Tell us how your budget is doing right now '!

Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (Full Version)

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pahunkboy -> Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 9:33:27 AM)
As I am plotting a budget for September- and I know we talked about how people have economized; my question is how is that working out for you? What have you learned/discovered? Can you list a specific that helped you? What bill do you worry about? Have you simplified your life? To what extent have you cut your "nice to have" spending? Do tell! (failure to post- will result in me billing you $19.95 -via Paypal. ;-0)

GreedyTop -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 9:37:07 AM)
heh. my budget SUCKS. I dont earn enough each month to cover all my bills in full. so I juggle payments. And I am not always good at keeping them straight.. so sometimes one bill gets backed up and REALLY high.

popeye1250 -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 11:49:37 AM)
I pay all my bills and manage to save about $600 monthly. And I could save more if I didn't spend another $600 a month on lottery tickets.

LaTigresse -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 1:16:48 PM)
My budget is what it is. I manage to pay the bills, occasionally put off the ones that don't matter (medical bills) and save a little, every month.

TurboJugend -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 1:28:31 PM)
I am doing fine. Although that doesn't mean I don't watch prices and such. The crisis made me think about some things...things I don't really need are not bought anymore and such. I respect simple stuff more. But I can't complain.

servantforuse -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 1:46:59 PM)
A good source for those who are having trouble meeting budget objectives is Dave Ramsey. He also has a show on the FOX business network. Get rid of the credit cards and begin to get debt free. He has a lot of very practical advice. I am doing fine for just that reason. I'm debt free..

MstrPBK -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 1:48:23 PM)
IN June I paid off all, and I mean ALL, of my medical bills; and that task took 8 years to acheive. Right now I am trying to save money to buy Adobe InDesign CS4; which I have wanted (InDesign) for 3 years. Somehow I just do not feel like I have any more money than before... MstrPBK St. Paul,

Lockit -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 1:59:48 PM)
I get the bills paid and am handing out a bit more here and there to help other's who have been laid off or only able to find jobs with less hours or less pay. (A twenty here and there.) I am pretty sure my planning for this time is helping a lot... and what I could save if I wasn't improving situations or going on with projects for the home... won't be enough to really save us if something comes down. Like I expect something in the next couple months. There is no way I can come up with the amount I am going to need and could lose everything if I don't come up with it. But... after my business went down after 911... I've kind of gotten used to this robbing Peter to pay Paul until they figure out what you're doing and come to beat your ass... and the juggling act. I thought it would change... but it doesn't. lol

GoddessImaginos -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 2:03:45 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MstrPBK Somehow I just do not feel like I have any more money than before... MstrPBK St. Paul I can relate to this fully. Our situation is a little more under control than it was though, because of certain measures like drying My laundry on a line outside - do Yyou know that alone has cut Our summer power bill in half? and having the vehicle paid off, and a couple fewer mouths to feed because the adult children finally moved out and got lives of their own - ah, the little things that make a Big Difference.

VanityFix -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 3:01:23 PM)
i graduated highschool on wellfare, never had any budget issues since then, im good with what little money i make my secrets are mainly i dont smoke and i take the bus, i avoid spending on stupid shit so i can save for big events cough bender cough, as im moving across the country in a wacky halfassed way i have been very careful how i spend money, but i havnt really felt any pain from saving, guess im just good with money. oddly tho if im stressing about an aspect of my life i also stress about money, if i have none i panic, iv lived a kinda life where no money = no dinner this week, so im kinda very cautious of my spending and budgets.

CountrySong -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 3:15:59 PM)
My budget is going good. I got wiped out in 2004 when the real estate and lending colapse actually started. When you go from an almost 10K monthly income to 0 you learn a lot of hard lessons - most of which I already knew since something like that happened to my family when I was young. Best advice I can give is cut your spending to 50% of your NET income. Most Americans are not broke - far from it! What they are is lifestyle overspenders. Spending is a drug for us (It actually is as it affects our short term happiness hence the saying and reality of "Retail Therapy") and keeping up with the Jones is a national hobby. We buy homes that are too large for our needs (about 2.5 times what they where in the 1950's). Typically these homes have 30 year mortgages that eat 50% or our NET income (lending limits are 30 to 35% but that is based on GROSS income) We then spend money filling these homes with stuff which is often purchased on credit. Worse we decide our home has to be beautified so we spend money on improvements, upgrades, and landscaping (Wonders how much OP is dumping into his place and how it affects his budget?) Basically most American got used to being finacial gluttons. (Like little subbies with sugar daddies who buy them everything they want.) We had our financial cake and the mantras became "More Toys" and "Charge It." We became financial fat cats. Now we are being forced to pay for that and screaming about it. My advice - bend over, lube up, and enjoy the ride. It ain't over yet. We just spent trillions that we do not have thanks to our government. So how do you pay for that? Well one portion of the plan is called Controlled Inflation and they are planning on slowly devaluing the dollar so that todays dollar is worth 20 to 25 percent less in 5 to 10 years (this is on top of the normal inflation). Simply put - in 10 years you will need to earn 30% to 50% more than you currently earn in order to maintain your lifestyle. Getting wiped out was actually one of the best things that happened to me personally. It hurt but having almost reached the other side - I'm much happier without all of the STUFF. I'm free to travel and hike. I almost have financial freedom. My relationships with friends and family have grown. I also now know who my real friends are - the one who hung in there with me when I lost everything. If I had had this mindset 20 years ago I could have bought and paid for the rest of my life then. Instead of spending 20 years as a slave to my profession. I have three more years to work and then I should be free. Best Practices Advice - Get OFF the consumer band wagon! And before you start whining like a little subbie who has been told she can not have a new pair of shoes. In every town in America we have people who live on $650 a month with free housing and medical. They have to pay for their entire lifestyle with just that. So think about it or better yet go rent a recreational lot with a travel trailer for a month and live there and think about all of the junk you really have in your life and how you coud be happy with less. Also stop using money as a quick fix for your happiness. It works short term but in the end it leads to unhappiness. Try to find cheap but fun things to do (even better if it produces an income or offsets an expense). For example, I found all the free days for the museums in my area. I also eat king crab and prime rid about twice a week for less than $3 a week. Final Statement - For most of us this is not about the economy - you can't control that! This is about overspending! Which you can control. (If you can't then find a Dom/Domme who can and serve them.) Peace

LaTigresse -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 3:41:11 PM)
I am not giving up the farm!

anthrosub -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 3:46:57 PM)
I will be debt free by next March. So I guess it's doing okay.

frazzle -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 4:16:29 PM)
I just look forward to the day, that the month runs out before the pay check. Closing the bank of mum, would be a good start, but unlikely to happen, son creeps too well. lol

Level -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 4:34:25 PM)
Things are tight as hell. IF nothing else goes wrong lol, then I'll see a little bit of light in about one year, and a whole lot in about 3 to 4.

MasterG2kTR -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 6:03:25 PM)
Greedy, The proper way to phrase your situation is; You have too much month left at the end of the money. [;)] As for myself, I am currently debt free (except for my mortgage), and I live within my means. I recently hit what I refer to as my "freedom day" when child support ended and I now have money I can actually save. I may spend a little of it too, but with the economy being in the shitter, I'm not about to make any crazy financial moves at this time.

GreedyTop -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/25/2009 9:47:09 PM)
true, G2 :) The only seriously outstanding debt I currently have is a student loan (they've finally stopped calling me, atleast for now[8\|]). EVerything else gets juggled. I just pray I dont need any kind of medical care....sigh

NeedToUseYou -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/26/2009 1:03:03 AM)
quote: Adobe InDesign CS4 quote: ORIGINAL: MstrPBK IN June I paid off all, and I mean ALL, of my medical bills; and that task took 8 years to acheive. Right now I am trying to save money to buy Adobe InDesign CS4; which I have wanted (InDesign) for 3 years. Somehow I just do not feel like I have any more money than before... MstrPBK St. Paul, Sometimes you can buy older versions on ebay then just pay the upgrade price. Adobe InDesign CS3, CS2, or CS can be upgrade to CS4. I've bought and registered several sealed software packages on ebay all from adobe that way. Just make sure to ask if it is fully able to be registered and not an educational edition but full retail. I may have gotten lucky though but that is what claims are for.

Cuffkinks -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/26/2009 1:29:08 AM)
Well, I have the credit cards down to a reasonable amount, the car payment and the mortgage are under control, but since I just traded in the paid off Harley for a brand new one, my budget will be a little "out of whack" for the next few years.

lazarus1983 -> RE: Tell us how your budget is doing right now '! (8/26/2009 4:12:44 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MasterG2kTR Greedy, The proper way to phrase your situation is; You have too much month left at the end of the money. [;)] As for myself, I am currently debt free (except for my mortgage), and I live within my means. I recently hit what I refer to as my "freedom day" when child support ended and I now have money I can actually save. I may spend a little of it too, but with the economy being in the shitter, I'm not about to make any crazy financial moves at this time. A tip of the hat to you for making it to your "freedom day." If Wisconsin is anything like Michigan, I'm sure it's nice to not get gangraped by your ex and the Friend of the Court. I have a lot of friends trapped in that nightmare, and a few others that are too scared to get divorced because they know they'll get raped. So they're trapped in a no-win situation. In any case, I don't have children, and I don't drink, and don't really go out anymore. I'm done with school which was all paid for by the GI Bill, and am a month away from starting a career. At my current job I make 8.05 an hour, work 36 hours a week, and am doing just fine. No debt, no problem!

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