Getting ahead, financially

[Audrey]

Do tell how you and your family have managed to get ahead financially? Seems like every time we take a step forward we end up 2 steps backward. Never fails as soon as we get a little neat egg built we get slammed with a major unexpected expense.

 

How have you managed to build a substantial savings account?

 

 

After having paid off the farm, we are only in the last year and a half starting to put away savings.  We've had those unexpected things happen, too.  It can be discouraging, but we try not to let it get to us.  It will be worth it if we keep at it.

 

The thing that has pulled us ahead has been the change in my job status, which is more secure now.  It amounts to full time hours, though I work largely from home or my vehicle.  It still allows freedom for homeschooling, but a much more reliable and equitable pay structure. 

[Guest]

Do tell how you and your family have managed to get ahead financially? Seems like every time we take a step forward we end up 2 steps backward. Never fails as soon as we get a little neat egg built we get slammed with a major unexpected expense.

 

How have you managed to build a substantial savings account?

That's the story of our lives. We just keep swimming, as it were. And my husband has chosen to work extra jobs to try to provide us with an income we can squirrel away, because the basics are covered and take up his primary income. That said, his body can't take that level of stress so we are figuring out another plan that is easier on him. Okay, I'M figuring out the plan, he's just complaining I worry too much.

[FaithManor]

Luck really is number one in all of it.

 

The birth lottery is 100% luck.  Try moving up when born into poverty in a third world country.  Yet the young lad/lass born into wealth in that same country is doing just fine.

 

Try moving up when genetics haven't given you a gift for any top pay jobs.  This definitely happens.

 

Even with genetics giving one a gift in some field or another, luck still provides the connections or opportunities they need - even if that luck is a scholarship or mentor or someone noticing them and giving them a break.

 

Health issues tend to be mostly luck, esp issues like accidents and major illnesses.  Sure some have higher odds with smoking or unhealthy eating, but luck is a huge factor in most and just plain a factor in others.  It's definitely why all should have some sort of health coverage and why many think universal health care for all should be a given.

 

Choices matter.  Grit and determination matter (a ton).  The ability to be willing to change things matters, because talk is cheap.  No one is saying these things don't.  Many (not all) can change their lives (financially) to some extent, but luck... well, luck is in its own dimension.

 

All of this is also connected to why we tip the way we do and why we support some of the businesses we do and why we support things like medical missions and more.  We haven't had enough luck to change the world or make a huge dent in it, but we can still do something to assist others in their journey.

I agree!

[Guest]

...

Edited July 11, 2016 by Guest

[Guest]

OK, get ready for some controversy, but, here was some of the best advice I ever learned over the years:

 

1. Marry well.

2. Go to college for a degree that will pay well.

3. Fun is for hobbies, work is for making money.

4. Marry well. After 10 years all you will really care about occurs at the club.

5. Pay 10% to yourself and 10% to the Lord.

6. Always pay cash for everything.

7. Marry well. There are lots of ways to love someone.

8. Keep your home small and new, keep your car small and new.

9. Never buy stocks in anything. (From my Wall Street days).

10. Marry well.

Well we kept our home small and old, which was cheaper, and our cars old, which was cheaper, but I agree with the rest. Marrying well was a choice we both made and it benefitted me immensely. Way more than him, unfortunately. I married the steady, stable, lovable geek who was financially solvent and had a great career, but was shy and picky about who he would marry so was often overlooked. If my husband hadn't already had a career, highly marketable degree, drive, a home, no college debt, and a paid off vehicle? Our lives would be much, much harder right now that we are in the lean years with one income and a bunch of kids.

 

Marry well, indeed. It's so true.

[kroe1]

People always assume "marry well" means marry only the rich. That is so untrue. But, I listed it so many times because I heard it from so many wise women over the years.

[Guest]

A good poor man is going to be a much better life partner than a vile rich man. Character counts for a whole lot. Not everything, but it's a crucial piece of the puzzle!

[creekland]

People always assume "marry well" means marry only the rich. That is so untrue. But, I listed it so many times because I heard it from so many wise women over the years.

 

Oh I didn't disagree with the marry well part.  Just the part about the only important stuff occurring at the club.

 

Even marrying well can be luck to be honest.  One never truly knows... esp in the beginning.

[Greta]

People always assume "marry well" means marry only the rich. That is so untrue. But, I listed it so many times because I heard it from so many wise women over the years.

I do think that I married well, not because I married a rich guy, but because I married a responsible, careful guy who is very dedicated to providing for his family. He makes the most of what he earns, and doesn't waste it. So in that sense, I think it is excellent advice!

[Garga]

Luck and miserliness. And the generosity of others.

 

I'm in the livingroom now. There are 6 big pieces of furniture. We paid for only 1.

 

Couch: in-laws paid for.

Chair: in-laws gave to us

Antique bookcase: my parents gave to us

TV stand (which is really a dresser for a bedroom): grandmother gave to us.

Piano: my parents gave to us

Lazy Boy: we bought, 21 years ago when there was a buy 1 get 1 free sale.

 

Diningroom:

Table and and chairs to seat 8: we bought, 21 years ago for $200 at a furniture consignment store.

Antique sideboard: my parents gave to us

Hutch: in-laws gave to us

chair: in-laws gave to us

storage dresser: in-laws gave to us.

 

It's like that through the whole house. All of our furniture was given to us except for 1 piece in every room. The luck part is that all this mishmash of furniture goes together very charmingly. It fits our ecclectic style.

 

So...luck, miserliness (we hate spending money), and teh generosity of others.

 

NOTE: We accept their generosity. I have friends who WILL NOT accept help from others. WILL NOT. They have struggled through 23 years of marriage and have wondered aloud why their siblings do so much better than they do, and it's because their siblings accept help.

[Wheres Toto]

Oh I didn't disagree with the marry well part.  Just the part about the only important stuff occurring at the club.

 

Even marrying well can be luck to be honest.  One never truly knows... esp in the beginning.

 

And people can change.  That responsible, hard-working man in his 30's may decide to throw it all in when he's 50.

[Callie]

Dave Ramsey & YNAB.

[Garga]

And people can change. That responsible, hard-working man in his 30's may decide to throw it all in when he's 50.

That is true. But you can at least try to marry someone dependable who isn't a spendthrift and hope they don't change on you. If you start off with an irresponsible spendthrift, you're in trouble from the get-go.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

:grouphug:  I can totally relate to your situation. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug:

[creekland]

Luck and miserliness. And the generosity of others.

 

I'm in the livingroom now. There are 6 big pieces of furniture. We paid for only 1.

 

Couch: in-laws paid for.

Chair: in-laws gave to us

Antique bookcase: my parents gave to us

TV stand (which is really a dresser for a bedroom): grandmother gave to us.

Piano: my parents gave to us

Lazy Boy: we bought, 21 years ago when there was a buy 1 get 1 free sale.

 

Diningroom:

Table and and chairs to seat 8: we bought, 21 years ago for $200 at a furniture consignment store.

Antique sideboard: my parents gave to us

Hutch: in-laws gave to us

chair: in-laws gave to us

storage dresser: in-laws gave to us.

 

It's like that through the whole house. All of our furniture was given to us except for 1 piece in every room. The luck part is that all this mishmash of furniture goes together very charmingly. It fits our ecclectic style.

 

So...luck, miserliness (we hate spending money), and teh generosity of others.

 

NOTE: We accept their generosity. I have friends who WILL NOT accept help from others. WILL NOT. They have struggled through 23 years of marriage and have wondered aloud why their siblings do so much better than they do, and it's because their siblings accept help.

 

The more I get to know you, the more I realize just how similar we are... ;)  Although we spend money on travel - not expensive luxury travel, but travel junkie travel, and I've no plans to kick the habit.

[Garga]

Too off topic.

[Tsuga]

People always assume "marry well" means marry only the rich. That is so untrue. But, I listed it so many times because I heard it from so many wise women over the years.

 

I agree.

 

Marrying well is important but it is so hard, when you're young, to spot a narcissistic sociopath.

 

It's really not about marrying rich, though. It's about marrying someone who will stay by your side and not leave you sick or disabled or poor.

 

I don't regret marrying my hardworking ex-H because he came from a poor family. No, not at all! What I do regret was that I married someone who asked me to relocate for him three times and then left me. That was how I did not "marry well". His being born in a third-world country was not the problem, per se, because I had earning power and he had grit.

 

The other stuff really made a huge difference, and in the same way it would have had I married a rich man who treated me the same way.

[kubiac]

Read The Millionaire Next Door if you haven't yet. That was the one book that most changed my thinking about money.

 

Luck and miserliness. And the generosity of others.

I'm in the livingroom now. There are 6 big pieces of furniture. We paid for only 1.

Couch: in-laws paid for.
Chair: in-laws gave to us
Antique bookcase: my parents gave to us
TV stand (which is really a dresser for a bedroom): grandmother gave to us.
Piano: my parents gave to us
Lazy Boy: we bought, 21 years ago when there was a buy 1 get 1 free sale.

Diningroom:
Table and and chairs to seat 8: we bought, 21 years ago for $200 at a furniture consignment store.
Antique sideboard: my parents gave to us
Hutch: in-laws gave to us
chair: in-laws gave to us
storage dresser: in-laws gave to us.

It's like that through the whole house. All of our furniture was given to us except for 1 piece in every room. The luck part is that all this mishmash of furniture goes together very charmingly. It fits our ecclectic style.

So...luck, miserliness (we hate spending money), and teh generosity of others.

NOTE: We accept their generosity. I have friends who WILL NOT accept help from others. WILL NOT. They have struggled through 23 years of marriage and have wondered aloud why their siblings do so much better than they do, and it's because their siblings accept help.

 

 

Yup! A huge portion of our furniture is just plain from the curb. I also decorate and landscape with potted plants that people have left for dead on the curb. I also buy $6 rooting hormone to grow other plants from cuttings. 

 

"Waste is lost profit made visible."

 

Everything I know about saving money comes from Amy Dacyczyn (inactive), Trent from Simple Dollar (semi-retired), the Prudent Homemaker (active) and Mr. Money Mustache (active). I listen to the Dave Ramsey podcast almost every single day to keep my head in the game.

 

Ask for discounts. AAA and Costco memberships are good for discounts on stuff all over town. Ask for a "good guy" discount on purchases. Tell salespeople that you are on a budget and ask if they can help you out on price at all. Call every single service provider you have and ask if you are eligible for any savings programs or discounts. You'd be amazed at how prices can fall.

 

I like Dave Ramsey's EveryDollar budget program. It helps us see where we are being indulgent (restaurants! extracurriculars for the kids! outings with friends!) and reminds us to think before splurging.

 

[Guest]

Do not go to the mall, to the store, to anything where anyone is going to extract money from your wallet without a list, and make that list only after asking a number of questions about how much you want that thing on the list, where you are going to put it if you get it, where you will put what is currently in that location, how much time it will take you to maintain that thing, how much money it will take...and then wait a week.  And ask all the questions again.  

 

I can't tell you how much money (and time) this has saved me over the years.

 

I will even add, if you are seriously into shopping, that you also must explain to someone you admire for thriftiness exactly why you need this thing that you want to buy...  Sometimes, the very thought of that humiliation will save  you the purchase.  

 

Use it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do.  Do without.  

 

 

[DawnM]

4. Marry well. After 10 years all you will really care about occurs at the club.

 

 

I feel really dumb for asking, but what club are you talking about?

 

Golf club

Social club

Dance club

Club Nintendo

 

????

[Caroline]

I feel really dumb for asking, but what club are you talking about?

 

Golf club

Social club

Dance club

Club Nintendo

 

????

To continue your list...

Sam's Club

Disney Vacation Club

Your club H2O Polo team

Club Penguin

[mom2scouts]

Don't get sick.

 

Don't get divorced or have someone file for divorce.

 

Don't allow anyone in your family to be disabled.

 

Ensure you have enough in savings to buy low. Sell high. Do not lose your (college-degree, STEM field) job at this time.

 

Oh, and if you have a career and property before you have children, like we do, try not to be relocated during a major global recession, okay? Why on earth would you do that? Just keep the job you have or find a new one without going into massive debt. Even if your job was eliminated.

 

Generally, you want global recessions to happen NOT while you are in your most financially vulnerable years. By living frugally and not spending your savings on one unavoidable disaster after another, you can easily save.

 

Don't let anyone hit your car after you just repaired the brakes and struts because insurance won't cover your own work on the car. I think that's a big one of Ramsey's, right? "Don't let idiots total your car while in grad school."

 

Oh yes. If your mother in law is sick, do not take out of savings to help. You might need that later.

 

All in all, be frugal and have good luck and you're set. The American Dream made simple.

This is the kind of advice we need.  As I read through all the other advice, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  We'e done almost everything that people have mentioned.  We finished our degrees and bought a house before having children.  We put money in low risk investments (that later lost almost all its value in the economic downtown just as my dh had a long term job loss and we needed the money),  We rarely eat out. We have few clothes and many are secondhand. We don't take big vacations, but instead go camping.  We keep our cars, furniture, and clothes until they fall apart. Most of our school supplies and many of our household items come from the curb. We try to put money into a savings account, but a medical problem or major expense comes along just in time to wipe it out again. Our mistake was both getting degrees in a field that is very affected by the economy, had major job losses during the last economic downturn, and still has not recovered. It doesn't help when your job is eliminated and replaced by another position that just happens to be perfect for the bosses daughter.  My dh is now in his late 50's and despite his extensive experience, nobody wants to hire him. Unless there is some major change, dh will probably spend the rest of his working years in low paid jobs that are marginally related to his former profession. Sigh.

[gardenmom5]

Don't get sick.

 

Don't get divorced or have someone file for divorce.

 

Don't allow anyone in your family to be disabled.

 

Ensure you have enough in savings to buy low. Sell high. Do not lose your (college-degree, STEM field) job at this time.

 

Oh, and if you have a career and property before you have children, like we do, try not to be relocated during a major global recession, okay? Why on earth would you do that? Just keep the job you have or find a new one without going into massive debt. Even if your job was eliminated.

 

Generally, you want global recessions to happen NOT while you are in your most financially vulnerable years. By living frugally and not spending your savings on one unavoidable disaster after another, you can easily save.

 

Don't let anyone hit your car after you just repaired the brakes and struts because insurance won't cover your own work on the car. I think that's a big one of Ramsey's, right? "Don't let idiots total your car while in grad school."

 

Oh yes. If your mother in law is sick, do not take out of savings to help. You might need that later.

 

All in all, be frugal and have good luck and you're set. The American Dream made simple.

 

this - 1000Xs this.

 

don't get laid off.  especially when you're older and companies only hire young workers (they're cheaper).

[gardenmom5]

My dh is now in his late 50's and despite his extensive experience, nobody wants to hire him. Unless there is some major change, dh will probably spend the rest of his working years in low paid jobs that are marginally related to his former profession. Sigh.

 

is there a possibility of starting his own business?  yeah, it's hard and scary - but age discrimination in employment is real. (btdt.)

[gardenmom5]

I agree.

 

Marrying well is important but it is so hard, when you're young, to spot a narcissistic sociopath.

 

It's really not about marrying rich, though. It's about marrying someone who will stay by your side and not leave you sick or disabled or poor.

 

I don't regret marrying my hardworking ex-H because he came from a poor family. No, not at all! What I do regret was that I married someone who asked me to relocate for him three times and then left me. That was how I did not "marry well". His being born in a third-world country was not the problem, per se, because I had earning power and he had grit.

 

The other stuff really made a huge difference, and in the same way it would have had I married a rich man who treated me the same way.

 

marrying well is also marrying someone who is wise with money (even if they're starting out with nothing), and isn't going to rush out to buy the latest and greatest gadget.  or "bargain".  (mil is a spendthrift.  it has inspired comments over the years.  e.g. three elephants for $ isn't a bargain.) 

[G5052]

We're not ahead by any means, but we keep up with it.

 

Part of that is that I've always worked and homeschooled, but we've also made a lot of lifestyle choices too. We don't travel at all other than a big vacation every 2-3 years. We drive older vehicles. We limit eating out. I cook from scratch. I always negotiate larger medical bills for reduction and payment plans. The DC are attending college locally and will live at home. We all of our own house/yard care and most of our own repairs.

 

We have fun too though, but in a measured way. Saturday we went to a movie in the morning (less that time of day and we had passes), and then ate lunch out. We do something like that every-other-month or so, but not more than that.

 

Thankfully both of us are appropriately frugal and committed to family. Both of us have made careful career choices and are in stable fields.

[shawthorne44]

I bought a house when I was young and single and paid it off in 7 years.  It is now a rent house and we own another home.  Total debt of a little over 20K, and the rent-house should bring in about 12K a year profit.  .  

 

How we did it was living far below the standards of most people.  The first house I bought cheap because it needed non-structural work and a roof.  We moved into the second home in December and DH just installed the master bedroom door.  Note, we didn't risk mentally scaring DD, she had a door that locked from the outside.  Except for the kitchen and bathroom all our floors are plywood and the reclaimed wood that will be our floor is under the RV cover.  

[MBM]

What helps us:

 

-- Educating ourselves about saving and investing.

 

-- Keeping track of expenditures daily and keeping them low. It's a habit now.

 

-- Writing down goals and making plans to achieve them.

 

-- Monitoring how we spend time each day. For example, now I limit myself to an hour of fun time online per day.

 

-- Initially, taking on extra work/jobs to bring in more income which went entirely toward investments.

 

-- Living below our means.

 

[creekland]

This is the kind of advice we need.  As I read through all the other advice, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  We'e done almost everything that people have mentioned.  We finished our degrees and bought a house before having children.  We put money in low risk investments (that later lost almost all its value in the economic downtown just as my dh had a long term job loss and we needed the money),  We rarely eat out. We have few clothes and many are secondhand. We don't take big vacations, but instead go camping.  We keep our cars, furniture, and clothes until they fall apart. Most of our school supplies and many of our household items come from the curb. We try to put money into a savings account, but a medical problem or major expense comes along just in time to wipe it out again. Our mistake was both getting degrees in a field that is very affected by the economy, had major job losses during the last economic downturn, and still has not recovered. It doesn't help when your job is eliminated and replaced by another position that just happens to be perfect for the bosses daughter.  My dh is now in his late 50's and despite his extensive experience, nobody wants to hire him. Unless there is some major change, dh will probably spend the rest of his working years in low paid jobs that are marginally related to his former profession. Sigh.

 

I admire you and others in this boat.  With more info we can brainstorm... job/degree type... able to relocate (or not)... willing to retrain... starting his own business, etc.

 

He's too young to totally give in to the low pay future IMO.

[lllll]

nm

[Deee]

I married well- a loving, stable, honest, hardworking man who can fix anything and who will stand by me through anything. He had no money, student debt, child support liabilities and mental health issues. We have been together for 21 years. I wouldn't swap him for anything, because in the hard, lean times (and we've had several), we still have our love for each other. Yes, I married well.

[Cottonwood]

We don't spend raises, instead we automatically put it into savings/investments, we live well below our means, even if we don't like it.  We are huge DIYers so we save labor costs almost every time, I'm a huge deal getter so I don't spend anything unless I"m sure it's the most economical choice, we pay savings and investments before anything else.  We work at being satisfied with less, I have little envelopes that are for specific purchases and when the envelope is empty..no more of ..whatever that was...  At the same time, if I know something is coming up, I start sticking little bits of money into it's envelope and when the event/thing comes up, I have the money.  So....no credit card spending.  

 

I grocery shop with only the cash budgeted for it, no car payments if possible (my pathfinder is 7 yrs old), resist impulse buying, I walk away if the price isn't to my liking, we only eat out about twice or three times a year,

 

I treat the money DH makes like it belongs in OUR pocket, not someone elses' and to get it out of my grasp, the conditions have to be just right! lol   We do have a splurg now and then but we have it b/c we haven't spent it elsewhere.

 

Now.......DH retires Friday (first retirement) so ask me in 6 months lol

[Liz CA]

???  Personally, nothing I care about occurs at the club, but I love hubby a ton no matter what we have coming in financially at the time.  Chances are, we're out together doing something anyway - far from any club.   :lol:  We've quite happily done many, many free activities in our 27 years together.   :coolgleamA:

 

I guess marrying for money could be good for those who only want money.  That's definitely not our club.

 

I am so far on the other side of this, I did not even know what club this is. I think I get it now...but if someone wants to PM me so we can make sure I am on the same page... :lol:

[Joanne]

Don't get sick.

 

Don't get divorced or have someone file for divorce.

 

Don't allow anyone in your family to be disabled.

 

Ensure you have enough in savings to buy low. Sell high. Do not lose your (college-degree, STEM field) job at this time.

 

Oh, and if you have a career and property before you have children, like we do, try not to be relocated during a major global recession, okay? Why on earth would you do that? Just keep the job you have or find a new one without going into massive debt. Even if your job was eliminated.

 

Generally, you want global recessions to happen NOT while you are in your most financially vulnerable years. By living frugally and not spending your savings on one unavoidable disaster after another, you can easily save.

 

Don't let anyone hit your car after you just repaired the brakes and struts because insurance won't cover your own work on the car. I think that's a big one of Ramsey's, right? "Don't let idiots total your car while in grad school."

 

Oh yes. If your mother in law is sick, do not take out of savings to help. You might need that later.

 

All in all, be frugal and have good luck and you're set. The American Dream made simple.

 

Thank you. Are you in the running for a Presidential candidacy? I would vote for you. I'm marry you, but I think you are married already and I am never going there again. ;)

 

I have a similar bullet point list.

 

 

[creekland]

I am so far on the other side of this, I did not even know what club this is. I think I get it now...but if someone wants to PM me so we can make sure I am on the same page... :lol:

 

I presumed the Country Club where the wealthy people pay fairly high fees to join/socialize and get to keep all the "poor people" out (unless they are serving, of course).

 

I've been to one once - no desire to join.  I'm content with those I can socialize with for free.

 

Maybe Sam's Club or Chuck E Cheese Club was the intended meaning, but I don't belong to those either.  ;)

[Lisbeth]

We had children after we had completed our education (grad school + postdoc), and I only stayed home for a few years.

We always lived below our means and made the decision to buy less house than we could have afforded/would have gotten a loan for. We basically lived on DH's salary and saved mine.

As pp, we decide carefully which expenses are important to us and which are not. No impulse shopping.

Pretty much what she said.

Pick jobs we both liked and we knew paid well; delay children and plan the # to what we could afford; prioritize (savings over cable at first,etc); minimize bad habits to cut health and accident risks; location, location, location! By location I mean a conservative area with low taxes.

We also aren't trendy, and our church has things like group buys for food and canning, bulk cooking lessons and gardening emphasis.

 

ETA: I have no idea why I mixed tenses in my sentences. Apologies, it is early!

[Lisbeth]

Oh, and I agree with DIY. My husband is a techie (systems engineer/programmer) by trade, but as a teen he worked in construction and plumbing to help out a family member. He can do most major household repairs/remodels AND keep all computers up and running perfectly. Keeper. ;)

I am a huge believer in DIY whenever possible. I think many Americans have a learned helplessness going on.

[Rosie_0801]

lol, what's a raise ?

 

I think Gina Rinehart has a litter of them?

[G5052]

Thank you. Are you in the running for a Presidential candidacy? I would vote for you. I'm marry you, but I think you are married already and I am never going there again. ;)

 

I have a similar bullet point list.

 

 

Yes, I caught that too.  The medical and disability aspects are what has been so hard on us.

 

Whenever someone says that we shouldn't be struggling like we do because we have insurance, I want to deck them. Healthy people have no idea.

[DawnM]

I presumed the Country Club where the wealthy people pay fairly high fees to join/socialize and get to keep all the "poor people" out (unless they are serving, of course).

 

I've been to one once - no desire to join.  I'm content with those I can socialize with for free.

 

Maybe Sam's Club or Chuck E Cheese Club was the intended meaning, but I don't belong to those either.   ;)

 

 

Well, I belong to Costco and quite often run in to friends there and visit for extended periods of time....... :lol:

[Carol in Cal.]

There are no guarantees, but there are ways to better your odds with what you have.

 

The way I look at saving and then having the savings be blown on some stupid emergency is twofold.  One is, "Hey, that is what those savings were FOR.  They were for a rainy day.  This is the rainy day."  The other is to try to budget for this stuff to some extent, although I don't get there in one jump.  

 

What I mean by that is, for instance, we always drive older cars.  We have a 1995 light truck, a 1998 Camry with 230K miles on it, and a 2001 coupe.  So I know that repairs will be needed every single year, and I try to set money aside toward that, even though I don't really know what they will be or how much they will cost.  But, as I always remind myself, this is much cheaper than car payments, which we don't have.  So even though the paint is literally peeling off the Camry, and it's got that white scuff in front from the time it scraped a pole because the engine mounts were shot so it sagged forward when I braked that time, I'm really, really grateful to have that stupid car, and I'm willing to repair it so that I don't have to hunt for another used one.  And I budget about $150/month toward car repairs, trying to set that aside so that when they come up they are not quite so shocking.

 

If I could I'd be saving for the next (used) car, but I can't.  But it's in the back of my head that we will need another used car and that I should be saving for it, and if we get some kind of windfall or a net raise, that's where I would put it.  Thinking this way is really helpful to me.  

 

Bottom line:  I always know what my next big expense is going to be, and it's in the back of my head.  I can't always save for it, but facing it makes me more able to jump on opportunities when they come up.

 

Other tricks:

I am on a couple of neighborhood and regional free and garage sale type email lists/facebook pages.  I watch for things I want, and I compromise to save money.  Recently, for instance, I got two computer monitors free.  They are nicer than the ones I have but not as nice as the ones I really want.  But they were free, so I'm feeling rich and grateful right now.  

 

In general:

I think that practicing generosity is really helpful no matter what my circumstances.  It helps me to remember how fortunate I truly am, and to carve out the opportunity to give back is a good thing, even if it's just produce from one of our fruit trees given to the neighbors, or a few groceries bought for the homeless family on the corner, or a meal brought to someone after surgery.  Campus ministry is a big priority of mine, and so is translation work.  I can attest to the fact that helping people individually and collectively makes me feel rich.  That's not why I do it, but it's a nice bonus side effect.  

 

 

[creekland]

Well, I belong to Costco and quite often run in to friends there and visit for extended periods of time....... :lol:

 

We like to meet folks at Walmart or our local grocery store and catch up.   :coolgleamA:

 

Naturally, the more "in a hurry" we are, the more people we meet.  It's rural area's ways of keeping people from ever being in a hurry I guess.

 

The post office can work in a pinch too.  ;)

 

I was going to say that none of these cost money, but they all cost money technically!   :lol:

[leeannpal]

We are just coming out of some horrible economic times for us, partly due to job loss during the economic recession, and partly due to poor financial choices we made in our younger years. Oh, and then there are the health problems that both my husband and I have. I've listened to and read Dave Ramsey, and, for the most part, he has some good ideas, if you have a decent income. Finally, my husband has a job making a decent income although he has to work about 60 hours a week. I have been hired at a school for next year making more than I ever have, so we are finally coming out of our economic problems. We don't have debt except for about $1,500 in medical bills. We don't own a house, so we have few assets. Dh has a good 401k program, but we don't have much in it yet. We are beginning to follow Ramsey's advice about building an emergency fund and paying for things with cash. When my husband's car engine died in April, we bought and older Toyota Camry with cash. We still have a low car payment on my car, but I can see the benefits of buying a car outright. We only have one emergency credit card and don't plan on using credit at all any more.

 

Seems I am rambling, but I guess I was so worried about our finances for so long that I didn't think we would ever get above water again. Rebuilding is hard when you are in your early 50s. (Well, I am actually 49, but 50 is just around the corner:)

 

[SporkUK]

We're far better now than we've ever been, though not sure if we count as ahead, we've begun thriving these last few years.  

 

For us, it's been more about community and cooperative living  than anything else.  Yes, marrying a like-minded and caring partner, monitoring our expenses and automating our savings and bills, maximizing what is available to us, finding and figuring out the local charity and secondhand shops for when we are need or regular buying things, mending and gaining better home skills, and watching local shop deals has played a big role but what has pushed us into into thriving in the last few years has been connecting with people and our community.

 

We run twice weekly community events in our home mainly for our fellow local disabled people and that along with keeping connected with community events means we can pass on to others and others can pass on to us and we can create low cost accessible community for us and our kids. Most of what we have, particularly furniture and shiny stuff, is pass along padded with a few secondhand shop buys (this is the first year we've bought new white goods). Being open and in a generous community has done more for us than most typical financial advice, particularly as disabled low income household. 

 

The number one thing that allows us to thrive as we do now, financially and personally, is our friend-lodger.  We were burnt bad old housemates which took us a while to recover from financially but we opened our home and back room to someone we'd known for a while who needed a place and about 4 years later now we're just part of each others lives. Over times, our lives have integrated more into cooperative living - he had a job that was hurting him, I helped him get a closer better for him job but it was less hours/pay, we reduced his rent (now at paying one bill plus a bit into our savings each month) in exchange for him driving my partner to and from work and our kids to Badgers and Cadets weekly in term time so our transport costs have dropped like a rock (neither my partner nor I drive so it was buses which was getting steep with 3 over 5) so mutually beneficial. We also have an extra pair of hands in times of need like recently when my partner had to run up north with hours notice due his brother who is terminally ill taking a bad turn, friend-lodger helped with the kids and with dinner. Also quite handy having a babysitter who lives in the backroom who pays us :laugh: . Having him has done more for us, personally as well as financially, than anything we could have done ourselves and cooperative living with him and our wider community has as well. 

[Jerico]

We had only 1 car for 6 months. The kids and I didn't really go anywhere. Selling the car that had the loan enabled us to get our of debt and save what equity we had. That combined with a pay raise for my husband allowed us to have an emergency fund.