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You sound like a candidate for Dave Ramsey. But even if you're super frugal, you are probably going to have to find a way to raise your income. He has a class called Financial Peace University that is offered in many areas. I know it costs something but I don't think it's crazy expensive. You can also get his books at the library.
Thank you. Without going back to school to get a degree I am not going to be able to raise my income and without a grant or free education it does not make sense to get into further debt to go to school. I have been advised against it in another one of my threads. I dont make the best income but its not terrible. Thing is my job is extrememly hard physically, mentally and emotionally and I cannot take on a second job. I spend my days off recuperating from my job. I have looked for other work and I cannot find anything else that pays as well.
Unfortunately I spent decades raising kids and helping my ex with his career and I didn't do anything for myself. I made a lot of stupid decisions and now I am 60 and freaking out with a so-so income and debt. I am decent looking enough to play the game and go get a financially stable man to bail me out but I do not want to do that as then I am more or less using someone and I can't. So here I am struggling to finally do things right and having a difficult time. I appreciate you and all the others that have been so supportive. Thank you!
Not sure if I can share a link to another forum or not, but yes, if you google "boglehead forum" you will find it. It is a good financial forum and I lurk there a lot. The people are very helpful too. The name comes from Jack Boyle, founder of Vanguard. Bogleheads follow his investing principles. I am a Boglehead myself.
Thank you so much. I would only being comfortable sharing my income level and debt, bills, etc. in a private environment. That is a very personal issue for me. Thank you so much for your help and would you be willing to help me if I shared the information with you privately?
No problem! Just let me know what you're facing. Again, the key is that you are honest to yourself about your spending. Depending on your situation it might be a long climb up a steep hill. I've seen some doozy's on this site so I am certainly preparing for the worst when it comes to your situation. Hopefully that isn't the case though!
When someone posts a question like OP did showing that they are not knowledgeable about finances, etc., it might be a good idea to leave out abbreviated answers such as:
Dave R is your man.
Boggleheads
I'm reading this forum to learn also. Who is Dave R? I shouldn't have to ask. Elaborate in your response to OP.
Boggleheads? I thought this was a snarky comment until a few posts later, I saw where (after OP questioned it) somebody thoughtfully explained who/what this is.
I better not crawl out from under my rock again and find any more abbreviated or coded answers again.
When someone posts a question like OP did showing that they are not knowledgeable about finances, etc., it might be a good idea to leave out abbreviated answers such as:
Dave R is your man.
Boggleheads
I'm reading this forum to learn also. Who is Dave R? I shouldn't have to ask. Elaborate in your response to OP.
Boggleheads? I thought this was a snarky comment until a few posts later, I saw where (after OP questioned it) somebody thoughtfully explained who/what this is.
I better not crawl out from under my rock again and find any more abbreviated or coded answers again.
"Boglehead forum" is not an abbreviation.
And it's the internet. It's free advice. You get what you pay for and you might have to do some work yourself. "I shouldn't have to ask" is an unrealistic expectation. Get rid of it.
Go see www.forums.moneysavingexpert.com there is a thread there : Struggling with debt ask a debtadvisor a question?
The complete forum is full of threads of advice on all sorts of finance areas whilst it is a UK forum there is still plenty of advice for everyone alive on moneysaving tips etc.
You don't need boggleheads or Dave Ramsey. You don't need a computer program - write all your bills down on a piece of paper. If your main bills - rent, insurance, car payment, etc are below your income then you start working on your food, tv, cell phone, etc. If they aren't, then you need to find a cheaper place to live, cheaper car etc. Remember to include bills that aren't necessarily paid every month, like car insurance or taxes.
If your debts are due to spending on restaurant, excess fancy food, stuff at the store, then Dave Ramsey can help you. If not, then there's nothing his books can do. You need to get paid more. You said your ex wasn't paying child support. If he has some that is still due and your kid is under 18, then you need a lawyer to help with that. You should know if he's dodging or truly unable to pay. If he's dodging, then get a lawyer. If he's poor, there's nothing you can do.
If you have spare income after reasonable food and your main bills, then you need to get started paying your debts down. You haven't even said how much it is vs your income. If it's equal to your yearly income (not including your mortgage), then you are bankrupt and you need to speak to a personal finance lawyer (not a credit counselor) about your options.
You can post percentages of your income here, and we can help with you with further advice.
IE, if your main bills are $1000 and your monthly income is $1500, then your main bills are 2/3 of your income and they probably need to be less.
If you have plenty of excess income and are interested in investing strategies beyond mutual funds, then go to Boggleheads.
Last edited by TheOverdog; 01-11-2017 at 10:55 AM..
I don't have the excel program on my computer. Do you have any other suggestions apart from using that program. Thank you so much!
Oh, ok, then just get a notebook and write it on paper. Sometimes the old-fashioned way works just as well.
Except for people like me who can't read their own handwriting!
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