Are You Having Problems Paying Your Bills

Well, the economy is extremely bad right now as everyone knows. My husband has not been getting the bonuses he used to get and it is affecting our family tremendously. We don't have enough lately to pay all of our bills and for rent and groceries too. I am now trying to find a job and so is my oldest son but I tell you - it is extremely difficult to find a job right now. Honestly, we eat at home and watch DVD's or play video games. We have 6 people in our family so going out is quite expensive.

In today's economy, all non-essentials sometimes have to be put on hold, like vacations, new clothing, dining out, things like that. Now that my husband has a new job, we're doing okay but have a lot of bills that got backed up while he was unemployed for lmost 4 months, so we're still struggling and all non-essentials are put aside for the time being, until we get caught up. I've even started hanging laundry outside to dry (on the rare days when it's not raining!) instead of using the dryer because those tend to gobble up energy and add quite a bit to the electric bill. Even with it raining, a line can be strung in the basement or garage and laundry can still be dried that way. Clothes dryers are the second highest consumers of energy in most homes. (Home heating is first.) Once the laundry is dry, I still put them in the dryer for 10 minutes or so to soften or "fluff" them up but 10 minutes in the dryer is a LOT cheaper than 60 or 80 minutes! On hot days, we fire up the old grill. It might not be saving money because of using charcoal or gas (for the gas grill) instead of electricity, but it saves money from not having to use extra electricity to cool the house down. Keep that heat outside! We're also eating more chicken and less beef because chicken is cheaper. It's healthier, too! I also go to a dollar store for all my cleaning supplies. They're MUCH cheaper there, even compared to WalMart. You can get name brands in the dollar stores, too... just much less expensive. Closing curtains or blinds on all south-facing windows during the day helps tremendously to keep the cost of cooling the house WAY down. Also, using fans instead of air conditioning, or along with it, helps a lot. Always look for sales at grocery stores and stock up while they're cheaper. It does add up!

We aren't planning a vacation and really can't save for emergencies either! All of my money goes to bills and to food and other essentials. ~sigh~

Certainly i am getting short money problems because now the conditions doesn't suite to buy anything and pay the bills and i am looking forward to get good work.

I was listening to the news the other day while doing something ( can't remember what ) and heard that this man is now a mat're'de at a restaurant he frequented because he lost his job on Wal Street. I think that a lot of people are suffering in this economy, no matter what situation they are in, and this is causing them to not be able to do some of the things they normally can do. My fiance and I are currently paying only one bill, and that is the debt that I accrued a few years ago. Luckily we're doing good at paying that bill off, but it's still something that has taught me the value of money. They say that it's easier to learn from oneself then others, and while I had good advice on not to over spend etc, I still did, and am now learning a valuable lesson about money. I hope all of your bills are paid in full each month and good luck with earning to pay those bills.

I am in that position now. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be in the situation I am now. I have always worked and had a good paying job. I lost my job one year ago, and have not been able to find one, my husband also does not have a job. I am collecting unemployment, he is not. Every penny I have I try to pay as many bills as I can. My rent is $975.00, so after that is taken care of there is very little money left for utilities, other bills and food. Many times I go without eating, because there is no money to buy food. I have gotten food from my church, but I hate to keep going back for more. I have no health insurance. My phone rings non stop all day from collectors, because I have fallen behind on many bills. It is scary, I have and am sending out so many resumes for jobs, but hear nothing from anyone. I am praying, but my prayers at this time are not being answered. Best wishes to you as well.

Last month was very expensive. I had a party in Toledo Ohio that I would not have missed for the world, so the cost of the trip and a gift for my friend, and some items that I wanted to buy while in the states was well worthit. My husband needed some dental work. I put off my phone bill until the beginning of this month, and will pay it off tomorrow when I get paid. No problem there. I don't put off a bill that often, but there are months when I have to. September will not be as crazy as August. Last week we lived on a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs. We ate a lot of fried egg sandwiches. LOL But Hubby got his teeth fixed, and I got to go to Ohio. This month was a rare exception. As for extra spending money, you can see how much I've posted on MyLot! LOL If there is an opportunity for me to make money on line, I'll take it. I've gotten quite efficient at it too, and am doing just fine.

Yeah Tina, during this recession period many have lost their jobs. Some of my friends do come back to our place for the companies in the adjacent countries where they work, have cut down the number of persons employed. I’m afraid that they would have problems paying bills if they still couldn’t find any new jobs yet. I feel relived after knowing that they have savings respectively to get through this difficult time. Anyway they have to live a more frugal life until they find a new job. So far I don’t have to worry about the bills as I still have two part time jobs. Moreover my husband will pay most of the bills as well. We avoid buying those luxurious items. We prefer to prepare our homemade meals. Anyway we will spend our hard earned money worthy of. Happy posting

I have encountered that several times. In fact, our cable is temporarily disconnected because I was unable to pay for three months already. I am the only one working and my husband is into volunteer work. It's hard to make ends meet especially when you have kids. I can't and don't want them to make sacrifices for my financial mistakes. I strive to provide them with everything they need. I don't mind going without new clothes or stuffs just so that they can have some. I usually pay the utility bills first, by that I meant water and electricity. Then the rest, I don't mind if it goes overdue or gets disconnected. We can survive without the others, as long as there is electricity and water in the house.

Yes due this economy slowdown i have the above experience. I sometime struggle to pay some of my bills on time

I am not having problems per say paying them but we have other needs in the home that I have to put on the back burner. For example I think my girls need some more summer clothes and shoes but that will have to wait to next month. I might be able to wing some cheap walmart shoes for them but thats it. Take care and happy mylotting to you as well.

I have found myself a bit strapped for cash. I had to tighten the belt quite a bit and often find myself looking for ways to save money. The first thing that I did was gave up most of the take out eating I was doing. I had to sacrifice convenience to save the money. That's been a biggie. It's funny the things that I get excited about. The most recent was this past shopping trip where I found some things I normally use that had bonus sizes for the usual price. I spent more money because I stocked up. Instead of buying say 2 bottles of conditioner, I bought 4 because it was 33oz bottles instead of 22oz at the regular price. I had to laugh at myself because I was like "Score!" But that's what I find myself doing these days.

yeah, I'm having trouble, too. I'm in between jobs (I still work on computers, but times have been slow lately). I'm hoping to find something soon before we have an emergency. Just today, the mower kinda broke while I was mowing the lawn (nothing major, just one part of the handle came off. As long as the other side stays there, we should be ok on that for a while). Also, need to fix our leaky toilet (won't completely shut-off when it is supposed to and now it runs our water bill up unless we shut it off). Sorry to dump my problems here, but I know it helps with the worry to get it out. Thanks and good luck to all in this situation.

I should say so, yes. My boyfriend and I are behind on our rent currently as it is. It's ridiculous that our rent is so much really, $320 a month, but then again it is a three-bedroom house. Luckily though, we have understanding landlords, so that helps.

Last month was very expensive. I had a party in Toledo Ohio that I would not have missed for the world, so the cost of the trip and a gift for my friend, and some items that I wanted to buy while in the states was well worthit. My husband needed some dental work. I put off my phone bill until the beginning of this month, and will pay it off tomorrow when I get paid. No problem there. I don't put off a bill that often, but there are months when I have to. September will not be as crazy as August. Last week we lived on a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs. We ate a lot of fried egg sandwiches. LOL But Hubby got his teeth fixed, and I got to go to Ohio. This month was a rare exception. As for extra spending money, you can see how much I've posted on MyLot! LOL If there is an opportunity for me to make money on line, I'll take it. I've gotten quite efficient at it too, and am doing just fine.

Yes, I am living paycheck to paycheck any more. It is so hard nowadays but I am honestly just happy to have a job at this point.