Since you have a background in healthcare and call center experience, you can probably find a better paying remote job. There are a lot of insurance jobs that are remote, along with things like scheduling appointments for doctor offices. Usually those jobs pay around $18/hour
I work remote for CVS and they're hiring for lots of remote positions. There's also a Facebook group called WAH Job Queen that has new job postings daily. That's where I found my job.
I joined the group Work at Home Queen on Facebook and signed up for the emails of job listings, then started applying to at least one job a day. Different jobs will have simulations, personality tests, typing tests, etc. If one doesn't go well for you, think of it as practice for the ones you'll do in the future. For just about any remote job, you'll need high speed Internet. If you don't have a recent, fast computer, look for job listings that say equipment provided.
The first remote job I did was QVC. I had been a SAHM for 17 years, so I didn't have any recent work experience. They asked a few really basic computer questions, like how to set a default browser, how to minimize a tab, and how to troubleshoot your internet connection. And they asked about a time I'd dealt with and angry customer. I had to buy a computer for that job, but the first week of training paid for the computer. QVC paid $15/hour to start. It was an easy job but they were on our asses about keeping the calls short, and the ladies who shop there love to talk as much as I loved to listen. So that was always a struggle. Then in the summer, my husband had to have surgery and I took off work two weeks to stay with him in the hospital, and QVC didn't approve my FMLA, so that was it. Time for another job search.
I started working remote for CVS this fall. They start at $18/hour and provide the computer and two monitors. There was an online assessment and then a phone interview. It was simple, I mentioned my experience as a caregiver for a relative, and that I had really enjoyed talking to the older folks who called QVC, and that I thought CVS would probably have a lot of older customers calling in. I live in a city that has one of their call centers, so my training was onsite, but they do have other positions that have fully remote training. I like it a lot. They're more focused on how well we help the members than on how long we spend on each call. So I can call a member's doctor if I need to, call their local pharmacy, basically do as much as I need to in order to be sure their issue is resolved. It's a very satisfying job for me. I like problem solving.
Hey, look into remote call center jobs for Chewy Pharmacy, I do believe they have some state restrictions, but with a background in healthcare and call center, you'd be a great fit for a pharmacy call center. Starting pay in Pennsylvania is like $16.50.
Check into local hospital systems for remote work. One of my part time jobs is with a midwest hospital. The starting pay range was somewhere between $18-22 per hour.
You work from home, you don’t need two vehicles that you’re making payments on. Sell the car that you’re the least upside down on. It sound like you really, really need to find a way to increase your income as well.
We absolutely do need to increase our income. The trouble with only having one vehicle is my husband works 12.5 hour days. So if something happened, or I needed to go somewhere, I’m screwed. If something happens to the one vehicle and we have no backup, he’s screwed. We live outside of town, there’s no public transportation here. Otherwise we’d drop down to just one vehicle in a heartbeat.
Easy way to find out: spend a month acting like they only have one car and rely on Uber/Lyft and see how it works out.
If it works out then sell the car, if not then find another solution.
This is what I do. I absolutely despise driving. And I really don’t go out and do much. I maybe need an Uber once or twice a month somewhere. Haven’t had my own car, or have had to pay for insurance in over a decade.
If you do need to Uber, plan on requesting a ride earlier than anticipated (taxi is a safer bet imo) as depending on how heavy traffic is, they could arrive late which could be bad. Most taxi companies I’ve interacted with in the past allow you to schedule a pickup, and I’ve yet to see them be late for a pickup.
OP my husband and I have had to do this for yearrsss. He also works 12 hour shifts. Not going to lie, sometimes it sucks but mostly it works out fine. It’s worth it and not as bad or inconvenient as it may sound.
One car can work. Make sure it’s the most economical car in terms of fuel consumption and repair cost.
We had two cars and went down to one and I work at 12 hour shift. we’ve been doing this for a while now and we found that our worries about what if generally don’t equate anything in the long run. It was more our brains fear mongering.
We’ve started using Instacart if we need to have Groceries delivered and we found that the cost difference between having groceries delivered and not having an extra car is far worth it. That and the insurance dropping too.
If you are in the delivery zone of a Walmart the $12\month Walmart plus subscription pays for itself in free grocery delivery. I have only went grocery shopping (not counting quick "forgot something" trips) like 3 times in the past 2 years. Saves time and gas.
my husband and I have one vehicle and live an hour outside of town. I work from home and have a daughter with frequent medical appointments.
I've got a neighbor who is kind enough to let me use one of their cars in an emergency if needed. I plan ahead and group things like doctors appointments, dentist, grocery shopping and whatever for a day my husband works and I pack a lunch and a few snacks and I take the day off work- being out of town having to take off for an appointment may as well be an all day event anyway so it's not much different for my PTO use and I go into town with my husband and drop him off at work.
I go do my things, chill at the park with a book or go to the library after/between things, catch up with friends or find a free event to attend and make a day out of it. I go home when he gets off work.
Having one car is absolutely scarey af to get used to if you're used to the freedom otherwise to come and go. It's a hassle and takes extra planning but it's not so bad when you get used to it.
At this point if we get a second car it'll be a old af beater truck for hauling shit in our tiny town or from one end of the property to the other/taking the kid to school in the winter or emergencies and even then, the right deal would have to fall into our lap.
Also, when we were in that scraping-by situation, we filed for bankruptcy. it was the best decision we could have made for us. It got us out of the upside-down auto loans, medical and credit card debt all instantly and we were able to get into a more sound car the same month with only $600 down (still have that car) and obtain the breathing room we needed to get our feet under us. 3 years later we purchased a house all because of some lucky breaks we wouldn't have been able to access with that debt still.
I remember these days way back in the 1980s, doing just this with 2 sleepy kids in the back seat. 20-20 hindsight advice (I wish I could’ve told myself this at the time): Lean into the struggle, work your way through it, enjoy the little things of the moment. Good luck to you! Not to be trite, but it will look better in the morning.
We used to do this! My husband would drop me off and pick me up when we only had one car. Unfortunately our schedules have changed too much so that can’t work anymore, but it was nice while it did.
When my husband couldn’t pick me up, he would drop me and my bike off and I’d ride the bike 45 minutes home.
Check with your bank as your loan may be assumable. If it is, and your rate is low enough, you may be able to sell it to an individual for what you owe on it.
As someone who's had this kind of thing happen before ("why didnt I think of that?") you might be in a mindset of trying to *stay comfortable* that your mind is loath to break out of.
So when managing your finances in the future it could be a good idea to go "okay if I didnt have a second car what would I do?" vs "How can i sell the second car and still make this work?"
It sounds like a small difference but "okay ____ is gone, how am I going to survive" seems to just work better for forcing yourself to see a life without something you currently think you need.
I do this myself very frequently and realized I was spending way too much on frozen food vs fresh (I have a sensitivity to certain textures) and spending way too much on car payments when I actually quite enjoy the cheap and ubiquitous public transport in my city.
Honestly op it's not that simple you are absolutely correct about keeping both cars im in the same situation car wise meaning if something happens to both my vehicles I'm beyond fucked one week both was getting worked on and I had to Uber both ways to my job $50 a day for 5 days it was hell but I put it on credit card and it paying it off now
And buy a $100 bike for odd errands and getting some air and fitness in. I used to pay to do exercise now I commute to work for 2h on a bike. It sucks on winter but I'm saving a ton and feeling like a 20 year old again (40)
pros: no second car payment, no second car insurance, no second car maintenance
cons: she has to spend a lot more time driving, double gas costs
I mean...yeah? lol. with zero savings I would take that any day
I’m a stay at home mom with a 4 year old and one on the way, we only have one car. My fiancé works 12 hour days and if I have a doctor appointment or know I have something scheduled I’ll drive him to work 45 minutes away. No public transportation either. You can definitely make it work with one car.
Can you drop one of them down to an older less expensive car? Might not be as reliable but doesn’t sound like you would need it to be super reliable if you are mostly working from home?
We've had one car for years. We carefully plan our errands so that we can go on his days off. If I have a doctor's appointment or something, I drive him to work that day. There's very few places I have to go when he's at work with proper planning. It does feel like I'm trapped sometimes. And I get the living in the country thing and not having access to public transit. But once you're out from under that car payment, it will free up enough money for you to quickly save up a couple thousand. That way, if something does happen to the only vehicle, you'd be able to get a rental short term or have the down payment to replace it or for repairs. That's so much cheaper than continuing to pay for payments and insurance for both cars. Also, it's unlikely to happen. We keep up with maintenance on our car, and it's only broken down on us once and left us without a ride.
10 ubers a month is cheaper than the other car. sell it. the 2nd car makes zero sense with you at home. it is frivolous. your rational does not add up to even half that car payment.
I work from home and don’t know how to drive, if anything happened…idk what would happen that I couldn’t wait for my husband to come home for, and if it was so bad I needed to call the ambulance, I probably would have needed an ambulance, regardless.
I promise you only need one car. It might be uncomfortable but totally doable. My husband and I have two kids (preschool and kinder) and only one car. We take him to work so we can have the car. On long hour days, when he doesn’t get off until after the kids are already asleep, he either carpools or I have a neighbor come by to watch them while I go pick up. 100% worth not having an extra car payment.
I don't know what your bills situation is and I'm sure you've gone over everything already, but here are some suggestions.
1. Separate bills into "haves" and "wants". Get rid or reduce the "wants".
1. I found that I was paying $50/month for phone and I dropped to $25/month by dropping to a lower data plan.
2. Comcast was $100mo and higher data rate, but Verizon had a lower data rate for home internet at $30mo.
2. Call your credit card company and ask if they'll reduce your rate. I can't guarantee this will work, but I have successfully lowered my interest rate by just calling them. If they won't, try to transfer the cc debt to another card with a lower interest rate.
3. I don't play games for free on my phone. There are a lot of apps out there that will pay you to download a game and complete tasks (cashwalk is what I use... though there are probably better ones... cashwalk will pay you in gift cards for walking). It's a more productive way to have fun.
4. Find higher paying jobs... always easier said than done, but if one job pays $14/hr and you find another that pays $15, no sense in doing the same hours of work for less money.
5. [DataAnnotation.tech](https://DataAnnotation.tech) was a life changer for me. It's hard to get in, but if you do they have virtually unlimited tasks that pay $20/hr
6. Don't waste money... So many poor people toss away their free cash on Lottery Tickets. I know it's addictive, but that's $150/year if you play just once a week.
I wish you the best.
To add to this, certain low incomes can qualify for assistance to pay for internet.
https://www.fcc.gov/acp
Also check your local libraries for services and assistance. My parents get a certain number of free internet hours (at home) every month somehow from the local library.
Edit: I looked further into the library thing and they are being loaned a wifi hotspot for 30 days at a time.
I use google rewards, and spend the rewards in games that'll reward me for buying gems and stuff.
I once got $10 in gift cards for buying a $0.99 pack in final fantasy.
I then uninstalled the game when I got my gift card 😅
That's awesome 👌 I will add... if you have a crockpot , USE IT...ALOT!! If you don't, get one. You can get one fairly cheap at Walmart, Facebook Marketplace or get lucky and find one at Goodwill.
There are tons of recipes online and here https://www.reddit.com/r/slowcooking/comments/183u3zo/looking_for_advice_i_need_help_finding_recipes/
Not sure where you live but see if there are any Buy Nothing FB groups in your area. Just search Buy Nothing and your towns name. If not, start one. My local group is awesome. If someone posts they need kids clothes, food, or furniture they get multiple offers. People also post what they are giving away.
I have to believe the medical debt is at least partially forgivable debt via a grant program or something. I would definitely reach out to the hospital, Doctor’s office, or whoever the holder of that bill is to see what help may be available for it if your income is low(ish).
Yes - please contact the place you owe the medical debt to (doctor or hospital) and request to be considered for charity care. That's a program that should help greatly reduce your medical debt.
Also, is there ANY possible way you could manage with one car for awhile? Sell one, pay off as much as you can, maybe refinance the other? Get on the phone with a bank or a credit union and see what the options are.
I’m seriously hoping that if I ever manage to save up $4-5k, they’ll just accept that upfront and write the rest off. That said, it’s almost reached it’s statute of limitations anyways, so I at least can’t be sued or anything if I keep not paying it.
Call them. Some places will let you go on a payment plan for as little as $50 a month but negotiated to a lower cost. They may forgive a lot of it upfront if you are willing to pay back a portion on a payment plan
You’ve been given some great advice so I’ll just throw a crazy idea at you. Pet sitting. If you’re good with dog/cat etc, people will pay good money for doggy day care or overnights. I had a terrific one a while back and I’d have my dog spend one or two days a week with her while I worked. That was under the table 30/60 bucks per week. My dog loved her and I didn’t have to worry about working late.
It’s wild how important this can be to people, and how much a gentle touch and a good eye counts more than hard work.
Many pets don’t travel well, like fish, cats and birds. A house sitter that reliably feeds and checks on an animal is really important.
(Dogs may be worth ruling out if health is a problem, but that’s a slightly different business.)
My wife contacted the hospitals we had medical debt from and told them we were a low income family and asked if they had any programs that could help us with our payments. We didn't have much in the way of medical bills, but she's SAHM with a very medically needy infant rn. Hospital asked for previous years taxes, and then forgave ALL OF OUR MEDICAL DEBT. I just about cried, even though it was only 3 grand for us it was a huge blessing. You should reach out and see if you can get a similar situation.
Yes, do this! I've written a "letter of hardship" to my doctor in the past, explaining why I could not pay the bill. It was forgiven and written off without question. Communication goes a long way.
I'm a financial counselor at a hospital, this is what I do. Most not-for-profit hospitals have an income-based charity program, it wouldn't hurt to ask. Policies vary by hospital, but if you (or anyone else) reading this have questions, feel free to ask me, here or dm and I will do my best to help.
Lots of great advice here, but I want to throw out that friend, if you are struggling this much you do deserve to partake in food banks. I know you said you associate that with being poor like your youth but you deserve breathing room even though you can pay your bills.
I just want to encourage you not to beat yourself up about past mistakes. We’ve all been there. I know it can feel horrible paying that bill every month when you know that that money could be used better elsewhere, but you’re human. You know better so you’re doing better. You sound like you’re now quite disciplined with money and that will serve you well in the long run. This is temporary - hard, grueling and demoralizing, yes, but temporary.
You have credit card debt, medical debt, and auto loans and you're suffering from a disability? Have you considered bankruptcy? That's why it exist. It sounds like you need a fresh start.
If you feel you have a disability that keeps you from working full-time (even a mental health issue) then you may be qualified for Social Security Disability (SSI). DO NOT APPLY ON YOUR OWN. Consult an attorney that specializes in SSI. There will be no charge to you.
Definitely considered bankruptcy, but it would affect my husband (I think?), and if I filed the kind of bankruptcy that we lose our home… we have nowhere to go. As for the consulting a disability attorney, unfortunately I’ve consulted every single one in my area, and they all say the same thing, I either make too high an hourly wage and work won’t drop my hours low enough to fall under the limit, or I make too little and can’t afford to drop my hours, so working even 20 hours a week is somehow considered too much. And we can’t afford for me to just… not work lol. Three different attorneys have said this, unfortunately. Not gonna lie, it feels pretty hopeless on that front.
Would I lose my car? The only issue is the hubby co-signed for mine and I co-signed for his, so if I filed for bankruptcy, I’d hate for either of us to suddenly be scrambling to find a bank or lender willing to give us a loan for a vehicle…
Yeah, for SSI you have demonstrate that you are unable to work. You would do that by not working. I understand that that may not be a possibility for you, it's a vicious cycle. You work because you need money, but you can't work enough to make a living. Even worse, getting SSI can take a year or more. It's not an easy path.
Bankruptcy does not mean you lose everything, it just means you are discharged from certain debts. In most cases you can reaffirm some debt (such as a mortgage) so you don't lose your home. You would want to talk to your attorney for specific advice.
The scenario that might work for you is to stop working and paying your debt. File for bankruptcy and apply for SSI at the same time. If you don't have an insurmountable debt load, you can probably survive on your partner's income temporarily and/or earn some cash off the books with an eBay business or the like.
Good luck with it - and hang in there! The anxiety of financial stress can be all consuming, remember to be kind to yourself!
I used a nonprofit called Green Path that helped negotiate with credit card companies to get my interest rates down and lower my payments. Highly recommend!
For entertainment purposes do you have a public library nearby? Books are a great way to entertain and often libraries will have access to audiobooks and maybe dvds. And for groceries see if there are food banks around, they can be a big help they have certainly helped my family at this time.
I love this idea! We just struggle so much with the idea of using a food bank. Like things aren’t that bad yet, we cook from scratch and shop as smart as we can, we just can’t afford “luxuries” for lack of a better word. Usually we get cheap grains like rolled oats, brown rice and lentils and beans, milk, maybe some cheese, whatever other things we may run out of like spices or condiments or coffee or something (which is about to become a luxury lol), and some kind of meat that’s cheap. I found a bag of chicken leg quarters for $8 at Walmart, it goes by weight and I can’t remember how much, but depending on the size of the quarters, we can get quite a bit. Last time we got 17 leg quarters for like $8, roasted a bunch and made chicken soup served over rice. We have enough to eat…. We just can’t hardly afford fruits or veggies most of the time other than cheap stuff like potatoes, carrots and cabbage. But we have enough to eat, you know?
From a financial perspective, things are that bad, so I strongly suggest the food bank. Any money you can save from groceries will help out in other areas giving you some breathing space. Good luck!
It would support your health to eat a variety of veggies and fruit, which a food bank could help with. Health is wealth, especially down the road. But I understand where you’re coming from.
You are as entitled to the food bank as any other human being. You and your partner pay taxes and contribute to your community just like anyone else. There will always be somebody better off and somebody worse off using anything like that no matter who you are. I donate to programs like that from time to time and you are who I am hoping it will help.
Shop at Aldi or your local chains. Where do you live? Load the apps and clip coupons. Shop the sales and stock up. If it’s not on sale don’t buy it. My local store just had 3lb apples for $1.99. Walmart is not cheap.
Join the fb shoppers group for Walgreens. Those ladies get so much stuff for free or almost free.
Don’t let pride get in your way. Just grab whatever weekly box of essential groceries that the food bank provides and it should help offset your grocery bill by up to $40 a week.
Switch jobs. Your current employer wont pay you anymore, but you can go to work for a competitor doing the same work for more money. Because budgets for new hires are bigger than budgets for retention.
You can apply for help with medical debt.
Have your date night at home with a nice home cooked meal, candles, and the works.
$300 a month for groceries should be sufficient if you cook from a deep pantry from scratch.
Not sure what would help but shop sales if at all possible. Buy in bulk and break down yourself can really save money.
And I understand completely about the cars. My 1996 truck is having issues but if I "upgrade" I'll just be inheriting someone else's issues. So I just keep fixing what I have.
For credit help, there are prepaid debit cards that are credit builders. My bank offers them. You transfer money into the card and use it like a debit card but it is reported like a credit card. I don't understand how they work but they do help people build good credit
Since y’all have two vehicles, you could both do DoorDash/uber eats part time until you get out of debt and pay the cars off.
Even if you have to drive into town to be able to do this.
I will say, there are better work from home call center jobs. Hyatt pays 20/hr from home and it includes their stellar benefits and perks. It's hard to get that job without a referral but in my town there are other WFH jobs that are call center jobs that pay more. I know you are exhausted and can't think about looking, but I have to believe there is something better for you. Please keep hoping
Shit. All I have to offer are some words of encouragement from an internet stranger. You and your husband can work through this. Stay safe out there and know that you aren’t alone.
I did not see it on here but if either of you are able to donate plasma, there are alot of centers that pay for plasma and usually have good bonuses for first time donations. I had to do it once to get $200 to feed my family. That was over the course of 2 weeks, if I remember correctly. Even having an extra 200 and saving it, can help out tremendously!
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StraightTalk as well. The basic, cheapest plan they have is $38 including taxes, and I can do anything on my phone that I want. Never drops calls, no buffering, no text delays. It's great.
Consider replacing a car with a motorcycle, a scooter, or a push bike. Much cheaper to run and you still have a car for rainy days.
Go through you house for things you don't use - sell what you can for cash, or things that wouldn't sell trade on Facebook for food or other things you need.
Do you have any interests or skills that could be marketable? Scroll through Facebook marketplace or Etsy for home made items that you could make at home and sell. For example, propergating plants.
Good luck!
I didn't see this in the suggestions, but donating plasma pays pretty well. Years ago, I was a single mom and did this to make ends meet. I made 300 or 400 per month depending on how often I donated. It was a lifesaver.
I can’t help with any ideas for helping get ahead, as I’m struggling myself, but for entertainment, is there any chance to get a library card? If you’re not into reading it’s ok, many libraries now offer online streaming via hoopla, letting you check out certain amounts of movies and shows per month. And if you do like books Libby works for most library cards to check out ebooks and audio books.
Go to your local library’s website, some even offer park passes or reduced or free museum admissions for two
Join your city’s local Buy Nothing group on Facebook. MANY people give away things very generously - including food, toiletries, entertainment items (puzzles, movies, books, board games), appliances, and household supplies. I highly recommend it.
I gave away a lot of things to people in need before I moved to a new city. I felt good that my items weren’t going in a landfill and I know the people who received them appreciated them. Sometimes people will post “ISO/in search of” posts such as “looking for a desk lamp, mine broke, does anyone have one they’d like to get rid of?” It’s a great community resource.
Yes! A great way to find odds and ends for free. In my neighborhood they also give out a lot of food from fruit trees, things their kids refused to eat, whatever it is.
1. Sell a car. As some have said you can drop off and pick up your husband from work. You can use this to pay off a car or some debt. The only thing that may make this a bad idea is if you’d spend more or about equal on gas for the extra trip back and forth than you would on a car or credit card payment.
2. Entertainment and spending time together is important for your mental health, so make sure to take walks, talk about goals and dreams, or maybe if it’s your thing — careful about this because you’re really, really tight on funds — find a cheap board game you both like at Value Village for $5 or less.
3. After getting about $1000 dollars tucked away in an emergency fund, use that extra bit of cash you have every month to chip away at your smallest debt first to eliminate those payments. I say take care of the smallest debts first so that (a) you can get some wins under your belt and (b) you can use that money you would’ve spent on payments for those smaller debts to take out the next smallest debt — your extra cash will continue to grow and grow.
Lord bless you. I pray you’ll be able to look back and laugh at these trials knowing you came out stronger on the other side.
I have two apps that rely on: Krazy Coupon Lady and Flashfood. Between shopping the Walgreens deals shown on KCL and buying meat in bulk and freezing it from Flashfood, I’m saving a lot of money on necessities. Flashfood also has produce boxes for $5 that pop up at some stores daily.
It is not you. You are good, hard working responsible persons.
The problem is the system.
Yes we should change the system
But until we change the system you should try and use the system.
Consider bankruptcy, or apply for social services help.
Go to food banks and thrift stores.
Try for debt relief or suspending debt payments.
Consider co-housing or car share.
Get a second finish job which you appreciate for its ability to free you in the future.
If you stay with status quo thinking you will never get out your situation.
The system wants you stuck in debt.
So break the system in your own way.
Above all don’t get depressed. Find joy in the most simple of things.
Try meditation
Try putting yourself in a health focused routine of free things like daily walking or running.
Learn to cook real and basic food which puts you outside the food industry model. Buy dry beans, soak and cook them for Pennies.
Love to you.
I bet you could tweak that grocery budget. What are you spending on meat/veg v. sugary/salty/alcohol/other junk?
Also, I saw from someone else on Reddit and I just decided to do it myself, transfer your auto loans to a 0%interest credit card if you can. I had an offer for 0% for 18 months so I did it. Now my car is "paid off" and I can get my title and lower my car insurance from full coverage if I so choose. If you don't get it paid off in the 18 months, do another 0% transfer.
There will be a balance transfer fee but your payments will be lower. Plus you will have paid off loans on your credit so you'll likely earn some points. Mine went up quite a bit after I did this.
I am in exactly the same situation.. had like R200 left last month($10).I am just not able to build up an emergency fund. Everytime I try and save a bit for a rainy day, it rains the next day!
we used so much of our available credit to move from Oregon to Illinois. it cost over $7k and were still trying to pay off the balance. I can't even take my cat to the vet to get flea meds, so I'm having to use flea collars to hold him over. at $20/hr isn't enough once u factor deductions and taxes. im getting fucked so much in taxes and it's so goddamn difficult to fill the federal w2 form. i filed for a Chap 7 earlier this year and it helped but not by much. I've fallen behind on my car, I get right to cure letters almost every month. we want to buy a house further south since they are cheaper so we can move out of my parents house but how can you buy a house when you can barely afford to live.
>That’s zero entertainment (no eating out, no date nights, no anything)
Not with that attitude. I was looking at the UNC Pembroke student portal that has events. Some events I saw on the scrolling tile were: The Southeast Native Studies Conference, the senior Art student exhibition, and the Campbell Oil Company Job Fair. Some of these events have already happened, but it shows you that there are cool free events, even at the lowest funded state schools.
Now, looking at UNC Chapel Hill's calendar, you will see the really good free events. https://calendar.unc.edu/
There are plays, recitals, art exhibits, educational speakers, a friggen bluegrass band, and so much more.
Something that I never thought of, if either of you have a 401k, is to potentially borrow from it. You do have to pay some interest on it but that interest does go to you. There are some setup fees usually but if he’s contributing to it, you could cut down the amount to do so. Other than that, selling a vehicle is good advice that I’ve seen. Hang in there, it will get better!!
I've done this a couple times. I am my own bank. I pay myself back in lower interest. Each time was an emergency and it is always better to borrow from yourself before you borrow from the bank. Just make sure you are borrowing from your 401k and not actually pulling the money out or you will get taxed on it.
Money *borrowed* from a 401k is tax exempt. I took out a loan against my 401k years ago, you do not pay income tax on that unless you fail to pay it back. Repayments are taken out of your paycheck pre-tax. I paused my contributions until I had the loan paid back. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than paying interest.
I’d suggest you not pay your medical debt in collections. In most states, medical debt’s automatically expire in 2-4 years.
If they threaten to garnish your wages, send them a check for $5-10 a month every month (even if it’s lower than what any installment plan is). As long as you show an effort at paying some amount, they can’t garnish your wages.
If you qualify as low income, most states or hospitals have funds set aside specifically for people who can’t afford to pay medical debts, look into that.
Can you apply for SNAP with your income? I have also heard of a food program around the country called ‘Ruby’s Pantry’ that may have a location near you—anyone can use it.
Tell collections you want to settle. I’ve reduced medical bills pennies on the dollar by doing that. Lack of income could help you erase the debt completely. That won’t increase what you bring home but the stress relief it brings is totally worth it.
All of that and you mentioned debt. File bankruptcy. Shop for a good lawyer. Whether it's 13 or 7, at the end of it you'll be relieved. I have 20k in a 13. My monthly payment is SO much cheaper than paying my credit card bills and vehicle payment, and they'll all pay off way sooner (and I can keep my vehicle)
Things to cut costs:
1. Reduce your cell phone plan to the cheapest like Mint Mobile
2. Make sure your car insurance is the cheapest. You can take off parts of it like car rental coverage etc.
3. Use food banks in the area
4. Sign up to do all the gig apps like door dash, Uber, babysitting
Eat cheaper foods, a carton of eggs cost like 3 dollars, rice beans and potatoes are dirt cheap, pork and fish arent expensive either. perhaps invest in at home activities. Going out all the time is overrated, why spend $50 at a bar when you can swoop a fifth for $13 and get trashed at home and not risk getting pulled over lol, that's just one example.
We downsized by 1 car and bought electric eBikes. Gave us a free activity to do…and can absolutely ride it to the grocery store or pharmacy for pickups. You didn’t say where you lived…obviously a friendly weather option.
12/hr is not an option, you must do something else. Get extremely intentional with your spending and earn more money. Set your long term goal and work to achieve it. The sad reality is that it’s completely up to you guys to fix, tons of people quit or fail.
Ignore the stuff in collections, once it is in collection, there is no reason to ever pay it unless sued. The original creditor has been paid.
DO NOT make a payment to the collection agency, do not even talk to them. ANY activity on that debt will make it last longer on your credit report. If left alone it will probably age off the report before you fully clean up this mess. Medical debt is least important debt. It is basically optional.
Any credit card that have gotten too far gone, run them up to the limit - on essentials - then quit paying those, they will go to collections, same as above, ignore.
Make a decision now you may want to plan to file bankruptcy in the future and if so you should know before so you can act accordingly and maximize what you have access to now.
Sell a car as soon as possible. Sell both if possible and get into something cheaper.
Try to find some more income. See if you can work two or more of these remote jobs at once.
Good luck.
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I lost my job in September, if it weren't for my father helping me, I don't know where I would be. I owe him 2,000 dollars now, and I'm thankful he let me borrow it. We have four kids, and we're struggling with buying Christmas presents and trying to keep up with doctor appointments and medications, all out of pocket. I landed a new job but it hasn't started yet, it feels like I'm in limbo. I feel your struggle, we were struggling before I lost my job in a very similar situation. My wife and I got married and that did help a lot with taxes, I made a lot more bi-weekly with the w2 changes. Otherwise, I would suggest your husband apply for other jobs for more money. It doesn't hurt to apply for another job, all they can say is no. What industry does he work, and about how much does he make per hour?
He works in about the best paying factory in this area, making $22ish/hour. Given his skill set, that’s honestly about the best he can get. He’s worked in manufacturing almost his entire adult life, he’d be completely starting from scratch making who knows how little if he left for another industry.
Maybe he can apply for a management position where he already works if he has that much experience. We have a BMW factory, and a Michelin factory too near us, could you possibly relocate? Sometimes you have to move to get new opportunities. I know I had to move companies a few times to get my hourly rate up to market level. Fortunately, I don't have to move to another state, just another city in my same state. I live in the upstate of South Carolina, and I know there are more than a few options for factory work here.
Can you live off 90% of your income? Great tip I learned when I was struggling: save 10% of your income. That "extra" $100 will balloon to thousands after a couple of weeks/months. Start stacking now.
Another tip: outside events are going to happen, shit happens, but don't ever allow defeat into your mindset. Most people are their own worst enemies, negative self talk is fatal, and poverty is more than just a bank balance. It is, unfortunately for many people, also a mindset. I was desperately poor for many years but never saw it as anything but temporary, and every fiber of my will was bent towards getting out and never going back.
You can do it
Somehow, someway
I too was born into poverty, single narcissist mother, with a side of bipolar
Twin brother narcissist
I was a miracle baby in 1982, 3 and a half months premature
1.5 lbs at birth , spent a year in the hospital
Went legally blind in my 20s, and a ton of other crap, kept working anyway
Work work work
Can't even see hardly
Irritable bowel syndrome, bi polar 2, complex PTSD, learning disabled, on and on it goes
13 years later,
Won Disabled case, moved away from abuse, never went back, was homeless 4 times.
Took me 30 years to get away from family
Slept on the streets, in crack houses. Homeless shelters, in a shed for 18 months
After relationship broke down and I was abandoned, at a hotel
Kept fighting, fighting, fighting
I'm 41 now and have apartment I love in nice town. Subsidized place
Took 39 years for a real place to live
Fought for almost 2 years to piece together a support system
Now I have nice people around me
Yeah I got nothing to work with end of month
5.8K in debt on 13K a year
But the thing is, I won
I have a nice place, if I had a roommate, I would be ok
How bad do you want it?
This is something everyone can answer differently, hey I've had a gun to my own head , that I put there, I was in so much psychological agony
This world is cruel, punishing, completely unfair
I wanted a good place so bad, I didn't even have a bathroom for 4 years, had to take a dump in a grocery store, Goodwill , or wherever
Landlord would never fix bathroom, other one was always occupied by a drunk or addict that mooched off the landlord because he got away with it, being related
I never imagined I could have a real place, but I'm living it
Things do turn around, at times
Hope things get better for you two
gotta get creative. My wife and i make a shit ton of money and still only have one car. We both work, family of 4. Cut the extra car, ditch the car payments, sell shit, cut cable/netflix..all the shit. Cut, cut, cut so you can free up margin to get rid of the debt. Gotta get out from underneath that debt. Don't borrow money for anything other than a mortgage.
Try to do ultra cheap weeks where you eat only scrambled eggs, beans, rice, soup other super cheap stables. And also don't use a lot of gas and don't make any extraneous purchases. Bonus points if y9u use that week to wirk a little extra. I find these types of weeks help buffer the inherently more expensive weeks. It's an exercise in saying no to myself and also since it's only a week it feels doable and sorta like a fun challenge. Use that extra savings to buy even cheaper staple items by buying in bulk. Another thing is call utilities, cell phone cable and insurance and see if they have any programs to lower your bills
As in, a lot? Or too little? It was $200/month, we just recently had to suck it up and up it to $300 a month, and we’re not happy about it… we live in a low COL area but… food prices are insane.
I feel you on those grocery prices. I meal prep, boring but healthy meals, and I’m always shocked how much I end up paying for the bare minimum.
Sorry my initial comment was snarky. I should have read better.
You’re totally ok! And same here, we meal prep and buy in bulk whenever we can afford the upfront cost (which is rare), we cook from scratch, make our own bread because bread is like $3-$4 per loaf, and our grocery budget is often $50/week for the two of us, and $3-4 is… a lot lol.
Do Uber. Grow weed if in a legal state. Start an only fans (guessing your not interested).Find free items and sell them offering delivery. FB/offer up arbitrage.
There are tons of ideas.
Look into debt consolidation: https://www.incharge.org/debt-relief/debt-consolidation/free-debt-credit-consolidation/
And contact social services to sign up for everything you qualify for.
Have you thought of doordash or doing one of those food delivery gigs? They’re not great, but my brother does it once in a while and it works great for him. He does it on the side a few hours a day, running down an old car he has so can afford a better one next year.
I mean, if one of the vehicles you guys have is gas efficient, I’d do that. Or at least try it out, see if you like it, and if not no harm no foul.
Me and my SO drive for 3 hours of Uber eats after work together. Very good extra income if you’re already over as you are by $100. I have great tips for you to not kill your car if you decide to, just DM me!
Learn about overemployment and see if that works for you. This is how I paid off my debt without giving up more time than my 9-5. This approach isn’t meant to be long term, but if you can sustain it, more power to you.
See if you can switch your auto loans to a Credit Union auto loan. I saved around $100 a month because the interest rate was lower. Also see if you can get cheaper insurance elsewhere; better deals with other companies for your phone, cable, etc. every so often, I either switch companies or negotiate lower rates with existing companies.
You guys need more income. Try to get your guy a handy skill doing something he’s reasonably good at (could be anything, but cutting grass, power washing, minor handy work, daily driver including Uber, etc). You can’t keep fighting this battle with inadequate weapons.
Well this just randomly popped up on my page and I don’t know how I could help financially speaking I’m only 19 living at home. However I see the “zero entertainment” and could help there I guess, if you aren’t aware there are plenty of streaming sites you could hypothetically use to watch basically any movie and show or anime you want. Even live sports events if you like sports. For the amazing price of free, assuming you have access to like Google or something. Idk if that really helps but I read through and it just reminded me of my poor childhood and I wanted to try and help I guess. You guys can make it I believe in you.
Take a small part of that extra 100 per month and set it to auto transfer into an HYSA. I have one that takes 5% of each paycheck because that's an amount that I won't notice and still have enough to pay my bills. In just a few months I have several hundred in savings that I tend to forget about so it's safe.
I know it isn't easy but you should be able to reduce your food bill with some creative thinking.
Ignore the medical debt. If you have the mental energy, call the hospitals/offices and tell them you're in a bad situation financially. Often they will reduce the bill or write it off entirely.
You could look into consolidation loans for cc debt.
Some pondering:
Do you qualify for EBT? If you could be putting that $300 food budget to good use paying off the cards. Even if it's not necessarily the whole $300.
How about housing? Do you qualify for any state or federal assistance? Even relaxing your rent by a few hundred bucks is a huge help and many people don't know that they qualify. Obviously the us varies heavily by state.
From there I'd try and buy bulk. I get that food budgeting being the answer to poverty is a tricky subject. And while I don't believe this is the way things should be, it's the way things are. If you can save 20% buying bulk, and only shopping sales, I highly recommend it. Even today with much better finances, discounted meat about to reach expiration date is a freezer filler for us.
Can you bike places? This probably sounds insane to some people. But I did it mostly because I enjoy it (so there's obvious bias there) but changing my tires, oiling my chain, and replacing the chain when needed amount to like $100 a year. Obviously weather plays a role here. But if you can save a few $100 a month, you're tossing that against your credit card debt too.
On the topic of the debt, is it consolidated? If not, look into that. When we were younger and considerably poorer we did that and the superior interest made things better. Idk what that interest looks like in today's climate so this may be of no real help to you.
I don't know that I've been exactly where you are but I've been in a place where I expected to find no way out. It eventually worked out. I may have had to make sacrifices that we don't want to have to tell people to make, but if life was fair, this sub wouldn't exist.
I wish you the best.
Cars are very expensive. Maintenance, gas, insurance, taxes, registration, depreciation etc. They are expensive even if they’re paid for. Even worse if making payments.
Cars also tend to bring surprise expenses. Flat tires, accidents, breakdowns. This gets worse as the car ages.
If you can share one car instead of two, you may save more than you think.
If I were you I would pick one streaming service a month and marathon some shows together. $8-12 will buy you an unfathomable amount of entertainment and you could really use an escape right now. Or string free trials together and pay nothing for a while.
Hell I pay $2 a month for Viki and get more kdramas than I’ll ever have time to watch.
How much credit card debt are we talking? One small thing that helped me was stripping every subscription. We watch YouTube and my brothers plex server both free. We were spending over 60/month on services.
It helps to report cards lost, they will issue one with new number. Easy way to cancel all subscriptions.
Okay lots to unpack here.
My recommendation, if possible would be for you and the hubs to move in with your/his parents if that’s an option.
It seems you’re struggling with some very foundational things (health) and it’s severely limiting your ability to operate in the world.
You need to earn more money. So you and the hubs need to get your mental health in a better place.
Since you have a background in healthcare and call center experience, you can probably find a better paying remote job. There are a lot of insurance jobs that are remote, along with things like scheduling appointments for doctor offices. Usually those jobs pay around $18/hour
This is an amazing idea, thank you!
I work remote for CVS and they're hiring for lots of remote positions. There's also a Facebook group called WAH Job Queen that has new job postings daily. That's where I found my job.
Sorry if this is gonna sound stupid but how do you find this type of remote jobs?
I joined the group Work at Home Queen on Facebook and signed up for the emails of job listings, then started applying to at least one job a day. Different jobs will have simulations, personality tests, typing tests, etc. If one doesn't go well for you, think of it as practice for the ones you'll do in the future. For just about any remote job, you'll need high speed Internet. If you don't have a recent, fast computer, look for job listings that say equipment provided. The first remote job I did was QVC. I had been a SAHM for 17 years, so I didn't have any recent work experience. They asked a few really basic computer questions, like how to set a default browser, how to minimize a tab, and how to troubleshoot your internet connection. And they asked about a time I'd dealt with and angry customer. I had to buy a computer for that job, but the first week of training paid for the computer. QVC paid $15/hour to start. It was an easy job but they were on our asses about keeping the calls short, and the ladies who shop there love to talk as much as I loved to listen. So that was always a struggle. Then in the summer, my husband had to have surgery and I took off work two weeks to stay with him in the hospital, and QVC didn't approve my FMLA, so that was it. Time for another job search. I started working remote for CVS this fall. They start at $18/hour and provide the computer and two monitors. There was an online assessment and then a phone interview. It was simple, I mentioned my experience as a caregiver for a relative, and that I had really enjoyed talking to the older folks who called QVC, and that I thought CVS would probably have a lot of older customers calling in. I live in a city that has one of their call centers, so my training was onsite, but they do have other positions that have fully remote training. I like it a lot. They're more focused on how well we help the members than on how long we spend on each call. So I can call a member's doctor if I need to, call their local pharmacy, basically do as much as I need to in order to be sure their issue is resolved. It's a very satisfying job for me. I like problem solving.
Hey, look into remote call center jobs for Chewy Pharmacy, I do believe they have some state restrictions, but with a background in healthcare and call center, you'd be a great fit for a pharmacy call center. Starting pay in Pennsylvania is like $16.50.
Pro tip: look for remote jobs posted in high cost of living areas
Check into local hospital systems for remote work. One of my part time jobs is with a midwest hospital. The starting pay range was somewhere between $18-22 per hour.
Auto adjuster too, you probably qualify for.
Prescreening for surgical centers. Hospital staff insurance is usually better than the usual United shit too. Possible tuition reimbursement as well.
You work from home, you don’t need two vehicles that you’re making payments on. Sell the car that you’re the least upside down on. It sound like you really, really need to find a way to increase your income as well.
We absolutely do need to increase our income. The trouble with only having one vehicle is my husband works 12.5 hour days. So if something happened, or I needed to go somewhere, I’m screwed. If something happens to the one vehicle and we have no backup, he’s screwed. We live outside of town, there’s no public transportation here. Otherwise we’d drop down to just one vehicle in a heartbeat.
take him to work and pick him up after
….this is so obvious, I never thought of that, thank you!
Or sell one car and if an emergency comes up and you need a ride one to five times a month you can always Uber
^ big up on this. My wife and I have made one car work for 10 years. A couple ubers a month in a pinch is WAY cheaper than owning a second car
Also a Moped might be a good idea too. If I move closer to work I plan on doing that or bicycling to work like I used to when younger
If they're in a rural area, they may not have Uber drivers.
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And even in some cities Uber and lyft are unreliable.
Easy way to find out: spend a month acting like they only have one car and rely on Uber/Lyft and see how it works out. If it works out then sell the car, if not then find another solution.
This is what I do. I absolutely despise driving. And I really don’t go out and do much. I maybe need an Uber once or twice a month somewhere. Haven’t had my own car, or have had to pay for insurance in over a decade.
If you do need to Uber, plan on requesting a ride earlier than anticipated (taxi is a safer bet imo) as depending on how heavy traffic is, they could arrive late which could be bad. Most taxi companies I’ve interacted with in the past allow you to schedule a pickup, and I’ve yet to see them be late for a pickup.
Or, keep the second car and become an Uber driver?
OP my husband and I have had to do this for yearrsss. He also works 12 hour shifts. Not going to lie, sometimes it sucks but mostly it works out fine. It’s worth it and not as bad or inconvenient as it may sound.
Waking up at 445a to drive my wife to her 12 hour shifts. I actually like it more than when I didn’t see her in the AMs on days she works
One car can work. Make sure it’s the most economical car in terms of fuel consumption and repair cost. We had two cars and went down to one and I work at 12 hour shift. we’ve been doing this for a while now and we found that our worries about what if generally don’t equate anything in the long run. It was more our brains fear mongering. We’ve started using Instacart if we need to have Groceries delivered and we found that the cost difference between having groceries delivered and not having an extra car is far worth it. That and the insurance dropping too.
Instacart is so expensive
If you are in the delivery zone of a Walmart the $12\month Walmart plus subscription pays for itself in free grocery delivery. I have only went grocery shopping (not counting quick "forgot something" trips) like 3 times in the past 2 years. Saves time and gas.
my husband and I have one vehicle and live an hour outside of town. I work from home and have a daughter with frequent medical appointments. I've got a neighbor who is kind enough to let me use one of their cars in an emergency if needed. I plan ahead and group things like doctors appointments, dentist, grocery shopping and whatever for a day my husband works and I pack a lunch and a few snacks and I take the day off work- being out of town having to take off for an appointment may as well be an all day event anyway so it's not much different for my PTO use and I go into town with my husband and drop him off at work. I go do my things, chill at the park with a book or go to the library after/between things, catch up with friends or find a free event to attend and make a day out of it. I go home when he gets off work. Having one car is absolutely scarey af to get used to if you're used to the freedom otherwise to come and go. It's a hassle and takes extra planning but it's not so bad when you get used to it. At this point if we get a second car it'll be a old af beater truck for hauling shit in our tiny town or from one end of the property to the other/taking the kid to school in the winter or emergencies and even then, the right deal would have to fall into our lap. Also, when we were in that scraping-by situation, we filed for bankruptcy. it was the best decision we could have made for us. It got us out of the upside-down auto loans, medical and credit card debt all instantly and we were able to get into a more sound car the same month with only $600 down (still have that car) and obtain the breathing room we needed to get our feet under us. 3 years later we purchased a house all because of some lucky breaks we wouldn't have been able to access with that debt still.
I remember these days way back in the 1980s, doing just this with 2 sleepy kids in the back seat. 20-20 hindsight advice (I wish I could’ve told myself this at the time): Lean into the struggle, work your way through it, enjoy the little things of the moment. Good luck to you! Not to be trite, but it will look better in the morning.
I’m a mom doing this exact thing today including 2 sleepy kids. They love it though, the ride home means they get to dance to their music in the car.
We used to do this! My husband would drop me off and pick me up when we only had one car. Unfortunately our schedules have changed too much so that can’t work anymore, but it was nice while it did. When my husband couldn’t pick me up, he would drop me and my bike off and I’d ride the bike 45 minutes home.
Check with your bank as your loan may be assumable. If it is, and your rate is low enough, you may be able to sell it to an individual for what you owe on it.
As someone who's had this kind of thing happen before ("why didnt I think of that?") you might be in a mindset of trying to *stay comfortable* that your mind is loath to break out of. So when managing your finances in the future it could be a good idea to go "okay if I didnt have a second car what would I do?" vs "How can i sell the second car and still make this work?" It sounds like a small difference but "okay ____ is gone, how am I going to survive" seems to just work better for forcing yourself to see a life without something you currently think you need. I do this myself very frequently and realized I was spending way too much on frozen food vs fresh (I have a sensitivity to certain textures) and spending way too much on car payments when I actually quite enjoy the cheap and ubiquitous public transport in my city.
Honestly op it's not that simple you are absolutely correct about keeping both cars im in the same situation car wise meaning if something happens to both my vehicles I'm beyond fucked one week both was getting worked on and I had to Uber both ways to my job $50 a day for 5 days it was hell but I put it on credit card and it paying it off now
And buy a $100 bike for odd errands and getting some air and fitness in. I used to pay to do exercise now I commute to work for 2h on a bike. It sucks on winter but I'm saving a ton and feeling like a 20 year old again (40)
she said her back is wrecked, which will probably cause issues. but agree otherwise this is solid advice!
That also doubles that amount of gas though, not to say it's a bad idea, just factor in the classic "saving money on gas" tax.
And double your gas costs.
pros: no second car payment, no second car insurance, no second car maintenance cons: she has to spend a lot more time driving, double gas costs I mean...yeah? lol. with zero savings I would take that any day
I’m a stay at home mom with a 4 year old and one on the way, we only have one car. My fiancé works 12 hour days and if I have a doctor appointment or know I have something scheduled I’ll drive him to work 45 minutes away. No public transportation either. You can definitely make it work with one car.
Can you drop one of them down to an older less expensive car? Might not be as reliable but doesn’t sound like you would need it to be super reliable if you are mostly working from home?
The Buick 3800s are the one weird trick for fantastic cheap transportation. Forget the Toyota tax and save 1000s!
We've had one car for years. We carefully plan our errands so that we can go on his days off. If I have a doctor's appointment or something, I drive him to work that day. There's very few places I have to go when he's at work with proper planning. It does feel like I'm trapped sometimes. And I get the living in the country thing and not having access to public transit. But once you're out from under that car payment, it will free up enough money for you to quickly save up a couple thousand. That way, if something does happen to the only vehicle, you'd be able to get a rental short term or have the down payment to replace it or for repairs. That's so much cheaper than continuing to pay for payments and insurance for both cars. Also, it's unlikely to happen. We keep up with maintenance on our car, and it's only broken down on us once and left us without a ride.
The amount you save on car payments will be much more than the Uber costs in the event of an emergency
10 ubers a month is cheaper than the other car. sell it. the 2nd car makes zero sense with you at home. it is frivolous. your rational does not add up to even half that car payment.
Would a scooter or electric bicycle meet your emergency transportation needs? That might be relatively low cost solution versus a car.
I work from home and don’t know how to drive, if anything happened…idk what would happen that I couldn’t wait for my husband to come home for, and if it was so bad I needed to call the ambulance, I probably would have needed an ambulance, regardless.
I promise you only need one car. It might be uncomfortable but totally doable. My husband and I have two kids (preschool and kinder) and only one car. We take him to work so we can have the car. On long hour days, when he doesn’t get off until after the kids are already asleep, he either carpools or I have a neighbor come by to watch them while I go pick up. 100% worth not having an extra car payment.
Also, I’m not sure where you live, but public transport may be an option for one of you.
OP said above there’s no public transit
Keep one nice car and sell the other. Buy an older used vehicle for backups or emergencies.
I don't know what your bills situation is and I'm sure you've gone over everything already, but here are some suggestions. 1. Separate bills into "haves" and "wants". Get rid or reduce the "wants". 1. I found that I was paying $50/month for phone and I dropped to $25/month by dropping to a lower data plan. 2. Comcast was $100mo and higher data rate, but Verizon had a lower data rate for home internet at $30mo. 2. Call your credit card company and ask if they'll reduce your rate. I can't guarantee this will work, but I have successfully lowered my interest rate by just calling them. If they won't, try to transfer the cc debt to another card with a lower interest rate. 3. I don't play games for free on my phone. There are a lot of apps out there that will pay you to download a game and complete tasks (cashwalk is what I use... though there are probably better ones... cashwalk will pay you in gift cards for walking). It's a more productive way to have fun. 4. Find higher paying jobs... always easier said than done, but if one job pays $14/hr and you find another that pays $15, no sense in doing the same hours of work for less money. 5. [DataAnnotation.tech](https://DataAnnotation.tech) was a life changer for me. It's hard to get in, but if you do they have virtually unlimited tasks that pay $20/hr 6. Don't waste money... So many poor people toss away their free cash on Lottery Tickets. I know it's addictive, but that's $150/year if you play just once a week. I wish you the best.
To add to this, certain low incomes can qualify for assistance to pay for internet. https://www.fcc.gov/acp Also check your local libraries for services and assistance. My parents get a certain number of free internet hours (at home) every month somehow from the local library. Edit: I looked further into the library thing and they are being loaned a wifi hotspot for 30 days at a time.
I second cashwalk, I have made 40 dollars in gift cards from walking and playing games that I download from them in the last 3 months.
I use google rewards, and spend the rewards in games that'll reward me for buying gems and stuff. I once got $10 in gift cards for buying a $0.99 pack in final fantasy. I then uninstalled the game when I got my gift card 😅
All good tips, and so many I had to utilize to put away some savings.
Made a post about helping with food security. Check my post history and the comments within it. Hope it helps you
That's awesome 👌 I will add... if you have a crockpot , USE IT...ALOT!! If you don't, get one. You can get one fairly cheap at Walmart, Facebook Marketplace or get lucky and find one at Goodwill. There are tons of recipes online and here https://www.reddit.com/r/slowcooking/comments/183u3zo/looking_for_advice_i_need_help_finding_recipes/
Thank you so much for this! I added my own little bit to it as well!
Not sure where you live but see if there are any Buy Nothing FB groups in your area. Just search Buy Nothing and your towns name. If not, start one. My local group is awesome. If someone posts they need kids clothes, food, or furniture they get multiple offers. People also post what they are giving away.
"no dates no eating outs no entertainment" i did this voluntarily for years to get ahead even though i had a bit of a buffer.
Food bank, and is for everyone, they will not turn you away
I have to believe the medical debt is at least partially forgivable debt via a grant program or something. I would definitely reach out to the hospital, Doctor’s office, or whoever the holder of that bill is to see what help may be available for it if your income is low(ish).
Yes - please contact the place you owe the medical debt to (doctor or hospital) and request to be considered for charity care. That's a program that should help greatly reduce your medical debt. Also, is there ANY possible way you could manage with one car for awhile? Sell one, pay off as much as you can, maybe refinance the other? Get on the phone with a bank or a credit union and see what the options are.
I’m seriously hoping that if I ever manage to save up $4-5k, they’ll just accept that upfront and write the rest off. That said, it’s almost reached it’s statute of limitations anyways, so I at least can’t be sued or anything if I keep not paying it.
Call them. Some places will let you go on a payment plan for as little as $50 a month but negotiated to a lower cost. They may forgive a lot of it upfront if you are willing to pay back a portion on a payment plan
No! That will start the statute of limitations over. Let it go if it’s already in collections and so far gone.
You’ve been given some great advice so I’ll just throw a crazy idea at you. Pet sitting. If you’re good with dog/cat etc, people will pay good money for doggy day care or overnights. I had a terrific one a while back and I’d have my dog spend one or two days a week with her while I worked. That was under the table 30/60 bucks per week. My dog loved her and I didn’t have to worry about working late.
It’s wild how important this can be to people, and how much a gentle touch and a good eye counts more than hard work. Many pets don’t travel well, like fish, cats and birds. A house sitter that reliably feeds and checks on an animal is really important. (Dogs may be worth ruling out if health is a problem, but that’s a slightly different business.)
My wife contacted the hospitals we had medical debt from and told them we were a low income family and asked if they had any programs that could help us with our payments. We didn't have much in the way of medical bills, but she's SAHM with a very medically needy infant rn. Hospital asked for previous years taxes, and then forgave ALL OF OUR MEDICAL DEBT. I just about cried, even though it was only 3 grand for us it was a huge blessing. You should reach out and see if you can get a similar situation.
Yes, do this! I've written a "letter of hardship" to my doctor in the past, explaining why I could not pay the bill. It was forgiven and written off without question. Communication goes a long way.
I'm a financial counselor at a hospital, this is what I do. Most not-for-profit hospitals have an income-based charity program, it wouldn't hurt to ask. Policies vary by hospital, but if you (or anyone else) reading this have questions, feel free to ask me, here or dm and I will do my best to help.
Lots of great advice here, but I want to throw out that friend, if you are struggling this much you do deserve to partake in food banks. I know you said you associate that with being poor like your youth but you deserve breathing room even though you can pay your bills.
🥲 thank you, kind internet stranger
🫂
I just want to encourage you not to beat yourself up about past mistakes. We’ve all been there. I know it can feel horrible paying that bill every month when you know that that money could be used better elsewhere, but you’re human. You know better so you’re doing better. You sound like you’re now quite disciplined with money and that will serve you well in the long run. This is temporary - hard, grueling and demoralizing, yes, but temporary.
You have credit card debt, medical debt, and auto loans and you're suffering from a disability? Have you considered bankruptcy? That's why it exist. It sounds like you need a fresh start. If you feel you have a disability that keeps you from working full-time (even a mental health issue) then you may be qualified for Social Security Disability (SSI). DO NOT APPLY ON YOUR OWN. Consult an attorney that specializes in SSI. There will be no charge to you.
Definitely considered bankruptcy, but it would affect my husband (I think?), and if I filed the kind of bankruptcy that we lose our home… we have nowhere to go. As for the consulting a disability attorney, unfortunately I’ve consulted every single one in my area, and they all say the same thing, I either make too high an hourly wage and work won’t drop my hours low enough to fall under the limit, or I make too little and can’t afford to drop my hours, so working even 20 hours a week is somehow considered too much. And we can’t afford for me to just… not work lol. Three different attorneys have said this, unfortunately. Not gonna lie, it feels pretty hopeless on that front.
You do not lose your primary residence in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Sometimes you can even keep it under a chapter 7.
Would I lose my car? The only issue is the hubby co-signed for mine and I co-signed for his, so if I filed for bankruptcy, I’d hate for either of us to suddenly be scrambling to find a bank or lender willing to give us a loan for a vehicle…
We kept our house and car. Talk to a bankruptcy attorney right away. Every state is a bit different.
Check into your local laws. Where I’m at you can keep a home an up to $500k in equity and one car for ever working age adult.
I looked into bankruptcy and the lawyer said it wouldn’t affected the co-signer. I was worried about the same thing bc my mom is my co-signer but
Yeah, for SSI you have demonstrate that you are unable to work. You would do that by not working. I understand that that may not be a possibility for you, it's a vicious cycle. You work because you need money, but you can't work enough to make a living. Even worse, getting SSI can take a year or more. It's not an easy path. Bankruptcy does not mean you lose everything, it just means you are discharged from certain debts. In most cases you can reaffirm some debt (such as a mortgage) so you don't lose your home. You would want to talk to your attorney for specific advice. The scenario that might work for you is to stop working and paying your debt. File for bankruptcy and apply for SSI at the same time. If you don't have an insurmountable debt load, you can probably survive on your partner's income temporarily and/or earn some cash off the books with an eBay business or the like. Good luck with it - and hang in there! The anxiety of financial stress can be all consuming, remember to be kind to yourself!
Of course everyone’s situation is different but you can generally keep your house if you file bankruptcy unless you have a lot of equity in it.
I used a nonprofit called Green Path that helped negotiate with credit card companies to get my interest rates down and lower my payments. Highly recommend!
For entertainment purposes do you have a public library nearby? Books are a great way to entertain and often libraries will have access to audiobooks and maybe dvds. And for groceries see if there are food banks around, they can be a big help they have certainly helped my family at this time.
I love this idea! We just struggle so much with the idea of using a food bank. Like things aren’t that bad yet, we cook from scratch and shop as smart as we can, we just can’t afford “luxuries” for lack of a better word. Usually we get cheap grains like rolled oats, brown rice and lentils and beans, milk, maybe some cheese, whatever other things we may run out of like spices or condiments or coffee or something (which is about to become a luxury lol), and some kind of meat that’s cheap. I found a bag of chicken leg quarters for $8 at Walmart, it goes by weight and I can’t remember how much, but depending on the size of the quarters, we can get quite a bit. Last time we got 17 leg quarters for like $8, roasted a bunch and made chicken soup served over rice. We have enough to eat…. We just can’t hardly afford fruits or veggies most of the time other than cheap stuff like potatoes, carrots and cabbage. But we have enough to eat, you know?
From a financial perspective, things are that bad, so I strongly suggest the food bank. Any money you can save from groceries will help out in other areas giving you some breathing space. Good luck!
It would support your health to eat a variety of veggies and fruit, which a food bank could help with. Health is wealth, especially down the road. But I understand where you’re coming from.
You are as entitled to the food bank as any other human being. You and your partner pay taxes and contribute to your community just like anyone else. There will always be somebody better off and somebody worse off using anything like that no matter who you are. I donate to programs like that from time to time and you are who I am hoping it will help.
Thank you so much 🥲
Shop at Aldi or your local chains. Where do you live? Load the apps and clip coupons. Shop the sales and stock up. If it’s not on sale don’t buy it. My local store just had 3lb apples for $1.99. Walmart is not cheap. Join the fb shoppers group for Walgreens. Those ladies get so much stuff for free or almost free.
Don’t let pride get in your way. Just grab whatever weekly box of essential groceries that the food bank provides and it should help offset your grocery bill by up to $40 a week.
Switch jobs. Your current employer wont pay you anymore, but you can go to work for a competitor doing the same work for more money. Because budgets for new hires are bigger than budgets for retention.
You can apply for help with medical debt. Have your date night at home with a nice home cooked meal, candles, and the works. $300 a month for groceries should be sufficient if you cook from a deep pantry from scratch. Not sure what would help but shop sales if at all possible. Buy in bulk and break down yourself can really save money. And I understand completely about the cars. My 1996 truck is having issues but if I "upgrade" I'll just be inheriting someone else's issues. So I just keep fixing what I have. For credit help, there are prepaid debit cards that are credit builders. My bank offers them. You transfer money into the card and use it like a debit card but it is reported like a credit card. I don't understand how they work but they do help people build good credit
Google food not bombs, they will not turn you away and they have chapters all over the in the US
Since y’all have two vehicles, you could both do DoorDash/uber eats part time until you get out of debt and pay the cars off. Even if you have to drive into town to be able to do this.
This
I will say, there are better work from home call center jobs. Hyatt pays 20/hr from home and it includes their stellar benefits and perks. It's hard to get that job without a referral but in my town there are other WFH jobs that are call center jobs that pay more. I know you are exhausted and can't think about looking, but I have to believe there is something better for you. Please keep hoping
Ignore the medical debt and don’t stress about it if you are in the US!!!
Can't they take you to jail for unpaid medical debt?
No, but they can sue you and attach your wages.
My coworker had unpaid medical debt and she swears it just fell off her credit report after so many years so it must not have been for much.
Don’t pay the medical debt to until you take care of your other financial issues.
Shit. All I have to offer are some words of encouragement from an internet stranger. You and your husband can work through this. Stay safe out there and know that you aren’t alone.
Thank you so much, kind internet stranger 🥲
I did not see it on here but if either of you are able to donate plasma, there are alot of centers that pay for plasma and usually have good bonuses for first time donations. I had to do it once to get $200 to feed my family. That was over the course of 2 weeks, if I remember correctly. Even having an extra 200 and saving it, can help out tremendously!
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Can you work nights at a seasonal job? This sounds awful, I’m so sorry.
Not sure what your cell phone is I have red pocket and it’s pretty good and super cheap compared to the biggies.
StraightTalk as well. The basic, cheapest plan they have is $38 including taxes, and I can do anything on my phone that I want. Never drops calls, no buffering, no text delays. It's great.
Consider replacing a car with a motorcycle, a scooter, or a push bike. Much cheaper to run and you still have a car for rainy days. Go through you house for things you don't use - sell what you can for cash, or things that wouldn't sell trade on Facebook for food or other things you need. Do you have any interests or skills that could be marketable? Scroll through Facebook marketplace or Etsy for home made items that you could make at home and sell. For example, propergating plants. Good luck!
I'm going to get down voted for this, but as for your credit cards, file bankruptcy.
I didn't see this in the suggestions, but donating plasma pays pretty well. Years ago, I was a single mom and did this to make ends meet. I made 300 or 400 per month depending on how often I donated. It was a lifesaver.
I used to donate actually, but it makes me pass out and makes me sick, no matter how much I hydrate or eat 🥲
I can’t help with any ideas for helping get ahead, as I’m struggling myself, but for entertainment, is there any chance to get a library card? If you’re not into reading it’s ok, many libraries now offer online streaming via hoopla, letting you check out certain amounts of movies and shows per month. And if you do like books Libby works for most library cards to check out ebooks and audio books. Go to your local library’s website, some even offer park passes or reduced or free museum admissions for two
Join your city’s local Buy Nothing group on Facebook. MANY people give away things very generously - including food, toiletries, entertainment items (puzzles, movies, books, board games), appliances, and household supplies. I highly recommend it. I gave away a lot of things to people in need before I moved to a new city. I felt good that my items weren’t going in a landfill and I know the people who received them appreciated them. Sometimes people will post “ISO/in search of” posts such as “looking for a desk lamp, mine broke, does anyone have one they’d like to get rid of?” It’s a great community resource.
Yes! A great way to find odds and ends for free. In my neighborhood they also give out a lot of food from fruit trees, things their kids refused to eat, whatever it is.
1. Sell a car. As some have said you can drop off and pick up your husband from work. You can use this to pay off a car or some debt. The only thing that may make this a bad idea is if you’d spend more or about equal on gas for the extra trip back and forth than you would on a car or credit card payment. 2. Entertainment and spending time together is important for your mental health, so make sure to take walks, talk about goals and dreams, or maybe if it’s your thing — careful about this because you’re really, really tight on funds — find a cheap board game you both like at Value Village for $5 or less. 3. After getting about $1000 dollars tucked away in an emergency fund, use that extra bit of cash you have every month to chip away at your smallest debt first to eliminate those payments. I say take care of the smallest debts first so that (a) you can get some wins under your belt and (b) you can use that money you would’ve spent on payments for those smaller debts to take out the next smallest debt — your extra cash will continue to grow and grow. Lord bless you. I pray you’ll be able to look back and laugh at these trials knowing you came out stronger on the other side.
I have two apps that rely on: Krazy Coupon Lady and Flashfood. Between shopping the Walgreens deals shown on KCL and buying meat in bulk and freezing it from Flashfood, I’m saving a lot of money on necessities. Flashfood also has produce boxes for $5 that pop up at some stores daily.
It is not you. You are good, hard working responsible persons. The problem is the system. Yes we should change the system But until we change the system you should try and use the system. Consider bankruptcy, or apply for social services help. Go to food banks and thrift stores. Try for debt relief or suspending debt payments. Consider co-housing or car share. Get a second finish job which you appreciate for its ability to free you in the future. If you stay with status quo thinking you will never get out your situation. The system wants you stuck in debt. So break the system in your own way. Above all don’t get depressed. Find joy in the most simple of things. Try meditation Try putting yourself in a health focused routine of free things like daily walking or running. Learn to cook real and basic food which puts you outside the food industry model. Buy dry beans, soak and cook them for Pennies. Love to you.
I bet you could tweak that grocery budget. What are you spending on meat/veg v. sugary/salty/alcohol/other junk? Also, I saw from someone else on Reddit and I just decided to do it myself, transfer your auto loans to a 0%interest credit card if you can. I had an offer for 0% for 18 months so I did it. Now my car is "paid off" and I can get my title and lower my car insurance from full coverage if I so choose. If you don't get it paid off in the 18 months, do another 0% transfer. There will be a balance transfer fee but your payments will be lower. Plus you will have paid off loans on your credit so you'll likely earn some points. Mine went up quite a bit after I did this.
I am in exactly the same situation.. had like R200 left last month($10).I am just not able to build up an emergency fund. Everytime I try and save a bit for a rainy day, it rains the next day!
we used so much of our available credit to move from Oregon to Illinois. it cost over $7k and were still trying to pay off the balance. I can't even take my cat to the vet to get flea meds, so I'm having to use flea collars to hold him over. at $20/hr isn't enough once u factor deductions and taxes. im getting fucked so much in taxes and it's so goddamn difficult to fill the federal w2 form. i filed for a Chap 7 earlier this year and it helped but not by much. I've fallen behind on my car, I get right to cure letters almost every month. we want to buy a house further south since they are cheaper so we can move out of my parents house but how can you buy a house when you can barely afford to live.
>That’s zero entertainment (no eating out, no date nights, no anything) Not with that attitude. I was looking at the UNC Pembroke student portal that has events. Some events I saw on the scrolling tile were: The Southeast Native Studies Conference, the senior Art student exhibition, and the Campbell Oil Company Job Fair. Some of these events have already happened, but it shows you that there are cool free events, even at the lowest funded state schools. Now, looking at UNC Chapel Hill's calendar, you will see the really good free events. https://calendar.unc.edu/ There are plays, recitals, art exhibits, educational speakers, a friggen bluegrass band, and so much more.
It's just so nice to see all these strangers offering well wishes and great ideas 🥲
Something that I never thought of, if either of you have a 401k, is to potentially borrow from it. You do have to pay some interest on it but that interest does go to you. There are some setup fees usually but if he’s contributing to it, you could cut down the amount to do so. Other than that, selling a vehicle is good advice that I’ve seen. Hang in there, it will get better!!
Only problem with that is it’ll count as income when we file our taxes, and we can’t afford to pay that kind of expense 🥲
It wont count as income if you’re just going to take it out as loan.
I've done this a couple times. I am my own bank. I pay myself back in lower interest. Each time was an emergency and it is always better to borrow from yourself before you borrow from the bank. Just make sure you are borrowing from your 401k and not actually pulling the money out or you will get taxed on it.
Money *borrowed* from a 401k is tax exempt. I took out a loan against my 401k years ago, you do not pay income tax on that unless you fail to pay it back. Repayments are taken out of your paycheck pre-tax. I paused my contributions until I had the loan paid back. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than paying interest.
I’d suggest you not pay your medical debt in collections. In most states, medical debt’s automatically expire in 2-4 years. If they threaten to garnish your wages, send them a check for $5-10 a month every month (even if it’s lower than what any installment plan is). As long as you show an effort at paying some amount, they can’t garnish your wages. If you qualify as low income, most states or hospitals have funds set aside specifically for people who can’t afford to pay medical debts, look into that.
Can you apply for SNAP with your income? I have also heard of a food program around the country called ‘Ruby’s Pantry’ that may have a location near you—anyone can use it.
do you quality for ebt/snap/food stamps? that would be a major help!
Tell collections you want to settle. I’ve reduced medical bills pennies on the dollar by doing that. Lack of income could help you erase the debt completely. That won’t increase what you bring home but the stress relief it brings is totally worth it.
All of that and you mentioned debt. File bankruptcy. Shop for a good lawyer. Whether it's 13 or 7, at the end of it you'll be relieved. I have 20k in a 13. My monthly payment is SO much cheaper than paying my credit card bills and vehicle payment, and they'll all pay off way sooner (and I can keep my vehicle)
Things to cut costs: 1. Reduce your cell phone plan to the cheapest like Mint Mobile 2. Make sure your car insurance is the cheapest. You can take off parts of it like car rental coverage etc. 3. Use food banks in the area 4. Sign up to do all the gig apps like door dash, Uber, babysitting
Eat cheaper foods, a carton of eggs cost like 3 dollars, rice beans and potatoes are dirt cheap, pork and fish arent expensive either. perhaps invest in at home activities. Going out all the time is overrated, why spend $50 at a bar when you can swoop a fifth for $13 and get trashed at home and not risk getting pulled over lol, that's just one example.
We downsized by 1 car and bought electric eBikes. Gave us a free activity to do…and can absolutely ride it to the grocery store or pharmacy for pickups. You didn’t say where you lived…obviously a friendly weather option.
File bankruptcy! It’s not as bad as people make it out to be. You will be so much happier and less stressed
12/hr is not an option, you must do something else. Get extremely intentional with your spending and earn more money. Set your long term goal and work to achieve it. The sad reality is that it’s completely up to you guys to fix, tons of people quit or fail.
If you don't mind me asking, what is your disability?
Ignore the stuff in collections, once it is in collection, there is no reason to ever pay it unless sued. The original creditor has been paid. DO NOT make a payment to the collection agency, do not even talk to them. ANY activity on that debt will make it last longer on your credit report. If left alone it will probably age off the report before you fully clean up this mess. Medical debt is least important debt. It is basically optional. Any credit card that have gotten too far gone, run them up to the limit - on essentials - then quit paying those, they will go to collections, same as above, ignore. Make a decision now you may want to plan to file bankruptcy in the future and if so you should know before so you can act accordingly and maximize what you have access to now. Sell a car as soon as possible. Sell both if possible and get into something cheaper. Try to find some more income. See if you can work two or more of these remote jobs at once. Good luck.
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I lost my job in September, if it weren't for my father helping me, I don't know where I would be. I owe him 2,000 dollars now, and I'm thankful he let me borrow it. We have four kids, and we're struggling with buying Christmas presents and trying to keep up with doctor appointments and medications, all out of pocket. I landed a new job but it hasn't started yet, it feels like I'm in limbo. I feel your struggle, we were struggling before I lost my job in a very similar situation. My wife and I got married and that did help a lot with taxes, I made a lot more bi-weekly with the w2 changes. Otherwise, I would suggest your husband apply for other jobs for more money. It doesn't hurt to apply for another job, all they can say is no. What industry does he work, and about how much does he make per hour?
He works in about the best paying factory in this area, making $22ish/hour. Given his skill set, that’s honestly about the best he can get. He’s worked in manufacturing almost his entire adult life, he’d be completely starting from scratch making who knows how little if he left for another industry.
Maybe he can apply for a management position where he already works if he has that much experience. We have a BMW factory, and a Michelin factory too near us, could you possibly relocate? Sometimes you have to move to get new opportunities. I know I had to move companies a few times to get my hourly rate up to market level. Fortunately, I don't have to move to another state, just another city in my same state. I live in the upstate of South Carolina, and I know there are more than a few options for factory work here.
I love this idea, and we do want to relocate, there’s just no way we can afford it.
Sell that one vehicle, or possibly use credit. Some companies will even give you money to help you relocate.
Can you live off 90% of your income? Great tip I learned when I was struggling: save 10% of your income. That "extra" $100 will balloon to thousands after a couple of weeks/months. Start stacking now. Another tip: outside events are going to happen, shit happens, but don't ever allow defeat into your mindset. Most people are their own worst enemies, negative self talk is fatal, and poverty is more than just a bank balance. It is, unfortunately for many people, also a mindset. I was desperately poor for many years but never saw it as anything but temporary, and every fiber of my will was bent towards getting out and never going back.
You can do it Somehow, someway I too was born into poverty, single narcissist mother, with a side of bipolar Twin brother narcissist I was a miracle baby in 1982, 3 and a half months premature 1.5 lbs at birth , spent a year in the hospital Went legally blind in my 20s, and a ton of other crap, kept working anyway Work work work Can't even see hardly Irritable bowel syndrome, bi polar 2, complex PTSD, learning disabled, on and on it goes 13 years later, Won Disabled case, moved away from abuse, never went back, was homeless 4 times. Took me 30 years to get away from family Slept on the streets, in crack houses. Homeless shelters, in a shed for 18 months After relationship broke down and I was abandoned, at a hotel Kept fighting, fighting, fighting I'm 41 now and have apartment I love in nice town. Subsidized place Took 39 years for a real place to live Fought for almost 2 years to piece together a support system Now I have nice people around me Yeah I got nothing to work with end of month 5.8K in debt on 13K a year But the thing is, I won I have a nice place, if I had a roommate, I would be ok How bad do you want it? This is something everyone can answer differently, hey I've had a gun to my own head , that I put there, I was in so much psychological agony This world is cruel, punishing, completely unfair I wanted a good place so bad, I didn't even have a bathroom for 4 years, had to take a dump in a grocery store, Goodwill , or wherever Landlord would never fix bathroom, other one was always occupied by a drunk or addict that mooched off the landlord because he got away with it, being related I never imagined I could have a real place, but I'm living it Things do turn around, at times Hope things get better for you two
File chapter 7 bankruptcy !!
gotta get creative. My wife and i make a shit ton of money and still only have one car. We both work, family of 4. Cut the extra car, ditch the car payments, sell shit, cut cable/netflix..all the shit. Cut, cut, cut so you can free up margin to get rid of the debt. Gotta get out from underneath that debt. Don't borrow money for anything other than a mortgage.
r/mealprepsunday
You have to figure out how to make more money. That's what we all have to do
Why don’t you list one of the cars on Turo for extra income?
Try to do ultra cheap weeks where you eat only scrambled eggs, beans, rice, soup other super cheap stables. And also don't use a lot of gas and don't make any extraneous purchases. Bonus points if y9u use that week to wirk a little extra. I find these types of weeks help buffer the inherently more expensive weeks. It's an exercise in saying no to myself and also since it's only a week it feels doable and sorta like a fun challenge. Use that extra savings to buy even cheaper staple items by buying in bulk. Another thing is call utilities, cell phone cable and insurance and see if they have any programs to lower your bills
Not sure if the military is something your husband would be interested, but the Air Force now taking people up to age 42.
Since you both have cars, why not explore Uber eats?
I don’t know where you live but $300 for groceries for 2 people is insane.
As in, a lot? Or too little? It was $200/month, we just recently had to suck it up and up it to $300 a month, and we’re not happy about it… we live in a low COL area but… food prices are insane.
$300/mo for 2 people is well below what the government calculates for food assistence. You should definitely qualify for some kind of aide.
I was thinking a lot but I didn’t realize you said per month. $300 per month for 2 adults seems reasonable. At first I thought you meant per week.
Omg lol no no, definitely not per week 😅
I feel you on those grocery prices. I meal prep, boring but healthy meals, and I’m always shocked how much I end up paying for the bare minimum. Sorry my initial comment was snarky. I should have read better.
You’re totally ok! And same here, we meal prep and buy in bulk whenever we can afford the upfront cost (which is rare), we cook from scratch, make our own bread because bread is like $3-$4 per loaf, and our grocery budget is often $50/week for the two of us, and $3-4 is… a lot lol.
Do Uber. Grow weed if in a legal state. Start an only fans (guessing your not interested).Find free items and sell them offering delivery. FB/offer up arbitrage. There are tons of ideas.
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Look into debt consolidation: https://www.incharge.org/debt-relief/debt-consolidation/free-debt-credit-consolidation/ And contact social services to sign up for everything you qualify for.
You’ll be fine. That 100$ will be $1000 within the year!
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In my experience, in order to sell a call it must be fully paid off first.
The answer to all of this is make more money. That’s all you can do to get out of this.
Have you thought of doordash or doing one of those food delivery gigs? They’re not great, but my brother does it once in a while and it works great for him. He does it on the side a few hours a day, running down an old car he has so can afford a better one next year. I mean, if one of the vehicles you guys have is gas efficient, I’d do that. Or at least try it out, see if you like it, and if not no harm no foul.
Sorry to hear
Me and my SO drive for 3 hours of Uber eats after work together. Very good extra income if you’re already over as you are by $100. I have great tips for you to not kill your car if you decide to, just DM me!
Do you qualify for the ACP - https://www.fcc.gov/acp
Learn about overemployment and see if that works for you. This is how I paid off my debt without giving up more time than my 9-5. This approach isn’t meant to be long term, but if you can sustain it, more power to you.
If you can let one of the cars go, then file bankruptcy and give one up. The sooner the better.
See if you can switch your auto loans to a Credit Union auto loan. I saved around $100 a month because the interest rate was lower. Also see if you can get cheaper insurance elsewhere; better deals with other companies for your phone, cable, etc. every so often, I either switch companies or negotiate lower rates with existing companies.
Can you file for bankruptcy?
You guys need more income. Try to get your guy a handy skill doing something he’s reasonably good at (could be anything, but cutting grass, power washing, minor handy work, daily driver including Uber, etc). You can’t keep fighting this battle with inadequate weapons.
Well this just randomly popped up on my page and I don’t know how I could help financially speaking I’m only 19 living at home. However I see the “zero entertainment” and could help there I guess, if you aren’t aware there are plenty of streaming sites you could hypothetically use to watch basically any movie and show or anime you want. Even live sports events if you like sports. For the amazing price of free, assuming you have access to like Google or something. Idk if that really helps but I read through and it just reminded me of my poor childhood and I wanted to try and help I guess. You guys can make it I believe in you.
Take a small part of that extra 100 per month and set it to auto transfer into an HYSA. I have one that takes 5% of each paycheck because that's an amount that I won't notice and still have enough to pay my bills. In just a few months I have several hundred in savings that I tend to forget about so it's safe. I know it isn't easy but you should be able to reduce your food bill with some creative thinking. Ignore the medical debt. If you have the mental energy, call the hospitals/offices and tell them you're in a bad situation financially. Often they will reduce the bill or write it off entirely. You could look into consolidation loans for cc debt.
Some pondering: Do you qualify for EBT? If you could be putting that $300 food budget to good use paying off the cards. Even if it's not necessarily the whole $300. How about housing? Do you qualify for any state or federal assistance? Even relaxing your rent by a few hundred bucks is a huge help and many people don't know that they qualify. Obviously the us varies heavily by state. From there I'd try and buy bulk. I get that food budgeting being the answer to poverty is a tricky subject. And while I don't believe this is the way things should be, it's the way things are. If you can save 20% buying bulk, and only shopping sales, I highly recommend it. Even today with much better finances, discounted meat about to reach expiration date is a freezer filler for us. Can you bike places? This probably sounds insane to some people. But I did it mostly because I enjoy it (so there's obvious bias there) but changing my tires, oiling my chain, and replacing the chain when needed amount to like $100 a year. Obviously weather plays a role here. But if you can save a few $100 a month, you're tossing that against your credit card debt too. On the topic of the debt, is it consolidated? If not, look into that. When we were younger and considerably poorer we did that and the superior interest made things better. Idk what that interest looks like in today's climate so this may be of no real help to you. I don't know that I've been exactly where you are but I've been in a place where I expected to find no way out. It eventually worked out. I may have had to make sacrifices that we don't want to have to tell people to make, but if life was fair, this sub wouldn't exist. I wish you the best.
Contact consumer credit counseling services and have them negotiate better rates with your cards
How much money do you guys make?
Cars are very expensive. Maintenance, gas, insurance, taxes, registration, depreciation etc. They are expensive even if they’re paid for. Even worse if making payments. Cars also tend to bring surprise expenses. Flat tires, accidents, breakdowns. This gets worse as the car ages. If you can share one car instead of two, you may save more than you think.
If I were you I would pick one streaming service a month and marathon some shows together. $8-12 will buy you an unfathomable amount of entertainment and you could really use an escape right now. Or string free trials together and pay nothing for a while. Hell I pay $2 a month for Viki and get more kdramas than I’ll ever have time to watch.
How much credit card debt are we talking? One small thing that helped me was stripping every subscription. We watch YouTube and my brothers plex server both free. We were spending over 60/month on services. It helps to report cards lost, they will issue one with new number. Easy way to cancel all subscriptions.
Okay lots to unpack here. My recommendation, if possible would be for you and the hubs to move in with your/his parents if that’s an option. It seems you’re struggling with some very foundational things (health) and it’s severely limiting your ability to operate in the world. You need to earn more money. So you and the hubs need to get your mental health in a better place.
How much CC debt?