Spread Thin

stretchabuck · #1 (**permalink**) 07-04-2005, 12:41 PM

Got 2 and 3 month bills... Trying to get out from under/avoid shutoff.....the worst would probably be the cells....those are $15 reactivation PER line and I have 3....don't really need gas heat this time of year but, the electric bill is another story....just had to buy a replacement computer 'cause I didn't have a battery-type computer protector and my old one got fried during a massive-thunderboomer.....lets' just say my life follows Murphys' Law....anyone got any advice?....I am the matriach of an extended family and had to give up a days' pay (per week) to see to the needs of a special needs grandbaby I am guardian to....anyone have any advice?.....TIA.......

gavinmccallister · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2005, 12:58 PM

Who do you use for your internet connection? We are using Juno it is not the best but serves its purpose.

Snoopy2645 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-04-2005, 01:02 PM

Is thier anyway you could have a garage sale that would get you some quick cash!! I would also disconnect any extra phone lines you dont need I got rid of my cell because I didnt need it & couldnt afford it so its gone. I would also sale what you can on ebay on now.

Then I would see if their are jobs you can do to make up for the lost income. I personally took a pt job on weekends & am loving it!! I can work as much or as little as I like & I am making ok money doing it. I also mystery shop rebate & coupon. THier are tons of things I no longer pay for!! I hope these ideas help also you may want to check into assistance especially if you are raising a grandbaby who has special needs. You may or may not qualifiy but it wont hurt to check into it u know.

cicy33 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2005, 07:28 PM

Okay, first, call the light company and see if they do a payment plan. Ours is a % down and so much a month. If you plan it right you will actually get a month off. Yard sale is a great idea! Won't get rich but might at least make a little. Determine who is going to shut you off first and make arrangements with that one and then work on the next one. I am actually in a similar situation. my DH is in construction and his pay is so irregular that we can never seem to get caught up. Good Luck!

Lori63 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-05-2005, 04:06 AM

Do you need three cells?

PrincessPerky · #6 (**permalink**) 07-05-2005, 05:01 AM

Turn off the computer (after reading this

.) then you wont be using electricity nor worry about frying the new one.

Also second the cell phone question, if you are having trouble paying the bills ditch it. having a phone is not a neccessity unless you work from home. (in which case I doubt you need 3)

CheaplyClever · #7 (**permalink**) 07-05-2005, 07:19 AM

Are you being generous and paying someone else's cell bill? One cell phone is enough of a bill all by itself.

What in the world did we do 15 years ago when we didn't have cell phones?

cicy33 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-05-2005, 07:28 AM

I know that we have 3 phones too. mine, my husbands, and my daughters. We feel that they are a necessity. We both work full time and sometimes is hard to get ahold of one another. Now that my daughter is full grown she pays for her own but when she was a kid we paid for it. The peace of mind knowing I could reach her at anytime was well worth the money! I don't know how we did it without cell phones! Probably worried a lot. We don't have a regular phone anymore. Couldn't justify the cost. Also we both drive older cars and the peace of mind with that knowing I can get help is great. So if I drove a new car it would probably be more than just having a cell phone.

Bluezy · #9 (**permalink**) 07-06-2005, 04:44 AM

Consider Virgin Mobile as an affordable alternative to cell phone contracts. You can a) pay-as-you-go or b) link your cell number online to a debit/credit card to top up as you need. If you link your number to a debit/credit card, you will never run out of time in the case of an emergency. I spend a total of USD $30 every two to three months for my cell phone, and Virgin Mobile's service has been VERY dependable.

Juno dial up does indeed serve it's purpose at USD $9.95 per month. Unless I need to invest in DSL for work purposes, I don't need the speed or expense. Juno's dial-up has been dependable and has not been slow at all. So consider Juno as an internet alternative.

Good luck to you, hun!

Bluezy

Tree0164 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-09-2005, 07:16 AM

You need to reevaluate your spending. As other have said get prepaid cell phone and then you won't need to worry about the reactivation. Use it for emergencies only.

Can you husband pick up another job or your daughter? You need more income right now even if for a limited time.

I recommend that you read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Get it from the library.

jhd815 · #11 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 05:53 PM

You should also check with any state, city, or church agencies that may offer some bill pay assistance programs for people who need help. Even if they pay just one month's bill, that's one less bill to worry about.

I also concur on the cell phone issue. Go prepaid or get rid of two out of the three altogether. If cell phone(s) are a necessity, evaluate your plan - are you going over allotted minutes and paying premium price for overages? If so, you either need to cut down on amount of use, or look at upgrading your plan to include more minutes BUT ONLY IF CELLS ARE A NECESSITY.

cicy33 · #12 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 06:36 PM

Although please keep in mind that if the phones are under a contract it costs $250 here to cancel a contract early. Usually it is cheaper to finish the contract. Then maybe try the prepaid. One thing that we have done when it was really bad is to evaluate what is the most important and those get paid first. Even if you have to pay to have the cable reconnected. Don't lose the house, power and water. those are priority in my opinion. We had to make a choice a year ago to let our car go even though it hurt me credit wise, we were going through a really tight time and just couldn't afford it. We found a cheap car for about the same as a couple of months payments and I dont' miss the payments. I do miss the "nice" car but once I am out of the car I dont' mind it so much. The insurance is lower too. So if you are paying a car payment, while it is not a nice thing to do, save a couple of payments and don't pay them, use it to find you a car that has no payments. that may not apply to you but maybe somebody will find it useful. It is better to have to rebuild your credit than to be homeless.

Tree0164 · #13 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 04:27 AM

It may be worth in in the long run to cancel a cell phone contract if you are paying $70 $80 a month for it.

jmjj215 · #14 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 08:09 AM

A lot of times those fees that phone companies levy for cancelling contracts early are never actually collected - they're a scare tactic. With Worldcom, they had huge reserves of revenue from such fees that were theoretically there's, but the industry knew that it was never collected. That was a big pool of reserve revenue from which Worldcom began it's march to the top, then plummet to the bottom. Sorry, slightly off topic.

karnic3881 · #15 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 08:18 AM

Really? But they are entitled to collect, correct? I cancelled Verizon Wireless a long time ago and they collected ~ and recently switched from Nextel to T-Mobile (waiting on the last bill, which I presume will include cancellation fees).

cicy33 · #16 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 08:36 AM

When I wanted to cancel my service with verizon they told me that even with just a few months left I would have to pay the cancellation fee or it would go to a collection agency.

karnic3881 · #17 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cicy33

When I wanted to cancel my service with verizon they told me that even with just a few months left I would have to pay the cancellation fee or it would go to a collection agency.

Exactly, this is what happened to me. After all, they know that anyone that has a good credit report will not want to tarnish it for $200-$400.

sunnysamantha · #18 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 12:20 PM

There also might be a way to shop around for better plans? I did that recently and since my contract was almost up, somehow it happened when I went to a different service they gave me a lower price.

Garage sales and ebay are great advice. Also look in your bookcase and see if there are any books you have that you could sell on Amazon. I've made some good money that way too.

Good luck with that, I hope you come into a solution sooner than later!

stretchabuck · #19 (**permalink**) 07-20-2005, 08:20 PM

First of all, thank you EVERYONE for your advice....I have Verizon Cells for my son, hubby & I because we all are a minimum of 30 miles away from each other for jobs, school, etc....and not everyone drives. Cell bill is over $80 a month but, my commitment is up Sept. 16 so, I will go to a pay-as-you-go plan. I just paid $114 or $117 to keep the phones on....the XXXX's wouldn't take $100...they HAD to have the whole past-due or they would shut us all off.
I had Juno at one time and they sent me a nasty note just before they merged with NetZero so, I would never go back with them again. For now, I have AOL dial-up.
We are preparing for a couple of yard sales....anyone have any hints/helpful advice on that?.....TIA.

.........Betty

cicy33 · #20 (**permalink**) 07-20-2005, 08:26 PM

As an avid yard saler myself I dislike going to yard sales and feeling like I am paying wal mart prices. I will not pay more than a $1 for a shirt and that is only if it is really nice. I feel that people tend to overprice yard sales. The idea is to be rid of stuff not make a living, well for some maybe! Even videos I don't feel should be more than $2 and video games the most I will pay is $3. keep the prices low and advertise, advertise, advertise. either with signs or post in the paper or something. Good Luck!