Getting started

[Princess Lala]

Ok.. so i have a sticky note (yeah i know..) with all my debts written down.
I'm at work so i the only one i don't have a $$ for is my DH's bike payment.

I have no problems using a computer system to trck everything, but my DH isn't good with computers so he needs it all on paper.

I need help setting up a system to track everything... debt & payments, bills/budget, spending... etc...

We've never been great with our money & are a little behind on a few things... and now my DH is un-employed until our baby sitter can start & he can look for a new job.

I'm just very ovewhelmed & have no idea how to get started.
I thought about ready Dave Ramsey's book.. but no $$ to buy it & i owe the library so i can't borrow it either!

AHHHHH!!!
And i think it's worse cause i'm gone for 12 hours & day, DH is home with the 2 boys & the debit card. I need to get this all worked out so i can put it up inf ront of him to make him see he HAS to track his $$ and quit impulse shopping.


Right now he spends & then i'm left trying to figure out how to get things paid... i can't even make the minimum payments on our CCs. So i've been trying to give them each a little, but end up getting charged cause i didn't make the minimum...

My pay from my day job pays our base bills (maybe), not including gas or food.
I also do digital scrapbook designing, but i haven't been able to put much time into it cause i've spent all my time fighting with DH over $$
Signed up & posted 2 things on Craigs List yesterday... but don't want to bank on anythign selling till i have the money.
Going to go through our old Magic the Gathering cards & contact someone on Craig's List about buying them all at once- need to figure out how many i have so i can name my price.

Ok.. have to get some work done... since i'm at work.. will come back in a bit to browse some more & try to find my brain again...

[Lorelei]

You'll find a lot of good suggestions about paying down debt on this board. One thing that stood out in your post, for me, was your comment about your DH being home with the boys and the debit card. Is he spending money to keep the kids busy? There are a lot of free things he can do with the kids - take them to the park, (usually I'd suggest the library, but guess that is out for awhile), have them play in the backyard, take walks, teach them how to play your hubby's favorite sport, etc.

If you don't owe the library much money, you might pay that bill so you can save more by having your DH take the kids there. Most libraries have story times, computers, and all sorts of neat things for kids to do, and often have information on jobs, too.

[changed4life]

I agree with paying the library what you owe. Then, it's another free activity for the kids and it'll get you that book so you can start on your new financial plan!

Can you have a garage sale for extra money? Find a higher paying job?

Good luck!

[amecoy75002]

This is a great place for advice and support. I agree that the best investment is the local library. My kiddos spent hours there over the years, as well as learning to love reading. Bite the bullet, pay the library and check out all of Dave Ramsey's books, You money or your life, and Tightwad gazettes (if you haven't read yet). Great ideas and sound plans in all

[itsahumanzoo]

I know how you feel. Whenever I'm at work and DH is home with DS he doesn't even think twice about taking him out for lunch or something. Meanwhile, I'm at work eating leftovers! He knows that we don't have money to spend but he doesn't realize exactly how much because he doesn't do the finances.

Anyway, I think you have a good start so far. The first thing I would do when you have all your expenses written out is to see where you can cut some spending out. Maybe taking shorter showers, and having "no electricity" time. Small things like that definitely add up. My biggest money saver is grocery shopping. I definitely was able to cut a lot of our spending there.

There's a lot of great topics on here, so the best thing to do is just read and read and read.

And good luck!

[Libby]

Um I really hate to say this but does hubby really need to have access to the debit card? Can you take it from him? Perhaps hide $20-$50 in a spot even where HE doesnt know about it and when and if a small emergency arises, tell him where the $ is for that???

I agree with the rest, pay off the library if its doable and re-gain access to the free stuff!

Once you get your finanaces laid out on paper (read: after you do it comp, transfer it to paper to show hubby) perhaps spend a few mins to go over with him everything so he can see that your salary is barely making payments and offer him a challenge - see if he can do 'no spend days' etc Every lil bit helps!

[Princess Lala]

Thanks girls! It helps alot to see other people chipping in a word or two to try & help me out.

I'll call the library today to find out how much we owe them... it's been years! LOL!

Getting a new job isn't an option for me... kinda stuck where i'm at cause my mom is my manager & we're getting ready to change operating systems at work. I feel morally obligated to stay here till it's up & running... and honestly, the pay here is higher than anything else i could find in this area.

i think the credit cards & DH's debit card are going into the freezer tonight.
Most of his spending is taking the kids out for lunch or breakfast cause there's nothing super quick for them to eat & he doesn't want to cook. They aren't on any sort of schedule, so usually my DH's blood sugar is crashing big time before he even thinks about eating... then he goes for the easiest, fastest thing he can get. Or they just buy snacks & drinks from the gas station.
He knows he shouldn't spend the money... it's just a habit he's got to kick.

I like the idea of challenging him to do no spend days.

Garage sales don't do very good in my area anymore... But we'll be going through the storage shed this week to find things to put up on Craig's list... then i just gotta cross my fingers i guess.

DH is suppossed to be going to talk to someone about a job today... fingers crossed big time!

Thanks for letting my blab here.. it helps, really it does.

[mommy4ever]

Well, there's a couple things that you can do.

Confiscate the debit card. They were introduced so that people would impulse buy. Not so much for the convenience of banking after hours that you think. Give dh a set amount of $$ for the week. WHen it's out, it's out. It sucks to be treated that way, but you're behind on things, you need to do what you got to do. If him not wanting to prep meals or snacks is an issue, I know you're working long hours already, but alittle meal planning ona day off and setting things in the fridge that just need to be warmed up goes a long way. My dh cooks by dialing the phone. But I've learned to circumvent that with a little for thought. I get yogurt in big containers, then divide into individual servings. Why? Because somehow it's too much work to scoop it out yourself and it goes bad. A casserole that can be reheated is great. Or soups, or stews. Sandwiches made ahead for the day out time. The kids need more than convenience foods, they are handy and a life saver, but healthy nourish foods do so much more for their little bodies and their attitudes. BTDT. It's hard when you're spouse isn't cooperative. I have one!!! He nags at me to get things paid off, yet he spends ALOT every week. He tells me this weekend "We need to be more disciplined in what is going out". But yet, he blew a good $100 in a couple days. He thinks it's me!! He just isn't realizing it. SO. October, I'm giving him his cash for the MONTH. Period. He can spend it as he choses, but when it's gone, too bad. (I have money for gas set aside, so that's all he'll get beyond his budgetted amount).

I think the biggest issue you're telling us is hte food issue. So if it means taking a few minutes nos at work to plan it out, and then an hour or so a week prepping it. You may find you're saving ALOT!

If the he doesn't want to give up the debit card, consider a second account that is for spending money. So then it's not affecting your budget.

[Princess Lala]

Ok.. i called the cable company & dropped the cable down to basic plus the internet... i have to have the internet for my home-business... So there's $48 i managed to shave from the budget today.

We moved a corkboard/whiteboard into the bedroom over the weekend... so we'll see it instead of it being hidden behind the microwave. I have a few envelopes for the bills written on & tacked up on the cork side (ran out of envelopes).
Then on the whiteboard side i started a small to-do list for my DH... some errands i need him to run (like getting a paper notarized so maybe we'll get reimbursed for the windows we had to replace on my car in Feb- last Halloween some teenagers took out botht he front & rear windows & my insurance didn't cover it).
I also wrote at the top... "Being out of debt is better than all the munchies in the world"... i thought it was cute, especially since all those gas station runs for sodas & snacks really add up. He called me at lunch today to say thank you for me writing that. He went to grab the keys to take the boys out, saw it & put the keys back!
WHoo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One small baby step closer to paying my bills!

Off to go find more ideas!

[Princess Lala]

OH, i also called the library & the fine is smaller than i thought, so maybe my next payday i can get that paid & go borrow some books.