I was reading the "High Income Kith" and thought we on the other end of the income spectrum needed a thread of our own. I will define "Low-Income" as $30,000 a year or less for a couple or family.

For the last two years, we have earned a combined income of just under $25,000. My DH is a full-time student, and works as a short-order cook. I am currently not working outside the home. We homeschool our only child. We do not own a home, we rent a small (782 sq. ft.) house for $550 a month. We have no debt, other than $6,000 in student loan debt, which we do not have to make payments on yet, since DH is still in school. He is receiving a Pell grant now, so he should not have to borrow any more to finish school.

DH wants to be a Flash Developer (computer animation) he has a website, if you want to take a look: http://galaxygraphicstudio.com/

We have been poor so long (our entire 12 years of marriage), we don't know what it is like to have money. We have never had a vacation of any kind, and have always shared one car (a paid for 2001 Toyota Corolla currently). We eat all of our meals at home, and have no health insurance.

I am a working mom of two teens. Last year I grossed $21,000. We do have health insurance (through state farm- cheaper than work) but I pay for it. The company I work for has health insurance for almost twice what I pay. We have one car (paid for). I have had money in the past from working two jobs (when kids were overseas with their dad- long story for another post) or from a higher paying job. During the "fat times" I paid off as much debt as I could and built up savings and such. Since the divorce that padding has helped out tons but we are back to square one.
I think having seen both sides of the coin (their dad spends way to much on credit cards then has to work 18 hour days to catch up bills. Me- working full time but paying cash for everything so that my evenings and weekends are for them).

I have been at both ends of the spectrum. When I made a higher income I was miserable and left the job due to abuse I was taking in the workplace. The first year I left my husband and I made 32,000. Not below your 30,000 requirement but we had a tough time. We still had alot of debt. I remember being so scared we couldn't make it.

It's funny I look back now and I think it was a blessing. We learned to live on very little, we learned to appreciate what we have and we learned to be more giving to others.

We were in it together and our marriage got stronger. We didn't fight about money because there was no money. We spent alot of time together just being together. We made plans and followed them through. We, we, we, well bottom line is we found each other. The list could go on and on.

Now we are slowly getting back on our feet alot wiser. We are getting rid of all the junk from our old lives and we will live frugally but rich in love and spirit.

I used to get so jealous of my sister who seemed to be able to buy anything she wanted. Then one day she told me she sold her blood to pay the credit card bills. She had no choice.

I was a fool. I won't be a fool anymore. Being 'low income' taught me that. Our income will probably go up but I don't think our spending will.

Frugal until the day I die.

After all deductions (child support, medical insurance etc) we live on less than 10k a year. We get no food stamps or any other form of aid. So yeah, we are poor-ass broke folks.

I too am low income, after child support, taxes and fees we live off of $19,000 or less per year. We manage and we pay all our bills on time so we're ok.

Like FrugalWitch, we do not get food stamps or any type of cash assitance so we are broke too!

My w-2 says we made 29,000 in 2006. We have two kids to care for and a high morgage. We have one car and its paid for. Some days I think we are going to end up homeless and other days I feel rich.

I am glad to know that we are not alone. When we were both working full-time our income was around $50,000 a year. My job was "stealing my soul". I was not happy, working 55+ hours a week, six days a week, for a boss that heaped on the verbal abuse. One day, I could take it no longer, and just quit. I was making $30,000 a year. I have worked a few low-paying, part-time jobs since then, but prefer to focus my efforts on living frugally.

The time I spend on coupon shopping, and stocking up on loss leaders, buying clothing and other items at thrift stores and yard sales, cooking from scratch, etc. saves us a lot of money. I never had time for many of these things when I was working six days a week.

I do wish we could find some health insurance we could afford. We had good insurance coverage when DH worked for a large grocery chain. He lost his job there almost three years ago. That is when he decided to go to college. He started college at the age of 32. He is now 35, and I am 45. I never thought I would still be living a "hand to mouth" existence at this age.

My fiance and I belong here. We live together and bring in $30,000 together. We are splitting many of our expenses for now, because we both make about the same amount of money. It seems like this amount would go further than it actually does. When the end of the month rolls around I am just happy we made it again. I try to do all I can to stretch our dollars. Menu planning, envelopes to keep cash for food and entertainment help me not overspend in those categories when I stick to it. I clip coupons, shop sales, buy meat in bulk and use sparingly, buy store brand for most things, shop at the thrift store or with gift cards. I am looking forward to this fall when my car and college loans are completely paid for, that will free up some money to snow ball towards my cc and to put towards my ef and dental work. I didn't think at 28 I would still be struggling financially. I have come to realize that living a frugal lifestyle consistantly is the only way to make sure I survive and not get further into debt. If we ever make more money as a couple I will be thankful for the security of the extra money. If we never make a dime more than we do right now, I know we will figure out a way to carry on and I can't see myself being any "happier" either way. We make our own happiness and I learned years ago money can't buy it. We have what we need and I am so thankful for that every day. I feel blessed :).

We fall into this...after taxes we make about $24K/year...(hubby in school full time so we don't have 2 full-time incomes). We're hoping to go a little higher as this year proceeds...we reeeeeeeeeally want to at least pay our credit card debt off by mid next year.

I'm going to put in for as many "freebies" as I can online and hopefully that will help out. We're trying to keep our grocery bill as low as possible...friends and family give us their extras and leftovers...that surely is a blessing!! :D

When we get out of this I never want to have ANY debt ever again!! (Aside from a mortgage). :relieved:

Frugal 4 Life!! :wave2:

I'm not a couple, but I also support a cat and four birds, so I guess that counts. LOL

I only bring home about $288 a week, IF I work the full 40 hour week, which lately, because of health issues, I haven't been able to do. I actually clear a little more than that, but then they take out the insurances. But I make less than $400 a week gross, so it's not much more than that.

I have a second hand car that looks like crap but runs well. I am buying my house, but I bought it for $54,000 when things were cheap here, and now it's worth about three times that (in just 10 years). I work in a grocery store, so I'm always up on the specials, but actually, I don't shop there much. It's a pretty expensive store, so I shop mostly at the cheaper places like Sav-a-Lot or buy some things from Dollar General and Big Lots.

I buy all of my clothes either second hand or on deep markdown (like buying clothes during closeout for the season). I use Freecycle a lot for things, and I "curb shop" for some stuff. If I see something cute on the curb, nothing will stop me from getting it, even if I have to ask the people to drag it back into their yard until I can get a strong friend to get it for me!

Right now, my goal is to fix up my house and sell it, clear a big profit, and move to S. Georgia, pay cash for my house, and start putting away some money for retirement. I lost most of my retirement in the stock market downturns and had to spend the rest when I was sick and injured and couldn't work.

The only material thing I'm craving right now is a newer car. Mine is 15 years old, has peeling paint, and is not going to last much longer, I fear. I just can't see how I can manage to buy one, unless I do sell the house.

My credit is pretty shot, so I can't refinance the house to get a car. I'm just praying this one holds up for awhile, as bad as it looks, so that I can save a little.

Currently I'm in this category, making about $13,600 as a grad assistant while I'm in school (STILL!). I sure hope that when I'm Dr. ____ and a professor or something in 3-4 years that this number will change! ;)

I guess I fall into this catagory too since hubby and I (when I amnot working, like now) only make around $30,000. I don't really feel poor. I always trust God to proved for us and he always comes through. I have a wonderful family and home. I am thankful for what I have :-)

I fall in this category to. After taxes are taking out by the end of the year I make about $16,000 a year. I do get child support for the youngest. I get $300 for her. Where I am lucky is that work I only have to pay $22 a month for medical and as long as I go to their doctors everything is free. Dr. calls, going to the ER, laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.,. The only thing I have to pay for is co-pay for my medicine that can range from $2 to $15. This helps tremoundsly! The girls dad does help out alot if the girls need something extra. Sometimes it can get a little tight, but I am very, very frugal. I compare the grocery ads I get and see who has the cheapest meats. Go to sav-a-lot if I can get it cheaper. At work we have a uniform allowance of $200 dollars. This also helps out tremoundsly. I have them take out $100 every two weeks and I put it in a credit union where I seldom go to so I won't be tempted to touch it, have $50 taken out every two weeks for my 401 (b). I love to read so I get my books from the library. Since I am the sole provider in the house I have my car payment seven months ahead and my house payment two months ahead. This way if something should happen to me I don't have to worry about how I will pay for my car payment or my house payment. Right now things are a little tight due to the car payment I feel a little strapped. My plan is to pay off the car in 2 1/2 years instead of five. This will help alot. Than the only debt I have is my mortgage. I stay home alot and that helps so I won't spend any money. Where I live at we have a Kroger's that doubles coupons. I challenge myself just about everyday to see where I can cut costs. Even if I wasn't making $16,000 a year I still would be doing the same frugal things even if I was making a higher income. I consider being frugal as one of my hobbies. Saves me money and Uncle Sam takes enough of it out of our check that I don't need to give him any extra money than I have to.

There are advantages to being "low-income" when it comes to tax time. The earned income credit is a big help to us, and the child tax credit is also. We also get a refund of a portion of the sales tax we pay on food in Kansas, if your adjusted gross income is less than $25,000 and you are over 65, or have a dependent child at home. I don't think there should be sales tax on food, anyway. Here we pay 7.3% on EVERYTHING!

Here we pay 7.3% on EVERYTHING!

A little off topic....but our sales tax is 10% and that includes everthing - even groceries. I agree with you, I do not think you should have to pay tax on groceries.

Our tax return says that we live on $17,415. DH makes about another $8,000 in "Housing Allowance" in his position as a minister (this is not taxable). We have no debt other than our house. Our house payment is around $650 a month. (Our house is old and tiny, but it works!) We don't take any goverment aid, including WIC (although I'd take it if I needed it to feed the kids). We pay for our own health insurance - which is not cheap!

We are lower income but we are not poor. And I feel like we're better off than many people our age because we don't have debt and we try not to be materialistic.

Because Philip is a Pastor I do not expect that we will ever be a "high" income family but that's o.k! :)

I am off topic too: I want to live in Kansas! Anyone have any advice such as best small towns, good companies to work for, land conditions, weather conditions, etc... I REALLY want to move to Kansas, just getting DH to agree in a couple years is the hard part. :)

I think I fall into this category too. I'm a student so I make very little in part-time. I made a lot more last year because I was a manager but budget cuts happened and now I'm just a cashier, which was a major decrease in pay and hours. DH makes about 30 000 alone, but our rent (which we're looking for a place after I graduate) makes up for more than half of our take home pay (60% to be exact), the rest in insurance and student loan interest payments leaves us with very little for food etc.
Sometimes I wish there was a magical cure for spending. I want to be completely frugal, but I'm finding it hard.

I know what you mean, sometimes I really just want to go out and buy myself something as a reward for being so good the past couple months, then I get in the store and I feel guilty for even "thinking" about buying it so I walk out of the store with nothing.

I do find it hard to be completely frugal because I love diet pepsi and an occasional chocolate bar so I buy them on impulse (especially when it's that time of the month) and I try hard to NOT buy them but I do. :(

I am not a big spender at all, I am what my kids call me a "Bat who stays in her cave all day" because I know that if I go out there are soooo many temptations out there, so I stay at home in my bat cave and play on the internet, watch TV, clean, etc.. keeps my mind of spending and yes I save money because I am not usig gas to go out shopping. :) I just think of the long term bonus.. having an EF, money saved for this or that, no CC bills, etc... that's what makes it worthwhile.

I am not a big spender at all, I am what my kids call me a "Bat who stays in her cave all day" because I know that if I go out there are soooo many temptations out there, so I stay at home in my bat cave and play on the internet, watch TV, clean, etc.. keeps my mind of spending and yes I save money because I am not usig gas to go out shopping. :) I just think of the long term bonus.. having an EF, money saved for this or that, no CC bills, etc... that's what makes it worthwhile.

LOL Tracy! Sounds just like me. Gas is so expensive so I try to limit going out, but sometimes I feel like I just need to get out and see what is going on in the outside world!

Sales tax here in KY is only 6% and groceries are not taxed. The cost of living here is pretty low.

I know what you mean, sometimes I really just want to go out and buy myself something as a reward for being so good the past couple months, then I get in the store and I feel guilty for even "thinking" about buying it so I walk out of the store with nothing.

I do find it hard to be completely frugal because I love diet pepsi and an occasional chocolate bar so I buy them on impulse (especially when it's that time of the month) and I try hard to NOT buy them but I do. :(

I am not a big spender at all, I am what my kids call me a "Bat who stays in her cave all day" because I know that if I go out there are soooo many temptations out there, so I stay at home in my bat cave and play on the internet, watch TV, clean, etc.. keeps my mind of spending and yes I save money because I am not usig gas to go out shopping. :) I just think of the long term bonus.. having an EF, money saved for this or that, no CC bills, etc... that's what makes it worthwhile.

aww man. i feel you on the diet pepsi. except for me, its coke. ooooohh just the sound it makes when you pull the tab open. its delicious. i dont have any in my fridge though. the least ive ever seen 12 packs here are four for ten dollars and thats rare. its usually three for ten and thats just too much. i see pepsi on sale all the time though, five 12pks for ten dollars, im a coke drinker though so... yeah. i stick to my koolaid most of the time. its tastes good and is way cheaper to make. and this is what i tell myself.. less money going out, means more money staying in :D

I gotta have my diet pepsi and yeah they are pretty much on sale every other week so I dont spend much on them. Chocolate is a once in a while thing as my reward, lol.

I guess I just think about the long term goals, i.e. having money in savings, not worrying about how we are going to pay this or that, and yes Murphy visits us often but we just climb right back up the ladder and I retreat to my "Bat Cave" lol (kids gotta love em').

I'm definitly low income. Much less than 30,000 a year. Cost of living in rural Missouri is low though.

Hi Guys

I too am in the club. DH take home is 24000. a yr... I work part part time and manage to keep a small amount of my check. The rest pays scholarship rate tuition for daughters at a private school..
we are frugal. save like rats...never...NEVER eat out. Kids went to a restaurant 2 yrs ago on Thanksgiving thanks to Grandmothers visit. They were so excited and POLITE>>>>little ladies..it was SUCH an experience for them. They still talk about it. :)
Yeah I have my days when I feel Poor and days I feel wealthy.
We currently do not own a car and schlep everywhere on foot and by bus. Thats hard...I have 2 sp needs kids and 1 "reg" (so called :) ) NO FLAMES>>> The distraction is high especially for walking together down the street on the sidewalk- so I don't get out much.
We are trying our best to provide basics + for our kids. Serious park people.
Library lovers...1/2 price books etc
We dress ourselves via the thrift store and I get compliments galore on my clothing and how we dress the children. cheep cheep..:)
I love thrift as it leads to savings. I hate thrift when it is a choiceless lifestyle.
Thats it. and Us

I am in this same club and it has been nice reading everyone's comments. It makes me admire everyone and feel that I can do this, sometimes I feel a little discouraged. Right now I am currently cleaning buildings for a living and that is fine for me, it just doesn't pay well. I am frugal to a fault, although lately I have been in rebellion with credit cards. Any way it's nice to know that I am not alone.

Our family belongs here. After paying child support and all our monthly bills we are pretty well flat broke. Between my hubby and I we cleared $30,000 last year.

Kate

I am in this same club and it has been nice reading everyone's comments. It makes me admire everyone and feel that I can do this, sometimes I feel a little discouraged. Right now I am currently cleaning buildings for a living and that is fine for me, it just doesn't pay well. I am frugal to a fault, although lately I have been in rebellion with credit cards. Any way it's nice to know that I am not alone.

I would love to have a side job cleaning houses, apartments or buildings, how did you go about starting this? Is this your own business or are you with an independant company? :)

I guess I'd fit in this category as well 'cuz I live on $650.00 a month.

Still, I have everything I need ... and am blessed to have reduced rent.

Love,

Jennelle

Dear Jaded,

If your car is running smoothly, but its outward appearance is not to your liking, wouldn't it be cheaper to have it repainted than to buy a new car? I saw a post about this somewhere else, where a couple had their truck all 'redecorated' instead of buying a new one and it saved them about $ 14,000.

Well my family is in this club too. I am a SAHM and my husband works and brings home after taxes and the insurance we pay for, a little over 22,000 a year. I have two children. One is in college and that is a major expense in many ways and the other has braces and that bill alone is 150.00 a month not to mention all the money we had to have down at first. I don't have a fancy home in fact its a double wide. We have old furniture that looks pretty bad for the most part. I don't hardly ever buy myself clothes or anything at the store. There are no thrift stores around here close and the closet one is not too good in terms of quality stuff. My DH loves to spend on his hobbies and that really upsets me because I feel until we get the kids on their own he shouldn't be spending like we are rich. I also don't hardly ever spend money on my home. I get very excited getting a few new towels or something because its so rare that I do even that. I spend way too much on food and I really need to do better. I use what few coupons I can and try to get meat on sale or from the reduced section. I try to stockpile when things we use go on a super sale but still we spend so much on food. I don't know how some of you do it on spending so little. I still feel very very blessed even tho we are certainly not rich. I thank God we have a roof over our head and I have a good bed to sleep on at night. I thank Him that I have food everyday to feed my family and that my husband has a job. My oldest son said we were poor and I told him I don't think we are and he said well its good you can feel that way. I feel the most important things in life are my relationship with God and my family not money. Sure I would like it if we made a lot more but I think we need to be content with whatever we have been blessed with until we can do better.

I definitely fit in that category. Right now we are only living on my child support of $200 a month. I am taking a medical leave from work - trying to get me "fixed" lol. BF is trying to get a job. I did pay a few months of utilities and things ahead so we wouldn't have to stress so much about it for a little bit. Even when I am working, I make about $12k per year.

We have a huge garden - I saw the corn start coming up. YAY. We do get Food stamps, but they haven't removed my income, so it's very little. We did go to the local food pantry (can go once a month). I will take any assistance we can get, but I do not abuse it. If I get something we can't use I either give it to someone else or take it back. When (hopefully) my garden comes in I will take some to the food pantry for them to give to others and give some away to family members.

I need to fix my house. We have a friend that remodels and repairs houses for a living - I have asked him if he finds certain things could he sell them to me (or even give them to me) and he will help with any labor on the house too. He goes to our church and is a wonderful person.

I definitely fit into this catergory. That is one of my reasons for being here. I want to learn to manage my money better so that when we are making better money I won't go crazy. I will have the knowledge on how to not need the tons of money.....if that makes any sense. LOL

I know I wrote here already but I am totally here right now... DH lost his lob last month and we've been living off his unemployment benefits but he starts a new job tomorrow. I finally was eligible for foodstamps atleast for June-July, and August so I will be stockpiling for when they take em' away.

Money is soooo tight now that I cringe when we have to spend $40 on gas, but we are doing well in spite of everything.

Usually I am a little above this category, working as a Personal Assistant or secretary.

But this year my income is $ 0 (no typo!), because I went back to studying fulltime. I am living off my savings and have a budget of about $ 800 a month. Thank heavens I enjoy cooking and am satisfied with very little. It also helps that this year I do not need to be dressed to the nines, as I have to do when working.

Since DH died I guess I am now in this "club." I make about 22,000 before taxes.

I'm a f/t student and last year my W2 income was $2200 from campus work study. I also got about $7k in grants and scholarships (after tuition) that is not taxable. High GPA + low income = great financial aid. I still have $5200 in the bank I've been living off of since I didn't work this summer.

My SO worked p/t for the county doing GIS and GPS work. I forget what his W2 was but it was under $20K. He also took 2 months off for the summer after his internship ran out. He's now back at that job as a temp and got a raise too.

We feel pretty comfortable right now as SO has $71K in bank from an inheritance. He's trying not to spend it much, saving it as retirement nest egg. We don't want to buy a house and the market is bonkers here right now anyway.

We have 2 older cars that run well and are cheap to keep but we walk or bike most places in town. Rent is $525, other phone and electric are $70/mo total. Groceries and other purchases vary but we don't buy a lot. (I do stock a pantry of sale items though) We don't have health ins., but we do go to a very nice local clinic for uninsured.

We mostly value our free time as we like to camp and bicycle, though I suppose that sometime we have to get off our duff and get a real job.

Since DH died I guess I am now in this "club." I make about 22,000 before taxes.

Sari, I am so sorry this happened, my prayers and thoughts are with you :hugz:

i find my family in this income range now that DH has injured himself at work and we are recieveing comp payments now...he will start school come fall for electrical engineering that will be paid by VESID(thank my lucky stars something has gone our way!!!)so he will work for the railroad when all is said and done hopefully for a starting salary of about 35000 to 50000 depending on what he gets and how much schooling he does....I am looking for full time work as we type,so that we will have health insurance...ours from the school district he is presently on medical leave from runs out in a month so either we have to do COBRA or healthy ny until I find work.....Sari I wanted to say I am truly and deeply sorry for your loss,,

Patty

Since DH died I guess I am now in this "club." I make about 22,000 before taxes.


Sari, I'm so sorry for your loss.


--Michelle

Thanks ladies. It's funny (not funny ha-ha) how so many things change.

Yeah. Count me in. I'm a single mother of three, working two jobs every week and still last year my W-2's said I made 19,250. Luckily my home is paid off and the only debt I am currently paying on it my son's car note, and I took that on voluntarily. He bought the car when he was working, and now that he's going back to school, needed to get out from under the payment, so when I paid off my car in May, we switched. I now drive his newer nicer car and he has my old one.

It's hard as HECK sometimes making ends meet. Sometimes it's hard just getting those ends CLOSE to each other.

Sari, I'm so sorry for your loss. God bless and comfort you is my prayer.

This is certainly the group for me!! I am curious as to how many of you are going without health insurance.

I can not afford health insurance at this point in time and it scares me to death.

I have always had great insurance, but when my company closed this past Dec., I took a job with no insurance because I had to keep a roof over mine and DD's head. I love the job I have now, but there are only 4 of us and I am the only one who needs insurance. I have looked into it and for me alone it is $250.00 per month. What average person could pay that?

i posted before...but as the end of the month we will be without health insurance;because DH job says we owe for backpay(4000$)we are no longer eligible for the school health insurance because supposedly we hadnt been paying for it through his salary, where we thought we were, i am so confused by the system and know its a hardball tactic by the school district to get him to resign.......its been a stalemate for so long,,,,anyway i just meant to add that as of september we will be without insurance...i am presently looking for work but since he will be attending school full time, im looking to work around his schedule and finding a job is not so easy especially one that is flexible.Hopefully through healthy ny or COBRA we will be able to find something...it is so expensive tho and I have a few health problems along with bipolar and need meds every month...I feel like we are a financial train wreck and so far beyond help...i dont know what to do as Ive posted in other posts...

Patty

We are also without health insurance, and have been for over three years. DH lost a job with great benefits, and quickly found another job, but it pays less, and no benefits. Not just no insurance, no paid vacation, no paid holidays, just $12 an hour. He only works 25 hours a week, because he is a full-time student. I don't work, but am also attending school full-time. Our daughter has insurance through a state program for low-income children. We pay $20 a month for that.

There are a few Christian based health share programs that you may want to look into. I cannot recall the names of them right now, but a friend used to belong to one and was pleased with it. Sorry that I cannot be of more help. Perhaps you could google Christian health share or something like that. By the way, you do have to be an evangelical Christian to join.

I don't have H I. I have been going to a local Marillac Clinic that is for uninsured folks. It's a nice clinic that also works with a local hospital that is next door. My being with that clinic (you need to get your income verified and get a yearly card) includes me in the Colorado Indigent Care Program. (There is some "socialized" medicine out there if you look for it.)

A while back I had a yearly womens exam at this clinic and the PA (they use those mostly) found a tiny lump. She had me over to the hospitals ultrasound lab the next day. Everything was ok, it it got paid for by the CICP.

I'm at such a low income that my co-pay is $5 and many Rx are very cheap. They also are part of a program where drug companies provide Rx for cheap or free.

I also use the county's family planning clinic. They have helped me with things that were not exactly fp.

I'm not sure what I'd do if I had a major health problem, but I hope the Marillac clinic card is sort of insurance into the CICP.

If you are in college see if your college has a clinic. My small state college does and I have gotten care there too.


I hope the Sicko film helps this country to turn towards a better plan for all folks.

Our college does have a clinic. It is staffed by the nursing students. You can get care for minor things like sore throats, ear infections, etc. It is only open two hours a day, three days a week.

We were a family of five, but my soon to be 17 year old stepdaughter moved to MN to live with her mom. We lost 850.00 a month in child support and now we have to pay 250.00 a month to her in child support. We have 2 children, 2 mortgages and too much credit card debt and no health insurance..... we are officially in this club now.

After taxes I make a little less than 18,000.

Lack of health insurance is what is keeping me awake right now...an ear infection I can do nothing but take tylenol for. I don't have any words of wisdom, just prayers and commiseration for the rest of you!

We belong here, as well. I'm a SAHM with 3 children in a rural area of South Carolina. My husband works full time and he's also in the Reserves. We live in a 2001 manufactured home and even though we are doing ok, we haven't any savings and the end of the month is always challenging. It's encouraging to read so many stories of people not only surviving, but thriving with less. Thank you all for sharing. :applause:

My income is currently around 1,500 hundred a month. I am supporting even poorer family members on that at the moment. It is going to be even worse come December if I haven't figured out a way to generate some outside income. Working outside the home for many reasons is just not a good idea, it never was, but the lure of a paycheck was too great and up until May I had a job, my income back then was around 25,000 a year for me and my daughter, I wasn't complaining. Anyways I suspect my old job made me sick and I am dealing with that now, looking for work, but I lean toward searching for an at home job. My dream would be that the therapy I am working on to get better works and I teach others how to do the same.

Last year I made about $11,000,it's me and 2 kids.This is the most i've made since being single. I make do with what I have and i'm working on increasing my income to hopefully $15,000 this year.

The only times I feel poor is the few times I had to ask my parents to buy us food and my lowest point was in November when I realized my oldest outgrew her winter clothes and my parents had to rush to the store to buy her a jacket, snowpants, and boots to wear to school the following day, I didn't have a spare dime.

I make it a point to have clothes in bigger sizes for my kids like coats, shoes, and boots so I will never feel that low again.

DH and I grossed less than 18K a year when he wasn't injured. He's been off work with an injury since June 2007, so we're living on less these days. We're living, though, and enjoying every minute of it.

Poverty becomes me for some reason. :lip:

We are now just a little above $30,000.00 but that is just since this year since my husband moved to manager and got a raise. We've lived on a whole lot less. We have 2 kids in college and thankfully they get scholarships and pell grant that pays for it. They live at home. I live in TN and both of mine are still eligible for TennCare only because I was in the hospital and have thousands of dollars worth of doctor bills that we are trying to pay a little at a time. That made us eligible for a spend down which is why they have it. My husband was just offered a low insurance at work and the owner will help pay the premium. I'm living without any. I have to pay for any healthcare and for all my meds. I have signed up for disablity because of all my health problems. I've been turned down twice and waiting for a hearing.

We have always lived by what we had and not going into debt except for our house. We owe for it...and now of course all those doctor and hospital bills.

I've always tried to live frugally but I came here to see what else I can learn. Every little bit helps.

I think DH and I are headed into this kith as I am losing my job in April.

Last year I made around 17,000 after taxes. I only work part-time and am a one-person household so this is total income. But I don't feel poor, I feel very blessed and happy with my life (ie. blessed that I can get by on part-time hours and therefore have a lot less job stress than I did before. I feel richer than I ever did working full-time for twice the money).

We defintely fall here hubby's SS is just over 1000 a month. What helps is we grow all of our veggies for the year which I can or freeze we have dairy goats for mil and meat, chickens for eggs and meat and rabbits for furs and meat. We don't have a car payment we live in a small tow n in KS and it has a grocery stor and a hardware/lumber yard and a co-op for the animal feed so we don't have to go much so that saves on gas. We are happy and don't really want for anything

DH and I are just below 30k now, and since I haven't been getting regular hours at my job we're even lower. Its been tough but we're managing.

Dh's hours have went down by 8-10 per week (16-20 bi-weekly) and while it's not killing us it surely is a pain in the butt since I always look forward to that to budget. I cant wait for him to start his summer session then he will have a good 40 hours bi-weekly which can help me save more for those weeks he get's less hours.

I just wish he was salary, would be much easier :)

Can't remember if I've posted here or not. I'm a single mom of 2 who has never gotten CS so I work 2-3 days a week at $7 an hr( to be honest that's decent money where I live) and clean houses when I can as well. All together we live on 800-900 monthly. I've always been against going on welfare so I just budget and since I know exactly how much I tend to have coming in, we simply don't spend over that.
Wanted to add- I don't have health insurance but my daughter has low income state insurance and my son has disability insurance so thankfully I don't have to worry about that so long as I stay dirt poor lol. If I get sick I just grin and bear it or pay out of pocket.

This is certainly the group for me. I make less $17.000 a year. Have no Health Insurance. I have try to get Health Insurace but at my age no one will insurance me for less than $500.00 a month. So i just deal with it. Those that have Health Insurance thur their Employers or own their own count your blessings.

I belong in this group too. We are a family of four and make under 30,000 a year. Thank goodness I learned to budget from my mom, we had five kids in our family and my stepdad worked construction, so especially in the winter we had to budget.

I cook from scratch, shop sales, buy things at thrift stores and yard sales and know the difference between what I need and what I want.

The only difficult thing is DH, he loves to spend. I pretty much have control of the accounts because if he has it he spends it. Anyone else have this problem?

I am off topic too: I want to live in Kansas! Anyone have any advice such as best small towns, good companies to work for, land conditions, weather conditions, etc... I REALLY want to move to Kansas, just getting DH to agree in a couple years is the hard part. :)

Well it depends on where you want to go. If you go out into western kansas there isnt anything but flat plains and no trees and TONS of snow. I lived out there for 25 years...lol. I know some of the cities prices are high just like everywhere. I left Kansas and moved to Texas and wont ever look back at Kansas!

Hubby and I fit here depending on the year. We make between 24,000 and 35,000 a year all depending on overtime. He's a plumber so he does on call and well we welcome crappy weather. Last year we made 31,000 with me working this year it will be around 27,000 since I am not working and nobody is getting extra plumbing work done.
We really luck out though b/c we have state insurance and free insurance through his job.His work insurance had an extremeely high deductable which the state insurance pays which is nice so doctor vists are free and meds are almost free at $3. We get food stamps of $145 a month for a family of 5 and rent from his boss so they are really flexable about when we pay. Hehe they know how much he made each month and knows that we have other expenses.

Here's where we belong ;) Although admittedly, we kind of have a champagne taste on a koolaid budget ;)

DH and I both work full time and bring in about $40,000 combined. I work in admin and he's a butcher. We rent an apt. (920 sq. ft. incl. deck) for $820/month, not including any util's. I hang the laundry outside, and we are trying to drive less.

I actually have to admit that I am working really hard to just be satisfied with what I have, and give up the lurking "I wish, I want" type thoughts. DH and I both come from pretty well-off families, who live in nice big spacious houses as do most of our friends,and sometimes it can be a little frustrating.

DH is so NOT on my frugal bus. While he doesn't have a lot of clothes, what he does have is all relatively brand new.He REFUSES to wear used clothes, or even shop at discount type stores. He only wears athletic name brand stuff, especially UnderArmour, and golf type shirts, but thankfully, he wears a uniform to work so he's not too ridiculous. I got really mad when his mother lent him money to buy new golf clubs and said he could take as long as he wanted to pay her back. Explaining that a) the ones he had were good enough, he's not on the PGA and b) if he couldn't pay cash, he couldn't afford them didn't work at all. I'm still bitter about it. I didn't have $90 to buy a new bridle for the horse, but he got new clubs. He got a membership for a local golf club that was $875 for the year...on the credit card, and I gave up my horse lease to save money. As you can probably tell, I'm striving to let go of my resentment :P

We are the ONLY people we know who don't own their own house, and we only know 2 other couples who are one car familes. DH pays $300/month for the car. I do not contribute to the cost of the car because I didn't want him to buy it..I thought we could get a cheaper used car instead, but I lost that argument. I DO drive it tho, and I do put gas in and pay my own insurance.

Hopefully if I get on with the government permenantly we will have a little more breathing room. And hopefully if I keep working on it, I will learn to appreciate what I have instead of mulling over what I don't.

DH and I definitely fall into this category. He is military so he gets a housing allowance, but even with that he brings home less than $30,000 a year. Before we were married we both worked and spent as we pleased, as neither of us had any significant expenses. Now those old credit card bills and spending habits have come back to haunt us! I got my associate's degree this last year and plan to continue on, but with a less crazy schedule so that hopefully I can find time for at least a part-time job in there too!
Even though I really enjoy shopping for clothes, I can get by okay on a small amount of money. I have a subscription to Blockbuster online (like netflix) and a library card, and our apartment has a pool and a hiking trail across the street so I am good to go. My husband, on the other hand, HATES not having the spending money that he used to have. If I try and leave any money in our bank account he spends it right away, so we are always living paycheck to paycheck.
He will be deployed to Iraq pretty soon, so I hope to concentrate my efforts on paying down our credit card bills, my car, and our personal loan so that we are not so bogged down with bills when he gets back. We will still have rent, and will probably get a second car after the first is paid off, but without credit card bills I expect things will be a lot easier. (I am hoping anyway!)
I am hoping that by being more frugal I can save money so that we can treat ourselves to the occasional movie or night out, and that I can actually buy some decent living room furniture for our house (our furniture is all handed down or bought off craigslist for dirt cheap). I have hope that things will look up for us soon. All of your stories are so inspiring, as I see so many of you living on so much less than we do and surviving just fine!

Hope it's not too late to jump in here!

Single working mom of 3 (only 2 living at home), making $22,000 per year from my job, $6,000 a year in child support. I supplement my income with Ebay sales, but I don't really have a figure on that, because I've only been going at it hard and heavy for the past month or so. That income will obviously fluctuate depending on my sales. (I've sold on Ebay in the past, but stopped for a few years, now back at it due to high fuel and food prices.)

If anyone needs help or has questions about selling on Ebay, I'm glad to help - just PM me. I wrote up a tutorial for another site to help condense what you need to know to get started, and included tips that Ebay doesn't give you, but you learn along the way after years of experience! :rollsmile

My income is just high enough to keep me from qualifying for free lunches for the kids at school - we can get reduced, but not free. (That's ok, I'm going to be packing their lunches this next school year due to the kids' changing food needs.)

I also can't get help from the state with food stamps. I qualify for it (not a lot, but some), but because of a STUPID ruling they have regarding child support, I refuse to do it. I have been told (twice now) when I applied for assistance, that I MUST give them my ex-husband's name, address, SSN, phone number, etc., so that they can open a Child Support Enforcement case against him. When I asked why, they simply said it was a condition of my getting food stamps that I comply with that rule. If I didn't comply, my food stamps case would be denied and closed. What I found out after some research is that the state wants to do this so they can take the child support directly from my ex's paycheck, run it through their system, and take out what they consider their benefits are worth...then send me what's left. So if I get food stamps or Medicaid for myself or the kids, they will take part of the child support and give me the balance. I'm sorry...but the food stamps and Medicaid are NOT going to pay the rent, utility bills, put gas in the car or clothes on the kids backs and shoes on their feet. Therefore, I refuse to ask the state for help anymore - they marked my case "noncompliant", denied and closed it - and I haven't been back.

So, as far as the state is concerned, I 'fall through the cracks'. :pdoff:

Hope it's not too late to jump in here!

Single working mom of 3 (only 2 living at home), making $22,000 per year from my job, $6,000 a year in child support. I supplement my income with Ebay sales, but I don't really have a figure on that, because I've only been going at it hard and heavy for the past month or so. That income will obviously fluctuate depending on my sales. (I've sold on Ebay in the past, but stopped for a few years, now back at it due to high fuel and food prices.)

If anyone needs help or has questions about selling on Ebay, I'm glad to help - just PM me. I wrote up a tutorial for another site to help condense what you need to know to get started, and included tips that Ebay doesn't give you, but you learn along the way after years of experience! :rollsmile

My income is just high enough to keep me from qualifying for free lunches for the kids at school - we can get reduced, but not free. (That's ok, I'm going to be packing their lunches this next school year due to the kids' changing food needs.)

I also can't get help from the state with food stamps. I qualify for it (not a lot, but some), but because of a STUPID ruling they have regarding child support, I refuse to do it. I have been told (twice now) when I applied for assistance, that I MUST give them my ex-husband's name, address, SSN, phone number, etc., so that they can open a Child Support Enforcement case against him. When I asked why, they simply said it was a condition of my getting food stamps that I comply with that rule. If I didn't comply, my food stamps case would be denied and closed. What I found out after some research is that the state wants to do this so they can take the child support directly from my ex's paycheck, run it through their system, and take out what they consider their benefits are worth...then send me what's left. So if I get food stamps or Medicaid for myself or the kids, they will take part of the child support and give me the balance. I'm sorry...but the food stamps and Medicaid are NOT going to pay the rent, utility bills, put gas in the car or clothes on the kids backs and shoes on their feet. Therefore, I refuse to ask the state for help anymore - they marked my case "noncompliant", denied and closed it - and I haven't been back.

So, as far as the state is concerned, I 'fall through the cracks'. :pdoff:

See this why I don't ask for Government asst. Me and my boys did just fine with out any help from the government. I'm still a big heart liberal.

Since DH died I guess I am now in this "club." I make about 22,000 before taxes.

I am really so sorry you lost your husband. It must be so hard for you, and I'm sure you miss him terribly!

It certainly does put money matters in perspective though, doesn't it? You gave us all something to think about!

Thinking of you!

Theresa

I'm jumping in here. :ack: I'm a single mom of two...I was making about 20,000 a year (that's including family allowance on top of my pay), and if I'm lucky I'm supposed to be getting about $9,000 a year in child support.

Luckily, thanks to this board, I've managed to budget so that I am independent, and can live without the child support when the ex screws up.

I'm thinking I belong in this category. I bring home about 20,000 a year on my own. I was divorced almost 2 years ago and walked away with nothing but a crappy car and my personal belongings. He got the house, the furniture, everything. I just walked. I even had to pay for the divorce by myself. So it was really starting over. I had been married since I was 15, so living alone and having no other income but my own was tough. The old car crapped out, so getting a new one with a warranty was my best option. It has NO extras- no A/C, no radio and no power steering or power anything. But it gets great gas mileage.
I now live with my b/f, who owns a house but I do pay rent and utilities. We keep our bills and money separate. We split groceries and other household expenses.
After Aug. 14th I will be leaving my job of nearly 5 years to go back to school. I work as a copy editor at a newspaper and that industry is shrinking fast. I have tons of freinds and former co-workers who have been laid off in the last year or so and it's just a matter of time before my job goes too.
SO, I am facing a job hunt for part-time work and the cost of tuition, books, etc. My b/f has promised to help all he can, but I feel I have to stand on my own for this. It's going to be rough for the next couple of years, but worth it in the end, I think.

Y'all are my kind of kith!

I grossed just under $18K last year. I'm 25.
I'm the sole provider for my son who turns 2 in Dec. I recieve no child support because the system is full of :censor: & they can't do anything because they don't have his address (WTF?!).

My mom lives with me and can't work because of her arthritis & COPD. She's trying to get Social Security and y'all know how long that takes. (FYI she's a retired HOBO, seriously, so she has no savings). She watches my son at night so I can work so I give her $200 a month. She earns extra money by selling plasma and participating in medical research studies (we got a call last night about he athletes feet study...$$$$yay$$$).

I filed bankruptcy (pro-se!!!) this year & got 45k worth of debt discharged. The only debt I have now is 20k worth of student loans for 2yrs that I did nothing but stay drunk & play Halo at college.

I wish I did get food stamps. They told me I made too much money & my mom can't get them because she has to have a doctor's letter saying that she can't work, but she can't get that because she has to go to the free clinic because she's POOR & HAS NO MONEY and they change doctors every month and the excuse given to her was that they didn't know her very well.

I don't get Section 8 (missed the last 3 enrollments this year :( ) but I live in a 2br that's only $195 a month. I don't have a car but that's ok because my job is less than 1 mile from my apartment. The only time I need to take a cab is when I go to Wal-mart and that's only $20 back; I take the bus there.

I'm going to try to apply for childcare assistance. I was told that the waiting period was one year. That would be great because I'm also paying for college out of pocket and while he's in daycare I can devote more time to studying.

I still qualify for WIC. I have health insurance through my job ($112 a month). I cancled the dental. I have all my teeth. They are clean & I can eat with them so I won't be needing to was $26. I'm able to set aside 5% of my income into my 401K. I'm trying to start saving at least $20 a paycheck.

I've been low-income forever (except when I was married for a short period when I was in college [not my baby's daddy] ). I have enjoyed some of the nice things in life because I tend to date out of my league, lol. But since my son was born I've been TOOOOOO busy with working & studying & taking care of him to even talk to a man on the phone much less put in time with one.

I don't consider being low-income the same as being poor. I can provide a roof & food for my family and still take care of business so I'm far from real poverty.

Well for my family of four DD, my mom, my aunt and I we were just living off of 800 p/m. But now my mother has finally been granted SSI/SSDI so we are now living off about 1100 p/m. We do receive 150$ in food stamps, and state medical insurance but that's it.

Yep I'm broke too.
I net about $1,000-1,500/month. It fluctuates with the seasons as people tend to eat out more in Summer months and Holiday time. I work till the work's done which can make a difference of several hours in a day depending on how busy we are.

I add to my income here and there helping people with horse training issues and hoof care.

Have just decided to do without heating oil for the past several winters this will be year three relying on just the space heaters for warmth and I'm not to keen on it. It is doable but not very fun. I used to love winter. Now I hate it. But Oil is just too expensive and my heating system is unreliable.

I have one more car payment to make and I can breath a little. Hoping to explore other (frugal) heating options for next year.

Frugal has been my way of life since I can remember. My family lived this way as well. I don't own a credit card and I buy nothing unless I have the money for it.

I know there are things I can do yet to simplify even more.

In spite of the hardhsips I like my frugal, simple life.:)