Is anyone struggling financially?

[LaserBlueZ71]

I won't get into too many details, but is anyone else sick of struggling, JUST to break even?

 

I work very hard, I put in extra hours whenever the company allows, I don't buy anything, and yet I cannot get ahead. The cost of living is just too high. I am honestly beginning to wonder if I will be struggling my entire life!

 

Is anyone else in this boat, or am I paddling this one all by myself?

[Danthaman69]

Everyone I Know Is Struggling. Doesn't Matter Who You Are. It's Not Easy. Just Keep Your Head Up And Dream Big Is All I Can say.

[SarahsGMC]

Constantly.

 

sent from my truck in a field

[Chris]

I had to limit myself to one purchase a month whether it is something for my truck or pre-ordering a game that comes out later in the year. Money gets tight

[j-ten-ner]

I won't get into too many details, but is anyone else sick of struggling, JUST to break even?

 

I work very hard, I put in extra hours whenever the company allows, I don't buy anything, and yet I cannot get ahead. The cost of living is just too high. I am honestly beginning to wonder if I will be struggling my entire life!

 

Is anyone else in this boat, or am I paddling this one all by myself?

 

Please don't take it the wrong way. I do not want to be offensive.

 

You're driving a '11 Chevy truck. A vehicle many people can only dream of.

Sometimes it seems like we're struggling. The car payment, rent or mortgage, bills, groceries, a new gadget for the truck every now and then, kids birthdays, graduation and so on.

Look at what you've got. And what you really need. Do I need the bigger barbeque? Or bigger tires?

Ok it makes me feel good. But wouldn't it be better not to live from one paycheque to another?

Sometimes one can work his a** off and is still not able to jump the fence.

 

I've been broke not only once in my life. And I mean broke-broke.

One day I realized that it doesn't take much to go from struggling to living. I started to organize my life. Balance my money. Get rid of everything I've got twice or what I haven't touched in 3 month.

It is unbelievable how much junk I got rid off and still had everything I needed.

If I wanted something other than the normal stuff like food or clothes I put money on the side and saved it up.

It didn't take long to become a habit.

 

Now I'm struggling with myself whether to grab into my savings to buy something nice or let it go.

And when I buy it I can really appreciate it because it is payed for and doesn't cause a headache before falling asleep.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Beer Belly]

My parents struggled to raise 6 kids, Mom & Dad divorced (best thing that could happen....best friends moving forward...amazing), child support and state assistance for many years.....Mom worked like a dog, and worked a deal with the landlord, got off of State Assistance, and bought our two family rental house.....Dad had a Pension and SS, and did okay. This taught us all that struggles are part of life, and hard work pays off.....work hard, don't waste $$ on stuff just to keep up with everybody else, and invest in your future. Yes, we struggle some months, but we stick it out, all my friends with their fancy phones at $600 a pop.....I'd rather invest that $$$ and grab the free phone that they offer with the plan.....don't go out to dinner, cook at home......party at home, not out on the town....I'm always hunting for a deal....check out the stuff for free on Craigslist and Freecycle, may find something that you've been looking for....heck, I just got a jug of Weed Killer that I was just going to the store to buy, and it was free....$$ saved. My friends laugh at my frugalness, but we'll see who is laughing at the age of 65, and who will still need to work. Yes, struggle, save what you can, when you can, cut back on stuff you don't need, make a deal with yourself that you will put away "X" amount in the bank every paycheck, we do this by having direct deposit into two bank accounts, and my credit union....a little here and a little there, but most into the "House" account. When I got a live check, I tended to spend it, direct deposit, it never touches my hand.

[beetle]

Please everyone, don't take offense, but most people are terrible when it comes to finances, I see examples of it everyday, just look at how many people hit the lottery and end up flat broke.

[Spurshot]

I can relate. I'm pretty bad with my financials. I'm fortunate to have a great wife that is good with finances. I'm also fortunate to have struggled as a high school graduate to work into great jobs in aerospace and other industries, mostly as a machinist or inspector in my younger days. High cost of living? Come to southern California. It's just ridiculous here.

 

I've had more than 20 jobs in my life. I've been laid off more times than I can count. I've been fired a time or two.

 

As I got into my thirties, I started to go to college at night. I got an engineering certificate at 32 and landed a job as a quality engineer at an aircraft maker. I married a highly educated lady that was an engineer. I left the quality job after a few years and bounced around doing odd engineering jobs for 5 years, then back to the quality engineer position. I scratched up and landed a job as a flight test engineering support specialist for a couple years. I had gained some respect as knowledgable in the aviation regulations and was offered a position in the Certification org within the company. I stayed there for the past 16 years and have reached the highest level engineering classification in a large aerospace corporation...without ever having gotten my bachelor's degree. My wife and I are doing very well financially right now. We are within 5-6 years of retirement and are reaping the benefits of our lifelong struggles.

 

My only advice is to go to college early. Your hard struggle will be much, much shorter. I was not so smart about that part.

[KARNUT]

Im 58, married 40 years, had kids early bought a house as quick as we could. I work as much as I could, paid off the house early. That's all it takes to be secure, tough at first you bet. A wise person wants said, you cant always get what you want but can get what you need, Mick Rollin Stones. I now own three homes, have 4 cars, all on average pay. I was doing Dave Ramsey before Dave Ramsey.

[Badbird2000]

Establish a budget and stick to it. Pay cash if you buy anything. Tell your money where to go, not vice versa. Sell anything you don't need. I may get flamed, but read Dave Ramseys Total Money Makeover. Changed the way I thought about money.

 

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[SnakeEyeSS]

Im 58, married 40 years, had kids early bought a house as quick as we could. I work as much as I could, paid off the house early. That's all it takes to be secure, tough at first you bet. A wise person wants said, you cant always get what you want but can get what you need, Mick Rollin Stones. I now own three homes, have 4 cars, all on average pay. I was doing Dave Ramsey before Dave Ramsey.

I think everyone has struggled at least at some point. If you haven't ever, you either had great financial teachers or were born with a silver spoon.

 

I heard from my grandmother about a relative who has just bought some book and it to helped him start erasing his massive debt(they had a very nice house, always had new cars and a lot of toys). She told me what he was doing....I pointed out that's what I've always done, I should have written that book years ago , she told me that's what she told him when he was explaining the system he was using.

 

After my first car loan when I was 19, I started avoiding debt or loans like narcotics. Yup, sometimes you need them(mortgage), but get over needing it as fast as possible, making sacrifices to your own comfort. Once that debt is gone, do whatever you want and pay cash once you've got enough. No more stressing about payments. The key is self control. If it doesn't help keep you alive, healthy, and sheltered, you don't NEED it. I got by just fine for years with a car with over 200K miles on it.

 

I'll have my house paid off before I'm 29 next month!

[bass mechanic]

That's why I'm self employed, my income is only limited to the amount of effort I put into my business. If I want to make an extra grand a month I just work a little harder. The products I sell are a requirement of any person with a drivers license in their possession. So there is never a shortage of people to talk to. But I do tend to spend as fast as I earn it most of the time

 

 

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['01LS1]

There is probably an app for it these days. But years ago I grabbed an old multi column ledger & kept it in the truck.

Record every purchase whether it be your normal payments(rent/mortgage/insurance) all the way down to every time you buy a Coke

at the convenience store. You will be amazed at how much money rolls out on nothing, particularly when you see it in print.

[TJMaine]

Budget Budget Budget... Things happen, incomes change... Just try and never live outside your means... will 20 inch rims and new tires make you a better person? No, but it's a "nice to have"

 

When I do our budget I do a line... Everything above the line is a NEED, everything below the line is a want... if it's below the line and it's causing the household to barely break even or stay in the red it goes away... if it's above the line and it's causing you problems ( truck payment ) time to downsize and live within your means. Bought my first house at 21, worked my ass off, my wife worked her ass off and then she was in a near fatal accident... took us almost 5 years to bounce back. Stuff happens, just use the line and move forward

[SarahsGMC]

I just saved a bunch of money in my checking account by becoming single.. roughly 250 a month

 

sent from my truck in a field