So... Whats for lunch?

purelife · Jan 12 07 03:10

Oh ok. I just want to know that I'll get paid for the whole 50 weeks of EI and not 3 months worth.

Geesh, I'm not having a baby and I'm already thinking about this. :P

Sportsdude · Jan 12 07 03:11

Ally wrote:
Sportsdude, you live in the US?
[/div]
[div]Yup I'm a 20 year old student from Missouri. Although this year I'm deterimined to go to school somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually want to live in Vancouver.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:11

Benefits are paid out like this.

600 hrs of work in the previous year qualifies you for benefits.

You get UP to a maximum amount of $400 per week.

Someone who only earns 15K per year may only get $150 a week.

However once you hit the income mark that gets you the $400 a week, any extra income doesn't matter. So basically a teacher making 40K per year and a corporate manager making 80k per year both get $1600 per month.

Lise · Jan 12 07 03:12

Yep, that's about right. Once you hit the maximum magic number, the government will not cough out any more. Sad but true.

That's why it's nice to work for a company that will support you by paying whatever the government doesn't pay like Workers Compensation.

It's a measy sum considering you have tons of diapers and formula to buy, none of which are cheap in this day and age.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:13

Hey purelife the smartest thing that you could do right now would be to bank your sick time(can you rollover from year to year).

Then you can take your one year off(50 wks) and then even take a few weeks of sick time.....and when the time comes....work your vacation time in there as well.

Lise · Jan 12 07 03:15

I did something like that. I took two weeks vacation time just before my due date for the second one. It was good too as she came out early but beware! EI will not be paid until that vacation time is done and you're officially not working.

Sportsdude · Jan 12 07 03:15

purelife wrote:

Geesh, I'm not having a baby and I'm already thinking about this. :P
Well its never too early to start planning in my opinion.

Thats one of the reasons why my parents waited until they were financially stable to have me and my sister. I see a lot of people get married and then boom start having kids without realizing that it costs a lot more money and takes up a lot of time. Like my cousins wife thought she could quit her job after she had her kid. I was like um no you aren't going to be able to do that your husband is a farmer. So she works part time. But I remember her saying she was quiting being a physical therapist and just become a stay at home mom. First thing I thought was um yeah right.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:15

Hey Lise you should go to the Nestle website and the Enfamil and pampers and huggies websites. Fill out their online forms and you get TONS of samples in the mail.

The other thing. Buy diapers in the US.

I get a box of 216 Pampers Swaddlers for $34 US plus tax. Works out to be about 15.9 cents per diaper(if I remember correctly) whereas in Canada even on sale diapers are cheapest about 24 cents per diaper.

purelife · Jan 12 07 03:15

Sick days! Good idea. I have banked 12 so far from last year and have 12 more for this year. I almost forgot about my care days.

ADD: Thanks for reminding me Ally.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:19

There you go purelife. That would be 2-4 weeks of extra time you could take.

Lise · Jan 12 07 03:19

Ally wrote:
Hey Lise you should go to the Nestle website and the Enfamil and pampers and huggies websites. Fill out their online forms and you get TONS of samples in the mail.

The other thing. Buy diapers in the US.

I get a box of 216 Pampers Swaddlers for $34 US plus tax. Works out to be about 15.9 cents per diaper(if I remember correctly) whereas in Canada even on sale diapers are cheapest about 24 cents per diaper.

Awesome tip there, Ally. Thanks a bunch.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:24

The other thing. This made me mad actually.

I bought a lot of our baby stuff in Vancouver.

We moved down here when dd was 2 months old. I saw the bouncy chair that I had bought in Vancouver for $60 for $35 here.

The swing I bought her is $159 or $169 in Canada. I got it for $89 down here.

Her car seat I got for $229 in Canada. It's $140 in the US.

She just outgrew her infant seat and the car seat that I got her was $249 US and in Canada it's $330.00.

Ahh...the list goes on.

Sportsdude · Jan 12 07 03:26

I think a lot of that has to do with currency exchanges. For example if you buy a car in Canada and paid sticker price you've probably paid too much for it because the car companies have the prices set at a current exchange rate that is probably eons old and doesn't reflect the current value of the loonie.

purelife · Jan 12 07 03:27

I'll have to shop in the States for baby stuff or buy them used here.

I also heard that furniture (suites and such) are very cheap in the States. Someone I knew brought all their furniture at like half the costs of that in Vancouver.

Ally · Jan 12 07 03:30

We just bought a bedroom suite from Restoration Hardware. In Canada it would have cost us 9K and we got it here for just over 4K.

I have only lived here in Seattle for a few months, but I will shop here forever. The idea of buying everything at such a premium in Canada makes me nauseated!