Going back to work... is it worth it?

[Early Kids]

Thanks for all the input xx

I can't work weekends or nights because DP doesn't work set hours himself. He's a farmhand which means at the moment he is working midnight till midday, sometimes 7am till 7pm and sometimes weekends. Which is why if I return to work the kids go into daycare. Brendan already goes one day a week now (paed's orders) so I'm well aware of what goes on.

DP is the biggest issue, he won't budge on ANYTHING and his family SUPPORT that! I have cut down my internet and phone bill, which are my only bills. I have swapped food choices and buy cheaper branded things and we don't get treats as often as we used to. I've cut down on power usage in the past 6 months which hasn't helped with our power bill being increased anyway... goes up another 16-17% in July There is nothing else I can do... it's all up to him now and he just won't budge. Foxtel is currently in my name so I will be reducing that to the basic package anyway and as soon as the contract is up it's going (July). But I can't control the other things. He has a motorbike and a Ute which we are currently forking out around $1000 a month in loan payments for, and then he wants to ride his bike which costs us more. He just doesn't get that we have no money right now. I have $50 to last me till next pay which is about the 10th of May. That $50 is for food shopping because that's all we had left after paying some bills. I don't know what else I can do but go back to work and hope to make ends meet

I really wanted to see out this year because Brendan will be in kindy next year.

PS Sorry for the rant

[Peg]

your situation sounds really tight at the moment

I remember when i put my dd3 into a child care centre, i was paying $180 for 3x 6hr days per week and i was earning $300 per week gross. Not really worth the effort for an extra $120 pw.

So i moved her into family day care. The cost was based on an hourly rate of $5, so it worked out much more economical.

Is there any work you could do from home? (babysitting, ironing, washing???)

[Catastrophic]

Hey hun, will come bk n respond tomorrow... xoxoxo

[Mrs Jak]

Hi Sally,

Have you called Centrelink and made sure you are currently receiving the correct entitelments for your current situation?

Also, have you called your phone provider and asked them if there is another/better plan for your situation?

Does your DH want you to go back full-time or part-time?

[Early Kids]

Family Day Care have a HUGE wait list here and getting both kids in together is next to impossible. I do have a couple of people who will look after the kids as back-up if they are sick and I need to work.

Haven't called centrelink, but we aren't entitled to any more than we receive now because DP earns 55K a year. Although this year will be less as it's already a bad year (no rain = no seeding and no seeding will = no harvesting... for rain!)

Not looking at full-time, but something consistent like 15-20 hours or so (preferably over 2 days). He doesn't really want me to go back to work at all... but there isn't much else we can do.

There isn't really anything I can do from home... I have even tried party-plan things but I guess I lack motivation when I'm home lol

[Peg]

Family Day Care have a HUGE wait list here and getting both kids in together is next to impossible.

if thats the case, then perhaps becoming a family day carer might be an option?? Im not sure what the regulations are in WA but if you called your local council they would be able to give you a rundown.

[Willow]

I am not all that much help because I did go back after having #2 but my MIL looked after my children for me so I didn't have to factor in daycare. We did pay her but it wasn't much so we were much better off with me working.

I was made redundant after being back less than 6 months though. By that time I was prg with #3 and knew I wouldn't be returning to work with 3 kids at home. I called Centrelink for the first time to see what we were entitled to and was very pleasantly surprised. We aren't all that worse off than when I was at work.

I hope you can work something out, it is so awful when you don't want to go back but feel you have no choice.