So, we have been struggling trying to pay off debt. We want to start, but can't figure out where to start. Our debt isn't from excess. We have a 1996 TV, we don't have cell phones, we don't have fancy cars, we don't have luxuries. When Wifey went back to work, we figured we'd be able to catch up just fine and planned a very much needed first vacation in our family's 14 year history, including the honeymoon we never took. Planned the vacation, paid for the vacation, then didn't get ahead like we thought.
Can't seem to get ahead. Every month something goes wrong. Washing machine, dryer, stove, car repairs, etc, etc.
I sit here in agony and pain. I can barely move, barely walk, barely stand the back pain. Why? The bed. The bed is absolutely terrible. We need a new bed in a bad way. I can barely make it through the day at work with the back pain. I know it's the bed. Yet, there's no money for a bed if we "live within our means."
Car inspection is coming up in 2 months. The car has nearly 200k miles on it. I know it's not going to pass. Our "new" car just didn't pass and needed money put into it. Not much, but it was money we didn't have if we were to "live within our means." The 2nd car, which is my work car, needs a lot of body work, brakes, tires, a lot of stuff. It has 200k miles on it. Mechanically it is good, but 200,000 miles is the end of a cars life due to corrosion where I live. It will cost me a fortune to keep this car, a fortune that we don't have if we were to "live within our means."
My wife wants to get out of the working nights rut. Our youngest will be in 1st grade, which means she will now be in school all day (we still had half-day kindergarten.) She would like to see her children during the school year. She would like to see her husband more than 15 minutes a day. Her husband would like to see her more than 15 minutes per day. During school as it is, she sees the girls about 15 minutes per day. She can't go grocery shopping, can't take the girls to school in the mornings when they have projects to carry that are bigger than they are, can't take care of her mother on her days off, can't work while the kids are in school, etc if she doesn't have a car. Thus, we need 2 cars.
So, it is time to replace my car. But, we can't do it if we were to "live within our means." I sit here with the printout of what my bank will give a loan for depending on interest rates, terms, and age of a car and there are no used cars that will stay "within our means" with the payments I would be able to afford. It would cost the same payment wise if I were to buy brand new compared to the payment under the bank terms if I were to buy a used 2007, 06, 05, 04, etc. etc. It never makes sense to me to replace one car that constantly needs money put into it for another car that constantly needs money put into it. We've found out long ago, buying 5 years old, paying for 5 years, driving for 5 years, and trading when it's 15 years old for nothing costs a lot more than buying new, paying 5 years, driving 5 years and trading when it's worth something 10 years old.
We want to start a savings account to save up an "emergency fund." We plan to put a mere $20 away from each paycheck until it reaches the emergency level, which is $20 that we need. We are in desperate need of a new bed so we can get decent sleep to work the next day without being in pain. We need a new car so I can get to work while she is using her car to get to work. We need a new roof on the house. And we need to buy more siding boards to finish our 3 year house project of reinsulating and replacing the water damaged siding.
How do you "mean income" people do all this "living within your means" stuff? If I was to live within my means, we would no longer have any car, we wouldn't have anything to eat, and we wouldn't have any heat in the dead of winter.
Can't seem to get ahead. Every month something goes wrong. Washing machine, dryer, stove, car repairs, etc, etc.
I sit here in agony and pain. I can barely move, barely walk, barely stand the back pain. Why? The bed. The bed is absolutely terrible. We need a new bed in a bad way. I can barely make it through the day at work with the back pain. I know it's the bed. Yet, there's no money for a bed if we "live within our means."
Car inspection is coming up in 2 months. The car has nearly 200k miles on it. I know it's not going to pass. Our "new" car just didn't pass and needed money put into it. Not much, but it was money we didn't have if we were to "live within our means." The 2nd car, which is my work car, needs a lot of body work, brakes, tires, a lot of stuff. It has 200k miles on it. Mechanically it is good, but 200,000 miles is the end of a cars life due to corrosion where I live. It will cost me a fortune to keep this car, a fortune that we don't have if we were to "live within our means."
My wife wants to get out of the working nights rut. Our youngest will be in 1st grade, which means she will now be in school all day (we still had half-day kindergarten.) She would like to see her children during the school year. She would like to see her husband more than 15 minutes a day. Her husband would like to see her more than 15 minutes per day. During school as it is, she sees the girls about 15 minutes per day. She can't go grocery shopping, can't take the girls to school in the mornings when they have projects to carry that are bigger than they are, can't take care of her mother on her days off, can't work while the kids are in school, etc if she doesn't have a car. Thus, we need 2 cars.
So, it is time to replace my car. But, we can't do it if we were to "live within our means." I sit here with the printout of what my bank will give a loan for depending on interest rates, terms, and age of a car and there are no used cars that will stay "within our means" with the payments I would be able to afford. It would cost the same payment wise if I were to buy brand new compared to the payment under the bank terms if I were to buy a used 2007, 06, 05, 04, etc. etc. It never makes sense to me to replace one car that constantly needs money put into it for another car that constantly needs money put into it. We've found out long ago, buying 5 years old, paying for 5 years, driving for 5 years, and trading when it's 15 years old for nothing costs a lot more than buying new, paying 5 years, driving 5 years and trading when it's worth something 10 years old.
We want to start a savings account to save up an "emergency fund." We plan to put a mere $20 away from each paycheck until it reaches the emergency level, which is $20 that we need. We are in desperate need of a new bed so we can get decent sleep to work the next day without being in pain. We need a new car so I can get to work while she is using her car to get to work. We need a new roof on the house. And we need to buy more siding boards to finish our 3 year house project of reinsulating and replacing the water damaged siding.
How do you "mean income" people do all this "living within your means" stuff? If I was to live within my means, we would no longer have any car, we wouldn't have anything to eat, and we wouldn't have any heat in the dead of winter.
). I bought a washer for $75 and aside from putting a new $10 latch on, it's been going strong for 2 years.
