I know this is a very personal question, but how many live paycheck to paycheck?

[Guest momk2000]

I am finding myself worrying excessively d/t the fact that we live paycheck to paycheck. Dh and I made the decision before we had children that I would stay home until they reached school age, then I would return to work. We felt it was well worth the effort to pinch pennies for a few years so we could raise our own children.

We made the decision to homeschool when our oldest was about to start K. We have 2 children, both on the spectrum, and consider homeschooling not only a choice, but a necessity. Now I feel as if we will be pinching pennies forever. I am not unhappy. Money issues aside, I am very happy with my life and wouldn't change a thing. As you all know HSing is more than a full-time job. This is our 5th year HSing, and this past year I suddenly find myself worrying excessively about money. I do have a part-time work at home job, which covers a few extras and covers HS expenses. I constantly worry about retirement - are we able to save enough? College? I worry about an unexpected crisis requiring funds that we just don't have. We try so hard to save money, but every time we have a little put away, something comes up and poof, it's gone. On one hand, I am thankful to God that we seem to have the little bit saved when we need it. On the other hand, I become so so frustrated that we can't seem to keep a nest egg going. I want to do what is best for the kids and sometimes wonder if I really am. If I were to go back to work, we would be so much more financially stable, but I don't feel like I can do that to my kids.

Thanks for listening.

[sunflowerlady]

We live paycheck to paycheck also. We started to try to follow the Dave Ramsey plan, but things don't seem to stop going wrong long enough to build up the emergency savings.:glare:

 

Our needs are met and God is faithful , though. We believe God called us to homeschool and He has not let us down.

 

I have a part time work at home job, but it doesn't pay much. I have started couponing and I think it might be more lucrative than the job.:)

 

I believe that my dd is with us for a certain amount of time and homeschooling is the best plan for those years. If I did not hs and worked full time , the "costs" would not be worth the supposed security of an income I might bring in.

[Guest momk2000]

We live paycheck to paycheck also. We started to try to follow the Dave Ramsey plan, but things don't seem to stop going wrong long enough to build up the emergency savings.:glare:

 

Our needs are met and God is faithful , though. We believe God called us to homeschool and He has not let us down.

 

I have a part time work at home job, but it doesn't pay much. I have started couponing and I think it might be more lucrative than the job.:)

 

I believe that my dd is with us for a certain amount of time and homeschooling is the best plan for those years. If I did not hs and worked full time , the "costs" would not be worth the supposed security of an income I might bring in.

 

I have read about couponing, and many times thought about getting into that. It just always looks soooo overwhelming. Do you have any good resources you can recommend? Thanks.

[Mona100]

I used to live paycheck to paycheck but I started Dave Ramsey last year and it has been really amazing. I have savings now when I never ever did before but the most important thing was getting a budget and sticking to it. Also, this might sound dumb but I never realized that sometimes you have to split bills between paychecks. I get paid biweekly so I save some money for rent off of both checks instead of trying to pay the rent out of one paycheck. I also had to get out of the thinking that if I had money I had to spend it. I remember being really upset about money just sitting around, now I get upset if I don't have money sitting around.

[serene]

I believe that my dd is with us for a certain amount of time and homeschooling is the best plan for those years. If I did not hs and worked full time , the "costs" would not be worth the supposed security of an income I might bring in.

 

:iagree: It does seem like 'forever' while we are in the trenches, but the truth is -this time is fleeting. While you're here, be *all* here. The next season of life will come soon enough. :)

[Koerarmoca]

pretty much, we do now have a small savings but it wont last long if we don't bring in more $$ soon. I work PT from home doing graphic arts (blog makeovers mostly) but it can vary from months of no earnings to good months of $500. If the cost of gas would come down more that would help greatly.

[Sputterduck]

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

 

Don't worry. :) Pray about it. God has a path for you and all you need to do is follow it. He knows what you need.

[sunflowerlady]

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

 

Don't worry. :) Pray about it. God has a path for you and all you need to do is follow it. He knows what you need.

 

That is one of my favorite passages of scripture. Thank you for quoting it here.:)

[sunflowerlady]

I have read about couponing, and many times thought about getting into that. It just always looks soooo overwhelming. Do you have any good resources you can recommend? Thanks.

 

I recommend

 

http://www.weusecoupons.com

 

http://www.couponmom.com

 

There are many more. It does take some time, but I always say I have more time than money.:tongue_smilie: My best deals have been on personal care items and things like laundry detergent. Food is more challenging, but I am working on it.

[Diana B]

Right now we are living off of savings because I recently lost my job and DH is in school. Thankfully we were turned down for financing on a newer car (two times!) and so we were sitting on the down payment when I got laid off. (I was working full time as a nanny to support us as well as homeschooling.)

 

With what is left of DH's financial aid (and a little bit of tutoring he does) and the down payment we are surviving. We live in a dinky 2 bdrm apartment. We have nothing set aside for the future.

 

I'm praying that DH finds a job this summer (he graduates in 3 weeks!) and then we won't be so tight. But right now I'm thankful that we have a roof over our heads and we are all together!

[jewellsmommy]

Sadly, we too, are stuck in this. Every time we get ahead, something happens. I joke that our dd can smell money in a savings account. She was the source of 4 urgent care trips in 3 months this winter. It took us years to recover financially from her surgeries and procedures as a toddler. Now, we have added another child and we are seeing our budget stretched to maximum capacity. In order to not be negative every month, there are things that we have to leave out of the budget that should be in there.

 

Money is definitely my "thing" that I freak over. This is my hardest test when it comes to having faith. God has always brought us through, but I still struggle with it. Taking in ds was a huge step of faith for me, because of the financial aspect. I knew we were doing the right thing, just like with homeschooling, but I also knew the price tag attached was going to make me...:willy_nilly:. I have since started doing one of those consultant type home businesses in an effort to alleviate some of my worrying, but you know how it is, once the money comes in, something makes it go out! We survive and hopefully will be stronger for it. At least, that's what I tell myself :D.

[Guest momk2000]

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

 

Don't worry. :) Pray about it. God has a path for you and all you need to do is follow it. He knows what you need.

 

My eyes are welling up with tears. Thank you for this much needed reminder. :)

[Guest momk2000]

I recommend

 

www.weusecoupons.com

 

www.couponmom.com

 

There are many more. It does take some time, but I always say I have more time than money.:tongue_smilie: My best deals have been on personal care items and things like laundry detergent. Food is more challenging, but I am working on it.

 

Thank you so much for posting these. :)

[Sputterduck]

My eyes are welling up with tears. Thank you for this much needed reminder. :)

 

I need that reminder at times, too. Someone awesome has your back. :001_smile:

[AngelBee]

This would be us. Only I am paid seasonally (not again til Oct) and dh in currently under employed due to lack of work in his field (construction/plumbing).

 

He is trying to get a warehouse job as well.

[Guest momk2000]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. I realize the investment we are making in the future of our children is much greater than any amount of money could give us. It would just be nice to be able to maintain an emergency fund for peace of mind. :)

[AngelBee]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. I realize the investment we are making in the future of our children is much greater than any amount of money could give us. It would just be nice to be able to maintain an emergency fund for peace of mind. :)

:grouphug: It would.

[Twilight Woods]

We are in the same boat. I was suppose to go back to work FT this year. Now we are homeschooling. :) I do work PT. I work 2 overnight shifts on the weekend so we dont have to pay for daycare. I try to pick up extra hours If I can to help out with money.

 

Next year is going to be our year of relief. Both of our car's [were bought when we both worked fulltime] will be paid off and I am throwing a party. Once this happens we will be doing ALOT of Dave Ramsey and hopefully get out of this mess [medical bills from when we had custody of my nephew].

 

Can you work in the evening or on the weekends part time?

[Pax]

Life is very interesting.

 

We lived paycheck to paycheck for years after we made the choice for me to be home with the children. I finally learned budgeting and how to save (thank you Dave Ramsey) and we paid off our debt and saved a down payment and a large emergency fund. We lived a very frugal lifestyle. My husband's job was assured and life was grand. We signed papers on our new house last year (well below what we could afford). My husband was laid off the day AFTER we signed on the house. Awesome. We've been living off unemployment and some side jobs he could scrounge up and our emergency fund. Our insurance ran out which is horrible as I have a chronic disease that is very expensive to treat.

 

All of that to say that we ended up starting our own business as we had no other choices and it looks like things are going to go well. We've been wanting to start our own business for years but with the economy the way it is, my husband wanted to stay in a safe job. Now, my husband can make in a week what took him a month to make before. And he has more time with us!

[Carpe]

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/beginners/ is another good place to look for couponing ideas.

 

And for budgeting YNAB is fantastic. http://www.youneedabudget.com/

 

If you have time to search, googling "frugal living" or "simple living" brings up hundreds of sites by people who have intentionally done without because of their priorities. You are not alone. :001_smile:

[DawnM]

Look at HotCouponWorld.com as well. That forum is a wealth of information.

 

I am getting back into couponing right now and it does take time. The key to couponing is stockpiling (not like that extreme show, just stockpiling a couple of months' worth of stuff) things like toiletries, cleaning supplies, pasta, rice, canned goods, that type of stuff.

 

The best advice I got was to NOT try to lower your grocery budget for at least 3-5 months. During this time, use that money to stockpile. Once you have a good stockpile going, you won't need to purchase as much and your bill/budget can go down.

 

I only buy laundry detergent and most cleaning supplies if they are free or near free. Otherwise I make my own and save a bundle.

 

We don't really live paycheck to paycheck, but we do use YNAB and every dollar is assigned a "job" so even though we do have some surplus, it all goes into savings categories. So, when I say we have surplus, it isn't surplus to go and just buy whatever we want, we budget say $50 for "blow" money that we can spend however we want, but the rest gets put into "funds" like a car fund, a college fund, an emergency fund, that sort of thing.

[Tess in the Burbs]

It's about living within your means. Many people will spend more when they make more and still live paycheck to paycheck. We have lived p-t-p most of our married life, but looking back on what we made and our bills over the years I realized we just spent more when we had more.

 

We recently had to do drastic things to get our bills under control. No regrets but I see our budget and find we aren't saving as much as I hoped we would after paying down this debt. We have no debt. If we can't buy it with cash in the bank, we don't buy it. We only have one cc now for dh's work travel and dire emergencies.

 

But I noticed most months this year we have no extra. Why? I needed to buy school books. We bought new bikes for the family. We are going to Disney at CHristmas. So I thought after paying debt off we would have more spending money. We do...we are spending it alright. Most likely at the grocery store or eating out. And clothes. We have caught up on clothes after years of not buying a lot of clothes. Dh and I both have new shoes. So basically we spent the extra these past few months and have allocated the rest of the year to other spending :001_huh:

 

but it comes down to cost of living. I think we could live in a cheaper place. but it would be smaller. And for now, we both agree with the kids and myself home all day it's worth the extra money. Dh could find a job in a cheaper area but then he would make less....so unless we could rent CHEAP it's not worth the effort to make those changes.

 

And many like us have food allergies/intolerance to deal with. We have to buy some foods that cost more than others would ever consider paying.

 

Our medical bills are higher than many others. I have some issues that require quarterly visits with bloodwork. My dd is dealing with tick bite now that has resulted in 3 Dr visits so far with more to come...including blood work. It adds up. My meds are costly too...and now we have dd's to add in.

 

I think it's easy to get to a bad spot and end up p-t-p. We aren't there anymore for the most part. We are putting money into savings every month now. I like that direct deposit! I never see it and forget about that money. So I don't spend it.

[G5052]

We are track for getting ahead by the end of the year. We've haven't been able to do it without me working along the way, but I don't necessarily look at that as a negative anyway.

[mommaduck]

Paycheck to paycheck here. When there is extra, then there is always somewhere it needs to go other than savings (I can't tell you how many times we've tried to open a savings account just to pull all the money out of it for some emergency...seems useless to me at times). We live within our means. We're pretty debt free other than a few old medical bills.

[Guest momk2000]

Life is very interesting.

 

We lived paycheck to paycheck for years after we made the choice for me to be home with the children. I finally learned budgeting and how to save (thank you Dave Ramsey) and we paid off our debt and saved a down payment and a large emergency fund. We lived a very frugal lifestyle. My husband's job was assured and life was grand. We signed papers on our new house last year (well below what we could afford). My husband was laid off the day AFTER we signed on the house. Awesome. We've been living off unemployment and some side jobs he could scrounge up and our emergency fund. Our insurance ran out which is horrible as I have a chronic disease that is very expensive to treat.

 

All of that to say that we ended up starting our own business as we had no other choices and it looks like things are going to go well. We've been wanting to start our own business for years but with the economy the way it is, my husband wanted to stay in a safe job. Now, my husband can make in a week what took him a month to make before. And he has more time with us!

 

I have often brought up the idea of starting up our own business with dh, but he is just so uninterested. Do you mind if I ask what type of business you are in?

[BlsdMama]

A few years ago I tried to get DH to listen to Dave. It never happened. Now, DH is listening to him on a regular basis... ;) Slow & steady. We've been lining up our lives to better adhere to his plan. DH took a major job move 18 months ago that came with a serious paycheck increase. We don't see any of that increase right now because we had to move to a much higher cost of living area, however, when we move back home, the increase stays, the cost of living goes down. :) We get frustrated by slow & steady. We paid off about $6500 worth of debt this year. If we plan well, we'll pay off both of our cars in December/February with DH's bonus & taxes. DH desperately wants to contribute a lot more to his retirement so that's our goal for next year. The biggest issue we have is that while we have long term plans, none of them have short term impact and so it's very hard to stay FOCUSED. The real temptation is going to come when the van and car are both paid off and we feel tempted to replace the van... :glare:

[pooh bear]

Paycheck-to-paycheck here. Some weeks we only make it to the next paycheck with the tips dh makes.

 

We have no debts, the only bills we have are internet, electric, rent and Netflix. And with summer coming the electric is going to go up and make things even tighter.

 

I coupon every time we go shopping, and only buy what is absolutely necessary.

[leeannpal]

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

 

Don't worry. :) Pray about it. God has a path for you and all you need to do is follow it. He knows what you need.

 

I honestly believe this! We don't quite live paycheck to paycheck, but we've had a number of unexpected expenses come up due to unforeseen medical issues. Each time we get a little in savings, it has to go out for another medical bill, usually.

 

But, God does know what we need, and, each time, we've had the money to pay our expenses without going into debt.

[kwickimom]

us. SIGH. We are negative paycheck to paycheck. I have dug us out of debt Dave Ramsey style 3 times and once we break even, everything falls apart. I have never gotten to the savings stage. ever.

 

I have a list of 32 repairs that need done on the house and car, some HAVE to get done.

 

I gave up worrying awhile back. The stress was killing me and I cant sit around and worry about it because there is nothing I can do that I am not already doing.

[leeannpal]

us. SIGH. We are negative paycheck to paycheck. I have dug us out of debt Dave Ramsey style 3 times and once we break even, everything falls apart. I have never gotten to the savings stage. ever.

 

I have a list of 32 repairs that need done on the house and car, some HAVE to get done.

 

I gave up worrying awhile back. The stress was killing me and I cant sit around and worry about it because there is nothing I can do that I am not already doing.

 

I so understand where you are coming from! Hubby and I have been joking that we don't want to build up savings because that inevitably means that something will happen!

[*********]

:iagree: It does seem like 'forever' while we are in the trenches, but the truth is -this time is fleeting. While you're here, be *all* here. The next season of life will come soon enough. :)

 

 

This is SO true! Once I really embraced the idea that life has seasons, and the Lord gives us each season for a reason, then I really started to find the joy in my life.

 

It really is fleeting. In just ten years, my boys will be 15 1/2 and 18. At that time, I imagine I'd be comfortable working part time, while letting my youngest son do school on his own while I was gone. At that time, I'll be just 43 years old myself. While I look forward to that (the goal is to have my nursing license by then), I try to really enjoy this season as well.

 

Imagining my life in ten years, with just two children at home to support financially, (the stepkids will be *gasp* 24 and almost 27), as well as the additional income from me working part time in nursing, I do imagine feeling more financially secure. I look forward to relieving some of the burden my husband will have carried for all those years of supporting us financially all by himself. We also look forward to being able to give more to other believers in need.

[lailasmum]

We definitely live payday to payday. Been trying really hard to save up this last year as my car has died and needs replacing, but every time we get somewhere it ends up having to be spent on something that can't wait. Living without my car is saving a bit of money but is making life quite hard as my dh works away from home and takes his car with him.

[Mejane]

We used to and it was incredibly stressful wondering when the next shoe would drop. We don't now but I've never forgotten what it felt like, so :grouphug: to all who are living it.

[mommaduck]

BTW, Dave Ramsey is a bad word in our home. I know people swear by him, but he doesn't work for everyone. We've had several "church financial counselors" that use his method sit down with us. We show them everything, show them paychecks, they work things up the DR way and it doesn't work out. Even they say we've made it where DR says we should not have been able to.