Living paycheck to paycheck No money for

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   Ok alls not lost you can do this and not live on rice and beans!
Lets just think a little here
1 Have a garage sale - its not uncommon to make two to three hundred dollars this way.  Spent wisely you can feed four people for 5 or 6 weeks with that amount.
Say you dont live in an area where that is practical - Go to a flea market, they are all over and you can get a spot for ten to fifteen dollars a day. My DH does this all summer. You would be surprised what you can make in a couple of days for stuff you arent using.
2 Consider a part time job or pick up some overtime [if available] Say you work a part time low paying job for 8 weeks. @ $ 7.50hr x 16hr = $115.50 minus taxes [20%] is about $80.00 take home. Now sure its not fun to work extra but you surely could tough it out for a few weeks - its not a lifetime commitment. In 8 weeks you would have $640.00  Im a grandmother of three and sine August Ive picked up overtime every week If a ol Granny like me can do it you can too. Believe me Id rather be home instead of working so much but ya do what ya gotta do - and I knew it wasnt forever. I saved $5,000 extra doing just this - thats my prep money.
Ok lets say working extra is just out of the question Lets go on - dont give up Think outside the box
3 Could you babysit on the weekends? Do you know someone with kids who goes out or would like to ? Offer your service -spread the word in your circle 
4 Could you clean someones house for a few bucks -springs coming offer to do windows - everyone hates to do them charge two bucks a window throw an ad up at the store - see if you get any bites. 
You have to take this in increments - look at it in $10.00 increments ten tens is a hundred - a hundred you did not have before. A little here a little there it all ads up.
Shop smart - when I started this last fall I looked hard at my grocery bill. I asked aroud and people started telling me about these places selling outdated stuff cheap went and checked them out [found three] What one didnt have Id find at another, I also bought at box stores, never bought a thing I didnt already use Found out that I have slashed 25% off my groceries and Im eating better than before
Grow a garden, if thats not feasible, find a farm market, learn to can. 
Make this a challenge - dont just give up  Now some of you are gonna get a tax refund check here soon - set some of this aside instead of spending it on more stuff you dont really need - having a few bucks set aside for emergencies is just plain smart
So even if we dont have a problem - your gonna be out nothing Your just gonna have some extra food that you will use anyway. so if the car breaks or something else happens your gonna be able to handle it because of what youve done planning ahead - you might even be able to stash some money -no more paycheck to paycheck - so the car takes a dump - your gonna be able to handle it.
Look at this as a challenge - 
Im sure you all can think of other things please share with us

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janetn Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: February 04 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 333	Post Options Post Reply Quote janetn Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Living paycheck to paycheck No money for Posted: February 06 2006 at 11:26pm
	Ok alls not lost you can do this and not live on rice and beans! Lets just think a little here 1 Have a garage sale - its not uncommon to make two to three hundred dollars this way. Spent wisely you can feed four people for 5 or 6 weeks with that amount. Say you dont live in an area where that is practical - Go to a flea market, they are all over and you can get a spot for ten to fifteen dollars a day. My DH does this all summer. You would be surprised what you can make in a couple of days for stuff you arent using. 2 Consider a part time job or pick up some overtime [if available] Say you work a part time low paying job for 8 weeks. @ $ 7.50hr x 16hr = $115.50 minus taxes [20%] is about $80.00 take home. Now sure its not fun to work extra but you surely could tough it out for a few weeks - its not a lifetime commitment. In 8 weeks you would have $640.00 Im a grandmother of three and sine August Ive picked up overtime every week If a ol Granny like me can do it you can too. Believe me Id rather be home instead of working so much but ya do what ya gotta do - and I knew it wasnt forever. I saved $5,000 extra doing just this - thats my prep money. Ok lets say working extra is just out of the question Lets go on - dont give up Think outside the box 3 Could you babysit on the weekends? Do you know someone with kids who goes out or would like to ? Offer your service -spread the word in your circle 4 Could you clean someones house for a few bucks -springs coming offer to do windows - everyone hates to do them charge two bucks a window throw an ad up at the store - see if you get any bites. You have to take this in increments - look at it in $10.00 increments ten tens is a hundred - a hundred you did not have before. A little here a little there it all ads up. Shop smart - when I started this last fall I looked hard at my grocery bill. I asked aroud and people started telling me about these places selling outdated stuff cheap went and checked them out [found three] What one didnt have Id find at another, I also bought at box stores, never bought a thing I didnt already use Found out that I have slashed 25% off my groceries and Im eating better than before Grow a garden, if thats not feasible, find a farm market, learn to can. Make this a challenge - dont just give up Now some of you are gonna get a tax refund check here soon - set some of this aside instead of spending it on more stuff you dont really need - having a few bucks set aside for emergencies is just plain smart So even if we dont have a problem - your gonna be out nothing Your just gonna have some extra food that you will use anyway. so if the car breaks or something else happens your gonna be able to handle it because of what youve done planning ahead - you might even be able to stash some money -no more paycheck to paycheck - so the car takes a dump - your gonna be able to handle it. Look at this as a challenge - Im sure you all can think of other things please share with us

stardust Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: January 21 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 224	Post Options Post Reply Quote stardust Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 06 2006 at 11:44pm
	Great suggestions! I myself am planning on having a yard sale in a couple of weeks and plan to use the money for the larger prep items. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff to get. So, any time I go to the store to pick up a few things, I make it a point to throw in a few items that are on sale. Five to ten bucks here and there really do add up.
	"Prepping is Power"!

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 3:43am
	Very good, Jane. You seem very resourceful. You have good ideas - WIth a good positive outlook. We're glad to have you here.

KatDoe67 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: February 02 2006 Status: Offline Points: 234	Post Options Post Reply Quote KatDoe67 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 5:26am
	You can sell just about anything on ebay. My sister has been selling off my son's old homeschooling books, and splits the profits with me. I'm not really all that worried about bird flu, but use situations like this to learn from other people, how to live more efficiently and become more self sufficient and preapared for life's curve balls. Most of us can do some MAJOR work in running our homes and lives more efficiently. I've met VERY few Americans who cannot afford to stockpile a bit of food IF they start setting different PRIORITIES, and stop WASTING. Those that TRULY cannot afford to stock up on any food at all, should go to a couple food pantries and ask for a donation, or maybe should apply for food stamps. It's actually the more RESPONSIBLE thing to take a food handout, than to have a house completely empty of food! Our goverment has stated that it expects people to have a months worth of food in the house. Since that's the case...well...I take that more as a warning...than anything else. It's cheaper for the goverment to hand out a few food stamps when everything is peaceful, then to try and truck in food during an emergency! Kat

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 6:44am
	There may also be stores in your area that sale slighly damaged canned and other goods. there is one here in AZ that sells the HUGE cans for 1.99-2.99, including pudding, potatoes, yams, rice, beans, veggies & fruits. If you have 20.00 you could probably get 2 weeks worth of food. Store what's left in the fridge...as long as we have power. Lots of options, nobody should have to go without.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 7:26am
	You also might considering planting some vegetables/herbs if you have a garden. Or use some containers filled with dirt on a balcony. I'm not suggesting going back to the land, but it's nice to have some fresh, veggies/herbs at home, should you want to restrict your exposure to crowds in a supermarket at any point. Consider planting fast-maturing vegetables like lettuce and spinach at two weeks intervals to lengthen the harvest. There are fast-maturing tomatoes that can be grown in a container in 65-days. Seeds, dirt and containers are inexpensive.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 2:21pm
	For some fun and interesting reading get the Farmers Alminac. The planting info is way in the back. I'm farmer challenged but this book was a good read. -K

gypsybeach1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: February 03 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 57	Post Options Post Reply Quote gypsybeach1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 07 2006 at 8:35pm
	Every Saturday I take 20.00 and hit the yard sales, moving sales, estate sales. I can find candles, shampoos, soaps etc. pretty cheap that way. Also, this is kinda gross, I don't flush every single time. Saves on water bills. I also wash my clothes in cold instead of hot, saves on heat. I watch tv in the dark, saves on electricity. turn down heat at night and while away at work, saves on gas. When i finish a two liter of soda, i clean it, fill it with tap water and store it in the pantry. Since energy prices have skyrocketed, i am also living paycheck to paycheck, so I am learning how to conserve.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 08 2006 at 3:20am
	I also..just before the next grocery shopping have lately been taking those left over potatoes,the carrots and apples and have a boil day..instead of throwing them all out they are still good..i boil and freeze.. I hit alot of the off the season sales, but I have always done this and have been prepping for about 5 years now...no I don,t have 5 years worht..there have been times when i have given everything away..but not this time...