Good one, Calli.

Lots of ~ma, sj.

Okay. The following should probably be an lj/dw post, but I'm not at either of those places anymore. Rant/whine ahead (whant? rhine?), feel free to skip/skim.

I did a half an hour of budget stuff. The budget has me very depressed. I am more in debt than I have ever been, and can't pay rent until my roommate pays me for bills, and then I'll have $26 until the 15th. One credit card is within $14 of being maxed out, and the other one isn't too far off either. I owe my parents almost $3000. I owe other people money and drinks and dinners out.

I feel horrible that several of my favorite Buffistas need help and I can't give it right now.

Budgeting and sticking to it is a skill I need to master RIGHT NOW and times are going to be very lean for quite a while. I am frustrated with myself, and worried, and massively pissed that I'm paying $353 a month for COBRA insurance I can't afford to use - I should be eligible for health insurance with my new company 12/1, but the COBRA has dental and vision and new health insurance won't. I've been wearing glasses for months (which I hate when doing manual labor) because I'm out of contacts and can't afford an eye exam. I'm also overdue for a gynecological exam (um. irregular pap and was supposed to go back in 6 months, it's been 18), dermatologist, annual physical, retinal exam for my wacky eye condition, dental cleaning (dentist "saw something" on the x-rays, never went back), and psychiatrist visit.

I've spent well over a thousand dollars on vet bills for Frankie in the last six months, and he needs a follow-up urinalysis Monday but won't get it until my next paycheck. My cats need checkups, and one is overdue for a teeth cleaning.

Then there was the $600 car repair, which went on a credit card and the new iPhone, which went on the other credit card.

Right now I'm regretting gettting rid of my dirty old work clothes when I moved, because I can't afford to go to the thrift store and it's getting cold and I don't want to mess up my nice sweaters.

I'm trying to quit smoking again, not least because I spent at least $60 on cigarettes (make that $80, god) last month. God knows I want one right now.

tl;dr version - I am privileged, I am getting a harsh wake-up call, I am the motherfucking 99%. I am playing the "Spent" game and losing.

As for "the lip or the ear" - both are welcome. Goodness knows I am not angling to be a special project. I have a steady income, and I need to figure this out, it's way overdue. But tips and advice and support would be lovely.

Um. I may end up deleting this post or spoiler-fonting it. Money is one of those things that I feel weird talking about, but the feeling weird makes me feel like I should talk about it more.

Yeah, the home makeover house they did out here on the rez was a serious disaster.

{{{{{smonster}}}}} I wish I had good advice for you, but I don't. I'm sorry. Is there are chance to be able to begin to turn things around with your current job, or do you not make enough to make ends meet? You don't have to answer that if I'm being to nosy.

Honestly, sj, I don't know. I'm supposed to move into a house at the end of the month that will cost me more in rent, and I don't know if I can afford it. I need to figure that out stat. When I was unemployed I was trying to figure out crafts I could do to earn some money, I could get back on that. I could see if any of my coworkers need help on side work, though I really don't want to work weekends.

Is there room for more roommates in the house to help with rent or are you all done with the idea of roommates?

This next house is also a shotgun and has no doors. So it's less in overall rent, but I won't be sharing. The landlord is allowing me to pay my deposit in installments, so that's good. I'll only have one more COBRA payment (I hope), so that's good. eta my rent (w/out utilities) will be about 35% of my takehome pay. That's not too bad, right?

eta on a related note, if any Buffistas want to barter for budget counseling, I can proofread and do green lifestyle consulting and, uh, I'll try and think of other things.

red beans (no rice):

Anybody see the catch with this kind of account? [link]

And with that, I am off to go forget my troubles at Da Courtyard.

smonster, I wonder if this might be useful to you:

[link]

I know him through fandom, and there are plenty of people who seem pleased with his budgeting help.

smonster, I couldn't see in a quick glance--is that account FDIC insured?

Smonster, Megan Walker is excellent at budgeting but I don't think she reads this thread. She manages to get all kinds of value for every dollar and has a rich life even with strict budgeting. I'd ping her. I know she follows a lot of Dave Ramsey advice. Good luck, hon.