Anyone take the full year whilst on SMP (so got nowt for last 3 months?)

[CARNAT22]

How did you cope???

I know SMP is shite but I am now worrying how we'll cope for the last few months without it.It just about covers what comes out of my account.

Anything I am entitled to claim?

xxxxxxx

 

[mummywanabe]

I couldnt afford it so im just doing the 9 months not sure about any entitlements

 

[tweetyfoo]

I wanted to do it, but think I'll be heading back a few months early, as I'm so fed up of being skint!

 

[CARNAT22]

We have savings and as long as OH is working we should just about manage. However he is self-employed and there could be some gaps between jobs?

Also for me cost of childcare means I'll be only slightly better off once I go back.

Childcare is aprox £1100 per month and I only clear £1900 so again if OH has any lull's in his work we'll be fooked as we'll have about £800 a month to pay for all the bills and live on as well???

I know that you sign a contract when you chose your childminder so we're going to see how OH's work is closer the time and if there is no long term projects on the horizon OH will have to have James until things pick up.

Nature of OH's work means he doesn't always have a set wage? He can sometimes have to finish a job before he gets paid or else he will be paid a bit and settled at the end? So my salary is very important as we have the direct debits coming out of my account.

I have never had to worry about money before and it's starting to get to me. I got a £900 bonus and that is all gone now the credit card is paid and I got a few bits for James???

I can't afford to work and I can't afford not to work, I don't know what to do!

xxxxxxxxx

 

[Loula]

Things have a way of working. Are u entitled to tax credits?
Could u go back to work or is it a case of not wanting to?
I went back when lo was 8.5m.
I get less then 800 a month and it kinda works i did save over my mat leave but choose not to dip in as i need to move this year.
Anything u can bdget down on?
I imagine its frustratng

 

[CARNAT22]

Things have a way of working. Are u entitled to tax credits?
Could u go back to work or is it a case of not wanting to?
I went back when lo was 8.5m.
I get less then 800 a month and it kinda works i did save over my mat leave but choose not to dip in as i need to move this year.
Anything u can bdget down on?
I imagine its frustratng

I don't want to go back early, we have savings to allow me to take the full year but beyond that we're in limbo.

OH will happily have James if he has no big jobs on and if he does have a big project then we can afford childcare so it's kind of OK?? It just means we won't know until much closer to the time what we will be doing with James and I may be left with not much option when it comes to childcare if I am only sorting it out a month before he needs to begin with it?

We can cut back on a few things but really I just have to play it by ear (such a pain as I am one of life's planners and I like to have things all sorted well in advance!)

xxxxxx

 

[babybee]

Have you managed to save a bit each month from what you've been getting? I'm kind of in the same situation except I was fortunate enough to get full pay for the first 4 months the next 5 months is SMP. So I've paid the essentials and put the rest in a special savings (seperate to our main savibgs) to get us through those 3 unpaid months. We'll have to be careful but it should be just ok.

 

[CARNAT22]

We've been saving since my first miscarriage in May 2011 so we have a fair amount put aside (it is meant to be for a bigger place though so I am trying not to dip into it much)

We paid off credit card before I went on maternity leave (which included paying for cot-bed and pram - those were our biggest expenses - as well as all the little baby bits)

I was lucky that I got a few bonuses from work and sold some shares so I was able to save up to £500 some months!

I don't want to use our life savings just to live though, we do need to move as we are only in a one bed.

If OH is working we'll be fine, if there is any significant lull in work then we'll struggle but savings will cover most of our outgoings.

Also if I really get stuck I could ask work to pay me some of my accrued holiday, although I would prefer to tack that on at the end and have an extra month off.

xxxxxxx

 

[babybee]

I know exactly how you feel. We have our savings but don't really want to dip into them but we will definitely have too.

Maybe we'll win the lottery and never have to go back to work ever again!

 

[Zazu]

I took the full year with Z, but I managed to save enough before my money stopped to get me through, hoping to do the same this time too. I took the last month as holidays from why I had accrued. Hope you get to take the full year xxx

 

[CARNAT22]

I am def taking the full year Zazu, I have just confirmed it with work (they had my replacement on a temp 6 month contract and have renewed it)

In-fact I have asked for an extra month as well (that will be annual leave though so I'll get paid in November, the day before I go back!)

If they refuse this then I'll just ask to be paid for accrued holiday in my October Salary - then it would only be 2 months with no pay!

xxxxxxx

 

[Little_angel]

Even if you're not on SMP, a lot of company maternity plans pay nothing for the last 3 months of a years leave. Mine pays nothing and is based on the standard NHS one. I was well paid for the first six months, but the last six months are 3 mths SMP and then 3 months nothing.

There are benefit calculators where you can check out what you might be entitled to, but it might be tricky to work out since your OH is self employed and his income is not regular.

 

[tweetyfoo]

I need to talk to hubby I think, I know he get a bonus in summer that may cover us, but there's a part of me that wants to go back to work to have some "normality" in my life.

My situation is slightly different though, I don't think a week has gone by in 8 months where I haven't been at the hospital or clinic for one reason or another. I'm not only a parent - I'm a healthcare giver?

Also, although we are coping financially to meet our bills etc, we don't have a disposable income to speak of. As vain as it sounds, I really need some clothes. I ended up in joggies the other day because Aaron puked on both pairs of jeans that I own. I'm still wearing the primark tshirts I wore when pregnant.

There's also a load of things I want to buy for Aaron too - like a push along walker, and it doesn't look like 6-9mth clothes are going to last long (he's only been in them a week or so!). But I just can't justify the cost at the moment

The amount of times I've said "When I go back to work I'm going to buy ..."

 

[TORino]

I took a full year.

The last three months were hard. Very hard. We had saved enough to pay the bills etc but not much left for anything else. Plus my husband was out of work for a full month so we had no income at all that wipes out a lot of our savings.

My maternity leave had been spent going to cafes for coffees and cake and doing lunches and days out.
That all stopped. Plus it was just after xmas and the weather was pants so I was stuck in the house with a mobile baby that i was struggling to entertain for days on end. I was counting down the days until we had some money again. For me it's just no fun having no money to do what you want.

Next time round Ill make sure I have enough put by to enjoy the last few months.

I'm lucky in that I don't have to pay when Matilda isn't in nursery as long as they know the week before. Flexi days are brilliant.

 

[Rhino Horn]

I took the full year with seren and I'm taking the full year again. The difference this time is that I'm being made redundant at the end of it

I'm a obsessive compulsive saver so that has helped and much husband's business is doing very well so I'm sure we will survive. Well, we have to, because trying to find decent paid part time work is impossible!

tapatalking

Proud mummy of Seren 15 Nov 2010 & Bethan 12 Oct 2012

 

[Lolly85x]

You could look into Tax Credits? Is your OH self employed? Sorry if you've already said. There's an online calculator to see what you would be entitled too.

I guess you could really start saving as much as possible just now...!

I'd have loved to take the year off. We could have survived on OH's wages. But we would have had no extra money and had to be so tight. I just couldn't see how I would enjoy 3 months with no pay? Well 4 by the time I'm back to work and get a months pay...!!
I will save up next time and take the year that's for sure xx

 

[CARNAT22]

I saved before Mat pay kicked in, there is nothing left from the £550 odd I get a month now in-fact I top up my current account with my savings at the moment!

I'll check out tax credits, thanks!

xxxxx

 

[leesey]

My situation is slightly different though, I don't think a week has gone by in 8 months where I haven't been at the hospital or clinic for one reason or another. I'm not only a parent - I'm a healthcare giver?
"

Will you get attendance allowance or something for Aaron? My mum got disability living allowance for my brother with diabetes xx

 

[tweetyfoo]

My situation is slightly different though, I don't think a week has gone by in 8 months where I haven't been at the hospital or clinic for one reason or another. I'm not only a parent - I'm a healthcare giver?
"

Will you get attendance allowance or something for Aaron? My mum got disability living allowance for my brother with diabetes xx

I've got the forms and need to apply but they are hideous!


____________________________

Www.justgiving.com/AaronFarquharson

Text aaro89 and £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070

 

[CARNAT22]

They sure don't make applying for anything easy do they Tweety??

Get cracking with it though hun.

It doesn't help my situation that all I do is go shopping With the weather being pants all we really do is go out for a walk and inevitably end up in some shop spending money (I food shop most days as I like to buy fresh and shop around but it is still costly!!)

Where is the sunshine - I had visions of James and I having lunch in the park most days and going for long walks along the Thames?? The weather isn't good enough for any of my summer [free] activities!!

xxxxxxx