Posted: 6/28/2010 9:59:57 AM EDT
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Hey everyone...
So I am trying to start prepping but I am having trouble getting started... How are you supposed to start prepping for financial disaster when... you are in one? IE... I dont get paid enough to support my family. 
I was doing great, until about 2 months ago when I got an awesome paycut. went from 10 hours/ day to 8... may not seem like alot, but it worked out to about 10k/year lost. 
My boss was a real awesome guy, and he gave me a few dollars raise to make up for some of the lost money, he definitely did not have to do that. I still lost 5k/year. I have reduced the amount of excess cash flow we have, but I still need to cut more. The only non-essential bill we have is the cable bill... I am trying to convince the wife we can get rid of it. It will make us get out more, and be more active, and if we keep the internet we can still keep in contact with the outside world, and stream netflix to the Wii. I t know I could just cut it all, but I would like my stay at home wife to not go insane from boredom whe she is feeding the baby, and I like to unwind and watch a little TV. Thrive, not just survive.. 
I just reduced the amt we are paying on our phone bills by 40 bucks, and I decided to stop contributing to my IRA for now.(its 160 bucks/month that i can use to pay off our cumulative $1000 CC bills) I already had to empty it out at the beginning of this year to get rid of a pile of debt that had been piling up. I didnt even get rid of all of it. I had the account long enough that I wouldnt get raped on taxes. I wasnt sure if it was the right decision, but I am almost positive it was now. My wife and I havent gon out to eat in months. except this weekend. and we didnt go grazy.. I have a costco card (just had to renew it this weekend, hence the fuck-im-broke thread) I guess i'm just venting. I never get stressed.. unless its money related. I just get so bummed out that I cant support my family.
any tips? i know i could sell off some shit, but that still wouldnt change the fact that I dont earn enough money, andeventually i'd burn through the money i got from the sale, and i'd need to sell more stuff again, and I would never be able to afford what I sold again. I guess i answered my own question, cut the cable, read more.. |
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Hang in there, a lot of us are in the same boat as you. My wife was let go back in April and we have been treading water ever since. There are ways to slowly save a little extra cash but it won't be overnight. We have cut back on practically everything, I even don't drive my truck to work. We of course live only about four miles from where I work and I do use the truck when it's raining. Doing this alone saves some money on gas, little steps like that. I don't know how bad your situation is but taking just twenty out of every check to either save or buy preps starts to add up. Just stick with it brother and hopefully it will get better.
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This is not meant to be rude or insulting but,
Sounds like you need to learn to live within your means. We all WANT a certain lifestyle. But it certainly sounds like you can't afford those toys and lifestyle with your current salary. "I need to make more money" is not always an option. It is hard to find money for needs/wants after the fact and that is why many of us put away money for unforeseen situations as one of our most basic preps. Prepping after the disaster is darn near impossible. This whole idea seems to be one that many people have difficulty with. You are not alone. I sincerely hope you find a way to make your financial situation better. |
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Dave Ramsey, he has his critics but following his advice would help and might get it through the wife's head that spending more than you makes sucks when it catches up to you. http://www.daveramsey.com/ |
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Autumnsong, your comment is appreciated and not taken as rude, but I cant cut much else. I drive a company vehicle, so I dont pay for fuel. I have assessed all of our monthy spending, and the only unneccesary bill is the cable as I said.
any spare money I have goes to trying to fix up this POS house I live in, its almost dont but we still need to finish painting one room. We need so finish working on the house, cause we will have a baby crawling around it very soon. I just planted a garden, so that will help cut the amount we spend on groceries slightly, we try to buy food in bulk, it isnt always feasible because the time it takes to get to costco. I will also be bringing a lunch to work everyday now as opposed to buying lunch for 5+ dollars/day.
thanks for the advice guys. |
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TBN,
The answer is to cut, and cut some more. The answer is found in the various posts on this site. If you really look closely, you will find that we are often nickeled and dimed to death. I know you have looked at your bills, but have you looked at the many other ways money leaks out of your pockets? The bag lunch is a great idea, could save you as much as $4 a day, though $2 to $3 is more likely, at $3 a day your saving $780 per year. Do you drink soda? Always look at the per unit price and go for the best deal. Store brands average $.69 vs $129+ for name brands per 2 liter bottle. If you buy a single serve soda at the local 7-11 or vending machine, you are paying even more. Buy the 2 liter store brand soda and put those nalgene bottles to work for you. Depending on how much soda you drink, the savings can be significant. Keep in mind, soda is just an example. How can this forum help you? It seems to me in the last month or two I have read posts on how to make your own laundry detergent for pennies per gallon. And there was a thread about how to make laundry strength bleach from pool shock. The average box of pool shock will make something upwards of 1K gallons of bleach. Even the store brand bleach runs around $.99 a gallon while pool shock costs around $20 per box. You do the math! How about the little knuckles? Are you using disposable diapers? Shame on you, and you said you had no disposable income! Cotton diapers, home made laundry soap, and home made bleach alone could save you $1500 (or more) a year. I'm not saying cleaning dirty nappies is my idea of fun, but one does what one must. My mom raised four poopers on cotton diapers, and it did not kill her (though she might say different). My point is that a lot of small savings can add up to big dollars. Look into who is charging you any kind of fees, such as banks or credit cards. Find a gas station that discounts for cash. Inventory your spending (not just the bills), and then inventory it again. You will find money where you didn't know you have it. These are just a few of the thoughts that went through my mind when I read your post. For decades I worked a series of interesting but poor paying jobs. Nursing was the first time in my life that I broke the 25K per year mark. So I am not just blowing smoke out of my ass when I tell you I know what it means to cut corners. Get the wife on board, and make it a sort of game. It does not have to be all drudgery, there is a lot of fun and satisfaction to be had in milking a dime out of a nickle. Good luck and good hunting... stasiman |
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Quoted:
I just planted a garden, so that will help cut the amount we spend on groceries slightly, we try to buy food in bulk, it isnt always feasible because the time it takes to get to costco. I will also be bringing a lunch to work everyday now as opposed to buying lunch for 5+ dollars/day. Those are exactly the things that save money. I rarely ever buy lunch at work, I always pack a lunch. my packed lunch costs no more than $2 per day, but probably closer to $1/day on some days. At 250 work days a year that is probably around $1000 savings. Planting a garden, more savings, and more healthy as well. Is the baby a newborn? If so, does your wife breast-feed? Lets face it, formula is EXPENSIVE. Do you have air-conditioning? Turn the thermostat up a couple degrees. Sure, it's not quite as comfortable that way but you can save substantial amounts on your electric bill (especially in CA I would imagine). My thermostat is set at 80 degrees. Most people would think that is hot, but once you get accustomed to it, it is still very refreshing, and it is very doable, especially if you have a fan in the room you're currently occupying just to help move the air a bit. It's all the small things that really make a big difference, the things that you don't necessarily think of. Grilled/toasted cheese and ramen noodles are cheap. You don't have to subsist off those items, but 2-5 times a week you could have some ramen soup with a grilled/toasted cheese sandwich to save significant money. Do you drink pop? Quit buying pop and start drinking water (not bottled water, get it from the faucet). You'll not only cut a lot of sugars etc out of your diet, but you'll save money. I rarely ever drink pop. I normally keep some Sierra mist around in case one of us gets sick, but I've had the same case for nearly a year. Steaks are expensive, even if you are eating them at home, buy cheaper cuts of meat and learn how to prepare them to yield the same great taste/flavor etc. Ground beef a $2/lb to make a good hamburger will give you the same protein etc. as that $7/lb steak. Also, if you haven't thought of it, google for money-saving tips. Yeah, most of them that you'll see are obvious and you've already thought of them, or we suggested them, but occasionally you'll happen on that good one and it'll just hit you like, "Duh, I should have thought of that". |
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+1 on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. It's hard to live by, but it sounds like you're practically there, but just need a bit more structure.
As a side note, I read another financial book a while ago, (the name escapes me though). They did an interesting survey on different social/financial classes (poor, working middle class 'me', and the wealthy). As an average, each class said "Man, if I only made 10% more, all my troubles would be gone". This is by no means advice to you, just an interesting note that, in general, as we make more, we tend to grow into it quickly instead of saving it. I think a very very structured budget will help you. I have taken one of Dave Ramseys recommended budgets and converted it to an Excel Spreadsheet with equations if you're interested. I've been using it since 2008 and has been a great help. What I like most is that it makes a plan on where your money will go, not record where it went. Email me if you'd like a copy. |
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Thanks for the replies.
I do not drink soda, and our water comes from the faucet, we have filtering devices such as brita, and i have a stock of filters to use, and know how to recharge the filters, so i wont be spending any money on new filters. I just bought a grip of ground beef at costco yesterday, for burgers. save money on not buying steaks, one of our favorite meals is Fish sticks and rice. we will have to make that more often. I just replaced the AC unit before this winter with a higher efficiency model, cut our usage in half. We keep the house at 77, we were running it at 80 last year, I'll turn up the thermostat today. I need to keep better tabs on the lrogue lights on around the house. Missus likes a light on in every room.  gonna have to lay the smackdown on that. 
The breastfeeding well dried up after about a month. Unfortunately. But costco has the formula we use for 30% less than at vons or albertsons. I dont think I could get the missus on board with disposable diapers. Little Nux leaks through the super absorbent "leakproof" disposables everyday. (she drinks ALOT of water.
We dont currently use bleach on laundry, not much whites. more like earthones galore haha. I have mentioned making detergent before, she said she'd try it, but I never got around to it. looks like there is no better time than now. I am going through my bank statements right now seeing what our money is going too, organizing it all and writing it down in a budget form d/l from the site linked in an above post. Thank you guys, I already feel a bit relieved. I cancelled my unused subscriptions to Rush and Glenn Beck theres 20 bucks or so.. |
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It comes from Dave Ramsey but its ture...
beans and rice and rice and beans, throw in some cooked wheat berries and some home grown herbs and you can make all kinds of nutritious soups and stews cheap. A big plus is you can make a crock pot full of something on Sunday and have lunch or dinner ready for the rest of the week. I make a crock pot full of something every week. I put whatever I make in a bunch of the small Glad plastic bowls with lids and have it ready to go in the fridge. What does your wife think about a part time job for her? A few hours a day for a few days a week would be a nice break for someone spending all their time taking care of a young child. My wife lost her job two years ago and after almost a year of no luck finding a full time replacement job we decided for her to go back to school and move in a different direction. To earn a little extra money she has recently taken a part time job at Starbucks that she can work around my schedule, her school schedule and my 7 yr old daughters schedule. When she works its only for 4 +/- hours and she only works four days a week on average but every little bit helps. A big plus is she gets a free lb of coffee each week which is great for me. |
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Wife cleans her parents house every other week for a couple hundred bucks. She has been using most if not all of it to pay down her credit card debt. she has around $500 left. and is paying 200 of it this week.
Her previous emplyer has asked if she could work part time, but the work schedule wouldt work for us as get off work at 330, and she would have to wait until i got home, before she could leave, and by the time she got to work it would be past 4 and they close at 5... so i dont think its worth it for 45 minutes/day. It wouldnt be worth it to pay for child care as any aditional income the wife makes would go to paying for said child care. MIL is a teacher and offered to watch Lil Nux once she no longer has meetings for school. I am not sure when that will be though. |
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Good call on the crock pot! When I was in school I lived out of my crock pot! One week it would be stew, the next black beans and rice. Just top it up the first couple of days and then work your way through it in the course of a week. It never really got boring as the food was good, filling, and never had to go more than one week before it changed. I calculated that I was spending a dollar or less per meal most weeks. Rarely hit the two dollar mark.
I bought locally grown veggies at local farm stands and of course, dried beans, rice, and pasta. Meat was the cheapest cuts I could find, no need to worry as the crock pot tenderized it nicely. I could go a week on $20 or less for food. Damn, got me thinking, really liked some of those meals. The black beans and rice (with freshly made salsa) was out of this world, and the meat sauce for pasta only got better as the week progressed! Wonder where I put that old crock pot ?
stasiman |
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hey, anyone with a great slow cooker recipe... can you hook a brother up? i'll be cookin up some split pea tonight for lunch tomorrow.
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One thing that was an eye-opener for me: for one month, write down everything you spend. I mean every last blasted red cent, and no cheating. You'll be surprised to see where some of that money goes. I was just going through my bank statement. I suck at money.
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Quoted:
hey, anyone with a great slow cooker recipe... can you hook a brother up? i'll be cookin up some split pea tonight for lunch tomorrow. Quoted:
One thing that was an eye-opener for me: for one month, write down everything you spend. I mean every last blasted red cent, and no cheating. You'll be surprised to see where some of that money goes. I was just going through my bank statement. I suck at money.
umm, what is it that they say... "the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem..."?
Seeing how much money gets piddled away on little things (Christ, my beer budget alone could support some third-world countries for a week! ) is one of the things that turned me towards frugal living, and by close association, survival prepping (the two are very complimentary goals).
I STILL suck at it, but not as much as I used to. And I'm actually kind of having fun learning how to NOT suck at it. |
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First, about the cable bill, LOSE IT. You will not regret it for a minute. We haven't had cable/satellite in probably 5 years and never looked back. And now with DTV, we get great picture quality, still have local news and PBS and free entertainment from whatever network programs we can stomach (which isn't many, granted). Sure, you'll find something to watch on cable/dish and think you'll miss having it, but give it a try –– it's really money down the drain.
Same goes for XM satellite radio etc. And do you NEED a smartphone/dataplan? Probably not, unless it pays for itself through your work. We've been militant in our grocery spending for the last few years (by necessity). Here's how we managed: 1) COUPONS. There is a definite method to couponing, and there's no free lunch (although there are ways to be smart about it). Check southernsavers.com and coupondivas.com –– these sites do most of the work for you because they aggregate all the stores' sale items and allow you to cherry pick what you want before you ever go to the store. If you work the system to the max, you'll be getting freebies and in some cases the store will be paying YOU to take the items (yes, there are actually still stores that do that). You can't be brand-loyal and you have to go where the savings are –– stock up on whatever the deals are, regardless of your immediate need. You'll be shopping name-brand local grocery stores but spending less than you would anywhere else, even the discount grocers. 2) Aldi. There's another thread on here about folks' Aldi experiences. It's a low-overhead, no-nonsense store. Experiment with their stuff –– lots and lots of savings there. 3) Angel Food. For $30 they sell a box of food that feeds a family of 4 for a week. We used this to supplement our food for probably a year. We don't use them any more because we've refined some of our other shopping, but wouldn't hesitate to buy their food again! https://www.angelfoodministries.com/ 4) Warehouse Clubs –– BE VERY STRATEGIC. They're NOT cheaper on most things because they don't do generics, among other reasons. Certain items however are cheaper. We use Sams for milk, napkins and bacon. And I buy our storage rice, pinto's, sugar, salt, veggie oil and some seasonings. That's about it –– really. It's borderline not even worth the membership fee. For someone truly scraping every penny don't even CONSIDER because you're wasting money on the membership. 5) Others have said it, but don't spend precious grocery money on crap like sodas, super-processed convenience foods and sweets. Use this as an opportunity to put some elbow grease into healthier cooking. Healthy doesn't have to mean you shop at Earth Fare, Whole Foods and the all-organic aisle at the other stores! Switching from pre-bagged fried fish sticks or Stouffer's frozen meals to homemade soup or chicken that you grill/bake yourself is a big step toward healthy eating. 6) Lastly, Wal-Mart. Whatever we can't get by the means above, we'll buy at WM. Once you get a method to couponing you won't be nearly as dependent on WM though. We mainly use WM for things that just NEVER go on sale or have coupons. |
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Have you thought about an extra job?
For example I hire husband/wife teams to clean smaller offices in the evening. They can clean 15k sq ft office in about 4 man hours or just 2 hrs a piece, and make $60. $60 x21 cleans a month=$1260. Plus they get to write off a bunch of stuff, so that money is almost tax free since they are subcontractors. Just a thought |
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I was contemplating a second job on my way home from work. If the situation gets any tighter, I will definitely have to find some more work.
I have eliminated some unneeded expenses, and I will see how that works for a little while. I really enjoy my time with my family, and if I can get away with 1 job, I will do it. |
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Quoted:
First, about the cable bill, LOSE IT. You will not regret it for a minute. We haven't had cable/satellite in probably 5 years and never looked back. And now with DTV, we get great picture quality, still have local news and PBS and free entertainment from whatever network programs we can stomach (which isn't many, granted). Sure, you'll find something to watch on cable/dish and think you'll miss having it, but give it a try –– it's really money down the drain. Same goes for XM satellite radio etc. And do you NEED a smartphone/dataplan? Probably not, unless it pays for itself through your work. We've been militant in our grocery spending for the last few years (by necessity). Here's how we managed: 1) COUPONS. There is a definite method to couponing, and there's no free lunch (although there are ways to be smart about it). Check southernsavers.com and coupondivas.com –– these sites do most of the work for you because they aggregate all the stores' sale items and allow you to cherry pick what you want before you ever go to the store. If you work the system to the max, you'll be getting freebies and in some cases the store will be paying YOU to take the items (yes, there are actually still stores that do that). You can't be brand-loyal and you have to go where the savings are –– stock up on whatever the deals are, regardless of your immediate need. You'll be shopping name-brand local grocery stores but spending less than you would anywhere else, even the discount grocers. 2) Aldi. There's another thread on here about folks' Aldi experiences. It's a low-overhead, no-nonsense store. Experiment with their stuff –– lots and lots of savings there. 3) Angel Food. For $30 they sell a box of food that feeds a family of 4 for a week. We used this to supplement our food for probably a year. We don't use them any more because we've refined some of our other shopping, but wouldn't hesitate to buy their food again! https://www.angelfoodministries.com/ 4) Warehouse Clubs –– BE VERY STRATEGIC. They're NOT cheaper on most things because they don't do generics, among other reasons. Certain items however are cheaper. We use Sams for milk, napkins and bacon. And I buy our storage rice, pinto's, sugar, salt, veggie oil and some seasonings. That's about it –– really. It's borderline not even worth the membership fee. For someone truly scraping every penny don't even CONSIDER because you're wasting money on the membership. 5) Others have said it, but don't spend precious grocery money on crap like sodas, super-processed convenience foods and sweets. Use this as an opportunity to put some elbow grease into healthier cooking. Healthy doesn't have to mean you shop at Earth Fare, Whole Foods and the all-organic aisle at the other stores! Switching from pre-bagged fried fish sticks or Stouffer's frozen meals to homemade soup or chicken that you grill/bake yourself is a big step toward healthy eating. 6) Lastly, Wal-Mart. Whatever we can't get by the means above, we'll buy at WM. Once you get a method to couponing you won't be nearly as dependent on WM though. We mainly use WM for things that just NEVER go on sale or have coupons. +100 on coupons. Our biggest expense is the grocery store (6 of us). Mrs. Slice has gotten into the knack of timing sales w/ coupons (example: P&G products go on sale every 5 weeks @ kroger –– saves all of her coupons for shampoo and toothpaste for that week and stocks up). She trades coupons on some boards on the internet. On average she's saving 20% or so off the bill. I think her all-time best was in the 70's (%). -Slice |
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I just got some great news!
my electric company account has a credit of 455 dollars!! i dont have to pay my electric bill for at least 5 months! more than likely 8 months with no powerbill. that is so fucking kickass. even though it is cause they raped our entire community last year around this time. people were having 1200 dollar power bills
mine was ONLY 300 
at least we got it back. |
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Only you can decide what you will and won't cut. I personally don't have a sam's card because I often find that I can buy from stores closer to home and spend a similar if not equal amount of money on stuff as what I would spend at sam's store. Sam's is not close to me so just the long drive uses time and fuel. And spending money each year to pay prices similar to what I can find elsewhere is annoying. I understand you already reupped for a year but when I have more time than money I can shop the sales and coupons and I don't drive 10 miles to save a nickel either. Credit cards keep getting mentioned. I would cut the cable until the credit cards are paid off and I would not keep the credit cards around to accumalate a balance again. I know lots of people get paid to use their credit cards but I find that by buying locally and using cash I often do just fine when it comes to saving some money. Now and then I might ask for a discount if buying a lot of stuff or just one expensive item. I am not about to say I do everything I can do to save every penny of every paycheck I could possably save. I decide what I am willing to spend and work accordingly and when I don't have work to cover expenses then expenses get chopped out. The library has dvds for free and if you can stream internet shows then to some extent I would probably drop my internet down to dial up. I am one of the folks who feels that dial up pays for itself by letting me research how to clean, repair, or cook stuff myself and do so cheaply. I have to drive a fair ways to get to a library and I lived with dial up only up to a couple years ago. These days my cell phone is my only phone and it does my internet useage as well. But if I really had to cut some costs I would probably lose the expensive cell phone and internet and use that library the few hours I was not working overtime or a 2nd job. You have to decide what can get cut and when I hit a point where I can't drop an expense any lower I look at that expense and wonder if I even need it. And when you said you could sell some stuff but the money would soon be gone, I think you might want to sell stuff and kill the credit card debt. Even with the windfall electric bill I would probably sell stuff to get out of debt and use anything left over from the electric bill windfall to pay off the credit card bills. Once you kill the credit cards you will no longer being making those payments and you won't be paying interest on that stuff. I understand the concept of wanting to thrive but right now you sound borderline and any little problem with the truck or other item could be a major issue for you. But this is just my opinion from the posts I read and as a single guy I can handle not having cable or satellite or even rabbit ears for television. I have a few dvds I like to watch and still have a bunch of vhs tapes as well. I surf the net for entertainment but I don't go nuts on the net since there is lots of stuff I can and should be doing most days. |
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We are in a similar boat minus the little one. We started taking out $x a week for food and putting it aside in an envelope. To keep our bill under the set amount, we mentally spend the money on every item on our list before we get to the store giving each item a set value then adding a dollar or two to each item. We set a given amount (usually 10-20 bucks below our weekly budget) then, considering the additional dollar or two per item, add up to equal the amount.
Ex. Item––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Price––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-Given Value ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Milk––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––3.50––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-5.00 Eggs––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2.00––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-3.00 Bread––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-2.00––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-3.00 Meats––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––20.00––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––25.00 Veggies––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-6.00––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-9.00 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Total––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––33.50––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––45.00 This gives some wiggle room. If you decide you have 70 bucks to spend on groceries and then budget 45 as I have in my example, you actually come out with 11.50 that you can pocket. The key here is three-fold, 1)write down estimated values of items. 2)budget a set amount and don't exceed. 3)over-estimate the price of everything and budget accordingly. Doing this we have saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 bucks per month. Also if you are interested in putting up something for a rainy day/prep deal, add some non-perishable food to each week's grocery budget (a can or two of veggies a week works well for a few bucks). Once you get quite the stash you should start rotating them out, eat the oldest ones first (usually after about a year) but keep buying new ones that are pushed to the back of your pantry. Do the same with baby supplies, buy one more bottle of formula or package of diapers as you can afford it. Pretty soon you will have a decent little cushion without any major expenditures at any given time. If worse comes to worse, you will have food covered, then cover rent, then water, heat(if it's cold), then electricity, lastly any comforts that you may want. We have been doing this for the last few years and are actually comfortable in our situation. |