How can we manage financially as Universal Credit support reduces?

[elliejjtiny]

We have 5 dc aged between 19 and 11 all with disabilities. Dh was a manager up until youngest was born, then he became unwell and had to take a massive pay cut. I'm a Sahm and get carers allowance. We get UC. Dc1 in his first year at uni, dc2 about to start in September.

We are just about managing at the moment but barely. In September we are going to lose the child element of universal credit for dc2 and I'm worried how we are going to manage. When the dc were younger I thought I would be working by now but I'm only getting 4 hours sleep a night and my 11 year old needs constant supervision when not at school so I don't know how I could fit work in. Dh has to work away about 15 weekends a year (from friday morning until late Sunday night) which leaves me completely exhausted each time. We spend 9 weekends a year picking up/dropping off/visiting dc1 and I imagine spending the same amount of time with dc2. There is no childcare for children my dc age with SN and they have to be picked up and dropped off at school. The dc have appointments about once a week on average and dc4 stays in hospital about 1 night a year when I don't get any sleep at all.

Realistically I can't think of any employer who would employ me with the amount of time off I would need and on so little sleep. At the moment I spend the time dc are at school doing the housework, cooking the dinner and trying to catch up on a bit of sleep.

I'm trying to think of anywhere we could save money but I can't think of anything. Dc1 doesn't cost any less money while he is at uni.

you could find a remote / working from home job?

Or a job in a school for school hours. I understand your sleep is limited but I don't see any other option if you're already claiming the max amount you can.

could you move to a cheaper area, downsize now one of your kids is at uni?

Would the older ones not get PIP and their own UC claim, and contribute to the household from that?

Similar situation, impossible to find work I can do around my daughter. It’s incredibly demoralising. I hope you’re ok xx

What does your income look like at the moment?

A lot of families have parents working different shifts to accommodate 24/7 childcare at home. Have you looked at this? Eg evenings and weekends.

Get a part time job while the children are at school? These kind of jobs are out there. Your housework might decline in standards but that’s life. With two dc away from home, you should have a bit more time not less, and presumably you won’t be spending so much on food, which will save you a bit.

How much will it reduce by?
One less teenager to feed might save a little bit, but not more than £100 max I imagine.

Take a job at the weekend while your dh is home with the dcs. Barmaid, waitress, cleaner, gardener, babysitting. Jobs like parish clerk or virtual PA.

Minimum wage is £12.71ph so work out how many hours you would need to do to cover the gap.

Will dc1 and dc2 be living independently at uni? As above are they getting pip/ max student loan given your finances?

I have a disabled dc.

when they get to 16 DLA changes to pip. Your dc at uni can apply for pip if they do not currently get it.

they can also apply for DSA (disabled students allowance) which in my dc’s case paid for an adjustable desk (she uses a wheelchair) and also entitled her to an accessible room at the normal room rate. The university also put various support in place including automatic extensions for assignments if she had been ill.

your dc may also be able to work in the holidays - many dc do internships or get jobs, obviously this depends on the disability. My dc were paid to be a student rep at open days and talk to prospective students about disability suppprt/stident duppprt generally.

my dc was also eligible for extra support from the uni - many unis have discretionary funds that they can use to help students.

Are you getting the right level of DLA / PIP for all children? You don’t mention getting the care or disabled child element of UC- hopefully that is all in order?

You said your husband had to reduce to
part time, so he needs to take over with the kids and you get a full time job.
Edit - sorry, you’ve said just a pay cut not part time. He is still working though, so why is he not capable of progressing again and getting better pay? Or moving to a job that doesn’t require weekend work so you could get a weekend job?

The visits to your kid at uni will have to stop, and you’ll see your kids when they come to you on breaks like everyone else. Because you need to work.

You’ll have to manage between you and your husband to cover the doctor’s appointments by speaking to your employers, but you simply cannot continue to not work.

You chose to keep having kids, knowing that your children all had additional needs and knowing that UC would not last forever. You need to get a job.

Surely with 2 less children adults living at home your outgoings will reduce.
If they continue living at home while at uni, they need to pay towards their upkeep. There is no way around it, you need to be honest with them and have a finance talk.

Exac what I thought too.

Your DH needs to look for a different job that doesn't take him away for all those weekends. And preferably that will allow you to take on some work too. Can your eldest get a part time job now they're at uni?

9 weekends a year taking your child to uni-did they choose somewhere very far away?!

This is only indirectly finance related (also energy / exhaustion related) - maybe now dc1 is used to being away from home, they can become increasingly independent, so that will reduce the number of weekends that you have commitments? Our eldest is in year 3 at uni, and it gradually shifted over the first year or so that he would come home by coach by himself at uni holidays (and for visits), and then we would help him get his belongings at the end of the year. Accommodation overlapped in year 2 and 3, so we were able to just transfer the belongings from one place to the next. He is approx a 3 hour drive away, but we do the round trip in one day, when we get his belongings (once a year).
Switching to these sort of arrangements might take the pressure off for you (and if you are having to pay for a weekend in hotels for 6 of you each time you go up (9 times a year), that will be hugely expensive). It sounds like your dc1 is doing really well at uni, they are probably definitely ready to become more independent. And national express coaches can be such good value for student travel!

How far away is your dc, at uni? We have encouraged dc2 to go to a much closer uni (as likely to need more support (ND)), so will hopefully be only 1.5 hours away by a single mode of public transport, or could easily meet up halfway for lunch, to give moral support when needed.

I would hope if they are at uni they can manage to get there and back to home under their own steam. Unless severe mobility issues involved. Bar first time taking things with them and last time bringing things back.
And you will lose money for the second young adult. They are no longer at home.
Which is logical.

Do studies, surveys and focus groups online. I've been doing them to save for a big holiday and I'm averaging about £400 a month. I just leave the laptop open and participate when I can. Look on Beermoney UK on reddit and sign up. I find Prolific and UserTesting to be the biggest payers along with Dscout. A lot of the work is website testing and some AI studies. Also sign up for take part in research and do online focus groups. Because you have SEN kids there will be lots of opportunities

This. Why have 5 children you can’t afford?! Benefits should be a safety net not a lifestyle choice. And not an excuse to work as little as possible.

Can you do something self employed where you set your own hours? Cleaning, nails, bookkeeping, social media management, copywriting?

She didn’t know her husband would have to change jobs reducing their income though.

I think we need some work info here to be able to help. If the elder two DC are capable of studying and living away from home, do they have capacity to earn any money? Are they able to travel independently?

Agree re trying to sort pip

Will the older kids be given money to take care of themselves?