where does money go?

[sliebshner]

I vWeow this month to manage my money better.  It's true about the little things adding up!  My boyfriend and I do not live extravagant lives by any means and it seems like it's getting harder and harder to save anything.  The cost of groceries and gasoline seem to be taking more and more of the paychecks.  We don't go out to eat hardly ever and never go on vacation.  My car is 11 years old.  Although my purse looks expensive, I got it at a rummage sale.  Things have got to get better!

[mjdoug03]

Goodness that is awful!  Make sure you take some "me time."

[elysee24]

I divorced both of my ex husbands because I got tired of feeling like I had 5 jobs.. I would work 10 hours a day then come home and have to work doing all the chores because my ex felt he was too good to do them.
Alot of men have the idea that women should work outside of the home then of course do all the domestic work too.
Or half of it, even though most men make more than half the mess. lol
I feel it is easier living alone than being married..I dont need that job anymore. I can easily date or get a boyfriend for companionship then send him home..I dont have to live with one to feel fulfilled.

Totally agree with you.

[hensleyll]

you sound like myself and husband this week one bill paid that week the other,my cell is usually the easiest sacrifice

[Flackle]

Its because you're not paying yourself first!

You can probably think of thousands of things to spend that money on, and I bet you not one thing at that list included yourself. Why are you giving everyone else your money without even giving some to yourself? Don't you think you deserve at least 10% of your income?

Its very basic, but no one follows it. When you save money you don't save whats afterwords because it doesn't matter what you make at all, it will almost always be 0. There is a lot of variance in what people earn money-wise and yet almost every single one has no money left over even if they are only paying for "necessities". If they where really only paying for "necessities" wouldn't at least some of them have money left over?

Its because most of these necessities are not necessities. People can be surprised at how cheap they can live if they where to save first and then figure out how to survive on the rest. It doesn't matter what the economy is like, you'll find some way when you have too. Necessity is the mother of invention.

So the first law of becoming wealthy is to literally pay yourself first. If you don't have the money to buy something, you'll figure out a way if you have too. Using this method I literally save most of the money I earn from selling things online, all the money I earn from ptcs, and all the money I get from pretty much anywhere and save most of it to be reinvested into business (which is what you do with that saved money, you invest it. And then invest some more.) because I can live very cheaply.

There is a fine line between what people consider needs and what people consider wants. Avoid the trap, and give yourself some of what you earn. You deserve it.

[pgk1965]

i have always been told the more you make the more you spend....i think thats true

[Laurieandjohn]

I agree with you Pg  my hubby and I  realized the more we made the more we spent so I cut back to 40 hours only per week and all the money i make online goes to a paypal acount (its like a savings account foe me) and his check pays the bills and most of mine goes to savings to pay the biger things like our property taxes and what not i do a huge amount of thift shopping you  may be surprised what nice things you can find we eat out a lot less then we use too but we also know we are eating a bit healthier

[hensleyll]

flackle i never looked at it that way before will definitely think this over,thanks for the advice

[alabreu5]

I think the problem is gas and food. Both cost so much right now and you have no choice. I try really hard to by all my food with coupons but I still spend almost $100 each time at the store. We are a family of 5 so there is alway a lot to buy

[bleyd]

Its because you're not paying yourself first!

You can probably think of thousands of things to spend that money on, and I bet you not one thing at that list included yourself. Why are you giving everyone else your money without even giving some to yourself? Don't you think you deserve at least 10% of your income?

Its very basic, but no one follows it. When you save money you don't save whats afterwords because it doesn't matter what you make at all, it will almost always be 0. There is a lot of variance in what people earn money-wise and yet almost every single one has no money left over even if they are only paying for "necessities". If they where really only paying for "necessities" wouldn't at least some of them have money left over?

Its because most of these necessities are not necessities. People can be surprised at how cheap they can live if they where to save first and then figure out how to survive on the rest. It doesn't matter what the economy is like, you'll find some way when you have too. Necessity is the mother of invention.

So the first law of becoming wealthy is to literally pay yourself first. If you don't have the money to buy something, you'll figure out a way if you have too. Using this method I literally save most of the money I earn from selling things online, all the money I earn from ptcs, and all the money I get from pretty much anywhere and save most of it to be reinvested into business (which is what you do with that saved money, you invest it. And then invest some more.) because I can live very cheaply.

There is a fine line between what people consider needs and what people consider wants. Avoid the trap, and give yourself some of what you earn. You deserve it.

Good idea to pay yourself first!  But there's a lot of people our there who can't do 10%.  If anything, start small like 2% then slowly increase it to 10% or more. Most people won't miss it if they gradually increase it. 

[Flackle]

flackle i never looked at it that way before will definitely think this over,thanks for the advice

I am surprised to hear you say this, most people don't listen to this sort of advice. If you are serious about saving money and being financially secure it will require patience and determination. You cannot dip into your savings for any reason. I would recommend having an emergency fund for things like disasters, disease, or income loss to be separate from your other funds. Have this money in cash and have enough to pay your expenses for at least 3-6 months if not more. I would then have another pool of money you can use to invest. Invest in some form of passive income like dividends or rental property if you don't have the time for business. But if you save enough and can limit your expenses then I would suggest trying out a business idea. Its easy to get started online since there are so many ways to sell your items for free or next to nothing (Amazon, eBay, Craigslist, Etsy, and hundreds of others.) and you don't even have to make a website.

Have about 6 months of your expenses saved first (Even if you have to get rid of something, like cable TV or stop making car payments and get a beater. Saving usually requires some form of sacrifice.) This is important because at this rate if something happens in your life that requires you to spend money (car accident, disease, weather, fire, burglary, death of a loved one) when you are most emotionally vulnerable then the last thing you want to have to worry about is money. Its easy to get trapped in debt this way. Life will always happen, so having an emergency fund is key.

Once you have an emergency fund going and you are paying into it little by little take a small percentage of your income and put it into a business fund. If you want to start on eBay try some household things you no longer use. You'll not only get seed money for your business, but you'll also learn what sells and what doesn't sell.

I'm glad you are taking an interest into your finances, because if you save now you will be ready for the rest of your life.

[Flackle]

Its because you're not paying yourself first!

You can probably think of thousands of things to spend that money on, and I bet you not one thing at that list included yourself. Why are you giving everyone else your money without even giving some to yourself? Don't you think you deserve at least 10% of your income?

Its very basic, but no one follows it. When you save money you don't save whats afterwords because it doesn't matter what you make at all, it will almost always be 0. There is a lot of variance in what people earn money-wise and yet almost every single one has no money left over even if they are only paying for "necessities". If they where really only paying for "necessities" wouldn't at least some of them have money left over?

Its because most of these necessities are not necessities. People can be surprised at how cheap they can live if they where to save first and then figure out how to survive on the rest. It doesn't matter what the economy is like, you'll find some way when you have too. Necessity is the mother of invention.

So the first law of becoming wealthy is to literally pay yourself first. If you don't have the money to buy something, you'll figure out a way if you have too. Using this method I literally save most of the money I earn from selling things online, all the money I earn from ptcs, and all the money I get from pretty much anywhere and save most of it to be reinvested into business (which is what you do with that saved money, you invest it. And then invest some more.) because I can live very cheaply.

There is a fine line between what people consider needs and what people consider wants. Avoid the trap, and give yourself some of what you earn. You deserve it.

Good idea to pay yourself first!  But there's a lot of people our there who can't do 10%.  If anything, start small like 2% then slowly increase it to 10% or more. Most people won't miss it if they gradually increase it. 

There is a reason its 10%. In fact, 10% is bear minimum. In order to get 6 months of living expenses you have to save up 10% of your income for 5 years. If you save 10% you'll have a year's worth of your income in 10 years, so to have 6 months of it will take 5 years. The more you save to sooner you'll have that fund. If you can save by getting rid of something that's really not a necessity for most people (Cable, New car, Expensive house, Vacation, eating out, drinking, smoking, brand new clothes, smart phones, and hundreds of other things.) Not only will saving 10% force you to look at your needs but it will also force you to find other means to get your needs that are cheaper or you can even get for free.

If you loose some of your expenses it helps you save by not only giving your more money but you also don't need to save as much since an emergency fund is based off your expenses. I live without a lot of things most people have and I am perfectly happy.

[mstevenson2]

to my friend/roommate

[sarabtrayior]

Out the window it seems and the $$$ I get from FusionCash is the ONLY play money that I have to buy whatever I want whenever I want. So, FusionCash, Rock ON!

[hensleyll]

well craiglists was  bust couldnt sell anything