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Just need to get this out.

3K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Anna43 
#1 ·
I recently came back to the forums after yet another hiatus because I really needed a kick in the rear. I thought we were doing okay, I did my budget and we had just enough to cover everything, if I picked up a few hours at work then we were even better off.

Long story short I haven't worked in a couple of months, it's retail and there are just no hours for me I guess. The one day I could work was on my husband's birthday, and I had requested it off.

The problem is that I hadn't been spending as if I wasn't working. I wasn't being careful with groceries and with eating out or doing activities with the family.

Now we are struggling. Big time. I am trying to get any hours I can at work, cover people's shifts, anything. My husband applied for a second job to see if that will help us out too. I am on payment plans with a couple of our bills because I couldn't even pay them all at once. We owe on our credit card because we had to get new tires and a tune up and didn't have money set aside for it. I'm frustrated and I'm embarrassed because I let it get so bad.

I'm trying to take the steps to fix it now, but I just needed to get that off my chest.
 
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#4 ·
Unfortunately I don't qualify for unemployment in this state. My job is part time and at-will so I'm stuck there. All I can do in that department is hope and pray, and maybe even beg for some hours.

As far as WIC goes, my husband makes too much for us to qualify. Unfortunately we live in an area with a high cost of living, so even though he makes good money, it's just not enough sometimes. Thankfully we already have some help with food, so we do have that going for us. It's just a matter of me getting with the program and then sticking with it. :)
 
#6 ·
Unfortunately I don't qualify for unemployment in this state. My job is part time and at-will so I'm stuck there.
It seems you should still be able get unemployment even if you were working part-time if there were weeks you did not get to work at all.

I don't think that at-will nature of the job has anything to do with unemployment benefits.

You might poke around EDD's Benefit Determination Guide because it gives insight into how it works in California: Benefit Determination Guide Index
 
#5 ·
Glad that you are back - being here will definitely help you stay focused!! Now that you have taken your first big step - coming back here, the others will be easier - stay in touch!!
 
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#8 ·
In Oregon, "underemployment" benefits are common. My friend works in a salon and gets it if she works under a certain number of hours a week. Say she is supposed to get 30 hours and only works 23, she gets underemployment benefits to cover the 7 hours she did not get to work.

My husband works in an industry with sometimes-sporadic work and some of his coworkers have had to do this too.
 
#10 ·
I am back here after losing focus too. It is all too easy to just let it go and think "I'll deal with it later." Well, now it's later and here we are! We CAN do this!
 
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#11 ·
Well done for bringing your focus back to your finances and for dealing with all of this before it gets completely out of hand and unmanageable. You're already making smart decisions with your groceries (that you mentioned in the other thread). Don't give up - keep at it and good luck :clover:
 
#12 ·
We've all be there (that's why we're here on this board!). What's important is that you're back and you're working at it again!! :cheerup:
 
#16 ·
That's just what I was going to say!! I waver up and day and try to stay focused here of FV because I know it will be easier to get/stay on track!! Keep in touch!!
 
#13 ·
Your in the O.C., coupon, coupon, coupon....... I know it's hard out there, but that is what saved us the most, also utilities allowing us to extend/payment plan.. Here their idea of extension is a week only...

We were raising 4 kids in So.Cali on one income (take home was like $1,600), we watched food, gas (hubby had to drive 100 miles a day), etc. very close.. Eating out was a major treat for the kids. We did a lot of second hand with clothes, furniture, etc..

I know about the high cost of living in the O.C, that's why hubby worked in Garden Grove and we lived in Riverside county...

Good Luck!!!!
 
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#14 ·
Thanks Syn D, it's definitely not easy to live here on one income. And we actually live in South OC, which is one of the most expensive places to be. I'm glad that I at least have friends who are not "The Joneses" so they don't mind doing things that are cheap or free. Lots of play dates at the park with picnic lunches and stuff. No annual passes to Disneyland, but we'll survive. :)
 
#17 ·
I read (I think one Larry Birkett's books) that you should plan enough for auto to cover new tires/repairs/replacement in each month's budget. He had a budget plan where if you didn't spend the money that month you put the unused portion into savings and listed it in a ledger under auto. So one savings account but your ledger shows how much is under auto, how much under food, clothing, etc. So when you need auto repairs you go to your saving ledger and see how much you have available under auto. I think auto and clothing are two areas where putting back each month is important. For us at least, we can go months without buying clothing then suddenly its $200 or more. Same with auto. We can go months without any major expenses then wham. We got "wham" this month when I had to replace two tires due to trash on the road. The bill is going to be over $250 and I didn't have that in my budget.

One of the primary reasons budgets fail is we tend to spend the extra left in checking instead of moving it to savings where it belongs. I know I have to put aside $125 each month for property tax and another $50 for house insurance in order to have what I need in March, September for taxes and December for insurance. Its too easy to overspend if the money is readily available.

One income families have it rough but its doable. Once I got used to NOT spending, it because a habit not to spend without careful fore planning. I've lapsed badly this year and need to get myself back on track and stay the heck out of stores. My dh became disabled in 2001 so our income dropped by 3/4's plus we suddenly had to pay COBRA. One year our medical was more than my entire year's income. It was really really tough until he got Social Security but we made it. Fortunately we like beans!
 
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