Its a bit of a pain to be having it in installments for us, with DD we have put aside the money for her and want to do the same again so getting it each forthnight means we gave to remember to transfer the money over so it doesn't get spent on bills.
For us this really SUCKS! We qualify still, so I guess in that regard were lucky, but I was really hoping and planning to use that money to buy things we NEED for the baby soon after it's born. Both my partner and I are relying on Centrelink at the moment as he's studying full time and I cant work, and because they barely pay us enough to live on, let alone buy much needed things for our baby. We really needed that extra money up front so we can buy things like a pram/ stroller, clothes, high chair, bouncer/ swing and a whole heap of other stuff I probably havent even thought of yet.
It makes me so angry when Centrelink decide what is best for everyone without asking them what they need and looking at thier individual circumstances first. We dont gamble or drink, we didn't plan to have a big spend up on ourselves when we got the $5000, we planned to spend it on our child to give it the best start to life possible under our circumstances, now because of these changes our child is going to miss out on a tonne of much needed items.
How is that fair that so many other families before Jan 09 got the lump sum payment to do with what they like and we get f**ked over like this. It's just not fair. As if we didnt have enough to worry about financially without this thrown in to the mix.
Fortnightly payments just arent gonna cut it. Sure it'll help with little things like nappies and wipes but what about the big items? Where are we supposed to get the money for that? What are we supposed to do?
they did the same when calculating how much my partner was to get on Austudy. What he's getting now, what he's "entitled" to barely covers his repayments on his car and the fuel he needs to get to tafe and back each week. Where as what I'm "entitled" to is more than he gets and I don't have a job or any commitments other than my monthly phone bill. How does that work? So now I have to transfer money to his account each fortnight so he has enough to live on and more at the start of each month to cover his phone bill. Even then we are both JUST scraping by. On top of all this we have a layby on a cot and a car seat to pay off because those two things were absolutely neccesary, in our eyes, to have before the baby is born.
Sorry for the rant. Just had to get that out.
you have 19 weeks to go - layby the big items from a baby store and pay them off - the first few installments will have you collecting big ticket items.
there is no need for some of the big ticket items straight away - you can hire a capsule from local council for not too much - which takes care of your car seat for first 4-6 months. cot doesn't need to be exxy - keep an eye on target sales or even look at op shops. high chair - not needed for months. bouncer etc - again, not a necessity. pram/stroller - the variation in price is huge - get one that does what you need, not necessarily one with all the bells and whistles. if you can, get a sling or something for first up outings until the baby bonus starts being paid and then you can go without pram for a while too.
the way payments are calculated related to income and assetts, and what payment you're on. new start is higher level of payment than youth allowance or austudy. if you're partnered, you may be getting rent assistance while he isn't.
it's not about making life diifficult for anyone - it's about making another government welfare payment equal across the board for all those eligible. there is no reason why this should be paid in a lump sum anymore - it is now a WELFARE payment, not an entitlement. it is designed to help new mum's to supplement a wage for the first 6 months so that they can hopefully meet WHO recommendations for exclusive BF - a lot was taken into consideration for this to be changed - and like all other welfare entitlements, it will be paid in fortnightly installments
I prefer the lumpsum myself too. But I think it's a good idea to have instalments if it means people can see it as extra income to help them stay home with the bub longer. Lump sums can be spent quite easily & quite quickly!
Just need to keep in mind that it's a bonus, they don't HAVE to give us money when we have babies! and it's probably not a good thing if we're heavily relying on this $5k.. babies cost a lot more than that LOL. But every bit counts, and if it helps people stay home with their bubs, then it's a good thing in my books
We already have the cot and change table on layby, in a deal the cheapest we could find without giving up safety and quality, and we are struggling to pay that off. This is why I'm worried.
We had decided to leave things like the pram, until after the baby was born because we could use a sling for a while its still small. But now I cant see us being able to afford anything else before or after the babys born and I guess I just feel a bit lost and unable to cope. I just dont know how were gonna do it.
I know they dont have to give us the money but because I was told I would get it then it did become something we relied on, iykwim? I know babies cost alot more than that but it is a huge help to us even if others dont see it that way.
*sigh* I didnt mean to be rude. Just needed to get it out. I've been really stressed out about a lot of things the last few days and I'm finding it very hard to cope. Sorry if I offended anyone that was never my intention.
FWIW - this all came into legislation on May 10 last year - so it was never going to be a lump sum payment for your when you became pregnant. perhaps people assumed and misadvised you, but it's been "out there" for nearly a year that everything was changing from Jan 1...
Yep.. $5k is a huge help in anyone's books I reckon.
You'll be right.. keep things to a minimum.. there's a lot of "stuff" that is completely unnecessary IMO. Don't look through baby catalogues or wander around Babies Galore - they'd have you convinced you need all sorts of contraptions and "essentials" for baby! Babies don't need a lot when they're little. Just somewhere to sleep and something warm to wear. You don't need play mats & baths and all that jazz. Sling is a great idea for when s/he's little, and there might be a cheap stroller that lies down enough for a younger baby. My biggest waste of money was buying bottles and steriliser etc etc.. never used em LOL. So don't buy up on that sort of thing until you actually need it.
hun I got a cot for $299 at Kmart and thats full price, the mattress was $100 and the pram I brought was $170, its a 3 wheel pram and it's quite good. So don't stress over those things. They can almost be paid in full with just the first installment.
Capsules can be hired, or borrowed if you know someone.
Heather- if your layby is from a Target/Kmart type place why don't you cancel it and buy some secondhand gear? If it's from a baby shop then there is no chance! Like the other few have said baby needs very little in the first months/years. Forget all the hype and extras and go with the essentials. I would also check your community paper or garage sales etc for any baby gear. I can't fathom people paying hundreds of dollars for cots/prams etc when they are so cheap secondhand. baby doesn't care and often things are in really good condition.
I know I am off the original topic but I think people need to be savvy financially and environmentally when it comes to babies. Cloth nappies (even the $30 packet of terry flats that lasts for years) are SO cheap compared to disposables. That's my rant!
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