How do 7 people live on 30,000 a year? - Page 2

Daisymum · 01-22-2007, 06:37 PM

Are there no other teaching jobs in the area? Substitute teaching might help also. I dont know how much your mortgage is, maybe you could downsize or refinance? If you have a lot of CC's you could call a credit councelor and maybe have them combined into one bill?

pandi410 · 01-22-2007, 07:40 PM

I would 1st make a list of all your incoming funds and all your outgoing funds down to the penny! Anything on that list that is not a necessity, cut it out- cell phones, cable, possibly internet, unneeded clothing, dinners out, junk food/sodas, magazines, Netflix - anything that you can get rid of, do. If you can move into a cheaper home that meets your needs, that might be a good thing.

Second, Dh needs to be hitting the streets for a job. I would personally have Dh take the first job he could get with health benefits just so that was taken care of. meanwhile trying all the schools, maybe he could teach something online for a college?? i know several people w a 4 yr degree who teach online. Granted not a lot of $$, but could maybe supplement

Where else can you reduce your fees? Any food stamps, assistance from church, help with heating costs, Angel Foof Ministries, medicare. etc. Do not be afraid to ask for help- this will be a temporary situation until Dh gets a job and you can get back on your feet. We all need some sort of help now and then

Do you have anything you can sell on ebay, Craigslist, etc? Do you have 2 cars, can you get rid of one or get a cheaper one?

Can any of you debts be held over for a few months? I don't mean upping interest rate to lower payments, but some companies are willing to give you a month or 2 grace period without adding a penalty. Doesn't hurt to ask!

Good luck.. .I hope that your Dh quickly finds a new job that will take care of your bills.

Re-evaluate your daycare service. Are you charging competitively? You definitely need a contract - at least 2 weeks notice before leaving (or a 2 week penalty payment)/. Do you provide lunch for the kids? Could you ask the parents to donate juice/crackers/peanut butter ( I know its hard to ask for help, but do it if you must)

flybygrace · 01-22-2007, 07:49 PM

First of all, have DH put his resume on monster.com - it is a great employment source. At the FT mall job, at $10/hr, he'd bring home probably around $1400 per month, right? (well, a little less if he gets insurance) don't let him quit that job until he gets something else and he's gone through the whole shenanigins to get hired and they give him a start date. $1400 (or so) per month may not fix all your problems, but it's still money in the pocketbook - if anything, it's paying your mortgage!

how many daycare kids do you have right now? can you take on a nanny position in your home (instead of going to their home) for additional income? check www.enannysource.com for families looking for a nanny - where in ny do you live? you may find someone right nearby that needs a nanny and would be willing to drop their child off at your house instead of having to keep theirs clean for someone to come there -- make it a perk, instead of an inconvenience. You may even find a nanny position that pays well enough that if it came down to you having to move so DH could get a job somewhere and you could save money on housing expenses, you'd still do well with just the nanny pay.

maybe use a space heater in each room to radiate heat and maybe cut down on your heating bill for the winter. i've been told they're cheap - like $10-$15 a piece.

Just curious.. Why couldn't you run a daycare out of an apartment? Is it a legal thing? I'd think if you had the space to accomodate the kids it'd be okay, but I'm not experienced in that. Even if you had to, you could move to a smaller house and your kids could bunk 2 or 3 to a room. You could get away with a 3 bedroom place.

What does your current budget look like? All of your bills, your mortgage, car payment, food, etc. Write it all out. Also, while looking at all your options, maybe look into what the expenses of a different home would be (I'm not sure the best way to do this - maybe through a realtor or asking your friends what their expenses are like, etc) and see how it would compare to your current expenses.

I agree those who suggested you fill out an application for assistance. Even if you're only on it temporarily, it will lessen the blow and help you keep it together. Do they have a heating assistance program in NYS? they have one in PA but all states are different.

also, about your heat - are you on the monthly thing where it's a set price per month for the entire year, whether you use less, exact, or more electricity than what would equal that price. I can't remember what it's called. You pay the same in December that you pay in July, when your bill would be considerably lower. Maybe someone knows what I'm talking bout - for the life of me I can't remember what that's called. Check with your electric company about it - they'll work with you. they'd rather know they'll get paid every month, then be sure to be paid in the spring & summer, and then have to hope to get paid in the winter ,when the bill is astronomical and maybe unaffordable.

Also maybe consider the debt consolidation people that pool all of your debts and you make one payment to them (they say it's lower than paying all of your debts separately; i don't know as i've never had experience with them).

If you don't stockpile your household goods, shop with coupons during sales, and shop at Aldi's type stores, now's the time to start. You'll pay cents on the dollar for stuff a lot of people pay full price for. (And soon find yourself having a hernia watching people pay $3 for a jar of spaghetti sauce or $6 for a bottle of soap! :D) If you need help doing this stuff, there are tons of us on here that do it and have tips for saving money (using a 1/4 of the recommended laundry detergent for example) and stretching your dollars.

If you get a tax refund, try to pay something for a year or 6 months in advance. Your car insurance, for example. Or, open a checking account (or keep it in a safe place) and use the money to build a nice stockpile of household goods (groceries and other necessities) for the coming year.

Look at EVERY option and write down the pros and cons for every one of them. With it all written in front of you, you and DH will be able to talk it through easier and any thoughts that come up can be jotted down so you make an educated decision in the end.

I dont know the specifics of your situation. all of my suggestions are just general ideas of what maybe could help you. chew it up and spit out the bones, if you will. Hope you find the solutions that suit your family. It'll be hard no matter what you end up doing, but it may benefit your family more than you think, and draw you all together closer than ever before. If you need a shoulder to cry on, an ear to wail to, or a tip to help you out, the ladies here are just wonderful. Welcome, and I hope you stick around - it's a great place to be in both the high times and the low! :D

desertmom · 01-22-2007, 09:58 PM

Yes, get dh going now. I can understand why you didn't push him on the masters - he needed to do that himself. But, by God, he needs to get out there NOW and not settle. Coming from the corporate world, we loved to hire former teachers as corporate trainers. Better pay and benefits, too. They just had more skills to take what we wanted to teach and apply it so the employees understood. They knew how to design curriculums, which was important, and most were quite literate.

My dh actually is a corporate trainer, but without the formal teaching background. He is now in charge of marketing and training, so it can definitely grow, as I had seen in my former companies. I would have him get out and market himself.

Also, corporate trainers can go out and train clients, so it can be travel with perks, networking, and pretty exciting/good money, because a lot of time, they get sales bonuses.

kellytime · 01-23-2007, 11:47 AM

Perhaps some veteran teachers can chime in here... Newlywed might know something here... but didn't his district have optional classes (professional development courses) he could take in lieu of getting a Master's degree? As far as I know, they cannot force you to get a Master's degree here as long as you're taking those classes. Maybe I am wrong. I have been out of the teaching field for 8 years... things change. It sounds pretty lousy to me, and I'm sorry you are in this situation now.

There are many other teaching jobs (at least where we are at) like charter schools etc... is he not interested in continuing in the teaching profession?

wallace4some · 01-23-2007, 01:34 PM

Just a little advice from someone who just went through this...if you can get refi'd now! We waited too long after our bills started becoming late and no one would even consider helping us plus it didn't help that the housing market dropped quite a bit about 6 months after we bought...but just know you guys aren't the only one. Just stay supportive of each other. Welcome!

ajjazzy · 01-23-2007, 02:08 PM

Can he sub for the school? I know all schools are looking for that. My dh did that when we first moved. And he had a job everyday. He may want to look into it..

littlelizard · 01-23-2007, 04:34 PM

Kellytime - my understanding is that in New York you have to work toward a Master's (officially) within a time period or that's it. Down here many teachers were complaining how much more NY teachers get paid than in FL (like double!) but the catch is...they gotta work toward the Master's and finish it to stay employed. That's what I have heard - I don't know for sure.

deemom · 01-23-2007, 10:46 PM

While my dh was going back to school he worked part time and only got $9.15/hr as an EMT. So I understand how scared and frustrated you are. He went one whole month without any income at all. If your kids are old enough to understand explain the situation to them. My oldest was 5 at the time and she understood that we couldn't buy toys/junk food, etc. Look at the sticky thread for ideas on saving money everyday. First you should check and see if Angelfood Ministries is available where you live. Check with local food banks as well.

Is his Masters something he can get online?

Do you have a degree/experience where you could work and make more than day care and he could be a SAHD?

Let us know how you are doing. Moral support is great.

I even donated plasma to get extra money.

Shannon/Bryce · 01-24-2007, 03:17 PM

To the ladies who had questions about teaching in NY: Both my dh and I are NY teachers ( I am currently a sahm). In NY State, you are required to have your Master's Degree within 5 years of when you are hired. Many times you can apply for an extension if you have the right circumstances and can prove that you have been steadily working on completing it, they will often grant it. My husband and I were both lucky enough to go straight through and complete our Bachelor's and Master's degrees at once (in about 5 years plus summers) before we began working as teachers.

Subbing is an ok income but will not give you any health benefits. Private and Parochial schools often do not require a Master's degree but usually pay less than public schools.

I wish you the best of luck in this hard time. I know of quite a few teacher (all men

) who have had this happen.