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KarmaCandy posted:$240/month in spending money is actually quite a lot. When we see threads like this, most people have around $50 - $150 in spending money for the month so that is definitely one area where you can cut down. You don't need to be spending $8/day on fun stuff. This was my impression too. $90 a week? And you use your cards for other "fun" stuff, too? Try making it, say, $20 a week and stop buying toys, going on trips, justifying to yourself that you need x & y to do your job or whatever... Make use of freecycle & kijiji if you need things before you go and buy them new. Throughout your post you seem vaguely apologetic about spending money on stuff like a pedometer, but you need to realize that it's not us you need to apologize to. YOU ARE loving YOURSELF OVER. Every time you go to buy something, force yourself to think, "Do I NEED this?" Better yet, don't buy stuff. Forget about it for a week and see if you still want it, without going into the store or on amazon. Chances are you won't. Pay more attention to how much you spend on groceries, etc., too. It looks like you just aren't living within your means. Buy store brand when you can. Go in with a list and don't deviate from it. And Karma is absolutely right that you do not need an iPhone. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 15:42
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tuyop posted:Do they really seem like excuses? Yes, they do. quote:There is no silver bullet for this debt, I just have to stop spending money. And this is what people are trying to help you do by making the suggestions they are. Carpooling & living in a cheap apartment are great steps, and it's awesome that you're taking the initiative to look into other things to fix your situation. But you posted here and that means you are going to get advice, and advice you probably won't like, at that. quote:Also, should I be losing sleep over this? Because I am. My dad had other things to say though: I'm solvent, I came out on top this month despite spending way too much on poo poo and not prioritizing debt repayment properly, I have a budget in order, I have more income coming at irregular intervals with a huge chunk over the fall, when I get a promotion (this is not a "hope", this is just something that happens in the military) and stick to the budget I'll be even more solvent. To the bolded part: no. You can't come out "on top" when you have that much debt. I'm just talking the credit cards here, ignoring the car & the student loan and the laptop. If you mean you managed to earn more than you spent this month, not including debt repayment, I'd still say no, you did not come out on top. If you mean you earned more than you spent including debt repayment, than I can agree that you're certainly on your way up. I might be reading your tables wrong but it looks to me like that isn't true? quote:Do I really need to sell things like my camera (the TV is going for sure though), which is a huge source of free entertainment and possible income and make an even larger cut to my lifestyle than I already have? Yes, if you want to cut down your debt so that you can live a better life in the future. Dragging your feet on it now adds up in terms of interest and stress. You're only 23. You have lots of life ahead of you to buy fancy stuff and live the high life. Or even the medium life. quote:Basically, you guys are saying that I can't possibly afford my life as it is, Yes. quote:but my friends, coworkers, parents, pretty much everyone, seem way less alarmed when I tell them the numbers. That is about what I'd say. I explained the bit about being 23 already (And I'm not trying to be an rear end in a top hat: I'm 25 and I make roughly half what you do, and yes, I live like a student. I do this to save, though, and because I don't want to get into debt. One day maybe I can afford a car or nice furniture, but not today.) You DO have a terrifying amount of debt. By my count, your debt adds up to $56,702. Your income is $51,132. That should scare you. And no, we do not believe you're going to stick to the budget, because what we get out of your posts is an "I really want to fix this! Awww, do I have to do x? I don't wanna..." We're not trying to be mean. eta: Think of it this way: You're a fitness guy, yeah? Imagine if someone pretty chubby, though not obese, came to you and said, "I want to lose all this weight and get some nice looking muscles." You give them lots of advice and they say, "Do I really have to go to the gym x times a week? What if I just go half that much? And I don't think I can give up my twinkies and french fries, but I'll give up eating doughnuts. Surely I deserve some kind of treat, right?" That is how you are coming off. :\ Your parents have nothing to do with this except inasmuch as all parents should (and most don't, so yours are hardly unique) educate their kids on responsible financial behavior. Try not to feel attacked. I know we're mean, but this is SA, and you asked for advice. Also, it's a terrifying amount of debt that WILL swallow you if you're not willing to kick its rear end hardcore. eta: Oh yeah, I forgot. Look into low cost wireless providers and see if you can haggle one into paying all or part of your iPhone cancellation fees. A lot of them will do this. You might also be able to talk to the phone company you're with and see if you can change to a cheaper plan with a cheap phone. They might be willing to do that rather than lose a customer. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 21:36 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 21:29
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tuyop posted:That's the thing, none of these people are broke. They don't think I'm broke. They have 5-30k in debt, make 25-75k a year, they make their payments and pay down stuff slowly. Their lifestyle isn't out of control, but they don't live in the fight club house, sleeping on a mattress salvaged from an apartment fire, and eat whole chickens that are on sale because they're about to expire (this is my situation, by the way). Part of it is, what would happen to them if there were a sudden change of situation? What if someone lost his or her job? What if they have to travel somewhere suddenly due to a family emergency? What about dental treatment? What if a pet gets sick? What if the car needs serious repairs or you get in an accident and have to pay for the other guy's damage as well? What if one of these things happened to a child, friend, or family member whom you wanted to help out? I don't know quite how good Canadian healthcare is, but presumably a major illness or accident would still be a drain on finances, especially if it meant lost working time. If you have an emergency fund, these things are mitigated or in many cases made entirely unproblematic if the expense is relatively small, like a couple thousand dollars. If you don't have a fund, but you don't have much debt, either, you at least can draw on your credit for the duration of the emergency without throwing yourself into as many more years of payback. Then there's that lurking question, which again may not be as big a deal in Canada: one day, you will be old and/or jobless. How will you survive? Are state benefits good enough to keep you in the lifestyle you want? Getting out of debt means it's easier to build up savings so you know that you'll be taken care of when you're too old to work anymore. tldr: emergencies & retirement eta: I know you hate your apartment but you gotta quit the martyr complex thing. You have an iPhone and an expensive sporty car. Your lifestyle is not that bad.
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Jul 28, 2011 21:50
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It's more that we don't think you'll be able to stick to the diet, so to speak, if you're already rationalizing everything. If you don't like the advice here, feel free to close the thread and peace out.
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Jul 28, 2011 23:47
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Devian666 posted:For food I go by the rule of thumb in the Watch and Weight subforum. If you are gaining weight you have excess carbohydrate intake. That applies to any (or no) physical training. It sounds like you could remove some carbs from your diet. I find that tough myself but it's a way to save money on food. Your proposed diet sounds fine but keep an eye on your weight.  Don't even start. No low carb debates in here. If people want to share actually intelligent cooking and exercising on the cheap advice, go for it.Crazy fad diet, I dunno if you'll believe me but it really works!!! Exercise regularly and to actual levels of exertion (not just a stroll around the block) and eat a variety of foods, not too much of any particular kind of food, especially but not exclusively high calorie items (whether the calories come from carbs or fat is irrelevant). IT'S LIKE MAGIC! Watch the pounds melt away! over a couple months to years, but it'll put you in overall better health too My advice on cheap cooking is that beans and even tofu are way cheaper than meat so try making a couple of vegetarian meals a week. If you do that, make sure you're mixing in whole grains like brown rice along with the beans so you get enough protein. As a meat eater you probably do not have to worry about this, really. Make enormous pots of chili, soup, etc. and freeze them in single portions. Tada! Cheap, healthy lunches you can bring to work or eat at home. The whole chicken thing is a great idea too, but you're doing that already. Assess whether the frozen vegetables is actually cheaper by the pound than buying broccoli or carrots or spinach or green beans and cutting it up yourself. You can then freeze them, or steam them and have them with meals for a couple of days. Frozen is probably usually cheaper and often more nutritious, but I go through those bags so quickly that I hardly know if it's cheaper overall. Look for when veggies are on sale, too.
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Apr 15, 2012 17:48
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FrozenVent posted:Why is it that bike shops are all like that? They're the comic book stores of the sport world. My local bike shop is awesome, you shut your mouth 
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Jul 24, 2012 13:57
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ExtrudeAlongCurve posted:In light of ^^^^^, starting to feel like this kickstarter is a valid idea. Just in case there's any confusion and people start to think this is a good idea, kickstarters for goon projects (or anything really) have no place in BFC. e: Tuyop, have you considered some of the make money online stuff to be found in this very forum? Transcription, or writing porn? I'm 100% serious here. You wouldn't have to leave your home, and in the latter at least you can make serious bank if you put effort into it. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Jul 29, 2012 |
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Jul 29, 2012 22:27
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Zeta Taskforce posted:You’re right. He would probably write about mosquitoes, tank roads, and strangely expensive underwear. Someone would buy it, Zeta. Someone will always buy it. I'm thinking mosquitokin m/m set in an army camp where recruits have  to suck more than blood in order to get non-citronella-infused underpants from the commissary or whatever.
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Aug 1, 2012 16:24
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