Mothering Forum banner

2017 Support Thread

5K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  mamapigeon 
#1 ·
Support only-

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Take what you need- leave what you don't.

Here's hoping 2017 is better for everyone!
 
#2 ·
Happy New Year to everyone :)

2017 is going to be interesting, we are still on one income, I will be applying for nursing school in April. I also want to visit my home country (not been home for 10 years now) in December, so I want to kill as much debt as possible next year. Not spend thoughtlessly. No more debt.

Best of luck to all x
 
#3 ·
2017 is going to be the same for us as well. I am still in grad school- masters in counseling and kid is in college as well (early enrollment as he is only 16). He will be finishing up at the community college with an A.S. in math hopefully in 2017 then transferring to the State University in Spring 2018. He is fully 100% dependent on financial aid/scholarships at this point. Kid is also going to drive in 2017. We are working on that right now! So there are expenses coming my way.

I started gathering information to do my taxes ASAP.

I don't see a change to much of our income. I get SSDI and kid get benefit SSDI. Kid is applying to be a math tutor on campus this term, I have no idea his chances but the interview will be a good experience for him. I am hoping when I finish my masters program the new career will allow me to get off SSDI and I will be 'better' overall and able to work again.

Kid knows money is almost non-existent and we are trying 'no buy' for 2017. There is a good chance we will move in the beginning of 2018 so the no buy makes logical sense right now.

1/1/17 is starting with a day at home. Finishing putting away the holiday decorations and eating from the fridge. So far the plan is working.
 
#4 ·
Subbing for some support. We are down to the wire for funds, but we have a lot of room to reduce spending. I am looking for resources I will need to make the move out of the house, divorce and all, and am starting with what my college has available for me. I desperately do not want to add to my work load. My school load is just about right. This week I'll check in with the office to see what support I could have and what it would take to get it. It's kind of unreal right now.

In the meantime, making a beef soup for the week. I have some freezer stuff to make meals from to clean it out, and same for the pantry. We homeschool, and I'm leaving the girls home alone this quarter (only for 2-3 hours tops) and hopefully that will reduce the whining and guilt and money spent on snacks and junk. Things are good, but the future (especially with separating) looks very, very tight, and I need to get serious about changing what I need to change in order to manage, now, and especially in the future.

Mostly, I'll just be stopping by to hear how everyone is managing, posting occasionally. Happy New Year!
 
#5 ·
January is a tight month for me. I've got less than $200 in my account to last until the 15th, but I need to find a way to pay $500 for the class I'm taking this term, and I will need to pay my lawyer something for all the divorce work she is doing... Eek!
But, life is good. I am happy to be here and know that if I take a deep breath and get through one day at a time, somehow I will find the money.
I think the food situation will be living out of the freezer and only buying milk and produce. I need to reduce my inflammation anyway by cutting out processed stuff. My kids have enough clothes and stuff to last until Spring, so I think we'll make it.
 
#6 ·
My kid is going for a job interview on campus tomorrow. No pressure, he is more than qualified to be a math tutor in the math center. Problem will be he is 16 and has no experience or work history. Good points are he is in Calc3 with a 3.7 GPA and will graduate to the 4 yr college in 2017 (depending on how the scheduling plays out). He is academically sound and responsible. This would only be a few hours a week but would give him enough money to play with.

Starting slow and seeing what happens.

I need to menu plan for the month and get a better grasp on grocery spending this year.
 
#8 ·
I am trying to keep spending under control this year- see the 'no buy 2017' thread. Money is tight and kid needs books for spring term which starts in a week. I was hoping for a stipend from financial aid but i may need to front the money and get the overage in a few weeks.

Still waiting on the interview. Should be sometime this week, he will have no problem getting the job, only a problem if his schedule lines up with when the math lab needs tutors this term. He also applied at the grocery store.
 
#9 ·
He got the job, he is working and the schedule is fine. All that mom worry for nothing.

Money is tight as usual and my RX coverage decided to move a very important med off formulary. So i have a dr appt next week to get this straightened out. I've tried different meds over the past 15 years and they do NOT work, i've tried not taking this med (even when i forget a day) and i get violently ill.

Starting in Feb my rent increases $125.00 I'm sure I can find that money somewhere... i just have no idea where.

We are still concentrating on eating from the pantry and freezer and my grocery bill is much less each week. I probably have 2 weeks of freezer left and several weeks of pantry left.
 
#10 ·
I've resorted to ordering some DVD seasons from the library. Some shows I want to watch, I need to calm and I think february is going to be a month at home. I'm trying to do 'no spend' and utilize community resources and one of those is the 'library'.
 
#11 ·
Taxes are an even ZERO.... dont owe, and def. no refund. No money to be found there. Its probably July 1st until my next student loan payment.

February is a very tight month for money. Lots of expenses that were NOT planned and all I want to do is cry.
 
#12 ·
February is such a short month but such a TIGHT month for money. I havent figured out how to resolve this in YEARS. I'm holding off on filing taxes (no refund, no money due, just the filing fee) until March. I had extra expenses this month, both a dryer repair and car repairs totaling almost $850- that definately hurt. I'm also holding off on a much needed trip to Costco until March.

I wish there was a way to get relief with finances. Even the 'no buy' isnt working so well.

march my nephew turns 2
april my niece turns 4
april is easter
april is MY birthday
may is mothers day
may is my sisters husbands bday
june is fathers day

When does it STOP??
 
#13 ·
I am so glad february is over. That was an expensive month. Short and expensive. Hopefully the next months are better.
Today is march 1 and the weather is beautiful, still very cool for the area- 60's today but up to the 80's by the weekend. This is when the birthday and event craziness starts for the next several months.

My mother has knee replacement surgery on monday
ST patricks day- the best holiday ever!
my nephew turns 2 at the end of march
2 weeks later in april my niece turns 4 (yes my sister was busy)
easter and MY b'day are the same weekend
May is mothers day
June is fathers day (I try to avoid that)

I have cards lined up and a few things prepared to send out. The rest is going amazon.

MY landlord finally fixed my front door-after a week of complaints and finally threatening 'liability'.

Fingers crossed the next couple months are much smoother.

Kiddo is getting paid from his job- HR issues are squared away so he has some fun money. He will need more hours come summer term because of car insurance and I am going to start needing him to pay for a few more of 'his things' but again, its a slow process. I'm just thankful he was able to get a job at 16- and on campus.
 
#15 ·
We are up to date on bills, which is a positive. Still plugging along with school, only a month or so now until summer break. I did recently find out I am pregnant, which was a complete accident, so that is added stress. Our insurance is useless, and no extra income, so not sure what we're going to do. We make a little too much for pregnancy medicaid (this state made massive cuts). I'm thankful I have never had a complicated pregnancy, so I'm not too worried.
 
#16 ·
Wow it's been slow in here this year! I haven't been on for a while. Things have been going fairly well and now we've hit a bump. Dh's job has given out a seasonal bonus that is an extra $1/hr from May to October and this year they aren't doing it. It's not a "ton" of money but it's still a large chunk for us that helps cover end of the year expenses or saving for winter when we can expect slow work due to weather. Now that the bonus isn't happening I have to save all summer to cover winter AND our expenses. That's going to be interesting. We can survive on his income without the bonuses but it does mean things are tighter and we have to be cautious until we have a bigger savings built up. It wouldn't take much right now to completely throw the budget. *sigh* So back to making a new plan and tightening up the budget. Hope everyone is doing good!
 
#17 ·
I dropped out of this forum last year to focus on myself and my baby but now I am back. We have had a very lean and frugal period with just my maternity leave money to live off but hopefully from next month when my husband gets his first pay check we can start living our normal frugal life and not have to think about every single penny every single time. On the plus side, my husband and I have actually grown closer by working much more together than before so not just bad things. Friends have pulled through and for example I got some money back I lent to a friend years ago with the understanding that she didn't need to pay me back right away. I have lent some money from my sister but she will get that back once I am back to work full time this autumn. Daycare is arranged for the youngest too so that is not something I need to worry about.

IF, and this is still an if, my husband will get a more long term position we might for the first time in our relationship have a more stable economy. If we could both work for a while we could finally be able to save some money and have a much more stable life. I so hope this will be true. My husband's boss has hinted that they are considering it so keep your fingers crossed.
 
#18 ·
Yeah this thread is slow- I started (with good intentions) a no-spend challenge for myself - which i gracefully failed. but I'm learning as the year goes along. I'm more mindful of what I spend,where and how I spend.
We are very low income and have even less discretionary income as both myself and kid are in college- now at the same school since he is transferring some community university to 4-yr university to finish his degree. (hes 16) and i never planned for this. He is getting schoarhsihps and aid but there is stiil a balance due.
I've had some medical issues and I am very grateful for SSDI and medicare. And im grateful that kid still qualifes for state insurance.

I feel a bit more comfortable on this thread so if everyone wants to start it again- lets go for it.!

Summer is in full swing here. Temps were already over 100 degrees and my a/c bill is going to kill me again for the next few months.

Kid and I are both going to do online classes so I no longer have to drive him to campus- save$$ and time :) but he will be driving soon so $$ for his inurance. HE did work on campus this term a few hours a week in the math lab tutoring but I told him not to even think about getting a job until after the holidays. the child really needs time off and to adjust to the new school and the new format. He really needs to be 'a kid' again. I don t need him stressing, burning out or having a mental health issues.
**sorry about the typo's my brain isn't well again.
 
#19 ·
Limping along financially here. My divorce is still dragging on, costing me $ every month. Selling the house, which is sort of a relief as a mortgage is impossible on my budget, but also kind of depressing because I don't know that I will ever own again, and can't even afford to rent a house, or an apartment, to be honest...
But, things are also going well. My family survived the super cold winter, where I got slammed with massive energy bills every month.
I'm hoping I will be able to find more work at some point.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top