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Rent $370.00
Auto Ins. $100.00
Gas $60.00
interne $19.99
Groceries/pet supplies $240.00
credit card #1 (min. payment) $21.00
credit card #2 (min payment) $25.00
Prescription drugs $35.00
car ]$ 297.40
Total $1,168.39
Here is my monthly budget. My take-home pay is $1300.00. That includes my health insurance. I am miserable and can't afford to move. I work 40 hours a week, am older and not in good enough health to work a 2nd job right now. The car won't be paid off for 2.5 years. I owe $1500 total in cc's, but don't use them anymore. Is there anything I can "shave off" here? Should I refinance the car? Live on less groceries? It's just myself. I still want to be able to eat healhty. I am very depressed. Obviously, I don't buy clothes or anything like that. I can't.
The quickest cost deduction can be had with the elimination of the car to give you $457.40 immediately to use to live on.
That's right. The car has got to go since it's sucking the life out of both you and your budget. One minor car repair will sink your ship.
Lot's & lot's of folk's don't own cars but get by fine by finding other ways to transport themselves in ways that range from shared cars, public transport ,bicycles, to walking.
Ditch the car. If you live in a fairly flat area, you could easily get around town in a bike. You can also save on groceries if you want to get T.V dinners instead.
i think it would be cheaper to to eat rice, beans and chicken thighs that you make at home than tv dinners. when im not going out to dinner, i spend significantly less than $240 a month for myself. for someone who is really looking to cut, its interesting to me how people think they are entitled to more expensive food. its cheaper to eat healthy.
Don't get rid of the pet. You need the pet. It's not that expensive in the grand scheme of things. And the pet is your companionship.
Sell the car and take the bus. If you don't live near a bus, consider moving to an area with bus service. If you can't do that, buy an inexpensive car. I'm talking like a $1,500 car. Pay cash. The insurance will be cheaper too.
Pay something more than the minimum on your credit cards. You'll be paying those credit cards for 10 years or more if you only pay the minimum. Even if you just pay an extra $10, it will help a little. Once you've sold the car, pay $100 towards each credit card. You've got to get rid of the credit. Once it's paid off, never charge anything ever again.
I would sell the car and buy a beater, till you get the credit card debt cleaned up. You just can't afford this car and I hate car payments. The auto insurance is out of line and with a beater it will be even less. The grocery bill is too much for one person. You can eat healthy and cheaply. Stay away from the convenience foods and watch for sales... use coupons and stay away from the costly items, like soft drinks, snacks, booze etc. Even with all of these budget cuts, increasing your income is necessary... a second job just may be needed, at least for awhile. Don't just stop using the cc's...get rid of all of them.
I'm no doctor, but I believe that your depression will improve as you start to wipe out some of this credit card debt. Once you start to see progress, don't hesitate, stay on the offensive and get it done. Good luck.
This was near my budget for awhile.. I took 2 jobs to make it through.
Do not get rid of the pet... See about either refinancing the car or selling it for something cheaper.
Cut back on your groceries.. here is an example of what I did through this time.
Buy 2 loaves of bread... big loaves.. freeze one, use the other for sandwiches (PB&J).. The frozen one, use for french toast, regular toast or Grilled cheese. Also buy, a gallon of milk, 18 pack of eggs, PB&J and some sliced cheese. This should last you a week. (unless you eat A LOT).
See if you can deal with the rent.. Cut it back to $300 and pay off the cards
combine the cards into 1 payment.. I did this with a loan from my bank at a much LOWER interest rate..
Get a 2nd job... it doesn't have to be much.. Temp agencies - weekend work as a "food taster person at the local big mart" Put flyers up in your neighborhood for what your good at.. (I did computer work at dirt cheap prices). Weekend driver for someone who is homebound?
Get creative .. Telemarketers - usually paid in cash and you only work a few hours a day in the off hours.. check your local paper for these types of places.
I would suggest look into buying a newspaper each week and clip coupons out of it. The saving from the purchase of each weeks paper would be recouped with immediate savings. You could save a lot a Pharmacy and grocery stores.
CVS Offer Extra Care bucks and Rite Aid offer Up Rewards. Plus there are products out that if you buy you can get a rebate on them but the cost of a stap well worth it. Over time you would free up some spare money. There are lots of sites out there to learn how to match up weekly savings for groceries. I wont put them here as I dont know if its allowed.
I think you defiately need your pet at the end of the day to unwind with. I have two dogs and nothing like good friends at the end of a long day to cheer you up
Good Luck if you would like any info on saving sites with match up for grocery stores please private message me for it. Good luck
The grocery bill seems high. I can feed my family of four (which includes one pre-teen and one teenage boy) for $300/mo. Shop the perimeter of the store - stay away from prepackaged/processed foods. Buy dry beans and whole grains (like brown rice) in bulk. Cook a big pot of them, allow them to cool and keep in the fridge. They will keep for the whole week in the fridge. About a month in the freezer. For dinner spoon out some beans and rice into your bowl, warm it up, and top with diced tomatoes, salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, squeeze a bit of fresh lime or lemon juice. Whatever you like. It's a very filling and nutritious meal that is also very affordable. Oatmeal is probably the healthiest and most affordable breakfast. Buy it in bulk or whatever is cheaper. If you must sweeten it, try adding dried fruit like dried cranberries or raisins or some mashed-up banana or applesauce. For lunches at work bring something like a salad (shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sliced cucumber, chopped bell pepper) with a hard boiled egg. For a salad dressing, just squeeze half a lemon and drizzle a bit of olive oil, or use salsa mixed with a bit of orange juice. For snacking, keep a large box of the store-brand equivalent of Cheerios handy. Makes a great snack, high fiber, low sugar, better for you than popcorn, and it's actually very inexpensive. Potatoes are also very versatile and filling. I opt for the red and yukon varieties... the russets are too starchy. Hard boiled eggs are also a good snack and source of protein.
Look for a local farm or person with chickens - work out a trade with them for their eggs. Localharvest.com is a good resource! Most people we know with chickens have more eggs than they know what to do with and are glad to find someone to trade with, or will sell them for very cheap. Would the people who own the home you live in consider having chickens for their eggs if you cared for them? They are super easy to keep and make delightful pets as well.
Look for something called "gleaners" in your area. It's most active during the summer and fall, but in your area it might be year-round. Look for ways to co-op for food... find local farms/farmers and talk to them. They might know of something.
Do you have access to a community garden or some way to grow any of your own food? We have grown lots of food in 5-gallon buckets on our upstairs balcony. Lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, peppers, etc. and we don't have your sunshine! (We're in Oregon.)
The auto insurance also seems very high, but I'm not familiar with paying bills in Florida so it might not be. But I would still shop around to see if you can find a better deal, if you must keep your car.
$1500 is actually not a lot of CC debt, you are lucky. Could you get a part time job just long enough to earn enough money to help pay your CC's off and pay your auto loan down? Could you sell something in order to pay the debt off? Could you consolidate the two CC's so that you only have one payment to make each month? Find a credit union near you and go talk to someone there about your options. We love our credit union, they have been so incredibly helpful to us. They are not like big horrible bank people. :P
Could you sell your car? This would save you all kinds of money. Plus, you'd probably be walking more which is better for your health.
Are the meds absolutely necessary? Are they for something that could be managed with a lifestyle change instead of meds? My hubby was prescribed meds but never took them because he didn't want to have to pay the $$ for meds each month. He changed his diet, started walking every day for exercise, and lost weight. Now his doctor says he's in perfect health and he no longer needs meds. Could you do something like this? Exercise and weight loss and a better diet can also help with other issues like anxiety, depression, etc. Plus eating better and walking more can save you money.
Have you considered going back to school in order to get a job that pays better? Does your current employer offer tuition benefits?
Could you find a cheaper room to rent, or move in with a friend or relative until your financial situation is a bit better?
Do you attend church? If so, could you talk to someone there for ideas and help?
Using the library for the internet is a very good idea.
Are you crafty? Can you sew or cut paper snowflakes or ?? You can sell things on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/
Could you clean homes? Walk dogs? Be a housesitter? If I were you - I would be looking for a way to earn some supplemental income.
Soon as you get those CC's and that car dealt with... maybe you can relocate to a more affordable area?
I know some people who get things free off of sites like freecycle and Craigslist and turn around and sell them for cash. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that practice, but it is an easy way to make some money I suppose.
Last edited by haggardhouseelf; 02-08-2012 at 02:36 AM..
I am with the poster's that wonder if you could get another part time job. When I was looking for more work, I found jobs that were min wage, but didn't require much 'work'. Such as working in a tennis/golf pro shop. It was mostly weekend hours, and it was pretty easy. I just set everything up when I first go there (took less than 30 min), then I pulled a stool up to the cash register/snack area and pulled out my book. I would sit there for 2-4 hours mostly reading and occasionally charging people for a coke.
There are lots of jobs like this were an employeer might prefer a reliable, honest person and not a high schooler that are not always as reliable.
Other jobs might be public library, church nursery (if you don't mind kids ), find a family that has well minded older kids to babysit, or work at a desk of a public information center (museum, state park, tourist center), or other jobs that are similar.
Or you can find ways to make more money at home. Another poster on another was talking about their coin searching habit. They ask the bank for 1/2 dollars, then brings the 1/2 dollars home and searches for the ones that are worth more than a 1/2 dollar and sells it. Can do the same for pennies. It will be tedious...and dirty..and most of the time more work than pay..but you are home.
Don't get rid of the pet. You need the pet. It's not that expensive in the grand scheme of things. And the pet is your companionship.
how do you know she needs the pet? its funny how some people are saying get rid of the pet and some people are saying dont get rid of the pet. just like any advice anyone is giving, we can only suggest she considers it, and she has to decide whether or not its worth the money.
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.. Telemarketers - usually paid in cash and you only work a few hours a day in the off hours.. check your local paper for these types of places.
), find a family that has well minded older kids to babysit, or work at a desk of a public information center (museum, state park, tourist center), or other jobs that are similar. 
