Can I get any financial help?

[karrliz]

Hi,

I currently have a 1 year old with baby no 2 on the way. When I was pregnant with DD I was made redundant, so got a redundancy pay and still got my mat pay.

So I currently don't have a job (stay at home Mummy) which has so far really worked for us.

However with the cost of living going up and the fact we have to remortgage this summer, we could do with some help.

I could get a job, but seems pointless by the time we subtract nursery fees and also I wouldn't apply for mat pay as you have to work somewhere for a year to get that.

I have looked online to see what help we can get but it's all so confusing! My husband earns a good salary, so when I have applied for some of the benefits it says we don't apply. It's really frustrating as he is on a good salary, however it just about covers our outgoings.

I don't know what options we have for help and really worried about remortgaging as it says payments could go up £500 per month!!!

Any advice welcome!

Could you get a job some evenings/weekends? Work around your partner so you don't need childcare?

You can either get a job or reduce your outgoings.

There's no benefits paid so you'll be more comfortable as a stay at home mummy.

Oh I hate these threads! Why should you get help? You chose to have a second child and were aware what childcare would cost. I'm going back to work in October after my second mat leave. Childcare will cost more than I earn for both children but I'm doing it for pension contributions and long-term employability. If your husband earns too much to receive UC that's because you can afford to live on his salary. Either reduce your outgoings or get a job and stop being so entitled. Why should other people subsidise you being a SAHM?

Have a look on 'entitled to'. that will tell you if your entitled to anything.

If not then you need to get a job or lower your outgoings.

you will need to reduce your outgoings or get a job. The role of the government is not to support your lifestyle choice.

How much does your DH earn?

These replies so far seem a bit harsh - it’s never as cut and dry as “get a job” when you have to work around dh’s hours, possibly being a one-car household, finding a nursery or childminder with capacity to take both your kidsto match the hours of your job

Op you could consider an interest only mortgage for a few years until you can work FT again

That's why I booked my second daughter's place at DD1's nursery before she was born: it's called forward planning. We all have to do it as working Mums so naturally it's annoying when someone else just decides they don't want to work because newsflash childcare is expensive. OP would have already known that but still chose to have a second child. Why should us other Mums have to be away from our kids so she can sit around at home on benefits?

Why should i go out and work and pay my taxes so you can sit at home and not work. Want to explain that?

As above. You will need to get a job or reduce outgoings. I would not be happy for my taxes to find your lifestyle choice.

Fund

That's the key question. Some people on MN consider £30k to be a very good salary and some don't consider low £100ks to be particularly "good".

"Oh I hate these threads! Why should you get help? You chose to have a second child and were aware what childcare would cost. I'm going back to work in October after my second mat leave. Childcare will cost more than I earn for both children but I'm doing it for pension contributions and long-term employability. If your husband earns too much to receive UC that's because you can afford to live on his salary. Either reduce your outgoings or get a job and stop being so entitled. Why should other people subsidise you being a SAHM?"

^^
This with bells on.

You need to get a job , evenings , weekends , nights whatever works best around your husbands job . You cannot afford to be a SAHM .

How much does he earn?

£500 is still cheap.

You'll have to with opposite shifts.

If you've checked if you're eligible for benefits and you aren't because of your partners wage then not sure what help you're expecting? You'll have to go back to work and either find a childcare solution that works for you or work opposite shifts. It's sad you didn't consider this before becoming pregnant with a second.

Help from who? You don’t qualify for benefits so there’s no one else that’s going to give you money unless you work for it like millions of women have to do with children.

Lots of people giving you really harsh replies here!

Are you getting child benefit? It is means tested but the cap is relatively high. Also have a look at free nursery hours and tax free childcare. Again they are means tested but the caps are high.

If you aren’t entitled to maternity pay then you should be able to get maternity allowance for the time you’re off with baby number 2 after they’ve been born.

Your tax allowance for the year is 12k so any work which you do up till 12k you won’t pay any tax on, so you get the benefit of all of the money. So if you can do a few hours a week, aiming to earn less than 1k a month will make the most of your earnings.

If you can’t work Google sharing your personal tax allowance with your husband to reduce his tax spend. And consider moving any savings into your name so that all interest can be paid tax free.

Why should you be funded to be a “stay at home mummy?” Get a job like most of us do.

Because that's why we have a benefit system and even Maternity Leave and pay.

I don't think being a SAHM for the kids' first couple of years is against public policy. Friend of mine took a career break 'cos otherwise she was working to pay child minders with nothing much left over.

I often feel people are quite harsh on these threads especially when they say ‘ what do you expect with 2 children etc etc’ it’s not like people can just send them back.

But in your case you knew you didn’t have a job or would be entitled to mat pay prior to getting pregnant again. Why therefore do you think you should be entitled to any help? I’m sorry but a get a job , it may be difficult and not what you want to do. We all know childcare costs are crippling, but maybe you’ll have to tag team with your partner and work weekends or nights. It’s not up to the rest of the population to support you to be ‘ a stay at home mummy’!

I knew this wouldn't go well

Basically op you make the decisions and choices you make so don't expect the rest of the working parents to pay you to be a sahm when a lot of us couldn't afford to do it

If your husband earns a good salary but it still only just covers your outgoings, it suggests those outgoings are too high. You need take a long hard look at those outgoings and make some big savings. That will probably mean sacrifices. It won’t be easy, it won’t be fun, but if you want to carry on being a SAHM rather than find work, that’s your only option. The benefits system is there to support people in need, but if you’re not eligible, you clearly don’t meet that criteria so the onus is on you.

Righto. So everyone works and gives people who want to stay at home money?! A great system that is!!!