# Working single parent -no money at end of week



## munsterred (16 Aug 2008)

Hi,
I'm a single parent in full time employment earn €34K but with mortgage payments of €1200/month, childcare costs of €100/week, food for the 2 of us and bills to pay. I have around €30 left per week after paying for everything. I have no savings. As I work more than 30 hours a week I'm not entitled to FIS or one parent family payment as I earn more than threshold, outgoings are not taken into consideration when calculating threshold, only after tax pay.

I've cut back everywhere I can, all value pack food, cheapest insurance etc. I bring my lunch to work, I have no social life at all.

I still have no money. I'm considering cutting down my hours at work to see if i can cut down on childcare costs and maybe qualify for some social welfare payment, according to my sums I'd be better off if I did and I could maybe get help with mortgage payments.

I'm trying to rent out a room in the house but with a child in the house, tenants aren't very attracted to it. Selling my home is not an option, I fought so hard to buy it in the first place.

I have no one I could ask to help with childcare and I can't take a second job as I would have no one to mind my child.

Can anyone give me advice if I would qualify for SW payments if I cut down my hours by choice?

There is something wrong with the whole system when someone who wants to work and be self sufficient is worse off than someone who isn't working.

I'm at my wits end as I don't know what I'll do if an unexpected expense comes up.

Please help!!!!


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## Jody (16 Aug 2008)

I have no real advice for you but I was in your position years back and yes its tough, real tough. You are doing a great job and realise that you have your work and your house which is tough enough, I personally would hold off on getting someone in to share and look further into the options of cutting back the hours route. Its a crazy situation that you could be better off not working full time isnt it? Have you perhaps thought about upskilling and doing a course that might assist promotion/movement, more money etc down the line?

the best of luck


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## niceoneted (16 Aug 2008)

I just want to say I admire you for what you do. Your a working single mum who bought your own house, there are some people who in your situation would not bother to work or get their own place and would be looking for council housing and handouts etc. 
Does the father of the child make any child maintenance contributions? If not is there any chance you could look for some. 
Also it might be an idea to complete the template in the money makeover section and get some advice directly on your finances or have a read through some of them to see where you might be able to make some savings even if very small.


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## circle (16 Aug 2008)

munsterred said:


> I'm trying to rent out a room in the house but with a child in the house, tenants aren't very attracted to it. Selling my home is not an option, I fought so hard to buy it in the first place.
> 
> I have no one I could ask to help with childcare and I can't take a second job as I would have no one to mind my child.


 
One possibility, if you have the room, would be to try and find another single parent as a tenant. That may there might even be the possibility of sharing childcare or taking turns to babysit.

You could also try to look for a community creche in your area to reduce your childcare costs?

If you think there's a possibility of promotion or growing your career and salary i'd think very carefully before reducing your hours. I'm sure it's difficult knowing that you could possibly be better off right now if you reduced your hours and claimed FIS etc. but in the long term I would think you should be better off if you can keep things going until your salary increases. If an unexpected expense that you can't cope with arises, it could be worth talking to your community welfare officer as they have some discretion to help in borderline entitlement cases.

You're obviously managing your money very well, you've no debts or bad financial habits and have your own home - you should be proud of where you are!


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## Thirsty (16 Aug 2008)

Couple of key things you should keep in mind...

You may not be saving at present, but you are keeping your head above water and not getting into debt; this shows that you are managing your money very well.

Childcare costs may be high now, but as time goes on that will improve.

You have your own home and that is a major asset; although you may feel that you aren't saving anything your home is an investment in itself.

You have a good full-time job and have a good shot at promotions etc.,

Stay the course, things will get better.


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## munsterred (18 Aug 2008)

Thanks for all the positive responses,it's nice to hear them. I am doing a course at work at the moment so hopefully in a couple of years things will improve, it's just in the meantime I'm trying to keep my head above water. So far I have managed to avoid the credit card but if things keep going the way they are, I'll have to give in.

I feel very frustrated that I have tried to do everything right, i've never been a burden to the state, i pay tax and then when I need help I'm entitled to nothing because I earn too much money even though the vast majority goes on the basics. If I cut back my hours, any money I lose would be made up by SW and savings in childcare costs and possibly mortgage supplement. Where is the incentive to work?


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## alaskaonline (18 Aug 2008)

munsterred said:


> Thanks for all the positive responses,it's nice to hear them. I am doing a course at work at the moment so hopefully in a couple of years things will improve, it's just in the meantime I'm trying to keep my head above water. So far I have managed to avoid the credit card but if things keep going the way they are, I'll have to give in.
> 
> I feel very frustrated that I have tried to do everything right, i've never been a burden to the state, i pay tax and then when I need help I'm entitled to nothing because I earn too much money even though the vast majority goes on the basics. If I cut back my hours, any money I lose would be made up by SW and savings in childcare costs and possibly mortgage supplement. Where is the incentive to work?


 
Hey OP, I can feel your pain - I have a very similar situation here and it is very frustrating! I earn a wee bit less than you and was told the same by SW in regards to most benefits "I earn too much" - 20€ to be precise which is an insult in itself. They should really assess us by what's left after tax and fees and not before. In regards to the community creches (someone mentioned it here) the problem with them is that they're open from 9.30 - 2pm which are impossible times for any full time working mum. You should get a mortgage supplement though. And also, what's the story with the father's maintanance? Is he paying?


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## GOBSTOPPER (18 Aug 2008)

YOU CAN EARN UP TO 10K TAX FREE FROM RENTING A ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE . I've done it in the past and its really not as daunting as it may seem.Lots of students looking for places now.


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## jenzz (18 Aug 2008)

WOW & there was me thinking I was in a world of my own -  I got told the same thing 20 euro a week over the limit. My first call to them I was told I earned too much I said how do you know that?  Oh  you just said you worked full time -  So you can be working 50 hours a week @ 1 euro an hour & still earn too much.

Apply for you 1 parent tax credits though. It will give you additional TFA of 4000 per year & does make a difference with the tax you pay.

1 Other thing to consider & i have done it before is to get an aupair. 100 max per week & their role is to assist in the cleaning & upkeep of the home.

Best of luck


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## Mel (18 Aug 2008)

jenzz, how did the aupair work out? on top of the €100 a week, was food bill etc. much more expensive? 

I've considered this as, my son is getting thoroughly fed up of being out of home every day and I'm finding the childminding bill (around 6K minimum annually) very hard to cope with now that everything else has gotten so expensive also. At least with aupair I'd have some housework done and a babysitter so I could have some semblence of a social life and maybe be able to work some overtime (babysitters cost more than fulltime childminders for some reason).

The other option I'm toying with is to work from home in the afternoons and save that 6K straight off - only problem being that I wouldn't have much backup if I did need to be in the office (maybe helpful neighbours, a lot of them are stayathome moms and they do offer...)

OP, it is very tough. I earn a bit more than you and have a lower mortgage but still have a hefty CC bill so I really admire you for keeping your head above water.


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## Mel (18 Aug 2008)

Kildrought said:


> Childcare costs may be high now, but as time goes on that will improve.


 
I don't want to be negative, but I haven't found that at all. It's as expensive for afterschool care now as it was for fulltime when my son was a toddler and probably twice what it was when he was a baby. 

I can't see any end to it until secondary school to be honest.


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## jenzz (18 Aug 2008)

At present i work aprox 45 - 50 hours plus the 3 hours travelling a day. Thank God I am changing job next week.

I have the most wonderful childminder who I use 2 days a week, she collects from school & keeps until around 7. Thats 120 euro per week for 2 days. But they adore her, there are no problems so im happy with it. Mum also works around her so if im late she can pick up on her way home from work.

Before when I was married he did shift work & i commuted to Dublin from the country which was 2.5 hours there & the same back. I was up from 5 & left the house at 6.30. Because he didnt finish work in Dublin until 7 am initially we were waking the babies & doing a changeover on the side of the road. So the best solution was an aupair.

Ill be honest the 1st one was a bit of  mare. She was a spoilt brat & canadian so hadnt a clue. She ate a lot & would go to the local shop buy herself sweets etc but nothing for the kids. I kept her for 6 weeks then said thanks but no thanks. The second one was german & was lovely. She was a normal girl with normal roots who knew she was here to work & not a holiday. They loved her & she stayed 6 months which was bang on when we seperated so it worked out perfect.

We were very remote so they tended not to go out much. However if you live in a town you wont see them as they will enjoy their spare time.

One big thing write the rules out on paper & go through withthem. it may sound very formal but there is no grey matter then on your expectations of them. Simple things like no boyfriends, no internet usage in the day time etc. Just write everything out & go through with them right down to houswork, meals , treats for kids etc.

There was a slot on TV 3 the other morning abot an agency in Kildare I think bt was very positive.

best of luck & PM if you have anymore queries


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## Mel (18 Aug 2008)

Thanks for all the info jenzz; am I right that you don't have an au pair now that you're single again? How did you cope for school collections etc with the au pair, if you were out in the country?


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## jenzz (18 Aug 2008)

The school was only 10 min walk away so they walked -  one was a baby & he was only in play school then. No i have a childminder now but may resort to upair again depending on amount of hours required with new job


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## munsterred (18 Aug 2008)

Hi guys, 

I've definitely opened up a can of worms, on the positive front I have managed to someone to rent a room, at least for the next few months and I have someone calling around about the other room. 

i do get maintenance from my child's father but it goes nowhere, anyone with a child knows how expensive they are, over the last couple of months there has been school uniforms, books, voluntary contribution etc and they constantly wear out or grow out of clothes. 
I need a car to get him to school and to get to work -petrol, tax, insurance, maintenance.

None of these things are luxuries, I'm not out every night of the week, no nights in fact, I can't afford a babysitter.

I have considered the au pair option but I would have no idea where to start looking
for one.

With esb and gas going up by so much in the near future and food bills going up weekly it just seems to be harder to keep your head above water.

With some of the previous comments i see that i am far from being alone in this situation, my heart goes out to everyone of them. We haven't been touched by the Celtic tiger and as the economy gets worse we are also the first to be affected. When is the government going to give credit to those who pay for childcare? If things keep going this way, there will be others reconsidering whether they would be better off not working or at least doing the bare minimum. Who wouldn't want to be able to pick up their child everyday from school instead of having someone else do it for them. 

SW should also reconsider how they calculate income thresholds, they don't allow for the cost of going to work, at least health board take childcare costs and travel costs into account when calculating eligibility for medical cards. 

With one room rented out at least I will have a bit of help with the bills as well as with the mortgage, I feel like a weight has been lifted, best of luck to all those in a similar situation.


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## Mel (18 Aug 2008)

munsterred said:


> When is the government going to give credit to those who pay for childcare?


 
There are lots of people who are against this for their own reasons.

Personally, I think until the government organises things so that there are sufficient creche/ afterschool places in properly organised centres, then they can't put tax credits against this cost. 
A great many people are depending on the 'black market' childminders, for which there are no receipts, therefore you couldn't make an official claim against it. If they clamped down on that market, a lot of people would have no option but to give up work as there would be nobody available to mind their children (not enough spaces in the existing creches). 

The entire childcare "system" is a mess as it's easier for the powers that be to basically ignore the problem. The early childcare allowance did nothing for people like me who have been paying childcare fees for 10 years already, but missed the age limit on that allowance by a year or two. I don't know what they think happens to kids once they start school. Maybe they imagine they spend their afternoons on the streets?

Forgot to say - glad to hear you found someone to share, I bet that will help a lot. I am looking too, but not much demand where I live. Best of luck.


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## circle (18 Aug 2008)

Congratulations on finding someone to share, that should help you a lot!

Three things to think about now are:
- Setting up groung rules with your tenant (Noise, guests etc.) to avoid any hassle later. I'd imagine this would be important for you with a child in the house, there are other posts discussing this if you search.
- Declaring rent a room relief on your tax return for 2008. You'll need to submit this by October 31st 2009 and it won't make any difference to your tax as you're entitled to claim it within the limits (10,000 a year including contributions to bills). Keeping records of amounts recieved and filing this correctly will avoid any hassle or tax bills in the future regarding this income.
- It would be a good time to open a high interest bank account and try to build up this extra money as a nest egg / safety net for yourself. If you do it now, you won't get used to spending this extra money and then miss it if it goes! Check out the financial best buys forum for the best rates on this.

Also, make sure that you are claiming every tax credit that you're entitled to - Bin charges, Medical expenses for both of you, relief on health insurance paid by your employer. By any chance were you renting in the past four years before buying your home? If so make sure that you claimed rental relief on this at the time and if not you can claim it now for a refund. You could consider opening a thread in the money makeover forum to get more advice on where you could cut costs though it sounds like you are doing well in that regard!

Best of luck - hope everything works out for you, don't forget to have a well deserved little treat for yourselves when the first rent arrives


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## Welfarite (19 Aug 2008)

Cutting your hours could make a huge difference to your SW entitlements.  Say you half your current income of 34k. This, by nrough calculation, would, entitle you to One-parnet Family Pauyment of 131.00 per week. Then you could also apply for FIS if you work more than 19 hours: you would get in the region of 20 euro per week on half your current salary plus OFP payment.

And the cost of childcare should reduce as you would be working less hours.


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## Henny Penny (19 Aug 2008)

Have you applied for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance?


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## munsterred (19 Aug 2008)

I'm over the limits for everything, the limits for the back to school allowance are extremely low and again don't take into account childcare and mortgage costs. I am looking into the au pair at the moment but I've heard a few horror stories and my child goes to school a couple of miles away so they would need the use of my car which i need to get to work.

I have someone calling about another room later in the week, so keep your fingers crossed.


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## SarahMc (20 Aug 2008)

Have you thought about getting in language students.  If you are working f/t a student wouldn't work, but you can take in the leaders.  

I have done this, it pays better than a tenant, leaders tend to be in their early 20s, and there is no minding on them.  If you are in a city, there may be community after school facilities available.  As a medical card holder you will get a high subsidy.

Also, as others have mentioned not being in debt puts you in a very strong position.


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## Blossy (20 Aug 2008)

hi all, can i suggest if u get maintenance from the father, does he not take the child, my childs father gives a shocking amount and im trying to get more. anyway, if the father is in your life than he has to take the child for weekends or whatever suits??
My childs father takes him one nite a week and i can work part time in a bar its only an extra 60euros or such but its better than nothing. .im in the same situation and id advise stay clear of credit cards, i prefer to be constantly broke and budgeting tight rather than owing a fortune! if u lasted this long then just keep going!!
its crap tho but at least kids are happy with the park, library and just having friends and walks on the beach! all free!! 
U could cut back on the heating light the fire and a hot water battle and extra blankets on the beds! welcome back the eighties 
Ud be amazed what u can live without, when u just dont have it!!!
Best of luck!!


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