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Anyone else NOT saved up?!?

Hi

Please tell me I'm not the only one!!

I've not saved a penny for mat leave!! We've spent everything on getting things ready for baby! I'm sure we'll cope! I get full pay for 18 weeks, & then SMP for the rest. With working tax credits etc.. We'll be fine but it will most likely be a struggle!

Anyone else in the same boat?!

Butterfly
31+0 x
«1

Replies

  • I only got paid 90% for 6 weeks (rubbish mat leave package!) so I had to save up! x
  • Well, I get 100% for 2 weeks, 90% for 4 weeks, 50% + SMP for 12 weeks then SMP and I havent saved a penny!

    We have thought about getting through it, paying mortgage etc and we should be ok, although I wont be able to do much during mat leave! Definitely going to be a struggle but after surprise which ended in mc we decided we really didnt care and would go for it anyway. Then we get a BFP straight away with twins!!!

    Oh well, we will cope!

    Gemma 13 + 6
  • Me - I have not saved a penny, we saved up a bit but then went out and bought the crib and so on and sheets and baby grows and the sling and other things we need like bottles and so on, and it;s all gone. I was freaking out last night saying to hubby how are we going to cope those three months we get no money at all but he said we just will.

    I am hoping to try and save with the last two months wage I will have coming in before my mat leave kicks in and then just buying things we need, and being carful with shopping you know.

    K xx
    26+1
  • We haven't saved either! Our out goings are huge so we don't have anything left over!

    Luckily I will get full pay for 6 months and smp for another 3. When my full pay runs out our mortgage fixed rate is due to end so hopefully we will drop onto the base rate and save some money that way!!

    Otherwise it might get tricky but we're both due another payrise before then so hopefully that will keep things ticking over.

    It will be verrry tight though!

    Bec 37+6 x
  • Yay! You've made me feel better!! I'm not alone!!

    My mum has offered to pay me ??100 a week to take baby & work @ her nursery, so I know we'll cope, we just won't have any luxury's I suppose!!

    Gemmiebaby, the same happend to me! I got pregnant which was a suprise, & had a MMC, after that I was so desperate for another BFP, everything else, money etc just seemed so pointless compared to the thought of carrying our baby for 9 months & bringing her into the world!

    As long as we are well fed & have a roof over our heads, nothing else matters!!

    xxx
  • Nope - Ive been concentrating on desperately trying to pay off all those student debts and the car loan and we sold one of the cars a couple of months ago so we have to manage with 1 - tough when I travel all over - ok when Im going somewhere theres a bus route but so annoying! Havnt had any chance to save, it sounds pitiful, but I was really pleased with myself this month - I actually had ??30 left over the day before pay day, so I put that away for baby - thats how bad things are! I've worked out that if I manage to pay the car loan off before mat leave starts - even though it still has a year left on it in Sept - arrrgh - then we should be reasonably comfortable and I should still be able to contribute tothe huge mortgate - Id feel guilty not doing that!
    We'll manage - we've been doing the shopping for ??40 for us a week and ??10 for all the animals a week since we found out about the baby so if we can do that for a bit longer it'll be fine! The annoying thing is - nobody believes we're skint because people think dh is loaded with his job - er no - the government, RPSGB and student loan company take so much off him - it's so annoying! SOrry went on a bit there!

    xax
  • Nope, not a bit, trying to clear debts (not huge ones but after getting married we had been saving so long we went a bit mad lol) I cleared the credit card, I still owe my mum ???????500, but bought travel system last week on credit card so thats another ???????750 that we owe lol.
    Im not worried though cos hubbys self employed and had a really bad couple of months and I was able to cover all the bills on my own and now his business is picking up again (thank god) so hopefully it will be fine.
    Also i'll be going back to work after about 6 weeks, im a piano teacher, self employed, so if I take too long off i'll lose my students and it could take ages to build back up to the numbers I have now. Also I feel I have an obligation to the students I have now.
    I'd love to take longer but I dont work til 3.30 in the afternoon and finish by half 7 at the latest so i'll have loads of time with baby and my mum is going to come to my house to look after him/her for the first few months i'll still technically be home with the baby.
    Still trying to convince myself, can you tell?!!!
  • We haven't really saved either.
    We starting saving when I found out I was pg - but thats to buy everything for the baby. Nursery furniture, pram etc etc!! but we've paid for them all up front so thats good.
    Hubby said he's going to be good and cut back on football / golf and I've not bought any shoes or anything (my weakness). I hope we'll be ok. I worry about when smp kicks in as thats over ??1000 a month difference for me and i wont be able to contribute to the morgage, but hey ho, it will work out!! I really dont care - as long as bills are paid and we can feed ourselves it will be worth it to have the extra time off!!

    Lisa
    23+6
  • I only get basic - 100% for the first 4 weeks which is my holiday pay, 90% for the next 6 weeks then SMP for the next 33 weeks (theres NO way I can afford to take the last 12 weeks off unpaid so will have to go back after 9 months at the latest!) so its going to be a struggle for us too on SMP and benefits but like you say - we will manage. I am saving though LOL I should have just under ??1k by the time shes 4 weeks old so at least I have that to fall back on.

    xxx

    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev207pp___.png

  • Oh thank god... I was pooping myself about having NOT saved anything.
    I keep thinking how bloody stupid I was to have not planned ahead, I mean we were trying for a year before I fell pregnant, why on earth wasn't I putting money aside every month just in case... grrr.... I'm actually quite angry at myself!
  • we havent really saved up either and my maternity package is rubbish so i will probably have to go back to work in september which really sucks, so im trying to figure out how much 'extra' id get in benefits if i only worked part time and see if it is worth doing it that way. It breaks my heart just thinking about leaving baby so soon and its not even here yet. We have bought everything gradually since our 12 week scan and have paid for everything upfront so we havent really struggled in that sence, and now its only small things that we need to pick up....depending on the sex of baby.

    bailey_b 39+5
  • We have saved - but then we are 'savers'..I am sure everything will be fine - things always work out! xx

    MKB 23+4
  • Sorry I know this is totally off the topic but my goodness MKB I cant believe youre going on for 24 weeks already!! Thats flown by!

    xxx

    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev207pp___.png

  • Aw! Bailey B, I know how you feel! I'm thinking worst case senario, I will have to go back to work in November when my pay goes to SMP. I'm going to have to wait & see how much I'm entitled too etc first! We do have an ??850 overdraft we could go into & we both have credit cards! So if needs be, we'd have to live off them! I'm desperate to spend Xmas with baby! So I think I'd rather struggle for 2months, rather than go back to work early!

    xxx
  • I have been trying to save to cover my half of the bills while I'm off. I have my pyschotherapy/hynotherapy course to still pay for which is ??110 a month on top of my half of the mortgage etc..

    I haven't done so well though as keep buying things for the baby. Oh thinks I have more saved than I have though...not by much but he is a real saver and I am the opposite unfortunately.

    I have pretty much full pay for first 3 months so will save some more to save then too.

    Sazzle xx
    30+5
  • We're in the same boat but as long as mortgage is paid (our only big expense) then I'm not fussed, everything always gets paid somehow.

    My mat leave is REALLY bad, I get 4 wks full pay (this is from time i go on mat leave, I'm a nurse so won't be able to work to the end) then 14 wks half pay, then nothing!

    Haven't decided yet but think i'm going to give up work as i'll be expected to start work again after 18wks max 22wks if i use my annual leave (i don;t live in EU so no SMP or tax credit thingies)

    Fingers crossed!
  • Sorry I know this is totally off the topic but my goodness MKB I cant believe youre going on for 24 weeks already!! Thats flown by!

    xxx

    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev207pp___.png



    hehe..I know! I will be 6 months on Sunday - cant wait to reach that point!!!
  • Nope not saved a penny!! decided we would try for a baby and got BFP first month so it took us by suprise a bit! And do you know what, i am not bothered and neither is hubby!

    Not trying to be daft about it, we both have good jobs even if my MP package is crap! should have known really being a solicitor - tightest bosses possible!!

    Like someone else has already said, so long as the mortgage is sorted everything else will get paid somehow! can't wait to be skint but at home with my baby!

    Life is too short to stress about money and i really don't think you can ever plan to have enough money to pay for a baby!!

    Choccy x x
  • Well said choccywoccy. Woman after my own heart.
  • Here here!!
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