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constant state of stress

June 30th, 2008 at 09:31 pm

I can feel the stress all over my body. Out of money, bills to pay, what bills to pay first, what is the most important right now? My dog needs to go to the vet. I can't seem to get rid of worrying about money money money. Food is an easy way to spend alot of money. There are only two of us, but needing to keep nutritious food at home is important. When it was just me, I could live on a tortilla with butter, in the oven. Or just cheap food. But with a young son that is growing and needs 5 fruits and veggies a day...etc...it's getting way to expensive to live. is it just me that lives paycheck to paycheck?

7 Responses to “constant state of stress”

  1. merch Says:
    1214859995

    You got to put together a budget and go from there. Put down what you bring in a month and then start listing the expenses.

    You want to prioritize your expense. Shelter, food, utilities, car, loans, credit cards, etc.

    You may find you need to cut things. Sell your car to get rid of the monthly payment, take your son out of private school, put the student loans on hardship deferral, etc.

    I would also stop the 401k for now. You have to have a good foundation first.

    It will be hard, but you can do this.

  2. littlemama Says:
    1214860350

    Have you read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Maybe ck. it out of the library.

  3. saj Says:
    1214860829

    What scares me is putting down my income and what I owe. By doing that I see what my situation is and I tend to turn away from it all. I can't seem to come to terms with what I owe (various bills from medical to student loans) I think to myself, that I will tackle one (1) bill after another, god willing, I don't get garnished before I can get to the next one. Thats really all I can do. I've been deferring my student loans for years now. I'm now late on my car payment because I paid my rent late, because a bill came up, and I didn't have savings to cover it. So how do I put a little money away for emergencies, but manage to pay my debt?

  4. twotinytoes Says:
    1214861364

    A lot of us have debt and bills to pay. You are not alone. Make a plan to pay the debt, then stop focusing on your debt. The only way to change your life is to change how you think about it. Start focusing on how you want your life to be. Check out the movie, "The Secret" or the book "You Can Heal Your Life". A great book I just got from the library is "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money". Great ways to cut costs in every aspect of your life. Good luck!

  5. ceejay74 Says:
    1214864337

    Please don't feel afraid to put the truth out here. I was afraid of my totals and it really, really sucked when I finally did it. (You can look through the early months of my, or a lot of other people's, blogs to see that you're not alone in your stress.) But once I owned my debt, stopped worrying about who or what to blame and just put it down in black and white, I began to take control of it. I still have a long way to go, but my stress is much lower, and I no longer spend to comfort myself, because my debt isn't just imaginary--it's real and I don't want to give it any more power.

    If you don't do it now, you're going to get much deeper in debt. If you do it now--even if you don't make much progress on it, even if you go a bit more into debt initially--you are giving it a name, and an amount, and announcing your intention to not let it grow any more, not let it swallow you.

    Welcome and keep posting, even if you're not ready to do your debt totals yet! Blogging has really helped me stay focused.

  6. sillyoleme Says:
    1214866337

    Hi, I just wanted to say that alot of people either feel how you feel or have in the past. Personally, having a blog has kept me more focused on my finances, and more in control.

    As for your situation - everyone has had good suggestions. If I were you, I'd stop the 401K, see if you can defer the payments for your son's private school (even a month), and pay first things first.

    I know it's scary (believe me, I know!), but the minute you write all your income/debts down, you will feel much more in control. Even if you have to go into more debt, you will know where you stand, and you will "feel" every move your finances make. Also - start tracking your expenses. It helps me to really think about whether I "need" something, or just really want it.

    I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you will keep us posted!

  7. compulsive debtor Says:
    1214871192

    Most importantly, remember: YOU ARE NOT YOUR DEBT!

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