anyone else feeling the crunch lately?

[SLIM_DURST]

I just feel like i should be able to do some things in life that i cant... without getting married i prolly couldnt afford a house... i cant buy just an average car... i shouldnt HAVE to clip coupons...

you say you spend $200 at the supermarket?? I don't get that. I rarely spend more than $50. and you shouldnt HAVE to clip coupons? why not? if you look at where your money is goin i bet you can cut out some stupid shit you are wasting money on. lotsa little things add up. buy used things off craiglist rather than buy new. shop around for gas. only buy food that's on sale. dont go to restaurants more than once a month. don't smoke, drink, etc

[predator]

you say you spend $200 at the supermarket?? I don't get that. I rarely spend more than $50. and you shouldnt HAVE to clip coupons? why not? if you look at where your money is goin i bet you can cut out some stupid shit you are wasting money on. lotsa little things add up. buy used things off craiglist rather than buy new. shop around for gas. only buy food that's on sale. dont go to restaurants more than once a month. don't smoke, drink, etc

Yeah spending like $200 is easy at a grocerey store. I mean most of the time that im gonna cook a meal for me and my girl ill go pick up a few things and its like $50...

example: One of my buds is out of a job right now so he crashes on my couch... so i went to pick up some food for all of us... bought some steaks (3 steaks were like $8), some mac and cheese, some salad mix, some A1, couple bags of cheese, and a couple of microwave dinners (for work so i dont have to spend $6 a meal in the cafe). i might have had a few more things, but not much more... and it was like $55...

when i was in college feeding me was like $125 a month... my taste really havent changed a whole lot and i easily spend like $200 a month on food from the grocery store...

i dont go to movies much (maybe 1 a month)... i dont rent movies much (also might be once a month)... i dont buy comp or console games (havent had a console since N64)... dont buy CD's or dvds(might own 5 cds and 20 DVD's)... me and my girl have agreed we can only eat out once a week... I have cut my bar drinking back like 95%... and im too broke to smoke even if i wanted...

Seriously... Every dime i make goes to gas, cars (and assorted maintenance, but not performance parts since i cant afford them), one credit card payment, food, and just general needs...

I mean seriously...

$400+$500 car payments...
$150 Insuarance...
$200 Food
$200 General needs
$600 Rent
$250 Utilities
$200 Credit Card
$300 Wasted (entertainment)

thats $2600 and i dont think i live any sort of extravagant lifestyle... i have 2 cars that the total value adds up to $35k... whoopty dooooo...

and even if i got rid of one car i would still be $2k a month and thats just cost of living that most ppl encounter...

-me

[SLIM_DURST]

if i were you I'd start with the car situation. trim that down to minimal. drive an older used car. that's what I do now. get minimal insurance on it that you are comfortable with. if the girl doesnt appreciate the wisdom of trying to save money on a less fancy car then dump her too.

[predator]

you realize you trying to tell someone on a ls1 site that the best thing for him to do is drive an old sack of crap beater...

and i dont know if you all missed my point here... i know how to save money... dont do shit... dont buy shit... blah blah blah... im not comming in here to get advise that a 4th grader could have told me...

i came in here to bitch that it rediculous that im in the situation im in...

-me

[Zboner]

im in the same situatuin you are, i just lost a job where i was making an additional 2,400 a month, now i have to live off 1,200 a month, i was clearing 3,600 a month, i feel your pain, its tough man. even with my girlfriend splitting the rent and bills its still hard.

but when you go to the grocery where do you go?

hell i go to walmart, and the most we spend is usually only 100 and that will keep us good for two weeks, and that me packing my lunch everyday to work.

try that man, it really helps, buy some lunch meat and chips dude, it saves a ton of money

[SLIM_DURST]

you realize you trying to tell someone on a ls1 site that the best thing for him to do is drive an old sack of crap beater...

and i dont know if you all missed my point here... i know how to save money... dont do shit... dont buy shit... blah blah blah... im not comming in here to get advise that a 4th grader could have told me...

i came in here to bitch that it rediculous that im in the situation im in...

-me

gotcha

[Zboner]

like you, i totally cut back on my partying, to almost nill, my partying consists of getting a case or a fifth and have it last me a while, i never go to bars anymore, it just costs to much, i used to go out at least 2 nights a week man

[StuntmanMike]

I just feel like i should be able to do some things in life that i cant... without getting married i prolly couldnt afford a house... i cant buy just an average car... i shouldnt HAVE to clip coupons...

and yes your right its not a great paying state... but its also not that expensive to live here either... Im just depressed because im prolly gonna have to sell the vette even though ive made all the cut backs that i have...

-me

I hear you about the house thing. Same thing here. I don't know what real estate is like where you live, but hell, most MARRIED people still can't afford houses here. I share an apartment, and my HALF of the rent is 700 bucks.

You MAY have to sell the Vette...you need to prioritize. What's more important, having a nice car, or having the financial freedom to do most of the things you want to do?

I had a friend with a nice Vette. He worked hard, that was his baby. Decided he wanted to get into real estate to start making more money, the first thing to go was the Vette. He says he doesn't miss it, and although he's making alot of sacrifices right now, he knows it will pay off for him in the future.

Back on topic... yeah man, it does f'in suck. I work hard, I'd like to be able to own my own home, or even just have the money to buy a brand new car. I've come to the conclusion that unless I make a drastic change in my life, I'll never be able to buy a house on my own, or even just a brand new car. (I refuse to buy a Hyundai or something just because it's new) Right now I have two cars with over 100k miles on them, and all the cars I'd like to replace them with are all out of my price range.

It's a tough situation most people are in. The cost of living is rising, but wages are not following. Plus, we've become used to a more extravegant lifestyle than people in the past, and refuse to give up some "necessities", that in years past never even existed.

[MegaMan]

I am feeling the crunch big time.

[shootnhogs]

Yeah spending like $200 is easy at a grocerey store. I mean most of the time that im gonna cook a meal for me and my girl ill go pick up a few things and its like $50...

example: One of my buds is out of a job right now so he crashes on my couch... so i went to pick up some food for all of us... bought some steaks (3 steaks were like $8), some mac and cheese, some salad mix, some A1, couple bags of cheese, and a couple of microwave dinners (for work so i dont have to spend $6 a meal in the cafe). i might have had a few more things, but not much more... and it was like $55...

when i was in college feeding me was like $125 a month... my taste really havent changed a whole lot and i easily spend like $200 a month on food from the grocery store...

i dont go to movies much (maybe 1 a month)... i dont rent movies much (also might be once a month)... i dont buy comp or console games (havent had a console since N64)... dont buy CD's or dvds(might own 5 cds and 20 DVD's)... me and my girl have agreed we can only eat out once a week... I have cut my bar drinking back like 95%... and im too broke to smoke even if i wanted...

Seriously... Every dime i make goes to gas, cars (and assorted maintenance, but not performance parts since i cant afford them), one credit card payment, food, and just general needs...

I mean seriously...

$400+$500 car payments...
$150 Insuarance...
$200 Food
$200 General needs
$600 Rent
$250 Utilities
$200 Credit Card
$300 Wasted (entertainment)

thats $2600 and i dont think i live any sort of extravagant lifestyle... i have 2 cars that the total value adds up to $35k... whoopty dooooo...

and even if i got rid of one car i would still be $2k a month and thats just cost of living that most ppl encounter...

-me

same situation for me here. I guess that I bought too many toys too soon.

[Modulistic]

if you have half a ball you should move to Alaska. Money problem solved.

I instantly started 3 side jobs that are profitable, towing shit on my flatbed trailer, mobile sandblasting, mobile diesel engine lubrication service. Im researching a wind power project and eventually im going to be a bush pilot.

fuck the lower 48, right in the fat ass. nothing but a bunch of assholes live down there anyways.

[predator]

nothing north of the mason dixon for me...

-me

[ztrouble]

if you have half a ball you should move to Alaska. Money problem solved.

I instantly started 3 side jobs that are profitable, towing shit on my flatbed trailer, mobile sandblasting, mobile diesel engine lubrication service. Im researching a wind power project and eventually im going to be a bush pilot.

fuck the lower 48, right in the fat ass. nothing but a bunch of assholes live down there anyways.

alaska is great during the summer..... but i have also been in march and it was cold enouch to make you nipples shatter.

alot of opportunities up there especially in the medical field

[danziger]

Not feeling "the crunch" here...

[Modulistic]

nothing north of the mason dixon for me...

-me

::shrugs::

best of luck competing with entrenched businesses and good ol boys networks and obscene regulatory restrictions etc.

[SLIM_DURST]

if you have half a ball you should move to Alaska. Money problem solved.

I instantly started 3 side jobs that are profitable, towing shit on my flatbed trailer, mobile sandblasting, mobile diesel engine lubrication service. Im researching a wind power project and eventually im going to be a bush pilot.

fuck the lower 48, right in the fat ass. nothing but a bunch of assholes live down there anyways.

Maine, northern NH or VT are also kinda similar to that situation. people aren't ass holes, houses are dirt cheap.... not quite as cold as alaska.

[NE98LS1]

money just sucks ass when you are young, i kinda look at owning a nice at this young of an age as a big privelige, one i earned busting my ass working full time in college for. now that i'm out and at the very bottom rung, living cheap is how i roll. hopefully in 5 years all of us will have moved up and not have to worry about this crap, i think everyone our age goes through this till we're like 30.

[joerockhead]

$400+$500 car payments...
$150 Insuarance...
$200 Food
$200 General needs
$600 Rent
$250 Utilities
$200 Credit Card
$300 Wasted (entertainment)
-me

I never really look at how much my monthly Grocery bill is, I just buy stuff.
But last week, I did spend well over $100 on a bunch of Rib Eyes, 50% off!
I do use Coupons if it is stuff I need.
I shop at the Commissary on base (Advantage of Being a part time Squid)

$200 for General Needs? What are the General Needs? Where the hell do you shop?
and $200 on credit card, what are you putting on that that is not being included in this list?
If you buddy is living off you, that is a lot right there.
And your girl? She has to be figured in too.

Hell, when I was 24, I was active navy, not making much at all, but I had my own BMW and I was living in Germany!!

Hang in there, it will get better.

[predator]

credit card is being paid off... not having stuff put on it...

and the guy really isnt living off of me... he pays for his own food and what not... just uses me for living space...

-me