Do you live within your means?

[vicki]

The t-shirt thread made me think... do you spend a ton of money that you don't have? Do you go out to eat at expensive places and put it on your CC? Same with clothes and car parts...

I spend more than I make but I have 'Rents ATM available for emergencies and I'm really responsible with my money.

[SeVa-S13]

I stay at this guy's house and sleep on the floor downstairs with a whole bunch of blankets and a pillow, drive a piece of crap car, and rarely buy new clothes/movies/CD's so I can stay within my means. (My means being thousands of dollars into my RB20.)

[Altiman94]

I live comfortable within my means. I work 35 hours a week, go to classes for 16 hours a week. My only bills being a car payment, and 2 insruance payments.

I do not have a credit card, btw.

[vicki]

Just out of curiosity, where do you find time to work 35 hrs and take classes. Or rather, where do you work?

I can't find a job that will allow me to work that much and fit around my school and athletic schedule.

[skydragoness]

I live at home while i commute to campus, work 39 hrs a week (probably going to drop that a little for school), take 3 classes, pay my cell bill, my car ins bill, and put $ into a 12yr old car that needs it. Then i get a gift for my car every now and then. I used to eat out a nice asian restaurants long time ago, but i've cut it down to this one japanese restaurant on campus where the prices are uber reasonable and the food is tasty. And i usually have half of my paycheck left over when the next one arrives. So i think i'm doing okay, especially since i don't have a credit card. I really should start building credit, but those cards are so evil. I'm probably going to just do a personal equity loan through my bank one day to pay for stuff that the car needs, like paint, and a KA-T .

[Jesda]

I used to work 40 hours a week during school -- 20 hours of it during the weekend, the rest distributed throughout the week. The money was nice but I HATED it.

Now I make somewhere around 150 a month. Its forced me to stop taking the Q to the dealer and start learning how to fix things myself. Mom puts gas in the tank.

Havent carried a credit card in years. Had some, ran them up, paid them off and called it done for a while. Being a rape victim (paying interest) is no fun.

And Mom forgot about the $450 I owe her, so I'm debt free! Although I have a feeling she's been quietly docking my paycheck for the amount I owe.

[EZcheese15]

Just out of curiosity, where do you find time to work 35 hrs and take classes. Or rather, where do you work?

I can't find a job that will allow me to work that much and fit around my school and athletic schedule.

My last semester of school I was working 25 hours/week and taking 20 credits. 2 of which were a senior design project, which is in reality more like a 40 credit class all by itself.

You train yourself to not need sleep. It becomes a luxury item that you get blessed with a couple hours a week.

[gabossie]

So sad, and so true. When I'm in school, I work as much as I can, usually around 30 hrs a week and spend the remainder of my time in class or in studio working on my projects. Once I get into full swing, I'll be getting about 10hrs of sleep a week with the occasional loooooooooong *** sleep on a weekend to make up for it all. And no, I don't peticularly live within my means. I do, but then comes the car, which I often will put a large sum of money on my credit card for, then work on paying it off within the next few months.

[nametakennow]

Ooo eee... Well, this month has been odd, I'm a lifeguard. Sooo...

Working ~16-20hrs a week, Monday was work 4-9 after school, Tues. was debate practice til 6-6:30, Wed. was work again, Thurs. was debate again, Friday was rest, Saturday was hang out day (after working 9:30-3:30 that morning, usually) and Sunday was work again, same shift as Sat.

This past week sucked. Work after school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and debate on Tuesday and Thursday, but I got Sat and Sun off, and worked this morning (for the last time ).

Anyways, so I worked some and was at school a lot.

The rest of the school year will be debate Tues and Thurs. On top of that, debate tourneys 2-4 weekends a month (and every other Tuesday is a mini-tourney, 4-8 after school). In late October it's swim practice 3 mornings a week (leave home at 5:50AM, before curfew, and drive across town to swim in a painfully cold pool, but hot pools suck when you're swimming 2300-3000yds, so I'll take the cold). Then I have to balance debate and swimming on weekends from late Nov. to the end of Jan., then it's just debate.

Oh, and a rough schedule, French II (yeah, just 2, but still something you can't slack in), AP English, Honours Physics, Gifted Chemistry... that's 2nd-5th period, ouch. Parents expect As and Bs.

That's the schedule.

I'll have about $800 in the bank for the school year, sounds like a lot, but around here Prom is an arm and a leg AND your first born male child. Prom and women= mad cash, so The Beast will be lucky to get anything... maybe some SS brake lines for Christmas, or if I'm really lucky, a UR pulley set (pooling all cash)...

Do I live within my means? No. I couldn't afford to get a ticket, but I got one anyway, GO ME. Luckily it was cheap, $86, but still. That and I'm always getting (or at least saving for) junk for my car... and I can't step into Best Buy without getting a cd... a habit I need to curb. Suspension seems soooo far away... tear...

Anyone have a money making scheme I could pull off on free weekends?

[Altiman94]

vicki, i work at a Fareway Grocery store. It is a chain of stores located in Iowa and parts of illinois. They are very flexible on my hours. I have quite a bit of money saved up. Enough to swap my 240 and a few go fast goodies, but I choose to save it instead.

[SeVa-S13]

Car parts > dancing.

[w1ngzer0]

i look like a bum. My computer is 5 years old. My car looks like ****. But i have been spending my money on car parts . I work 49-55 hrs a week and my work schedual is not flexable to school. So i droped out

[w1ngzer0]

Your not the only one that has to buy their own car

[Fenvy]

I was once at a pay, keep in mind that this is a full time job, where I had to eat instant noodle/burgers everyday and still can't make ends meet while driving a **** box.

It was very hard considering that I¡¦m on my own at age 17, just drooped out of high school. My parents are not around because they divorced; I had to buy my first car with my pay with my ****ty credit.

Now I'm still driving a 13 year old car, spend lavishly on food because I feel that I should at least pamper myself in this manner in absence of my parents. (They are still not around) I love shopping on eBay because it¡¦s often a lot cheaper and fits within my budget, which isn¡¦t too little but it can be used else where which ultimately yield more as output efficiency is concerned.

It¡¦s not how much you make, it¡¦s how you live that dictate your value of living. Some people spend most of their paycheck on a fine German vehicle while some spend it on cloth or a big studio. There is nothing wrong with that, you got to lose a little to gain a little. I believe it was Robert Kiyosaki said that money is made, not saved. Robert also argued that it¡¦s liabilities that we purchase that drag us down. Should you be interested, pick up a copy of ¡§rich dad poor dad¡¨ in hope to adopt some of his philosophies. It is evident that I will not be making millions like he effortlessly portrays. Though, through his philosophy, I made a quick 400$ last week by making 2 calls.

Oh, I¡¦m 23 years old now I¡¦m employed full time while attending school full time. I¡¦m power seller on eBay that brings a steady 100 to 150$ on a weekly basis. I also have an independent consulting gig that I want to rid of because it¡¦s no longer profitable for me.

[SmithSR]

How do I stay within my means? Work work work, but the next step up the ladder requires a move to parts unknown, so we're hesistating to take the next step. Besides, I have a full service shop at my disposal, and a chassis dyno across the street, what's not to love?

[Cold_Zero]

My wife and I this summer took a look at our finances and made some major changes. We tried to cut out anything out of our monthly bills that wasn’t needed or put us over the top.

We refinanced the cars (got a better rate and monthly payment amount), we got ride of our land telephone line, and disconnected our Digital Cable TV. There is nothing like saving several hundreds of dollars a month. The second thing we have done is to reduce the frequency of eating out. This has always been a weekness we have had and we are pretty much sticking to eating at home.

My goal is to have almost everything (except the Mortgage) paid off with in three years. We will see how it goes.bud

[AZhitman]

I have no choice but to live within my means. I have 3 kids that will suffer if I don't.

That said, we don't blow money on cigs or alcohol, we rarely go out (no partying or drinks), no vacations, and I'm a pretty good money manager.

When NICOmom and I married, we were (collectively) $25K in debt, living in an apartment, and I was making $19K a year.

We're almost out of debt completely, where the only thing we'll owe on is our house. That takes sacrifices. But it's worth it.

[Cold_Zero]

I have found that it means modifying your spending habits. Anytime you change or reform your behaviors, it is tough.bud

[jdmfreak]

Well Im 18 and I dont have a credit card, I owe no one any money and 75% of my paycheck goes straight to the bank for Project Maxima next spring. I work in the Stop and Shop deli department and make $8.00 an hour. I gotta pay for my own clothes 10-20% of the time. Parents take care of 60% gas, my insurance(Till I get my next Maxima. Then Ill pay about half), lunch money(I work in a deli so when school starts, I wont eat in school and that money gets pocketed), sneakers(Ill contribute if they're over $70-80, and just about everything else is taken care of by my other mini businesses(CDs/Candy).

So I put most of my money in the bank without worry that I can get the $ from somewhere else. We are by no means rich, but we like nice things. They just refinanced so its gotten a little easier for them.

My mom=Smart with money and pays for a lot of my stuff

My dad=Bad with money, yet very cheap and watchfull of it at the same time.

Me=Big spender on myself and things I like, but sorta cheap with others. I can see a problem if I dont make a decent amount of money, I'll be in trouble.

Oh well there you have it.

[Silvia2b]

I know when your young, it is difficult to look at your life and think about long term goals, but this is the way your need to start thinking to be successful. Like everybody else who has posted going to school and balancing work to pay tuition and other expenses is a choice that you are gamb|ing on, with hopes that it will allow you more opportunities in the future due to your education and how attractive you are to prospective employers. I know I took this gamble, and I earned my degree in business last spring (2003), No I have not found the career of my dreams and I do have some college loans. I do not however regret it at all. If I could afford it I would go to graduate school. My wife and I have had to budget very carefully. We know what we can and cannot spend money on and we talk about our possible expenditures. We like to spend it on vacations together. This means that I don’t get to spend money on all the equipment I want for my car, or that I don’t go to graduate school. My point is that these are all choices that you make, develop good habits for making them and you’ll come out ahead. You know what you have and want, plan accordingly even if it takes months, or years.

[Rockenreno]

Apparently I'm doing better than I thought, I guess that's good. I have been lucky enough to not have financial troubles. I'm entering my fourth year of college which I pay for through grants and loans. the past 3 summers I worked 40-72 hours a week (last summer I pulled some huge hours at the warehouse, this summer its usually just 40 hours per week). I haven't worked during school before, but I think I'm going to pull 15 hours/wk this year for extra cash. After I graduate I'll be $16k in debt, but I have a lot of it sitting in my bank account in case I need it. I didn't need the student loan they offered this year, but $5000 with no interest until 6 months after I graduate is too good to pass up, so it sits in my back account until I need it or the bill comes around and I pay it back. It makes people think I have money, but I don't count it as my money right now. If I think of it as emergency money then I won't spend it and all will be well.

Beyond that I live with 3 other guys in a 2 bedroom apartment, so rent + cell + food + cable + dsl is what I pay usually. Last summer I made something like $10k, and that easily lasted the school year since I avoid buying stuff for my car except for gas, oil, and other preventative maintenance (she needs tires soon ).

Overall this leads to me living within my means I guess. Once school starts up again I'll probably move from daily PBJs or turkey sandwiches to eating out a lot more, but I'll be able to afford it after my thrifty summer. I jsut really hate to think that these are the best years of my life and I might be too stingy, so I'm trying to be liberal but sane with my expenditures. I hope its a winning combo! It's worked so far...

[Bubba1]

Like Hitman, I have a wife, family and mortgate, so I don't have the luxury of not living within my means. Though I've never had a problem doing that even in college. You just have to create a budget and stick to it, and part of that is savings. And it might require a job (I had two of them while going to college). Those of you in college or high school, should begin thinking of the big expenses awaiting you when you're on your own, and no longer have access to the National Bank of Mom&Dad. Those expenses include: security deposit on apartment, furnishing it, business wardrobe, moving expenses, paying your own insurance, rent, food, engagement ring, etc, etc. If you thought about that stuff and added it up, you probably wouldn't be spendiing so much money customizing a $2000 car.

Food for thought

[rousie13]

I'm dreading paying back my student loans. I'm in my third year and I have about $20k in debt already, but I'm going to go on co-op and pay for most of my last year and a half out of pocket, so that should help. Debt sucks.

[Anand]

I live within my means... again like the others that are married... haha.. I have no other choice

We just bought a nice new house in So Cal (Brea~if anyone knows where that is) Hella expensive property...

But it's well worth it.. no where will you get such high returns on your money other than So Cal real estate!!! hands down!

that being said, that's one part of the monthly payment then comes the elec, HOA ($20), Gas, Telephone, cable/internet, Insurance (home/cars), cell phones.. and all the little bills that you forget about...

also buying this nice new house made us wanting to furnish this house with nice furniture...no crappy stuff here so we dropped major cash on that

Safe to say we are quite in debt with all that since we both went back to school.. she is getting her masters... so that adds more cost to living

but we do it.. moving the money around to CC's with 0% financing for a year and keep paying it off... (As long as you get one of those 0% for a year) and apply for a CC every year, your credit does not get affected at all!!!

so over all we are in debt BUT, it's good debt, I mean we have something to show for with the money that we owe...

We still manage to take trips and have fun and go out every now and then and stuff.. so it's all about managing your money right...

[Cold_Zero]

I'm dreading paying back my student loans. I'm in my third year and I have about $20k in debt already, but I'm going to go on co-op and pay for most of my last year and a half out of pocket, so that should help. Debt sucks.

I wouldnt dread paying back your student loan. When you go into repayment, call your lender/servicer and find out what type of programs they offer. If your loans are split between two servicers, consolidate your loans. They typically offer repayment programs that will help you pay back your loan with flexiblity. Who do you have your loans through?bud

[rydwhite]

I pretty much stay within my means. I have a mortgage and payments for the G along with some minor CC debt. However, I don't go out and spend money unless I have the money in the checking account to cover it. So, if I had to, I would pay off the CC and just pay the mortgage, car payment and utilities. I think I am doing pretty well for being only 24 and not knee deep in debt like many of my friends. If I don't need it or can't afford it, I don't get it.

[rousie13]

I wouldnt dread paying back your student loan. When you go into repayment, call your lender/servicer and find out what type of programs they offer. If your loans are split between two servicers, consolidate your loans. They typically offer repayment programs that will help you pay back your loan with flexiblity. Who do you have your loans through?bud

I have them through Sallie Mae. I just hate having debt. I'm going to try to pay them off within 3-5 years after I'm out of school. It may make things tight, but I'll be a lot better off in the long run.

[BomexS13]

i try to live my life to the fullest. You only live once. You're pocket is also empty when you're 6ft below

[Mr1der]

I spend money like a rapper when I have it...

[base9se]

Bling, Bling!