Extra Income needed to cope!!

[miaboo]

Really want to be a SAHM for a while but falling short each month on money (based on figures on what I would get benefits wise). Maternity leave ends end of feb so need to get it sorted by then)
I could really do with a cash in hand job thats weekly and permanent so top up husbands income??
I know it sounds bad but there is really no point in working I've looked at it every way and it basically pays the same to stay at home and see my 3 children ( I'm not a scrounger and do plan on going back to work when my 3rd child starts nursery! :) )
How can I make this extra income? I regulary ebay but theres only so much you can sell and I do budget, but because of credit cards and loan debts these add an extra £500 per month to our outgoings otherwise we would be perfectly fine! Hindsight eh!!
I'm also trying to get hubby to give up smoking with no avail as this must surely be a big spend each week on our budget!

If you are claiming tax credits, you will lose some of them with whatever you earn. If you don't declare your income and are caught, you will be fined and made to repay the overpaid tax credits so will be far worse off in the long run.

Do a budget of your income against your outgoings, and work out exactly what the deficit will be. You need to include every outgoing, from bills to DH's cigs, to travel expenses. Once you have done this you can look into areas you can cut back.

If its just not possible to cut back, you may need to look at a job working evenings or weekends, although you would get fewer benefits you are likely to end up better off as long as you need to pay for little or no childcare :)

If your debts are a £500/month problem, talk to one of the free debt advisory services such as CCCS, CAB or National Debtline urgently. Anything you can do to reduce or reschedule this crippling level of payments will help your budget. It is unlikely you can make up the shortfall otherwise. Smoking is a luxury your family simply cannot afford. Non-negotiable.

Im sure quite a lot of people who have to pay childcare fees, and spend less time with our children in order to pay the bills would have liked a cash in hand, permanent job. But you cannot work cash in hand, pay no tax and still claim benefits. It's ilegal. It's fraud.

If you have a huge debt then like a pp said, deal with your repayments, there are some excellent companies that will help.

But if you can't afford to be a SAHM the answer is not to defraud the tax credit, benefits and inland revenue system.

So you are wanting to work cash in hand while claiming benefits?

Right.