# how is your household econemy doing at this time?



## Coco (Jun 8, 2007)

we are having a lean time but we are still able to make the bills and put a very little away each month. I do have a large garden and put up a bunch for winter but I will never make it through the winter without a weekly trip to the market unless I only wanted to eat a meager diet.

My electric bill hit the highest ever with me cutting 15% usage, my property taxes are up , and now my homeowners insurance is 15% up. Our monthly income is the same as it has been in the last year, but my basics are up around I would say 20%. 

I have also seen a big increase on buying at a thrift store, department store, and just garage sales this year. 

I have a good fear,that I didn't save enough for the hard times as I think the hard times are here. our family health insurance is over $1000 a month and I would hate to think if we needed to cut this expense and just pay the penalty( crazy I know ) . then lose all that we worked for. 

I will keep praying and feeling blessed, as I know others are having a worst time of this new economy than we are. 

but I'm still giving as much to others as I can, and giving encouragement when I can. 

Happy fall and blessing to us all.


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## Dorothea (May 10, 2004)

yes we are having lean times but our power bill dropped 30,00 our home insurance went down not sure on the taxes yet but the value of our home went down 32,000.00 we can't figure that one out as long as our taxes go down i am fine with that,,we can no longer afford much beef but honestly i am okay with that
all we can do is pray for the best and expect the worse and hope it doesn't come


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## PorchGal (Jul 6, 2013)

Things are very tight but we can meet our bills and haven't missed a meal. 

I thought some of our bills were going down but they have gone up. 
Every time I go to the store prices are going higher. 
There are some things that need to be fixed on the house but right now we just can't.
And I just realized our auto insurance is due again.

But we are truly blessed. We have a couple freezers and a pantry full of food. 
We have a house and warm beds.
My dc are happy being at home.
We are all healthy.

I will continue to read the tightwad boards hoping to learn more.

Lots of people in this world are in way worse shape than we are. So we are lucky.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some ground beef... opted out when I saw the "sale" price was over 3 bucks a pound. I brought home more rice and beans.


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## homefire2007 (Sep 21, 2007)

I am no stranger to lean times. I am finding that I must be even more careful. I opted for our local co-op's truckload sale, 37.50 for 25lbs of pinto beans and about 40.00 for a 25lb bag of rice. It's really a blessing to love rice and beans! No hamburger meat anymore, only chicken when it is on sale. So far, I'm able to meet all the bills and I pray I continue to be able to do so


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## CraftyLady (Jul 18, 2014)

Lean. But, I still am overweight and/or undertall. 

I have food storage. Plenty to do. Working on the garden. Does that ever end? Thinking about chickens. But, I wonder if it really pays because of the price of grain. Don't know.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

yes hard times with me as well, just not enough coming in for the basics. Power bill really went up $189.00 last month from 89 and nothing extra running,dont get it. home and car insurance went up 35-65 $ a month, cut cable well they turned me off. phone and internet will be next. Just the electric bill and insurances will get paid I guess, not sure how to find money for property tax. I dont know what people can do to change things when you on a very low fixed income. I even ran an add to sell off my chickens, was not going to give ready to lays away, $15 each got 2 calls and they Both wanted to be very picky.and didnt buy any after I kept the birds locked up till they showed both people very late. Then one lady wanted me to catch each chicken so she could hold them. Buffs and jersey giants. what a pain in the butt. I guess I will turn them loose if they make it fine if not fine ***** and fox have to eat too, feed has jumped to $14.99 for the cheapest #50 bag. and no I dont butcher I cant eat it when I do so no point.
Just know you are not alone. Garden did little spent more on seeds and plants the it would have cost me at the food store, done with that. Man I miss tv. didnt think I would care but i really miss it. antenna gets me all the shop at home channels, ion, and qubo cartoons. no news shows.funny what not having tv does to quality of ones life. I know that sound dumb but when you dont have people to be around of talk too tv helps. even if it just back ground news.


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

Totally understand. I try not...to shop...but needed to today with husband. Shocked at prices even at Audi's store..Even though I wasn't able to work much in the garden this summer due to health reason...I am still canning like crazy.Making spag. sauce..chili..tomatoes, pickles etc..Dehydrating also. I think I read too many doomsday books and have a little voice in my head saying..stock up...bills keep coming and income doesn't go up with them. Find animal food and feed getting harder to buy. But, my animals will be fed before me..The less I shop the less I buy and spend and during this flu season and the ebola scare now on the news I am able not to have to go anywhere except the drs visits..I always say as long as we can pay the taxes we can live without electric and propane if we have to with woodstoves and ingenuity. So very glad I began the homesteading life early in my years. It has taught me/us how to do with less and still be very grateful. I am afraid that things will not get better for the working class and older folks...Just keep trying to cut cost and pray and be thankful for yet another healthy day...


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Our income dropped about 20% about 2 years ago. We have cut and cut. Turned off the direct tv. We do pay 7.99 a mo. for Netflix, and so far that has been worth it. We can stream cbs' full episodes, several on Hulu too. I tried Hulu Plus but ended up not really using it much so that's off now.

Groceries are insane, esp. beef! I bought butter today and about fell over. At Walmart, a "duo" pack was 9.58 (for a total of 2 lbs.). I haven't bought any for months, as we usually only use it during the fall/winter. Wow.

My "special" bacon was 4.98 for 12 oz. Hormel "natural choice", it has no cure in it as I cannot eat that stuff.

Ground pork was 2.98 per pound. DH makes up a delicious "sausage" with it, and we cook it ahead and bag it up as chunks. Use it in spaghetti sauce, burritos and scrambled eggs now and again. He wants to start grinding our own but time restraints have kept him/us from getting to the restaurant supply place to get the big pieces to do that with.

We changed our long distance plan to a per-minute rate as we never used to use up the full amount we were paying for. I don't call people as much now. All our calls are long distance as we are away from the city where my side of the family is. 

We had to take a subsidy for the health insurance as we could not afford what it would cost us after the ACA kicked in. That is actually saving us. I hate that way it has come into being but the fact is, it's here and we have to have it. The "free" colonoscopy would have come out of pocket as would my mammogram if it were not for those being "screening" tests that the ACA covers fully now. That right there has saved us about 1700 just for those two procedures.

We don't ever go out and certainly never take a "vacation." Our biggest splurge is the gas money and some food items to go for T'giving to So. California to spend it with his family. We stay at their house.

Any other extra money goes to items that help us maintain our place so that we can stay here, and try to grow as much food as we can. I strongly believe in good tools, so hubby has a new chainsaw. 

I too hope we can keep our heads above without dipping into "retirement" savings at all. It's getting harder and harder though..........


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

We are very fortunate.
I was able to cut our car insurance bill and our mortgage payment went down, but we are still paying the extra amount so we can get rid of that bill in the 5 years.

I buy beef occasionally, but mostly we eat lots of chicken and pork. I use lite country sausage in meat sauces, instead of beef. It's much more affordable.

Our phone/internet/cable bundle price dropped by $10 last month. I still haven't figured that one out, but I'm not complaining!

Gas has gone down 20 cents per gallon in the past month. A big plus for us, because both of us work in different towns and commute - 20 miles for me and 50 miles (one way) for DH. 

Our electric bill dropped, because the weather has been very nice this past month. Mild and not hot - so glad Autumn is finally here!

I try not make unnecessary or unplanned trips into town. My income is fixed, but we are fortunate that DH's business is doing well.
I think Oklahoma has faired better than many other states because of the Oil & Gas industry here. I'm not fond of the fracking wells, but many people are moving here because we have a solid economy, so far.

I pray for everyone that is having a difficult time. We've both been in dire straits before, after being laid off around the same time and having to get new jobs. 
My in-laws are retired and even though they are very comfortable, I noticed my MIL thinks twice before spending an extra penny on anything. They are smart people and very thrifty. I really respect that.


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## CraftyLady (Jul 18, 2014)

homefire2007 said:


> I am no stranger to lean times. I am finding that I must be even more careful. I opted for our local co-op's truckload sale, 37.50 for 25lbs of pinto beans and about 40.00 for a 25lb bag of rice. It's really a blessing to love rice and beans! No hamburger meat anymore, only chicken when it is on sale. So far, I'm able to meet all the bills and I pray I continue to be able to do so


I had a friend with a large family. She was single and had a hard time making ends meet. Anyway, in Nov. when turkeys go on sale she would buy as many as she could afford and freeze or can them. That girl could make a turkey go a long long way. Even cooking the carcass 3 times. 1st time to get the last of the meat and rich broth with old veggies, 2nd time for a weaker broth. And the last time she broke the bones and pressure cooked them in a very small amount of water to get every last drop of nutrition. 

I moved and didn't keep in contact. Wonderful person.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Forcast said:


> yes hard times with me as well, just not enough coming in for the basics. Power bill really went up $189.00 last month from 89 and nothing extra running,dont get it. home and car insurance went up 35-65 $ a month, cut cable well they turned me off. phone and internet will be next. Just the electric bill and insurances will get paid I guess, not sure how to find money for property tax. I dont know what people can do to change things when you on a very low fixed income. I even ran an add to sell off my chickens, was not going to give ready to lays away, $15 each got 2 calls and they Both wanted to be very picky.and didnt buy any after I kept the birds locked up till they showed both people very late. Then one lady wanted me to catch each chicken so she could hold them. Buffs and jersey giants. what a pain in the butt. I guess I will turn them loose if they make it fine if not fine ***** and fox have to eat too, feed has jumped to $14.99 for the cheapest #50 bag. and no I dont butcher I cant eat it when I do so no point.
> Just know you are not alone. Garden did little spent more on seeds and plants the it would have cost me at the food store, done with that. Man I miss tv. didnt think I would care but i really miss it. antenna gets me all the shop at home channels, ion, and qubo cartoons. no news shows.funny what not having tv does to quality of ones life. I know that sound dumb but when you dont have people to be around of talk too tv helps. even if it just back ground news.



Forcast..

Could you trade the chickens for something you will eat or use? i.e. bushels of apples/pears, half a pig, etc.? Might want to run a Craigslist ad before you turn them out to be eaten by something and see if you can barter them.

Or list them here on the barter board. I know there are some folks here that live in/near WV that might be interested if they knew about your hens.

Give it a try. BTW - I gave up TV for 8 years. My son and I both and neither of us miss it. I used internet for "tv" if I needed weather or wanted to watch the news. Now I am married and my DH keeps that tv going all day and half the night when he is home. I usually leave the room as I can't stand listening to all the "gloom and doom" on the news.

If I can help let me know, if I lived closer and had more room, I'd love to have the chickens, I love hens


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

Coco said:


> My electric bill hit the highest ever with me cutting 15% usage, my property taxes are up , and now* my homeowners insurance is 15% up. *Our monthly income is the same as it has been in the last year, but my basics are up around I would say 20%.


Always question insurance increases. State Farm raised ours by 20% a couple years ago, claiming "increased replacement costs". We asked for an on-site valuation, and they dropped back to the original premium.

Also, most car insurance companies have rates based on miles driven per year. We've got 2 cars we drive very little, and it saved quite a bit to change them over.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

One thing to think about with car insurances, especially if you have a vehicle you do not drive very often. I have state farm and some of my farm trucks I do not use all the time. I call and they turn off the insurance for months at a time, then when I am going to use it, I call and they turn it back on. Thus a premium for one year (365 days) may last several years.


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## Trainwrek (Aug 23, 2014)

Well idk about alot of that stuff. I have no homeowners insurance. We basically live in a cabin and if it breaks I'll fix it. I am the insurance. Property taxes are up, but still not too bad. We rarely shop anymore ( when we do we are blown away at how much it costs to get so little). Gardens are producing alot, and we have two freezers full of lamb, pork, and rabbit. We heat with wood and have plenty. No TV, no cellphone, just internet.

Alot of what is happening is stuff that most of us saw coming a long while ago. I expect it will get alot worse before it gets better.


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## Peggy (Feb 14, 2010)

Forcast said:


> yes hard times with me as well, just not enough coming in for the basics. Power bill really went up $189.00 last month from 89 and nothing extra running,dont get it. home and car insurance went up 35-65 $ a month, cut cable well they turned me off. phone and internet will be next. Just the electric bill and insurances will get paid I guess, not sure how to find money for property tax. I dont know what people can do to change things when you on a very low fixed income. I even ran an add to sell off my chickens, was not going to give ready to lays away, $15 each got 2 calls and they Both wanted to be very picky.and didnt buy any after I kept the birds locked up till they showed both people very late. Then one lady wanted me to catch each chicken so she could hold them. Buffs and jersey giants. what a pain in the butt. I guess I will turn them loose if they make it fine if not fine ***** and fox have to eat too, feed has jumped to $14.99 for the cheapest #50 bag. and no I dont butcher I cant eat it when I do so no point.
> Just know you are not alone. Garden did little spent more on seeds and plants the it would have cost me at the food store, done with that. Man I miss tv. didnt think I would care but i really miss it. antenna gets me all the shop at home channels, ion, and qubo cartoons. no news shows.funny what not having tv does to quality of ones life. I know that sound dumb but when you dont have people to be around of talk too tv helps. even if it just back ground news.


Forecast, Have you looked into feeding your chickens food that you grow? Are your chicken allowed to roam around and look for bugs. if I had a place for chicken I would take them. I want chicken someday, but I am not quite ready for farm animals yet.
good luck!


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

we've steadily been cutting back on all kinds of things over the years. really hung in there though and feel like we have a better quality of life than before, so it's nice for the kids to not feel as though they go without.

love this thread topic. thanks for starting it. very encouraging to read through other people's posts and feel we're in good company.

things we've done.
homeschooling - saves tons of gas/time, can't cook no time costs.
no more cable
no more house phone
cut back on driving in general
bought a kia rio 2 yrs ago. great car 40+ mpg. manual transmission, manual windows, locks, etc so easier to fix ourselves if needed.
no xm/Sirius subscriptions
no video store/red box, buying dvds or going out to movies
very little eating out
very little ground beef, we eat our goats now. love ground goat. dogs get some too.
glean corn from neighbors after harvest, helps feed livestock.
got permission to hunt neighbors land, so no more expensive outings to get to huntable land
changed to bantam chickens in sept. they supposedly eat 1/5 the feed, forage well, and their eggs should be 1/2 to 2/3 regular sized eggs, so that may save quite a bit. will get meat birds when we want to raise for butchering instead of having meat/egg layers year round.
bought 2 med freezers and one small one instead of one huge one to be able to unplug when I just don't have the volume to run them efficiently. at one point I used the kilowatt meter to track our old fridge and freezers and we were using something like 2000+kwh a month! they were old. ironically I have newer freezers now, but my new fridge is a monitor top from the 1920s/30s and we use somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000kwh a year for all!
decluttered our life big-time, that helped on so many levels
found a GREAT family dr. that has saved us so much. we can actually get in when sick and get a hold of him when he's closed, so trips to the ER/urgent care are down a bunch. he also does lots of procedures himself like wart removal, stitches, casts for broken bones, biopsies and collecting things for lab tests. my goodness, that has saved us so much over the last years it's mindboggling.
also have cut back on lots of premade and junk foods and that is a big $$ saver.
no video games and very few computers. lots of the type of stuff people like at best buy and apple store, etc we just don't even have, so I know that's an expense we've avoided.
also, have spent good money where needed on good quality stuff like barn rehabs, better fencing. better quality has actually saved us money and time after the upfront investment.

we've done lots of other stuff too and still have lots more we can do to improve.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

Every thing is going up....taxes are higher, our supplement insurance doubled, the garden did not make this year, no fruits due to late freeZes, even farms around that sell crops did not make......ground beef is close to six dollars a pound here....blessed to have church friends that share tomatoes or pears....we are carrying all our renters, they are having hard times with hours cut back......I see it only getting worse


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## V-NH (Jan 1, 2014)

Times feel tough here, but I don't think that they are. We're making more money than we ever have, but I just feel like we're still very limited in what we can do. That said, we don't need for anything so I thank God for that every day. I just wish we had a lot more disposable income than we do. We both have our masters degree, but it doesn't always feel like that. It would be nice to be able to go to a local fair, pay the admission, and buy lunch without feeling like the money could be better spent somewhere else.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Trainwrek said:


> Well idk about alot of that stuff. I have no homeowners insurance. We basically live in a cabin and if it breaks I'll fix it. I am the insurance. Property taxes are up, but still not too bad. We rarely shop anymore ( when we do we are blown away at how much it costs to get so little). Gardens are producing alot, and we have two freezers full of lamb, pork, and rabbit. We heat with wood and have plenty. No TV, no cellphone, just internet.
> 
> Alot of what is happening is stuff that most of us saw coming a long while ago. I expect it will get alot worse before it gets better.


 We would be in same way if we didn't have a Mortgage where we have to have Insurance. 

big rockpile


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

gibbsgirl said:


> we've steadily been cutting back on all kinds of things over the years. really hung in there though and feel like we have a better quality of life than before, so it's nice for the kids to not feel as though they go without.
> 
> love this thread topic. thanks for starting it. very encouraging to read through other people's posts and feel we're in good company.
> 
> ...


 Would you please post this list on the tightwad tips thread? I think it would inspire many people!!!


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

I have really noticed grocery prices increasing. I spend the same amount of money but get a lot less food. I am canning/freezing/drying everything I can get my hands on.

I did pay off my LAST doctor bill in September!!! This is the 1st month I have not had to pay a doctor/hospital bill in several years.


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

Melissa said:


> This is the 1st month I have not had to pay a doctor/hospital bill in several years.


So you are fully paid for and there is no chance they will reposes you!


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## V-NH (Jan 1, 2014)

Melissa said:


> I have really noticed grocery prices increasing. I spend the same amount of money but get a lot less food. I am canning/freezing/drying everything I can get my hands on.
> 
> I did pay off my LAST doctor bill in September!!! This is the 1st month I have not had to pay a doctor/hospital bill in several years.


Groceries are getting out of control. My wife and I realized a couple months back that we were spending something like $600 a month on groceries and another $50 on restaurants. We've cut it down to $300 per month total between groceries and ordering a pizza once or twice a month. I'm noticing that it is very difficult to feed two people on $75 per week and that our diet is changing as a result.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

V-NH said:


> Groceries are getting out of control. My wife and I realized a couple months back that we were spending something like $600 a month on groceries and another $50 on restaurants. We've cut it down to $300 per month total between groceries and ordering a pizza once or twice a month. I'm noticing that it is very difficult to feed two people on $75 per week and that our diet is changing as a result.


Amen to that food is just out of reach, even the cheap stores are not helping much the last few months. I have not been to the food pantry in a very long time but people down the road went this month and she said you dont get much about 1-meals worth but its all strange stuff that is hard to make a meal out of. she got a can of corn, and 3 cans of gravy, a very small size of your palm pack of deer ground. a box of very hard donuts, a pack of radishes. corn starch, mustard and packs of salt and pepper.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Melissa said:


> ... This is the 1st month I have not had to pay a doctor/hospital bill in several years.





Ramblin Wreck said:


> So you are fully paid for and there is no chance they will reposes you!


Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think they can "repossess" your home while you are living in it, but they can put a lien against your home, which is payable only if you sell it. I'm not sure about wage garnishment?

Anyone here have experience with current laws regarding unpaid hospital/doctor bills?


.


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## oldmania (Jan 25, 2007)

Homefire2007 posted about getting 25 lbs of beans for $37.50 at a truck sale. I buy pinto beans in 10 lb. bags at Costco for $7.99. That comes out to 50 lbs for $39.95. I usually keep 50 lbs. in reserve.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I'm single, so have more flexibility than folks with families, but basically nothing has changed much for me finance wise. I'm on a fixed income, so watch prices pretty carefully. Food prices have stayed the same because I have enough in the freezer and pantry that I can wait for a sale to purchase. Last month I bought sirloin steak for $3.99 a pound and stocked up. Each year I get a deer -- $75.00 processing fee, but it's enough red meat to last a year or more. 
Property insurance went up $200.00, but auto insurance and property taxes stayed the same. Changed to an all wind electric company and that has gone down by about $20.00 a month, which makes up for the increased insurance. 
I guess the most difference for me is I'm being more careful on purchases and comparison shopping more so as to get bargains.


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## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

forcast the electric bill going up that much is terrible, did you call them.?..ours went up one time and i found out our well pump was running constantly. needed a new switch..


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## northergardener (Dec 12, 2007)

CajunSunshine said:


> Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think they can "repossess" your home while you are living in it, but they can put a lien against your home, which is payable only if you sell it. I'm not sure about wage garnishment?
> 
> Anyone here have experience with current laws regarding unpaid hospital/doctor bills?
> 
> ...


I think Ramblin wreck was joking about them reposessing Melissa's body for all the work that was done.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Hubby drives a truck in the oil field. 
Our family economy is VERY healthy.

(he works with guys from all over the country, improving their "household economy")


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

CajunSunshine said:


> Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think they can "repossess" your home while you are living in it,
> .


They weren't talking about repossessing her home, they were talking about repossessing _Melissa_! lol

We made a similar joke when we got our first kid paid off.  (The second was fully insured, so she didn't have payments)


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## lemonthyme7 (Jul 8, 2010)

Our household income WAS doing okay before my son had emergency gallbladder surgery and then I got extreme vertigo (barely lift my head) only I didn't know what it was. I went to doctor and from the way my eyes were moving or whatever she thought I might have had a stroke. Well of course that meant ER and they admitted me. Worst mistake I made because it took 4 days before I was released and now we have about $6,000 in medical bills between the 2 of us and that's after the insurance paid their part. Thankful we had insurance though.

We don't have cable (but do have Netflix and Hulu). I shop sales religiously and coupon for deals. We don't eat much red meat. In fact a lot of meals are no meat at all. We paid off our car loan earlier this year so it is nice not to have that. DH works away from home 5 days a week in another city so he drives 2 hours each way, once a week, in his older pickup to come home and that's pricy but when he's at his job he has a very short drive to work and of course, we won't give up seeing him on weekends. Overall, we aren't in to bad of shape but watch our finances pretty close. If something major happened we might be in trouble though.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

We're not doing nearly as well as we thought we would be by now! A job I used to have came with stock options and profit sharing. When there was enough to pay off the mortgage, I was gonna "retire" and get something going with our little farm. But the company downsized and that job disappeared long before the mortgage did! On DH's side, he was supposed to be retired already, it was a "30 years and out" plan when he hired on. That pension fund is now in crisis, his pension amount keeps getting reduced and he has to be older to start drawing it. So while we thought by now, we would be out of the rat race with his pension for income, plus whatever we could make with our paid-for land, both of us are still wage slaves. 

But no sense crying over spilled milk. We are healthy, we like our jobs, we are inching closer to building a new house, we have been able to help out some family members and really change their lives for the better, we have acquired some "stuff" along the way and it's all paid for. We can pay our bills and add to savings every month. We have a roof over our heads, plenty to eat, close family ties, so life is good!

We have had to tighten our belts, we used to take vacations and had "disposable" income for recreation that we don't now, but it could still be a lot worse and I'm thankful for that.


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

"If something major happened we might be in trouble though. "

that's I think where a lot of people live as the new norm these days. I know we do. seems like we're very busy being as vigilant as we can to keep our heads above water with just the daily cost of living.

makes other things very difficult to come back from though whether its major car repairs, home repairs, medical bills, etc.

one of my bigger frustrations is the cost of things we can't control. I can bargain shop til I drop, but ultimately the list of things I can shop for the best deal on is getting smaller whether it's utility rates, insurance rates, costs for medical dental claims, gas prices, etc. 

there's only so much shopping and bargaining that can be done to find the best deals. plus there's just so much more now that's "required" sometimes things we didn't have to buy in the past, sometimes changes to what's required (taxes on utilities, more coverage on insurances).

quality is on my mind a lot more now than in the past. can't stand how many things wear out and need replacing. we've actually replaced a lot of stuff over the years with things from antique mall type stores because they are better and a lot of times cheaper than the junk I can buy new at a store. I got it in my head that I wanted to buy and not have to replace in a few years because it's broken/obsolete. so far, it's one of the better things we've tried. I have antique dressers, couches, chairs, tables, wringer washers, refrigerator, pots, kettles, etc. all going strong since we bought them. all still worth what I paid if I need to sell them. and all completely functional. I won't buy them unless I can use them.

we don't use a lot of grid utilities anymore, still have them, but don't run lights during the day. and, have slowly changed them out to LEDs.

we cut, color our own hair. 

we don't buy much red meat unless we've hunted or raised it ourselves. I swear I've forgotten how to cook a lot of cuts of meat well because now I make ground and shredded meat dishes almost exclusively cause I can get more out of less serving it that way.

I hope the things we've been figuring out end up more as 2nd nature for our kids so the learning curve isn't as steep for them when they're out on their own.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

A lot of the comments that I am reading are about cutting back to keep afloat. The reality is that you can only cut back so far before you have nothing left to cut. You can turn the heat off, limit yourself to using 10 litres of water a day and eat only one meal a day but the unavoidable bills are coming and if the costs keep going up eventually you will not even be able to afford these measures because you have to pay your property tax, car insurance and healthcare.

It is vital to keep track of your expenses and especially the increases but it also vital to recognize when you have to earn more. Every year we have analyzed our expenses and increased our income by a minimum of 10%. This goes to cover increases and into savings. To increase our "income" we have cut expenses but we also earn more.


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## HickorySyrups (Sep 14, 2014)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some ground beef... opted out when I saw the "sale" price was over 3 bucks a pound. I brought home more rice and beans.


Here in Black Creek, WI it's $5 a pound for ground beef. It's the only grocery store in town though.


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## Kristabelle (May 25, 2014)

We're finally starting to get back on our feet but have a long ways to go.

We are both working currently and we are finally at a place where we can slowly start saving. In the next 6 months, we are hoping to begin saving my take home pay for an entire year so that we can assess whether or not I can stay home full time.

It took a long time to stop living paycheck to paycheck, and we still kind of are. I still have to rearrange some bills each month so that things aren't tight.

DF was a bachelor, used to spending until he was broke habits, and it's taken a lot to readjust him these past couple of years. 

I filed for bankruptcy after being young and dumb, allowing DS' father to destroy my credit. I am just now starting to see recovery from that.

My mom moved back into my childhood home after my grandparents passed, and asked us to stay. She's not married and is in good health now but is quite a bit away from everything and unable to work full time (bad car accident) so we agreed. There's plenty of space for everyone and it allows us to homestead the way we wanted to. It's been a HUGE stress relief on all parts. We are completely renovating the house for her, which is hard work, but it's rewarding and she deserves a beautiful home to retire in. 

Still, there's a lot of improvement to be made. I'm really working on being more frugal.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

I work half the year away from home and earn a good amount from that. The problem I have is not paying bills, it is determining when I have all the infrastructure I need to stay home and farm full time. just seems every time I think I have all that is needed i find something else that seems to be needed. I am starting to think Homesteading is a lot like having kids. If you wait until you can afford it, you will never do it. If you just do it, you will find some way to make it work.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

My circumstances have changed a lot, but I am OK and expect to stay that way. Our troubles are nothing compared to those of regular people in eastern Europe, Central America, western Africa, the Middle East...


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## Shoestringer (Oct 18, 2013)

In a hole. We can still see the sky though, and we are in it together. Just have to figure out how to dig UP!


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

Ramblin Wreck said:


> So you are fully paid for and there is no chance they will reposes you!


 lol, Cale says he can never leave me, he has way too much money invested in me!!!!


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

God always provides! My dh is self employed & we are still in the black, so that is good.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

We're living on social security and keep track of every penny. By far our largest expense is medical which is $600 per month each and every month and that does not include the $104.90 taken from each of our SS each month. Absolutely nothing we can do to reduce these expenses. 

I put in a big garden each year and can, freeze, dehydrate or store everything possible. I kept our grocery budget at $200 a month for several years, but recently had to increase it to $250 to $300. We don't eat much meat and hardly any beef. I do have some meat in the freezer that was purchased before prices skyrocketed.

Because I have a fully stocked pantry, I mostly buy only when things are on special. I don't use many coupons as I usually buy store brands. Recently HyVee had sugar for 99Â¢ for 4 lb. and Fareway matched the price each with a limit of 1. So I was able to get 2 bags for 99Â¢ and, if I'd gone to Walmart, they'd have matched HyVee too. I watch the ads carefully to take advantage of specials like this. I mostly cook from scratch so don't buy 95% of the carp in the store. I do not need a box of hamburger helper -- I can give hamburger all the help it needs -- well, I would if I could afford to buy it!

Our property taxes took a $212 jump. We had to pay someone to mow our yard this year and due to the constant rain that was weekly @$35 to $55. We have to pay someone to plow snow and the forecast is for a lot of snow this winter. We desperately need repairs to the living room bow bay window and we have to hire it done. I paid out $75 today for plumbing. All of this will need to be factored into 2015 budget planning so cuts will have to be made in other categories to cover these increases. And even more frightening, each year health insurance premiums go up and up and up. If we get a cost of living raise for SS, they raise the Medicare premiums so end up with net zero increase in the bank.

We're also needing to do some inside remodeling and possibly an outside ramp due to dh's increasing lack of mobility. It will be costly but cheaper than $187 a day for him to have to go to the nursing home.

Forcast - my mother could never eat chickens she had to dress right away after butchering. However, if she froze or canned the meat, she could eat it at a later date. Would that work for you?


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

layer pellets $12.09 #50
gas $3.30gal
pork chops $1.99 lb
ground beef 2.29
pudding cups 4 @ 1.00 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Yes
sugar 64oz 1 99
20 lbs rice 12.99
milk 3.89 gal
bacon 3.48


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Seems like we have had a lot of expenses we couldn't avoid this year... Like a new engine in the truck, or new oil tanks. Thankfully.. All these extra expenses are paid, and I already have some saved to help build a new fund. Took some creative maneuvering.


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## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

We are making it day by day, week by week and month by month. We live on SS plus hubby's retirement from teaching for 35 years. In the last few weeks I've had long distance and any extras taken off our home phone, remove some of the programs from Direct tv (would have it removed but that's hubby's enjoyment), and reduced the wifi cost per month, 

We're eating more dry beans and dry peas. We have two nice size beds of greens growing for winter eating, we are eating more deer (thanks to our SIL).

We've let the flea market booths go. They were costing more than we were making. We have some buy, sell or trade sites on fb so when William has an item he has refinished to sell I list it on there and so far we've done better with this than having the booths. 

We use what we have or can get free or inexpensively. We have a nice fence built for the dogs to play in. It's made from pallets. When we get it painted it will look good or I think it will.

I'm cutting lights out and making sure any fans are off during the day. We're not having to run the A/C or turn the heater on right now so I'm hoping the electricity bill will come down. 

Two of our daughters have family plans on their cell phones so one added me to their plan and the other daughter added William to her plan. They won't let us pay for the service so that is saving us a bundle per month.

We have to buy a new hot water heater so when it's installed I'm going to have the installer turn down the temp on it.

We are fortunate that when we turned 65 we don't have to pay property tax if our home isn't valued at more than $75,000.00. That save a few hundred a year.

Instead of putting our tithes in a collection plate we use them to buy items for some of the local homeless people. I may be wrong in my thinking but I feel that this helps more people than adding to church account. 

We are paying the bills and have a little left over each month so I count us as some of the more fortunate ones.


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## han_solo (Aug 31, 2014)

We are in trouble also. I am the only one working wife is home schooling the kids. But she still drives a lot. We lost the child support this month(step daughter turned 18). We are behind on the bills. I do the grocery shopping and try to use coupons and price match. Don't understand how people use coupons and get items for a few dollars. I was hoping with our tax money we could get a wood furance used but don't think we can and have it installed etc


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

Our personal economy is good because we started planning retirement in our 30s and have been blessed enough to see our plans become reality (both retired at 55, 3 yrs ago). We've been VERY LUCKY, but we've also kept our eyes on the prize and done a lot of sacrificing along the way. DH's retirement plan was very generous....I worry about how younger people who aren't getting any sort of pension are going to make it.

Friends, family and tenants all seem to be doing well....except the one who just can not seem to keep a job or make a sensible decision. Not sure what can be done about that.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

CajunSunshine said:


> Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think they can "repossess" your home while you are living in it, but they can put a lien against your home, which is payable only if you sell it. I'm not sure about wage garnishment?
> 
> Anyone here have experience with current laws regarding unpaid hospital/doctor bills?





ErinP said:


> They weren't talking about repossessing her home, they were talking about repossessing _Melissa_! lol
> 
> We made a similar joke when we got our first kid paid off.  (The second was fully insured, so she didn't have payments)






:ashamed: :facepalm: 




.


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## vixcottage (Feb 12, 2013)

I have not been on this forum previously so am a newbie. I work @ the same job but am making less money than 1 year ago. As we all know prices keep climbing. I havent used a/c for 2 years to keep electric bill lowered and keep my home @ 63-65 degrees in winter. Try to be as frugal as possible! Since I am single my grocery bill is kept as low as possible. I have goats for milk, chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat but find it difficult to make ends meet...Calls for a lot of creativity. Have to remember my blessings- a home to live in critters to make me laugh & feed me.


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## Songbird (Apr 2, 2006)

We're retired, on a small fixed income, and in the past year our home and car insurance, and property taxes have gone up a lot. Also medical copays, food cost increases, and needed home repairs have made a big dent in our budget as well. But we always have just enough to cover the bills, and we live in a cozy little house that the mortgage is paid off and no other debt for us to worry over anymore. But just the basics are getting difficult these days.... We are so thankful though for all the good in our lives and this precious time we have together. The grandkids and our critters bring us so much joy too.  Yep, we are very thankful!


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## hmsteader71 (Mar 16, 2006)

We are making it. Dh is topped out on his pay at work and he's been there 12 years so he has built up 4 weeks of paid vacation a year. We are sooooooooo blessed, and I mean this, in our insurance. When he hired on he paid 100% the first 3 months, 75% the next 3 months, 50% the next 3 months and then 25% the last three months. So we do not pay anything monthly for insurance at this time. We have our co-pays and deductibles and this could change, we know that. But when they switched insurance he grandfathered in. We would not be making it if we were paying a monthly premium.
He just put in a bid for a different job in the plant that he works at because it would be easier on him physically. But that will mean less hours. Less hours means he'll be working 40 hours and an occasional Saturday. He's been doing 12 hour days 5-7 days a week.

I don't buy much beef. I about had a stroke the other day when I picked up a package at our local IGA. I bought what was on sale at $3.49/lb. The other was $4.49-$5.49 a lb. I normally buy our beef at the Mennonite market south of town. Theirs is $3.99/lb but there is no grease in it and it is freezer beef. But like I said, I don't buy much. Every Fall I get on a list at the deer processor nearby and get 2 deer to put in the freezer. Since we've cut down on the amount of meat we are eating I still have quite a bit of deer left. So I'm only going to buy 1 this year.

My garden did better than I thought it would and I have canned some jelly, vegetable soup and tomato juice & green beans. I still have pumpkins to can and I have put broccoli in the freezer and the cabbage that came off I used in my vegetable soup. I bought corn at Walmart earlier this Summer when it was $.10/ear. I bought 100 ears and froze that. 

I am making all of our breads. I make white bread, wheat bread, french bread, tortillas, biscuits, cornbread, dinner rolls, English muffins, pizza crusts, and even bread sticks. 

I have stopped shopping at Walmart for anything. If we need bathroom, kitchen or laundry items I shop at Dollar General. For grocery items I am shopping the Amish market, the Mennonite market and occasionally Ruler or Aldi.

I haven't been able to put anything in savings. Each year in January I sit down and do a budget for the year but it gets changed several times over that year. A year ago we financed a car. We both had told ourselves we would never do this again but we were at a point where we needed a reliable vehicle for the trips to our daughters. We didn't have anything in savings to buy a good one owner car so we did the financing. And we have kicked ourselves ever since. We have an excellent car but we hate that car payment. As soon as we can we are going to try to send a little extra every month to pay it off quicker. Dh had an emergency room visit and that bill wound up being almost $600.00. Thankfully they allow us to make payments. We are still paying on my surgery bill/emergency room bill but we have it down now under $900.00. We still have a chiropractor bill of around $400.00. When we get our tax refund, if we get enough, we are going to pay those 3 bills off, help his dad purchase the headstone for his moms grave, and pay off the washer and dryer we just had to get. Thankfully they did finance them for a year with 0% interest so our payment is low every month but that's another payment we didn't need but we didn't have extra money lying around to buy them outright. We are also hoping to have enough left out of the taxes to put a cushion back for emergencies.

I work part time with a home health agency and we finally went union. So they are trying to get us a raise. I don't see it happening but if it does that will be great.

Our house is over 100 years old and has so many things that we need to do. But I am thankful every day to have a roof over our heads, food on our table and clothes on our backs. I am thankful every winter to have a wood stove to help cut our heating costs. I amt thankful this Summer was as mild as it was and I didn't have to run our ac as much. If we don't run the ac it is over 100 in here. We have no way to circulate air in this house since installing our wood stove.

Honestly I don't know how families are making it who are making minimum wage. Not with the cost of food, gasoline, insurance, etc.

Oh yeah, I called this week and asked Direct TV what it would cost to buy out our contract. That is something else we are going to do after the first of the year. Right now it is $340.00 to buy it out. 
We have Magic Jack for telephone and still have cell phones but we are going to get away from Verizon after the first of the year and dh and I go to straight talk phones from Walmart. They are $35-$45 a month I think and that will help reduce our costs. I may not even get one. We might just get one for dh.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

PS: To those struggling, I would highly recommend oil field for anyone with a CDL (hauling crude obviously, but also water, frac sand, oversized loads, gravel, etc). Many smaller companies offer very flexible schedules because so many of the guys ARE from other parts of the country. Three weeks on, one week off is quite common...


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

puddlejumper007 said:


> forcast the electric bill going up that much is terrible, did you call them.?..ours went up one time and i found out our well pump was running constantly. needed a new switch..


Yep I did call yesterday told they have a 9% increase in place, moving to 17.6% in February. Unless the government stops them. Then add that 2 months was an estimated so they added the difference to the last bill how nice of them.


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## wally (Oct 9, 2007)

Forcast said:


> Yep I did call yesterday told they have a 9% increase in place, moving to 17.6% in February. Unless the government stops them. Then add that 2 months was an estimated so they added the difference to the last bill how nice of them.


Sure sounds like we have the same REA.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I am more than a little stunned at the increase cost of groceries. We eat a very simple diet. Rarely buy beef of any kind. Have chicken or fish occasionally. Lots of veggies. Lots and lots of veggies. Every summer I put in more raised beds but this year was a pretty dismal growing season. Cold wet spring and not much warmth to the summer and we've already had frost on the pumpkin. Cold weather things did well, though.  

Health insurance (high deductible) for me will double this year. My employer pays the bulk of it and we can earn incentive points that translate into the employer paying another chunk of it. So my very reasonable rates are doubling. Still probably less than a lot of people pay unless they are getting a subsidy. They put age limits on what is considered "preventative." If you are age 75 or older a colonoscopy or mammogram is no longer considered preventative so people would have to pay for it themselves unless they have met their deductible. 75 these days is not old. People in my family tend to easily live into their 90's and still be pretty self sufficient. I think I am in for a rough go of things when I am 75. They will probably not want to pay for a thing. 

I am thankful my little house is paid for. I have been working really hard to fix all the major things so that she is as snug as I can make her before I retire. I have replaced all the windows and the sliding glass door and two storm doors. I still need to replace a walk out basement door and the front exterior door. I want to get her insulated and re-sided before I retire, too. All the wiring is re-done. The furnace is replaced. The shingles are pretty new. 

Home owner's insurance is about the same. Property taxes are about the same. Car insurance went up but that was my fault. I got caught with a case of lead foot. But it didn't go up a whole lot - maybe 3.00 a month. 

There are things I could let go. I have cable but my 88 year old mother lives with me. The cooking shows and DIY shows and church shows are something she really enjoys so I keep it. I have 4 people on my cell family plan but get a discount through work so it's not horrible. They are talk and text only - no data on the plan. 

I don't spend money on much except for tools that I want to have when I am retired because I probably won't be able to afford them then. Things for working with wool or making rugs, weaving and spinning and fibery things I will spend a wee bit on. Beyond that I help family members some and try to save a little extra and try to pay something forward to others less fortunate.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

We pretty much live check to check. I am working to get some bills paid. It seems when I get one paid something else comes up. The money always comes from somewhere though & we are really blessed to have what we do.

We just sold our car. We decided a third vehicle wasn't necessary anymore. We made some money on it when we sold it. I dropped insurance & that will save about $45 a month. My son is in college so we have his car as a back up if needed. Also had the insurance change him to a student not driving which lowered his rates.

Groceries are crazy! I can't seem to get out of the store for less than $100 each week. We grow & can a lot of our food. There is no way we could ever afford to buy it all at the store. What I am buying is toiletries, dog food, personal hygiene items, & some dairy items. Milk is a killer for us. None of my goats are in milk right now. I hope to get that changed for next year. I lost a few does to mastitis this year. I really miss that milk!


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Wendy said:


> Groceries are crazy! I can't seem to get out of the store for less than $100 each week.


Back when we first married (1982), I CLEARLY remember our grocery budget was only $30 per week...and we ate well!

Times have changed!


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## nosedirt (Sep 24, 2014)

The housing boom was good to us but of course that is over. I drove truck after that until I found work locally. It was taking both of us working to barely make what I made myself during the boom. I lost my last job in June and still haven't found anything. Wishing now that I had kept my CDL. The house is up for sale and as soon as it's gone, we are Kentucky bound. Hopefully get a few acres with a small house. The wife works at home via internet for a company in VA so an easy move for her. Hopefully I can find something there. If not, I will make the best of it with whatever. I just received my first unemployment check ever. What a pride buster. I've always been able to find a job or make a job, this time, not so much. Cost of living in Tucson is high and wages low. But, I'm not really worried. The Lord will provide. He always has. Right now, he's not providing what he has in the past but that's okay. I'm still fat so maybe he thinks I need to use up some of that first. haha
We definitely want to become debt free and live mostly on what we grow and hunt. We lived like that many years ago and didn't realize that we were so much happier. Ready to go back to what we know and get out of this rat race. The last 20 years, we have been deep in debt, making more and more and then spending more and more. I spent so much time worrying about being a good provider financially that I became a poor provider of what the kids really needed which was my time, not more toys and a bigger house to put them in. Oh boy, did I just say all of that. 
I see others struggling but then talk to friends in other parts of the country that have no idea the economy is bad. In my fifty years I've never seen it like this but hopefully there is change coming, or not.


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## blessingsfarms (May 15, 2014)

Being self employed has been a night mire the last 5 years. We have a adopted daughter
from Manila Phillipines and there are good people homeless in our area so trust me we are thankful to God for were we are now. We have come a full circle back to realizing that we are over blessed and it is only our human desires that cause our stress. We named are farm two years ago for registration purposes and we did it to remind us to
focus on the BLESSINGS.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We are doing better after 2 years in the unemployment toilet....I was already living at bare bones level and saving away prior to DH job loss, so we were prepared to make it thru....and its true you can only cut so much. For example...no coffee maker, no clothes dryer and no dishwasher....saved $35 a month on electric. The animals and the garden saw us thru and already having some experience helped "know" how to self-vet and amend the soil. Our gardens and animals never lacked! I might have been tired of canning but....hard work is good for you!

In all the years of living below our means and not buying the Mcmansion we paid our home and vehicles off by age 35 and 40(DH)....a serious sense of security can be had from "getting there" 

DH got on with the water district this past Valentine's day and the ins benefits are AWESOME! netting almost a $3 an hour raise just in reduced premiums and paid deductible....its hard digging work for a 49 yo but again its worth it.

This past week an old friend opened a daycare locally and I've taken part-time work there....

It certainly takes fortitude and sacrifice and an eye on the bigger picture to insure security thru the ups and downs of the economies....I think a new normal has come to be...and it is "lower" for a lot of folks.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

We are struggling, but we haven't missed a meal and the house payments continue to be made. Power bill has gone up, water bill has gone up, feed is up, groceries are through the roof. I have a lot of medical bills coming in because of my thyroid and all the tests being run on me. We make more money now than we ever have and should be sitting pretty. Yet, we are in the same place we have always been...struggling to make ends meet.


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## shannsmom (Jul 28, 2009)

We seem to be in the same boat as most....hanging on but not getting anywhere. We have been self employed for 4 years now, and it has been great at times, but seems to be getting harder every year. Every month I worry and worry about whether the bills will get paid, somehow they always do, so I am thankful for that. Yet one big problem would sink us. The electric has gone up (last month was the highest electric bill I have ever seen!), the water and trash have gone up, house insurance has gone up, not to mention the costs of food and gas. I am having to change the things I shop for, but am grateful for the stockpile I had built in better times, and the resources and ability to learn creative ways to make things stretch and seem more interesting. 

I hope things get better for everyone, but I also fear that this is the new normal for most people.


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

nosedirt said:


> The housing boom was good to us but of course that is over. I drove truck after that until I found work locally. It was taking both of us working to barely make what I made myself during the boom. I lost my last job in June and still haven't found anything. Wishing now that I had kept my CDL. The house is up for sale and as soon as it's gone, we are Kentucky bound. Hopefully get a few acres with a small house. The wife works at home via internet for a company in VA so an easy move for her. Hopefully I can find something there. If not, I will make the best of it with whatever. I just received my first unemployment check ever. What a pride buster. I've always been able to find a job or make a job, this time, not so much. Cost of living in Tucson is high and wages low. But, I'm not really worried. The Lord will provide. He always has. Right now, he's not providing what he has in the past but that's okay. I'm still fat so maybe he thinks I need to use up some of that first. haha
> We definitely want to become debt free and live mostly on what we grow and hunt. We lived like that many years ago and didn't realize that we were so much happier. Ready to go back to what we know and get out of this rat race. The last 20 years, we have been deep in debt, making more and more and then spending more and more. I spent so much time worrying about being a good provider financially that I became a poor provider of what the kids really needed which was my time, not more toys and a bigger house to put them in. Oh boy, did I just say all of that.
> I see others struggling but then talk to friends in other parts of the country that have no idea the economy is bad. In my fifty years I've never seen it like this but hopefully there is change coming, or not.


oh my gosh. can I double like this post? boy oh boy can I relate to this one.


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I think things are tight for many. But we are still better off than many. We have a freezer full of beef and will have another butchered in Feb. Grassfed is the way to go! Our garden gave us enough to freeze and I still have fruit from last year (thank goodness because the deer have raided everything with in reach). Our heating unit died , so we have to get something to get us thru the winter months. Our hot water heater is a hit or miss, so that will need to be fixed or replaced. Our home insurance will drop because of the new fire station being built with in 4miles of us. We need to shop around for new insurance. Been a long time since we had a review. Gonna get rid of our house phone because we never use it..everyone uses the cell numbers. I am always looking for ways to cut our budget. I keep reading and trying different ways
..


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

nosedirt said:


> The housing boom was good to us but of course that is over. I drove truck after that until I found work locally. It was taking both of us working to barely make what I made myself during the boom. I lost my last job in June and still haven't found anything. Wishing now that I had kept my CDL. The house is up for sale and as soon as it's gone, we are Kentucky bound. Hopefully get a few acres with a small house. The wife works at home via internet for a company in VA so an easy move for her. Hopefully I can find something there. If not, I will make the best of it with whatever. I just received my first unemployment check ever. What a pride buster. I've always been able to find a job or make a job, this time, not so much. Cost of living in Tucson is high and wages low. But, I'm not really worried. The Lord will provide. He always has. Right now, he's not providing what he has in the past but that's okay. I'm still fat so maybe he thinks I need to use up some of that first. haha
> We definitely want to become debt free and live mostly on what we grow and hunt. We lived like that many years ago and didn't realize that we were so much happier. Ready to go back to what we know and get out of this rat race. The last 20 years, we have been deep in debt, making more and more and then spending more and more. I spent so much time worrying about being a good provider financially that I became a poor provider of what the kids really needed which was my time, not more toys and a bigger house to put them in. Oh boy, did I just say all of that.
> I see others struggling but then talk to friends in other parts of the country that have no idea the economy is bad. In my fifty years I've never seen it like this but hopefully there is change coming, or not.


**********
neighbor had let her CDL expire like 6 years ago she went in took a short refresher class and took her test. I think she was with JBHUnt but I hear a lot of the truck lines offer the class if you sigh up with them.


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## Jerngen (May 22, 2006)

Income is down and expenses are up (utilities/insurance/groceries/etc.). We're living paycheck to paycheck and constantly feeling like we just barely have our face above water as we're treading desperately. Family of six and groceries seem to keep going up. Our staples are dried beans, rice, and oatmeal all bought in 25lb bags. I used to take comfort in having a rather full pantry for hard times but other than the staples, it's looking pretty bare. 
We went down to one vehicle last year to reduce expenses. 

We're hoping and praying that we can finally buy a little house in the country next year. I used to love to garden and look forward to doing it again on a large scale to help cut expenses. 
We'll survive as we always do


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

Like the rest of you, we are living paycheck to paycheck and not getting anywhere. I don't know when I last put money into savings. Our biggest expenses are home owners insurance (our house is paid off, thankfully, but those insurance payments keep coming), car insurance, one car payment, groceries, and credit cards. Just when I get the credit cards paid off, something comes up that we don't have savings stashed away for and the credit card gets used again. Very frustrating. Our garden this year was a disaster. We are hopeful that next year's will work out. We are one disaster away from being in a bad way.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Lots of stuff here.

I would like to reiterate what a previous poster said. NEVER EVER NEVER finance a car. That is a suckers game. Craigslist is great for finding low mileage single owner cars for under $5G. It does take time and effort, and you have to be on the ball and call quick, but it really can be to your advantage.

I'm in the market for a used Suzuki Sidekick for myself, and a [newer] Vitara for the wife. Granted I'm likely to have to drive a long ways, maybe even 300 miles 1 way, but they are 4WD & get 25-almost 30 MPG.

I am currently selling my body for medical research a healthy subject investigation. Will earn over $7000 in 2 months.

Food - Are there any food banks you can receive assistance from? Even in my rural area [65+ miles from the nearest Wal-mart], we have a food pantry supported by RoadRunner Food Bank. Couples/families receive 50-100lbs + food monthly including beef, poultry, pork, even frozen fish. They are a private non-profit, and certainly they receive grant monies from the US.gov, but it is your tax money anyway. [or your parents, children, siblings, friends, etc].

Another thing is comfort foods; yes bacon, chacolate, butter, pizza are all tasty and nice to have, but the specific items are not necessary. Substitute for something else, and buy it on clearance. When you travel to the big city [and we pretty much all do, I go to Albuquerque about once a month], figure out which stores have a space set aside for markdown meats & milk. Check them out each time.
Last month, I picked up 4 gallons of skim milk for 99Â¢ ea, and the besy by date was still 7 days out. In my freezers as we speak.

Cable TV, Satellite/Dish/Hulu/Netflix.... Who needs all that when I can waste so much time.... er gain so much insight and knowledge from Homesteading Today! And it is FREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2014)

ErinP said:


> PS: To those struggling, I would highly recommend oil field for anyone with a CDL (hauling crude obviously, but also water, frac sand, oversized loads, gravel, etc). Many smaller companies offer very flexible schedules because so many of the guys ARE from other parts of the country. Three weeks on, one week off is quite common...


 I agree! My dad and brother are working in North Dakota when the union jobs dried up here in NY..they both are bringing home over $1600 a week..with many many other benefits..it was a sacrifice but you do what you have to do for your family.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

I've been trying to find the name of this organization..it was something like 'foodshare' but wasn't a food pantry. It worked as a buying club. Each week you'd place an order and on Sat you'd go to the drop station and pick up your box of food. It was a crapshoot as far as what you'd get...you'd never know. It wasn't a CSA..and I seem to think that if you volunteered to sort things, you'd get a free box or a discount?

The price was very reasonable. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please post a link because I can't seem to find anything... there were no income restrictions.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Jax-mom If you're looking for Angel Food Ministeries, I don't think they're doing business anymore.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Hm. That doesn't ring a bell. But thanks.


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## Classof66 (Jul 9, 2011)

Jax-mom I remember it too, but I can't think of the name. It is out of business too. Someone will remember. It was like Angel Food Ministries.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

There might be something similar in your cities if you make too much to receive assistance. We used it while living in wi and it sure did help us make it through tight times.


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

Helena said:


> ..I always say as long as we can pay the taxes we can live without electric and propane if we have to with woodstoves and ingenuity. So very glad I began the homesteading life early in my years. It has taught me/us how to do with less and still be very grateful.
> 
> You have the right idea Helena. :rock:
> 
> I am trying to pay off the mortgage on my farm as quickly as possible. If the farm is paid for I can do with out electric if I have too. Certainly can do with out TV and phone. At this time I have antenna TV only and rarely watch it. I use a prepaid phone card for long distance. My auto insurance is super cheap and went down further this year. My home owners insurance is also very cheap and went down this year too. I have started leaving my hot water heater turned off at the fuse box and keep everything electric off except my fridge and freezer. And like everyone else I have a good pantry stocked. (Sometimes I think I must have been a Mormon in a previous life!) If it got really, really bad, but the farm was paid off...I could survive on as little as 300.00 a month. You learn these things when you try to become a homesteader, don't you?


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## Classof66 (Jul 9, 2011)

I think the food program may have been called SHARE. I see where Iowa has a program very similar to it by that name.


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## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

Jax-mom said:


> I've been trying to find the name of this organization..it was something like 'foodshare' but wasn't a food pantry. It worked as a buying club. Each week you'd place an order and on Sat you'd go to the drop station and pick up your box of food. It was a crapshoot as far as what you'd get...you'd never know. It wasn't a CSA..and I seem to think that if you volunteered to sort things, you'd get a free box or a discount?
> 
> The price was very reasonable. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please post a link because I can't seem to find anything... there were no income restrictions.


 It was SHARE Florida- Self Help and Resource Exchange. 2 hrs volunteer work for each "unit" you bought. Started at 8.75 a month and ended at 13.75 a month. It was sponsored by Tampa Bay Methodist Ministries. They had a variety- standard package, extra meat package, bonus package (like the 3.5 lbs of frozen chicken cordon bleu) I was a participant for over 10 years and still had 3,000 hours banked in my volunteer records when they shut down with no notice- SHARE had been advertising for a paid rep for SW FL the month before. On that last pickup day all were notified it was the last. Methodist Ministries said they had more "urgent" needs for their charitable dollars. I'm still bitter about the way they shut down. I raised my kids on it, and bought packages for their families and my foster daughter and her family for years too.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

We used to have Angel Food Ministries here. DD participated most months and she shared out or donated anything she didn't use. They no longer have them though. I'm not certain why they shut it down.


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## mike3367 (Dec 15, 2004)

2 things i did was stop using central heat and air to just room air, that alone save me 200 a month on average, and second was get rid of my car and get a scooter, the scooter saves me dang near 2k a year over a car


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## Cindy in PA (May 13, 2002)

mythreesons said:


> I agree! My dad and brother are working in North Dakota when the union jobs dried up here in NY..they both are bringing home over $1600 a week..with many many other benefits..it was a sacrifice but you do what you have to do for your family.


 
That's interesting as many workers in NW PA & NC PA are spanish speaking & many trucks are from Texas & OK. I hear about these wonderful jobs in PA, but only know one person who has one & I wouldn't let him watch my dog. He's a "safety" person & it gives me no secure feeling having him in that position. Really goes along with my feeling on the whole industry. JMHO It's great to get a great job, but I haven't seen it here.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

OUVickie said:


> We used to have Angel Food Ministries here. DD participated most months and she shared out or donated anything she didn't use. They no longer have them though. I'm not certain why they shut it down.



I kinda recall...the founders were charged with fraud


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

GoldenCityMuse said:


> Lots of stuff here.
> 
> I would like to reiterate what a previous poster said. NEVER EVER NEVER finance a car. That is a suckers game. Craigslist is great for finding low mileage single owner cars for under $5G. It does take time and effort, and you have to be on the ball and call quick, but it really can be to your advantage.
> 
> ...


I also started volunteering at our local food pantry when DH was laid off and it was fun and lots of fod waste for the animals and outdated bread that I made bread pudding and french toast with!

I dont have internet at home but library is 1mile away so I did the pay sites like swagbucks and earned $75-100 a month doing offers, surveys and watching videos....I mostly got Walmart gift cards and used them online at walmart.com ($50 free shipping)....the #10 cans of Augason farms soup mix, pancake mix(7#box), summer sausage, toilet paper, corned beef hash, chef boyardee pizza kits.....all shipped to my door for free with money earned from the pay sites.....it pays amazon and paypal too which I also used from time to time.

There is money to be made online if you need it bad enough....I made over $1500 last year.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

countryfied2011 said:


> I kinda recall...the founders were charged with fraud


Oh wow, that's sad!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Cindy in PA said:


> That's interesting as many workers in NW PA & NC PA are spanish speaking & many trucks are from Texas & OK. I hear about these wonderful jobs in PA, but only know one person who has one & I wouldn't let him watch my dog. He's a "safety" person & it gives me no secure feeling having him in that position. Really goes along with my feeling on the whole industry. JMHO It's great to get a great job, but I haven't seen it here.


Probably you don't see them because they're too busy working. 

DH started out in ND, but just before he came home to work the Colorado field, he had actually been moved to hauling sand in the Marcellus. If he were still in PA/WV/OH, he'd currently be grossing over _$3K per week_, because that's what his former co-workers are getting. It'll probably slow down a bit from there, but doubtful it'll go below $1500 anytime soon&#8230;

Many trucks ARE from OK or TX (or ND or CO&#8230, but their _drivers_ are from all over.

And if you're under about 25 or so, there's also work on the drilling or frack rigs themselves. (They usually don't want older guys though because they need young and strong to do the crappy jobs of a new rig hand)


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## aftermidnite (Dec 8, 2005)

Living on what daughter makes at a National Pizza chain here in our town .
Started out with just 7 hours a week at most but by end of the month she will be a shift manager and that comes with a raise of .90 an hour .

I last worked a year ago .

I am unable to work now due to a nerve disease of the spine that has taken over my health after many years of managing the pain and working thru it ...

I managed for a year to live off of my savings and payouts from retirement programs I was in with past jobs as well as gifts from friends...

If it wasn't for the barter system with our landlady we would be living under a bridge on the river since my family is the kind who has their hands out until you need a hand up and then they disappear completely .

The day I lost my job I cut off Direct TV and downgraded our cell phone plans .

I had been over paying my gas budget for a year prior to loosing my job and because of that I haven't had a gas bill in over 15 months and as it stands now wont have to pay for at least 3 more months .

We are on budget for lights and that was lowered for this next year because we worked on using less electricity all last year .

Our water and sewer bill stays about the same year round ..

We have cell phones not landlines and have our internet included with our family plan and never use all the allowed "space"

I can ..freeze or dehydrate everything I can get my hands on ..
Never turn down any gift of food and work on a share plan with my landlady ..I can and prep stuff she either buys or barters for veggies and meats ..She supplies her jars and lids and bags and shares her bounty with us .

I try to do all I can do here in the house and in the small scattered garden areas in our front yard...
daughter does the push mowing and I use the neighbor girls riding mower in exchange for me mowing her yard (she pays for the gas for the rider too ..she is NOT an outside kind of girl and refuses to do any yard work ) every other week daughter uses the weed eater in her yard and ours as well as the other half double here since it has been empty all summer ...

We are painting as we can on the empty apartment ...

This is the first time in many many years I have been in this position and as far as my health it will be this way pretty much from now on ..

I out lasted their predictions by 10 years as far as being able to work and be active ..and have kept my hopes up until recently .

I need to sign up for SS disability but have been putting it off because I don't want to give up hope that I can work again ..

I am thankful my daughter moved home 2 years ago ..

I just hope she doesn't get discouraged with now having me to help support ..

We are BLESSED and I offer up prayers of thanks everyday ...


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

Aftermidnite that raise in position & pay is a testament to your daughter's willingness to do whatever is asked of her, you should be very proud of her. I'm glad they value a good employee.


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## aftermidnite (Dec 8, 2005)

I am VERY proud of her .
She has only been there about 5 months and they told her it would take about a year to get more hours.She kept at it and learned all she could about that business and she brought good managerial and work ethics with her that they saw and appreciate .
Along with working she is taking GED classes 2 evenings a week and her job makes sure to give her those 2 days off every week ..education is important to this family run business and they want her to succeed just as much as she and I do ...
I am so proud of the woman she has grown to be and never miss an opportunity to tell her so ..


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## sdnapier (Aug 13, 2010)

beaglebiz said:


> Creative Maneuvering.


CM - I like that.


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## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

There is a replacement for AngelFood Ministries in FL I JUST discovered, called Gaballi. Active in Ohio, PA, And FL. I suggest you take a moment and google Angelfood Ministries Replacement like I did.


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

aftermidnite said:


> Living on what daughter makes at a National Pizza chain here in our town .
> Started out with just 7 hours a week at most but by end of the month she will be a shift manager and that comes with a raise of .90 an hour .
> 
> I last worked a year ago .
> ...


Aftermidnite, I hope you have investigated disability... it sounds like you would definitely qualify! ETA, oh sorry I see further down in your post you plan on checking it out. I strongly encourage you to do that.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

I hope this may help anyone who needs it: - there is another link to enter in your zipcode, once you click the site below.

http://www.oneharvest.com/ "OneHarvest is a non-denominational, faith based organization that is committed to helping American families. We offer affordable, pre-packaged, high quality food boxes. Our quality standard is based on a simple question...

If Christ were sitting at our table, would we be proud to serve Him our food?

By partnering with local churches and other community minded organizations, we are able to offer a once monthly distribution giving you an opportunity to save, serve and connect. Savings is simple, everyone wants to save money and everyone has to eat. Serving and connecting with your community can be difficult at times. 

We truly believe that food ministry is an awesome and effective way for you to serve and connect with your community. Our heart is ministry, feeding people is the bonus. 

Ordering is open to everyone, there are no limits, qualifications or requirements. Order for yourself, a friend or family member, or for a family in need in your community.

*OneHarvest is currently distributing in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (Dallas/Ft Worth & Tyler), Virginia, and West Virginia.*"


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Here's another one: 

http://sharefoodprogram.org/programs/share-food-boxes/

"SHARE Food Package is a program where people get a break on their grocery bills by exchanging volunteer time for the opportunity to buy affordable food. For each package of food purchased, we simply ask for two(2) hours of &#8220;good deed&#8221; time, whether at SHARE, other institutions in your community, or your own neighborhood.

Food packages offer meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and grocery items valued at as much as twice the price you pay. SHARE purchases the food from growers, brokers and packaging plants. SHARE Food is never donated, government surplus, or salvage.
"
It is located in *Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Metro NY, or Eastern Shore MD.*


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## countrytime (Sep 23, 2012)

aftermidnite said:


> Living on what daughter makes at a National Pizza chain here in our town .
> Started out with just 7 hours a week at most but by end of the month she will be a shift manager and that comes with a raise of .90 an hour .
> 
> I last worked a year ago .
> ...


Approx where are you at in Indiana? I always have rabbits (if you want to breed your own) and rabbit meat available...if you like it, and/or can butcher them. For free...I will be in Noblesville on November 9th. PM me if your interested.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Aftermidnite, please apply for disability. You worked and payed into it for all those years!

If you have an improvement in your health and can work again, you just withdraw from disability. My cousin did that, he had a bad spell with his back and ended up on disability but gradually got better, after a couple years he found a job he could do and went back to work, stopped drawing disability. So it isn't a "life sentence". 

Congratulations on your daughter's promotion. And, on managing so well for so long after you lost your income!


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

Well this thread has certainly been interesting. To listen to the elected officials and the news, "The economy is improving and things are looking good."

It sounds like that just ain't so!

Our area is no different. Business's laying off people - and those people can't find jobs. Of course, once they use up their unemployment benefits, their name is off the "list" completely - so that's why unemployment figures are "getting better", it's not because people are finding work - it's they have used up their benefits and are now not being counted!

Younger people - yeah, the days of pensions are pretty much over. In today's world, you are lucky if you work for a company that offers a 401k plan - and even luckier if the company CONTRIBUTES to it!

Higher prices everywhere except in wages. As has been said, you can cut back only so far until there is NOTHING else left to cut - and then what?

Food prices, and other things keep increasing. Property taxes keep increasing. I don't know around here HOW the elderly or people on fixed incomes are keeping up. 

Our school district has almost 48% of students on free or reduced lunches - yet the school board keeps increasing taxes saying that "It's only raising them $40.00 for the average property owner." I keep telling people it won't be long until we can't afford to live here anymore.


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## hmsteader71 (Mar 16, 2006)

Last year the superintendent of our school district embezzled a lot of money from the school. Get this though. He wasn't punished. He resigned and left the area. Now the school is trying to dig its way out of the hole it's in and in doing so raised the costs of the kids going there. I don't know about other areas but without the sports fees it cost us $130.00 to register our son. Then right off the bat they had to have a $25.00 fee for his Latin class because it is completely online. They don't send a bill home for school lunches until he gets past the cut-off point and then the bill can be anywhere from $50-$100. So I went in Monday and paid $50 on his lunches and still don't know the total.
I honestly don't know how the elderly and those making minimum wage are making it. Dh says they are holding down 2 jobs probably and it it's couples they are both probably holding down 2 jobs. 
We have Governor's elections coming up in a few weeks and we have Governor Quinn running again who does want to raise minimum wage and then we have Rauner running who is a multi-billionaire who owns 9 different mansions and does not want to raise minimum wage. So I don't know what's going to happen.
My clients are living in the poverty level and yet when they try to get food stamps they might get $15-$35 a month. And then if their social security goes up the food stamps goes down.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I must say in our area there are a lot of help wanted signs out & ads in the paper. I keep hearing how no one wants to work. Talking with different business owners & they say they can't find good workers. They work a week or 2 & then quit. Drugs have become a huge problem in our small town & a lot of the people either can't pass a drug test or just flat out won't work because they are too busy getting high. Also, a lot of younger people think they need to start out making $15 an hour & refuse to work anywhere because they aren't getting paid enough. Shoot, my 15 year old daughter is working at McDonald's. It's not the greatest job, but she doesn't mind it & it gives her some extra money.


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## BlueRose (Mar 7, 2013)

It is hard going on disability. I had to go on in 1993 got off 1995 had to go back on 2003. It is hard on the pride. I had to look at it as I paid in now I need it. I am cutting back to bare bones on everything. I am gardening (this year was bad) however I had a neighbor who planted a garden for the first time on the old home place in 12 years. They had tomatoes every where. Ms Connie and I have 30 quarts of tomato sauce, 40 quarts of chilli, 28 quarts of spagattii sauce. and 52 quarts of tomatoes


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## lemonthyme7 (Jul 8, 2010)

Cindy in PA said:


> That's interesting as many workers in NW PA & NC PA are spanish speaking & many trucks are from Texas & OK. I hear about these wonderful jobs in PA, but only know one person who has one & I wouldn't let him watch my dog. He's a "safety" person & it gives me no secure feeling having him in that position. Really goes along with my feeling on the whole industry. JMHO It's great to get a great job, but I haven't seen it here.


My husband works in the Marcellus Shale region in Washington County SW PA. He drives a water truck that moves water for the fracs and for drilling. There are MULTIPLE companies in this area. I don't know of much work for NW PA that is happening in this field right now although it is slowly building. I do know NC PA has some though. I don't recall my husband ever saying there are many Spanish speaking workers and he knows many people from many companies. Most of the workers he knows are from western PA and there are people higher up in the organizations (well consultants, etc) that are from TX because they are experienced in their field.

DH makes a decent wage. The bulk of his pay comes from what he makes on overtime. He works 70 to 84 hours a week (14 hour days). His company pays a food per diem of $25 a day and pay for a condo for him to live in (they pay $950 a month for it). The hours and time away from home are the big downfalls. He works 5 days on 1 day off. He is currently trying to find the same kind of work closer to home. We live 2 hours north of where he works.


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## Cindy in PA (May 13, 2002)

lemonthyme7 said:


> My husband works in the Marcellus Shale region in Washington County SW PA. He drives a water truck that moves water for the fracs and for drilling. There are MULTIPLE companies in this area. I don't know of much work for NW PA that is happening in this field right now although it is slowly building. I do know NC PA has some though. I don't recall my husband ever saying there are many Spanish speaking workers and he knows many people from many companies. Most of the workers he knows are from western PA and there are people higher up in the organizations (well consultants, etc) that are from TX because they are experienced in their field.
> 
> DH makes a decent wage. The bulk of his pay comes from what he makes on overtime. He works 70 to 84 hours a week (14 hour days). His company pays a food per diem of $25 a day and pay for a condo for him to live in (they pay $950 a month for it). The hours and time away from home are the big downfalls. He works 5 days on 1 day off. He is currently trying to find the same kind of work closer to home. We live 2 hours north of where he works.


You are right about the Spanish speaking people. They are with whatever company Seneca contracts with for seismic in NW PA.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

hmsteader71 said:


> SNIP
> They don't send a bill home for school lunches until he gets past the cut-off point and then the bill can be anywhere from $50-$100. So I went in Monday and paid $50 on his lunches and still don't know the total.
> SNIP


Why don't you make the kids lunches for school?

When I was a child [MANY decades ago] my mom always made my lunch. and I took it and always ate it. [I think]. Just a sandwich, bag of chips from a large bag, maybe apple slices or carrots, and a thermos of mixed dried milk & whole milk.

Way cheaper than the school meals.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

DH and I are both retired and live off his pension and SS and I draw a minute pension. I am not old enough for SS yet. I retired at 56 when my company offered several of us an early retirement package and it took me a nano second to say yes...lol We have no bills except for normal expenses--electric, insurance etc. Everything is paid for and we have a significant amount of savings and we both have IRAs. Right now we are very comfortable....but otoh we are not guaranteed that it will be the same tomorrow because anything is possible and could change our way of living. So we raise rabbits,chickens, grow a garden and I can, dehydrate and freeze. I don't pinch pennies but I try not to waste it either. So far life is pretty good~


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## Rivmage (Dec 24, 2012)

To be honest, we are doing pretty well. Partly because of the father in law's life insurance money when he passed in June. 

We have no credit card debt, paid off one of our cars in less then a year. We should be mortgage free in the next 12 to 18 months. Our only debt besides the mortgage is another new car and we are a couple months ahead on payments. 

We're planning to save up so we can afford to move to some land nearby so, I can keep my job. The only thing that could be better is the wife making more from her writing. 

Scott


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Gas and groceries are killing us, although since my 19 year old recently moved out, my grocery bill really went down! But fuel is the big bank-breaker.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some ground beef... opted out when I saw the "sale" price was over 3 bucks a pound. I brought home more rice and beans.


Yes, normal price for 85% ground beef around here is right at $5/lb. When I see it on sale for $3.49 I jump at it.


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## hmsteader71 (Mar 16, 2006)

He's a senior in high school and it's just been easier to let him eat there. When the kids were younger and in grade school I did send their lunches. Then we home schooled and it didn't matter. I'm just glad it's his last year.


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

We are doing okay right now with DH's social security, the annuity from his 401k and my salary. No credit card debt, 2 cars paid for, and less than 5 months left on the mortgage. Groceries are high but we have a garden, chickens and 2 feeder beef ready next spring. 

I plan to retire next August with social security and a small annuity from my retirement plan at work. Our biggest concern is health insurance. We will both be eligible for Medicare by August 2015 and have been looking at some of the supplemental options. I carry the insurance for both of us now through my work. In 2011 I paid $10/month for excellent coverage, no deductible. For 2015 the same plan is $378/month with a $2500 deductible. We also have Long Term Care insurance that we want to keep, especially after seeing the nursing home costs for my father and the in-home care costs for my mother.

I was worried when DH retired but he reassured me that we will have plenty of money for our needs and will be fine. Now to hear him say that he needs to focus and get educated on the supplemental insurance plans so that we will have maximum insurance protection while our assets are still protected does scare me a bit.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Just stopped at the store to pick up a 7-bone roast to make a pot roast with. You've got to be ready to pay $3.98/lb for chuck roast today (isn't that what steak costs?). I settled for a pork sirloin roast that was on sale for $1.59.

http://food4less.mywebgrocer.com/Circular/FOOD4LESS-794/007943175/Weekly/1/1

That will pot roast just fine.


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## CarolinaHobby (Jun 23, 2014)

We're trying to get everything ahead and paid off.

Husband and I both work full-time (me 40 hours, him around 48 but he's salary -.-) and go to school full-time. He is two semesters away from graduating with two bachelor's degrees, thank the Lord. My new car is paid off and his has 0% interest permanently. We have a house payment but made an almost-half-of-total-amount down payment and we have a sizable CD in the bank so that when it "matures," should pay the house off in four years. Honestly though, we are *only* as well off as we are because my mother died in July 2013 and she thankfully had a nice life insurance policy. We have no credit card debt except for my school fees, which my work will reimburse me for if I made acceptable final grades.

However, we found out some news today about mom's estate that is going to require us to hire a lawyer to sell her half of the land that my aunt lied to me about and said wasn't in my mom's name. Grr.


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