One step forward, two steps back…

Just in need of a rant and see if anyone else is in a similar situation? So I’m due on the 16th October (baby will likely be coming earlier due to measuring big on growth scans.) Anyway - I’m pretty sensible financially - but things are still tight as I’m sure they are for lots of us with the cost of living being so insanely high! My husband and I both earn decent wages, but by the time we’ve paid bills, set money aside for food and fuel for the cars, put money in savings etc. we don’t have a huge amount left for the rest of the month. We’ve managed to save a bit in preparation for maternity leave (I’m lucky to get enhanced Mat pay from my employer which I feel very lucky for!) But - it feels like every time we start saving a decent amount, something goes wrong. This morning I came downstairs to find water coming up from under our kitchen floor, so we’re going to have to find £500 for our home insurance excess to sort it. It’s constant. Last month we had to replace our living room flooring as the old laminate was cracking and was sharp in places so unsafe (laid before we bought the house.) It’s so frustrating! And it worries me- husband already works overtime where he can to earn extra, and I do babysitting which earns a decent amount but I’ll have to stop for a while when baby arrives. Just needed a rant. It’s so unfair that people who work hard and earn a decent wage still struggle financially!! 😭

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Can you look into universal credit? Some people are still entitled despite being employed. My brother and sister-in-law are both employed yet get state help every month

@Becca I’ve looked into it and we aren’t eligible x

I absolutely understand. My husband and I are both directors of our own small businesses. I’ll be entering maternity leave for the second consecutive year and it’s devoured our savings which were meant to go toward a deposit of course. We have absolutely no idea how we’re gonna get through financially considering that we will need to pay for nursery on top of rent on a single income… Our rent could also go up at any given moment 🥴 We’ve had to sell big ticket items and buy cheaper groceries, not go on as many road trips and things like that to save here and there but like you said, there always seems to be something that crops up 😩

@Natalya it’s so difficult! It’s like we’re stuck in the middle - we don’t qualify for any help, but we also don’t have enough money to be comfortable! So frustrating! We own our home (with a mortgage) which I’m super grateful for, but it does mean that we have to pay for any repairs (and they always crop up at the wrong time!) I know I’m complaining when we are privileged, but I just wish I could wake up not worrying about finances!!

I’m with you on this, it’s such a horrible daunting feeling. Have no words of advise, just that I empathise entirely 🙁x

@Chloe it’s horrible! I think I just posted for a bit of a rant tbh. I’m sorry you can relate! X

No advice, just hopped in to say I'm due on the 16th as well and we also think baby might come early as she's measuring a week ahead. Good luck with everything, I didn't grow up with money but I had a magical childhood x

@Julia thank you, good luck to you too! We’ll make sure baby has everything they need and are happy - it’s the rest of the financial stuff that worries me - we can’t ever save enough because stuff keeps going wrong! Xx

Oh god I feel this too. The 18 months after we bought our house we got married, had to buy a new boiler, had the downstairs toilet overflow, had to fix sewer pipes in the garden, treat a leak in the living room wall and repair an original Victorian sash window when it broke. Then we had to pay for IVF! and now I'm about to have this baby with no savings at all, and whilst I get OMP which I'm very grateful for, it means we're just about managing, having been on decent wages for a few years.

@Charley same! We had to pay for IVF (2 full rounds) and whilst I of course wouldn’t change the outcome for the world, that’s £20K that we’re still paying off! Plus then bills, food, fuel for the cars, and trying to save….And then stuff going wrong with the house. It’s never ending!! Xx

@Faye it is never ending, and I know there are people in awful financial situations in this country, but why do two people who work full time in decent jobs struggle to avoid their overdraft every single month!

@Charley I completely agree! We’re lucky and thankful that we’re not worse off, but in a sense we’d be better off if we earned less as we’d qualify for help! X

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