ARE ANY OF YOU GUYS IN A BAD FINANCIAL SITUATION?

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Don't it really suck when you know you're doing your very best in life and STILL feel like it's taking a huge shit on you? I got a wife, a daughter, a house and two somewhat decent jobs. I'm affording my bills and what now. Not by much mind you, but they are getting paid. That leaves hardly anything left over for fun stuff. I've got good jobs on my resume and I'm trying to better my personal and professional life, but damn. How great dose someone have to be to find a good living? I'm not by any means poor if you will I'm just not doing well, not really sure how to describe it. To me, it always seems like the good people in life seem to get the crap end of the stick. I'm not typing this to get "Oh I'm so sorry" pity, I'm just curious if any of you guys are in a similar situation.
I have plenty of money, but I'd rather have a wife and a daughter. And good health.

I guess people always want what they don't have.
The most important aspect for me is how you personally feel about yourself and your situation. Stress is an important factor in my life that follows me, regardless of when I was poor, or slightly better off now. I look at my sister and her husband + child who are a lot better off, and they still feel unhappy and complain to me constantly.

I try to keep my stress levels low, and be happy with what I have. Thankfully my boyfriend of 2 years is pretty chill, and we balance that out great. Don't neglect to do "fun" things, whatever that may personally mean for you. Trying to further yourself professionally doesn't have to mean less time for fun things and (stress)free time, but it certainly feels that way. Depends where your priorities in life lie I guess...

This turned out more waffle-ramble than helpful I'm sorry :( *hugs*
I'm a student so I could always use some money, but right now I'm doing ok. Here we have student benefits but there isn't much left to live with after rent and bills. I got a summer job, though, and that's making things a bit easier on the financial side.

There have been times I couldn't even afford to buy food. It's awful. Thankfully I've been able to save up some cash lately in case I want to buy myself something nice.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
I'm surviving. In a tight spot right now, but not starving or anything. Just a bad time.

Regardless of how bad it gets, I am just too stubborn to seek aid or accept help. I was raised to take care of myself. So even the hard times are manageable.
author=RyaReisender
I have plenty of money, but I'd rather have a wife and a daughter. And good health.

I guess people always want what they don't have.


It's more of a mind set thing for me. I just want them to have more. I hate living pay check to pay check and having to watch everything you buy at the store. It bothers me when I see bad people that have it so well. There's this dude I know he dropped out of high school in 9th grade. He has two kids with two girls, which he dose take care of his kids. He has two girl friends now (that I know of.) He will blow off plans with people to go party. Yet he makes 15.90 an hour at his ONE job. Call me a bit bitter with him, that's because I am.
author=Jparker1984
I hate living pay check to pay check and having to watch everything you buy at the store.

That's the American narrative these days. I'm supporting myself through college and it isn't an easy thing to do. Wanting to give your family more is a good trait to have; the best thing you can do is manage your debt, work hard, and gain skills that can allow you to progress into a better job that will hopefully allow you to have a larger disposable income.

author=Jparker1984
There's this dude I know he dropped out of high school in 9th grade. He has two kids with two girls, which he dose take care of his kids. He has two girl friends now (that I know of.) He will blow off plans with people to go party. Yet he makes 15.90 an hour at his ONE job. Call me a bit bitter with him, that's because I am.

It depends on the job he has, I suppose. Did you consider sending in an application to his work place or a similar line of work?

author=Jparker1984
To me, it always seems like the good people in life seem to get the crap end of the stick.

I've seen more cases of that than I have ever wished to see.

author=Mobh
I'm a student so I could always use some money, but right now I'm doing ok. Here we have student benefits but there isn't much left to live with after rent and bills. I got a summer job, though, and that's making things a bit easier on the financial side.

There have been times I couldn't even afford to buy food. It's awful. Thankfully I've been able to save up some cash lately in case I want to buy myself something nice.

I'm fortunate enough to have never been in a situation to have done without food, but I know what it's like to have barely enough money to get by. Glad to hear things are improving for you.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
author=RyaReisender
I have plenty of money, but I'd rather have a wife and a daughter. And good health.

I guess people always want what they don't have.


you can't always get what you waaaaant
you can't always get what you waaaaant
but if you try sometimes
you might find
you get what ya need
I have a giant college debt and not much income. The worst part though is my job itself. I get no respect at all at work. I work as a teacher's aid. Last year the staff treated me like dirt even in front of the kids and so the kids had no respect for me.
This year seemed different I was working at a different school the staff SEEMED nice I was working with a group of kids who respected and even liked me. Unfortunately, half way through the year they transferred me to a special needs class; it's the most difficult thing I have ever dealt with. Everyday I come home exhausted, but what's worse is we are constantly under staffed in that class because a class like that needs many people working in it and unfortunately when people are absent they rarely bring in substitutes. The higher ups just don't care about the special needs classes. To top things off the teacher in that class doesn't respect me.
Almost every day one of those kids smacks, punches, kicks, or hits both other kids and the staff. We need more staff in that class but instead of paying for substitutes this school would rather spend its money on trophies for classes that are doing better than the rest. The other teacher aids that work along side me are also tired of this job and are likely going to switch to another class next year. As for me I think I'll try being a substitute teacher instead of a teacher's aid. At least, that way if I encounter a difficult class I won't have to deal with said class every day.
The only good thing about the job now is, I've made a few friends in the school and a couple times a week I use part of my lunch break to read books with the kids from my previous class that actually liked and respected me. I still get to put a smile on their face every now and then and that's the main reason I haven't quit.
Before I end my rant I do want to mention that I love all the kids I've taught during the past 2 years even the ones that don't respect me. It's mostly other adults that have ruined this job for me and I'm just tired of it.
pianotm
The TM is for Totally Magical.
32347
I wasn't going to respond to this post, but here it goes. My wife died last year after her lungs collapsed during an asthma attack. I run the house electric off of a generator. I go to the Lowes parking lot in the evenings with my wife's laptop to get online. I am self-employed in a very specialized vocation, specifically, the repair and maintenance of musical instruments, especially antique pianos, melodians, and orchestrions. I cater to a to a luxury group that people currently aren't indulging in, except for the semi-wealthy and wealthier. These people use technicians that have known for years and years. I am 33-years-old, and professionally haven't known anybody for years and years. Yet I am not starving, and am finding the time for hobbies (I actually began attending RMN looking for something to take my mind off of the loss of my wife), and have engaged in a relatively time consuming and rigorous spiritual path.

It can always get worse. The simple reality is, is that all of these things are temporary. We are fools when we assume that that which we possess today shall remain in our possession tomorrow. Don't live your life expecting to acquire, because even if you do acquire, you're going to lose it anyway, and indeed, it was never really yours. Death is the occupation of all living things; we kill daily, whether we murdered the chicken in our deep fryer, paid someone else to do the deed, or whether we are devouring broccoli and carrots, absolute everything we must consume to survive is a living thing that we kill (We cannot consume things that have never lived, and would likely die painfully if we attempted to do so in most cases), except water, which gives life to all living things...and then we die.

Moral of the story: be grateful for what you have and shed no tears over what was never yours.
janussenpre
愛・おぼえていますか
1274
I grew up in a relatively high income family so thankfully, I've never really been in a bad financial situation. I've paid off all my college debts and I've even got plenty of money left over my college english tutoring to support the last couple of years I've spent living a somewhat "hedonistic/frivolous/artistic" lifestyle. That being said, I'm only providing for one. I don't have a family to support let alone a girlfriend at the moment so I can afford to be a bit superfluous with my spending. I'm really thankful for all of the extra cushion that I've been given in life. I was born in 1985 and to my knowledge, many of the peers that I've reconnected with over the years are still living paycheck to paycheck.

I am reminded however, of one of my old apartment-mates back in college. Three out of the four of us in the apartment were big spenders so we liked going out to eat every other night (mostly sit down places as opposed to fast food), we frequently purchased video games and got our weekly groceries at Whole Foods. The last guy however was barely making it through school. His diet primarily consisted of PB&J sandwiches and homemade microwaved baked potatoes. Most of his pants were so worn down that some of them were practically in tatters below the knee. We never looked down on him and we always extended an invitation to come along with us during our food excursions. Thankfully, as terrible as his situation was, he worked hard with what he had and out gpa'ed us all. I think he's working on his PhD now. :)

@RedMask

I've subbed here and there for a while. The pay is okay. On average its about $100-120 USD where I live for a day's work and the pay will scale depending on how long the sub assignment is. I can definitely relate to your experience. Classroom and faculty environments can really differ depending on the school and district. Unfortunately, from my experience, subs are generally disrespected by both the administration and student body more often than not. If you do decide to sub, stay away from middle school. If you plan on continuing to stay in the classroom in any sort of capacity then I recommend you look into shouldering some extra debt and try and get your Single / Multi Subject credential and become an actual K-12 teacher. Programs usually last a year (maybe more) and you have to spend quite a bit of time in the classroom as a proxy "assistant teacher". I'm not sure how much you get paid as an aid, but it will sure as hell feel good to get paid a salary.
I don't how many parents are on here, but I've notice since being a dad for 3 years now that you for sure notice money issues more frequently. Funny thing is I'm making more per hour now then before she was born, but obviously a child more often then not will cost more then the pay increase. I know that a lot of times when a mom or a dad says they feel like a failure, they really aren't. They just seem to place tons of extra stress on themselves because of the thought of failure, but that's very understandable.

For me, my dad left before I was born so naturally I want to make sure I am now and always will be better then him. Even though I know I will never get that low, the thought is edged in the back of my mind. Hence why I said before it's a mind set thing for me. It's really such a shame how many bad parents are out there, probably more bad then good.
Yellow Magic
Could I BE any more Chandler Bing from Friends (TM)?
3154
To be honest, while I've had a miserable time at University due to never really having any money to do anything, I could have easily asked my 'middle-class' parents for some help - I have a bit of an ego though, so I managed to get by in not-so-great accommodation and instant noodles for a couple years.

This September I start a (hopefully) cushion-y job at an investment bank, so I'll probably experience the 'middle-class' lifestyle my parents are so accustomed to. As the student loan system here in the UK is probably the best you'll find anywhere, coupled with the fact that I don't plan on starting a family anytime soon, I might even feel filthy rich for a while, who knows.

Overall, I'm not gonna lie: Like janussenpre, I've been VERY lucky when it comes to financial stability.
author=Dudesoft
I'm surviving. In a tight spot right now, but not starving or anything. Just a bad time.

Regardless of how bad it gets, I am just too stubborn to seek aid or accept help. I was raised to take care of myself. So even the hard times are manageable.


Pretty much that for me. It's been all of 2014 so far. Have to move in August, and it's going to be HARD in my current state.
Tau
RMN sex symbol
3293
Yeah I've been flat broke for like two years now despite working like 17 hour days and what most would consider a decent pay check. Thankfully my hours have come down because I quit one of my jobs, got a new daytime job that pays very well. But that's the thing, I'm not really in any debt it's my family who are, and with the news about my dad having bladder cancer and all I'm probably gonna go get another night shift job again just for added insurance.

I've always had a pretty good work ethic so it's not anything I can't handle, and I have made a big dent in the debt that's there. My life's pretty much on hold though while I sort all this out.

I'm 25 on the 8th though so I guess that's something.
I don't believe in college debt or should I say debt in general. it's what has put so many people in misery. I've grown so tired of how the economic system runs.

But aside from that, I'm having a hard time myself. I'm a college student just trying to get by, but at the same time I always feel immensely guilty I still have to rely on my folks for some things. Here I'am just trying to find that one good job that I'm wondering l'll ever find. So many places only want limited days/part-time.

Luckily I did land my very first job, and thus I got "skills" these entry jobs apparently require in the first place, but the ironic thing is..IT IS a entry level job I landed awhile back. How can you get skills in the first place? The logic fails on some of these entry-level jobs. You must have two years experience....for doing simple crap?
I find my financial situation is pretty okay. I can't really complain. Right now I'm spending more than I'm getting but I have a tiny buffer that will get me through the near future and in a couple of months I will have paid off my car (which have been about a fourth of my income the last two years) which should leave me with enough disposable income to build up that buffer again. (and buy even more games!)

So overall I have been worrying about money from time to time but I've yet to be in such a situation that I really have had to cut back on any "luxuries".
I've been living in a very tight spot for the past year or so, because I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

You're probably already doing this, but I've found keeping an excel spreadsheet of monthly outgoings, splitting up necessities (bills, rent food), against money left over and other outgoings, makes a world of difference. Things are still tight, but I'm able to put £200 into my savings each month this way.
Yep. Currently unemployed with a ~$1k tuition bill I need to pay off before September. The job market here is pretty bad, so I haven't had any luck with employment. I've been stressed out, and I think it's been affecting my sleep. I've been waking up in the middle of the night and feeling exhausted in the morning. I'm so lucky that I only have to provide for myself though, I can't imagine how to deal with providing for a family right now.
author=RyaReisender
I have plenty of money, but I'd rather have a wife and a daughter. And good health.

I guess people always want what they don't have.

Is it not possible to have both?

I'm thankful to be in a stable situation financially though I'm always weary of losing it all so try to live within my means. I don't mean living frugally (nothing wrong with that IMO) but closer to that than being reckless with spending.

@jparker: Might be worth reviewing your outgoings with someone. Everyone can cut some things in life.
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