Its 3am and i should be sleeping but im not im at my table crunching numbers and trying to work out how im going to save over the next 6 weeks before i go on mat leave due to having a 5,000 car bill and some wrong advice from centrelink that has wiped all my hard work budgeting and saving to make sure that we had enough money to pay our house payments bills and buy Christmas presents. To top it off centrelink have told me it will take up to eight week to get paid my mat leave as you don't get paid until bubs is born and being due right on xmas it will take 4 weeks to process my mat leave. I was originally told i would just keep getting paid through work but now i have lodged my claim they have told me i won't get paid through work so i now have to wait for centrelink resulting in i now have to try and figure out to put enough money in the bank to pay the bills for 8weeks of no income which wouldn't have been to much of an issue except the 5,000 bill for the car which was due to a faulty part which was only 6 weeks out of warranty but out of warranty so nothing i can do. The thing that is stressing me out is i will now have to tell my stepsons there will not be much for Christmas this year and im feeling like the birth of what will be my only child is going to be now filled with stress and anxiety over not being able to pay bills. I feel horrible because i should be feeling gratefull for what i do have as others have much less then i.
4 Replies
You sound like you are a good budget-er, so budget :) Call your bank and put your mortgage on hold for the two months (CBA actually have a special name for doing this when a baby is born).
Then, write a letter to the car manufacturer and explain your case. Don't put in a sob story, just the facts about the part and what led to the breakdown. Send a copy of this to Fair Trading, Choice, ABC's Checkout program and RACQ. If you have a good case they will all support you, and you might be surprised. Sometimes mechanics just want the easy out and fair enough they don't get paid for fighting for warranty.
Don't tell the kids anything. Don't discuss the size of presents. You can get lots of small cheap stocking stuffers and each kid gets one good quality present from mum and dad. This needs to be something they will love/value not necessarily be expensive. For example, plan a family camping trip and their presents end up being part of the camping 'kit' you all need any way. With a new bub this may not be practical. One year we bought a family present of a pool table (mini one) and each kid got a cue and dad got the balls, etc
You sound like an awesome mumma. You can do this!
Take a big breath. Release control. Youll be ok. Youll be ok. The kids will be ok with less for christmas. Youre having a baby finances change and yes dealing with centrelink is a total pain but we do it. Dont let it get on top of you. Breathe and just go with it
Chin up Mumma, you will get through this rough time. In Australia there is something called a statutory warranty. It means that if something breaks within a reasonable time frame of when your warranty ends the company should still cover it. Fair trading should be able to help you out with this or the ombudsman for car trade should also have information on this. Something to look into that will hopefully help make this last few months of your pregnancy a little less stressful. Good luck with your new little one and well done on being a great parent to the children you already care for xx
In regards to Centrelink Paid Parental Leave, it is a payment for having a baby, therefore you are not eligible until you have the baby.
If you are entitled to Paid Maternity Leave from your employer, they have to pay you. They can't decide not to because you've lodged a claim with Centrelink.
The reason it can take a while for Centrelink to process your claim is there are hundreds of people having babies each day. And many of those people lodge their claims and advise they are in financial hardship. In addition to that, if you advise you've worked for your current employer for more than 12 months, and are still currently employed with them, Centrelink has to send your Paid Parental Leave to your employer & they pay you. Depending on your pay cycle, this can add an extra week or so. Don't forget to claim Family Tax Benefit also. You an receive FTB A & Paid Parental Leave at the same time.
I hope everything works out well for you. Good luck with your new baby ... what a wonderful Xmas present for you & your family xxxx