I need advice on how to use my money for a cheap place to live

[GaiaGoddess]

@GaiaGodess

A. I do agree with Gailete $600 for a hobby seems like a lot of money. Hobby’s don’t typically make money. You have to have time to build a good clientele, start a website, and take lots of pictures for free to build a portfolio. You work 84 hours a week for 6 weeks in a row. Probably should’ve waiting on purchasing this item.

I can take pictures while i'm at work, I just step outside and do it. I also take pictures while i'm travelling and when i'm home. It's not a time consuming thing like writing. and I bought the camera now rather than later because I know once I buy a mobile home, I won't have money for extra things like this, and i've always wanted a decent camera and never had the money for one until I got this job. I plan on taking a photography course after I quit here and you need the camera first. and yes I plan on selling my pictures for money as well as making things out of the pictures (calendars, murals, etc.)

B. How long will the shampoo last?

It isn't just for shampoo, i made the whole list in my last post. All that stuff should last a few years. That's the entire point of making that stuff yourself, to save money in the long run. I have friends that do it too, one is starting a similar business and i'm going to try it too.

C. $20 (Walmart Gift Card), $50 (GoFundMe Fundraiser), $30 (Brother’s Birthday Card & Present), + $200 (Moneygram to co-worker) = $300 in gifts. You seriously can’t afford these kind of gifts if you know your job may not last long.

It has nothing to do with how long my job will last, I will be able to get another one, i'm not going to be homeless. I guess being a good person is important to me and i'm not going to let a friend suffer when I have the means to help them. And honestly $20 for a birthday present is nothing, I have always given my family similar amounts every year no matter what job I have. Do you people not buy birthday presents at all for anyone, ever?!

D. You spent in the 3 months listed #123, $123, and $108 respectively on your cell phone. You should easily be able to have a cell phone plan for half of that. Who do you use?

I use Verizon, it's the biggest one and it's also the only one that gets service where I am at work. The reason it's so high is because I have two phones right now, I didn't used to but one broke and they wouldn't give me a replacement right then and there and i needed one right away because I was heading back to work a few days later and needed a phone so I was forced to buy another one. Well then a few days later i figured out what was wrong with my broken phone, it started working again, so now I have to keep the 2nd one until that contract runs out. It does come in handy having 2 though, the batteries die so fast and when i'm travelling it's good to have a backup so I know in an emergency I will always have a phone that works.

E. How long with the spices last?

It was $35!! Not $350! It was a portable stackable collection of spices so you can have them wherever you go (since I cook in hotels, at work, and at home, it's awesome). I dont know how long it will last but if you were to buy all of these seperately it would cost way more than $35!

[hamchan]

Not just shampoo...conditioner, soap, toothpaste, lotion, facial cleanser, shower soap, hair gel, mouthwash, deodorants, gifts for other people, etc. and this $200 worth of stuff will last me a year or two, at least. I'm sure you spend that much on those things in a few months, that is the whole point in making them yourself, to save money in the long run! I want to make a business out of this, like the photography thing. I am planning for my future trying to create more streams of income and i'm getting judged & ridiculed for it.

I used to make soaps, lip balms, and other bath items to sell. I want to just caution you that it's very hard to make any money at it, and seriously a ton of work for not much income. I did it for a few years and at most cleared a few hundred dollars a year after deducting expenses. There are lots expenses people don't realize or consider (like winding up with an entire batch that you can't sell because of quality control issues, or things going rancid before you can sell or use them, or the amount it costs to have tables at craft shows, package your items, and comply with Federal laws regarding the manufacture and sales of cosmetics and toiletries). IMO you are better off just making it for personal use and maybe gifts.

[hamchan]

It was $35!! Not $350! It was a portable stackable collection of spices so you can have them wherever you go (since I cook in hotels, at work, and at home, it's awesome). I dont know how long it will last but if you were to buy all of these seperately it would cost way more than $35!

When you use them up, buy them in bulk to refill the containers. Not all grocery stores sell bulk spices but it is worth finding one that does. They are significantly cheaper this way. I can get twice as much seasoning as would come prepackaged in a bottle for about 1/4 the cost.

Are both of your phone's under contract? If not, can you turn off the service to one of them? I think Page Plus Wireless runs on the Verizon network and can use Verizon phones. It may be worth paying some ETFs to switch.

[Eagle]

Can someone please tell me what a troll is and what a flame war is instead of accusing me of it indirectly to everyone else except me as if i'm not here!? And how can you say this is attention seeking when i'm just asking for advice on a forum that is made for people to ask for advice on, and you're here too!?

Here's a few definitions I found using Google.

Troll
1.make a deliberately offensive or provocative online posting with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them.
2.a person who makes a deliberately offensive or provocative online posting.

Flame War
1. an argument between Internet users who repeatedly provoke each other with personal attacks through e-mail and other forms of online communication.

[doingitallwrong]

You seriously didn't believe I was a real person?

I believed you were a real person. What I was wondering, as I stated, was whether asking for advice and then shooting down every suggestion with no willingness to make any compromises was a pattern of behavior. Apparently, it is.

How is this a contradiction to saying I had to pay it off and therefore I couldn't start saving money until after I paid it off?

The contradiction is that you said it wasn't your fault that you had to pay off your car, and that's why you didn't save more money. First of all, it *is* your fault, because you bought the car and agreed to the loan. Secondly, you didn't *have to* pay off the entire $14,000 at once, you *wanted to* do that. You could have kept making your regular payment and still have the $14,000 in the bank. Saying you "had to" pay off the car implies that the lender demanded payment in full, not that you decided you didn't want a car payment anymore so used your "buy my own home" savings to pay off the car.

I never said it had to be free therapy! I think everyone is reading into my words because I NEVER said I want someone to hand me a free home, or counsel me for free

Yes you did.

Yes 97 million hits will come up but out of those, how many will let you get free therapy through emails?

Can someone please tell me what a troll is

I'm kind of shocked you've spent at least 5-6 years researching things on the Internet and have never bothered to look up the term (especially since it was used to describe you back last November on the other forum), but here:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+an+Internet+troll

And how can you say this is attention seeking when i'm just asking for advice on a forum that is made for people to ask for advice on, and you're here too!?

Because you're asking for advice you don't want and won't take. You're completely unwilling to compromise on any aspect of your life, whenever someone suggests such a thing you argue with them, and yet you expect others to feel sorry for you because of your disorder and your social anxiety and your long hours and your horrible mother. People who are truly seeking advice *want* to change, they want their lives to be different and they're willing to do what it takes to make that happen. You seem to just want conversation, and arguing about why nothing anyone suggests will work for you is, as you've found in the past, a good way to make that happen. If not, why didn't you abandon this thread the first time someone told you that if you weren't willing to change, nothing anyone could suggest would help? In eight pages, not one person has disagreed with that statement (except you, of course).

It seems that way, but I dont know how it works out like this, I mean maybe this last year I spent more than normal on one time things, who knows

There's 95% of your problem right there. You want to buy a house, live on your own, be able to survive on low-wage jobs, but you have no idea where your money even goes. You've got at least $300 per month unaccounted for (and I would argue that, since the $600 camera was a one-time expense, it's really more like $500 per month), and while you say you've saved $12,000 in a year, you had $11,000 saved back in April, so you're not really even saving $1,000 a month. In the past four months, based on what you've posted and the $1,000 you've saved since April, there's more than $4,200 missing from the equation. You might want to start using a budgeting program like YNAB or Mint.com or mvelopes to help you track your expenses and figure out how much you really should be saving toward your various dreams.

Why would I waste my time acting like I do when I don't?

I don't know. Why do you? You aren't willing to make any changes that will allow you to own your own home, so why are you wasting everyone's time pretending like you really want it? People who really want things do what they have to do to get those things, they don't just sit around waiting for things to fall into their laps. Even your newest excuse about why you haven't bought a mobile home shows how unwilling you are to do anything to change your situation. You weren't home when they were for sale? So what? Call the person up. Have a friend go look at it on your behalf. People buy and sell houses (and whatever else) by phone or email all the time these days -- I've done it myself. Living several states away isn't even part of the equation anymore.

You know, where I live, there's almost constant road construction (when the roads aren't snow-covered, that is). For a while there whenever a project started, they'd put up signs that said "This short-term delay will provide long-term relief". That's how anyone who truly wants to improve their situation needs to look at things -- a short-term sacrifice that will allow them to reach their dreams (and often go beyond) in the long term. But if you're not willing to make that sacrifice -- if you don't take care of the potholes and cracks in the road, and just wait for things to get better on their own, guess what? Not only will your situation not improve, but odds are it will get even worse. The potholes will get bigger, the road will start to crumble, and eventually the infrastructure itself will fall apart. Then you're truly stuck, and not only can you not get to your dream destination, you can't get *anywhere*.

So it's up to you; if you really want to change your situation, change your attitude. Instead of spending all your time explaining why you can't do something, just f-ing do it. So you think you can only make 10 cents writing an article. You know what? That's 10 cents you didn't have yesterday. Write the damn article.

[Gailete]

I'm sure you spend that much on those things in a few months

No I haven't. I don't spend that kind of money in total in YEARS for those types of things! I use 99 cent shampoo, no conditioner, or any of the rest of the crap you think you need to use. As I have mentioned, I am POOR. I found a great sale on Suave shampoo years ago for 50 cents a bottle and bought 20 ($10 during a time I was earning $30K/year in the mid-ninety’s). I finally used the last one maybe 5-6 years ago and then found it again on sale for $1 a bottle. And I got three free bottles to review over the course of a year. Even though hubby didn't like the 'men's' shampoo he used it because it was free. Toothpaste I get at CVS along with other products that I buy on sale and many times I then get Bonus Bucks which can be used as real money. I did two surveys for CVS on line a couple of weeks ago and another one this week so in less than a month, I earned $32 in bonus bucks which helps me purchase the few toiletries we need. I think I mentioned WE are POOR. I look for sales and bargains and try to be a good steward of the money that comes my way. As to being charitable yes I am, but my money goes to real honest to goodness charities. Certainly though, not on the order of your spending as I don't have the money to spend even if I wanted to. Gifts for my boys and DIL many times are bought off of reward points from credit card use, CVS Bonus bucks, or I make them gifts. Most wedding gifts I make for the couple and thankfully we don't have many of those occasions anymore. Especially now that most couples think it is perfectly acceptable to send out thank you notes 6 or more months after the fact so I'm not that sure most appreciate anything other than money which I don't/can’t give! I'm very glad that we don't have a lot of people to be gifting frequently, because we can't afford to, it is as simple as that. I struggle to find money for the groceries and the medications we take. I simply refuse to spend money for a gift when I don't even have the money for a gallon of milk!

Up to the point that you listed your 'expenses' I was under the impression you were trying your hardest to find a way to get yourself into your own home as quickly as possible and was aligning your spending that way. Now I see you aren't and then again try to justify your expenses. I could care less what you are spending and what you spend it on, but from MY perspective, you are wasting money as fast as you make it and then trying to have a good reason for it. You need to decide what your #1 goal is. If it is getting into your own home, then you can't spend in the way you have been. Oh and by the way, I also don't have a cell phone so I can't take pictures on one. I too love books and have read somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 of them over my lifetime, and I have several hundred here at home, but if they were in the way of my achieving a dream to get away a terrible situation (which is what you imply living with your mother is like) then, if needed, I would burn them all. And before you say anything, I do want to say that most were gifts or purchased cheap at yard and library sales, or some related to my business so were a tax deductible expense. I love my books as well. But you seem to love your car, your books, your camera, etc. and they all get in the way of your STATED goal of getting a home of your own as soon as possible.

Yes this is a financial advice forum, so when you state your goal of what you want or need that is what we focus on. So when someone states their goal is one thing and then they show all the ways they are spending money frivolously or having reasons for why NOTHING would work for you, we call them on it. Many times they have just been blind to the leaks. You seem to be blind to the leaks that are keeping you from achieving your goal and at the same time don't want to make any changes when the leaks are pointed out and have a million excuses for why you can't get along without these things. I was not ridiculing you. I'm just stating facts. You say you want one thing and then go off on entirely different paths that take away from that dream. Like I said I don't care how you spend your money (and no reason to judge me for how I spend my money since you have NO clue how I do, other than what I have mentioned, and I wasn't the one asking for advice), but if you come here and ask for advice and then are shown why you aren't achieving that goal and what you need to cut back on and be aware of your spending habits, but you want to spend how you want to and rather than save money for your goal and dream, then there are no answers for you. Previously I did give you advice from someone that knows what it takes to make those ends meet when needed to reach a goal (me) and you just spit on them more or less as well as every bit of advice everyone here has given. You may say you are serious, but I don't think you are and at this point, I don't think many others think you are serious either.

[Eagle]

I use Verizon, it's the biggest one and it's also the only one that gets service where I am at work. The reason it's so high is because I have two phones right now, I didn't used to but one broke and they wouldn't give me a replacement right then and there and i needed one right away because I was heading back to work a few days later and needed a phone so I was forced to buy another one. Well then a few days later i figured out what was wrong with my broken phone, it started working again, so now I have to keep the 2nd one until that contract runs out. It does come in handy having 2 though, the batteries die so fast and when i'm travelling it's good to have a backup so I know in an emergency I will always have a phone that works.

Are both of your phone's under contract? If not, can you turn off the service to one of them? I think Page Plus Wireless runs on the Verizon network and can use Verizon phones. It may be worth paying some ETFs to switch.

@GaiaGodess

I agree with Hamchan's suggestion.

Cell Phone Scenario 1
You don't need two data plans at $20-50 each. Unless you have a shared family data plan? (For example in our family plan we share 10gb of data)

Cell Phone Scenario 2
If one of your phones is not under contract simply cancel that one.

Cell Phone Scenairo 3
If they are both under contract simply do the math.
A. When do the contracts expire on the phones?
B. What is the penalty for cancelling one of the lines? (I'd say about $180-200)
C. How much would you be paying to keep both lines for the remainder of the contract? (If it's less than the $180-200 fee then cancel one of the lines)

I have an iPhone and use a car phone charger that plugs into my car cigarette lighter. A car phone charger goes for $10-25 depending on the phone. There is no reason for you to have 2 phones.

You are basically paying for a service you don't need.

Question: Have you considered instead getting insurance on your cell phone? You can get insurance for $8 a month on your phone with Verizon according to a co-worker. I believe that includes lost, stolen, or broken coverage. Might want to double check.

I'm not sure if you've understood this yet but we're trying to help you do two things: increase your income and decrease your expenses.

Perhaps if you are unwilling at this time to make changes to increase your income you could focus on decreasing your expenses for the goal of purchasing your home?

Just like I'm not sure a 36 page discussion about an RV and another 36 page thread about a Ford Escape has bebefuak benificial either. Did you learn anything from those discussions?

If you are unwilling to try new things to increase your income and also unwilling to cut your expenses I see no reason to continue this discussion. Would you agree?

[Baby_nurse]

Does anyone else feel sorry for the mother in this scenario?

[bjl584]

How is asking for advice not trying to make your life better?

Because you've rejected every single idea and suggestion as impossible. If you aren't willing to make any changes whatsoever, then you will just have to be happy with how your life is now. Good luck.

[BuckyBadger]

I use Verizon, it's the biggest one and it's also the only one that gets service where I am at work. The reason it's so high is because I have two phones right now, I didn't used to but one broke and they wouldn't give me a replacement right then and there and i needed one right away because I was heading back to work a few days later and needed a phone so I was forced to buy another one. Well then a few days later i figured out what was wrong with my broken phone, it started working again, so now I have to keep the 2nd one until that contract runs out. It does come in handy having 2 though, the batteries die so fast and when i'm travelling it's good to have a backup so I know in an emergency I will always have a phone that works.

So many things about this confuse me. Why didn't you just buy a new phone to go on your existing service? Why on earth would you sign up for another contract? If I break my phone I don't have to get a new 2 year contract, I just need to buy a new phone and have them activate it. (also a good reason to keep an older phone for this sort of emergency. They can just activate that one until you find your phone or decide to buy a new one.)

You just DON'T TRY VERY HARD to come up with economical solutions to your problems. No one in their right mind pays for two phone contracts because their battery dies. You buy an $15 emergency cell phone battery. You don't pay $1,000 a year because your battery runs out.

You aren't trying, no matter what you tell yourself. You're lying to yourself and it's not going to get you anywhere.

This is just one example.

(Now please tell me why/how I'm wrong and you're right. I'd love to hear the "reason" for the two cell phones!)

[hamchan]

So many things about this confuse me. Why didn't you just buy a new phone to go on your existing service? Why on earth would you sign up for another contract? If I break my phone I don't have to get a new 2 year contract, I just need to buy a new phone and have them activate it. (also a good reason to keep an older phone for this sort of emergency. They can just activate that one until you find your phone or decide to buy a new one.)

You just DON'T TRY VERY HARD to come up with economical solutions to your problems. No one in their right mind pays for two phone contracts because their battery dies. You buy an $15 emergency cell phone battery. You don't pay $1,000 a year because your battery runs out.

You aren't trying, no matter what you tell yourself. You're lying to yourself and it's not going to get you anywhere.

This is just one example.

(Now please tell me why/how I'm wrong and you're right. I'd love to hear the "reason" for the two cell phones!)

I am guessing it was because she could get the new phone free or much less expensively with a contract. Possibly because she didn't have the money to buy one upfront. But it winds up costing so much more in the long run. It's the same sort of reason people get payday loans. It's a short term solution that often winds up costing them a lot more.

I will say that I do always keep at least two phones on hand, though only one at a time will be activated. I am notorious for ruining phones, and it's cheaper for me to buy a cheap used phone and keep it on hand just in case than to pay $8 a month plus a $100 deductible to replace it. I can often find them on Glyde for under $50.

[BuckyBadger]

I am guessing it was because she could get the new phone free or much less expensively with a contract. Possibly because she didn't have the money to buy one upfront. But it winds up costing so much more in the long run. It's the same sort of reason people get payday loans. It's a short term solution that often winds up costing them a lot more.

I will say that I do always keep at least two phones on hand, though only one at a time will be activated. I am notorious for ruining phones, and it's cheaper for me to buy a cheap used phone and keep it on hand just in case than to pay $8 a month plus a $100 deductible to replace it. I can often find them on Glyde for under $50.

What you do makes sense.

But there were just so many other options. You can buy a cheap used smartphone on eBay or Craigslist. You can keep an old phone (like I do).

It's just that - like EVERYTHING ELSE the OP does - she took the easiest route, not the best one. Signing up for a new 2 year contract to the tune of over $2,000 rather than shell out $100 or less for a replacement phone?

That's not the action of a person who is ever going to be able to improve her life or own a house.

This whole thread is ridiculous. Suggesting things to the OP is like talking to the wall.

[dawnwes]

A brick wall who argues back.

We have more than we need to survive well and there is no way I would get another phone plan and pay that much.

In fact, we have the least expensive phone plan that meets our needs.......after DH's work reimbursement and discount for our plan, we have 4 phones on ATT's unlimited with 10gb for less than $100.

What you do makes sense.

But there were just so many other options. You can buy a cheap used smartphone on eBay or Craigslist. You can keep an old phone (like I do).

It's just that - like EVERYTHING ELSE the OP does - she took the easiest route, not the best one. Signing up for a new 2 year contract to the tune of over $2,000 rather than shell out $100 or less for a replacement phone?

That's not the action of a person who is ever going to be able to improve her life or own a house.

This whole thread is ridiculous. Suggesting things to the OP is like talking to the wall.

[GaiaGoddess]

I used to make soaps, lip balms, and other bath items to sell. I want to just caution you that it's very hard to make any money at it, and seriously a ton of work for not much income. I did it for a few years and at most cleared a few hundred dollars a year after deducting expenses. There are lots expenses people don't realize or consider (like winding up with an entire batch that you can't sell because of quality control issues, or things going rancid before you can sell or use them, or the amount it costs to have tables at craft shows, package your items, and comply with Federal laws regarding the manufacture and sales of cosmetics and toiletries). IMO you are better off just making it for personal use and maybe gifts.

I started it for personal use but then realized it could also be a way to earn money, and my friend is all gung ho about it, I'll just try it and see how it goes. I hate to give up before I even start.

[GaiaGoddess]

When you use them up, buy them in bulk to refill the containers. Not all grocery stores sell bulk spices but it is worth finding one that does. They are significantly cheaper this way. I can get twice as much seasoning as would come prepackaged in a bottle for about 1/4 the cost.

Actually I was going to fill them up here at work, we have all the same spices & other too! One of the best perks about working in a kitchen!

Are both of your phone's under contract? If not, can you turn off the service to one of them? I think Page Plus Wireless runs on the Verizon network and can use Verizon phones. It may be worth paying some ETFs to switch.

Yeah, but I think I only have a few months to go on the 2nd one.