to make it work and minimise the amount of paid childcare we need to use.

Dp works backshifts/nightshifts as much as possible so he can be home for the dc and I work 3days. We don’t take days off together, so if I’m off so will be at work. Unless Dp is rota for day shifts then we use after school club (£15) and a private nursery (£50 per day).

No, the cut off point for tax credits with one child is about £26.000

We couldn't make it work, the only viable option for us was for me to become a sahm.

It's hard but it's only a short amount of time really.

we saved like mad before hand
and we both worked condensed hours so that we had a day at home each (initially)
but eventually I ended up working school hours and then again in the evenings as there wasn't a huge amount of choice for pre and afterschool care in the area.

Child benefit.
Childcare vouchers (partly free childcare)
We are unlonger able to go out save a fortune.