What do I do?

Avatar for peaceingod
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
What do I do?
8
Thu, 09-30-2004 - 5:16pm
I am at home with my kids: 6( in 1st grade), 4 and 1. Money has gotten tighter and tighter even though we hardly spend and have cut back alot! I cannot get a part time job at night or on the weekends because my husband already works 2 jobs. I would have to work out of the house and put the older two in daycare, that would be $500 or more a month. How do I justify that?? What do I do? I am SO stressed out!

Cathie

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-27-1998
In reply to: peaceingod
Fri, 10-01-2004 - 12:32pm
OK, take a deep breath first....

Can you take a look at your past few months' spending and determine why money has gotten tighter? Is it a permanent budget change, a temporary spending increase, something you have to spend money on, or something you can eliminate?

Its not for everyone, but some people like to do family day care while their kids are young and that way, you are at home and you do not pay for childcare while you are working. You would have to check with your state about licensing and your homeowners insurance on any restrictions.

Does your husband's second job pay more than you could make working a second job? Would you prefer you both work opposite shifts instead of him working 2 jobs? That is an option if you would feel better doing it that way.

Third, for overall spending, you can look for ways to decrease it, which is the best long term option.

Do you have a car payment? Would it be less expensive to get an older car and reduce/eliminate your payment? We have an 11 year old volvo wagon we bought 2 years ago for $6000. New, those wagons are over $30,000 and just trying to imagine the monthly payment makes my stomach clench with anxiety. None of the repairs are under warranty, and parts are getting old, but its still cheaper than a new one. But, I don't know what kind of vehicle you have so I will stop at that!

I am terrible at grocery spending. I don't think I buy a lot of extraneous things, but my bill is kind of high. If you take a look at the Frugal Kitchen message board on ivillage, you will find that there are many ways (some more appealing than others LOL) to reduce your grocery budget.

Good luck!

I have a 5 (almost 6)yo, 2.5yo and 1.5yo.

Dolli

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Avatar for peaceingod
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: peaceingod
Sat, 10-02-2004 - 1:13pm
Dolli,

Thanks for responding, your ideas are all wonderful. As far as watching other kids, NOT for me! I would go insane! We do have a car payment but it is my husband's Jeep and he is not willing to part with it, so, again no option.

I used to work quite a few hours teaching but now I don't do it at all so there is a budget change. I already have cut back alot and can't even think of where I could cut back more. Also, I have been going to Sav-A-Lot for groceries and really cutting back on that as well. I am at a loss as to what to do now.

Also, my husband does make more at his 2nd job than I could make part-time.

See my dilemma??

Cathie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: peaceingod
Sat, 10-02-2004 - 1:34pm
Cathie,

If you used to teach, why not tutor in your home? Just a thought.

Holly

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-20-2004
In reply to: peaceingod
Sun, 10-03-2004 - 9:54am
Yes Cathie, Holly has a great idea about you tutoring in your home. I agree with her.

I must also say about the money issues, my hubby and i have really been saving. Since we moved to England we don't have Wal Mart, Target, K Mart, McDonalds, Buger King (you get the idea) here in England to "steal" our money. I don't know if you go to Dept stores often, or out to eat often, but it's really been helping us. It's a difference of almost $1500 a month.

~Amanda~

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-27-1998
In reply to: peaceingod
Sun, 10-03-2004 - 9:00pm
Amanda!

I totally know what you mean. We lived in Iceland for 3.5 years and I am amazed at how much I spend now at walmart and target. Of course it is nice to be able to get a new vinyl tablecloth or shower curtain when I need one, but I end up getting so much else I don't need. Our NEX was HORRIBLE when I was there because Iceland was not under Europe so they stocked it like a stateside exchange. Towards the end, they changed the structure and it finally got classified as an overseas one, and inventory started getting better. Still, not much to leave home for. It was tiny.

It is amazing what you can get by with when there is no other option. I learned that living at NAS Keflavik. It made coming back to the same Air Force base we hated 7 years ago a much nicer experience. I never thought I would get so excited about having a Walmart around.

Dolli

baby growth



New and improved siggy coming soon (which could mean after Christmas)

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2004
In reply to: peaceingod
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 8:54am
Welcome, my name is Mel. I have 2 boys ages 5 years old and 10 months old.
I know how it is to get tighter and tighter. UGH. Seems every month we are shorter then the last.
I do know you feel about daycare, we look at it and it would not be worth to work 40 hours a week to only have 100-200 left over of the money after paying daycare.
Don't feel alone and I am sure the ladies here can help you figure something out. They are great.


Lilypie Baby Days



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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2003
In reply to: peaceingod
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 11:13am
Hi Cathie! I don't know if this will help at all but I will tell you what I am going to do. I can't go out and get a late afternoon job either b/c my husband works a 2nd job also. I am fixing to begin taking catalog orders for tupperware and premeir jewelry. A friend of mine makes around $400 a month just taking catalog orders for premeir jewelry. Tap into your resources. Send out post cards and let neighbors know that you are selling something...Also let your family and people at your church know. One other place to think about it is if your children do any afterschool activities....you can always let those parents know.

I am not going to do parties b/c I don't have the time and I don't have a babysitter at night. If this idea only makes you $150 extra a month then that has got to be better than what you are making now. The great thing about doing it this way is that you can work for several different direct sales companies that way you can hopefully please everyone. Let me know what you think. I am just starting to order my stuff so I haven't gotten to get started yet. But if I make $100 then that will help with groceries.

Hope this helps.

Tabatha (ryleemom2003)

tabatham8@hotmail.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2003
In reply to: peaceingod
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 12:00pm
I understand, truly I do! It's sooo stressful when money is tight. One thing that I do is either babysitting sporadically (you can charge more per hour on the weekends) or I used to keep two little guys all day during the week. It was only $200/week for the both of them, but it helped. I'll probably start again soon, now that Wes and Wade are a little older (4yr old twins). You could try doing after school care for a few kids who go to school with your oldest child, too. I did that last year, and it worked out great--and it's less of an investment of time than all day care. We drive to school to pick up Wil every day, so I just made arrangements to pick up two of his classmates at the same time, and they stayed with us until their moms got off of work to pick them up. Their moms were thrilled, because they had had a snack, run off some energy, and already done their homework (at the same time as Wil) by the time they came to get them--and I got paid $50/week each for pickup and aftercare. If you do this, the only advice I can give is this: Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself, and DO be picky. I know it sounds mean, but if after trying with a child for a while, and they (or their parents...) are just too disruptive to your routine, or they just don't fit, politely tell the parents that it's not working out, and look for another child. (We ended aftercare with one chile because his mom was ALWAYS late picking him up, even after we started charging her over charges for late pickup.) It might be a good interim solution, anyway, what with Christmas coming (AAAHHHH!). Good luck, and hang in there...

Angela