Govdocs Aquake

The utility bill, even spread out over a few months, had to be paid, so I called my brother, who paid it for us. We can not do without heat and electricity.
My doctor gave me some samples of some medication that was needed, that got us through until hubby got his first unemployment check.

I managed to list and sell a few things online, which brought in some $$$, but not the whole amount needed to avoid skipping some payments.

Several things just did not get paid. Plain & simple.
We are more determined than ever to bulk up our emergency funds so we are not at the mercy of a company doing this again. For now, we are prioritizing and paying the absolute essentials with the money that comes in. Once he is back to work full-time, we will forge ahead.

Hubby has been applying for more work. One thing he has encountered is this sense that people hesitate to hire him because “oh, he will just leave once the layoff is over”, even though he intends to stick around. We are determined to conquer the debt once & for all. He told them he would commit to 1-2 years if they want him to, in writing. Two offered him work, but only at the same shift he currently works. He won’t jeopardize his full-time job for a part-time job, which makes sense. He asks for a different shift, and the company balks. Like it is some kind of test or something. He is still putting his resume out there and is hopeful. Delivering pizza? He put his name in at a few places who are interested in hiring him, but they are waiting until the “kids” come back from their spring breaks before they will make a hiring decision. They advertised they were hiring. So, why aren’t they hiring?
The uncertainty is difficult.

You are making people pissed off at YOU, not the debt, so therefore maybe you are wastign your berath and time and putting bad energy into the atmosphere because you are making people angry and upset.
YOUR method may not work for everyone. Not everyone needs TOUGH LOVE, some people just need education and guidance and they turn their whole life around. Has anyone on this list ever followed one piece of advice you’ve given with YOUR method?

We have them on the lowest level plans offered.
Our cell phones DO NOT WORK inside of our house. With a small child in the house, we need a way to summon help if needed, so a landline stays.
We can’t cancel the cell phones, since they are under contract and have early termination fees.
We cancelled cable t.v. down to the absolute basic. Our t.v. does not work without some kind of connection. (Personally, I think it is a scam for this area. Where we used to live, about an hour away, you could simply plug the t.v. into the wall and get 10-15 channels. Not here. If you don’t have some kind of cable, all you get is static.)
The internet service has to stay on as long as possible, since it assists me in making a living. If I can not communicate with the office, no work.
In Ohio, you have to have insurance to drive. If you get caught without it, you will be fined very, very, very, very heavily. (Been there once with DH. No thank you.) If your car is financed, it must be fully insured. Since the cars are not paid for in full just yet, that is what we are facing.
We are trying to dig out of this hole. We are really working on it. Sometimes, I think that moving out of Ohio would be the thing to do. There are so many things that “you must” do.
Our credit card debt is minimal. Skipping is an option. Penalties will be steep and expensive. The interest rates will jump into the 25% – 33% range, depending on the account. Then, there will be the late fees ($35-50 per card.) If that puts you over the limit, there will be Over the Limit fees too.
It is the college loans, the mortgage, the car payments, the small loans that have to be repaid. There is one family loan, but we treat it like any other debt and pay it as well. Will never hear the end of it if we don’t pay it. We have called and explained that hubby is laid off, got the SIGH, huffy attitude and then “So, you are still gonna pay on time right?” Not kidding. This is what we are dealing with here.

Nobody gives a damn that my husband is not working is basically what I am saying. It is up to us. We are new to the Dave Ramsey way of life and we intend to work it to death and conquer our debts as soon as possible.
The news reported that in May the economic stimulus checks will be arriving. That will help. The income tax refund will help with the bills too. Hubby is waiting to hear from the people he interviewed with lately. He is also considering training to become a truck driver. Will learn more about this weekend.

Taxpayers pay for all mistakes through bankruptcy, hardship, social programs, debt reduction, etc. That is just a fact of life. If companies lose money on one customer who does not pay, they have to make it up by charging more money to the next customers.
Yes I am trying to change things, through forums, voting Libertarian, being a good example, etc… You give your advice your way and I will do it mine.

or asking for a handout, they’re merely asking for a break in the payments regarding the time that they’re due, interest rate decreases, and minimum payment decreases. If a lender agrees to lower the interest and minimum payment for someone having a hard time making the payments, how is that forcing YOU to bail them out? It doesn’t even affect you.

You can tell people to “BE PREPARED” until you’re blue in the face, but even the best laid plans can fail. Life happens and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it. The other night on Dave, a family had been on the plan and had a baby with severe allergies. They had to buy special formula to the tune of $2K a month! Things that we can’t control will happen in life and we all do our best to roll with the punche.
There’s a difference between being firm and showing someone where they made their mistakes and how to fix them and chastizing people for their mistakes. Just by virtue of being a member of this group, I would venture to guess that most, if not all, of the members here who are trying to get out of debt have realized the error of their ways and are working to fix it. By belittling them and asking why they were not prepared is not helping them.

I appreciate your opinion. I had to change my yahoo ID many times in order to view the posts so I would call it ‘banned’.
Cruel? I think most of the posts here are way to weak compared to the severity of the problem. Financial problems have lead to many divorces and you think the best thing to do is give hugs and kisses?
Matt, these people need tough love and real answers so that they not only feel good but are able to actually solve their own problems and
be financailly independent for the rest of their lives.

Football coaches love to yell to motivate players. Have you ever heard of Bobby Knight? Is he wrong for yelling or is it just another way of communication that you need to accept?

So, plowing a paycheck on gambling and drugs is a valid reason for forcing me to bail someone out? Wrong!
People do not ‘BE PREPARED’ because they know they will be bailed out becasue they have been bailed out of everything else in life. Overcomming your own problems will make you a much better person.

I hope, so these ideas never crossed my mind. I stay here because it keeps me motivated. I very well could lapse back into the abyss of debt and not feel bad about it, but I stay here to remind me of whence I’ve come. Listening to struggles and offering advice (for what its worth) keep me grounded so to speak.

I came from positive net worth, I didn’t grow up witnessing debt but I tried it out for a time. Then sense was restored to me and I’ve decided never to walk on that line again. I was delighted to find a Dave Ramsey group, as listening to his local radio program (before he became a national phenom) on my drives through Tennessee, really enlightened me. I can’t say that I followed him on my path to freedom, didn’t get to hear enough of him, but when I compared what he teaches, with what my now ex husband and I did, it was like confirmation that I did the right thing and could be assured of a better future. I’ve been n the positive side of debt for about 9 years now.

No Im not here to write any expose’s, just a testimony that it works.

because the question was already answered in the post. I said I was living paycheck to paycheck. By sheer definition of that term, it means no 3 -6 months savings.Besides the fact that I am now following Dave Ramsey’s plan would mean that I was not the brightest with money.
I don’t think anyone else on this group was confused as to why I didn’t have an emergency fund. I think we can all agree that one is needed and would be the smart thing to have. So your question didn’t really need an answer, or were you just trying to “rub my nose” in my past mistakes? Or do you feel that I haven’t seen the foolishness of my ways?
What I don’t understand is why you want others to listen to your advice, and yet you can’t listen to what people tell you. You were told time and time again that your post were out of line and although you have “toned it down” you still don’t see the problem. You feel like you just “tell it like it is”, but what you do is way beyond that. Dave, Chuck, and several others on this list “tell it like it is”, you instead are mean and belittling. You were even banned so you say (the only one that I know of), and still you think that you were treated unfairly and the rest of us are just thin skinned. What will it take before you take a good hard look at the way you talk to people to before you see that perhaps that the vast majority of what others are saying is true?

It’s not that those with net worth “shouldn’t” be here, but that they don’t necessarily “need” to be in this group. I would make the assumption by the name of the group alone that most members are those who are trying to get out of debt. Or at least, that would be the original reason for joining…that was my reason. BUT, I can see myself a few years down the road being debt free and still participating in this group in order to help others and share my experiences.