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Bringing up a family
When you're bringing up a family your money needs to stretch to cover all sorts of things.
A new year is a great time to take stock and draw up a budget to help you work out where your money is going and where you could cut back if you need to.
There are various government benefits, such as Child Benefit, to help you make ends meet.
If you have at least one child who normally lives with you, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit.
If you work, but earn low wages, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit.
Check out what's available.
The costs of school uniforms, transport and meals soon add up, so you may be able to claim various grants or vouchers towards them.
If you have a family, you may want to start putting some money away for their future.
You can compare different savings accounts on the www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk comparison tables.
Some – like Child Trust Funds – are specially designed for children.
It may be worth taking out insurance to provide for your family if you become ill or lose your job.
But make sure you know what it covers, how much it will pay out and how long for.
It's not nice to think about, but how would your family cope financially if you died? You might want to consider life insurance.
This pays out a lump sum or an income when the person insured dies.
It's easy to put off making a will, but it's important to make sure your family will be provided for if the worst happened.
You also need to think about who would look after any children under 18, if something happened to you and your partner.
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