Baby Bump and Me.

Abba had it right. Money must be funny in a rich man's world. But not for the little people. i.e. Myself and over half the English population who feel that paying the bills on time is often as good as it gets. Myself and Aaron have been living alone, in our first rental house, for almost six months. It's been quite an experience. First of all comes the realisation that when your parents told you they simply couldn't afford it, they were telling the truth. As a child, you are firm in your beliefs that money grows on trees, and will simply appear if you wish hard enough for it. Not so much. These days, our bills are ever increasing, and our wallets are shrinking. Consider the amount that we spend paying bills.

First off there is rent. Currently, we're paying almost £500 a month for a studio flat. Yes that does mean that our bedroom is our living room. It is like staying in a hotel suite for a little too long! Renting should have its perks. It should come with a landlord or estate agent who is onhand to deal with complaints, fix problems and be generally involved in the state of their property. Think again my friends. The first week we moved in here, we realised our television cable had been cut from outside. We informed the estate agents, twice, who said they would get on to fixing it. They were 'waiting for a phone call back'. It is now five months into our let, and not so much as a reply. Also, they will let you go without a working shower for two weeks. Having to stand up on a towel to wash yourself is truly appealing. Go on, try it.

Renting isn't the only issue. Then comes on to, electricity, water, contents insurance, phone bills and council tax. All this on bottom rate wages is no easy feat. As of yet, we havent paid the council or electricity, since my hours at work are at an all time low, and being a Mcworker does come with all the connotations that it springs up. The council are impossible. They literally will not listen when you tell them you can't afford to pay up, or that you would like to attempt to pay little of at a time. They informed Aaron that he must wait to get a court summons before they could sort anything out for us. Thankyou very much Mr Cameron.

However, it isn't all that bad. Having a baby brings all of this into perspective. There is more to life than money. As long as you are attempting to make ends meet, and have your child's best interests at heart, than doing all you can is good enough. So what if every now and then the lights flicker off and you have to live by candlelight for a few days? When you're dead and gone the world will not remember that you didn't pay your council tax in Winter 2010/11, it will remember what you left behind. The wonderful children you raised, the love you shared with your family, and the kind of person you were to be around. And when our baby is here, I'm determined to show them that you can have it all, without a dime to your name.

I truly have.