HELP!! Need tips

[Guest]

No you are not alone.. we go thru the same thing. Hubby was working M-F 12-14 hours a day, most Sat.

10-12 hours… We had money saved, paid ahead on some things, etc. Then one Friday they announced a lay off will happen for winter.

This was right before Thanksgiving, layoff would happen at Christmas time, off for 3 weeks, brought back to work in Jan. Ok, that'll work. He goes back on Monday, told nope, change of plans, you will work Mon, Tues, Wed, off Thursday for Thanksgiving and if you don't come in Friday, you don't get your Holiday pay, off work starting the following the week and we don't know when you'll be coming back.

He was out of work for 4 months before they started up again. This was a few years back… thankfully we had money saved.

Problem now, all the saved money is gone, he works 4 days a week, flat 40 hours… we have no overtime to save up for winter layoff which has happened every year since, so every year is a little tougher. This year with fuel and food skyrocketing it will be worse.

I'm hoping my garden will do good and I can get alot canned to feed us this year.

Laura
sw Ohio
zone 5-6

On 7/23/08, Suzi McMullen[/b] <smcmullen@kc.rr.com> wrote:

One thing that has driven me crazy for the last 21 years is that my income goes up and down a LOT. I can be sailing a long, paying my tithe, paying my bills and even have things paid ahead wherever possible. Then some daycare parent loses their job or gets laid off and suddenly I am missing some of my income.

Paying bills ahead helps here, but sometimes I'll lose someone from both shifts or even 2-3 people all at the same time and no amount of planning helps me through. Not only do I lose income at that point, but I have to put ads in the paper. My debt is pretty much broken down like this…1/3rd medical related, 1/3rd job layoffs (my husbands included)and unexpected stuff that happens and 1/3rd times I've splurged which is my fault I know.

What so often happens is that I'll think I'm doing good.

So I'll spend a few hundred on something I've been waiting for. I'll pay cash for this item. Then a few days later some parent I've been working with a year or two will suddenly get fired, quit, announce they are moving away etc.

Often it's with no notice what-so-ever. At that point I'll whip out the credit cards and make up for any shortages with the best intentions of getting back on track when the kids are replaced. This month is perfect example..

I have made some purchases I have wanted and thought I had money to pay for. Then my daughter got sick and we now have 4-5 bills and even an 800 dollar ambulance bill. We do have insurance.

But we have deductibles and they bill for so many differentpeople/doctors/hospital/lab/radiologist etc..for the same illness. On top of that, 2 of my daycare parents were laid off this month. So my income is down and my bills are up.

I guess I get a little jelous sometimes when I hear people talk about budgeting down to the last inth.

Am I alone in this?

[Author]

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