What's the LEAST amount of time i should take off for maternity leave?

I feel for you, it's tough when monetary issues get in the way of what you know you'd rather do. I work in a hospital so I can relate with your situation somewhat. No one wanted me to take time off since it meant others would have to cover my patients for me. I actually scheduled an induction at 39 weeks, went to work that day, and then went to the hospital to be induced at 8pm so that no one would have to unexpectedly cover any shifts for me. Even though the baby's head was only in the 5th percentile, which meant very little stretching and tearing for me, I still needed a few stitches. Honestly, just the soreness and fatigue from giving birth to my first child made it difficult for me to move for 3 weeks. So if you need to work, you can probably go back after 3 weeks. I had to wait until 6 weeks because I have no family nearby and daycare centers will not take a baby less than 6 weeks. You may also want to consider a home daycare instead of an institutional one. The woman I use is amazing. Even if my kids have croup or pink eye or whatever, her philosophy is that all the others have already been exposed so she still keeps them. That minimizes the days I need to take off of work due to a sick child. That's what usually angers a manager over time, when you have to call and skip work that day because of your child. As for the things you need to buy, are there stores like Once Upon a Child nearby? Even if it's in the next state and a bit of a drive, you should look into it. You can buy gently used cribs, playpens, jumpers, etc for about $25-40 each. My kids' outfits cost on average $5 apiece and I can get shoes for $3.50. And when I mean gently used, half the stuff is brand new since most parents get much more than they'll ever use. You can also look into stores that may be closing nearby. The Sears closest to us was closing down and we were able to get a Winnie the Pooh carseat with stroller and playpen for $150 all together. I also look online and compare places like Walmart, Target, Babies R Us, etc every month when I know I'll need to get something, like a convertible car seat for my toddler. The Graco Myride 65 is usually $165, but I was able to get it for $112 at BabiesRUs during a really good sale. So you gotta shop and look at the internet every few weeks and start months ahead of time to give yourself time for the sales to come about. Good luck and congratulations on your little one.