First Real Job...No Idea How to Save

[Whitechapel]

Sorry, I know this is a bit OT (but I am a moderator after all). I do not think threads on this site should get in the habit of encouraging, promoting or approving illegal activities. If OP's preferred past time was shooting heroin or smoking crack, would you say that was okay too? There is an outrageous difference between buying a new pair of shoes or the latest iPod and committing a felony.

No offense man, but you need to wake up and realize that there is most definitely a difference between heroine, crack, and cannabis. Cannabis is legalized in certain states. And it's actually decriminalized here in Ohio. That means you're likely to just pay a fine for possession. Not only that but legalization is up to vote in Ohio sometime soon...and I hear it's likely to pass. Either way I'm getting my grow card a few months after I move to MI, making the whole thing legal for me, but then what? I'm still going to end up a crack head out on the street because of the evil marijuana that destroys brilliant minds and makes you into a mindless drone? The state is telling me it's OK to legally obtain, grow, and consume cannabis. Also, I'm moving to the weed center of Michigan. This couldn't be a more perfect situation for me. We should be avoiding the issue because it's already been discussed and I said I would cut it out of it I need to so I can get back on top of my financial situation. Clearly you got nothing out of my post, whether it be me saying I don't need to buy it, or more clarifying that it's actually done to help me more than anything any doctor's ever prescribed. The wrong people in the wrong business who are just looking to get paid and don't care if they help anyone. Doctors who can't do their jobs and don't listen to their patients that I owe money to. It's totally asinine. What I do on my down time shouldn't matter, the only thing that SHOULD matter is that I create a budget and stick to it. I'm not encouraging anyone to go out and do drugs. If they want to that's their choice. What you do is really your business, I can't really tell you how to go about your business.

[cptacek]

No offense man, but you need to wake up and realize that there is most definitely a difference between heroine, crack, and cannabis. Cannabis is legalized in certain states. And it's actually decriminalized here in Ohio. That means you're likely to just pay a fine for possession. Not only that but legalization is up to vote in Ohio sometime soon...and I hear it's likely to pass. Either way I'm getting my grow card a few months after I move to MI, making the whole thing legal for me, but then what? I'm still going to end up a crack head out on the street because of the evil marijuana that destroys brilliant minds and makes you into a mindless drone? The state is telling me it's OK to legally obtain, grow, and consume cannabis. Also, I'm moving to the weed center of Michigan. This couldn't be a more perfect situation for me. We should be avoiding the issue because it's already been discussed and I said I would cut it out of it I need to so I can get back on top of my financial situation. Clearly you got nothing out of my post, whether it be me saying I don't need to buy it, or more clarifying that it's actually done to help me more than anything any doctor's ever prescribed. The wrong people in the wrong business who are just looking to get paid and don't care if they help anyone. Doctors who can't do their jobs and don't listen to their patients that I owe money to. It's totally asinine. What I do on my down time shouldn't matter, the only thing that SHOULD matter is that I create a budget and stick to it. I'm not encouraging anyone to go out and do drugs. If they want to that's their choice. What you do is really your business, I can't really tell you how to go about your business.

Awesome. Insult the guy who's given you the best advice yet. Bully for you

[Whitechapel]

Awesome. Insult the guy who's given you the best advice yet. Bully for you

Insulting by stating the facts? Yes, I clearly am here to flame him. I dont know what I was thinking trying to educate the man. If any of you could get past the fact that I smoked weed I think we might be able to come up with a solution. But let's spend even more time arguing this when you're obviously stuck in one state of mind.

Can we please move on now?

And Steve, I do apologize! I'm not trying to start a flame war...just giving you the facts. I'm sorry.

[cptacek]

<<--that's me walking away. Wish you well.

[AceBarks]

Insulting by stating the facts? Yes, I clearly am here to flame him. I dont know what I was thinking trying to educate the man. If any of you could get past the fact that I smoked weed I think we might be able to come up with a solution. But let's spend even more time arguing this when you're obviously stuck in one state of mind.

Can we please move on now?

And Steve, I do apologize! I'm not trying to start a flame war...just giving you the facts. I'm sorry.

Seems like you shouldn't have bothered explaining your secret.

My mother and stepfather are extraordinarily wealthy. My step dad, with a habitual need, is a money manager. He manages in excess of 2 billion and has beat his market 15 out of 16 years. My mom, an executive, is a functioning alcoholic and has been for 30 years.

The point you ask? Wealth and bad habits are not mutually exclusive. That said, I won't visit with my mother for more than a few hours at a time, and I don't speak to my stepdad except for once every year or two when do I visit them.

Chapel, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Keep your priorities in order and you'll be just fine.

[disneysteve]

I'm not encouraging anyone to go out and do drugs.

Understood (and I did PM you a reply). Let's stick to the financial details going forward.

[Whitechapel]

Understood (and I did PM you a reply). Let's stick to the financial details going forward.

Fantastic!

So I guess, where do we go from here? What should I be doing I guess? Do you need any additional info so we can set up a budget?

[disneysteve]

So I guess, where do we go from here? What should I be doing I guess? Do you need any additional info so we can set up a budget?

I think you've spelled things out pretty clearly and gotten good advice from me and others on what to focus on. Needs vs. Wants has to be something that you always keep in mind when making any spending decisions going forward. What must you have? What can you do without, at least temporarily, or minimize the impact of? I agree that you can't change everything over night but you can start changing your mindset and your outlook immediately (and I think you have). Once you move, you'll be able to get a better idea of your actual living and commuting costs and then you can tweak the budget as you go along. Just don't tie your hands before you even get started by locking yourself into a cable contract or internet contract or other such things.

[Whitechapel]

I think you've spelled things out pretty clearly and gotten good advice from me and others on what to focus on. Needs vs. Wants has to be something that you always keep in mind when making any spending decisions going forward. What must you have? What can you do without, at least temporarily, or minimize the impact of? I agree that you can't change everything over night but you can start changing your mindset and your outlook immediately (and I think you have). Once you move, you'll be able to get a better idea of your actual living and commuting costs and then you can tweak the budget as you go along. Just don't tie your hands before you even get started by locking yourself into a cable contract or internet contract or other such things.

Yeah, great ideas here! I think what I want at this point is some more help actually coming up with a budget I can stick to. Maybe it just seems like I've posted so much information in this thread that I don't know where to begin with it. I haven't sat down and tried to really digest the info and come up with a plan. What I think I need help with is what to pay and when to pay it.

Although I will tell you this. Friday when I sat down and opened every late bill I had, it was kind of a harsh reality. I realized just how much I've been screwing myself by not keeping up on bills. I just want to clean it all up and never revisit this kind of debt again.

So where do we go from here? Is it something I can get help with or something I need to figure out on my own? I will re-read the thread when I get home tonight to see what kind of advice I should be following and see if I can come up with a working budget, and then get critiques on that. One of my biggest concerns is how much should I be saving? I think it was said 200-300 per month. Is this figure proper?

[Whitechapel]

Me again!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week. I just drank a half of pot of coffee almost and am super wired!

I got paid today. And I need help planning my money for this week. I'm asking for help because it's stressing me out. I'm working with a nice round, $1000. I cut $50 from it and put it into my savings, so now I'm down to $950. I cut $493.50 for my rent next week, now I'm down to $456.50. From there I cut $43.94 for one of the doctor's bills in collections (and has been there for a while). They called me yesterday to get some money out of me, so I set up a 3 month payment plan of $44.93 each month until Jan. Both the doctor's bill and the rent are due on the 18th. How can I successfully manage the rest of this money until I get paid on the 25th? I don't need help doing a full blown budget, but I honestly don't know how much I should be spending on food. I have $31 in cash on me, so I can afford to pay my cheap lunch in cash. I need to go to the grocery store and pick up some cheap meals too. I'm just really stressing out because it seems like with all my debt and my rent, I need help right now. I'm evening thinking of asking my mom for $1000 so I can pay down some of the credit cards and have enough to bank some for my e-fund and be ready for the rent on the 1st which is $635.

Also, I signed up for cable and internet. I picked the cheapest bundle they had, just regular cable, decent internet, and I sprung for the HD for an extra 10 a month since I have a HD tv. But my friend Louis says he signed up at Best Buy and they waived his install fees. Mine is SEVENTY dollars! Unreal. I got in touch with the cable company and told them if I don't get free install I'll just cancel it all and go do it like he did.

[elessar78]

Straight up? You don't have money for cable or internet right now.

You also MIGHT not have had money to pay for that doctor's bill. I know it's in collection, but your mentality has to be survival mode for now.

The basic necessities right now are: food, clothing, shelter, and electricity/heat.

Is $1,000 bi-weekly (every two weeks)?

Basically, you can spend $30 a day for the next 2 weeks.

Consider selling your HDTV and get a $25/50 one off of craigslist if you need it.

I'm not joking about any of this.

[riverwed070707]

You're right. You do need help becuase the whole want/need difference clearly isn't sinking in for you. Listen to yourself... you just splurged on cable and internet and yet you're thinking about borrowing $1000 from your mom. Where is the logic in this?? YOU CAN'T AFFORD LUXURIES RIGHT NOW. Cancel that setup ASAP, use *that* money to pay the doctors bill. How are you going to save up your Dec. rent if that's going to be 2/3 of your next check? Then you'll have like $200 to live off of until you get paid mid-December and you're just throwing yourself into this endless cycle of being behind. You have to change your habits if you want to get out of this.

[disneysteve]

I cut $43.94 for one of the doctor's bills in collections (and has been there for a while). They called me yesterday to get some money out of me, so I set up a 3 month payment plan of $44.93 each month

I'm evening thinking of asking my mom for $1000 so I can pay down some of the credit cards

Also, I signed up for cable and internet. I picked the cheapest bundle they had, just regular cable, decent internet, and I sprung for the HD for an extra 10 a month

Not to gang up on you but you clearly haven't understood what we've been saying. You CAN NOT AFFORD LUXURIES right now. Cable tv is a luxury. Internet access is a luxury. At this point, even trying to pay bills that went into collections long ago is kind of a luxury.

Cancel cable.
Cancel internet.
Call back the doctor's office and tell them that you have no money and can't pay right now.
Maybe pay the minimums on the credit cards if you can. If not, just let them go. If you don't have the money, you don't have the money.

Stop spending money you don't have for things you don't need to survive. No tech stuff. No dining out at all ever. I'm not sure how else to say this to make it clear.

[disneysteve]

By the way, have you started reading the Dave Ramsey book yet? You need to do that ASAP! And start listening to his podcast as well.

[Whitechapel]

Straight up? You don't have money for cable or internet right now.

You also MIGHT not have had money to pay for that doctor's bill. I know it's in collection, but your mentality has to be survival mode for now.

The basic necessities right now are: food, clothing, shelter, and electricity/heat.

Is $1,000 bi-weekly (every two weeks)?

Basically, you can spend $30 a day for the next 2 weeks.

Consider selling your HDTV and get a $25/50 one off of craigslist if you need it.

I'm not joking about any of this.

I get paid biweekly.

I wont sell my HD TV, it was a gift.

You guys are making it sound like all I can have is the bare minimum. No internet, no cable. So I'll just sit around my apartment all night with my thumb up my ass. Come on. There is no day that goes by where I don't use the internet, it's a need. Maybe not for you, but I'm not you. It's also football season, the one sport I follow consistently. I could go to the bar and watch it, but I can't afford a single beer. I'm not allowed to have internet and cable even if I'm managing all the other expenses better? I said I'd cut down on all the extra stuff like beer and other party related things. I'm setting up a budget on my lunch break to help me make more informed decisions.

By the way, have you started reading the Dave Ramsey book yet? You need to do that ASAP! And start listening to his podcast as well.

I ordered it off Amazon because my B&N didn't have it. But my old debit card was in and I didn't bother to change it, so naturally the transaction got declined. I want to order it, just not yet.
Edit** Not buying it. I can't afford to. If the podcast is free, I'll listen to it.

I'm going to the grocery store tonight to pick up meals. I've been wanting to pack more for work anyway since my coworkers started doing it. So I'll save money on meals.