How do you survive on one wage!!

[hayleylou]

I am thinking about going back to work after having two children ds who is 2 and dd who is 7 momnths and I just wondered how easy it is to get a job with flexible hours. If not how do people live on one wage??? (envy) and is there alot of help for working parents and childcare!!

We only have 1 car, don't go on expensive holidays (actually they're free - PIL live at seaside)hardly ever go out, don't buy clothes for me and DH, DSs have cheap clothes from Asda and Tesco. I think you have to rethink priorities and it makes you realise you what need and what you would like
As Twiglett says, probably be only for a few years.

We have slashed our income by more than half by me giving up work - however when you factor in the childcare costs we no longer pay it is not as drastic as it sounds.

However, we are still working out to live on one salary - have just received offer on flat (hurrah) and we are downsizing and cutting our mortgage. That will be the first step! Must admit my idea of budgeting is buying half price food in M and S ( they always slash it by half immediately ) and then putting it in freezer. Well its a start

Watching every penny and it does get old occasionally. Then I look at how happy and healthy ds is and know that it is the right thing for us. One thing I started a while back is getting almost all of ds's clothes at a consignment shop. the one in our town is very picky about what they accept so nothing is ever stained or torn. Nice name brands.
Try to take lunch to work, very few nights out and getting very creative with leftovers!

Kaz33, when do you find the best time to visit M&S to get their reduced stuff?

I haven't worked that out yet, sometimes you go in there and there is loads and I'm scooping it all up. Other times a drought. I suppose mid afternoon before it gets busy but they need to clear stuff off there shelves but before the early evening when people are coming home.

Luckily our little M&S is at the end of the street so I normally manage one trip there every day. I am sure the store detective thinks I am nicking stuff . Its funny I do feel a bit of a cheapskate when I have a basket full of reduced stuff, slightly embarrased

We have finally got an offer on our flat yesterday ( think I already mentioned that ) and I celebrated by going to M&S and buying some food at full price. It was definitely a different feeling.

Good luck with the offer and enjoy the "real" food!

Have recently returned to work after nearly two years at home. We did manage but it was tough sometimes. I remortgaged our property, consolidating our car loan as well, saving us 200 a month. A lot of costs though are associated with working: clothes, lunches etc. I lived in tracksuits! Shop at Lidl for food, also read the supplements for special offers on meat etc. and freeze them. I used to do the M&S thing as well, hee hee. Good luck. I don't regret it as ds is big enough now to be OK in the creche, I couldn't have done it any sooner.