Seriously....how do people do it....especially when you are on disability...so our microwave and toaster broke and we need to replace them, our elec bill came in and they have skyrocketed here ours went up 19% (last I looked) for each quarter (most companies went 30-40% increase), so that was super high, now we need a new rim for our car (2009) plus a complete new tyre...not sure how but we have a 16" as a spare when the rest are 18"....don't know if the car came that way or not (bought 2nd hand a few years ago) and we have never used it...will go back and get it changed tomorrow as they had to order it in (tyre) but as for the rim the cheapest we have found is $770 for a used one...I'm not paying that....and why so expensive...because of our liberal govt that was in power we no longer manufacture cars in our country which means no spare parts etc are made anymore...and our car is well maintained and we are not going to buy a new one...I'm just hoping nothing else goes or we just won't be able to cope with it financially...nothing will be going to savings in the next month due to all this which sucks.
Told my hubby I'm not going to budget anymore as soon as I did our budget for the rest of this year and next year..everything started happening....so frustrating!!! (yes I will continue to budget but I literally just done it and all this happened)...murphy is having a good laugh at us right now
October 25th, 2023 at 10:51 pm 1698274297
I think maybe looking for spare income like disneysteve eBay? It brings in $500 a month
October 26th, 2023 at 02:40 am 1698288041
October 26th, 2023 at 08:38 pm 1698352682
October 27th, 2023 at 11:26 am 1698405975
October 27th, 2023 at 12:46 pm 1698410808
That’s why people are urged to build an Emergency fund with 6 months of monthly expenses put aside for true emergencies like job loss or devastating illness.
It’s why they are advised to buy house, car, health, disability, and life insurance.
It’s why they are advised to save the maximum allowed into retirement accounts and to college savings accounts if they have children.
It’s why they are advised to put money into a car repair and a car replacement fund.
It’s why they are advised to set aside money every month for home repairs.
It’s why full budget of needs are advised before wants are accounted for.
It’s why borrowing money - especially on credit cards - is discouraged, and paying loans for education and housing off quickly are encouraged.
If you learn these lessons while you are young, and work extra while you have your health and energy you can set yourself up well. Choosing a high paying profession and a low cost education help. Living a minimalist life helps. Delaying gratification helps. Paying attention to tax credits, smart shopping, wise use of the financial system matters.
There is an age at which you cannot change the course of your financial life, if you are lucky enough to live in a compassionate country or you have family to rely on, you can survive but perhaps in diminished circumstances.
We know the system doesn’t allow everyone to get by - there are countless homeless living on the streets, and people who go to sleep hungry and cold.
Reading here and similar blogs shows the different ways people think about money and which strategies work well.
October 27th, 2023 at 08:50 pm 1698439829
I can't wait to be out of debt and really start saving! We have a baby emergency fund but I can't wait until we have a fully funded emergency fund and fully funded sinking funds!
October 31st, 2023 at 12:40 am 1698712812
I agree and we had always done that..and then my hubby was told he had 2 years to live and was extremely sick...he got better and is still with us today but at that point I was studying, we had 2 small children and then no income...as he was working...so I had to stop studying, and work a job I could find...I was always run down and I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and struggled to work, look after my hubby and kids and do everything else...but we got through it...hubby got better but was unable to work for another year...and then I crashed and had to go on disability, I went back to work part time. hubby was able to go back to work so I went back to study....we stayed on top of our bills but had minimal savings..then when I was at college my daughter got sick with epstein barr virus and never recovered, she was diagnosed in 2006 with chronic fatigue and fibro as well...I finished my degree in social work but due to my constant dizziness from my illnesses it is not safe for me to drive so I couldn't get a job....so I worked in childcare...which is low paying until I went so fardownhill I could no longer work again and my body started to shu down...something I am still dealing with to this day...as well as my hubby battling cancer twice and his numbers are climbing again...
So insurances jumped sky high when we first got sick and we could no longer afford them, we have always had car, contents and life ins on me (hubby is to expensive) plus ambulance cover...health ins etc it way to expensive for us
we have a car account that covers all that it needs to
we have ice account but we have had to use it
we have many accounts that we put into and our bills are never late but everything has gone up rent has sky rocketed, food, gas and elec has gone way up...so it is a balancing act....if we never had any health issues our life would be different...and in the US it is so easy to get things than it is for most other countries....to buy a house over there we could afford it but a deposit here is for a house is around $60,000 deposit...very sad to save for when you are already paying such high rent and other bills
so it is hard and we had always done those things but life through us some really big curve balls and we have dealt with them...to the best that we could...and we are starting to get on top of things...but it is hard...no matter how well you planned.