Concerns about Unpaid Maternity Leave
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| Mon, 03-06-2006 - 10:30pm |
hi, everyone.
a post came to my attention on another of my message boards, but i felt like it was something that i could discuss even more 'openly' here. so i wanted to try to get f/b from some of you who may have been through a situation like mine. i am currently about 7 months pregnant (due late may), and the topic is 'handling finances during maternity leave and after the birth'.
just a solid run-down: i am currently working 2 part-time jobs - but about 42 hours/week if you count the 2 together. eventhough i *say* i wish i didn't have to work, i would be RIDICULOUSLY bored if i didn't, and -as you all might guess- financially, the jobs are necessary. sure, things can happen; but i am *planning* to work up until the due date. it's still not too hard on me yet. well, to be honest, i will probably have to ditch the 2nd job a little before the due date (it requires me to be on the floor digging in drawers for people's sizes all the time ). as for the the first job though: i will try to stick with it up until the day of delivery if i'm able. and i have every *intention* of returning back to that job after a 6-week leave. i would actually like to be moved to full-time with that company if possible.
my main worries are the 6 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. we really canNOT afford it! DH and i are planning on putting his tax return money to the side to help pay for the expenses of me being away from work for 6 weeks; but, of course, we are on a tight budget as is, so those plans could definately change. the back-up plan is family 'assistance' (i.e. hoping we get money from the family as baby 'gifts' and/or my mother notices the need enough to volunteer some cash over to help ).
DH will continue to work full-time, but it still won't be enough. i guess the good thing is that (at one of my jobs), my paychecks are actually a month behind, so we should be ok for the first 4 weeks of me not working. *and* if i do go full-time when i get back, my paychecks will then be paid to-date. (for instance, i would no longer be paid a month behind - rather, i would be paid on the 15th of each month for work done the 1st of the month through the 15th and then paid on the last day of each month for the 16th through the end of the day on, say, the 30th of each month.) it's wishful thinking, but if it works out like that, i would only really have about 2 weeks of unpaid leave.
it is also possible that DH will be promoted again soon. his bosses keep 'mentioning' it to him at work. it would be a great move for him career-wise and us financially. if that happens, it *might* work out that we can afford the 6-week unpaid leave, but i'm not banking on it.
does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on the matter? it's impossible for us to save right now, that's why i thought the tax return would be the best thing to stick to the side. and i haven't been at either company long enough to receive FMLA benefits or any paid days off.

Congratulations on the baby!
I had a couple of thoughts:
1. If you are getting a sizeable refund already and since you can plan on the additional deduction for the baby this year, go out online and find a W-4 calculator and change DH's W-4 (you can do it right now because you'll get the deduction for the baby for all of 2006) so that you get that money throughout the year instead of loaning it to Uncle Sam. Start tucking away the difference right now for your 2 weeks you are trying to cover.
2. I know some women that have returned to work in less than 6 weeks although not to their former employer because of course they knew they were pregnant and hadn't gotten doctor's release. Of course, you have child care costs to consider now too and that might be a wash.
3. Do you have any items you can sell on eBay or a garage sale? Decluttering to make room for the baby stuff might really reveal some stuff you can get some dough for. Maybe you can spend some of your time dealing with that after you quit the 2nd job. Also, don't get too carried away on baby purchases. Chances are you can get by on less than you think (I swear the way the retailers sell this stuff you'd think you were depriving your child but it's just not true) and you will get a lot for gifts. Try to hoard your gift card gifts to use during your off time if necessary. If you register at Target or WalMart and can get to a Supercenter, you could use some of this for groceries.
4. Start buying a few extra groceries for your pantry each week. You will probably want easy to fix meals anyway so maybe you can even start cooking some stuff and freezing it or at least buying the non-perishable items for all of your favorite things. Also, some folks might offer to 'help' and if you feel comfortable, asking them for a dish you can freeze for after the baby might be a nice thing for both of you.
Hope there are some ideas in there for you.
Peg
HUGS!
The only suggestion I can think of right now is to scour the Internet for "free baby stuff"!
Excellent suggestion on changing the tax withholdings of the original poster's DH, Peg!
All my best,
Danni