My brain if FRIED!!!!

[MamaTreadler]

I've sat here for about the last 3 hours figuring out our budget for 2009. January especially is going to be extremely tight due to no work 2 days over Christmas and 2 day over New Year's. Property taxes are due in Feb. and honestly I'm going to have to take that money out of our business tax fund or it just won't get paid. Luckily it's only $720. I know in alot of places around the country that wouldn't even start to pay a year's worth of property taxes.

It feels good to have it all planned and written out, but makes me nervous at the same time. In order to get the bills paid it's our gas and food money that will take the hit every time. Like I said, especially bad in January. I'm thinking I'll do Angel boxes to help tide us over on that. And I can't really skimp on gas as dh has to commute to make our money, so it's the groceries that we'll skimp on. Luckily, I'm stocked up. Way, way up. That's good. It'll be about March before I can start working on stocking up again. But thank heavens I have it now when I'll need it. I don't know how people do it who just shop week to week and that's all the food they have in their house. Honestly, if I didn't stock up there would be times we wouldn't eat! I am a very big fan of a stocked pantry!!

Anyone else looking at next year with a bit of trepidation?

[homesteadmamma]

I definitely am.

~we will lose almost $500.00 of income at some point in 09. Our income is already low so to lose this amount is going to put a really tight squeeze on us. Once Nov. comes, dh will get his old age pension, so that will help. Until then it's going to be extremely tight.
~we are wanting to redo our home and get it finished
~grocery prices are going up continually
~I've heard it's suppose to be a bad year for grasshoppers which means poor gardening. Hope this cold weather does them in.
~we have dental work in Jan., Feb., and March. It's not going to be pretty. We pay the full amount.

On the good side:
~we have no debt
~gas prices have gone down

[MamaTreadler]

See? My brain is so fried I couldn't even type my title correct! Ug.

Do you think you will be able to get your house done? I know how that is. Right now we need a new roof and a new door out to the backyard, but I just don't know where the money will come from. I'm just praying that roof holds one more year!

Our next round of dental care for dh and the kids will come in June. The dental work is free because it's on the Indian reservation, but the trip there and back - about 6 six hours each way and spending the night there - is not. I really, really need some dental work done but I know the insurance we have (it's the only we have, no medical ins.) will just screw us over big time on the price and frankly I don't even have money for the deductable so I'm just waiting it out and hoping everything holds steady.

2009 should be one heckuva ride for lots of us, I'm sure.

[patticakes]

I'm there too. I have budgeted everything I can with the knowing that the monthly attorney bill will completely blow us out of the water. This month wasn't as bad as I expected but next month should set us up for a mother of a bill come February.
The stockpile is stocked, the freezer full and I am constantly assessing my need/want before buying anything. I have turned into a return queen after really thinking a purchase through.
To get through, I take the dogs for a walk, cry and remind myself that God doesn't give me more than I can handle.

[homesteadmamma]

Do you think you will be able to get your house done? I know how that is. Right now we need a new roof and a new door out to the backyard, but I just don't know where the money will come from. I'm just praying that roof holds one more year!

We have to although I don't know. It's been this way too long. We have outside work that needs doing too and that will HAVE to get done before the bats are back. They come back as soon as the mosquitoes come. I can't win. We're going to try really hard. We will do all the work ourselves so that will save a huge amount.

[mickee311]

For once, I don't have to dread the next year's finances. DH will be out of the Army the end of the month and starting a new job that's 3 times his base pay. We won't have to live paycheck to paycheck anymore and I am totally excited.

[homesteadmamma]

For once, I don't have to dread the next year's finances. DH will be out of the Army the end of the month and starting a new job that's 3 times his base pay. We won't have to live paycheck to paycheck anymore and I am totally excited.

That's wonderful news.

[kittykatstrong]

I know what you mean. I have a new bill starting this month and I dont know where the $200 will be coming from. It always comes out of the food budget but that is alot of beans and rice.

[khjmom]

We have decided that we truly need to cut back.We are going to try to live on his base pay, no overtime and not my check. The extra on his and my check will be going into savings. We are both in jobs that we could lose due to cutbacks.....kind of sad but that's life.(We haven't been told we would lose our jobs, but it's better to be prepared) There are so many around that have already lost jobs and we are hearing of more cutbacks in the area so if something were to happen to our positions, we know it would be harder to replace them. So adjusting the budget to cover the change...which meant cutting out alot of extras...it was kind of scary. Thankfully for January, my dh has 5 paychecks so hopefully the adjustment won't be so bad. I have got to get the last few bills on there to see the exact numbers.....should be interesting.....

[Starlight9803]

we're dreading our start to 2009 as well. DH's job is all up in the air (he will technically still have a job - thank goodness - but we don't know how much/if any work he will get early in the year), which could make things extremely tight around here. Thankfully there are several leads in his company on positions that will open up towards the end of Jan, and we plan to sell a few large items to help pay off some debt/tide us over (if anyone is willing to buy them - with this economy, who knows!)

[homesteadmamma]

We have decided that we truly need to cut back.We are going to try to live on his base pay, no overtime and not my check. The extra on his and my check will be going into savings. We are both in jobs that we could lose due to cutbacks.....kind of sad but that's life.(We haven't been told we would lose our jobs, but it's better to be prepared) There are so many around that have already lost jobs and we are hearing of more cutbacks in the area so if something were to happen to our positions, we know it would be harder to replace them. So adjusting the budget to cover the change...which meant cutting out alot of extras...it was kind of scary. Thankfully for January, my dh has 5 paychecks so hopefully the adjustment won't be so bad. I have got to get the last few bills on there to see the exact numbers.....should be interesting.....

This is truly smart, living on one paycheck and banking the rest. Good for you for making that decision together.

[peanut]

Sorry to hear everyone is worrying so much about the future. But glad to hear you are also planning for it. We are very fortunate not to have to worry too much about the New Year. DH works government and gets a pay raise in January. We continue to bank a lot of his pay. Course, we are also helping kids through university right now, so there just isn't a lot to go around by the time we cover the bills. Still, we're hoping to do some traveling and repair work on the house this year. We'll see how it goes though. Neither is crucial, and if times get tough, they'll be the first thing to go.

Jean

[MommyBliss]

We're pulling back financially to build up our savings, but hubby got told today by his side business that they have a lot more work for us. So, that's really going to help us out.

[Siebrie]

I am working on our budget too. At this moment I'm the breadwinner, DH is a jobhunter/student. It's a bit difficult for him, because I work fulltime and he is home with our baby. He wants to contribute more, but at this moment it's just not feasible. He should finish his training first. Besides, he could only get minimal wage jobs at the hours he can work and his salary would be taken up by the childcare costs. Thank heavens I make a decent living.

[Spikey1341]

I would like to get into the habit of banking DH's part time pay. To him it is more like "free money". He is good at saving until he wants something then all the stops are pulled and I come home to some new contraption that will end up in the garage down the road.

I used to be like that with exercise equipment and videos. I have since learned to use what I have and that a thorough house cleaning can use a heck of a lot of muscles I didn't know I had. And if it ever warms up around here (at least to 20F) I will be taking my dear chubby doggie for walks in addition to the morning stroll around the block he gets from DH.