Posted on 05/28/2004 7:00:28 AM PDT by grellis
"I'm in the high-fidelity first class travelling sect
And I think I need a Lear jet."
Pink Floyd, Money
Raise your hand if you would settle for a used Suburu van, as long as it comes with built-in car seats!
As I wrote last week, today we will be discussing financial matters and how we mothers cope with them. Who handles the finances in your household? What do you do to make ends meet? Do you have college funds started for your kids? What are some of the things you have given up in order to stay afloat? What are some luxuries you simply cannot give up, regardless of their expense? Please take this opportunity to share anecdotes and, more importantly, advice. Dads, we welcome your input as well!
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Then a big dead tree fell in our backyard. $350.
Then a raccoon made itself at home in our attic. $1,240.
Then some medical bills (which BCBS decided NOT to cover) started coming in. $1,200 and counting.
We are a single-income family. The day my husband's last paycheck was deposited, I paid our bills, balanced the checkbook, and found that we had $33 to last us the next two weeks. Something had to go, and we decided it was our Taurus. We also have a minivan but we own the Taurus outright. The car was nothing but a headache, anyway, and we got $1,000 for it, better than trade-in. This was just two days ago, and I am already beginning to remember how much I hate having just one vehicle.
Charity really does begin at home. Lesson learned.
OUCH...............
We are also a one income family.
Like you we had our federal and state refunds earmarked for a variety of things.....particularly paying down credit cards and finishing the much neded remodelling of the attic......Well it didn't work quite that way.
My husband's car broke down more than 50 miles from home.....I forget exactly what it was, but it was something he couldn't do himself (plus the towing charge would have been outrageous) so it had to go in the garage. And because his car is practically his office he has to have one......but he couldn't use my van because that would leave me stranded and his was going to be in the shop about a week.......so there was the towing bill, the mechanics bill and the rental car bill.......
He used my van to run some stuff to the dump and some other errands and about panicked - we knew I needed new tires, but until he drove it that day, he didn't realize just how bad.......4 new tires.....
Needless to say some things didn't get taken care of.
I had been promised a chunk of chage to buy a couple of outfits and some new shoes.......that's going to have to wait.
We had promised our daughter that when we moved she could have a swing set in our great big yard.......well we moved a year ago.....my clothing allowance paid for the swing set.
I handle some of the finances, my husband handles the others. Being a single income family we have learned to budget and make due with what we have. A picnic at the park versus going out to eat, etc. It's rough when the bills roll in that are unexpected. We have got nailed with them all year. At times I just want to pull my hair out. LOL. But I would take the minivan (in fact we have a used one) over a lear jet if it meant that I could remain at home with my family.
I really like to read www.stretcher.com.
I handle the finances. But I wish my husband would get 'on board' with me. He doesn't pay ANY attention.
The thing that bothers me most about our expenditures is energy bills. I am concocting ways to get them down. I think some ideas are:
1)Well water
2)Tulikivi wood-burning fireplace
3)Rinnai water heating system
Sadly, we have none of these. Our energy bills are killing us at $500 a month. And this is with us being cold in winter and warm in summer. The gas bill is the worst.
I would like to build a new energy-efficient house with all of the above.
A few things I will absolutely NOT go cheap on...sliced cheese, laundry detergent, and auto insurance. We used to have an Escort wagon. The day we finished paying it off I dropped from full coverage down to PLPD. Two weeks later the car was totalled. Again, lesson learned. The upside of our selling the Taurus, apart from the cash, is that our auto coverage has gone down $600 a year. Every little bit helps.
Picnics at the beach is what we do.....along with some fishing!!!
I splurged last night and took our daughter out for dinner. She has been missing her daddy who is out of town on business this week, so I thought we both deserved the treat.
I'll be honest - it also gave me a chance to interact with some other adults!!!
Amen!!! Our house is 113 years old. Once upon a time, I'm sure it was energy efficient. Its a good, solid house. Age has taken it toll on the windows and doors, mostly. We've had almost all of the windows replaced in the last 18 months. Total cost for that is around $10,000. It has made a difference in our energy consumption; unfortunately, since gas prices went up, we're not seeing any savings yet. I'm glad its warmer now...our electricity bills are a lot less than our gas bills.
This was our first year dealing with oil for our heat........I've always had natural gas in the past.
Except for having to remember that it has to be delivered (we had one very cold weekend with no heat!!!) it has been an amazing eye openner.
Our former $400-500 a month utility bills have dropped to less than $200 a month.
I would rather have an entire summer of relaxing picnics with the family than one single day of standing in lines at an amusement park (and paying $50-$100 for the privelege!) My neighbors are often shocked when I tell them that I have never gone to Cedar Point. Why should I? Just not my cuppa tea.
We had a well dug for outside watering. It cost us 700.00. Our water bills were 295.00 for the summer quarter (and our yard looked like crap anyway), so we have made it up in two seasons.
Not only does it cost us tons less to water, but our lawn has majorly improved because of the natural minerals going on it.
Just make sure to never wash your car with the water. Our neighbor has a well and during watering, the spray hit their flagpole. They had to replace it because of the rust.
Of course - it only pours!!!!
We just discovered a market/grocery (learn to listen to the locals!!!) that has the most fabulous meats and cold cuts at the most unbelievably low prices. The cold cuts alone are half the price of the supermarket. Provolone cheese $2.99 a pound - and it wasn't on sale.......
I'm like you when it comes to car insurance. My 10 year old mini van (175,000 miles) has full coverage on it. We discovered the hard way a slight oversight in the insurance when hubby's car broke down.........his full coverage didn't include towing. It does now.
Buy term insurance on both of you, get level premium 20 year term, it may seem expensive at first but your income will grow to meet it. If your health doesn't qualify for normal rates look for some of those policies that don't ask any health questions. They are not only pricier but come with 2-3 year exclusionary periods. If you outlast that, they pay
Before you set aside money for college investigate www.fafsa.ed.gov. It's the common clearing house for scholastic financial aid. The short version is your final "Expected Family Contribution" is the actual amount you will pay for college. It is based on your ability to pay. If you've saved up over 18 years you will get less than someone who has not. It sounds unfair but that's the government for you. Under Fafsa, Yale will cost only a bit more than your local state school.
Last pointer, both of you should be involved in the finances, you never know who will go first or how early, believe me, first hand experience.
Yes! I inquired about having a well dug for outside watering. Miraculously, the man in charge of the local water utility goes to our church and was very helpful to me.
But the quote I got from the driller was $6,000 !!!!
Crazy. The water table is fine around here. We have a reservoir down the street, even. Perhaps I ought to keep pursuing different drillers. I've already talked with 2.
Since we live downtown we have absolutely no options when it comes to water...we get it from the city or go without. Our water prices aren't bad, though; its what we have to chip in for sewage maintenance that keeps getting more and more expensive. Thanks a lot, Lansing City Council.
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