Surprisingly, debt isn't always bad. It's a shame that some of it isn't in your BF's name... debt builds up your credit rating, as long as you keep paying all your bills on time. Which is my best advice, by the way, for keeping your credit clean - despite all my debt, my credit was flawless until I stopped paying things on time.
If you get completely overwhelmed and your credit cards carry high balances and interest, you can look into settlements. Thing is, I'm not sure how that looks on your credit report, so you'd definitely want to look into that before trying it.
Other than that, you can cut everyday living expenses in small ways that add up. Things we tend to view as necessities really aren't. I've lived without cable since 1999, which has saved me $30-$50 a month. When we moved here, we asked for basic phone service with no frills and no long distance plan - we can't call long-distance, but we're only paying $15/month instead of $65/month. In the past, I've opted for dialup internet through Netzero rather than DSL - $10/month vs. $40/month. Stuff like that.
And even an IBSer with special food needs can cut grocery bills. I NEVER buy chicken unless it's on sale - I won't pay more than $1.79/lb for chicken breasts. If we go a couple months and they never go on sale, I just don't eat chicken. That's just an example, though. My meals go heavy on potatoes because they're cheap and filling, and I'm trying to eat more vegetables and legumes now than meat, usually, because those things are cheaper. We also eat a lot of pasta. In addition to buying on sale, we almost always buy store brands rather than expensive name brands, and we NEVER buy junk food or things that I can easily make for cheaper, like cookies and breads.
We're living on a single income, and not a high income at that, so I probably do have some more ideas that I'm just not thinking of because I've been doing it so long that it's instinct now. If I think of anything else, I'll post!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
Re: Need Help - Financial/Stress Issues
