Nifty & Thrifty
Nursery fees can be the same as a mortgage – lower your spending with these tips
The price of childcare has risen four times faster than wages since 2008 – and in some places, including London and the East Midlands, it’s soared even more. Putting a tot through full-time nursery is now a staggering £222.36 a week. Here are some tips to help you cut the cost.
WHAT YOU’RE OWED
Check out childcarechoices.gov.uk. The website has a clever calculator, where you can put in information about your family and see what childcare options and benefits are available to you from the government. Register with the website and you’ll also get email updates if they find a better option for you.
CAN YOU GET HELP?
Check if your, or your partner’s, employer offers a tax-free childcare voucher scheme. If your current childcare provider doesn’t accept the particular vouchers that are offered currently, ask them if they’d consider signing up. It’s definitely a scheme that’s worth taking advantage of.
CAN YOU ACCESS FREE CHILDCARE?
If you have the offer of free childcare from a friend or a family member, but it doesn’t fit in with the times that you are currently working, do talk to your employer about the possibility of changing your hours. You may well be pleasantly surprised – after all, flexi working is the way of the future.