Financial Challenges Support Group
This community is for people who are struggling to meet financial obligations of any kind. Financial challenges include everything from the day-to-day challenges of making ends meet to managing credit card debt to bankruptcy. Get support from others who are going through similar obstacles on the road back to financial stability.
My story as brief as possible.
Wife had severe postpartum depression and we were forced to live apart for about a year. I raised my son alone the first year. Loss of jobs. My company closed operations. We are both employed now. Filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2009. My car transmission went out 2 weeks after bankruptcy. My wife's car was refused to be worked on by the mechanic because of excessive rust. He said that she would either be seriously hurt or killed. IRS came after us for $2600.00. Our water heater went out. Our drier broke. Our central air went out. We spent our 2015 summer in the kitchen. I had to put up a tarp to keep the cool air from a window until in the kitchen. We did everything in the kitchen (TV, sit around, etc). We have not been on vacation since 2010. Currently facing foreclosure and we are expected to be evicted around April 1st of this year. Currently have $15000.00 of debt (auto loan, lawyer bills, etc).
Here is what we have been doing to fight our situation:
1. We cut the cord. We got rid of DISH Network. We use an antenna.
2. We have pay as you go phones and will only use them for emergencies.
3. We have Magic Jack and no longer a landline.
4. We turn down the heat to 63 degrees at night and when we are not at home.
5. We eat cheap meals (pasta).
6. We have been selling our things. Bookscouter for books and selling directly on Amazon.
7. We changed our shower heads so that it saves on water.
8. We put a two liter bottle in the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water when it refills.
9. We shopped around for the best car insurance rates and saved $80.00 a month.
10. Negotiated a better interest rate with credit card companies.
The above has helped us a lot, but it still does not stop the stress of losing our home soon. We will be moving into an apartment. The apartment is quite expensive and we have a lot of things that must go into storage because our things will not fit.
Money might not buy happiness but the lack of money does not bring happiness either.
BTW, I just joined today. Looking forward to getting to know others.
Wife had severe postpartum depression and we were forced to live apart for about a year. I raised my son alone the first year. Loss of jobs. My company closed operations. We are both employed now. Filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2009. My car transmission went out 2 weeks after bankruptcy. My wife's car was refused to be worked on by the mechanic because of excessive rust. He said that she would either be seriously hurt or killed. IRS came after us for $2600.00. Our water heater went out. Our drier broke. Our central air went out. We spent our 2015 summer in the kitchen. I had to put up a tarp to keep the cool air from a window until in the kitchen. We did everything in the kitchen (TV, sit around, etc). We have not been on vacation since 2010. Currently facing foreclosure and we are expected to be evicted around April 1st of this year. Currently have $15000.00 of debt (auto loan, lawyer bills, etc).
Here is what we have been doing to fight our situation:
1. We cut the cord. We got rid of DISH Network. We use an antenna.
2. We have pay as you go phones and will only use them for emergencies.
3. We have Magic Jack and no longer a landline.
4. We turn down the heat to 63 degrees at night and when we are not at home.
5. We eat cheap meals (pasta).
6. We have been selling our things. Bookscouter for books and selling directly on Amazon.
7. We changed our shower heads so that it saves on water.
8. We put a two liter bottle in the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water when it refills.
9. We shopped around for the best car insurance rates and saved $80.00 a month.
10. Negotiated a better interest rate with credit card companies.
The above has helped us a lot, but it still does not stop the stress of losing our home soon. We will be moving into an apartment. The apartment is quite expensive and we have a lot of things that must go into storage because our things will not fit.
Money might not buy happiness but the lack of money does not bring happiness either.
BTW, I just joined today. Looking forward to getting to know others.
-
-
Can you identify these rom-coms from just a screenshot from the middle of the films? This is a multiple choice quiz so even if you're not entirely sure you can always take a guess and at least have a 25% chance of getting it right anyway, so why not have a go?! https://www.buzzfeed.com/alysaurus688/rom-com-screenshot-trivia-quiz
I got into more debt again too! Sad to say that!
Welcome there are now friends here to help you destress on debts!
Hugs bill
Years from now you'll see just how tough you are because of everything you have endured...
Life has given you a whole lot of stuff but I get the sense that you are doing all you can to create a new path for you and your family.
I had a thought...I think you can file bankruptcy every 7 years. it may be a consideration because the amount of debt you are facing is tremendous. There is a reason bankruptcy laws exist and that is to give you a new start, a new beginning.
I also wanted to mention a belief I have about the things in our lives...our possessions. Owning things uses our energy because we have to maintain those things to have them. Space, maintenance, time, all these things create an energy that perhaps is better spent elsewhere.
When I really consider the things i own, there is little I cannot live without. I could lose most of the possessions/things I have because i don't need them to live. I might be more comfortable with them but they may be better used to serve others.
Putting your possessions into storage is going to take time, money for paying the storage when perhaps you could sell those items to bring in some money.
Just a thought I had and I wish you the best.
This too shall pass.
We have learned how to monitor everything we spend. The grocery list is exactly what we need and nothing more. We have every meal of the week planned out. It has helped me because I am losing extra weight that I did not need.
Thank you all again!