Postal Letter

I am living paycheck to paycheck! Is anyone else?

Everything in the US costs so much money and it is so hard to start a life and a family and find a home. I never have extra money and I feel like I am constantly drowing in bills or thinking about it all the time and I never have any relief! Gas prices are awful, homes are expensive, car prices jumped up, and then my only hope for extra money----EBAY, the postal service raised their prices and I am hardly selling anything anymore due the shipping costs. Am I just in a bad part of the country with bad economy, or is everyone living like this right now? I work a full time job, and so does my fiance---and we are both making at least 10 bucks an hour, but we still are drowning. I'm scared to even have kids after our wedding this September, I don't know how I would even buy diapers for it. We both want second jobs, but our town is soo small, everyone wants a job and they are hard to come by.

Public Comments

1. oh how am I!!! I cant believe that in this day and age we are all being under paid, and the richer just keep getting richer.
2. I am almost in the same position. The best thing you can do is to not fall victim to this debt that is eating away at our country. Do everything you can to not pay interest.
3. Your not the only one, and im in a part of the country where people with college degrees are fighting the unwashed hordes for a 7.00 an hour job. Its the worst I have ever seen it, and I have no hope that it will get better in the next 19 months. Im buried under with student loan debt and an exhusband who last his job in construction to illegals, so no child support until he gets another job, if he can.
4. I think the statistic is something like "70%" actually. We (Americans) always are trying to live above our means instead of within them. We worry about what others think of us, instead of being modest, as we should be. Materialistically at least. There is a budget formula that helps improve things. Live off 70%, save 10%, give 10% and tithe 10% or something like that. BUT, we usually just spend 98%, save 1% and waste 1%. It is crucial to have a "side hustle," also known as alternative income or "multiple streams of income." My family has a trickle here, and a trickle there. LOL! That keeps us above water. Things will get better as our income is increasing, or shall I say, our drips should soon turn into a good, steady flow. Hang in there and don't be afraid to ask for and receive HELP. Peace.
5. welcome to the real world in the same boat myself looking for $5000 for cdl training class have the worst credit
6. I am 55 and been living payday till payday all my life
7. I am a landlord and run into this on a daily bases. Let me explain something: I have several units...Any one that tells you different in this day and age are wrong..(They are a few exceptions) Do the best you can...always be glad you have a roof over your head, food and healthy. Hope this answers your ? ~~~Good Luck~~~ Hang in there.....
8. Inflation affects everything -- it's about 3-4% per year, and it's more or less continuous. Things double in price about every 20 years. The good news is that salaries in the US keep pace. Working the jobs you work now would not have paid half as much 20 years ago as they do now. You're not required to have children immediately and I wouldn't recommend it until you are no longer living paycheck to paycheck. Once you and your husband are already investing 10% of your income automatically *and* have extra cash each month with which to start a family, then consider it. If you're young, you have 15-20 years to make a solid foundation for your family *before* bringing them into the world. If your local area isn't good for jobs, then move. It's a big country and there are many wonderful places to live. And remember, no matter what you and your husband earn, there is someone in your neighborhood who has found a way to live on 10% less. So there's *always* a way to save money for your future and your family. Consider investing in yourselves -- if you don't have a college education, then I recommend it. It's the most reliable path to a higher wage and a life that's no longer chained to a paycheck. Check out the wikipedia.org page on US income and the value of education is *painfully* obvious. Good luck, Doug
9. After moving back to the midwest, I found the pay to be less than I was used to making, but the cost of living (aside from the outrageous housing costs in Nevada) the same. I too am living pay check to pay check - barely. I am just thankful for being able to purchase my home and pay my bills. As for little ones, I've lived pay check to pay check almost my entire life. You get used to it...but it is a sad state that we have to.
10. I a really understand your concern and I am glad that you are concerned about it and you should be. Finance is a very important aspect of our lives. it is very difficult in your situation to save money but still I like to pass on this link to you. Check if this helps. http://selfimprovement-success.blogspot.com/
11. I'm definitely living paycheck to paycheck. My husband and I both had decent jobs and only 1 child to feed, and we were living fairly comfortably. But he walked out on us, leaving me with 1/3 of the income I had before, but all the same debts. He also refuses to pay child support until the divorce is final, so there's no help for me. I am doing the best I can, and I hope to get in a better financial situation in the next year, with lots of hard work and budgeting.