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Living within your means?

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Serious Business ▸ Living within your means?
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:23 PM
I know some of you this is probably easy, but not for me. I think I need to learn how to make some REAL sacrifices to achieve this.

My biggest problem is that my daughter lives in Mississippi, and I go get her every 2 weeks (We switch on and off every 2 weeks). This is about $100 trip if I can drive straight there and back without hotel. However, I also spend about $580 in child support/month.

I was just wondering what you guys do when it's tough to make ends meet?

I just feel terrible because my Fiance is finishing up school and we have a son. Our budget for my Son is $60/month for diapers and baby food. It just seems unfair that a 4 year old kid gets $580 and a 6 month old gets $60.

I make enough to where it shouldn't be an issue paying the bills for my family but I'm coming up short in budgets.

So far, I've sold my PS3 and trimmed monthly expenses as follows:

Canceled Netflix
Cable & Internet now pay $45 month (may have to cancel if necessary)
2 Cell phones $65 month (not much room to make cheaper, but can cancel for VOIP)

$200 car payment for Prius, but with the long trips it probably makes its money back in gas savings. Who knows.

We have money in the bank, I just see the warning signs (school loans, health insurance going way up, etc) and would like to know if you guys have had similar experiences maybe where you work 2 jobs or have had to move to make sure you are stable?

Thanks.
Feb 7, 2011 8:23pm
Pick6's avatar

Pick6

A USA American

14,946 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:27 PM
my parents are divorced and i dont think my dad paid anywhere near 580 a month on me, and all i did was go there whenever i felt like it..usually every other weekend or so. 580 dollars for two weeks seems expensive as hell to me.
Feb 7, 2011 8:27pm
Fab1b's avatar

Fab1b

The Bald A-Hole!!

12,949 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:29 PM
Couple of ideas: have a home phone? Cut it and use the cell. Cable needed? If not cut it all together. Anything you have to finance forget it! Cash or you don't buy it. Bundle your trips together like if you need one thing from the store, wait till several items are needed and you'll save a ton of gas. Take your lunch to work, don't eat out much (that is a huge savings). Just things off the top of my head.
Feb 7, 2011 8:29pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:30 PM
Pick6;669153 wrote:my parents are divorced and i dont think my dad paid anywhere near 580 a month on me, and all i did was go there whenever i felt like it..usually every other weekend or so. 580 dollars for two weeks seems expensive as hell to me.

Well, its $580 month but it stings. It really wasn't bad when I was single, I'd just have roommates for rent. But now that I have a family basically, it's just a huge weight on my shoulders, because their are many more expenses.

I probably just need to get another job, or invent a clever website like FreeHuddle.com
Feb 7, 2011 8:30pm
darbypitcher22's avatar

darbypitcher22

Senior Member

8,000 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:33 PM
that sucks you have to drive all the way to Mississippi to get your daughter...
Feb 7, 2011 8:33pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:33 PM
Fab1b;669158 wrote:Couple of ideas: have a home phone? Cut it and use the cell. Cable needed? If not cut it all together. Anything you have to finance forget it! Cash or you don't buy it. Bundle your trips together like if you need one thing from the store, wait till several items are needed and you'll save a ton of gas. Take your lunch to work, don't eat out much (that is a huge savings). Just things off the top of my head.


Good ideas... I'm actually not taking my debit cards with me when I go out. If I really want something I will get it the next day. If it's food then I'll be glad I wasn't able to get it and eat when I get home.

My fiance does pack me breakest & lunch every day before work.

Eventually she will work too, but neither of us wanted to put the baby in a daycare until he was about 2, also, shes a senior in college and would rather have her finish.
Feb 7, 2011 8:33pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:35 PM
darbypitcher22;669167 wrote:that sucks you have to drive all the way to Mississippi to get your daughter...


She lives in North Mississippi actually meet in Nashville, TN (About 13 hours round-trip) -- so that's better than nothing.

It does suck, but I never pass up the chance to see her for 2 weeks straight.
Feb 7, 2011 8:35pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:36 PM
Fab1b;669158 wrote:Couple of ideas: have a home phone? Cut it and use the cell. Cable needed? If not cut it all together. Anything you have to finance forget it! Cash or you don't buy it. Bundle your trips together like if you need one thing from the store, wait till several items are needed and you'll save a ton of gas. Take your lunch to work, don't eat out much (that is a huge savings). Just things off the top of my head.
Agree with the taking your lunch and not eating out. I've gone from spending at least $15 a day on food(lunch & dinner), to about $7 a day for both by purchasing groceries instead of eating out for both. Basically, I now allow myself $100/wk for gas, food, and any extas I want(usually doing something on the weekend). It was hard to get used to, because I would typically spend $150-200 on the weekend itself.
Feb 7, 2011 8:36pm
darbypitcher22's avatar

darbypitcher22

Senior Member

8,000 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:36 PM
i don't think I could pass up the chance to see my daughter either, if I had one
Feb 7, 2011 8:36pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:38 PM
darbypitcher22;669181 wrote:i don't think I could pass up the chance to see my daughter either, if I had one

Maybe you do... (Tune in next time on Springer!)
Feb 7, 2011 8:38pm
Pick6's avatar

Pick6

A USA American

14,946 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:41 PM
also once your fiance graduates and starts working it will help a lot (obviously). Dont know how close you live to your or her parents..but if possible i'd look into one of them watching your kid. Cant beat free daycare and it will be with someone you are familiar with.
Feb 7, 2011 8:41pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:45 PM
We may end up moving near them. That's a great idea as well. I'm sure when she gets a job itll all be cool. I may be looking for some type of part time gig if not. haha
Feb 7, 2011 8:45pm
Bio-Hazzzzard's avatar

Bio-Hazzzzard

Senior Member

1,027 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:48 PM
Fab has some good ideas. It's never easy to be short on cash, do what you have to do to make it and you will. I spent 2.5 months in Ohio working for my Dad w/o my wife and daughter who stayed at home in FL (school/work). It sucked but it helped finacially in a big way.

I'm back home and got plenty of work now after a rough couple and a half months but we sacrificed and bounced back. The $580 per/mo does sound high, I would talk to an attorney about any type of way to get that lowered.
Feb 7, 2011 8:48pm
Trueblue23's avatar

Trueblue23

BASEDgod

7,463 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:50 PM
rydawg5;669176 wrote:She lives in North Mississippi actually meet in Nashville, TN (About 13 hours round-trip) -- so that's better than nothing.

It does suck, but I never pass up the chance to see her for 2 weeks straight.

I respect that man. My dad wasn't around when I was a kid, a lot of people can probably say the same.
Feb 7, 2011 8:50pm
Bio-Hazzzzard's avatar

Bio-Hazzzzard

Senior Member

1,027 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:52 PM
Trueblue23;669223 wrote:I respect that man. My dad wasn't around when I was a kid, a lot of people can probably say the same.
I respect that too....my Mom.
Feb 7, 2011 8:52pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:53 PM
Stop drinking and smoking if you indulge in either = Huge savings

What may help you better figure out where your money is being wasted is to keep a little pocket notebook in your car and one at home,then everytime you stop at a store,gas station,drive thru or restaurant you can mark it down in the book before you drive away and the one at home is used for writing down every dollar that is spent from home such as monthly bills,food delivery,online purchases,door to door sales or anything that you pay while inside your home.Do this for 1 month then sit down with both books and look at all the money wasted on stupid things and stop spending on them.Trust me this does work but you just don't notice it until you sit down and look at it on paper for a whole month at a time.such as those energy drinks that only cost 2-3 dollars but when you buy 1 or 2 a day it adds up at the end of the month.Selling your personal things will not fix the problem long term and you will not be happy.
Feb 7, 2011 8:53pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:55 PM
password;669232 wrote:Stop drinking and smoking if you indulge in either = Huge savings

What may help you better figure out where your money is being wasted is to keep a little pocket notebook in your car and one at home,then everytime you stop at a store,gas station,drive thru or restaurant you can mark it down in the book before you drive away and the one at home is used for writing down every dollar that is spent from home such as monthly bills,food delivery,online purchases,door to door sales or anything that you pay while inside your home.Do this for 1 month then sit down with both books and look at all the money wasted on stupid things and stop spending on them.Trust me this does work but you just don't notice it until you sit down and look at it on paper for a whole month at a time.such as those energy drinks that only cost 2-3 dollars but when you buy 1 or 2 a day it adds up at the end of the month.Selling your personal things will not fix the problem long term and you will not be happy.

The energy drinks and meaningless purchases were terrible for me. I agree definitely with this.
Feb 7, 2011 8:55pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Feb 7, 2011 8:58 PM
$580 a month sounds cheap to me,my buddy pays $980.00 a month for 1 child and he has 15 more years to go.I think every state is different when it comes to child support as he is from Ohio but pays it to Pennsylvania and told me it would have been a lot cheaper if she was from Ohio.
Feb 7, 2011 8:58pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:01 PM
I only mention them from my own experience and with a teenage son who got me hooked on them with him we were buying 4-5 a day and it was costly until we tried the books and notice how much it really cost for a month.
Feb 7, 2011 9:01pm
sleeper's avatar

sleeper

Legend

27,879 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:11 PM
Sell the prius. They are good on gas sure, but do you really think you would spend $200 extra per month in gas with a used compact car? Not to mention the money you will have in the bank from the sale of the car.
Feb 7, 2011 9:11pm
sleeper's avatar

sleeper

Legend

27,879 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:13 PM
Also mad respect for driving to see your daughter. You're getting the short end of the stick with the child payments, but at least you give a hoot about your child.
Feb 7, 2011 9:13pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:13 PM
sleeper;669264 wrote:Sell the prius. They are good on gas sure, but do you really think you would spend $200 extra per month in gas with a used compact car? Not to mention the money you will have in the bank from the sale of the car.

I've been debating it haha.. i just have to get the permission for that one.
Feb 7, 2011 9:13pm
R

rydawg5

Senior Member

2,639 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:15 PM
sleeper;669270 wrote:Also mad respect for driving to see your daughter. You're getting the short end of the stick with the child payments, but at least you give a hoot about your child.

Thanks. I wanted to move there, and still may, but since my ex isn't married (only lives with a boyfriend) I don't want to chance that and then she comes home the next week or something lol..
Feb 7, 2011 9:15pm
Fab1b's avatar

Fab1b

The Bald A-Hole!!

12,949 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:16 PM
A few more small things I do as well:
Coffee - 95% make it at home vs going out for it, only rarely do I grab one out. Huge savings as well.
If you like to drink and that is ok my friend, the cost of a 6pk at home vs a bar, says enough. Liqueur even more!
Feb 7, 2011 9:16pm
Belly35's avatar

Belly35

Elderly Intellectual

9,716 posts
Feb 7, 2011 9:45 PM
You can cut the budge all you want but the bottom line is you’ll always be on the bottom line. Key is to cut but now to create money is some manner..
Rethink …
Look at your life and think about what you do, have done and can do ….
Past work, present work, hobbies and skills … now apply that to something you can do to make money from those experiences.

Example: As a young kid my mom work long hours and I stayed at home. My job was to clean the house top to bottom. Vacuum, dust, scrub …. Skills
When my wife and I got married I was still in school (college) we need extra money.
We had a very good vaccum cleaner as a wedding gift, I bought a buckrt, cleaning supplies and start a midnight after work cleaning business. I was cheaper than the establish business and landed about 5 cleaning jobs per week. Extra: $150.00
Example: My wife and I need some extra cash before our first kids. We had done wall papering in our home. So with some wallpaper tools, we let our friends know we where doing wallpapering …. 3 jobs in two weeks at an average of $100.00 per job (hate bathrooms)..

It was just my time but the extra money was the issue… if I could bring in extra money then the quicker I could work the more time I could spend with my wife. (motivation)

Rethink about your skills and how you can apply them to make extra money … Be creative
Feb 7, 2011 9:45pm