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Following, I’m in the same boat!

We have been lucky with my husbands job that we have afforded for me to be off, however after 3 years everything is getting more and more expensive, so I’m looking for a part time job x

I’m not staying off indefinitely but for a bit longer, we don’t have an expensive car we don’t have a big mortgage we have a 3 bed home but did an extension with our savings rather than having a big mortgage so that we didn’t feel the pressure when we had kids I don’t buy myself anything like clothes etc rarely get nails or eyebrows done etc go to a lot of free baby classes we cannot afford holidays etc just day to day living so I will be going back so we can go on holidays and go the garden I also buy baby clothes off vinted nee with tags

Same here, I will be on half pay after my 13th week off and that is going to be a huge struggle. Hoping to find a WFH job but without the experience no one will take you on

We’ve managed to live quite cheaply while I’ve been off and saved more than I thought. Except for swimming I only go to free or £1 baby sessions (fortunate that a lot is put on by the council). Clothes/toys etc are nearly all second hand and some even free bundles off Facebook which has saved loads. I use Vinted both to sell and buy. We like cooking and batch cooking, so we use the freezer and shop reduced sections a lot. We are lucky that our mortgage is very low (sheer luck from when we bought the house and the rate - this is going up this year but not too much thankfully). I’ve changed our bank account and savings to one that does cash back to maximise extra money. Haggled with internet provider for a lower contract. Shopped around on insurance and changed it wherever I can make a saving. I’ve quit to stay home full time. We’ll see how we’re doing a few months down the line and if we’re starting to really struggle I’ll consider some part time work but hoping to scrape by :)

I don’t want to put my child in care services as I’ll just be working to pay for someone to look after her and atm she’s still on the breast and won’t be taking a bottle so I can’t leave her for long she’s not good with people who she doesn’t know either she doesn’t see her nan very often as as soon as she sees her she screams and cries so imagine her with a stranger I couldn’t bare it …. Just don’t know what to do.

@courtney have you looked into UC? I’ve just put in an application. Not sure if I’m entitled to much but I’ll take anything, as it all helps!

Yeah going give them a ring and see if I can

We’re quite lucky that my partner earns a decent amount (enough to cover two salaries) and we have a fairly low mortgage. I’ve delayed my application for maternity allowance and child benefit by 2 months so that I have a bit of time teaching myself to be careful with money. You could join things like Zest and do bits like market research jobs for little payouts, sell bits you no longer use (even if it’s £3 a week it covers a coffee out), look for free baby club groups, get savvy with sale shopping, batch cook to reduce food shops a bit. The way I see it is even if I have to cut out all luxuries completely, I’m happy to for as long as we can manage in order to extend the time I have off with my little one. I’m aiming to get to at least 18 months if I can

@courtney there’s online calculators as well - have to say I thought the online application would be an arse but it took me and my husband maybe 2hrs tops and was much easier than I expected. They’re getting back to me with a decision in 4 weeks 🤷‍♀️

When my son was born in 2020, I didn't return back to work after maternity leave as i wasnt ready to leave my son in the care of anyone else. We did have to cut back on alot, my partner had to work overtime and I had to get rid of my car. I also claimed UC for a short time. But we don't regret it. I have since had to return back to part time work (around my partners hours) as the cost of living just meant we needed more income. But I enjoy my job and it's my little break 😅

Yaah my partner doesn’t have set shifts so I would have to go back to work as bank staff or cover if I was to , we have a mortgage so just worrying a bit and with prices and everything going up

I went back to work after my mat leave but am now a Sahm. Honestly with the cost of nursery financially we are exactly the same with me not working than I was when working. At least I won’t be losing almost £200 a day everytime my daughter is sick now 😣

@Leanne this is one of the things to consider too. Childcare would likely amount to more than I would probably earn a month so why should I bother letting my child be cared for by someone else when it doesn’t make a difference financially 🤦🏼‍♀️

My partner luckily earns enough for us all. I’m a house fiancé x😅

You find ways to save $. Shop 2nd hand. Cut out unneeded expenses. I also suggest looking into Dave Ramsey. He helps with financial stuff. Even with 1 income, we were able to pay off 90% of our debts so far.

It’s definitely tight financially but it’s best for our family and for her for me to be able to be home with her while she’s so little. I plan on going back to work, at least part time, once she’s 1, as she will be less dependent on breast milk (I exclusively BF so there’s no choice there)

@Holly honestly. If I were to stay at work we’d only have an extra couple hundred after childcare. On top of not seeing my baby all day (and her being with strangers) not worth it

I think I just enjoy building up the debt tbh 🙃😂 I trained to be a childminder but it's not going too well but it's a little bonus income

I can stay home only because I’d be working just to pay for someone else to watch my kid.

We are very fortunate to live in a low cost of living state that if you live fairly frugally (and still have some fun) you can live off of 1 income. It would actually cause us to lose money if I worked and had to put our babies in daycare so for us it’s the best option financially for me to stay home. Husband makes around 42k gross income and we live decently comfortably renting. We shop a lot secondhand at consignment stores, flea markets and go to a lot of garage sales and estate sales for our things.

Cutting back on all of our expenses as much as possible and budgeting. Sometimes money is really tight but this is only a temporary situation and I still don’t regret quitting my job. We wouldn’t have been on that much more money after childcare costs if I had gone back and to me that little bit extra money wasn’t worth it for having to be away from my son. If you have a partner and they are on a low wage then you may be entitled to a top up from universal credit.

I honestly don’t understand how people afford it, my partner and I both earn decent amounts but we could never live off one salary - I think our mortgage is quite high, I get what people are saying about affording childcare but it’s like I can’t afford childcare nor can I afford to not work lol - for me it is better off for us both to work and pay childcare as it’s still a substantial amount left after (as much as I’d love to stay home with bubba) No disrespect at all to those who receive government help but I know a lot of people who seem to be better off on benefits because they get a lot of help with rent and then they can afford to stay at home which feels like how?!?!? 😢

We’re staying with my partner’s parents. I get WIC benefits and food stamps and cash assistance. Partner gets paid by the VA to go to school

Hi @courtney, I have been bringing in extra cash for the every day for 3.5 years now , working at home around the kids and other commitments, by selling FM products. My inbox is always open if you ever decide you would like any information 😊