# Stressing Financially



## DMM (Mar 20, 2013)

I work at walmart and make close to $600 a month, she works and makes about $200 a month. we live with my mother and have a daughter together with no vehicle in our name. I'm very stressed out because the money we make isn't enough to cover a car payment, auto insurance, health insurance, rent or utilities. i want to get a second full time job but I'm afraid of not seeing my family as much. i really need some advice on what i should do.


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## tennisstar (Dec 19, 2011)

Have you thought of some schooling or training for a better career? Are you working full time? Why is your wife only making $200 a month?

You're always going to be in poverty making that amount. You'll be in poverty making twice as much. I've been broke. Its stressful, and it breaks families apart. Surely you want more for your life.

Hold off on more kids. Get into school or training. Get your wife into the same.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## John Lee (Mar 16, 2013)

I think you need more income, even if it means seeing your family a little less. 

One of you should work more hours and the other one should get some kind of job-training/education. Then you should switch.


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## over20 (Nov 15, 2013)

I'm sure you could get a lot of financial aid that would take care of the cost of school


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## DMM (Mar 20, 2013)

thank you all for the advice, think I'm gonna get a second full time job while she goes to school also been thinking about the military.


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## John Lee (Mar 16, 2013)

DMM said:


> thank you all for the advice, think I'm gonna get a second full time job while she goes to school also been thinking about the military.


Sounds like good ideas. Money isn't everything, but it sounds like at your income level it's too hard to get out from under. So making some short term sacrifices for a better future is a good thing to do for you and your kids.


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## happy as a clam (Jan 5, 2014)

DMM said:


> ...also been thinking about the military.


If you're the type of person who's cut out for military life, this can be a great option. The pay isn't the greatest, but housing and benefits are excellent and a great way to get a free education to boot. However, it does mean long separations, a loss of freedom, and possible deployments.

I am the daughter of a retired Air Force Pilot. We moved around a lot, but it was a great life. I miss being a "military family."


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## Counterfit (Feb 2, 2014)

DMM said:


> I work at walmart and make close to $600 a month, she works and makes about $200 a month. we live with my mother and have a daughter together with no vehicle in our name. I'm very stressed out because the money we make isn't enough to cover a car payment, auto insurance, health insurance, rent or utilities. i want to get a second full time job but I'm afraid of not seeing my family as much. i really need some advice on what i should do.


I have to ask........why would a couple with a very small income, no home, and esentially no other assets bring a child into the world?


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

At your level of income, you're entitled to lots of grants and such for going back to school. You just need to do the research. Go to your local junior college and ask for counseling; they can help you apply for the money.


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## yellowledbet (Sep 5, 2012)

Counterfit said:


> I have to ask........why would a couple with a very small income, no home, and esentially no other assets bring a child into the world?


Why do you have to ask that?


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## yellowledbet (Sep 5, 2012)

You will have to sacrifice time with your family but make what time you have count. Whether it is a second job or schooling, you need to make your next step count. If it is a job, I would look for something that you can attain transferable skills or move up within the company. The military may be perfect. If it is schooling, there is likely scholarships, grants, or loans for your situation. However, I would imagine you would have to work while getting your education and raising a family... which is no easy task. You are young, so with careful planning and effort you can find the energy to make it work. You are fortunate that your family has provided a place for your family to live, honor that by making a better life for your wife and child. I wish you the best and commend you for taking steps to better yourself and family.


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

Why do you only earn $600/month? If you're paid minimum wage at around 7.25/hour, even with 30% taken out for taxes (and that's high), you should be bringing home around $850. I'm just curious.


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## CJ61 (Feb 24, 2014)

I suggest going back to school part time while you're at your mom.
Get qualified and you would be able to move into another ob that pays more or a better position in your present job whenever there's an opening.


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

I agree. If your mom's letting you stay, by all means use that time with her and low/no bills to work on the education. You'll never get a better chance. And there is NO QUESTION that a higher degree - even an Associates 2-year degree - will raise your earning power at least 25% to several hundred percent over what you can earn now.

Don't just take another job. You'll still be just a low-wage earner at the end of it. Use this time wisely.

btw, I worked full time and went to night school for 14 years, finally got my degree at 32. Before then, I could only take low-wage jobs; once I got that degree I went straight to the 'professional' section of the want ads and tripled my salary.


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## Counterfit (Feb 2, 2014)

yellowledbet said:


> Why do you have to ask that?


Because I am by nature a curious person.

I am curious about the mindset.......What compels a couple living below the poverty line to bring a child into the world?

If an "accidental pregnancy" well then I commend them for having the child. If not then why bring a child into the world who will live in poverty?


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

ABJECT poverty, nee homelessness, were it not for the mother who gives them a place to live.


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## Counterfit (Feb 2, 2014)

turnera said:


> ABJECT poverty, nee homelessness, were it not for the mother who gives them a place to live.


Exactly - I am being asked with a self rightous tone by another poster why "I asked the question" when I think this question should be asked a lot more than it currently is............


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## yellowledbet (Sep 5, 2012)

Counterfit said:


> Exactly - I am being asked with a self rightous tone by another poster why "I asked the question" when I think this question should be asked a lot more than it currently is............


Your original question was self-righteous. You have a person trying to better their situation. Your question had little to no bearing on how he could currently better his situation. Instead it creates a hostile environment. If curiosity is truly your reason, then I think that itch would be better scratched elsewhere. If you think that 'question should be asked more often', then again I think you missed the context of his question and his apparent understanding of the situation. He is a young man in a tough situation, seeking ways to provide for himself and his family. I wish more young men in his situation would act this way. P*ssing on his past is only going to push these types of questions away.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

DMM said:


> i want to get a second full time job *but I'm afraid of not seeing my family as much.*


Look, I understand you want to spend time with your family, but don't you want to support them, too?


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## kitty2013 (Dec 6, 2013)

Counterfit said:


> I have to ask........why would a couple with a very small income, no home, and esentially no other assets bring a child into the world?


I am a child who was raised in poverty. There are benefits of having a poor family.


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## DMM (Mar 20, 2013)

Counterfit said:


> I have to ask........why would a couple with a very small income, no home, and esentially no other assets bring a child into the world?



I wouldn't blindly bring a child into this world if I couldn't support them, it was an unplanned pregnancy that I thank god for everyday.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DMM (Mar 20, 2013)

turnera said:


> Why do you only earn $600/month? If you're paid minimum wage at around 7.25/hour, even with 30% taken out for taxes (and that's high), you should be bringing home around $850. I'm just curious.


Because the walmart here plays with everyone's hours even if they make u full time. My hours have been as low as 16 a week before. Now they 40 but only for the next 2 weeks then it's back down to 32 hours a week
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Stevenj (Mar 26, 2014)

Talk to your boss about moving up from "greeter" to perhaps a night stocker or work at the "cash register".


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## Holland (Aug 20, 2012)

Wow that is a low income, I really don't understand how some families in America survive.


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## appletree (Oct 9, 2012)

Are you a practical person? How about learning a trade? There are lots of trades and not everything is tied to building (which depends on the ups and downs of the economy very much).


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## appletree (Oct 9, 2012)

I would try to do some extra stuff, like mowing other peoples lawns, repairing bicycles, cleaning gutters, selling seedlings and plants or craft, whatever.
But can you tell what your hourly rate is??? It seems so low that I barely can believe it.


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## RoseAglow (Apr 11, 2013)

DMM, do you and your wife have a HS diploma or GED? If not, that should be a priority. My small town in PA holds GED classes for free. Unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you are dooming yourself to life-long low wages without at least a HS degree/GED. 

Next- are either of you interested at all in health care? One way to get a start would be to apply for a CNA job at a nursing home. In my area, you are paid while getting trained, and sometimes benefits are also included. You or your wife can start to work your way up to LPN and RN, often the workplace will pay for some of the additional training. 

I would also look at trades. My husband is a union electrician. He had a long apprenticeship, but it was a paid apprenticeship and only cost him books and hours at night. He worked full-time during the days at the trade.

Your main goal should be to find a job that will help you get paid training/education. Military, trades, healthcare, apprenticeships. These are all good options, IMO. Good luck!


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

The city I live in (one of the largest) has probably around 200,000 job openings at any one time. The sad thing is, most of them are for people who have learned a trade. There aren't enough skilled labor workers to fill all the factories and workshops and oil & gas refineries and keep them going. A few semesters of night classes, and you'll have a certification that will earn you $40,000+/year.


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## Unique Username (Jul 6, 2013)

Turnera, where do you live?


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## turnera (Jan 22, 2010)

Houston


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## DTO (Dec 18, 2011)

Counterfit said:


> Because I am by nature a curious person.
> 
> I am curious about the mindset.......What compels a couple living below the poverty line to bring a child into the world?
> 
> If an "accidental pregnancy" well then I commend them for having the child. If not then why bring a child into the world who will live in poverty?


I know I'm late to the conversation, but how do you know this is the way it went? Isn't it possible that he had a good job, had the kid, then got laid off and could not find a decent job in this economy? That happens a great deal with people (blue-collar and white-) who find their skills are no longer in demand.

I'm not jumping on you in particular. But I chafe at a popular perception among fiscal conservatives that people in similar circumstances arrived there through their own bad choices and do not deserve aid such as tuition assistance, a better minimum wage, etc.


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## DTO (Dec 18, 2011)

DMM said:


> Because the walmart here plays with everyone's hours even if they make u full time. My hours have been as low as 16 a week before. Now they 40 but only for the next 2 weeks then it's back down to 32 hours a week
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This is common. Companies find it advantageous to do this, because:

1) It keeps their employees hungry for hours, fearful of complaining about mistreatment, etc.

2) It provides a ready source of additional labor if someone can't make a shift or quits.


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## NobodySpecial (Nov 22, 2013)

Counterfit said:


> Exactly - I am being asked with a self rightous tone by another poster why "I asked the question" when I think this question should be asked a lot more than it currently is............


Water under the bridge now. But perhaps asking the question and raising the thought will prevent any discussion of more children.


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## Truly Abby (Sep 16, 2013)

DMM said:


> I work at walmart and make close to $600 a month, she works and makes about $200 a month. we live with my mother and have a daughter together with no vehicle in our name. I'm very stressed out because the money we make isn't enough to cover a car payment, auto insurance, health insurance, rent or utilities. i want to get a second full time job but I'm afraid of not seeing my family as much. i really need some advice on what i should do.


How is it you make only $600 a month? That's $150 a WEEK. You simply can not be working full time and be making that amount of money. I highly suggest you start working AT LEAST one full time job, and enroll in some sort of training. There are lots of good apprentice programs you could get in and learn a good trade. Same goes for your wife.


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