Spending more than you earn is the path to debt no matter what you salary is.
This is the class of people whose student loans we'll be paying off:
Maybe she should've made more PB&J sandwiches.
Posted on 08/31/2022 9:03:48 AM PDT by grundle
Standing in my kitchen on a recent morning, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch later that day, it occurred to me that what would appear to be a fairly mundane (albeit delicious) task was actually so much more.
Maybe that’s because, during the previous month, I spent close to $700 on restaurants alone. That’s like a million peanut butter and jellies.
It was that revelation that inspired a month-long no-restaurants-or-shopping challenge I assigned to myself in July. I could not continue to ignore my mounting bills, and I could not go on living with the constant reminder and anxiety of my $18,000 of credit card debt.
Looking at my expenses, I made the difficult-to-me decision to cut restaurants and shopping out completely for a full month. No shopping for non-necessities. No takeout. No dinners out with friends. No “Let’s grab a drink!”
Aside from the ubiquitous PB&J, I found myself trying out new recipes, like this miso-glazed salmon and a kale Caesar salad I cannot stop making. And, as an unexpected bonus, I feel... really good. It may not be sustainable to make myself every meal for the rest of forever, but having a basic idea of everything I was consuming for a month really made me feel like I was taking care of myself.
I’m not sure what comes next. But as this month comes to an end, I have spent over $2,000 less than the month prior. I paid $1,000 off my credit card balance, put money away for taxes, and felt no anxiety about what my balance was while handing my debit card over to pay for some essentials. I didn’t get sick of peanut butter and jelly, and I have yet to miss a restaurant.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Huh?!
Regards,
“Even when I wasn’t working from home, I would bring leftovers in for lunch, warming them in the microwave there.”
Can you say, “Can’t boil water or use a microwave?” That is who is writing this article. The idea of leftovers for him/her is as difficult as seeing a 4th primary color.
Unless you really mean the stringed musical instrument.
Regards,
Nothing wrong with seeking a better paying job, but without taking control of expenses it won't do any good.
PB&J is ... Good Eats!
Maybe I’m old, but… this USED to be called “common sense”.
1. Live WITHIN your means.
Don’t buy whatever you want, whenever you want it.
These days, everyone’s a rock star celebrity in their own mind.. they DESERVE a certain high standard of living..
Dave Ramsey would be proud.
Except he would have suggested rice and beans, with an occasional beans and rice.
Welcome to regular, ordinary life as your grandfather lived it when he was your age.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24705/bananas-foster-ii/
It’s a type of sauce usually used as a desert, topping for ice cream, or cakes.
True, they may have just been cheap and not added the emulsifier, but nowadays you generally see that with the “all natural” or organic brands.
On another note, my semi vegetarian cousin scrambled maple cured beans with eggs for a new delightful way to get protein without meat.
I wish more people would get their financial lives in order. It would make the world a better place.
Not much we can do about outrageous Government Pending, but being out of debt, not paying any more in confiscatory TAXES than required by law and having your future planned for is such a GREAT feeling.
Yes, Life Happens. Kids, spouses or you get sick, injured, etc. Some of us have or currently care for aging parents (and kids or Grandkids, too!) BUT if debt isn’t making your life MISERABLE, you can withstand a LOT that Life throws at you.
Retired at age 56. Loving every minute of it! Still live a simple, frugal life. Loving every minute of THAT, too.
Start with Dave Ramsey. He’ll show you the way. :)
Candles and viola are optional.
Spending more than you earn is the path to debt no matter what you salary is.
This is the class of people whose student loans we'll be paying off:
Maybe she should've made more PB&J sandwiches.
Her’s is credit card debt.
Yeah, I was being somewhat facetious by my post.
I’ve always promoted the axiom that a penny saved is MORE than a penny earned, when you account for income and payroll taxes. In other words, if you can easily save an extra $100 per month, that is equivalent to earning slightly MORE than $100 per month before tax to net $100 afterwards.
But there is a cost to cooking at home and eating leftovers, mostly time in cooking and cleaning up afterwards. We shouldn’t ignore that. You are largely paying for convenience and the time saved when you eat out. Otherwise, people wouldn’t do it so often. There is a benefit there which people value.
I agree though on the food quality. Restaurants are businesses, usually operating on a very slim margin. So they have to cut costs wherever they can, and those savings are usually found in buying less-than-premium food quality. I buy fresh, free-range eggs for home use, and the difference in taste and food quality is tremendous. Restaurants buy the factory-produced eggs, probably under less than humane conditions, and they taste much more bland than my store-bought eggs, are far less nutritious, but cost a lot more when prepared for me at a restaurant.
Also, since this is published via Yahoooooo! the underlying THEME here is that life is GRAND under Brandon, and only getting better, if only the Proletariat would watch their pennies while the Bourgeoisie burn through untold TRILLIONS!
*SPIT*
My Mom grew up dirt poor during the Depression. She feels the same way about stewed tomatoes, which was all there was to eat one winter. :(
I’m glad deer season is almost here. Can’t afford beef any more, plus the venison is healthier.
But total debt is total debt. There's already stories about people planning new vacations and buying new vehicles now that part of their student loans are being forgiven.
They'll end up just as much in debt as before, if not more so.
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