Maternity Leave Spending Money

Marettie

How much money do you think you will need to last you for maternity leave?

I work in a restaurant, so for the three months I plan on taking off I will not be getting any pay. My DH will be able to take care of the bills just fine, but I am wanting to make sure I have enough saved up before I leave my job. (I'm not quite ready for an allowance) Up until recently I was planning on working until D-day, but bartending has been a little rough on the old body, and I also am embarrassed to be that pg girl behind the bar now

So basically I'm trying to figure out how much I should need to save to be able to live "comfortably" after LO arrives (gas, dinner w/ friends, some shopping, etc.)

TheFannins729

look at your spending habits over the last 3 months and save that amount.  when i was on mat leave, i had 3 months salary in savings, but i started putting it away when I got my bfp and we needed it for bills.

BlueEyedBoyMeetsABrownEyedGirl

TheFannins729:

look at your spending habits over the last 3 months and save that amount.  when i was on mat leave, i had 3 months salary in savings, but i started putting it away when I got my bfp and we needed it for bills.

This.  History is the best indicator of future behavior.  Every once and a while, I go into my online banking and copy and paste 6 months worth of data into Excel and organize everything into categories - monthly bills, gas/transportation, personal care (hair, nails, etc.), "fun" (going out to eat, shopping)...you get the picture.  It's actually pretty eye-opening once you see the totals.  That should give you a pretty good idea of what you *need* vs. what you *want*.

Marettie

Unfortunately for me, most of my money is cash, so there really isn't a way of tracking it. I may try and see what I spend in the next few weeks though to find an average.  I was thinking $3000 would be enough, but I'm trying to talk myself into less now, so I can be done working sooner.

meredith anastasia

personally, i find myself spending more when i'm home, and my maternity leave was no exception. 

i was home with DS yesterday since he had a little stomach bug from daycare, and just in that day alone I spent more than I usually would, just to keep busy. $5 starbucks, $35 grocery store, $45 walmart, etc. 
When I was off on leave I found myself wanting to go to the mall for something to do, but then once you're there, you spend $$.  Also, baby and me classes were expensive, but a great way to meet other moms and make a network in the area.

BlueEyedBoyMeetsABrownEyedGirl

Marettie:

Unfortunately for me, most of my money is cash, so there really isn't a way of tracking it. I may try and see what I spend in the next few weeks though to find an average.  I was thinking $3000 would be enough, but I'm trying to talk myself into less now, so I can be done working sooner.

Ahh, gotcha.  What if you estimate what you think you'll need on a weekly/monthly basis, put only that amount in your wallet, and put everything else aside.  Then you can see if that amount is really liveable...kwim?

marriedtoeric

TheFannins729:

look at your spending habits over the last 3 months and save that amount.  when i was on mat leave, i had 3 months salary in savings, but i started putting it away when I got my bfp and we needed it for bills.

This.  My spending habits are going to be very different from yours, most likely, since we're different people with different pre-baby spending habits.   Also, we have 4-5 months' living expenses already banked, and we'll probably not touch most of it since my mat leave is 60% paid (9 of 14-15 weeks paid), and our expenses don't equal our combined take-home pay each month.  

Things I'd consider when looking at how much $$ you'll need:  bills, household expenses, baby purchases, mom groups/baby activities, medical bills/co-pays.  I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any general ones offhand.   

efsNYC13

Also think about how spending habits might change after LO is here

are you going to be doing more things that cost $ because you aren't working? (like if you go out for lots of walks, will you stop in at starbucks?) fewer because you are at home with LO (did you previously spend a lot on gas and wont be driving such distances)? how will it change food costs in your house? things for LO can add up--diapers, wipes, extra bibs/clothes/whatever that you didn't anticipate. will you need some new clothes PP so you have things that fit? etc....