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Any Ideas on how to stop living above your means? - Page 2

post #11 of 15
6/10/12 at 10:57am

I did a few of the things that Cookie said.  I changed auto and home insurance and saved a ton.  We also called the cable company and I was going to drop down a level on my cable TV, well they ended up giving me a super good deal for 6 months that was way lower and we still got to keep what we had.  Also, after the 6 months it will still be less than what we paid before.  Then when the first 6 months are over, I will reevaluate the budget and see if I want to still keep the level we have, I am not stuck in a contract or anything, so I can still lower what we have at that point. 

 

Doing things like that are easy, just takes a phone call and you don't even have to miss out on things because you still get the same things just for less money.  Also, agree that eating out is a really good one to cut down on if you are doing that. 

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post #12 of 15
6/15/12 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 

Sorry I haven't got back on recently this week has been hectic with the end of the school year.

Thanks so much for your replies and suggestions.

I already don't have cable or a smart phone. 

I can see about getting some insurance quotes.

This week my DH came home and told me that he will be getting some overtime.

Certain things are had to change. Our area only has two providers for phone and internet.  I keep looking and hoping that some other company will expand service.  Comcast is begging me to come back practically the last offer was $92 a month for a 2 year contract but I won't do a contract.

Canceling the yard waste is something that will help a little. I got my natural gas bill and it was $30 lower then I expected

This week I am so much more optimistic about things getting better. I was stressing about paying a couple bills and got a little bit of unexpected money.  

The debt is a hard thing to negotiate on. The two smallest both are on 0% interest cards I have a schedule for paying them off before. The Auto loan we already refinanced, The Student loan consolidated and have an really long term. (Those two I consider part of my regular fixed bills) That leaves just one credit card and I throw whatever I can at it. I long to be in a position to throw extra at the auto loan. 

Cash only is going good so far. It really makes you stop and think.

Driving less. Meal planning and shopping from a list are also things I am doing. Also growing a garden. This week we had our first homegrown salad. 

The Driving less is a hard one for me. I am on the go all the time. Out where I live there isn't even a park nearby still I tried to get phone numbers of the girls in my daughters class. Invite more friends to visit me instead of going off to visit them. 

Thanks again for all the suggestions

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post #13 of 15
6/15/12 at 9:20am

Are you working, or is it just your husband that has a job?  If you're not working, I'd suggest looking for something you can do to earn money.  Sometimes you simply can't cut any more out of your budget... you need to earn more.

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post #14 of 15
6/15/12 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim View Post

Are you working, or is it just your husband that has a job?  If you're not working, I'd suggest looking for something you can do to earn money.  Sometimes you simply can't cut any more out of your budget... you need to earn more.

I agree with this. I think cutting back works if you're only a little bit short. But it sounds like you have a lot of debt, so you probably need to add income. I don't think a little bit of cutting back will cover all that. Plus it sounds like you're already cut back pretty far. I'm sure you don't want to go further into debt, or have to rely on your family to help cover your bills, so I think one of you needs to look for another job.
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post #15 of 15
6/15/12 at 1:45pm

for me it is re evaluating your wants vs needs and thinking about them and taking into consideration what category everything fit into. Then go from there. When I did this I found out we could do more as a family because it freed up some money.

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