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Perhaps it is time to bail on GIS jobs if you can't even live a bare minimum life - you need to take action. Get off of the island and declare bankruptcy if you have to - clearly this move to Hawaii was mistake - now you need to make a plan.
Please explain how making maybe 1/3 the money and declaring bankruptcy would help...
Please explain how making maybe 1/3 the money and declaring bankruptcy would help...
Bankruptcy can wipe out that $200/month credit card bill - in fact, get all that dental work and hernia stuff before you do that. You pay $850 month for a place in Maui - jeez, downgrade, get a studio - move to a place needing a roommate, just a quick look on craigslist shows plenty of places you can downgrade - if you have a college degree you'll certainly do better in Houston than in Maui. Put your thinking cap on.
Bankruptcy can wipe out that $200/month credit card bill - in fact, get all that dental work and hernia stuff before you do that. You pay $850 month for a place in Maui - jeez, downgrade, get a studio - move to a place needing a roommate, just a quick look on craigslist shows plenty of places you can downgrade - if you have a college degree you'll certainly do better in Houston than in Maui. Put your thinking cap on.
So how do you propose I pay a deposit? And what makes you think it's so easy to find a job in Houston? It's just as bad there as anywhere else, despite what you've heard.
BTW I don't think bankruptcy is an option at all for someone looking for a job, because employers check your credit rating.
So how do you propose I pay a deposit? And what makes you think it's so easy to find a job in Houston? It's just as bad there as anywhere else, despite what you've heard.
BTW I don't think bankruptcy is an option at all for someone looking for a job, because employers check your credit rating.
Jeez Wink - so many excuses. You can't succeed in life this way making excuses and complaining. If things are so bleak and you have all these phobia's so you can't or are unwilling to get a second job - get all the dental work, hernia work, get the plane ticket from the parents, declare bankruptcy, find a new career, and take control of your life. Until you stop making excuses of why you can't - you'll never move forward.
And bankruptcy/credit reports cant be used against you in most states unless you work at a bank or something like that where you see SSN numbers.....
Jeez Wink - so many excuses. You can't succeed in life this way making excuses and complaining. If things are so bleak and you have all these phobia's so you can't or are unwilling to get a second job - get all the dental work, hernia work, get the plane ticket from the parents, declare bankruptcy, find a new career, and take control of your life. Until you stop making excuses of why you can't - you'll never move forward.
Jesus H Christ. Why is it so difficult for you to understand that I will be worse off if I move without a job? I thought I presented the numbers very clearly. You are persisting in this ridiculous belief that making less money and doing worse will somehow help.
I'm trying to move forward. I apply for jobs constantly, I'm trying to learn new technical skills, I got a part time job, I'm designing stuff (I've sold one bumper sticker so far)... There's only so much you can do without disposable income or a rich family. For example I was planning to take a community college CAD class but I just can't afford it.
Yes, I'm technically living beyond my means, but I don't waste any money. I pay $850 for rent, $150 for electricity, $112 student loan, $200 credit card payments, $45 internet access, $55 car insurance, $0 car loan, $0 phone service, $0 alcohol, $0 drugs, $0 cigarettes... the rest goes to gas and groceries. Beyond that, the reason my debt increases is things like the $208 dentist bill I got the other day, or the $400 car repair bill a couple months ago... $12/hr take home pay just isn't a living wage in Hawaii. The $7.25 minimum wage isn't a living wage in Houston, or anywhere in America. You may not be used to non-living wages because you're in Japan where a living wage is mandated by law.
A roommate would cut that rent in half. I'm sure there's someone in the same situation in Maui.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,163,488 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis
I spend about $100/mo commuting to work 10 miles. I get 16mpg. I was thinking about selling my Jeep and getting a tiny efficient car, but I could easily end up spending a lot fixing unforeseen problems with a car I don't know the maintenance history of.
The bus isn't an option from Kihei to Wailuku. It ends up taking 2 hours because of the transfer at the Queen Ka'ahumanu shopping center.
You don't need to get another vehicle, it's too expensive when you're almost broke now, unless you're exceptionally good at wheelin' and dealin'. You can't afford to think "if I blow all my money getting a little gas saver now, then 10 years later I will have broken even. $100 per month is not a huge amount for gas, and hopefully the big maintenance issues have been dealt with. If not, get a bike or pay someone in your area with the same commute.
Quote:
The medical stuff is the toothache I need to get taken care of, got an appointment tomorrow. Our dental insurance isn't that great, so I really hope I don't end up paying a lot. I also got migraine medicine a few months back... I didn't expect it to cost $180. And I don't think I actually have migraines, just stress headaches. If my hernia gives me serious problems again, I won't be able to even get it fixed because I have no one to take care of me here, so I guess that won't be an expense.
Break up the dental over as many months as possible. Do a serious hernia in the ER and then pay that bill over years, or get Medicaid.
Quote:
BTW I added up the total taxes I pay.
Federal income: $3,014
Social Security and Medicare: $1,943
State income: $1,883
Total: $6,840
Salary: $36,516
$6840! $570 per month. That's not even counting the 4% excise tax
11-21-2011 07:41 PM
My salary is $36500. Take home pay is $1090 2x a month. When we had furloughs it was $985. When I still had AFLAC it was $1060.
It's been a long time since I worked a legal job with taxes, but it used to be that you didn't need to have any federal income tax withheld. That's just an interest-free loan to the govt, especially if you're not going to owe them much.
Electricity: you don't really need much more than it takes to run the refrigerator, a few CFL bulbs, and heat for cooking from scratch - if your stove is electric. It shouldn't be anywhere near what you're paying unless you are growing Maui Wowie. Once things get better, then let the electic floodgates open.
Cook from scratch. Watch how Asians cook: They buy a big 20 or 50lb bag of rice at very low cost (ask them where), they cook up a bowl of that, and throw some stir fry on it or in a side bowl. Stir fry is just taking maybe 3 or so local veggies, don't have to be what you get in a restaurant but any cheap veg du jour, slice small amounts, slice the cheap meat or fish du jour, and fry it quickly at high temp, until half-soft. You can add stir fry sauce or just salt it.
Why did I just waste time telling you something you will probably ignore? Because it saves a HUGE amount of money to cook like this rather than eat out or nuke convenience foods, typically you can pay less than a dollar per meal if you're frugal on the stir fry.
Get an apartment with roommate near work, stiff your landlord on the next month's rent to get the downpayment. It's slightly sh*tty, but not really something they're going to squawk about that much, since they have your deposit.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,163,488 times
Reputation: 8105
Oh, by the way, my homeless friends have told me that there is an very good homeless shelter on Maui, one of the best in the US, showers and the usual, cheerful decorations plus enormous all you can eat buffet meals.
The amount withheld + what I owe is what I pay the IRS. I don't get any deductions aside from the standard because I have no kids. No refund.
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