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First off. For a dual earner house, that's totally doable, even with kids.
My ex supports a couple of children on 30K. Here's how you do it...
-Live in a poor neighborhood.
-Live paycheck to paycheck, borrow money when you need to, and scrape by when you need to.
-Be late on bills all the time, screwing your credit for life.
-Hand me down clothes for yourself and your children.
-Borrow $ from your sheltered boyfriend to pay for car repairs.
People who have never been poor don't think of these things, like living in poor neighborhoods. That will save you half on rent right there. There's so many things you can do to cut down on cost of living. I really respected the way she handled things.
You do realize that some poor areas are safe to live in?
Nobody wants to get shot.
We are talking about safety,and that's number one in my book.
When I read on CD how much people pay for housing in some areas, I'm just astounded and sickened.
If you have high "bills" in a place like New Jersey, then why don't you just pull up stakes and move someplace where the cost of living is lower and you can have a better standard of living for less money?
No one can ever convince me that there's a reasonable reason that someone can't move to another part of the United States in order to improve their life.
I can certainly answer that.
I've tried that. My hourly pay went from $30-36 per hour with benefits to $21-22 without benefits.
We even qualified for free lunch in NC.
Nursing is one of those jobs where you either live in a great paying state or live in a crappy paid state.
Nc paid crappy.
Plus,sure rent was cheaper,but gas,food,and all the other expenses were the same.
State taxes were higher in Nc. Which means I was losing $ living in that state.
Plus,there is this thing called culture. Many areas of the country consider others for up north "outsiders".
When I tried to apply for a second job most employers would turn me down. Why? Idk.
Meanwhile,no one even cared in Nj if I was working 2 jobs. So hence,I was able to make more money.
from my exp...the reason that most people live paycheck to paycheck is because they are not good at budgeting and managing their money. Everyone's, got to have their starbucks and smokes. I usually don't buy starbucks coffee cause its $4, there is no value in that when i can make my own at home or buy one at mcd for $1. I have friends that make 100K + but still live paycheck to paycheck. Its not how much you make but how you manage your money. i make enough to be considered top 1% but I only live off 25% of that. It is true that most rich or upper class got there cause they know how to manage their money, and have a value proposition. If starbucks was the only coffee that i can get, maybe it is worth $4, but it isn't. The rich look at value not the dollar amount .
If you make more than half a million a year, go for the Starbucks if you like it. It's not gonna break you.
In order to move you first have to have a job in the area you are looking to move to.
No you don't! Just save up for 3 months of projected living expenses and make the move to a place you've RESEARCHED and selected for what you want - low cost of living, and the probability of finding a job that you can do or a training program you can get into.
And, by "a job that you can do" I mean ANYTHING, including any work you might previously have considered "beneath" you, or that pays less than your current job. I SO have no patience for people who think they're too good to do other kinds of work than they had previously planned to do!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burdness
You're going to sell your house and rent a u-haul.
Why? Rent your existing house out furnished, or sell ALL of your furniture and appliances and electronics to make money for the move. The goal is to rent out your expensive house for a higher price than your new living situation will cost you in your new town. Bring only the basic necessities and things that have sentimental value. It's not very expensive to send boxes of personal belongings to the new town via UPS - I've done it. This move will MAKE you money!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burdness
you have to stay in an hotel with your family for a few days while you check out an apartment.
Why? One of the parents goes out first, sleeps in the car a few nights if need be, finds a place to live that will cost less than the money you will be earning from renting out your house, then sends for the rest of the family who come with the basics crammed into the family car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burdness
What if you were only half way into your lease and you had to break it early to move? ... breaking the lease is expensive.
Durrr. Don't do the move until the lease is up! No one is saying to move without doing proper research and planning ahead!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burdness
suppose in NJ your mother in law took care of your kid while you and your spouse worked - if you moved you wouldn't have that . . .
If you PLAN AHEAD and SAVE SOME MONEY BEFORE YOU GO one parent should be able to stay home with the kids for a few months until you find new day care arrangements in your new community. And guess what? Cost of day care will definitely be cheaper in a lower cost of living community. Also, both of you might not need to work in the new place!
Yes, I know there's always a "but . . . but . . . but . . . ". But, most buts are solveable, if you and your family sincerely want to change your life. The problem seems to be that people expect everything to be easy - change without true change. Nothing happens without effort.
If you don't have a mortgage where you currently live and wish to leave in hopes of finding a better lifestyle elsewhere, do your research; 99% of what you'll need can be found online including cost of living comparisons (there's a terrific calculator on the CNNMoney website), and whatever else you'd need.
Insofar as 'how do poor people afford everything goes, poverty of today is dramatically different from poverty of 20-30 years ago, and poverty within the USA is still much better than most other countries.
No you don't! Just save up for 3 months of projected living expenses and make the move to a place you've RESEARCHED and selected for what you want - low cost of living, and the probability of finding a job that you can do or a training program you can get into.
And, by "a job that you can do" I mean ANYTHING, including any work you might previously have considered "beneath" you, or that pays less than your current job. I SO have no patience for people who think they're too good to do other kinds of work than they had previously planned to do!
Why? Rent your existing house out furnished, or sell ALL of your furniture and appliances and electronics to make money for the move. The goal is to rent out your expensive house for a higher price than your new living situation will cost you in your new town. Bring only the basic necessities and things that have sentimental value. It's not very expensive to send boxes of personal belongings to the new town via UPS - I've done it. This move will MAKE you money!
Why? One of the parents goes out first, sleeps in the car a few nights if need be, finds a place to live that will cost less than the money you will be earning from renting out your house, then sends for the rest of the family who come with the basics crammed into the family car.
Durrr. Don't do the move until the lease is up! No one is saying to move without doing proper research and planning ahead!
If you PLAN AHEAD and SAVE SOME MONEY BEFORE YOU GO one parent should be able to stay home with the kids for a few months until you find new day care arrangements in your new community. And guess what? Cost of day care will definitely be cheaper in a lower cost of living community. Also, both of you might not need to work in the new place!
Yes, I know there's always a "but . . . but . . . but . . . ". But, most buts are solveable, if you and your family sincerely want to change your life. The problem seems to be that people expect everything to be easy - change without true change. Nothing happens without effort.
What if the job only pays minimum wage and the previous job paid 20 per hr?
Also,you didn't mention anything about the cultural aspect of moving to another part of America.
Ex: North to South.
If you make more than half a million a year, go for the Starbucks if you like it. It's not gonna break you.
again its based on value...just cause you have more 0's in your bank account doesn't change the mentality that a person has to get there in the first place. I will easily drop big money when i need to if it provides me value...but $4 coffee has no value for me.
my sister said that she is having trouble paying the bills and she makes 60,000 a year so shes middle class i was wondering about the lower class of like 20 or 30,000 a year how can they afford everything?(mortgage,tv,phone, internet,car bill,gas,insurance,clothes,food,electirc or gas heating air condtion,dental bills, etc.)?
Not saying all or most people making $20,000 or $30,000 a year take these steps, but:
Mortgage - Buy a cheap, older-construction house in a marginal neighborhood (estimated mortgage $400/month), or better yet, rent an apartment or house and split the bill with two, three, four, or eight roommates.
TV - Who says you have to pay for TV? Get a cheap $10 antenna or put an old clothes hanger in the antenna terminal of your TV (works in strong signal areas) and watch the local channels. There's a lot of good stuff on PBS.
Internet - There aren't too many ethical ways to save on internet costs these days, and most WiFi access points are no longer open to spongers. However, the internet isn't too large of a bill in the first place ($30, $40 / month)
Phone - Buy your phone outright (Virgin Mobile has an amazing deal on the excellent HTC EVO V phone) and buy $30-$50 prepaid cards monthly (for me, $35 gets me 300 voice minutes and unlimited texts and 3G/4G data, and $15 more will let me tether my computers to my phone).
Car Bill - Buy a 10-15 year-old Buick from an estate sale. Walk or bike when possible.
Gas - Consolidate trips, drive for conservation (e.g. not accelerating quickly, not running up to stop signs), perhaps with a cheap $20 OBD-II reader, a cheap dash mount, and said smartphone (or even cheaper tablet) for monitoring and adjusting your driving style.
Insurance - Insurance on Buicks is cheap...
Clothes - Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Savers, even T.J. Maxx. I remember hearing a statistic that Americans spend less of their income on clothes than any other nationality. It really shouldn't be an issue....
Food - Buy entire pigs / cows / etc. from local farmers, shop the "freeze immediately" section at the meat section of the grocery store, use coupons, use fillers like tofu, use less meat in general, buy the cheaper foods and buy / make sauces to give them flavor. Depending on how much income they have and how large their family is, you can often receive WIC or (less likely) food stamps. Combining these steps on a decent food stamp budget, combined with going to the food shelf monthly, will allow you to BUILD UP a food surplus.
Electric / gas / HVAC - Conserve, conserve, conserve. Unplug appliances and turn off lights when not in use, turn thermostat down to 59F on winter nights and 82F on summer nights and when not at home (or better yet, buy a programmable thermostat or even go all the way out on a complete home automation system controllable from your smartphone or a remote computer, which would probably save money in the long run), consider solar panels (although this would probably NOT save any money). Two winters ago, we actually used a box on our deck as a freezer, as the ambient temperature was almost always below freezing.
Dental bills - This depends on what state you're from, but if you live in MN, any family of four with an income short of $60,000-something can tap into Medicaid funds (although they will make a monthly premium payment just like the rest of us). Medicaid covers vision and dental, and I believe there's even a discount, perhaps 100%, to go a gym.
No you don't! Just save up for 3 months of projected living expenses and make the move to a place you've RESEARCHED and selected for what you want - low cost of living, and the probability of finding a job that you can do or a training program you can get into.
And, by "a job that you can do" I mean ANYTHING, including any work you might previously have considered "beneath" you, or that pays less than your current job. I SO have no patience for people who think they're too good to do other kinds of work than they had previously planned to do!
Why? Rent your existing house out furnished, or sell ALL of your furniture and appliances and electronics to make money for the move. The goal is to rent out your expensive house for a higher price than your new living situation will cost you in your new town. Bring only the basic necessities and things that have sentimental value. It's not very expensive to send boxes of personal belongings to the new town via UPS - I've done it. This move will MAKE you money!
Why? One of the parents goes out first, sleeps in the car a few nights if need be, finds a place to live that will cost less than the money you will be earning from renting out your house, then sends for the rest of the family who come with the basics crammed into the family car.
Durrr. Don't do the move until the lease is up! No one is saying to move without doing proper research and planning ahead!
If you PLAN AHEAD and SAVE SOME MONEY BEFORE YOU GO one parent should be able to stay home with the kids for a few months until you find new day care arrangements in your new community. And guess what? Cost of day care will definitely be cheaper in a lower cost of living community. Also, both of you might not need to work in the new place!
Yes, I know there's always a "but . . . but . . . but . . . ". But, most buts are solveable, if you and your family sincerely want to change your life. The problem seems to be that people expect everything to be easy - change without true change. Nothing happens without effort.
- You can't dictate when you'll find the right job. Once you set aside your three months and waited until your lease is up the job you've been wanting could be gone or there are no job postings in the area you want to move to that can support your family. Keep in mind today's economy and how quickly most employers can find people to fill their jobs. When I left my old job (when we were moving across the country) I was a part of the hiring process for my replacement. It didn't even take two weeks. And the people we brought in were unemployed and local - so start date was NOT an issue. Most employers (of mid-level types) are not willing to wait for you to move. You have to be a skilled person to get that perk.
- Why not rent out your house furnished? Hmm. Because you don't want gross strangers spreading out all over your stuff? I wouldn't want people hanging out on my furniture. Why not rent out your house? What if you're in a bad area or in an area where not many people are moving to? I mean, in your example your person was going for a high priced area to a more "affordable" area. Maybe no one can afford to pay enough rent to cover your mortgage. And most people aren't cool with you showing your house while they're renting from you - we had to cut our lease short and I said no to the showings. We have an animal and I wasn't comfortable with strangers going through our house while we were in the moving process. (Theft could happen) So you either become an out of state land lord (which is a pain in the butt) or you pay two mortgages. Wee!
Can I ask you something...in the past year/decade have you made a big move? I've done it twice recently and the "just save stupid" scenario you're presenting is not always possible. I mean..I've brought my certifications to the table..can you do the same? Explain how you were able to save money and not go into debt in order to make a big move for another job. I'd love to know, for future reference.
In my real world there is always a "but but but" situation. Always has been. Things are going great but but but medical bill/car repair/new appliance needed/tuition is due/etc. Things come up man. That is life. There is no perfect scenario, unless you're being supported by wealthy parents who fund your issues in life or something. Or are rich. Lol. The rest of us though get thrown back by the "but but but" scenarios that life has to offer.
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