Household cash flow....not good

[kimmar067]

..Cash flow is OK here right now...

...here too, but, since I'm a teacher and don't get a paycheck from June 30 until Sept 15, that 'cash flow' thing is a B*TCH.....

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I can make the money by working a additional LONG day per week...I work 2 LONG days/week now.

Its just hard because I am trying to do it all, mom, wife, college, work....I have always been at my best when times are tough but I do appreciate the motivation from the DIS....
its all a challenge to me. There aren't too many cuts that I am willing to make, right now anyway. That may change when I too pooped to pop.

DH has had a decline in pay over the past few years and we were able to handle the slow bleed fairly well. It's just that combined with the increase in the cost of everything, it is adding up. I would always, in the past, transfer money around account to account to make it work. Then the moment of realization! Now push has come to shove.
live and learn.

What happens if something happens and you can't work?

 

[kimmar067]

Awesome!!

My best friend is an ICU nurse. She works 12 hour days, Wednesday and Thursday and every other weekend. She makes over $60K and is thinking about switching to a floating position working Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and every other weekend, she would then be making over $105K a year! Man, can I get over my fear of needles to be a nurse?????

...off-topic, but your 'yung'un' looks awfully familiar..... ...he's a real cutie-pie....

 

[denisenh]

OP, you mention that your husband's paycheck has been decreasing for the past few years, but you later post that you are only working (until you started working extra hours recently) 24 hours/week. Even with the routine 12 hour shifts nurses work nowadays, that's only 3 days a week, clearly a partime job.

Maybe it's time to go to work fulltime, and put college on hold for a little bit, rather than run a $1,800 deficit every month. Or really cut back on the extras, if at all possible. But it's clear that continuing to retain the staus quo is no longer an option.

I am also a nurse (retired) but knew many nurses who worked off shifts, both for the shift differential, and so their spouse was at home for the children. Perhaps it's time to look into the 7PM to 7AM (or whatever your hospital has) so that you can work more hours without having to pay for sitters.

thank you but, huh? I have to figure your post out. It almost seems like you are looking for a "slip up" on my part and there is none.

Yes, my husband has been making less money over the past few years. 4 years ago he made double (yes really double) what he is now.
I have worked 24 hours a week for a LONG time, years and years and years. Yes, it is part time. Did I say that it wasn't?
I haven't started working "extra" yet.

Nope, won't put college on hold. Absolutely positively not an option.

I am not sure, but maybe I wasn't clear. We are able to pay our bills but it is and has been coming out of money that is not what you would call "earned income". (We really don't bring home a lot of a lot of money after deductions.) Eventually if I keep doing that there won't be any left. I just sat down to figure it out last night. I am spoiled and I am not good with money. I have never had a budget. I have been completely broke before though.
I know that I need to make an adjustment. Either spend less or work more, right?
I make more than my husband and work less hours so if one of us has to work more, it will be me. Everyone one isn't a money whiz, and I am not by a long shot. So I'll learn.
(I have a lot of money issues. I am afraid of having it and I am afraid of not having it.)

I work a combination of hours in order to maximize the amount that I make and I have ALWAYS worked around my husbands schedule so that our kids didn't have to go to day care.

Really though as much as I hate the kind of negative posts, it has helped me think it through a little bit better.

 

[denisenh]

What happens if something happens and you can't work?

I know....that thought has crossed my mind over the past few years. Its scary.

 

[denisenh]

mine does to the penny, $450 a week x 52 weeks a year = $23,400 divide that by 12 months a year = $1950.

see to the penny

my first thought when I saw that..."oh crap"

Lets not think of it that way.

 

[denisenh]

OMG I don't even bring home $450.00 a week

Sometimes I get lucky and the ex sends me a child support payment

We are doing pretty good right now, maybe you need a

oh dear.

 

[PADISFAM]

my first thought when I saw that..."oh crap"

Lets not think of it that way.

sorry ya gotta

 

[froglady]

thank you but, huh? I have to figure your post out. It almost seems like you are looking for a "slip up" on my part and there is none.

Yes, my husband has been making less money over the past few years. 4 years ago he made double (yes really double) what he is now.
I have worked 24 hours a week for a LONG time, years and years and years. Yes, it is part time. Did I say that it wasn't?
I haven't started working "extra" yet.

Nope, won't put college on hold. Absolutely positively not an option.

I am not sure, but maybe I wasn't clear. We are able to pay our bills but it is and has been coming out of money that is not what you would call "earned income". (We really don't bring home a lot of a lot of money after deductions.) Eventually if I keep doing that there won't be any left. I just sat down to figure it out last night. I am spoiled and I am not good with money. I have never had a budget. I have been completely broke before though.
I know that I need to make an adjustment. Either spend less or work more, right?
I make more than my husband and work less hours so if one of us has to work more, it will be me. Everyone one isn't a money whiz, and I am not by a long shot. So I'll learn.
(I have a lot of money issues. I am afraid of having it and I am afraid of not having it.)

I work a combination of hours in order to maximize the amount that I make and I have ALWAYS worked around my husbands schedule so that our kids didn't have to go to day care.

Really though as much as I hate the kind of negative posts, it has helped me think it through a little bit better.

I wasn't looking for a "slip up." I was just noting that YOU said that your husband's income had been decreasing, yet you were still working part time.

You have made the decision that you will absolutely not put college on hold. You say that you already work off hours so that you increase your income, and your children do not have to go to daycare. (An added expense)

You have stated that you don't want to cut out anything from your expenses.

So yes, your only option is to work more hours to eliminate the $450 per week deficit.

I'm not trying to be mean, or negative, but you brought your complaint here, and as far as I can see (short of your husband being able to increase HIS income, which you have not presented as an option) you have to increase your hours to full time. Which is something that thousands of women do all the time.

 

[denisenh]

We are not in a depression. Not by a long shot.

OP, what changed in your monthly bills so drastically as to cause that kind of swing? For us, our gas and food bills are up on average, but all our other bills are pretty much the same. But those bills aren't causing that great of a swing on a monthly basis. You must have had some major unusual kind of expenses kick in.

I don't think that there is a HUGE change. Our water bill and electricity bill are noticeably higher. We had irrigation put in and I think it was running too much.
I find groceries are more and september is an expensive month so we got a good whack when I wrote out bills last night.

Thats what made me add stuff up. I was sleepy maybe I goofed somewhere? I tried to put in extra money to what (the catagories) I think we spend, like clothes and such just to make sure that its there.

 

[denisenh]

[quote="Got Disney";27704027]Feel free to PM me if you would like to talk....and think about trying to change working more and get yourself ahead. There is nothing more rewarding IMO than nursing and that will also reflex to your children...sometimes when life gets in the way we need to rearrange it. If working more gets you out of your situation than work more it should be.

One thing good about nursing is it is a needed career and you can do it anywhere Even though I no longer Nurse I do keep my licence active because we never know where life will lead us.[/quote]

Thank you. I LOVE what I do.

 

[denisenh]

Believe me there were times when I was the breadwinner of the family when my late dh was out of work or couldn't find a job that made enough. I know how tough it is for a woman.

I didn't tell you to stay home. I don't know why you had this reaction. I was commenting on you wanting to add another 12 hour work day to your schedule.I guess I see it as being easier to cut out some of the spending rather than keep up the lifestyle.

I wish you the best however you decide to do this.

Thank you. I am sensitive about the "family time" thing because I try so hard to make sure I am there for everyone. I love my family/kids SO much.

 

[denisenh]

...here too, but, since I'm a teacher and don't get a paycheck from June 30 until Sept 15, that 'cash flow' thing is a B*TCH.....

LOL.
Oh lord I have such a headache right now. Don't make me laugh.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

OP...you already know you have a serious drain in the budget, so that is the first step.

I agree with some of the PPs. Here are some resources for you to become more "financially literate".

-On the budget board, the website www.youneedabudget.com is often recommended.
-Read Dave Ramsey and/or Suze Orman. Her book "Women and Money" gives a bunch of good, solid financial advice in an easy to read format.
-The website www.thesimpledollar.com is a blog by a guy from Iowa who has written about going from in debt to being financially secure. One link on the top bar is "31 Days to Fix Your Finances". You may want to look there.
-Tracking EVERY penny you spend for a month (or more) can help you see EXACTLY where the drain is. You may have a general idea, but I have done this on a few separate occasions for myself and I'm always surprised at the results. Create a few main categories (utilities, food (groceries), food (eating out), entertainment, clothes, transportation, school expenses (tuition/fees/books/etc), health care, any debt payoffs, etc).

The final step, once you create a budget/plan, then the next (harder!) step is to follow through on it.

Good luck!

 

[mickeysgal]

I don't think that there is a HUGE change. Our water bill and electricity bill are noticeably higher. We had irrigation put in and I think it was running too much.

There is a huge difference when we run the sprinkers vs. when we don't. Huge. Like a few hundred dollars in one month and that's just watering a couple times a week. It adds up fast. Thankfully, you can scale back and see an immediate decrease in that bill.