Feel like we are on a slippery slope/budget help...

[verarae]

I thought I'd ask for your advice; everyone on here is so well informed and it is nice to see other perspectives.

I SAHM with my 1 year old DD. We had about 5 months worth in an emergency fund before she was born. My husband's job wasn't paying enough and we were taking money out of savings pretty often for bills, etc (we are pretty frugal and I am a fan of Dave Ramsey). He switched jobs for higher pay and we thought we'd get ahead because we don't qualify for health insurance yet (about 3 months left on a 6 month wait) and would have about $400/month extra until that kicked in. However, it has been one thing after another, of course!, and we are down to about 3 months in our emergency fund and now have about $600 in credit card debt that we need to get rid of. I got behind on some bills (closed old bank account and opened a new one so my auto pay was canceled) mostly because I forgot about them and by the time I remembered I was behind. I got caught up on everything but in the meantime our internet was canceled which cost $25! to turn back on. Our car broke down (this is the credit card debt) so we are driving my dad's bug to save on gas. My husband got a speeding ticket yesterday and I got one a couple of months ago so I hope (fingers crossed) that our insurance doesn't go up. So, low savings, debt, dog needs blood work, husband contacts, me clothes, family gifts, class reunion next weekend, finish repairs on car, etc...Like I said I am frugal and don't mind pinching pennies but I wonder if we are at the tipping point...And I feel like there is no breathing room.

Also, somebody on here mentioned being a peer counselor for WIC (which I asked a ? about on that thread). My district just finished hiring and the neighboring district said I have to be a WIC participant to be considered for the position opening up next month. So I had an appointment today and we qualified. I will admit it; I am humiliated and this is not what I pictured staying home would mean. I did it so I can hopefully get the job but, while it will help some, I don't feel right about it and am embarrassed that we are getting this assistance.

[smokeylo]

I hate that feeling like everything is spinning out of control and you suddenly don't have the security you thought you did. Totally BTDT this summer .

Seems like you should sit down with a fresh budget for the next few months and get your day-to-day stuff under control. I know it's embarrassing to be on WIC but if I qualified I'd do it in a heartbeat because food is such a big expense for us! See where you can cut back, make room, and get help. Can you do some babysitting while watching your kids? Etc. Then start your debt snowball. 3 months is still pretty awesome IMO! A lot of people don't have that. I guess you'll have to decide if you want to use some of the savings to take care of some of your debts, or if you want to leave that intact. Good luck!

[surrogate]

i have to say that i am totally embarrased to be on wic again, esp the way i was treated by a cashier today, however just todays "freebies" from 4 wic vouchers saved me $30 on my grocery budget for the month, and we will use all but the evap/dry milk immediately.

I agree with PP about babysitting. That is my sole source of income right now, and it pays the bills since I am a single mom. If you want to email me I can direct you to a forum to get more info about doing that. Also another way to bring in little bits of money is from doing rebates, couponing (overage), bargain shop...i have to admit that I buy all my kids clothes from baby gap, and i wont buy anything on sale, BUT i only buy when I can stack codes- i saved 44% on my order 2 days ago by using my gap card and stacking codes and i have pretty much all i need for both boys for winter.

can you post a budget to see if we can help?

ETA:
You may also think about going back to school if you qualify for pell, etc, that could get you a couple extra grand every few months. I go to WGU online and they will waive your app fee if you know a current student-so 0 oop to get in

[verarae]

Oh, yeah, I was going to add my budget and I forgot. Here it is...

$2200.00 Income
______________
Fixed:
$835 Mortgage (w/ tax and ins.)
$63 Y membership
$15 garbage
$10 ING savings acct. for DD
$100 student loan
$156 power bill (comfort billing)
$38 Internet
$82 Car insurance
$90 Cell phone
$30 Credit card
_____________
Variable:
$300 groceries (includes dog food)
$60 gas
$20 household supplies/toiletries

Total:
$1739, leaving $401 for spending, saving, insurance, etc...

Not looking good is it?

Mortgage might go down $25 because of tax reduction, garbage might (we recycle and compost so only have can emptied once every 2 months), cell phone is semi-fixed because my husband needs it for work but I was contemplating a land line, I haven't looked into internet (I have high speed) and credit card will be paid off, hopefully, soon with yard sale proceeds.

[surrogate]

Ok looking at your budget here is what I see:

Y membership, go online and print the scholarship membership application and fill it out and turn it in. It could knock as little as $10 and as much as $50 off your monthly fee. It is based on your income. I got my family membership for $120 for the whole YEAR.

ING savings: Cut it out for now, resume it when things are going better.

Student Loan: Go into your account online and look at deferment/forebearence options. Right now I have the economic hardship deferment for 12 mos. If you get any kind of state assistance (food stamps, etc) you qualify. They also have income based where if your pay is less than a percentage of your loan repayment they defer it. Unemployment deferment (6 mos) Since you are a SAHM you are unemployed...etc. just look at what is offered.

Internet: If you have a laptop look for free public wireless that is unsecured. Alot of communities have places that offer free net access, you may be within distance of one.

With your degree look into teaching online classes, i have heard other people say that. Also look into teaching classes for homeschooling co-ops where i lived before it paid $1000 a month and it was spread across all the participants.

With the elem. degree also once again I suggest babysitting/home daycare...if you live in a good area you can make bank. You can message me for info on that.

hth

[verarae]

Thanks, Surrogate, for your help. I used my WIC checks for the first time yesterday and was absolutely mortified: the cashier couldn't figure them out, apparently I had picked an incorrect item and the cashier TWO lanes over was yelling, "you can't get that kind of cheese with your checks. It was your string cheese, it's the wrong kind!" Really? That's the best way to handle that? In front of 2 lines of customers? Thanks. I left the store crying.

But...I read over your advice and contacted my local homeschooling co-op about a possible job. I am waiting to hear back from them. And your budget advice will really help when I sit down to look at it again, with my husband. Thank you! And good luck yourself, I was raised by a single mom and I can appreciate, now that I am a mom, how crazy hard her job was. Pat yourself on the back!

[Dmitrizmom]

I second the applying for a scholarship with the Y.

If you apply for an unemployment deferment for your student loans, they will ask if you are seeking employment and you must answer yes to qualify. (BTW, anything less than 25 hr/week qualifies as unemployed) Just did this for myself last week.

As to the cell phone, consider going with a non-contract provider - I know I saw one for Straight Talk at Walmart that you pay month-to-month. For $30/mo, you get 1000 minutes, 30 MB mobile web access and 1000 texts; for $45/mo, you get unlimited talk time, texts and mobile web access. http://www.straighttalk.com/ServicePlans We are switching as soon as possible (waiting contract out - not much longer )

and, yes, sometimes using WIC sucks, but it is a great help for the budget. s

[surrogate]

OOH yeah I forgot about Straight Talk, I have been looking at that, I just renewed my contract for 2 years though But it would save me $70 a month if I could switch. Def worth looking into.

The cashiers can make you feel like crap. Mine just kept giving me dirty looks and grumbling under her breath. Makes you want to tell them that you work hard, and so what if you need temporary help...ugh But google your state+WIC and they should have a brand guide online to what you can buy. The string cheese in my state is mozz. only no mixed. I usually just get the block of colby jack or extra sharp chedder.

Check around for other home school co-ops in different areas too, or put an ad in your local paper to tutor children a couple days a week, maybe even a pre-school that wants someone a couple days a week with a degree. I was trying to think of other things too, if I think of anything else I will post GL

[Dmitrizmom]

Oh... and if the cashiers continue to make you feel like doo... talk to the store manager about the cashier's attitude. Most of them will recognize the importance of good customer service - regardless of method of payment.

[redvlagrl]

Here's what I am thinking. Sorry if it's a bit harsh.

Rehome dog. Depending on the size you'll save quite a bit of food and vet bills

DH to either wear glasses or non disposable contacts.

Cut cell phone. You don't need one except for 911 and you can just have a cell with no service for that. It's the law that you can dial 911 from a cell with no provider and it will be answered. I see that your DH needs it for work. If that's the case, then shouldn't his work pay for it?

Cut Y membership/apply for scholarships

Cut savings for now (DD)

I would also get rid of the CC debt ASAP, even if it meant using some emergency funds to do so. And then put that $30 away for car maintenence every month.

Look into carpooling/public traspont to work.

[verarae]

No, that's ok if it's harsh...I live in a bubble sometimes with money. In the past, we've had enough extra it wasn't as big of a deal. But now it is affecting a lot of areas in our life and it needs to be handled. Sometimes I feel like if I were in another relationship I wouldn't be the main one handling the money; it's not my strong point but it's really not my husband's strong point...

Dog will not be rehomed; she is a family member and we decided to have a yard sale tomorrow to come up with some extra money.

DH does wear glasses, 10+ years old, and he needs a new pair. But I did not know they made non-disposable contacts, are they called hard lenses?

Cell phone does need to go. My issues are this: we live about 300 miles from friends and family so that's why I was keeping it, to keep in contact and also when we go home it's nice to have on the highway, just in case. But it would be better to have a land line, financially.

Y membership does actually have a scholarship; family membership is $63 + child watch is $15 so that's $78 and we get 20% off so basically my child watch is paid for.

I will cut savings,next month if we don't see some light at the end of the tunnel. DH is expecting some overtime and our yard sale might net a good profit.

We will probably use our savings to cut at least half the CC debt but I worry about taking too much out. We will make a decision on that by next month.

Thanks for the feedback!

[surrogate]

What about Skype for talking to family? Personally I would keep the cell even if it is just prepaid. The cheapest landline I could find awhile back was about $40 a month before taxes.

[smokeylo]

I don't know if a landline would save you any money. We dropped ours and do a family share plan for the cells. It is very affordable. I'd def look into cutting back on that bill.

I hope you are intending to set aside money for things like medical care and vet bills (new glasses ) -- irregular but important things to have money available for. This is a very tight budget, I agree. Doable, but tight!! Our income is $2600 and it's tight for us :P but we pay less on housing (for now!!). Good luck.

[sweetjasmine]

Originally Posted by verarae

<snip>
DH does wear glasses, 10+ years old, and he needs a new pair. But I did not know they made non-disposable contacts, are they called hard lenses?

No, they are not hard lenses, they are soft. But you have to be meticulous about keeping them clean and you do need to get new ones occasionally. Not sure how long you can keep each pair. Several months or so or maybe longer.

[redvlagrl]

In the old days peopel would have the smae lenses for a year at least. I'm sure you can get type.

Or at least if you're on dailies switch to the monthlies or 3 monthlies

[VisionaryMom]

I wouldn't get the yearly contacts. For starters, they may not even be cheaper. We did consider it at one point, but it was only about $20 a year less once we factored insurance in. Second, DH's optometrist said many people are more prone to infections with them. Third, if they break/get lost/etc., you have to replace them out of pocket. DH uses the kind you replace every 2 weeks, and they work the best for us.

[Oh the Irony]

I would try and reframe the WIC. Why should you be embarrassed? If you qualify, you qualify. Do you think other people getting WIC should be embarrassed? If not, why should you?

And keep it in perspective. 3 months of living expenses is more than tons of folks have right now.

If you take some corrective measures that others have mentioned and maybe get WIC job or other PT work you will be back on track quickly.