Budgeting on maternity leave

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I’m not sure if this is the best place to post this or not. I’m currently 8 months pregnant and I’ve just started my maternity leave. I’m just looking for some tips on how to survive on maternity pay. We’ve already been saving as much as possible and with things like the food shopping etc we’ve been buying own brand items and cutting back on things like take aways. I’ve also bought pretty much all of our babies clothes off eBay and charity shops. Any other tips or advice would be mostly appreciated. Its one thing I’m sort of worried about.

I also sell bits n bobs on eBay.

Yes that’s a good idea. I was thinking of flogging a few old DVDs and stuff to somewhere like music magpie as well.

Will you be getting any occupational maternity pay on top of SMP? I worked out how much I would earn over the 10 ish months I was off (more at the beginning and then SMP by the end) and divided it by 10 and had that as my monthly budget. That way it didn't decrease at the end.

What maternity pay are you getting? I could only afford to be off for 9 months as i got 6 months full pay.

If i had majority stat mat pay i would have gone back after 6 months.

How long do you want to take off?

Apart from the usual house stuff I've found I spend far less than I used to before I had a baby so my day to day outgoings are quite small. I'd say make the most of free activities for you and baby so you can get out and about, buy baby clothes in the sales, sell stuff on eBay, ask for vouchers/money or specific items if family ask what to buy (no one needs 15 blankets), use the library, toys don't need to be flashy, my boy loves some bottles filled with pasta, rice etc.

I only get stat maternity pay. I’ve put in for 12 months but obviously I will go back earlier if we need me to. Until you start living with the financial changes it’s hard to guess how you’ll do.

OP its a very personal decision. Me and my partner didn't want to be struggling for money or be on a very tight budget so i always planned to take 9 months off with him putting more towards bills and me saving during my 6 months full pay to pay for myself during final 3 months of SMP.

Batch cooking will help - also fill your freezer now so if/when you & your OH are too knackered & can’t be arsed to cook you have a stash of quick dinners.
I use Aldi nappies in the day & pampers overnight as I find they keep bums drier for a long period. I’ll keep an eye out where pampers (for example) are on offer & stock up.