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Old 02-02-2011, 08:46 AM
gg
 
Location: Pittsburgh
26,137 posts, read 25,825,203 times
Reputation: 17378

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Wait tables. That can be done at night and you always will have cash. There are people that make a career out of it. I know some making over $50K a year!!! Oh and most of that is cash! Hmm.
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Old 02-02-2011, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Sh-ittsburgh, PA & Lancaster County, PA
1,044 posts, read 2,212,652 times
Reputation: 320
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg42 View Post
Makes me wonder what might be running off your feed that you're not aware of.
I third that!
I was going to type it soon as I read, but everyone else beat me to it.

I have FIOS, ESSENTIALS package with internet, runs about $89 plus tax. A slew of channels (more than even their PRIME HD) and great internet speed. They might not offer Essentials anymore as I was one of the first signers, but you can check. It is a pretty good deal.
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Old 02-02-2011, 11:28 AM
 
Location: Mt. Lebanon
2,001 posts, read 2,502,029 times
Reputation: 2351
RR your electric is too high. I have a 3 bd house, appliances with clocks, the computer that is on all day long (mind you it goes to sleep when not in use) and sometimes I forget the light on in the basement or garage. And I pay only 50usd per month. Please check what is wrong with your meter.

As far as tv goes, if you get verizon's package it'll cost you much more in a year when the promotion runs out. Either you cancel or swictch to somebody else. In other words read the fine print carefully because they have hefty early termination fees.
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Old 02-02-2011, 09:01 PM
 
3,164 posts, read 6,928,201 times
Reputation: 1278
Quote:
Originally Posted by RestonRunner86 View Post
Well, after doing some hard number-crunching I've come to the conclusion that with my current job in and of itself (plus the rare tip I receive) I'll be literally "breaking even" on my budget without a penny to spare. The problem?

1.) I don't currently have health benefits, yet I want to go to the dentist to pay out-of-pocket for a cleaning and a check-up.

2.) I want to get my car registered/inspected in PA as soon as possible, but I'm worried I'll have no cushion to pay for any necessary repairs that show up.

3.) I would like a "safety cushion" of savings in case of an emergency so I don't ever find myself in the position I'm in right now of living day-by-day.

Net income monthly $1,400.

Monthly expenses:
Rent: $550
Car Payment: $220
Student Loans: $230
Utilities: $150/month (which will probably go down once I have no need for heat, as I don't have A/C, and the electric will go down since I no longer have my Christmas lights up).
Car/Renter's Insurance: $115
Credit Cards: $50 (I'd like to pay more per month to take my balances down on my Best Buy and Discover cards).
Groceries: $100
Gas: $30

Total monthly expenses of $1,345 (closer to $1,400, actually, when I factor in "going out" with my partner/friends).

Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any ways I (or anyone interested for that matter) could earn some extra cash? I'd love to pick up a second job waiting tables a couple days a week, as that would bring in at least several hundred dollars more per month, but given my need to have flexible availability for my current position that's difficult.

I still have no regrets about moving out of NoVA, though, where I was also just "breaking even", even with a higher salary, yet I also had to endure traffic congestion, mundane work, and rude people in sterile surroundings. I have toyed with the idea of selling my car, actually, and just relying on the bus to get me from Polish Hill to my job in East Liberty; however, I know I'll miss owning a car. On the plus side I went from filling up my tank weekly in NoVA to only filling it up monthly here.

I'm already learning how to become a guide for "ChaCha", the service where you can text a question and receive an answer within minutes. This will only bring in probably $50/month, though, at best. Since I'm such a speedy typist (accuracy of over 70 words per minute) I was hoping to secure a gig doing some sort of transcribing work, even for minimum wage, that offered flexible hours. I'm not looking to get rich quick. I just need a few hundred dollars more (net) per month to start building a savings safety cushion back up. I'm relying upon my $1,500 tax refund that I'll be getting soon to catch up on student loans and credit card debt. I'm relying upon 75% of my withdrawal from my former employer's retirement savings account to repay my sign-on bonus and will use the other 25% to further reduce my debt.

If anybody here has been in a financial bind in the past how did you manage to squeak out a few extra dollars? I'm going to review the "Frugal Living" forum next for help, too, but I was hoping for anything Pittsburgh-specific. Heck, I'd even mow lawns and shovel walks, as I love manual labor, but once again that relies on flexible scheduling around my current job that doesn't have a fixed schedule.
Like the other posters, I am assuming that you are spending every spare moment searching for a ''real'' job, a professional job with benefits. Even with health benefits, you may not get dental coverage. We've never had a plan that covered routine dental appointments. If you want that, you'll have to pay extra.

You only spend $25 a week on groceries? That's totally amazing. You eat on less than $4 a day! A loaf of bread costs almost that much! How do you buy meat, milk, cereal, toilet paper, fruits and vegetables, deodorant, toothpaste, juice, coke, beer, on less than $4 a day?!

Do you qualify for foodstamps? That might help you to be able to eat a bit more. They cover everything that is edible, but not the other stuff.

Do you have experience waiting tables? If so, you can make a good deal more money waiting tables in a good restaurant than you are currently making.

I agree with the poster who said the flower and fruit delivery business takes a dive after Valentine's Day, until Mother's Day, when there is another spike. You might want to start working harder looking for a job as a waiter. If you like physical work, HVAC is pretty well paying, and you might be able to find a company that will pay for your training. If you can sell, that might open up some job possibilities. Car sales? Jewelry? Computers? They pay well.
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Old 02-02-2011, 09:05 PM
 
3,164 posts, read 6,928,201 times
Reputation: 1278
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctoocheck View Post
I have made some extra cash over the summers doing research studies. Sometimes they're just an hour long but can get you $15-20. Other times they may be over a few days or weeks. I did one a couple years ago for like an hour or two over 8 days that I got paid $250 or so for. CMU has some listed under Experiments at Carnegie Mellon University There are also usually posters around campus at CMU and Pitt with others. Granted it's nothing long-term, but it can be helpful for a little extra cash...
What a great idea! I've been paid to do a few focus group studies. They pay in cash, usually $75 to $100, for a couple of hours in the evening. They also fed us and it was fun! Once you're on their lists, they call often.
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Old 02-02-2011, 09:11 PM
 
3,164 posts, read 6,928,201 times
Reputation: 1278
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
It's tax season. Maybe H&R Block needs some part time people with your skills.
Great point!!! I have a friend in Roanoke who is killing herself working 80 hours a week because H&R Block can't find enough people to hire for all their job openings!
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Old 02-02-2011, 09:24 PM
 
3,164 posts, read 6,928,201 times
Reputation: 1278
RR,
I wouldn't worry too much about a major health problems because chances are you would be covered by Medicaid. If you ran up a huge bill, they couldn't sue you for the money, you have no money and no assets. If you're in the hospital, with no income, you would qualify for Medicaid and the state would take over and pay for everything. Lots of young people take this gamble, knowing that they can't lose any assets since they have none. I have a distant cousin, age 24, who ran up a bill of nearly $2 million following a motorcycle accident. He had a job but didn't want to pay extra for health insurance. He had no money and no assets. The state of Texas paid every dime of that bill. So don't worry, you own nothing that they can take, and your income is so low, it's very likely you would qualify for medicaid, and you would definitely qualify if you were unable to work.

Why do you need two phones, both a cell phone and a land line? Cancel the land line. I don't know anyone under 30 who has both and I know several people who are well over that who have only a cell phone. It's all you really need.
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Old 02-02-2011, 09:56 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,722,952 times
Reputation: 30711
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56 View Post
Why do you need two phones, both a cell phone and a land line? Cancel the land line. I don't know anyone under 30 who has both and I know several people who are well over that who have only a cell phone. It's all you really need.
It won't save him money to get rid of the land line. It's part of the bundle package with the internet and cable. The land line phone is basically free. He'll pay a higher amount for the internet and cable if he doesn't have the phone because he wouldn't be able to get the bundle prices. That's why we have a land line that we don't use. We don't even have a phone plugged into it!
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Old 02-03-2011, 04:07 AM
 
59 posts, read 129,457 times
Reputation: 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by ML North View Post
Remember that even though a furnace is gas-powered, the blower still requires electric power. These units can use up to 600w, which is equivalent to a small space heater or air conditioner. If the furnace is not sized appropriately, or the apartment is very drafty, the furnace will frequently cycle and run very inefficiently. Over a month, this can amount to quite a bit of lost energy. My apartment is the same way.
My January electric bill was $76 for a 2000 sq ft 2BR condo in an old Fifth Ave mansion. I don't know the power requirements of my blower, but it kicks on just as much on cold days as it does on warm days. However, it was replaced 6 years ago when I bought the place. 2 years ago I replaced the 20+ year old condenser and coil with newer models. Cut my summer electric bills by nearly 30%. Of course, in the summer the AC kicks on with the same blower.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RestonRunner86 View Post
1.) I actually have no idea why my electric bill has been so high recently. I had Christmas lights up in my front-facing windows that I kept on all day for about three weeks in December. I also hadn't been shutting off my Comcast "box" for my digital cable. I also haven't been unplugging my appliances/electronics when they aren't in use. Nevertheless my bill for December was $75, which I consider to be rather steep for a very small apartment. My gas bill is naturally going to be high living in an older home with the relatively cold December and January we had.
As a couple other people said, you should check to see if anything else in building is coming off your meter. What is the square footage of your place? Granted, Pgh has very "unique" split residences everywhere (by unique, I mean typically half-assed fire hazards that barely meet code) but, your winter electric bill seems pretty ridiculous, especially knowing common single family dwelling apartment splits in the area. Unplugging appliances and TVs might help a bit, but thats trivial and it cuts into the convenience of living. Turning lights off and replacing with CFL bulbs may save you 40 bucks a year electric wise. My place leaks heat like a sieve, sure, new windows, doors and furnace helped plenty, but I've conceded to the fact its an old place and it will never be "heat efficient" without tearing out walls and throwing in R-60 or something ridiculous.

Last edited by catchtwenty2; 02-03-2011 at 04:53 AM..
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Old 02-03-2011, 09:53 AM
 
5,802 posts, read 9,861,069 times
Reputation: 3051
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes View Post
It won't save him money to get rid of the land line. It's part of the bundle package with the internet and cable. The land line phone is basically free. He'll pay a higher amount for the internet and cable if he doesn't have the phone because he wouldn't be able to get the bundle prices. That's why we have a land line that we don't use. We don't even have a phone plugged into it!
I've come to the conclusion that Landline/VOIP phone sold by the cable companies are also linked to a Marketing push between Comcast and Telemarketers...My parents did the whole triple play, and like most didnt need a House phone just got it to get the deal the minute the hooked up the phone (brand new phone number) it started ringing off the hook with Telemarketing calls...they had to add the number to the State and national DNC lists but when threw hell until the DNC registary his their phone number.

And to this day they still have the phone keep the bill on the internet and cable low, but the only people who have the house phone number are us childern and close relative for emergencies.
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