Down and out today... need to vent
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| Wed, 05-10-2006 - 2:01pm |
Ugh... it just seems like we're never going to get out of this hole we've dug.
DH's job situation.... He now "officially" has his MBA. Graduation ceremony was this past Sunday. I have been sending him job listings, and at first he said he appreciated them and would check them out... later, when we were discussing it with his two friends around, he was like "Those listings sucked." I thought they were appropriate for someone with a marketing MBA (things like marketing manager, account supervisor, etc.) and certainly a heckuvalot more money than what he's making now... but he said, "well, they're only marginally better than what I'm doing now." He works at a local sign shop for $9/hour. That is NOT what he got an MBA to do. It was the first job he was offered when he was actually done with classes (back in March), his friend basically handed it to him, and it was enough to squeak us by, but I'd really like to see him making more money so we can get out of this hole faster.
I'm working on my own job situation as well, but I think I'm making about what someone with a bachelor's in English can reasonably expect to make in an economically depressed area such as where I live. $16.50/hour, though I have to pay full cost for medical for me and DH (because I'm a contractor), which snatches about $4/hour before I even see it. No dental or vision insurance.
Here's our budget (though we never stick to it), which roughly correlates to our monthly spending but also includes some wishful thinking.
Rent - $485 (will go up to $535 in Sept.), includes water and trash pickup
Cable and internet - $108 (this month was $160 because of a pay-per-view)
Phone - $40
Cell phones - $70
Electric/gas - $50-$65 depending on the season, lower right now
Renter's insurance - $36
Car insurance - $220 (full coverage on both cars - may go down a bit in a couple weeks when I turn 25, and I am trying to convince DH to cut his down to PL/PD, as his '98 Cavalier is paid off)
Car payment - $200
Student loan payment - $100
Now for the good stuff....
MBNA - $200 (current balance about $11,800)
Best Buy - $150 (current balance $1100, whatever is not paid off by Aug. will be rolled into one of our other cards, as it is currently 0% but due to go up in Sept.)
Bank of America - $125 (current balance about $7500)
Capital One - $100 (current balance about $3500)
Providian - $50 (current balance $1700, we're taking aim at this one after we take care of Best Buy)
Discover - paid off last month, yay! Still owe $5.22 on that from interest... whatever.
And for the even better stuff...
Groceries - $200
Gas - $150 or so (I have an 80-mile round-trip commute every day, and no hope of telecommuting or working flex time; DH works locally, about a mile away)
Comic books - $100. Yes, DH still buys these and I CANNOT break him of the habit. And I wish he would. Not only do they cost a lot, but they're scattered everywhere around the house, and if I dare step on one, or move it to someplace where he can't find it, it's like the world is coming to an end.
Dining out - $80-$100, I am REALLY trying to cut that down. I'm just as guilty as DH is, because my workplace has a cafeteria and I often don't feel like packing a lunch in the morning.
Entertainment (bars and whatnot) - $40-$50, also something I am trying to cut down.
TiVo, Netflix and gaming subscriptions - $45
Total monthly spending = about $2564
My income is exactly $416.30/week (after insurance and taxes), or $1665/month. I'm hourly, but my boss here pays me as though I'm basically salary. This means I get no overtime, but that has never been a problem.
DH's income is about $290/week, or about $1160/month, if he is able to get at least 38 hours/week. His boss can't afford to pay him overtime.
Total income = $2825
Have no idea where the other $300 goes. That seems like a lot, but like I said, some of the budget above is more wishful thinking than fact. I started using Microsoft Money last month to scrutinize every penny we spend, so I can find out for sure how much we spend on each of those categories.
I have a few good things coming for me. If I can get DH switched over to an individual insurance plan, I can take him off mine and no longer have to pay for a family plan - saving us nearly $200/month! That should happen within the next month or so, after he has been on my insurance for 6 months, so he doesn't have to deal with a waiting period. My car insurance might go down a bit after my birthday, and I'm going to keep working on reducing dining-out and entertainment costs.
Still, I'm bummed that I have to ask my parents for birthday money to help me out with the costs for my license renewal ($18) and registration ($76) coming up at my birthday. Joy. And I really don't know where the state gets these numbers that determine how much you pay for your registration. They pull them out of somewhere, that's for sure.
*sigh* Sorry for the rambling! Thanks for letting me vent! I just need some thoughts.

Hi- I am totally just a lurker here, but get tons of advice from reading all the posts, (so thank you to all of you). I think you do have a lot on your plate, but you should congratulate yourself for getting control of it! Since your husband just finished school, will be getting a new job, and you are spending so much money commuting, have you ever thought about having him look for a job near your work? Especially since you rent, and you wouldn't have to sell a home. With an increase in his salary, and saving money on gas, you could really get snowballing.
Good luck with everything...
My dh just finished his MBA last week, graduation is on Saturday. Whew! I am glad that craziness is over.
Dh started a new job in January. It is a management job for a brand new facility in a major retail compay. A complete industry switch, he used to work in enviromental/chemical waste. Dh found tons of jobs he liked when he started looking last year, a few interviews. So there are jobs out there...it is just getting out of the comfort zone of where you are at. My dh had been at the same company for 8+ years. He is an anxious person, and was a *huge* decision for him to leave. He had always thought he would stay with the company and be able to move up to bigger and better things(ex: district something for blah blah). I had issues with that company (business ethics), and did not promote staying in the company. In the end that company was not willing to develop a career path that had any sort of advancement and basically told dh 'good-bye and good luck to you'. WTF? He was already a manager of a department there, and they didn't even partially pay for his MBA. I wasn't surprised but dh was disappointed by that, i think.
As far a job listings go, unless your dh's asks for them, don't. He really has to be motivated to find a different job or it won't work. Dh's new job was quite a jump in pay, it was a very nice blessing.
Good Luck,
Sola
Hello,
My DH occasionally buys comics, so I understand the addiction. However, I bought a cardboard box sized appropriately for comics (found it online, search for comics storage) to put them all in. This way, they are stored in a closet.
Here's a link to a similar box, but believe me, you can probably find them much cheaper!
http://www.the2buds.com/suboxcos.htm
Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke
Geeks on Tap: Mission Accomplished
Sorry to hear you are down. Hopefully you will see some light here soon.
I wanted to suggest that maybe your DH spend some time with any professors or mentors he made through his MBA program. I'm sure they would have some great suggestions about where he might find something that utilizes his interests and aptitudes as well as giving him a good sense of what he should be expecting. I would assume that he should be able to make a substantially larger amount over $9/hour but it might be that he doesn't have the right experience so he is going to have to look at a more intermediate position. I feel like it is probably important for him to get out there and get interviewing while his degree and stuff is 'fresh'. If he dillidallies around waiting for the 'perfect' job posting, he might have such a long period between graduation and job interview that it'll raise a red flag. The other thing is that you have to network these days. The best jobs are rarely found in job postings. Fellow classmates, alums of his school, faculty, friends, etc. are all good resources. He needs to develop an idea of what he is looking for and start telling EVERYONE what that is. Of course, the challenge is that you are motivated and it doesn't appear as if he is as motivated. Maybe try to encourage him to do a certain number of things or minutes each day on his job search. I know it can be difficult to muster the energy for a job search after a long day at work but it's what must be done. I also agree that it might make a lot of sense to see if you can't find him a job closer to where you work and move since you rent.
You talk a lot about what you have looked at, considered and dreamed about money wise but it doesn't sound like there is a dialogue about this happening with DH. I am single but lots of ladies on the list have worked through this sort of 'disconnect' in their marriages so maybe they can offer you some suggestions if you'd like to have them.
Peg