OKAY so we just bought a car, and had to hurt ourselves financially to come up with a down payment...long story short, now my husband's boss is out of town and has left them with no work (they do basement work for builders, contracted) and we are BROKE. broke as a joke. it didn't help that my husband spent $110 on groceries (AND diapers) yesterday. we don't even have gas money at the moment. i'm not sure i'll last through the week getting to and from work. i'm not saying this to complain or look for sympathy - i did this and i knew it would be tough. i just thought it would start getting easier, and it's getting harder instead. not my husband's fault, but we just got a double whammy we didn't expect with his boss being gone. anyway, last night i had a rough night because my husband proposed we pawn my wedding ring (it has a large diamond in it and is about the only thing of value we have) to raise a little cash, and it about broke my heart. to me that is the last stand. we're not "poor", we're just broke. anyway...i'm wondering if there are any ways to come up with cash fairly quickly and easily other than that...a few dollars to supplement our income, since next week is rent and my 30 day tags will be expiring and i'll have to get those on the same paycheck...it's not looking good for at least another couple/few weeks. the baby has food and diapers, so i'm not panicking too much...just wondering if i'm missing something. i'd hate to do it but i'm about to go get a second job...it's just that i hate the thought of missing time with my son at night (i know, if i have to, i have to), but also, this should NOT be a long-term thing...i did the numbers dozens of times before i bought the car and the payments shouldn't be a problem at all. ok i'm sorry if i'm rambling but this is just really bothering me, especially since it's MY new (used) car that did it to us. anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. also prayers and kind thoughts! thanks!
i wanted to update and let ya'll know that i had a brainstorm and my hubby just took two good-sized boxes to half price books. movies, books, etc...hopefully they will be more than enough to get us through the week. i feel soooo much better. but i'm still going out and looking for a second job.
it's not so much that we're hurting long-term, what i didn't explain correctly was that to get this car (which i completely budgeted for the payments, they should not be a problem) i didn't save up for a down payment. our tax return and stimulus check (as well as a healthy bonus my husband got from his job) were all BLOWN, and that was both of our faults. but i insisted we needed a second car (we DID, trust me) and i took it upon myself to see it done. if my hubby had his way he'd have driven his old clunker (with no title, no less - which meant we couldn't tag it) until it fell apart. SO i have no regrets as far as that goes. i bought this used car and gave him my old car to drive. but i truly feel as though this is my doing, and so i feel i should make an effort to fix it. once we recover from an entire check of mine being put towards this car as the down payment, we'll be better. and, good news - in august i get three paychecks! (normally two a month). so we'll be "okay". i want to thank everyone again for your advice and support. it is so helpful to have such words of comfort and empathy just a click away. thanks again!
I think everyone is suffering a little with this ecomomy and the cost of living going up so much. I read an article the other day talking about pay increases. It said that with the cost of living going up that the average pay increase needs to be at LEAST 6% in order to maintain. My husband and I spend at least 500.00 a month now in gas just going to and from work. It is crazy right now.
I know you just bought a car, but look into taking the bus to work! It will save you a ton of money on gas and it sounds like you could really use that money elsewhere right now.
If your credit is good, maybe you can apply for a personal loan at your bank or credit union. Borrow enough to pay your tags with some money left over to put in your account to cover any other expenses (food, gas) that will give you a head start until your husband starts working again. We've all been through hard times like this, after 16 years of marriage and 3 kids later, I understand what you are feeling. It will work out and get better. Keep the faith and God will provide.
Take care,
V.
Carrie-
I'm so sorry to hear about the scary time you are going through! As women, I think we value our security so much that when it is threatened we feel as though our world is collapsing. (At least I know I do). Please don't get down on yourself!! Many people are in the same boat as you! Financially things are tight at my home too. We have downsized (no cable, we didn't have internet until my work started paying for it, basic phone plans, no eating out, keeping the air turned up, turning off lights, shopping at ALDI, using coupons, carpooling or getting all my errands done in one day/trip, etc.) We started doing a budget every month (with the help of Dave Ramsey's materials/ Financial Peace). I would highly recommend getting his book and following the debt snowball/budget. It gave me financial hope when I was terrified! I have noticed that I feel more "secure" when I know where every dollar is going. Recently, we had a garage sale and sold some old furniture on Craigs list. We ended up making over $600 and we really didn't have a lot of nice stuff. We did have a lot of old furniture. I let out a friends dog for some extra money and have done some babysitting. You could always watch someone else's kiddo, plus your baby would have someone to play with. I've thought about taking on a part time job, which is a devistating thought. I haven't taken one yet, but some other moms had some great ideas. Driving a school bus pays about $12/hour (I think) plus you get a sign on bonus and you can take you child with you. Another option is to work at UPS. You can work the early bird shift while your kids are still sleeping 4:30am-8:30am. The pay isn't great, but you get full benefits for your entire family, which can save you a lot of money in medical bills. Plus they pay for a gym membership and have other benefits while you only work part time. I would HIGHLY advise you not to get a payday loan!! I have heard nothing but horror stories about those places. Well, I have talked long enough. I'm sorry that I don't have a lot of advice about ways to get quick money (besides selling stuff), but I would advise you to be prepared for "next time." Don't get me wrong, I know you weren't expecting for your husband's boss to be out of town. Had that not happened, you wouldn't probably be in this situation. However, unfortunately, things like that will probably happen again. I would love to talk to you about how we are budgeting and how I feel more at peace financially now, if you are interested. Please feel free to reply back if there's anything I can do!!
A.
Have a garage sale!! You just may have to get a S. job for a while, it sounds like you two got yourselves into a pickle.
You also mentioned you are sometimes your husbands mama. I know you were probably joking, but if you'd quit treating him like a child, than he will stop acting like one. Women don't realize how disrespectful it is when they demean their husbands by saying he's one of their children and then get upset when he acts like one. I don't mean to get on your case, I'm just tired of sooooo many women acting like they are better than their husbands and that men are dummies. Just be as respectful when talking about your husband as you would want him to be towards you.
As a single parent for the past 18 years, I've found myself in your financial situation many times in the past. Some of the resources you can check are: Multi-Service Centers (there are many in the Johnson County area) that can assist with gas money, food, rent and some utilities OR Catholic Social Services (locations in Olathe and Overland Park that I know of) OR our local churches have Pastor's Discretionary Funds and all you need to do is speak to the pastor about your immediate needs and the church may be able to help. Good luck and stop blaming yourself!
Hi Carrie,
Just saw your response after I wrote this. So glad you were able to go to the Half Price store. Ignore my message below! :)
Best,
K.
Hi Carrie,
So sorry to hear you guys are going through a rough spot right now. I hope that this will be a short-term thing for you and your family.
Though it wouldn't be much cash and I don't know what you have around the house, I have had luck in taking things to the Half Price Book Store (that's the acutal name of the store). They take CDs, records, DVDs, VHS tapes, and certainly books. They probably take other things, too. They give cash on the spot (though you have to be willing to wait until they can look through your stuff). I got $10.00 there the other day for taking in some things we had left over from a garage sale. It might get you a little gas money for the rest of the week.
Best wishes and I'll be praying for you and your family.
Sincerely,
K.
I'm sorry you are going through such a rough time! Is there a family member who could help you out?
Other thoughts:
garage sale
EBay
Baby clothes and items usually sell for a decent amount.
Take any books to Half PRice Books for some cash.
Could your husband with his talents advertise to do side jobs????
You are not alone, many have been in the rough too. In order to cut our family costs we stopped taking the newspaper, stopped cable television, started layering our errands in a driving route whenever possible, stopped eating out including getting a soda when filing up for gas and started shopping at Aldi's. These little measure add up. Consignment of out grown kids clothes and gear is a way to recoup cash. My advice is to not "pawn" your wedding ring, it is a symbol of love and committment - how would you ever view it the same if it were pawned. Please know that you will get through this difficult time.
If you know for sure this is a temp thing than you could get a payday loan until next payday. There are dangerous if you aren't going to be able to pay them off by the next payday because their intrest is very, very high. My sister in law occasionally gets them to make it through the end of a month (she only gets paid once a month). Also, if you don't get your tags right away the late penalty is not very high and if you get pulled over as long as you are less than 30 days late normally they will just give you a warning.
Why does your husband not have a S. job? Your ring will not bring enough money to get you by and it will be gone. Maybe he has but there are lots of builders out there that have contracted workers, there are temp jobs for them until the boss comes back. Did this boss just leave with out letting his workers know they were going to be out of work? If so he may need to look for other employment if this is the way his employer does him. Any work or money is better than none. It sounds to me you are taking this all on yourself. This should be a team effort. This is just what I get from the information you gave. It is a hard time for everyone and especially for families with children. I know the families I take care of are all having difficulties but still need childcare in order to work. So I help out by reducing my rates to at least cover my gas and basic needs. Do you have any family that can help with your childs needs? I use to buy diapers food and formula for my grandchildren until my sons family got on their feet. That would at least help with that worry. I will pray for you and all the families having such a tough time right now and hope things will come around. Ask God to help you and have faith he will.
since your husband's boss is not in town and he has no work right now, how about going to one of those places where you can work for the day and get paid that same day? what about a cash advance on a credit card? just some thoughts. hang in there. it will get better.
Is your husband willing to get a temp job or deliver pizza's to get you by? Even donating plasma pays $50 a pop. Next time you need groceries check into a food pantry, at least that money can go towards gas instead of groceries. Places like Catholic Charities can help with diapers and other baby stuff if you get in a crunch.
And SELL THE CAR! You don't NEED two cars! Get a bike, take the bus, carpool and split gas with someone. Taking out a car loan and then saying I'm broke is a little twisted. Like you said this is temporary... so temporarily go with one car until you are back on your feet.
Sorry to hear about your hard times. Pawning the ring will probably not bring that much money- even if the diamond is big. The value of your ring is more than a store with bars on the windows will pay you for it. You can get money for sentimental value and memories. Scrummage through your house and see what you can come up with that might be of monetary value. Your husband could always see what temp work is available- I know plenty of places would love to have an extra pair of hands (contact manpower or adecco or a place like it). In fact, I have a guy across the street that asked my husband to help him on a deck (my husband is NOT handy), and he would pay good money to have a good set of hands. JUst a thought. I hope the light shows up at the end of the tunnel. Keep your head up and try to concentrate on what you do have (although I know money has its place for us all to get by).
Hi, Carrie. I am sorry you are going through this, and I will be praying for you. Have you thought of getting assistance through the state? Has your husband thought of going to those places where people can get a job for the day helping with construction and manual labor? I am not sure what the names of those places are. I know there are food pantrys through churches and even assistance, so if you belong to a church or are thinking of one you might want to join, check with them for assistance too. I would not want to give up my wedding ring either, and I think there are other options before you need to do that. Good Luck and God Bless.
Have your hubby to to Manpower or a similar organization. They have temporary work he can do.
