If you were in this situation and had a credit card with a $3000 limit what would you

[disneysteve]

I sold some stuff on ebay but like you said it wasn't enough for rent just bills. I don't work in a for profit type of business which is the wrong type of business to be in today. I'm in the early childhood development field which deals with state childcare eligibility

I fail to see what your job has to do with the conversation.

So you weren't making enough on ebay. The answer to that would have been to do something else to generate income. You don't seem to be getting that point so I'll bow out here. Good luck to you.

[saver17]

I fail to see what your job has to do with the conversation.

So you weren't making enough on ebay. The answer to that would have been to do something else to generate income. You don't seem to be getting that point so I'll bow out here. Good luck to you.

I'm a big picture person and the goal was to find a job with stability which was the type of job I lost. I was not going to do a crappy job and not be in position to go on a interview for a real job with benefits. So I decided I have to go in debt right now but it ended up paying off in the long run because I found the job I wanted.


Now if I was able to predict the future and was told on 9/30/16 that "you will be offered a good job on 12/9/16 then I would have been working at Burger King for two months to avoid using my credit card.

[bjl584]

Now if I was able to predict the future and was told on 9/30/16 that "you will be offered a good job on 12/9/16 then I would have been working at Burger King for two months to avoid using my credit card.

You don't need to be able to predict the future in this situation. You just need to have a bit of common sense. And maybe some motivation. You were out of work and didn't qualify for unemployment. What are you going to do?

1) Go out and pick up work so that you can generate income in the meantime until you find a better job?

2) Use a credit card to pay your expenses?

I know which option I'd pick.

[saver17]

You don't need to be able to predict the future in this situation. You just need to have a bit of common sense. And maybe some motivation. You were out of work and didn't qualify for unemployment. What are you going to do?

1) Go out and pick up work so that you can generate income in the meantime until you find a better job?

2) Use a credit card to pay your expenses?

I know which option I'd pick.

I always felt retail and fast jobs were beneath me and wanted to focus all of my energy on finding a full time job with health coverage. Not a part-time fast food job with no health coverage that would take time away from me looking for a real job.

[disneysteve]

I always felt retail and fast jobs were beneath me and wanted to focus all of my energy on finding a full time job with health coverage. Not a part-time fast food job with no health coverage that would take time away from me looking for a real job.

And that's why you now find yourself $3,000 in debt.

[saver17]

And that's why you now find yourself $3,000 in debt.

Yup and that's a decision I have to live with but on 7/1/17 that part of my life will be erased forever

[saver17]

And that's why you now find yourself $3,000 in debt.

Steve also let me explain that when I was fired I still thought I would get unemployment since I was honest with the examiner on the phone. At the time I thought the only time you don't get unemployment is when you quit. So that's the main reason I wasn't in a rush to find a crappy job because I thought any day I would be getting UC. Now I know that when you are fired you may get it but it's not right away like it is when you are laid off.

[disneysteve]

I wasn't in a rush to find a crappy job

Until you change this attitude, there's always going to be a struggle. I am a 52-year-old professional with an advanced degree and I can tell you that I don't see ANYTHING as being beneath me. If I need to shovel horse crap to provide for myself and my family, that's the job I would take until something better came along. I said earlier that if I needed money, I'd drive around town and trash pick stuff to resell. I guess that's beneath you too, right?

I'm curious how old you are.

[saver17]

Until you change this attitude, there's always going to be a struggle. I am a 52-year-old professional with an advanced degree and I can tell you that I don't see ANYTHING as being beneath me. If I need to shovel horse crap to provide for myself and my family, that's the job I would take until something better came along. I said earlier that if I needed money, I'd drive around town and trash pick stuff to resell. I guess that's beneath you too, right?

I'm curious how old you are.

38. I guess if I had a family I would have to do that but I was taking care of just me so it wasn't a big rush to work at a low paying job

Again when I was let go I received my last full check on 10/5 and still thought I would be getting unemployment.


All the things you are talking about doing is what I would have done after 12/30

[disneysteve]

Unfortunately if I had used it all up and still didn't find a job then I would have had to tell the landlord I don't have a way to pay the rent because I have no money and loss my job. Probably would have ended up being evicted

All the things you are talking about doing is what I would have done after 12/30

So you would have waited until you were at zero and facing eviction to go out and find work? You titled this thread, "what would you do?" This is NOT what I would do. I would start hustling from day ONE to make sure I didn't reach the point that you would have hit on 12/30.

[saver17]

So you would have waited until you were at zero and facing eviction to go out and find work? You titled this thread, "what would you do?" This is NOT what I would do. I would start hustling from day ONE to make sure I didn't reach the point that you would have hit on 12/30.

My mind would not let me think low paying job because of the reasons below

1. Those type of jobs was not going to pay my rent

2. I thought I would get UC before the month of October ended

3. I was already in the process of going on interviews for real jobs during the month of October

4. After getting two interviews for two real jobs in October, I was convinced I would be working before Thanksgiving. It just ended up being before Christmas so I was a month off.

[disneysteve]

My mind would not let me think low paying job because of the reasons below

1. Those type of jobs was not going to pay my rent

I don't know why I'm continuing this conversation because clearly you aren't going to listen to anything anyone says unless it supports what you are doing, but I'm bored at work so....

"Those type of jobs" weren't going to pay your rent.

You said your rent was $800. You don't think you could have gotten a job anywhere that would have paid you $800/month? That's only $10/hour for 20 hours/week (yes, we have to account for taxes so it's not quite that easy but pretty close). You could get a server job at a restaurant and easily make that much in tips. I pay $60/month to have my lawn mowed. You could buy a mower on Craigslist for $50 or less, mow a dozen or so lawns/month, and pay the rent, and still have plenty of time to go on interviews and such.

In 2000 - 17 years ago - when I wasn't working for a few months, I was grossing $2,000-3,000/month on ebay. After expenses, my net was about 60% of that, so between $1,200 and $1,800.

If you can't manage to earn $800/month, you just aren't trying.

You can make excuses or you can do what needs to be done. You've opted to make excuses. Good luck with that. I'm done.

[corn18]

saver17, I bet you didn't go on interviews at night. Or the weekends. Did you just sit around and eat pizza or did you go to Steak & Shake and make some extra money? Thanks for insulting my daughter, BTW, who was working at Steak & Shake while putting herself through college AND finding a better job all at the same time. I'll let her know that she is beneath you.

[saver17]

saver17, I bet you didn't go on interviews at night. Or the weekends. Did you just sit around and eat pizza or did you go to Steak & Shake and make some extra money? Thanks for insulting my daughter, BTW, who was working at Steak & Shake while putting herself through college AND finding a better job all at the same time. I'll let her know that she is beneath you.

In your daughter's case it makes sense, she was in the process of completing school and was in her early 20s. I was a college grad with 10 plus years of administrative and customer service experience so why would I go apply at Steak and Shake? Now if I had just graduated college and had limited work history and needed some cash flow then of course I would go to steak and shake.

[corn18]

In your daughter's case it makes sense, she was in the process of completing school and was in her early 20s. I was a college grad with 10 plus years of administrative and customer service experience so why would I go apply at Steak and Shake? Now if I had just graduated college and had limited work history and needed some cash flow then of course I would go to steak and shake.

You are arrogant.