Keeping It Real - Cutting Out Life's Luxuries

Hi All!

Recently, Miller and I have have made the big decision to start cutting out things that we have regarding as "necessities". We are short money every month and our credit cards are maxed out. Something has to give. Well, we're doing it. It really sounds crazy to myself, but I'm really starting to understand what "cutting back" truly means.

Cutting back doesn't only mean - no more going out to eat at the fancy restaurant, or no more shopping every month (just every other month), or no more going to the movies. Cutting back literally means cutting back what we have long taken for granted as necessities.

First off - carpooling! Miller and I only work about 5 miles from our home and we literally work 2 minutes away from one another. But, he gets off from work 1/2 hour after me and we found it just "not convenient" to car pool. So, instead, he drives his big ass pick-up truck to work everyday and I drive my little car to work everyday. Well recently, we were broke (surprise!) and I told Miller "uh you're NOT going to put $80 worth of gas in your truck until we get paid or something!" We started carpooling that week...and realize...WHY have we not been doing this?! We figured in his big ass pick-up truck, just to drive 5 miles to and from work (10 miles each day) will probably cost AT LEAST a tank of gas each month, if not more! A tank of gas in his truck cost anywhere from $70 to $80 depending on price of gas. So, #1 luxury gone - I stay 1/2 hour behind at work and we use our little car to drive to/from work. It's amazing how we took this luxury for granted. It's like "HELL NO! I'm driving my own car =P"...little did we realize how frivolous that was given how close our work is!

Second, perhaps most painful for me - TV (cable)! I know, this is a no-brainer "luxury" item. However, I watch A LOT of TV. We were paying about $150 a month for TV and internet together and for the longest time, I protested getting rid of cable. I mean WHAT kind of people live without cable?!! That's when I realize how it was another "luxury" that I mistakenly considered as a "necessity". Now that we got rid of TV, our bill is down to about $40 per month just of the internet. Internet will give us plenty of entertainment to keep us home and not going out and spending money. Not to mention, I go to school online...so I actually do need it =)

So far, that's at least $200 per month, if not more that we have saved. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's a start. I can't cut out the credit card payments or car payments (we are upside down on our cars). We want to keep out good credit and not ruin it...so we are working on cutting on what we can. I'm really proud of us to be honest because just a year ago, I would have never thought we'd be able to live with just one car and no cable!

Till next time!

-Emma

End of the Month Sorrows

Guess what? It's September 30th...which means, it's the end of the month today. How much do I dread end of the month. End of the month means rent is due. End of the month also signifies the beginning of the next month. All the bills I have paid in the previous month have once again cycled back like a never-ending horror movie. It feels like there is no end in sight.

Miller and I have not made the best decisions when it came to finances. We have three cars and too many credit cards to count. It was fun and dandy when we bought those 3 cars and drove them off the lot...until the first car payment arrived. Oh and don't forget...the insurance bill as well. All our cars have a 5 year fix rate loan on them. 5 years doesn't seem like a long time when that car salesman is selling you the car...but if you think about it, 5 years is 60 months! 60!! We are finally close to paying off our first car, but the other two cars, we still have an eternity to go. By the time we pay off these other cars and own it right out, the cars will be old and dingy.

At least our car payments have a "series finale" date..so to speak. Credit card debt is literally NEVER ENDING. How and why people thought it was an awesome idea to spend someone else's money just so you can pay them back twice as much...is now beyond what I can fathom. Currently, Miller and I can only afford barely the minimum payment on each card. The finance charges alone on these cards make up the majority, if not the entire, minimum payment. So...I keep making payments on the cards, but the debt never seem to decrease. Funny world we live in. It's like we're tripping on acid and we like torture ourselves in this downward spiral of credit card debt. The damn bunny with the dam clock. Why do you have to look so interesting?

I love seeing the various "credit card consolidation solution" commercials. They all show people pulling their hairs out while scrambling through their bills. Then they pose a few questions to the viewers: 1) Are you drowning in credit card debt? 2) Do you owe more than $10,000 in credit card debt? 3) Do you feel like there is no way out? I drive Miller crazy because I will scream "YES, YES, and YES" every time I see or hear those commercials. If only life was so easy and some "magical" company can "flick their magic wand" and make my debt go bye-bye.

Then there are the almighty utility bills that you have no choice to not pay - electric, gas, water, trash. Thankfully, my landlord pays my water and trash bill. The electric and gas bill, not so much. Sometimes I wish we're back in the cavemen days and we didn't need electricity or gas. You can't even decide to "cut out" these bills because they're called UTILITIES for a reason. We need them to live in today's day and age. Can we really live without running cold and hot water? Can we really live with just candle light and a campfire to cook our food? Technically, yes. But, realistically, no.

Last but not least, bills that some would consider "luxuries". I'm typing this blog in the comfort of my own home. That means, I have the internet and I have a bill to go with that! Then there is the cell phone bill. We do not have a landline like many 21st Century people, so we kinda have to have a cell phone to keep in contact with the world. We don't have text messaging of any form on our phones, we can't even receive text in order to avoid people texting us and costing us money. We also still have cable. Why you ask? Simple. We're humans. We lack the ability to be "bored". I know this does not justify having the luxury of having cable...but I we might go insane if we don't have some form of entertainment.

There you have it. End of the month. Oh the joy!

-Emma