I make relatively decent money for not having a degree, $48k a year. But it doesn’t seem to be nearly enough. I get hit with charges left and right, aside from my regular bills I get bullshit fees with everything and I’m not talking about late fees. I just called my internet provider and it said I owed $140!! I have no idea what for. I can’t imagine if I had a car payment, medical bills or kids. I don’t know how people survive.
shareI moved from New York City to Reno, Nevada for a lower cost of living. But Reno is now getting expensive as people and businesses look for an alternative to California.
So far, though, I'm not going anywhere. My point is "vote with your feet" if your area is too expensive.
Edit: Take a comprehensive look at your bills and ask yourself what you can do to save money. That sounds simplistic but maybe you can be more thrifty.
Another edit: I recently had to quit smoking and drinking for health reasons. So far I am astounded by how less often I have to go to the ATM for cash. This is an example of really looking at how you are spending your money.
Movie Buff - How old are you - what do you do?
share36, I work as a window clerk at the post office.
share36 is young. Have you ever considered doing something in your spare hours to start a service business?
BTW, don't ever sell yourself short because you don't have a degree. I have several friends who have degrees, (one of them has a Master's), who have never really done much with them.
Unless you have aspirations to become a CEO or a professional, a college education is only worth the paper it's printed on unless you know what to do with it.
Yeah good point. What exactly do you mean by service business?
shareProviding a service to people - there are gazillions out there. My stepson owns a lawn care business,(primarily grass cutting and has a very nice income from it) and you can start that with a push mower if you can get small yards to cut. My son flips houses and flippers are always looking for DEPENDABLE workers. The flipping is a side business for him and he always laughs and says if he ever needs a job he will paint houses and make a killing. You have no idea what dingbats flippers or anyone else has to work with - especially painters. They either charge a small fortune,(like my friend who paid 10k to have the inside of her condo painted), or they don't show up or they do a crappy job. No offense if there are any good painters on these boards, but the majority we have worked with are terrible.
Think of a service you could provide and go from there. Find something that requires a minimal investment - that's why painting is so good. All you need is a ladder, some drop cloths, and brushes/tools. Of course you have to like to paint and be good at it - LOL.
The internet is your friend - start googling stuff and come up with ideas. Put your thinking hat on. Don't give up, accept you will make mistakes and learn from them. Be prepared to work hard - don't fall for classes you have to pay for or get rich quick schemes. Be prepared for it to take time - nobody gets rich overnight. The one thing you want to make sure you cover is liability insurance - it would depend on what job you decide to do, but don't skimp on that - protect yourself. As you can see there is a lot of research required on your part, but people with a plan tend to achieve success.
Oh - and THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT PART - any money you make goes into a savings account or back into your business until you have developed it to the point where you have a steady income from it.
Good luck.
Don't live in major cities. It's much cheaper in smaller towns. Never spend more that 20k on a car. You can get a really nice ride for that. Don't buy more house than you really need, but buy more property than you think you need. Buy almost everything slightly used except electronics. A huge percentage of cost gets knocked off everything the moment it isn't "new" anymore. Buy the cheapest end as much as you can. Trust me, you won't care if you have a 20 dollar light fixture over a 60 dollar light fixture after about a week. Understand that the material stuff will never bring you enough happiness to outweigh the stress of being broke, or overworked to avoid being broke.
shareYeah, I live in a suburb of a small city it’s relatively affordable here. That’s the strange part.
shareI live in California (which is way overpriced) and I totally and completely agree with you. My husband makes a good salary and I have a salary too (I don't make nearly as much money as he does) and we are very careful on how we spend our money. Our expenses are threw the roof; we pay rent on our townhouse including pet rent, water and garbage and sewage which tac on fees unto the rent, we have two utility bills (yes, two because that is how California is), a cable bill, an internet bill, car payments (both of our cars are fairly new), outside expenses like clothing, cat food and flea medication and other basic needs, groceries (food is way too expensive nowadays!), gas for our cars, car insurance bills every month and registration fees for our vehicles and medical bills too (if needed). We don't have any children either and we have to scrimp and save what LITTLE money we have left over for ourselves. It's just ridiculous. Living is just too expensive and you're right. How people survive in this world is just nuts!!!!
shareNo. Making a habit of not owing money helps.
Louisiana is nice and cheap but look out for summer electricity bills!
sharenot at all. i've had a variety of jobs in my life, some of them quite low-paying, others where i was paid reasonably well, & i've never had much trouble making ends meet.
i spend about $15k a year, sometimes a little more when i buy a new bike or laptop or whatever. i've never owned a car (money destroying beasts imo), i live in a small apartment in a lower class area, well below my means, and i almost never eat out.
i don't know where you live or how you live, but if you're not making a go of it on what i'd call a pretty decent salary, then i'd say you ought to take a very harsh, tough look at your life, and see if you can slash the big ticket items. it's fine to chip away and clip coupons & try to nickle and dime your way to saving, but the best, most effective way is to attack the largest expenditures. downsize your living area. get rid of your car if you have one and walk or bike everywhere. buy lots of rice and dried beans & lentils and avoid restaurants.
Sounds like you really know how to save money and that’s really awesome. I wish I didn’t have to own a car but my job is 35 minutes away from me driving distance so my car is necessary to have plus, my husband and I only eat out once in a blue moon. Over 90% of the time, we make dinner, breakfast and lunch at home,
shareYeah I can relate to that. And then might I suggest for the gentleman, take up self financed filmmaking if you want to really kick it into hard mode. 🌪💀🥊
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