Need extra cash whilst on mat leave - options?!

[bubbaba]

Hi

I’m on mat leave and get paid stat pay until July, I don’t want to return to work early as really loving this time being a first time mum and am exclusively breastfeeding.
However we are struggling financially, have been keeping a diary of spending and really can’t cut back anymore on anything, I’m already restricting our grocery shop as that’s the one main variable I can change but despite all attempts we’re in a deficit of hundreds every single month so need some funds. Has anyone done anything for extra cash whilst looking after baby? Must be some options out there??
I live away from family and hubby works 7 days a week every week as self employed so no childcare and hubby doing all he can to bring in extra funds but need a solution....if there is one!!!

Pop over to the earn £10 a day thread I'm sure we can find you something. I promise there's (several) solutions!

Is your LO a good sleeper? Or has decent naps that would let you 'work'?

Thanks - I'll have a proper look later, I scanned it but most things I hadn't heard of 🙈, so will investigate more when baby next asleep.
Yeah there's periods when baby is asleep or entertained by the jumperoo that I could do stuff. I do my hubbys accounts etc and baby is more than happy with me sitting on the floor near him doing it, talking as I go and just being in sight whilst he bounces around. And if asleep I just take my laptop to be next to him. Probably making separation worst for myself as we're never apart! I barely leave the room when he's asleep! First time Mum worrier alert!!!

is he breastfed? could you face working shifts at a restaurant or pub in the evenings?

Yeah he's breast fed and won't take expressed from a bottle - we tried 4 different types before giving up!!
I have been thinking of that type work in a few months - he goes to sleep around 9pm but still feeds every 2/3 hours!!!
Also got to be a bit careful as if I work properly my stat mat pay will end :-(

OH OP! When you started Mat leave did you apply to this?

www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

You could get a few hundred in a cheque if you haven't already.

Thank you very much for the suggestion, yeah we did apply 😊 but please keep suggestions coming, there's probably loads of stuff like that I'm not aware of!

I don’t mean to be rude, but did you not plan for this?

If on maternity leave not sure you’re allowed to work on a pub are you? At the end the idea is that you’re still at home to take care of the child.

I'm not looking to do work that involves leaving the child. Surveys, selling stuff on eBay etc is all good ideas to make extra cash :-)

Can you do any paid KIT days at work? I'd look carefully at what employment you can legally do whilst on maternity leave to not end your leave.

Yeah I know you're right so I don't want to do anything that will legally break my mat leave. I will do KIT days nearer the time, I was offered one when bubba was only 8 weeks old but even now I can't leave him with anyone and even if I did have someone I'm breastfeeding and he won't take expressed from all the different bottle brands we tried :-(

Yes, we obviously did plan for it and are using savings just as we planned but that's not really how we want to live if there are other ways.
Also with husband being self employed the money each month varies. He's still working 7 days a week every single day, including Xmas etc etc so it's not like we aren't trying our best.

Matched Betting OP. Im starting again when I start Mat Leave at the end of the month

Sell your breast milk online? Can make good money apparently!

Haha thanks to you both for the suggestions :-). Matched betting I've never heard of but now I've searched it, I'll look into that more and selling breastmilk I did see on TV not that long ago, sounds like a nice thing to do for others with or without payment

I've started selling things on eBay as you've mentioned. It's not a lot of money (not with the clothes I'm selling anyway) but better than nothing, and the clothes have been neglected for years. I've just registered with Vinted as well and will sell some of DDs old clothes on there, you can do baby bundles of vests, baby grows, baby clothes etc. Bigger items can be sold on Facebook marketplace. DD is out of her Moses basket now so will be selling that soon.
Never heard about selling Breastmilk!

I made a decent whack matched betting last year so i’m definately going to start again :)

I would save KIT days. I’ve cant do them at my work but I have a lot of friends who have done them and quite a few were really annoyed they didn’t get much morning for them. They assumed it was a full days extra pay but one of them only made £6 because what you earn from SMP and any mat pay from company is taken off your days pay... that’s what at least 5 people have told me not sure if it changes when companies etc but worth looking into as you don’t want to do it and hardly make anything.

I can’t think of anything to do that would make me money and not effect SMP so following!

I had heard that too about KIT days. Knowing my luck our company would do that, even if they didn't have to!
Bit hard to do that at the mo anyway with BF and no one to look after baby. Might do it towards end of mat leave to get my head back into my job as I genuinely feel I've forgotten everything!

I signed up to a survey thing but haven't got anything from that yet and sold a few things round the house. Kind of interested in matched betting but not sure it's for me/think I'll probably screw it up and lose!

I've never known that with KIT days, at my workplace they don't pay you for them but add however many hours you work to you holiday balance when you come back to work allowing extra paid time off when needed.

You cannot legally be paid more for a KIT day than you would earn at work. So you can’t get OMP or SMP on top of a full day’s pay. Most companies will just pay the difference, so it’s best to do them during unpaid leave if you’re going to do them. They also don’t have to agree to you doing them.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for saying, I'll look into it some more as Might mean I can take an extra month off after SMP stops then if they'll agree to me doing KIT days that month and use some holiday for the rest. :-)

It’s a max of 10 KIT days.