Stressed about the recession

Michelle - posted on 11/09/2009

Oh my God Khamila I know exactly how you feel!!

My partner and I were in the same position nearly two years ago, and it only started to get better around 3 months ago!



1. Sit down with your partner no matter how stressed you both are and work out how much money comes into the house.



2. Work out how much money goes out on bills (not anything else).



3. Ring round or surf the net for cheaper rates on fuel bills. Dont stress if you cant find anything just yet.



4. Write down all the stuff you would normally buy in a week. Buy essential foods and foods like rice and pasta that you can keep for a long time without it going off and it lasts too.



5. Clear out your wardrobes and sell the old clothes you dont need on sites like ebay. Find items you dont need and sell them too.



6. Do you have any debts???? Go to a Citizens advice bureau and get them to ring round your lenders and get payments lowered every month. We got our down to £1.00 a month on a £1,100 loan plus many more for 3 months. Which saved alot of money. Then after 3 months you tell them how much you can afford and stick to it.



7. Are you having a baby shower? Why not try and get family and friends to get baby stuff. Your little one does not have to have the most expensive pram ever or the best toys...they wont remember them anyway.



8. live without lifes little pleasures for a while.



9. start a penny jar for the real hard times...we do this without fail and I have £60 in it in pennies just incase we really need it again.



I think I could help you more if you let me know sort of what goes on in your household regarding money... We have managed to get our selves out of most debt now (although we are living apart back at our parents for a while...still together and very much in love, maybe more than we were last year...regarding the sex...I felt the same, but it may be that you need a hobby, some life in you, go out with firnds and have a good time just for one day/night...message me privately if you like and we can chat :)

Tara - posted on 11/09/2009

There are a lot of things you can do. Have you reconsidered your budget? Are there areas that you can cut back on? We disconnected our house phone and only use our cell phones, and our satellite. We instead watch our favorite shows on the internet, and check out movies for our daughter at the library. We saved $100. Also, we invested in energy efficient light bulbs CFLs. This cost us only $30, and cut nearly $80 off of our energy bill. We also bought new shower heads, like these http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d... and that cut our water bill in half!



We set up a strict budget where we put back money every week for our bills into a separate savings account, and contacted our utility companies and asked them to move the due date. We also put aside 10% of earnings in an emergency fund. Might I suggest buying Dave Ramsey's book? It has all sorts of financial advice and help!



We also hit up garage sales and buy our clothes from thrift stores. We downsized to one car as well, for environmental reasons, but have realized a huge savings in that as well! Use coupons! I know it doesn't seem like a great savings, but it really really is. We invested into a Sams Club membership, and buy things like juice and cheese and goldfish in bulk. I hope this helps! Check out this website for more budgeting advice http://momsquadblog.com/category/budgeti...

Stephanie - posted on 11/09/2009

First and foremost congratulations on the baby. I am going through the same exact thing except I also work and go to school. It sucks not being able to do the things you used to, even with kids. Things are gonna get harder before they get better.



You have to be thankful that you have such a wonderful husband. Men like him are few and far in between. There are also many many other families going through the same thing, at least he still has a job where he can provide. If bills are a little late, well priority is the kids. Remember that stress is not good for you and your baby, all you can do is just relax



I have been late on my bills and in reality I can care less at the moment because there are way too many people going through the same thing. Keep in mind that things will get better.