My Money Crisis-Help Please

[Hot dog]

I was just wondering if you don't have time to teach your children then how do you find time to work a second job? Remember nothing worth doing is ever easy. You will not regret spending that extra time laughing and making mistakes together after all that is the way you learn. I might have some counter transference issues here because my step daughter does the same thing I tell her that her money is not hers if she has bills she can't spend the whole paycheck on fast food. I don't understand how she thinks she can do it and just not pay her bills and I don't understand how you can either. I really thought that was a typo that no one would actually spend that much to eat out but you never corrected it

My budget is gettting better. I quit both of my jobs and got one new job. I work from 7:55 am to 3:30 pm. I like the hours because it is the same hours my kids are in school. I also make more money. My oldest daughter is hard headed. I can't get her to listen. Now at least she eats regular oatmeal and milk for breakfast. She eats fruit for a snack. So I would say she is doing much better. After work I just don't feel like cooking. I don't even have time. My daughter comes home, changes clothes, then we go out to eat. She has cheerleading practice very often so I don't see me cooking. Thanks for all of your help.

After rereading the recent posts I noticed I forgot to answer a few things. I am impressed with your children greedy4chips. Hotdog: it wasn't a mistake. I spend that everyday.... well almost.

[kashi]

Congratulations on your improvements, Brenda! It sounds like your work schedule is a lot better. I'm so glad you bought a child's cookbook, too. I hope you find time to use it.

I hear ya about not wanting to cook after work. I almost never want to, either. Even buying grocery store convenience items would be cheaper than $35-70 eating out per day, though! I find I have more energy and more time on the weekends, so I'll get up and make breakfast items for the week (banana bread, muffins, etc), make dinner and then freeze the leftovers for lunches or weeknight dinners (lasagna is great for that), and grocery shop for things I can just grab and go. A couple of days ago I made a delicious garbonzo bean salad - there's a couple of lunches or dinners right there, and it only took me about 10 minutes to throw together.

Also, consider a crockpot. Now that fall is rolling around, it's a great time to use it. All you have to do is dump in the ingredients before you leave for work, plug it in, and come home to the wonderful smell of dinner already ready for you!

You're doing great. You're making postive steps, and it takes time. Don't dismiss the idea of cooking! If you make the effort, before you know it, you'll be eating out less, and saving tons of money. If you think you don't have time, check out some cookbooks from the library - there are tons of 30 minute meal books out there now!

I second whomever said it is important to teach your children to cook - although I rejected it at a young age, it was one of the best things my mother ever did for me.

[Homebody]

May I suggest the book, Credit, Cash and Codependency by Yvonne Kaye, Ph.D

This is an excellent book, it was very helpful to me.

[scrava]

I second the crock pot!!
I lovme mine, all 3 of them, LOL.
Just last week I made meatballs&sauce, and bbq ribs. yum yum

[LuxLiving]

Ummm -- teach that girl about potholders, buy a canopener that takes off the sharp edges, get yourself some 3 can dump recipes that go in the crockpot and she's off & cooking.

As a kid all the children in our house had to take a night cooking the supper. We planned ahead and gave Mom our shopping list. She bought - we cooked. When this started I was all of about 6 and my night always consisted of either PB&J sandwiches or mayo&cheese sandwiches. Next I moved up to adding either Chicken Noodle Soup or Tomato Soup to my menus. Thanks Campbells!!! Then I learned how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, etc., etc., etc.

EVENTUALLY, all of us kids learned our way around the kitchen, the menus improved and the family did not eat out those nights - nor did Mom have to come home from work and slave.

[greedy4chips]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Thanks Campbells!!!

Lots of good, easy to make recipes on those labels. Kid friendly too if you show them how to put it in the oven and you take it out when it is done.

[scrava]

I like the kids cook idea. I might use that someday.
Seems like it would be a bit of a burden off of me once everyone caught on and learned to do clean up, too.

[getforfree]

When I was about 10 yrs old, I could make soup from scratch, we didn't have any canned soups. My mom also taught me how to make mashed potatoes, and we even didn't have a mixer, we had that big round wooden spoon instead. Even my little brother could cook some easy things like fry an egg when he was about that age, he is 9 yrs younger than me. We were allowed to use gas range, but not oven, and I don't think my mom woried that we could burn the house. Sometimes all 5 of us from age 11 to age 2 would stay home by ourselves for whole day, and we were fine.

Anyway, I just don't see myself spending $30-70 for just one meal. I would rather not do something like watching tv or some other fun activity, but save those extra money by spending 1-2 hrs a day cooking. I would even skip cleaning my house to save time, but there is no way I would spend that amount of money on just one meal. Plus, there are simple meals, that take less than 30 min to cook, even less than you spend driving to the restaurant and back.

Here is a good article about eating out.
http://www.livingonadime.com/articles/dont-eat-out.html

[LuxLiving]

$30-70 -- the lower end of that is sometimes the entire budget for my family of 4 at home to eat for a week!

[KellyJef]

Originally Posted by Brenda345

After work I just don't feel like cooking.

Geez, am I the only one that finds her attitude ridiculous?

Who asks for "budget help" and then INSISTS on spending an outrageous amount of money on eating out because she "doesn't feel like cooking"???

I could be wrong, but probably "most" of us "don't feel like cooking" -- but we do it anyway.

[Kris10Leigh]

Kelly, we all have something in our budgets that is just non-negotiable. This seems to be her's. For me, it is our TV/DVR and air conditioning. I'm willing to freeze in the winter to make up for the A/C.

It's just different life circumstances. Brenda, I get the idea that your income is high enough that you are not struggeling paycheck to paycheck except to have enough to throw everything you can at the CC's. Your needs are well met even with the debt in your life. This is a much different circumstance than a person who has the same debt and not enough money to pay even the minimum payments. Now THAT person, I would not understand.

I am in a similar situation. We are not hurting month to month except that which is self-inflicted. If I paid only minimum payments, we'd be living quite well. I'm not though, so we are struggeling. But we spend close to $3000 on CC payments some months (that's a pretty good month!) and I just don't feel the need to give up things like A/C and TV/VCR.

[Snoopy2645]

well if you dont like cooking thier are other options throw in a lasagna for 3.97 this feeds my family of 5 with leftovers, or frozen pizza maybe $2 then thier are those banquet meals $1 a piece my kids eat those sometimes when I work, thier are tons of cheap frozen foods out thier just something to consider heat the oven & throw it in or microwave

[LuxLiving]

Kris10 you are right. She has the income now to cover those kind of extravagances and that is great! However, I might caution her to read up on retirement and how most women who don't prepare well for it end up.

It's great to be able to spend freely...it feels good, (been there, done that) but then perhaps the piper will come a calling one day right around 65ish and there are plenty who will wish that they could have those freewheeling dollars back again and stuck in their retirement account!

Just my two cents...from someone a little closer to the walker than maybe others.

Hindsight is great but financially there may be little time to make up for the necessities because of too many earlier luxuries!

If she's got those kind of necessities (ie retirement income, LTC insurance, healthcare insurance, life insurance, etc.) covered then shoot yeah it would be Olive Garden every night for me too!

Balance is what is most likely called for in her case.