low income

[batmobile]

any low income families out there? times are tough especially if you got kids...

[PGS28]

Yes, times are tough, but I often see people who say this spend money on things/activities that are more wants than needs.  Create multiple streams of income, use resources to save money and find less expensive alternatives, and try to reduce the amount of money you already spend.  Hope this helps!

[mc1962]

Yes, I think everyone is feeling the pinch these days.......glad we have Fusion Cash to help out with some extra cash. 

[dyano]

Not only lo but no income. Rents 2 months behind, how much time do you have if evicted? I heard you get at least 3 months to move.

[grubers12]

times are often tough even for middle class.........If you aren't rich you are probably finding that out......wtf, gas needs to drop..........its sucks struggling all the time..........What happened to the American dream??

[Flackle]

It all depends on your lifestyle. Having a family and kids is of course a major responsibility (One that I would only consider once I am 100% financially secure). At the same time, there is personal responsibility (That has less to do with spending your money on "necessitates (there are those who live on less than 5000 dollars a year)" and more to do with keeping out of debt and only spending what you really need.) Creativity and imagination are extremely important assets to have when it comes to living within your needs. Someone can make 50k a year and spend all of it partying every weekend. Or someone can make 10k a year and spend all but 1k on what they need to survive. The difference? The second person saved that 100 dollars a month before ever even spending a dime. Who do you think will be better of in 50 years?

I dont think people realize their spending habits actually form around how much they make. You could make an extra 5,000 dollars a year, but what would the the point if you started spending 5000 dollars a year? Your needs didn't go up, but your WANTS did. We have way too many things we WANT. You know what I WANT? I want to be financially secure enough so that I don't have to work my entire life. I do this by only spending what I have too and not putting anymore responsibility on myself than needed. I could go buy a new house, a new car, get a job, get a family, buy everything with credit cards and live the American dream. But I choose not do put un-needed responsibility on myself and instead choose to save most of the money I make and reinvest it so that in the future I can be secure. Security is way more important than cars an material goods. I am lucky enough not to have a big family to support (only child, help my dad take care of the house.) and instead of taking advantage of the situation I am spending everyday learning how to make money so I that I don't have to depend on a job (which by my definition is the worst steam of income) in the future.

People do not realize that the traditional way of thinking in America (Go have kids, buy a house, get a car, pay for it with a job, live paycheck to paycheck, buy materialistic things because that is your duty.) is a TRAP. You don't have to do ANY of those things to survive. All you need to survive is clean water (found freely because we where lucky enough not to be born in a 3rd world country), Shelter (which is really cheap if you're creative and realize the big house with a big mortgage and a big yard with a big electric bill is more of a burden than an asset), and food. By food I mean what you need to survive. You don't need meat everyday. Rice, dried beans, pasta, eggs, and raw vegetables are very cheap. 30% of the food in this country is thrown away because we buy a lot more than we need. Our idea of "poverty" in this country is a joke. Homeless people in our countries live better than WORKING people in some other countries.

If you want things, learn to SAVE your money first then buy them later. If you cannot afford your wants then you need to take a look at your needs. Here is what you should use your money for:

Start by giving yourself 10% or more of what you make.
Pay your basic necessities for bare survival (this can vary depending on your needs but if you are creative you can find a way to live on 10% less income)
Pay your bills (Bills and necessities are NOT that same thing. Bills include debts, electricity, car, insurance, house)
Buy your wants.

Once you have saved enough to pay for 6 months of living (This is why I say 10%, because in 5 years you should have this. The more you save the sooner you reach this point.) Take any extra and put it towards making money (don't spend it unwisely, use it to improve yourself or invest it into something.) You can pay for college if you think an education will get you the life you want, or invest it into something you have knowledge of. The internet is great because the earning potential with little investment.

[PGS28]

We think alike!! I'm very strict on weighing what is a want vs. need.  I had a friend to ask me for $20 and her nails were freshly done- that irritated me so much.  I'm huge on saving and after I buy my house paid in full in 4 months (the reward of long term sacrificing and saving) I'm going to start investing.  Have you ever read Rich Dad Poor Dad? Some of what you said reflects what he teaches in the book. 

It all depends on your lifestyle. Having a family and kids is of course a major responsibility (One that I would only consider once I am 100% financially secure). At the same time, there is personal responsibility (That has less to do with spending your money on "necessitates (there are those who live on less than 5000 dollars a year)" and more to do with keeping out of debt and only spending what you really need.) Creativity and imagination are extremely important assets to have when it comes to living within your needs. Someone can make 50k a year and spend all of it partying every weekend. Or someone can make 10k a year and spend all but 1k on what they need to survive. The difference? The second person saved that 100 dollars a month before ever even spending a dime. Who do you think will be better of in 50 years?

I dont think people realize their spending habits actually form around how much they make. You could make an extra 5,000 dollars a year, but what would the the point if you started spending 5000 dollars a year? Your needs didn't go up, but your WANTS did. We have way too many things we WANT. You know what I WANT? I want to be financially secure enough so that I don't have to work my entire life. I do this by only spending what I have too and not putting anymore responsibility on myself than needed. I could go buy a new house, a new car, get a job, get a family, buy everything with credit cards and live the American dream. But I choose not do put un-needed responsibility on myself and instead choose to save most of the money I make and reinvest it so that in the future I can be secure. Security is way more important than cars an material goods. I am lucky enough not to have a big family to support (only child, help my dad take care of the house.) and instead of taking advantage of the situation I am spending everyday learning how to make money so I that I don't have to depend on a job (which by my definition is the worst steam of income) in the future.

People do not realize that the traditional way of thinking in America (Go have kids, buy a house, get a car, pay for it with a job, live paycheck to paycheck, buy materialistic things because that is your duty.) is a TRAP. You don't have to do ANY of those things to survive. All you need to survive is clean water (found freely because we where lucky enough not to be born in a 3rd world country), Shelter (which is really cheap if you're creative and realize the big house with a big mortgage and a big yard with a big electric bill is more of a burden than an asset), and food. By food I mean what you need to survive. You don't need meat everyday. Rice, dried beans, pasta, eggs, and raw vegetables are very cheap. 30% of the food in this country is thrown away because we buy a lot more than we need. Our idea of "poverty" in this country is a joke. Homeless people in our countries live better than WORKING people in some other countries.

If you want things, learn to SAVE your money first then buy them later. If you cannot afford your wants then you need to take a look at your needs. Here is what you should use your money for:

Start by giving yourself 10% or more of what you make.
Pay your basic necessities for bare survival (this can vary depending on your needs but if you are creative you can find a way to live on 10% less income)
Pay your bills (Bills and necessities are NOT that same thing. Bills include debts, electricity, car, insurance, house)
Buy your wants.

Once you have saved enough to pay for 6 months of living (This is why I say 10%, because in 5 years you should have this. The more you save the sooner you reach this point.) Take any extra and put it towards making money (don't spend it unwisely, use it to improve yourself or invest it into something.) You can pay for college if you think an education will get you the life you want, or invest it into something you have knowledge of. The internet is great because the earning potential with little investment.

[handllucas]

Yes..it has gotten bad. People need to start helping each other.
Some examples are to ride together to run errands or have people pick up things for others at the places they are going anyway.
Many churches have food pantries that do not require any ID or church membership.
The dollar stores have many brand name groceries and they now take coupons.
If you have space, rent a room for $ or in exchange for house chores, babysitting, etc.

[kimberlymgiles]

Times are definitely rough for me and my family, but I have learned the importance of saving money.

[Flackle]

We think alike!! I'm very strict on weighing what is a want vs. need.  I had a friend to ask me for $20 and her nails were freshly done- that irritated me so much.  I'm huge on saving and after I buy my house paid in full in 4 months (the reward of long term sacrificing and saving) I'm going to start investing.  Have you ever read Rich Dad Poor Dad? Some of what you said reflects what he teaches in the book. 

It all depends on your lifestyle. Having a family and kids is of course a major responsibility (One that I would only consider once I am 100% financially secure). At the same time, there is personal responsibility (That has less to do with spending your money on "necessitates (there are those who live on less than 5000 dollars a year)" and more to do with keeping out of debt and only spending what you really need.) Creativity and imagination are extremely important assets to have when it comes to living within your needs. Someone can make 50k a year and spend all of it partying every weekend. Or someone can make 10k a year and spend all but 1k on what they need to survive. The difference? The second person saved that 100 dollars a month before ever even spending a dime. Who do you think will be better of in 50 years?

I dont think people realize their spending habits actually form around how much they make. You could make an extra 5,000 dollars a year, but what would the the point if you started spending 5000 dollars a year? Your needs didn't go up, but your WANTS did. We have way too many things we WANT. You know what I WANT? I want to be financially secure enough so that I don't have to work my entire life. I do this by only spending what I have too and not putting anymore responsibility on myself than needed. I could go buy a new house, a new car, get a job, get a family, buy everything with credit cards and live the American dream. But I choose not do put un-needed responsibility on myself and instead choose to save most of the money I make and reinvest it so that in the future I can be secure. Security is way more important than cars an material goods. I am lucky enough not to have a big family to support (only child, help my dad take care of the house.) and instead of taking advantage of the situation I am spending everyday learning how to make money so I that I don't have to depend on a job (which by my definition is the worst steam of income) in the future.

People do not realize that the traditional way of thinking in America (Go have kids, buy a house, get a car, pay for it with a job, live paycheck to paycheck, buy materialistic things because that is your duty.) is a TRAP. You don't have to do ANY of those things to survive. All you need to survive is clean water (found freely because we where lucky enough not to be born in a 3rd world country), Shelter (which is really cheap if you're creative and realize the big house with a big mortgage and a big yard with a big electric bill is more of a burden than an asset), and food. By food I mean what you need to survive. You don't need meat everyday. Rice, dried beans, pasta, eggs, and raw vegetables are very cheap. 30% of the food in this country is thrown away because we buy a lot more than we need. Our idea of "poverty" in this country is a joke. Homeless people in our countries live better than WORKING people in some other countries.

If you want things, learn to SAVE your money first then buy them later. If you cannot afford your wants then you need to take a look at your needs. Here is what you should use your money for:

Start by giving yourself 10% or more of what you make.
Pay your basic necessities for bare survival (this can vary depending on your needs but if you are creative you can find a way to live on 10% less income)
Pay your bills (Bills and necessities are NOT that same thing. Bills include debts, electricity, car, insurance, house)
Buy your wants.

Once you have saved enough to pay for 6 months of living (This is why I say 10%, because in 5 years you should have this. The more you save the sooner you reach this point.) Take any extra and put it towards making money (don't spend it unwisely, use it to improve yourself or invest it into something.) You can pay for college if you think an education will get you the life you want, or invest it into something you have knowledge of. The internet is great because the earning potential with little investment.

I have not read that book but I know about it and I've been thinking about reading it it. I've watch a LOT of videos the author made. I am currently reading "The ritchest man in babylon." Which is a great, simple read that gets to the point while not being boring (It has this ancient story-telling feel to it that really shows how timeless the lessons in it are.) Right now I am without a job so its hard to raise capital. I do the majority of the chores, yardwork, and work on the farm in exchange for food and shelter. Luckily my dad was smart with his money, and although my mom made him spend most of it he kept a rental property and some of his investments. Right now I'm working on Paid to clicks (Getting a blog going soon.), a e-commerce site, selling things on ebay/amazon, and working on my skills (I play bass guitar, and I'm learning how to fish and hunt.) I have plans on converting the outside building into a bait/tackle store and I'm currently raising worms. So although I'm unemployed I am always very busy. The only reason I am even trying to make money (I could probably do nothing all day and be just fine in the future) is so I can have more security and I plan on building income so I could one day donate most of it to help 3rd world countries.

[Azanne07]

we took a 20% paycut from the tribal check so mmy hubby went out to get a job to replace the income lost from the profit sharing. it kinda sucks but everyone is hurting. and reduced gas prices would probably help out this economy alot

[southernhorizons]

Flackle, you've got some great ideas! But everyone does have a different outlook, not just about material things. For example, my parents never had much money, but they raised a large family with no government assistance. So even though my father lived paycheck to paycheck, his well-fed and taken care of family is more important to him than money and security. He certainly had his priorities straight as far as wants versus needs. We always had the basic necessities, but not a lot of extras. Even as kids almost any toys we had were gifts from relatives or friends. I thing it was good to be brought up rather austerely. It gave us a good appreciation of the really necessary things in life, and taught us to be frugal.

[vickysue]

Seniors are having a hard time of it too with the cost of everything going so high. We have all worked hard for our ss. I and everyone else worked hard for it. We all pay in every month for our medicare.  It erks my you know what to hear how hard it is out there. A lot of us older folks worked 2 jobs. So get a job or 2. Quit blowing it on things you don't need.

[mikolito]

I usually keep a budget. I am a college student and My budget is between $40-$60 a week, in consideration i do have a part time job lol

[ancmetro]

      Yes, you are right! That is reason for which I am using Fusion Cash to earn some extra cash.