OK here goes!
My DP and I live in social housing, in a one bed maisonette to be a bit more precise!
We are expecting our first child on the 8th of february and I'm pulling my hair out!
We put in for a transfer to a two bedroomed property MONTHS ago. And we're still waiting for approval. Once we get approved all we'll be given is a code number to use to 'bid' (not a real bid like an auction, just a flag that you wish to live in that property) on available properties. First major problem with that is that two bedroomed properties in social housing that are available for transfer are few and far between and in very high demand. The second major problem with this is that once you've bid on a property, the powers that be then look at the priority status of all the people who have made a bid on that property and the first one with the highest priority gets the house. This process could take YEARS.
So as we have the prospect of trying to squeeze our new little life into our rabbit hutch for the forseeable future we have to try and make some room.
DP is a musician. so we have guitars and speakers and amps and god knows what else that takes up some of the space
I have completed one year of uni and intend to return after the child is born. I'm studying Textiles so I have 3 sewing machines, boxes of fabric, yarn, sewing threads, reams of paper, some of which is very large, portfolios of work done so far
pens, paints.............stacks of arty farty stuff that cost a fortune to buy and is important for the course
We've thrown out over two car loads of stuff we had around that we had thought meant stuff to us like books and clothes and sentimental gifts and one of two wardrobes and there isn't much more we can get rid of.
So we thought if we just turn the bed around and squash everything up a bit we'll be able to get a cot bed in the bedroom with us. We thought a cotbed would be the best idea as we don't have a lot of money and can't keep buying several different things for the child to sleep on as s/he gets older and we might as well find room for that as we have no idea how long we're going to be waiting for a bigger place.
We were dead wrong
I've just finished measuring up the bed room. turning the bed round and squashing things up makes 10cms difference to the space available and it's just not enough!
I don't know what we're going to do. we'll be ok for maybe three months cause we can just about fit a moses basket in there but after that where's my baby going to sleep?
So I seem to have no choice left! I've got to get rid of all my stuff for uni to make enough room down stairs to store the baby's clothes and mine and my partners clothes (which I will have to Kull AGAIN) throw out our chest of drawers and squeeze the baby in behind the bedroom door.
I've no idea how I'm going to be able to go back to uni to give myself a better chance of getting a decent job so that I can provide for my child and get out of this shithole so I guess we're all going to have to slum it together.
The government can go and shove it if they're going to give me any crap about retraining etc because that's what I was doing before the shit hit the fan.
And before any of you say what my mother said... My partner and I didn't use any protection because I was informed that with the state of my PCOS I was classed as infertile and DP's swimmers prefer to sit and watch the world go by IYKWIM. It was after being told that children for us was a damned pipe dream that I decided to go to uni and focus on my career instead.
We're over the moon that we became pg. We're thrilled to bits that the doctors were all wrong. This child is deeply deeply wanted and loved.
I'm just besides myself with guilt for giving her life when we aren't in any position to even give her a little space let alone provide for her.
DP works but it's not like that money goes very far and the tax credit we get are just pathetic. Where does the government draw it's figures from to make decisions on how much people need to live off?