How are all you new mummies doing?

[Mummybexee]

It still is a shock!! My best friend and dads gf are the only ones that know. My best friend is a big believer I'm everything happens for a reason. My dad is out with my sister today so spoke to his partner as she's at home. She's all for it and says we will help etc.

My biggest fear is work to be honest... Like big time! Along with housing and all that!

I am now thinking my period was the week before? I can't remember ! I'm either 6 or 7 weeks!

God what a morning!

Love your ideas for solutions ladies-appreciate them - it helps to try see how it could work xx

 

[iWitch]

It will all work out in the end. And congrats too! I held that back because you were unsure but looks like you're coming round

 

[Mummybexee]

Well it's still very up in the air? It's a difficult one because of where we are in life ATM. I mean - it does have it's plus points - get it out the way now ... Age gap etc but then obviously as you all know it was always going to be 'can't have another untill I get free hours for childcare'

I'm looking at council properties. We could 'part buy' a house via the local association - most are new builds that are 'up and coming'

So much to take in!

 

[Maud]

Congratulations Bex! Big shock for you, but it will be lovely for the kids to be so close together (I'm a bit jealous too!).

 

[Maud]

On another note, we've just tried on all of Isabelle's new 12-18 month clothes and most of them seem barely any bigger than her 9-12s. Is that right? Do babies stop growing at 12 months - because busy toddling everywhere?

 

[Jojo84]

Do you have a lot of outgoings? I would sit down and make a list of outgoings and income based on maternity pay and see where that gets you.

I know council areas aren't that great - I know ours isn't- but it's not a permanent solution and council houses are actually quite nice building (at least mine is) and you could save as the water rates are included and there's quite a good chance te rent will be cheap (I pay £82 a week)

As for tax credits, it depends what your wage is. Me and hubby have a combined earning of about £15k a year and we get about £100 a week in tax credits. There's a calculator you can do online to check your entitlements.

If your hubby isn't working trhemselves staying at home to care for them might be the best. Me and hubby enjoy the fact we share the childcare and it's great he has the advantage of spending so much time wih his parents. Bear in mind if baby is due august time by the time your returned oscar would be able to get his 15 hours nursery free.

It's a shock at the moment I would guess but it is achievable hopefully and I'm sure you will come round to it.

I would love to be pregnant and I'm getting quite jealous of all these new 2015 babies

 

[Mummybexee]

Our outgoings are our car finance which can be stopped of need be, 2 phone bills which are about 30 each, car insurance at 70 quid a month

We have our storage fee for all our possessions but that would stop of we got our own place. That's 169 a month.

We literally have no major outgoings and have a lump in the bank left over from the house sale. But even council rent around here is 500-600 a month for a 2 bed semi detached?

I earn just over 26k a year - with child benefit it's more like 27k - so I don't think we could claim anything at all but I didn't know if being in council rented would change anything with regards to our entitlements- probably not seeing as my wage is not exactly a bad one?

When I go I to maternity pay - my monthly salary goes from 1750ish to 580-680 depending on how many weeks in the month. So I'd loose 1100 ish a month and with that hubby would be out of Work aswell as he would be looking after Oscar? Unless he went to Work when I came off work but it's not easy and jobs are few and far between?

 

[Pumpkin9]

I know what you mean about the maternity pay Bex. It's been a total killer for me as my wage has vanished being in stay mat pay (and now I'm not being paid).

I've never really investigated extra help but I would say somewhere like a cab might be able to help investigate options as I'm not really sure how further support would help when you are technically still employed but on maternity pay.

However perhaps you could build up enough of a buffer now to bankroll when you are on Mat leave? How much do you think you'd need as a minimum each month?

 

[Mummybexee]

Depends if we can find a house inhabitable for say 600 a month

With all bills- council tax etc etc , shopping, and all that - I reckon about 1600 a month at the very least!

 

[Pumpkin9]

Yeah so basically you need to have enough savings to cover your loss in salary! Easier Than it sounds (well for me anyway)

 

[hayes]

Congratulations bexs I do hope u can work something out. I'm sure u wue b entitled to something from the gov??

Michelle.x

 

[Mummybexee]

Yea we could survive on my full time salary alone - If we were to pull Oscar out of nursery - we could save 1k a month for 6 months living at mother in laws - then move somewhere with 6k savings to cover maternity leaving the cash in the ISA's for house?

Only problem is we have 'savings' of 16k - so that usually means you don't qualify for much if anything? Could move it to a family member but then your going down the lines of benefit fraud which just isn't my style! X

 

[iWitch]

JoJo water rates aren't necessarily included with rent for all local authorities. The one I work for now doesn't pay them & neither did the one I worked for previously.

Bex I doubt you'd get any help benefit wise. Aren't tax credits calculated based on the previous year's salaries? And yeah obviously moving savings would be classed as benefit fraud should you be able to claim it.

 

[Mummybexee]

The council def don't pay your water rates here! That's separate!

So stuck

 

[katherine6476]

Congratulations Bex.
It's daunting the thought of having 2 under 2 but I'm slowly getting used to the idea. We're trying to save as much as we can before Sept then use some of our savings when I'm on mat leave as I would like 12 months of next time. I'm already looking at double buggies and new furniture for Amelia's room. Think we need to buy as much as we can while I'm still working.

 

[Toria111]

Omg, congrats Bex! Think I've said a few times on here, there will never seem to be a good time to have a baby. But it will work out. It has to. Might mean a few hard years, but you will come out the other end and have your little family

 

[Toria111]

On another note, we've just tried on all of Isabelle's new 12-18 month clothes and most of them seem barely any bigger than her 9-12s. Is that right? Do babies stop growing at 12 months - because busy toddling everywhere?

Think that's when they start losing their baby fat, and start to slim down. I've got trousers that I couldn't get on Emma a few months ago cause they looked like they were cutting in to her tummy. But they fit now.

 

[Maud]

Thanks Toria, that's reassuring

 

[Jojo84]

JoJo water rates aren't necessarily included with rent for all local authorities. The one I work for now doesn't pay them & neither did the one I worked for previously.

Bex I doubt you'd get any help benefit wise. Aren't tax credits calculated based on the previous year's salaries? And yeah obviously moving savings would be classed as benefit fraud should you be able to claim it.

Dudnt realise that. I thought it was standard. That's crappy.

Bex everything will work out. Could you msybe stay with MIL a little longer until you return from MAt leave then get somewhere if your own or is that not an option?

 

[Mummybexee]

Not an option - We need to be out of here by the time I give birth at the very latest