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.
I am in a situation as a single earner household with a wife who will be going back to work someday but someday will not come soon enough to save this family's future....I work in the extremely volatile world of construction that is one of the worst roller coaster rides of financial unstability anyone could ever imagine....
I have exhausted every single type of commercial construction estimating in companies of all sizes to try to support my family in a very expensive market of the country, and have made intial steps to progress to a less expensive part of country to make some career/financial progress, but all of that has been put on hold lately by the recessionary environment.....or so people seem to say.....not sure that I really believe it myself.....
anyone else see this as a similar situation and what are they doing right now to deal with it ?
I have exhausted every single type of commercial construction estimating in companies of all sizes to try to support my family in a very expensive market of the country, and have made intial steps to progress to a less expensive part of country to make some career/financial progress, but all of that has been put on hold lately by the recessionary environment.....or so people seem to say.....not sure that I really believe it myself.....
anyone else see this as a similar situation and what are they doing right now to deal with it ?
Not sure if you are looking for financial advice or a shoulder to lean on (we're here for both :D) but when a lot of my friends/relatives were laid off, the families w/ SAH's (moms or dads) revamped the family budget immediately cutting out unnecessary expenses so that they could build a quick emergency fund, especially since its going on the winter time shortly and the utilities for them skyrocket. Alot of them also have green their homes what they could buying energy saving bulbs and smart strips and de-cluttered what they could and donated what they couldn't sell for extra cash
They also started to look for free activities from the state parks we have in our neighborhood and the library. And to websites like freebirthdaytreats.com and kidsmealdeals.com to find great freebies and discounts for their kids and family. Not to mention a lot of them including myself are coupon queens.
In addition, quite a few of them who still have internet access for job purposes do on-line surveys and research studies for extra money for savings, holiday cash or to do something fun w/ their kids. They don't pay a lot some times like between $50-300 a month, but every little bit helps. There's also sites like mypoints.com where you earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards to different gas stations, restaurants or pharmacies like Walgreens etc. Mypoints is a bit painstaking if you don't know a lot of people, but if you have a barrage of family and friends it works out great especially the referral bonus.
Lastly, the SAH moms that were free over the summer watched a few of their neighbor kids for a little extra money before school started.
I've been a single household earner before so I know that it's not easy by any means. My last advice is if the stress and anxiety of it all seems to be getting to you, I think its a good idea to talk w/ your wife about your concerns as she may be having the same feelings as you or a counselor if you feel more comfortable as holding in your feelings just creates being unhealthy emotionally mentally and especially physically. A lesson I've learned too often the hard way..LOL :D.
I hope your situation improves for you and your family soon. GOOD LUCK :D
We currently do not have cable TV, aren't going out much at all. I am washing dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher, hanging out laundry instead of using the dryer, consolidating as many errands as I possibly can, things like that to save a penny here and there. Our cell phones will be the next to go. Guess we will get him a prepaid one because he has to have a way for people to reach him for work.
It's really scary. All we can do is what we can each day, so that by the end of the day we can honestly say we took care of what we could that day.
Hang in there.