Work and Children

[AllieMumof4]

I have four children and we have always worked, me and my husband arent entitlied to any tax credits to contribute to income. My fourth child is the only one i have had mat leave with and its only four months. bad luck seems to follow like companies shutting down etc. I go back to work this friday for 33 hours a weeks which mean the only time i see my husband is at night between 930 and midnight wen we crash out. The cost of living just keeps rising and i never see myself having the time off to work. i went to work after my daughter to save for our first flat seven years on im still working. i am not work shy its not my problem, i just get angry hearing some mums in the park talk about why they wont work and they will continue to claim benefits with they why should they work outlook. Am i wrong to be so annoyed with these people. we planned for two kids and i got pregnant on the coil with baby number three and on the implant with number four, the doctors are now saying they will tie my tubes coz if the implant doesnt work with me likely no other method will. i feel that by the time i can stay at home kids will be too old and not interested in hanging with mum and ill be sterlie to boot. Are there any mums out there who have four kids and manage to work full time any tips?

I don't understand why you will only see husband at those times with working 33 hrs a week. If its due to his work surely erm if you work no hours it wouldn't be any different?

Can you work those hours over just 3 days instead? Giving you 4 days at home?

sorry not explained enough there. I work friday, saturday sunday 8-8 dont get home until 930 my husband work the same hours monday to thursday he got the friday off for my work so we dont need childcare as it costs too much but need does his hours in four days instead of five.

You must be earning quite a lot of money if you're not entitled to any child care help with 4 children. Can you not just drop one day of work so that you get 1 day together as a family?
Would it cause you financial difficulty to lose 1 day's wages? Are there expenses that you could reduce in order to cut your hours? If it was short term, for a specific goal, DH and I would work those hours and sacrifice time together, but not as a way of life.

yeah people say that to me alot but im on min wage and he gets a couple of pound more than me an hour i dont undestand why the woman on tax credit phone actually said i would be better of not working. i dont get that logic, but id have to go the full year being skint to benefit the following tax year on tax credits. I know thats what i mean it has become a way of life and its not as if we have an expensive lifestyle or anything the only reason i can hv a three day holiday to haven with kids this year is becoz my grandmother left me 500. we have no social life to speak of. it just rent and council tax is my wage as i cant seem to get local authority housing. his wages is food and all other bills. just get frustrated i feel no matter how much i try im not moving forward just sitting wondering im i doing something wrong? i seem to struggle and worry all the time. just i dont know anyone with four kids just wondering if this is normal to feel this guilt for working. since having my youngest i feel like i want to be with my kids ive never had that the whole time offf to raise kids. when we had them we had a healthly saving account then reducncy and that was swallowed then i contiuned to two job which both ended and now ive took a job as a carer and even my docs said with my back and joint problems i shouldnt be doing this job. but im stuck between a rock and a hard place. x

It is so hard , I've just had my third and I have worked with all of them and I really really want to stay home this time , but we can't afford it . I work evenings so we can avoid childcare but it means I only see my older children when I take them to school as I start at 4pm and don't return till 10pm. Yet financially we are really struggling. I think if I quit we would be more a less on the same money with help from tax credits , but I don't want to make that jump incase I'm wrong . It isn't fair and why she we miss out on family time ? I know we have to work to pay our way but it's seems unjust that others can see their children grow up whilst others only see them for a couple of days a week :(

If you're on minimum wage for 33 hours per week and your husband earns a couple of pounds an hour more than you I really don't understand why you're not entitled to working tax childcare credits. Especially with 4 children. I think you should reapply.
If you're struggling and paying rent it would be worthwhile applying for housing benefit too.