I stress about money...a lot. More than any person should. Literally, the muscles in my arm were sore because I was so tense earlier today. We have a budget, we stick to the budget..but still, I'm constantly stressing. I'd rather pass up cute dresses, clothes, new phone, new computer...and save for trips and other fun things we can do together.
Why do we pay $95 a month for cable? We hardly ever watch it. We should cut back to just the basic ABC, NBC, CBS...really, that's all I watch in the morning. We watch movies the rest of the time. And if something good is going to be on...it's usually on Hulu. I'll be having Danny calling to cancel the stuff we don't use. It's a waste.
Why do I pay $80 for a cell phone that I only text on? 450 roll over minutes that I never use. I hate the phone. Today I joined my Moms family plan for $10 a month, we'll share minutes...but who cares, it's free Verizon-to-Verizon, and well..everyone I know has Verizon. And she said it's unlimited texting. No internet, but oh well, I can live without it. It's $175 to cancel my AT&T contract, but in the long run...I'll be saving money.
I will not stop saving money for our Disney trip. Maybe we won't get to stay IN the parks resorts. But who cares? Other hotels have free transportation. The only downfall is, food wouldn't be included. We would just have to budget a little more.
My Avon isn't selling as well as I thought it would. But as long as I have one eCustomer every two weeks, I'm not losing money. So, I'll keep doing that.
I LIKE staying home taking care of everything. Not driving saves a bunch, but it also keeps me from working. I think I will be getting my license (I don't want anymore hater comments on this...not in the mood to deal with them.) soon. And then maybe work part time somewhere. But really, I like having nights and weekends off to be home and take care of things. We're not losing any money by me doing that, I sit in silence with no TV all day haha!
I'm super stressed about the holidays (note: it's only July....) Like, where will we be spending them, how will we be getting there and how in God's name will we be getting anyone presents.
Seriously, these are the things constantly running through my head.
Tonight we're going to sit down and redo the entire budget for the billionth time. I have my notebook, pencils and calculator ready to go. Wish me luck!
And tomorrow....I'll have happy news. No more Debbie Downer!
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I'm with you on this one! It's something I stress over daily and as hard as I try to just let go of the worrying.. it doesn't seem to work. I know we'll be going home for Christmas, but you're right.. how we'll get there or how we'll afford to buy presents.. it's beyond me.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've found that helps us stick to the budget moreso is the envelope system. On pay day, take out however much you have budgeted for groceries, gas, etc. and keep it separated in envelopes. Once it's gone.. it's gone!
I second this with huge passion... I'm a stressor too.. Even if I am doing ok, I stress... I guess its cause I have college loans and it just all scares me... Our cable is included, but I wouldn't pay for it either... I watch most my shows online...
ReplyDeleteI have at&t and pay $80 a month for 450 mins, I hardly use, unlimited texting which I use a lot and interenet which i use often... I was thinking of taking the internet off though... I don't use it enough for the extra $$ it is, but then again its nice...
Ugh the debates I have!
But I do save elsewhere.. I hardly buy anything on random and I coupon which of course saves me lots!
Sorry I know exactly what youre going through and I have been actually thinking of writing a post on it. My husband has been without a job for 3 months now and doesnt know what he wants to do. We are trying to cut back as well and it is very frustrating. Keep your head up! It will get better!
ReplyDeleteHey, you should cancel cable entirely - don't get sucked into their $20/mo basic package. You can actually set up an antenna (less than $10, one time purchase) to your TV and get the basic broadcast stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and a few more) for completely FREE. And thanks to last year's digital transition, they come in ridiculously clear! I used to work at the cable company and had the full deal, but then I quit to stay at home and cut everything off and haven't missed it! Holler at me if you have any questions about it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you may wanna look into Fleet & Family Support Services for financial and budgeting help. I'm actually attending an "Art of Money Management" workshop this week, and I think they do 1-on-1 counseling also.
I'm also on my mom's cell phone plan for $10 a month, great move! :) (Also, Hubs has Verizon and we put it in suspension during his deployment for $0/mo.)
Best of luck to you, and keep saving for that Disney trip! My girl scout troop went there together back in H.S. and we took a tent and camped it - super cheap that way! haha
I understand where you are. When I was laid off a little over a year and half ago. It took me 6 months to find work. We did some serious budgeting to make it through those months.
ReplyDeleteNow that we had to buy a new car I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to buget Vegas for my dads wedding. Dillon has already said he isn't going to go so that I can go and do a little more than be stuck in the hotel. lol, we really should have planned better but they didn't give much notice we only found out in May when the date was.
I think it's natural to stress about money. I do too. I should take a cue from you and cut back on stuff!
ReplyDeleteMoney is something I think almost everyone stresses about. Try not to let it get you down. I worry about it too but as long as we have a savings there is really no need to get all worked up about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the tips. I'm a huge fan of the envelope system and most def interested in the $10 antena. Thanks for letting me know!
ReplyDeleteI also don't have credit card debt. In fact when we went to the bank the lady didn't believe I was 24 because my credit was so good lol. She said she has never seen a 24 year old with that high of a score.
Hey have you heard about "Shades of Green"? it's a resort only for MilFams that is located inside the Disney World premises??
ReplyDeleteWhy do you get hater comments for not having a license? I don't see why that matters if you don't want a license? I wonder what they are saying to you?
ReplyDeleteI stress about money too! I'm not working, but just going to graduate school. I have my loan money, but it isn't that much. I'm now looking for a job. I'm just afraid that I won't find a job in my field and/or that I won't have time to do anything with work, practicum, and school.
ReplyDeleteI want to be able to buy clothes, shoes, and not have to worry about how much I am spending on groceries and stuff.
I pay $135 for internet and Dish Network. Our apartment leases out a company, so you don't get to choose your provider. I like it though, because I watch a lot of tv and like having options.
I have credit card debt, but my credit is excellent. I always send in more than the minimum payment. I just wished I hadn't gotten myself in a whole like that. It makes me mad at myself, but I guess it teaches you a lesson.
I don't have any loans from undergrad, but I do now, since I am in grad school. I'm really not worried about those, because I can possibly get a job where they pay them off for me. *crosses fingers*
People also tell me that David and I should move in together and hurry up and get married. That way I can save money. It just really irks me, because living together is something that we want to do when we are married. We aren't against the idea of people living together. For us, we choose not to make that choice. We want to get married and have our 'perfect' wedding on 'our' time, not other people's time. We just not want to hurry up and get married, because it will 'save' us money.
i have been thinking a lot about the holidays too. we have 17 people we have to buy for, and that's just the main people (parents, sibs, etc.) without extended. that is insane. i'm afraid we'll go broke from that alone.
ReplyDeletegood luck on the new budget! it sounds like you manage your money really well!
Have you started planning your disney trip yet? Im sure you know of the 99 dollar 4 days park hopper tickets? Well we just went to book our entire vacation and learned you have to buy those tickets by Aug 30th and use them by Sept 30th!!!! Also...shades of green military resort (inside the park) is only 95 a night. We booked an entire week long vacation (with lots of upgrades, like pool side room, water park added to the tickets) and stayed under $800. AND thats for the 4 of us. If you want to go to Disney I HIGHLY recommend going NOW! They said they wouldnt be doing the $99 tickets again until LATE next year. So youll wind up spending WAY more money!! I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI also give you HUGE props for being so young and responsible at the same time. My husband and I know tons of young USMC couples, and since they dont have kids, they spend and spend and spend. Good for you for thinking about the future!
I'm not working, got laid off last November. I have a small work at home job (it's legit, email me if you want to know about it) and do my best to save money and stretch dollars. It's hard though.
ReplyDeleteWe are heading to Orlando for law school next month and trying to buy a house there so budget is on the brain and I need to be more disciplined like you sound! Thanks for the inspiration. We did Disneyland last year for CHEAP thanks to ALL the military discounts and stayed in the park. It was great. When we move to Orlando I want to do Disneyworld.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all there with you girl! Everyone has been/or is that boat. It sucks! Have you ever thought about living on base? We lived out in town for a year, and then decided to move on base to save money too. TMO moved us for FREE!
ReplyDeleteAs for Disney..not sure if you know are not...but there is a military hotel you can stay at, thats WAY cheaper then the resorts. It's called Shades of Green. Google it. No food is included in it though. BUT....you could pack sandwiches and take snacks want bottled water into the pack in a backpack, that would save too.
Sorry your stressing so much. I know how much it sucks:( Sending hugs!
wonderful news! apparently $95 is the cheapest and most basic cable. WOW!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I stress about this kind of stuff a lot too! I made a budget but of course it is really hard to stick to it! Plus when you only have one income its realy hard to save and pay bills AND have money to live off and have fun with! But I just try to tell myself that I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and a man that loves me. Money may be tight but we will make it through! You will too!
ReplyDeleteOkay I gotta know how to even MAKE a budget because I have no clue. I write out what our income is, our normal bills averaged, gas, food, etc but then we have nothing leftover! How can I possibly budget in money for actually having fun? LOL i feel like we never have anything & i'm alwasy flying by the seat of my pants if we do decide to spend a lil more. any advice? you sound JUST like me, i stress constantly about money and it sure does strain a relationship. ughhhhhh good luck! sounds like you're thinkin is in the right place!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I stress huge too! I'm proud of you for going through everything and cutting back! Inspired me for sure :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know what phone service you have, but my fiance, Brandon, had T-Mobile and where we moved to, he had NO service. I remember you saying that in yesterday's post, that you didn't have good service there. Brandon called their customer care line, gave them our address and they plugged it into their system and saw it was out of the coverage area. They let him out of the contract for FREE! We had to send in a copy of his license with the address on it for proof, but it was better than the $200 fee! You could try that! I think most companies have that policy.
ReplyDeleteI know how it feels to stress over money too. I haven't really worked full time since my youngest (who is now 3) was born because I went back to school to get my Master's. Here are some of the tips that I've been able to use to help save money:
ReplyDeleteWe canceled cable. (we don't watch it, we don't need it)
We switched phone companies. (they were willing to drastically drop our rates)
Use coupons. (time consuming yes, but also well worth it)
Look at blogs for deals. (email me and I'll send you a list of a few of my favorites)
Plan meals and only shop once a week.
Buy in advance. (Target currently has huge clearance 75% - and I've already started Christmas shopping!)
I hope that some these ideas help if you're not already using them! I know they've worked wonders for me since I've incorporated them.
I am the same way with money lately. Even if I have the extra money that random oh you need two new tires (254$) stresses me out to the max. Why don't you look into takes medical transcription courses? You can do that at home.
ReplyDelete