What to do?

[book_junkie]

Heya-
You might try shopping at the dollar/discount stores for your basics (toilet paper, soap, groceries, etc.)- often they're cheaper than the big box stores. Lots of pasta, rice, soup for dinner...

Scan the internet for coupons for specific items or store specials, or use sites like couponsuzy.com...

Check out local resources available in your community like a community food bank or assistance with your child's cell phone... I know in my area they've been running commercials about being able to qualify for a subsidized phone. Or do you have a land line phone? Could that substitute for the cell for the month until you're back on your feet?

 

[manning]

Not very helpful whan the OP needs help to get to payday.

OP, Craig's List is very easy to use. Log on today and list anything that you could live without. Even a few hundred dollars could keep you with gas and food until payday. I'd never used it until last Summer, logged on one Saturday and sold our old fridge in two hours.

Talk with your landlord Monday and see if they'll except a partial payment. It's likely that they will if it comes with a clearcut plan for getting caught up. Eviction is something a Landlord also wants to avoid- it takes time and usually means that they will end up not recovering the rent for that time.

Once you're through this time, continue to sell things and keep to a barebones budget until you're able to build a significant emergency fund.

One other thought, would your child's father be willing to loan/give you some temporary help given that his child is facing going without food.

Not to irritate you ...but

http://www.daveramsey.com/store/goo...e|4901616386&gclid=CMbopuGtlacCFVBe2god6mqmeg



Give it a read OP. It will help you for the long haul.

 

[Kay1]

Just wanted to speak up about the food. As a Unitarian, I can tell we that we don't care what you do or don't believe; if you and your child need food, visit a Unitarian church. ( I think most churches think this way in general, btw. ) It sounds like things will turn around at the end of next month. Best of everything to you.

 

[dawson5]

Two things that stick out to me, you said you paid your phone. Is there any way you can add your daughter to your account? I know we have sprint and have unlimited texts and phone calls to other cell phones. I know the second phone was included on the plan and each additional phone was $10-20 ($10 was for the cheaper phones but hubby could not live with that, so he bumped up his phone, put us into a different plan that made the additional three phones more.)

Also, do you have internet at home? If so, you could possibly forgo the phone payment for your daughter. If I don't have my cell nearby, I found the info on how to sent a text from your email.

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/939/sms_email_cingular_nextel_sprint_tmobile_verizon_virgin/

And as one poster mentioned Ramen noodle is cheap. They are even cheaper at Aldi's. If your daughter craves some kind of sweets, what about making your own cookies or cakes. Most people have the fixings for sugar cookies or snickerdoodles on hand.

 

[sk!mom]

Not to irritate you ...but

http://www.daveramsey.com/store/goo...e|4901616386&gclid=CMbopuGtlacCFVBe2god6mqmeg



Give it a read OP. It will help you for the long haul.

Doesn't irritate me. I know a lot of people have been helped by DR. However, I don't think it's a helpful suggestion for the OP who needs to make it through to payday.

Maybe it will help her build an adequate emergency fund. I think that the OP now realizes that a one income family needs a large emergency fund.

 

[richmond282]

I have $1868 in the bank

I have $1785 in rent payment that was due at the beginning of the month, which I haven't paid yet.

I have a $25 bill on my 7th grade daughter's pay as you go phone bill, which I feel like I need to pay by Tuesday or she'll have no service, and thus no phone/texting capability when she's home alone after school -- this would make me very nervous, as you can probably imagine. We're new in our area, and she doesn't have any neighbors she knows who she could go to for emergency help.Is there anything your daughter can do to earn the $25 needed for her phone? Maybe babysit or some sort of odd job? does she have any money of her own she can use for that this month?

I have a $75 car insurance payment where they will terminate my insurance if I don't pay it on by the 26th.When is hte payment actually due? If it's due on the 26th, then you probably still have a few days leeway. I would call your insurance company and see if you can pay a couple of days late. (I'm assuming you get paid either the 28th or the 1st) Can't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is "no"

Half tank of gas in the car. Is there public transportation you could use or a coworker you could carpool with for a week? It would cost you something but prob be cheaper than gas these days.

No food in the fridge (we had a multiday power outage and lost everything a week ago, and I haven't stocked up since)I would check on a local food pantry to get you through the rest of the groceries for the month. It might seem embarassing, but 1) being evicted will also be embarassing and 2) that's what food pantries are for. You could always go back and donate food later to same place if it would make you feel better.

I have paychecks coming on the last of month, which would let me get basically back on track, as in I could pay March's rent and have food money. I have a few other bills due in March like electricity that might have to wait for the 15th.

I got a prepaid credit card application in the mail (I hate credit), which if I got it and was approved I could probably get back on track by the 1st of the month (e.g. pay March's rent out of the first and not the 15th). I would definitely NOT open a new credit card. That isn't going to solve the problem and you probably wouldn't get the card soon enough to use it for what you need anyway.

I have a couple of things I might be able to sell on Craigslist, but not sure how to go about it. I would google it. Surely there's info out there on how to do it.

So, what would you do? What would you pay first? Would you pay a partial rent payment with an IOU? How would you sequence things?

I'm afraid of being evicted, but I don't know if that's a real threat with being one month late.I don't think being 1 month late on the rent will get you evicted. You most likely will owe some sort of late fee though. I would contact them on Tuesday and find out. I would go ahead and send as much as you can.

 

[richmond282]

Also, I just realized that one of the items, which is a Dyson vacuum, might be sold at Target. I happen to know it didn't come from Target, because I know the person who gave it to me doesn't shop there, but I'm wondering if I could return it for store credit there and buy groceries.

Is that ethical? Would it work?

Target will only give you up to a certain amount (like $50/item) w/o a receipt. Walmart actually has a much better return policy. Do you have one of those? Do they carry Dyson's??