We are just not good money managers!!! I thought we were doing so well the first part of this month, so I paid a bunch of small bills that I had been holding off on and we bought some things that we were planning to wait until the end of the month for. Now we are flat broke!!! We have been not using the credit cards, but I had to charge gas and I went today and got a prescription ($25) and $40 in groceries to last us till the end of the month. Ugh!!!!! We will be fine, since dh gets his bonus at the end of the month as well as his paycheck and mine, but now we will have overdraft fees to pay!!! You would think that we would be old enough to figure this all out by now! Ugh, what kind of example are we setting for our children. I am so discouraged

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~Happiness is a large family~

Don't be discouraged. It's a great first step to admit that you don't have control of your finances. Get back on the horse and move forward from here. I think you were off to a good start and just made some bad choices later in the month. Learn from this and try not to do it repeatedly and you will be fine.

We are all here to support each other...

I'm sorry -- but Spoodler is right! You got to keep trying!

I understand though ... the next two months are going to be real tight for us and sometimes I just want to give up and go shopping with the credit cards! It is tough sometimes, especially when it is things that you need, like gas or perscriptions.

Don't dump on yourself to much. We all have been there. Just start again. The kids seeing you work threw hard times is a better teacher for them. This is real life.

I know how easy it is to get discouraged, but keep your head up! I think our children learn from us best when they get to see us work through a difficult situation with grace and a good attitude. Life is not perfect and neither are we - it is good for your children to see how to handle the things life throws at us.
Take this as a learning experience. Borrow some good books on finances from your library (we happen to be Dave Ramsey fans in our house but find what works for you). We have paid a lot of "stupid tax" in our house and I wish that my parents had been better teachers where money is concerned. I graduated from high school (and college too if I am being honest) not really knowing what things like car insurance cost. If my parents had been more open and helped me learn when the stakes weren't as high, I wonder where we'd be financially right now.
Experience is the best teacher though. I hope things get better for you!

This is why I am feeling discouraged!! I am not some 20 yr old kid!!! I am a 43 yr old grandma and mother of 7!!! My kids have seen us work through plenty of tough spots, but we still keep having them

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~Happiness is a large family~

Don't be too hard on yourself, Sheryl. At least you recognize there is a problem which is the most important step when making a change. When I have a problem that keeps popping up over and over again, this quote always comes to mind: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -- Albert Einstein
So, basically ask yourself how you can change your actions and how you view the situation to get different results.

I would suggest paying yourself first. Start a savings account where you can have $50 taken out of your check each pay period right off the top. (if you can afford to save more, do it - I just picked $50 because it should be a feasible amount). That way, after several months you'll notice that you have a nice start on an emergency fund.

Keep going with the FTJ Project, too! The more closely you're able to follow the plan the better off you'll be at the end of the year. YOU CAN DO IT!!

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This was mentioned on Ellen the other day. A financial chick came on and said the biggest problem people have with not being in control of their finances is that they don't pay themselves first. Even something small - $20 - just pay yourself SOMETHING. Now, we don't do this, but we're going to start doing it on the next paycheck (Friday). I'm sorry i thappened - i've been there, and done that too. But the best thing I ever did was choose to do my best to not let it happen again. Sure, we're human - we'll slip up from time to time. But do your best and give it to God to do the rest.

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~~Amanda~~ Mommy to one Little Man (3 1/2 yrs old), TTC #2

WE'RE ADOPTING!!!

I Too am a Bad money manager! But one Thing that has stuck in my Mind From Coming here to Mommysavers is that you do need to Pay yourself first.

I Don't always Do this By Placing all the money in my Savings account though. I Do this By not Paying More than I Have to Unless it is A Major Need. I Don't pay off bills that Can Wait - i.e. The doctors Office - I was Paying them 25.00 a Month for a 500.00 bill We got. They Are easy to work with on Payment Plans - so Even After I Paid the First 20.00 - the next month I Could Have paid the Full 480.00 - But I Realize that Then I would No longer have that in my checking account And In case we needed it for something else- so I Just started paying them 50.00 a month.
I also have started putting less in my Kids lunch accounts.
Yeah its a Pain to Have to write a 25.00 Check every Couple weeks .... BUT they can always Pack - and If i Put in 100.00 - that money is Gone... And I Might need it In a Week , so I Stick to the Smaller amounts.

I also agree with the others! Its Great you Know Something is Wrong and You are trying Again to Change it!

I have so been in your shoes sooooooo many times. I've been in tight spots, and have always gone back to my old ways-something I'm still working on changing. Like the old addage says: Old habits die hard!! The important thing to do is, pull yourselves together, get back on track & stay there, and learn from your mistakes. Don't be so hard on yourselves, as that usually makes it worse!! (((HUGS))) Good luck!!

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~*~ Angie~*~
Wife to Brian
SAHM to Sarah & Andy 2/11/2000