Brand new here: Desperately need change!

[StudentRN]

Sorry for taking so long to get back here. It's finals week. Thank you so much for all your replies.

To answer a few questions:
1. I am looking at (hopefully) making around $40k per year when I finish school. Nurses in this area start out around $20/hr. So it will really depend on how many hours/week I get hired for.
2. Our phone plan is so high because hubby has to have a smartphone for work, and my school requests (but doesnt necessarily require) that we have Android-capable devices for our NCLEX apps. This means a plan with data package. Now, why on earth hubby's work doesnt reimburse him for a portion, I don't know. I would be totally willing to shop around when our contract is up, but before then it will be a $325 fee to cancel our plan right now.
3. Same issue with the rent. I hate our apt, and am ready to move, but it is a $1250 lease-breaking fee. I tried to negotiate this, but they aren't flexible about it, even if you buy a house or move out of state. The manager said they are struggling in this economy and "can't afford to make exceptions".

I actually really appreciate the perspective offered above on health insurance. I guess we felt safe without it because we are young and in good health, but I don't want other taxpayers covering my butt if I'm ever in an accident. People have encouraged us to sign up for food stamps and Medicaid with our income being so low, but we both feel like we would rather work harder or go without some things than have others paying for our expenses.

Also, as to our car insurance, I think it is so high because we are under 25. That's actually the reduced rate since we got married! I signed up for renters insurance through them just because it was offered and I've used that company for so long. Probably time to start shopping around for better rates. Our apt requires a $50,000 policy listing them as the beneficiary.

My parents added us to their netflix account, so that will save us some money!

What a great website this is! I really appreciate all the input.

[cschin4]

You need to take a step back and really, really consider the advice. Why do you "need" such expensive phones? If you need that much "data' at your fingertips, you would be better off with a laptop computer, and he can use Skype which is free to call people, you could put apps on it for school, etc. Sorry, but i can't see how you really need that for nursing school. Yeah, they might recommend it, but i doubt that everyone will have one. And, you should wait and start and get going heavily into the program and then see if you need it.
As for $325 to cancel the phone, so what? Wouldnt' it be better to cancel the phone and pay a month or two fees than keep paying and paying and paying? For $25 a month, you can get a Virgin mobile prepaid phone with unlimited text, data, email, and 300 min. I think the idea that he "needs" his phone this badly in a supposedly low paying job where he isn't remimbursed in anyway may be more his own notion than reality. But, why not at least try? Decide, what he really , really needs to have for work and that's it. Cut off the cell phones and dedicate about 6 months to using a prepaid plan and at least give it a try and see what happens. That really is the only way to change. You can always go back later on to a contract phone, but maybe you can shop for a better deal. And, in reality, maybe he doesn't need the latest smart phone.

[Pansori]

2. Our phone plan is so high because hubby has to have a smartphone for work, and my school requests (but doesnt necessarily require) that we have Android-capable devices for our NCLEX apps.

I am sorry, RN, but I am not buying this reason. You are going to take your NCLEX once, and you're taking it soon after graduation. There are many ways to study for the exam, but this sounds quite irresponsible of the school to request such a thing. It's almost like telling a physics grad student to get an app to study for his quals, or any grad student to get a droid to study with GRE apps. The idea of an app for the nclex is a great idea... if you can afford it. In your case it sounds wasteful, and if you are very strapped that, to me, would definitely be the thing to go. In the long run you do not need a droid app to study and pass your NCLEX. You want a droid app to study for your NCLEX. If your school is not requiring the app (only suggesting) then I would definitely drop the droid. Now if you don't want to give up your droid and are using the NCLEX app as a way of justifying to keep it... well, that is a whole different thing...

I am also a firm believer in swallowing your pride at the right times. You and your hubby are hard workers, but fact is you are having trouble making ends meet. You are already paying into the food stamp program with your tax money, and there is nothing wrong with utilizing it during lean times.

[couchrobt]

Besides the big phone bill, cutting off on dining out will save you more. The habit will have to stop. I did not say it will be easy, but it has to stop if you really wanted to make good change for you. Slow at first, it will go smoothly in the long run.

[StudentRN]

LittleHouse, my school and work both offer a "discount plan", which basically means you pay their company of choice between $50-100/mo and they will then tell you which dentist/eye doc/hospital to go to for services and you get them at a discount (usu between $200-1000 per service, more for catastrophic events). I guess these plans always seem like a scam to me. I figured it would be cheaper to just save myself the monthly payment and pay for services out of pocket. Maybe I'm wrong, though, as I've never actually utilized these plans...

My husband asked me to write down the things that I nickel and dime myself on, and he will do the same, and we are going to talk it all over tonight and come up with a plan to be more accountable for these things. I know for a fact it will all come down to the fast food habit.

I realized today that one of our big setbacks to this, besides lack of free time, is the fact that I am not an experienced cook. We have pretty traditional roles at the moment. He works and pays most of the bills, and I cook and clean (when I'm not at work or school). Unfortunately, I spent a majority of my life as a vegan, so I never learned to cook "normal" dishes. I pretty much just ate fresh fruits and veggies all the time. My husband is the biggest meat eater around, raised on meat and potatoes and had a stay at home mom who cooked hot fresh meals all the time. Obviously those backgrounds don't mesh too well, so the temptation to do fast food is always strong when he wants a hot fresh meal. So I guess all that goes to say that I think I need to learn more about basic cooking, how to buy/cook meats, types of meals to prepare, etc.

Hubby has already said that he will learn to "budget" his soda if I purchase bulk packs at the grocery store. I hadn't ever made a habit of buying it that way because I figured it would just mean he would drink soda all the time instead of once a day if he had it available in bulk.

So, we are trying to make little changes. The phone bill is unfortunately going to remain a big source of contention, since my husband said he isn't willing to move to lower-quality service for a cheaper price. Not sure yet what we will do about this, but at least the seed of an idea is planted in his head...

As usual, I really appreciate all the input!

[cschin4]

I buy soda, but only in cans. I keep it in the basement. That way we have it but it isn't quite so handy to drink 24/7. I don't buy 2 liter bottles. And, the cans are handy to grab and go. So, it does save money.

[cschin4]

As for cooking, who is an experienced cook anyway? You get experience through doing. Get some recipies and make them, some things will turn out and some wont'. You can make simple dishes that are tasty.

[couchrobt]

True that! Never underestimate the power of cookbooks! Well it does help people who are determined to have the change. Cooking at home can help save much. Imagine all the saved money from eating out? LOTS!

[snafu]

DH understands this is the 21st century and real men pitch in since wife goes to school and works...unlike SAHM [stay at home mom] He can't afford money going up in smoke and he is taking days off his life with each package. It's like standing outside and burning $5. bills. Smoking wrecks clothes, reduces chances for promotion and makes him smell awful!

If DH likes meat and potatoes, Cooks.com - Recipe Search and More makes it easy peasy. Get a crock pot aka slow cooker often available at thrift shops or CraigsList. Veggies of choice go in 1st, add meat, an OXO cube and any spice at hand. 4-6 hours later the cheapest cut of meat is fork tender.

DH can scrub potatoes, chunk up, spray with vegetable oil in an oven proof dish; add a chicken, whole or parts on top. Fill a whole chicken's cavity with 1/2 an onion, rub a teeny bit of vegetable oil over chicken and sprinkle with spice. Bake @ 350, 40 minutes. Add any other veggie at hand and bake a further 20 minutes Poke chicken with a fork, if the juice runs clear...it's ready to eat. There are 70 different shapes of pasta at the supermarket...takes 12-18 minutes to cook. Cheap bag of ordinary, regular rice takes 18 minutes without taking the lid off the pot.

[jewelryab]

Our worthless shares were with General Components Inc which have been liquidated. Apparently due to the fall out of the liquidation we can claim this money otherwise it goes back into the government treasury.