Never seems like enough
By jsarten80
@jsarten80 (25)
United States
March 20, 2008 11:50am CST
My husband has a great job and makes great money each month but for some reason it seems like we can never pay our bills. It seems like our bills are still more than we make. I feel like we are constantly drowning in bills. How is it that we make good money and yet seem to always be in debt? I wish I could say we just blow it on ourselves but the truth is we don't. So where does the money go? It is so frustrating being an adult and trying to make ends meet!
1 person likes this
11 responses
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
20 Mar 08
yes that is so true. my hubby and i work part time and we struggle, but we shop at thrift stores and buy in bulk in regards to groceries as well as getting a lot of hand me downs and sometimes even food given to us...
my advice to you is to take a hard look at your spending habits...write every single purchase down that you make for a month! then you will see wher eyour money goes!
@jsarten80 (25)
• United States
20 Mar 08
That is a great idea of buying in bulk. We are going to start doing that. Thanks for the great idea!
@Darkwing (21583)
•
21 Mar 08
I don't know what the problem is in the USA, but here in England, raises have been maximised to something like four per cent, if you're lucky enough to get one at all whilst taxes and the cost of living are rising by some fifteen per cent minimum each year. Thus, we're heading for a recession next year. How they work it all out, beats me. It stands to reason that sooner or later, you're working for next to nothing, and having to pay out all you earn just to live.
Brightest Blessings.
@sandif (1)
• United States
21 Mar 08
I truly believe we spend what we earn. We could all find ways to cut back. Believe me, I think it's ridiculously expensive to live today - especially in some areas of the country. I live in a suburb of Seattle and it's astronomical. But how many people do you see buying a latte from Starbucks every day. Or going out to eat every day for lunch? People who smoke spend an awful lot on what is a bad and unhealthy habit. I think what you need to do is have money taken out of your paycheck before you even see it to use as savings. Whenever you get a raise, put that money toward savings. Cut down on little things. Do you subscribe to a bunch of magazines and newspapers to find they simply sit unopened? You can find just about any news and information you want online for free. It doesn't matter how you cut it though, it is expensive to live. I'm just grateful I live in the US because we really are spoiled here. What we waste and spend on trivial things could feed a whole village in some other countries. We live in cleanliness and good medical care is easy to come by. Our children have so much today, they forget what they have. We can complain about the expense, (and I do too)!, but we need to appreciate how lucky we are.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
21 Mar 08
i can't agree more with you... me and my hubby are both working full-time and earning a decent amount of money even though it is not a lot... but by the time all the bills and mortgage are paid, we hardly have money to spoil ourselves... it seems that it is getting more and more expensive to live... in australia, we are experiencing recession now where the price of everything have increased sky-rocket except our salaries... that's why a lot of households especially those with mortgages and children are struggling to survive... i have to postpone having children because we are financially not stable yet...
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
21 Mar 08
It could be because you spend more than what you earn. It is true that you earn bigger than other perhaps, but as what my boss would tell us, the more we earn the more we spend too.
Have you tried to write down what you spend on and see if these are what you actually need to put your money on a regular basis?
We had the same problem too and my mom and i managed to check our finances and what we spend on, and things we bought, bills, etc - you'll be surprised at how many stuffs you can eliminate and save money on. We would check our electric bills and monitor if it went up already. if it did we will already cut down on usages... so we can expect it to be lower the next month.
I hope you can try that one too. Regards...
@SassyKittyKat (2135)
• Australia
21 Mar 08
I don't know, they say when you have more, you spend more. Thus, you aquire more debt and that's why it never seems to be enough. Perhaps you can make up a budget that fits the bills, spending and saving money into things. My husband and I need to do this as well....
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
20 Mar 08
The only way you can truly know is to write everything down.
Make a list of your fixed expenses on one side of the page and total that amount, and then make another column where you write down every time you write a check or use your debit card for anything else.
You'll see exactly where everything is going and I'll bet you'll be (un)pleasantly surprised.
It will help you know where you can make the most changes.
@jsarten80 (25)
• United States
20 Mar 08
You know we did that and we were shocked to see that about $800 went for gas in my husbands truck each month. $800 that is insane! I couldn't believe that we spent that much in gas each month just on his truck. We talked about decided we either need to move closer to his job so we are paying less in gas or we need to find a new job which is hard since we live in the middle of no where lol.
@paulsy (1263)
• Philippines
20 Mar 08
I know how it feels! Sometimes it seems like no matter how much one earns, there is always something more we need to pay for! Someone told me once that as your life improves, the necessities that come along your life also improve. Therefore, even if we don't realize it, we add a little bit more expense as we earn a little bit more. I really don't know if this is true for everyone. But in my case, sometimes, I think it does follow. Whereas if you try to be consistent on spending only what you have always spent on from the very beginning, then maybe there would be some extra everytime after all the bills have been paid for.
@onewickedsoul (540)
• Philippines
20 Mar 08
I think what you can do is account everything. Make a list of the things that you purchased each day. Keep receipts. Maybe you're already doing this, and I know that my parents cannot understand how this happens to them, too, but keeping a list of the things that you've used your money for helps in tracking how much money you've earned and lost.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
20 Mar 08
I totally agree with you, my hubby makes excellent money and with the bit I make we have a good income, yet by the time all the bills are sorted, it has gone and there is none left for treats or fun! I have done a few things to cut back on spending, I now plan all my meals out in advance and make sure I only buy what I need, and if it runs out I do not replace it until the following weeks shop. I do not buy snacks when I am out or buy anything on impulse, that has saved me quite a bit. I got rid of the credit card and I am just in the process of getting my catalogue bill paid off, no more ordering on it for me! The next step is to start shopping around for cheaper gas and electricity suppliers and insurers to try and save a bit more there. But you are right being an adult sucks, its just the same thing month after month!! It would be so nice to go shopping and spoil myself for a day!
@slipknotfan (57)
• United States
21 Mar 08
The more you make, the more you spend. That is what i say.My husband and i am going thourgh that too. We bought our house one year ago and already refinancing to pay off our credit cards and other bills we can't pay.To me it seems like when you get a little ahead with the bills,more just comes in.Plus you neave get the bills when you have the money to pay them,they always comein when you have no money.
@madjax (14)
• United States
20 Mar 08
I think that sometimes people forget that in thier everyday life, that there are things that they CAN'T live without, like gas, food, housing, etc. While there are also things that you can live without. So possibly if you eliminate some of the things that you can live without from your spending budget for a week persay, you might be able to go on a little spree at the end of the month. I know that my parents have started to look for alternatives to where they shop. They have even started to go to a different grocery store a little further away in order to save some money.
