We're Broke..

[jnzimm]

What you may not realize is that what you have is a HUGE accomplishment.

I'm still trying to be more appreciative of what I do have rather than wah wahing about what I don't. Being able to get to that place, I envy you.

Thank you, it took me a long while to reach this point. It is a philosophy my wife was raised with and has in turn shared with me. So many people have a house but want a larger one, why? so you have more to clean. Most people have a car but want a new one. I guess what I am trying to say is, if you are always desiring new or larger you are not spending that energy or time enjoying what you have right now. You are guaranteed no tomorows you only have today. Thank you again for the compliment and have a great day.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

Thank you, it took me a long while to reach this point. It is a philosophy my wife was raised with and has in turn shared with me. So many people have a house but want a larger one, why? so you have more to clean. Most people have a car but want a new one. I guess what I am trying to say is, if you are always desiring new or larger you are not spending that energy or time enjoying what you have right now. You are guaranteed no tomorows you only have today. Thank you again for the compliment and have a great day.

Yesterday is History, Tommarrow is a Mystery, But TODAY, Today is a gift. That is why, they call it the present.

Heard this on Kung Fu Panda, and Really rang home for me, silly to have heard it in a kiddo movie, but how true??? We found our little vacation after all, went to the movies, to the bakery and sat by the river and just relaxed.
I guess things aren't as bad as i was making them sound the other night. We are just spending so much right now on a move, and transition. I am sure it will all work out. Just trying to remember to live in the moment.

 

[mpls_mm]

I don't think there is anything wrong with feeling like you deserve a vacation or getaway, now saying you deserve good health and to live forever is pushing it, but not a vacation. What is wrong with not being satisfied with what you have? Where do drive and ambition come in? If we are all happy with what we have and we are too scared to say that we want, need and deserve more how will we get it? I have a good business and do well, but I want and need to do twice as well next year. What is wrong with saying that? If the OP feels like they deserve a vacation, then they do. Now they just have to figure out how to make it happen. But that is entirely different than saying I deserve a vacation, now who is going to give it to me or how can I charge it.

 

[aprilvaca04]

Some local DJ's were talking about this the other morning. It's called a "staycation".

I've been begging my husband to do this for years and he never wanted to. Maybe now he will.

That's what we will be doing this year...and while I'll miss spending the time with my extended family from away I am sort of looking forward to exploring new places in our own backyard!!

How horible for your family! If anyone truely deserves a vacation, it's you and your family!

I couldn't agree more...enjoy and god bless!!!

 

[hentob]

We found our little vacation after all, went to the movies, to the bakery and sat by the river and just relaxed.

Sounds like a great day

 

[LorieR]

The oil companies are making record breaking profits, that is reported by many news sources, so argue all that you want, for I am not, I am stating the simple facts of the matter. I wish that I was a stock holder, I would be doing just fine, I am sure of that!

Lot of people DO own stock in oil companies but don't know it!! Lots of 401Ks have investment in stocks. I know our retirement fund does! The politicians like to point fingers at the oil companies like it is all their fault. If congress had done something about drilling in the past (and stop saying now that if we drill it will take 10 or so years before we have oil) we would not have to depend on other countries for our oil. Granted, the price might not be much lower but at least we would not have to depend on the whims of OPEC who certainly do not have our best interests at heart!!

 

[chipscinderelly]

I have already heard rumblings about others doing her job. They did not even offer her another position and there are others open. Lawsuit is pretty much out because she had to sign an agreement in order to get her severance.

Haven't read the whole thread but in some states even though you sign you can still file

 

[mushumadness]

well its the same here in the UK I think everybodys feeling it

gas here is unreal, I have cut down to fortnightly shopping, dont go to town inbetween.

we are also doing disney for christmas, as a present to each other. but on a budget which will be a first for us. alo it cuts down on the christmas shopping here, which gets out of hand.

and lastly we are due a baby in November, so we are trying to stock up on the expensive things for him now before I go on to $200 a week maternity pay, which isnt alot

 

[jnzimm]

Yesterday is History, Tommarrow is a Mystery, But TODAY, Today is a gift. That is why, they call it the present.

Heard this on Kung Fu Panda, and Really rang home for me, silly to have heard it in a kiddo movie, but how true??? We found our little vacation after all, went to the movies, to the bakery and sat by the river and just relaxed.
I guess things aren't as bad as i was making them sound the other night. We are just spending so much right now on a move, and transition. I am sure it will all work out. Just trying to remember to live in the moment.

I am happy you found a short vacation day away from the every day. Things will get better. We all get frustrated. It sounds like you are on the right track, new job in the family a move to a new place. It all sounds exciting to me. Have a great day.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We have a 6 year old daughter, and have been together 10 years. We just did life backwards. (Married my HS Sweetheart at 18.) So we still have time to grow financially. But it does feel like we have been struggling so so very long. We moved in together when we were 17, and worked FT, and still had to eat mac and cheese for dinner every night. HOWEVER, At 28/29 years old, the thought of eating mac and cheese every night for dinner again, esp. with a 6 year old daughter is not the idea i had in mind. DH and I both worked hard and put ourselves through school, He worked Full Time and went to school full time, graduated just this past May. And I have been working Part Time, taking care of DD and going to school PT. Graduated last December. (Went to Nursing school)

And I figured out last night, with what we are going to be paying for rent at this new apartment (and this is the cheapest we could find, in a neighborhood with schools i would deem appropriate and safe for our child) We would be carrying a 300,000 mortgage.... Maybe stupid financially, but emotionally, i couldn't drop my kiddo off my one and only at a school in a bad neighborhood or someplace we didn't feel comforatlable doing so. But, is that not sad, that to live in a DECENT crime free neighborhood, one has to plunk down that much money to live safe?? And that a 2 income family making almost 85,000 a year is going to be struggling to pay bills,(and we have NO CC DEBT) Just b/c we want to live in a neighborhood that is safe to live in???


We would just love to have a house before DD is 1/2 grown.

Although, last night I was thinking, and I realized...We can't get too much luckier..something is always going to be off balance.

I have a great husband, we still love eachother and have fun together..even in rough times after 10 years. And we have made this beautiful daughter together. And you know what, you guys are right, we could go on a small vacation and enjoy ourselves, we live very close to the Ocean and lots of other fun vacation spots. I guess, when things are rough and you have worked so very hard, your mind just goes to dreaming of that Caribbean island off in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks to all of you for your support and kind comforting thoughts.
Lets HOPE HOPE HOPE that things get better for the economy soon!!!!!::cop:

I feel your pain...we are a family of 5 living on $50,000 a year and we can barely get by right now...I just hope we will be able to pay our Disney Cruise and not have to cancel it and break my little one's hearts!

 

[disneychrista]

*Go through your house and have a garage sale. We make about $300 annually holding one garage sale.

IMO, if you are finding $300 worth of stuff to sell each year at a garage sale you are buying too much to begin with and could likely save much much more than $300 by just not buying it in the first place.

 

[Dreaming of Disney]

The gas prices are really putting a dent in our family budget. My husband is a building/fire inspector and travels to do inspections. I am a visiting nurse and travel anywhere from 5 miles to 150 miles in 1 day to see my patients who truely need care.

My husband's company (a private sub contracted co) give him a flat rate mileage check every month (this month it went up $100/mo due to the increase in gas prices). My company gives us 0.50cents a mile, which is the same rate we were getting in Jan when gas was about $1.00 less a gallon
They don't plan on giving us anymore until the federal rate is upped. I drive a minivan and to fill the tank it costs about $70 a fill, times that by 3x a week and were are hurting. The 0.50 is not only for gas, but ware and tare on our cars, insurance, oil changes, tires and so on.....

We have 3 kids (1 is my 12yo neice who we have custody of) and I work OT at the hospital when I can. We pay our bills, but it is getting tight. We have really cut out the extras. Might be time to make some phone calls to cancel the Gold Package of cable and such. We do have a WDW vacation planned and paid for in Oct (tax return and stimlus check as well as help from the inlaws cause they are coming) but fear the gas to get down there will leave is in the poor house!!!!


Doesn't matter who is at fault for the gas prices....it sucks all around for the Americans (as well as other countries). Not much we can do about it except stop making silly trips to shop and spend more $.

I really try to limit the amount of driving I do...if I have to go to a store for something that can wait...it waits until I have someplace else to go that is over that way...kill 2 birds with 1 gas run.

No answers for anyone else....just know we are all plugging along with you.

Count your blessings about that $.50 per mile. I work for a non profit childcare agency and I have to travel around to 44 different after school programs all over a 4 county area. We were getting $.39 per mile and they just upped it to $.43 per mile effective June 1. I don't foresee them uppping it anymore anytime soon. It just stinks all the way around, because I have no choice but to drive all over creation everyday.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

IMO, if you are finding $300 worth of stuff to sell each year at a garage sale you are buying too much to begin with and could likely save much much more than $300 by just not buying it in the first place.

Thanks for that advice, but much of it is outgrown clothing for the kids and home decor we have replaced. I am very conservative in my spending and garage sales are huge in this area, thus the reasonable profit.

 

[momto2girls]

I'm sorry that you are having a rough time, OP. I hope things get better for you!

 

[Jhult]

Thanks everyone for any advice or two cents you have shared. I ended up having it out with our controller on Thursday. They were lying to my face trying to say that the position they posted is not the same. They think we are all stupid. So, I started sending out resumes, because I thought I was going to be fired that day. But, I sold my Rolex over the weekend (given to me as a gift for ten years of service) and I created my letter of resignation last night. Luckily I live in an area where jobs are plenty right now.

 

[CarolinaMomOf3boys]

I wish you all good luck, times sure are tough all over! I lost my job in december and having a horrible time finding another anywhere near the range i was making, but luckily we can survive on unemployment for now.

 

[jnzimm]

I feel your pain...we are a family of 5 living on $50,000 a year and we can barely get by right now...I just hope we will be able to pay our Disney Cruise and not have to cancel it and break my little one's hearts!

Just curious as to how a family of 5 living on 50,000 a yr. can consider a cruise?

 

[Fritochips4u]

Just curious as to how a family of 5 living on 50,000 a yr. can consider a cruise?

I wondered when the judgemental posts would start.

 

[Booknut]

It may not have been a judgemental post, she might genuinely want to know what her budgeting secrets are!

We aren't 'broke' per se but we have been waiting years for property prices to come down and only now are they doing so. DH feels like he's going to be 60 before we get our own house

Seriously though its been a struggle for us to save up enough for a deposit with the increases in gas and diesel (we pay over $9 a gallon for diesel) and food and electricity. And our beautiful baby daughter

We both work, earn good salaries, have no debt and we still need property to come down at least 15% before we can afford to buy a house. And we had to cancel our trip to WDW next January as the price of diesel was eating into our holiday budget. And a house has to come first for us despite my being upset at not getting a nice holiday to Florida.

Over the last two years we've gone from being spendthrifts to being frugal and we are now living much more simple lives. We prefer it this way and it isn't hard (with the one exception of not being able to go to WDW )

 

[loveysbydesign]

Just curious as to how a family of 5 living on 50,000 a yr. can consider a cruise?

It's called I can pinch a penny so hard that you can hear it scream for miles!!!