I hear you on this point....I have same problem...too many bills and income does not always match....

One of the most helpful things to do to get control of your money is to keep accurate and detailed records of every bit of income and outgo. Recording keeping is a tool of DA but you don't have to be a DA member to keep records. So...every day, every time you spent money, whether it be a penny (well...nothing costs a penny!) or a $1,000.00. Write it down. If you find a penny on the sidewalk, write it down. After a week, tally up everything. Make this a life long practice and you will be amazed at where your money goes and what you spend your money on. I know that when I first began doing this, I found out I was eating out to the amount of $800 per month! If I had guessed, I would have said $100. It was an eye opener.

As adults, we get to chose where and how and when to spend our money. And, it is important for us to determine how best to spend our money, and to make those choices based upon our values, our goals, our wants, and our needs. By tracking your spending faithfully, you will gain a clarity that is unsurpassed.

I was thinking, too, that if you keep records, you will soon be able to tell if you don't have enough income. Maybe you need a second job? Can you sell something? I while back, i went through my closets and storage and was able to make about $80.00 by taking my clothes to a store that purchases clothing, jewelry, shoes, scarves, etc., outright. That money helped me make it to the next payday. It was stuff that I no longer used, that did not fit, or otherwise was not something i wanted or needed.

I hope you can get a handle on your finances. It is so disheartening to not have enough money for bills and the like. Can you talk with your landlord about paying rent late? Some landlords are understanding but you may have to pay a late fee. Best of luck to you. Also, is there a soup kitchen or food bank that you can get to for extra free food? That may help you out, too.

i have Tupperware items to sell or offer, but here where i live it's like nobody wants it but Tupperware is guaranteed for life on most items. from what my friend tells me i should be making good money now but i have not sold anything or even held one party. i am on ssdi and can only make so much. but i have had this since march 2016

is there any programs that i can use to keep records like that, i try to keep receipts but i never am able to keep all of them , they get lost or fail to arrive at my home LOL

I use pocket money on my iphone and quick books on computer pocket money is free app unless you want unlimited accounts access quick books is darn expensive but I use it for business I run. At first I got copy free for using trial period of Intuit credit card processing.

Is quick books free? How much does it cost?

Its pretty expensive unless you contact intuit perhaps if you agreed to try accepting credit cards for tupperware w them they would give copy to you free but no telling if that will happen plus you would have right to stop trial credit card processing when it starts costing you each month to use that. I did! Kept the free quickbooks too

hello again i am still having problems with my money, i have thought about it the past few days and talked it over with friends. my plan is to pay for my brakes and mirror i really don't see any other choice since tag are up in September. i am going i mean " going" to try and NOT pay for anything else until i get the bills done. then i will look at what i need in the house and other necessitates i will try to avoid my wants or consider other options i have . i just don't know how to lpay off the bills that have going over my limit of spending.i have caneled one card and going to keep the other one. but my regular bills are another problem

Hi Kim... so sorry to hear about the "when it rains, it pours" lifestyle you are living with your financial situation(s) and the car and computer issues complicating the ability to get a balance. I think we've all been there. For years and decades, we have all been told to live within our means; however, rarely are the tips and tricks provided to actually show "HOW." Everybody's income / expenses (budget) is unique and things that may work for me won't work for you and the other way around. I understand the SSDI stipulation of how much extra money you are able to earn and the consequences so that does sorta handicap any part time job or business. But I agree with you that you may have too many bills for your current income to support (not including the need for emergencies) so it is important to honestly take a look at the budget and see if you are truly grasping the difference between wants and needs and are truly objectively looking at some other options that may not be so obvious to you.

First of all, it helps to step back out of your situation for a little bit. What advice would you offer your best friend if they were in your situation? You may have some insight stepped out of the anxiety to review things as an outsider. I find that I can brainstorm better answers for myself when I do that and take myself out of the picture as an exercise. Some of the brainstorm ideas may not work while some may be willing to try. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

I had a friend back in the 80s who had lost her job and asked for advice. I don't believe in saying, "you SHOULD..." but rather "you COULD..." but every suggestion was met with an absolute (sometimes disillusional) rebuttal on why the suggestions could not possibly work... get rid of the $80 car phone bill? Find a new hairdresser and nail salon and stop the weekly appointments? Stay out of the department stores for expensive make up? Cool it on going out to eat so often? Rent an extra room in her home? Cancel or cut back on her overly expensive cable tv service? Sell some of the thousands of dollars of jewelry she'd bought on QVC and home shopping network? ... She was quite vain so nothing could possibly work for her budget/lifestyle. I finally suggested a *legitimate* consumer counseling program (nfcc.org) and they suggested the same things *or* bankruptcy, which even THAT was not something she'd do because it would mean giving up her credit cards in leui of a fresh start. So, you see not all of the options are easy options or things that a person *wants* to do but sometimes *has* to do, even temporarily.

Shifting debt with loans (as you know) does not eliminate the debts or allow the budget to balance. It is important to consider simple swaps not to deprive yourself from life but find alternatives that can work. When you think the most expensive budget categories are housing, transportation and food those are the biggies that you *may* be able to cut back with some thought and hard decisions but most productive in the end. At the same time, even the little expenses can be swapped out because they add up.

There are so many books, blogs, Facebook pages and even magazine articles that *may* be able to give more ideas but because a budget is so personal, it's important to get more details on income, expenses, wants and needs to truly make a long lasting impact on balance and getting ahead.

I may not have all of the answers but you CAN feel free to private message me if you'd like to take a look at some more options for YOU. Let's look at your bills and see if we can give relief with comparison shopping, cutting back, and a little positive thinking.

Remember... there are people surviving out there on a lot less income than you have so there is hope... and there is help. You simply have to reach out for it.

I "wish" there was something I could do to help you out financially. But alas, I cant... I too am on the brink of financial collapse and cronic emotional meltdown. I have many debts and obligations. I once had a plan B. for all my money woes. but those have been exhausted or longer feasible. I will pray for our situation to change and hopefully we can get some relief. I hope things work out well for you. You are in my thoughts and prayers...

Look for odd jobs that you can do for people who will pay you for the work. When people ask for favors, let them know that you need money. Babysit or take care of someone's pet for a few hours. Do some research online for a friend. Give someone a ride in your car. Do the things that you have always done for people, but stop doing them gratis. You have assets; put them to work for you. I wish you better fortune in the coming days.

many of the things csajourney talks about are useful to think about- there are loads of things we don't need at all ( off the top of my head the things csajourney mentions like hair, make up, nails, obviously stuff like tobacco, eating out, gym membership, subscriptions ) make a list of everything as other people have suggested and then be ruthless in cutting out everything unnecessary.

I am cutting off internet next, as soon as my son moves out. That will save $70 a month and I live near the library and can email etc there.

For fun I join free things now, like a book club, and I signed up with lots of websites for free food on my birthday. not all of it is useful if you have to spend more than it's worth to get the free item, but I never eat out unless it is almost free ( nothing is ever totally free as there's always tax and tip )

Re food, know the prices. For example eggs are cheap right now- 69 cents a dozen. A loaf of bread a dollar. Vegetarian Kroger brand baked beans in tomato sauce are 60 cents a can. Milk is $1.49 half gallon. Potatoes will soon be cheap again and sweet potatoes. A banana is 25 cents.

If you have Kroger where you are check out their digital rewards- they give something free every week.

Four or five years ago when I first got sick I found almost no one was interested in frugal living, now people are beginning to realize the massive cost of health care, of retirement and educating their kids...even people earning way more than I do are struggling because of high insurance deductibles or still supporting adult kids ( for example )

I have lots of other ideas but my head is all over the place today.