Please may I have some advice

[glucose]

Hi there
I am really unhappy, but I dont know how I would cope financially if I left my husband. If I rented somewhere and paid my nursery fees it would take all my salary.
How do lone parents cope?

You can get help through the Job Centre's Lone Parent Advisor - they can help with benefits etc. You can help towards your rent and if you are working you can get help towards your nursery fees.

I have just become a loan parent recently and the places I found help other than the wonderful Mumsnet are Citizens Advice Bureau, Local Council for housing benefit, my doctor and my health visitor. There is also child tax credit and working tax credit as these would probably change. Not sure with working as am a stay at home mum.

Second the lone parent advisor at the jobcentre. They can tell you to the penny what help you would get.

oh thaks for saying about the lone parent advisor, i want to see what i wuold be better off doing re working.

To Op, I'm sorry you are so unhappy. It isnt easy being on your own, but if you truly wuold be happier, then you can do it.
xx

I had similar fears to you, but I am coping ok financially.

You are probably entitled to working & family tax credits, which help a lot, and if you rent, you may get some housing benefit.

Take a trip to your local CAB. I was offered lots of good advice & given information on what I would be entitled to, when I went.

job centre lone parent advisor is brill they tell u exactly what you.
to give u rough idea i work 2 days a week and earn 550 pounds a month, i get 250 pounds a month housing benefit (rent is 450 a month), get child benefit like everyone, get 750 pounds a month working family tax credit which covers childcare costs of 200 a month. My xh doesnt pay maintance but if he did it would affect my housing benefit but not effect my working family tax credit. Hope this gives u some idea

I am also a 'new' single Mum with three DC. I was worried about the financial side, but in the end I knew I;d be happier living on Tesco own brand beans on toast every night than staying with H and being financially better off IYSWIM.
I don't work at the moment as I just want to sort my head out (and I'm also studying) but there is a fair bit of help available. I get housing benefit and council tax benefit, child tax credit and child benefit and maintenance for my 2 older children. I am probably in a better position financially now than I ever was with H as I am in charge, and can cut corners and budget. But more than that...you can't put a price on happiness. I and the children are now millionaires in terms of freedom and smiles

lifebegin totally agree, I get less money now than was with xh but better of as im in control, b4 money was always dissappearing i had no idea where. I know what i can spend on what and it works aloot better. Also agree u cant put a price on happiness

I was petrified...really panicky about finances. I just didn't hink I'd be able to manage. But I called the tax credits people (who allowed me to claim as a single parent despite the fact that H was still living here...he wouldn't leave even though we were separated) and they basically put me on the right road. They passed all the details on to the relevant agencies, so I had no form filling or anything to do. But now, I have enough money (or freedom with money) to be able to put some money aside every month for xmas food shopping (should have about £120 by mid december for food on top of my normal weekly shopping money), I am able to put £50 a month aside for Xmas pressies (I buy argos vouchers one month, new look the next, toys r us etc), changed the electricity over to pre payment so I pay as I go and top that up every week from my tax credits money, I save for the oil for central heating every month...and after Xmas I will even be able to save a bit of money for a rainy day!
The kids don't mind if they have tesco own brand stuff...you can manage it and it's SO satisfying.

glucose have a look at this site

www.entitledto.co.uk

you will cope the same as thousand of others cope, dont stay with someone just for the financial side if you dont have too, there is always a way