Pressure to return to work
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35762
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Topic: Pressure to return to work
Posted By: Sez26
Subject: Pressure to return to work
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:02pm
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Hi everyone,
Money is very tight in our household at the moment. We can just manage with DH salary, with a little sanity money, however we have gone through all our savings! I wish that we had a bit tucked away incase something came up, but unfortunately we don't. Part of me feels like it's probably time to go back to work to take the pressure off a bit. However, DS is 14 months and I couldn't bear leaving him, we don't have family who could take care of him, so it would have to be a child care centre or inhome care. Ideally I would love to be able to stay at home with DS and next baby until the youngest is at least 3 (old enough for kindy). It would be great to hear from anyone in a similar position. How do you manage when things come up? At what point do you return to work! Thanks heaps. |
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:25pm
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Budget. We didn't think I'd be able to stay home for as long as I have but I've been at home for over 3 years now.
Recently we never seemed to be getting anywhere money wise. I've redone our budget, worked out exactly where our money goes, reduced our food bill by half pretty much and we are now saving quite a bit a fortnight. Within a couple of months we have enough savings if extra bills come up whereas before we really struggled. When I redid our budget I sat down and got quotes for all our insurance needs and power etc to find the best deal and I saved quite a lot of money that way. |
Posted By: CJsays
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:27pm
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Ohh Sez it's a tough one isn't it? I am currently preg, but we have planned (at this stage) that I go back to work after the usual year, and I am gutted. We will have good savings by then but DH does like his money and doesn't want to "scrimp". Me, I think a child's "sanity" is worth more than havings loads of money. We have 2 older boys (12 and 14) whose mother pays support for them, not as much as she should but more than she used to at least.
Have you considered perhaps a part time job 3 days a week or something that will still help out but mean your wee one isn't in care for 5 days a week? I am planning to be back at work part time, with my husband changing his work hours to start work earlier and me work later so much less time in the day for the Peanut to be in care. Good luck, I hope it works out for you. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:41pm
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As kebakat says budget - reduce what you are spending or find alternative sources of income. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:53pm
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Knowing how much Kebakat has saved in the past few months budgeting is your best way to go. I currently work fulltime kinda by choice but we live with an expensive lifestyle (I choose to smoke there for I have to pay for it) so I need to work to pay for it. I would love for kebakat to do a budget for me, but I am too scared of what she would take away from me. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Sez26
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 2:55pm
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Thanks everyone.
We are on a really tight budget as it is. Even if I can save a few dollars a week at least it will help if something unexpected comes up. I just love those annual bills that increase with no warning! It stresses me out thinking about it though and it can be quite depressing. Unfortunately part time work wouldn't be worthwhile for me because we would lose our WFF and have to pay for childcare. I would have to work full time to make a difference - and I really don't want to do that. |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 3:02pm
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Sez can you do some work from home? Or party plan type thing so you can work in the evenings/weekends when your DH is home?
You may not lose your WFF. I work from home and earn a little bit a month which helps. I added that to our annual income for WFF and it only changed our fortnightly WFF by a few dollars. The income bands seem to be quite big ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 3:09pm
hehehehehe Becks you should be scared  but really its not that bad
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Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 3:19pm
| I would love to hear how you cut your grocery bill in half! |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 3:36pm
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Buying things in bulk rather than small amounts, like I use to get 4kg spuds, now I get 10kg bags. 5kg of flour instead of 1kg lots..
We don't use lots of cheese, I know lots of people who go through a ton of cheese which is expensive and fattening I've added way more vege to our meals. It may sound more expensive but its not. We get a mixture of both fresh and frozen (probably 1/2 each). I've started actually using my cookbooks. Its my aim to try 1 new thing each week from them. I use to buy premade pasta sauces but I'm using herbs and canned tomatos instead now. I'm just experimenting with the amounts to get it tasting just as good. I don't buy coke or any drinks like that. We are making loads of simple meals and just making them extra tasty with herbs and spices and in how its cooked. DH found a dairy in town that sells spices and herbs (owned by an indian couple) for a fraction of the price of the supermarket. We aren't chucking things out like we use to. If I see some vege that looks like its going to go off in the next few days I make something using that for dinner rather than wasting it. I have also got our portions down to a fine art so we don't have leftovers sitting in the fridge forgotten about (which was a bad habit of ours). I'm vego so that saves us loads. But then I won't touch raw meat so I buy loads of prepackaged meat that I don't have to do anything to, to feed the boys during the week so that more expensive in that way. I don't buy prepackaged meals. I make our own pizza which is cheaper than buying it. If I feel like being lazy we have a "breakfast tea" which is sausages for the lads, eggs, spaghetti, hash browns. Its cheap and really only takes 10 mins, shove the hash browns and sausages in the oven and 10 mins for the eggs and spag. |
Posted By: Sez26
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 4:00pm
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WOW thanks Kebakat - great tips.
I don't mean to be nosey, but do you mind telling me how you do your budget. I have a basic excel spreadsheet that outlines all income and expenses. We seem to overspend most weeks and then just start again the next week and hope for a better week ;) That's the other thing DH works shift work so we don't know what he's working one week to the next. Therefore I can't just work evenings and weekends. If I could find something were the hours were flexible at least I could fit them around DH hours. Secretly I think I would enjoy doing a bit of work - to get a break, but I don't want to put DS into childcare - oh it's so hard. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 4:15pm
Sez25 Kebakat is now over in the budgeting section giving good advise 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 15 September 2010 at 4:45pm
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After DS1 I went back to work but drooped a few days as I worked nights & weekends. We did not get any assistance then as no WFF. I went back with all the others as well as it was good money & I did not have to pay fro childcare. I was made redundant 2 yrs ago & have been offered a few jobs but by the time I pay for childcare it is not worth it due to losing WFF.
I will wait till DS3 goes to school next yr, unless the perfect job/ pay come up. We paid off all credit cards so we have none now. No HP's, loans only have the usual bills & I now pay the insurances monthly instead of yearly. We save for what we want as I don't want to have repayments for more than what I can get for my $. I need to redo the budget & tighten it up. |