ccfamily
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Posts posted by ccfamily
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Dave Ramsey does not assume that people have enough money to pay all their debts. IF you've taken the course, you should know that he has a Debt Pro Rata form that goes along with the cash flow plan. The Debt Pro Rata form is for people that don't have enough income to pay minimum payments on all their debts, including their unsecured debt (credit cards).
To the OP, it sounds like you've listened to Dave Ramsey, but have you taken the class? Bankruptcy changes your life permanently. You will always have to answer "Yes" to the bankruptcy question- every mortgage application, credit application, even after the ten years that it's on your credit. I have a family member that got a new job a few months ago only to be fired after one week because her credit report came back with the bankruptcy on it and they "don't hire people that have filed bankruptcy." It seems like a solution now because you are under so much stress. The credit card companies will not sue you unless you go for about a year without paying them anything. Instead, print out your monthly budget (cash flow plan) and after your four walls are paid (spending more than $200 for food I hope- you don't want to get sick and have medical bills), then do your debt allocation using the pro rata plan. Send a letter certified mail to every creditor along with your cash flow plan and your pro rata plan. They will not come after you if they know that you don't have anything.
Please do not get impatient with your situation. WAIT and relax. Do what you can and barter anything and everything you possibly can. Good luck to you. Enjoy your children and keep this stress away from them! They need to see their parents as happy as possible! This will pass!
Yeah, he kind of does. I have his class on cds & I was disappointed with it. He does have great advice, but I too felt that there was not really an option for people without extra income. It seemed to me that he was assuming that I could just go get an extra job or sell stuff or what not. But, some of us live to the bone already and can't cut anything and have nothing to sell. It is great to just split what you have for payments (like $10 to each creditor), but what if you don't have that much? Seriously, after hubby lost his job, it was all we could do to keep a roof over our heads. We didn't use heat & there was no extra to distribute even anything to credit cards. It is not realistic, in this market, to just go get a better job. Sure, you can try, but it may take years. And if you have kids, you can't just accept any old job because you have to at least make enough to cover daycare, which minimum wage does not. There are many people in this boat. We went from being quite comfortable, to losing the main income & our income literally went from $60,000 to below poverty level. From the OP's post, I would gather his situation is pretty similar and there is no extra to divide on the pro rata form.
And to the OP, bankruptcy does affect your life, but there are honestly few jobs that would fire you or not hire you because of it. I personally don't know about working for a company that judges you on something in your personal life anyway. I know several people who have filed bankruptcy and have recovered just fine. I will say that your car insurance can take a hike because they use your credit score to help class you. Of course, I think both of those situations would be affected anyway because it is obvious your credit score is going to take a hit. For instance, the banking/finance industry frowns on bad credit, whether it is bankruptcy or not. That is because you have access to so much money and I guess they think it is a risk that you will have temptation to take & pay off your debt. I would suggest if you do file bankruptcy, from that point, do try to follow Dave Ramsey & don't get sucked back into the credit offers you will receive the same day. I can guarantee you those rates would be very high.
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Truthfully, it is just as easy to recover from bankruptcy. It will take at least 6 months for the cc's to sue you, then they go for garnishment, etc. Your credit will be messed up a long time. If you file bankruptcy, it will take several months to discharge & then you start rebuilding credit immediately. You can generally get a car loan right away and a house a couple of years down the road. Now, that may change with the current mortgage restrictions getting tighter, but I don't think you'd qualify without the bankruptcy either in that case. I would say just bite it in the bud now, move on and adjust to your new income and rebuild your future. Not to minimize it either, but I do think a lot of people are in the same boat and many, many people are going to have bad credit for the forseeable future.
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We are looking at a house in there & it seems like a pretty decent little neighborhood. Does anyone that currently lives there have any opinions? I know all neighborhoods have some teenager problems, etc.. but is it a pretty normal neighborhood? Any major problems? Thanks
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We are moving and at the last minute the house we were going to get fell through. We have found a new one but the backyard is not level or fenced. My dh said we can figure something out. One of our dogs stays inside most of the day but our other dog loves to be outside and I really dont know that walking her on a leash is going to give her the play time she wants. My dh suggested a runner but I really dont feel comfortable with that. With moving expenses and everyday life we dont have the money to put a full fence up so I was wondering if any of you had some suggestions. Does anyone know how expensive the invisible fences are? Have you had success with these? Really any suggestions are needed
Go with chainlink and start looking for used. We bought a bunch of the posts & some of the fencing used for about $75. Then we went and bought more of the fencing & the clips & such from HD & spent a total of about $300 to fence in 1/2 acre. We were low on funds too and didn't put in the top bars of the fence & it isn't noticeable and works fine. We will add them at some point, but the fence is plenty sturdy without them. We have three large dogs and it hasn't been a problem. The electric fences will work for some dogs & I think you would probably be about $100 for that anyway so I would try to come up with the extra and do the chainlink if possible. It will ease your mind more.
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Unfortunately, I don't think it is realistic to expect a return call after hours for an ear infection. I believe that most dr's only call back emergency types of situations or else they would be on the phone all night long. Not that I am minimizing your child's discomfort, I just wouldn't get your hopes up. If you are that worried, I would just go to a walk in place that is open, or the hospital if it is that much of a concern. If your dr. does call back he will probably tell you that same thing - either wait until tomorrow or take him to the hospital now. My daughter was sick on Monday & had been crying all Sun & then Mon morn so I knew something was wrong. Her dr. couldn't get her in that day so I paid to take her elsewhere. Turns out she had strep so it was worth my money to get her relief asap.
Are you sure nothing was "stuck" in his ear? I can't remember if you said the age, but some kids decide to see what fits in there and that would definitely warrant a trip to the ER.
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This is TERRIBLE........they ONLY had Michelins....only the MOST expensive you can get.....Sorry you had to go through this....only wish we could have helped you out on at least the tire end..........
I have the roadside assistance through Progressive Insurance. Its only like $7 for six months & I am glad I got it. Had a problem & they towed the car home for me (granted, they only tow for free within 15 miles or the nearest service station). My house was just under 15 miles & I wanted hubby to fix it to save money. They towed it with no problems & no cost. It was one of those really cold nights last month & when I talked to the people on the phone, I just told them the location & license number and that the car would be unattended. I was not about to sit outside and freeze. Hubby came to get me and the car showed up later at home. Perfect.
Glad you are safe. I was in a remote area and that was scary enough. I was thinking that no one would hear me if I had to scream so I stayed on the phone with hubby the whole time so he could call for help if needed. May not be the best solution, but if you are ever in such a scary situation again, I would stay on the phone with someone you know. It will help keep you calm and maybe people won't be so quick to approach you (however, I am sure some still will cuz some people just have a ton of nerve!). You have major car problems & they want to bum a smoke. Geesh
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Smells like something fishy going on there!
Not fishy. Happens all the time. Especially single women with low incomes and kids. I have seen taxes where the person paid zero in taxes and still got a major refund due to earned income credit, child tax, etc.. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be in a higher income bracket. It may irritate people, but that is the way this country works and it will only get worse now. If you think we spread the wealth now, just wait and see what happens in the next four years. But seriously, the accountant is most likely not doing anything shady, it really is more common than you would think.
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Feel free to pm me the details on any of the properties mentioned. I am interested in finding out the info on all so I can compare. As for price range, I would like to be below $800 and it sort of depends on the type of house. I have seen some really crummy rentals for $850 when there are very nice, huge houses for $950. Basically, I am looking for something that is a fair price for what it is. Ideally, we would like a ranch or something a little smaller with 3/2. We would like to get away from heating/cooling space that we don't use. A nicely insulated doublewide with all electric would be perfect, but may not be realistic. We would like to be as cheap as possible so that we can pay off debt & move forward, but we are aren't unrealistic and will pay what we need to pay.
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don't know where you are looking....but there are several on Macland on Mcdonalds end & Towards Cobb too...a couple on 92 towards Crossroads....and saw a couple signs in the subdivisions on Macland near 92....
Thanks! We are looking anywhere from Acworth/Cartersville/Dallas/Douglasville/Kennesaw/Rockmart/Temple. We homeschool so that part is not an issue.
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My family and I need to rent a house within the next couple of months. We have no experience with this. Where can we look to find them? I have tried craigslist, rentlist, this website and newspapers. I see a lot of for rent signs as I am driving and these houses don't seem to be in any of the places I have looked. So, do a lot of people just rely on the signs in the yard or do they use some website that I am not aware of? If you own properties that you rent, how do you advertise? I don't mind driving around looking for signs if I need to, but it is sort of a pain with my kids.
Also, if anyone knows of any good deals, pass it on. We need a 3 bedroom that allows pets, but are pretty flexible about other things.
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Are these full size products or just the trial sizes?
I fell for this a couple years ago - the same deal about it changing packaging. The items are all very small. I would say it might have been worth what I paid, but definitely wasn't any great deal.
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I'd let the police do their job and the parents do (or not do) their job without interference from me. Those are their children and their consequences to suffer if something bad happens as a result of their negligience.
What if the fine for the ticket left the parent unable to buy groceries or pay for their childrens' meals at school for the week? What if the tables were turned, would you be okay with someone else calling to report you, especially if they didn't know squat about your situation or the circumstances surrounding the incident?
Maybe they have some of 'those kids' who just do as they please and can't be 'made' to do what the parents want? Or maybe the parent did buckle them in, and they unbuckled themselves as soon as the parent was busy driving and wasn't able to stop them. It does happen.
Yep. I'd just mind my own business and let them do the same.
Just out of curiosity: if you had to stop and use a pay phone, would you be so quick to call and report this person to the police?
There are so many things that are just wrong there. First, a kid is better missing a meal than dead in the road. I would never, ever, ever get called on for this because I don't drive with my kids out of the belt. Period. I am sure that the parent doesn't think it will ever happen to them, but I bet they would rather get a complaint than have to live with their carelessness causing their child to die. (I think these situations are careless, but the parents probably do still love the kids and justify it somehow since they survived it as kids).
Kids that can't be made to do what parents want? For real? A parent's job is to teach and control them. There is always a way. I have one of the most headstrong kids ever and no way would I just let her have her way if she removed her belt.
The OP said they were in a drive thru. If the children unbuckled themselves, the parent could/should have handled it before leaving the fast food place.
It can help to call in because I know officers that love getting people like this. Personally, I would rather see them ticketing things like this rather than speeders. I haven't called in before, but I have pulled up next to someone and demanded that the kids get buckled or I would call the police. I would hope that would be enough of a wakeup call so that they would know people could clearly see what they were doing.
Yes, I do try to mind my own business about a lot of things. BUT I could not live with myself if I saw something like this, ignored it, and then came across them in a fatal accident down the road. I would rather be able to live with myself than worry about offending someone I don't even know, that is in the wrong.
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I don't work in law enforcement, but I do work in pediatrics and yes it is 4'9" to be out of a booster seat.
It is my understanding, from 2 different officers I have spoken with, that a booster is not required after the age of 6. It may be recommended until 4'9", but it is not required. one of them said that you could do it under age 6 if the child was 4'9" (how that would be possible as that is darn near an adult...I don't know)
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My hubby got laid off a year and a half ago. We are doing the best we can, but his income is nowhere near what it was and the house will probably go in a month or so. We were trying to struggle to better times, but after a year and a half, we realize we just can't make the money to pay the high bills and it may be a long time before we ever do.
On the upside, we have learned how to cherish our time together and that it is more important to have this time than to have money. So, we have learned some important lessons and will never view life the same. We may have a lot less, but we are so much more grateful for the things we do have.
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Without reading responses the flashing red light traffic have to yield to the yellow. Yellow flashing means to proceed with caution.
I don't know how people don't understand basic driving laws.
Basically in GA, everyone stops ... then if someone like me who KNOWS the law proceeds, I end up looking like the ass. 
Seriously! I hate this. GA is the only place in the world where people can't figure this out. AND when I do it the right way & go, people ram at me and lay on their horns. Hmmm, hit me and see whose fault it is!
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I hate that question...it is just as bad is the one I always get..."wow, five kids, are you done yet?" or better yet "You do know what causes that (pregnancy)"....so rude. Why do people think it is okay to make any comment or question regarding your private sex life....anything involving pregnancy, babies, or conception should be those topics off limits unless the person themselves brings it up. I hate for someone to ask if I am pregnant when 1. I'm not and 2. If I haven't announced it, then it is none of your business whether I am or not. And by the way...I think 130 lbs. sounds great and wish I could get that weight after my five kids.
Wow, to me that is an example of taking things a little too seriously. I am preggo now and have a 16 month old. Everyone asks if I know what causes that. They are not trying to be rude, they are being funny & I take it that way. I have never gotten the impression that anyone that said it was "bothered" by my consecutive pregnancies and I think it is just a conversation and meant to break the ice. I don't think it is an invasion of privacy and I don't think it is getting too personal because its not like anyone has ever gone in-depth on the cause. Now, I will admit that I can't stand when people I don't know come up and touch my stomach (I have even had a stranger try to LIFT mt shirt!. EEEWWWW. She almost got a broken hand for that. They do it with the babies to and I am not afraid to tell them that I prefer only close friends & family to touch due to germs/babies. I also don't get offended if someone asks me when I am due (when I am actually pregnant). It is a great cause of joy in my life and I don't feel it is not their business if I don't bring it up. I am happy to talk about it with anyone.
As to people asking when they aren't sure, that is rude and obnoxious, but I still wouldn't let it bother you. I have had it happen before (about 6 months after my last kid) and I did realize that I really did still look preggo cuz I never lost the pooch. It is all about being comfortable in your body. You probably are really bothered by your tummy & that is understandable. Especially with a first child, it can be hard to accept the changes. Especially when you see people that seem to "bounce back to normal" after 6 weeks! It took me three years from my 1st child to lose the weight and then I still had 10 of the lbs. With my last one, I didn't lose anything before getting preggo again so I am going to be just all around fat for awhile after this one. It will take me quite some time to lose the weight and I am accepting this now so I don't get frustrated later. Am I happy with my body? Heck no! But, I wouldn't trade my kids for anything and it is just something I have to deal with and is a by-product of them. Focus on the great things in your life and accept that it may take a little time, but you WILL get there. Once you come to terms with it, the words of others won't have such a power to hurt you. Who cares what they think, you were not put here to please them... Best of luck to you. I know how upsetting it must be and it is hard when dealing with all the new feelings/emotions that happen after birth.
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No they are both very friendly. We believe that someone has the younger one b/c he is bigger and is more active. The dad never the leaves the two pups behind.... We actually got a strange call that said they wanted 300 for the dog.. But hopefully someone will see him and give him back to us...
I would call the police about that. Is there maybe something they could do? Like look up the number to track the person's address & then check it out to see if the dog is there. It may not be illegal to keep a runaway dog, but I would think they could do something about them demanding a certain amount of money for it.
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Get up early and do LOUD chores 1st thing in the morning
Yep, when they are up late, get up the next morning bright and early to mow your lawn, pressure wash something, cut some bushes, etc...
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You can have bad credit and buy a house. When we bought ours 7 years ago, we both had HORRIBLE credit. I had a bankruptcy, late payments, you name it .. thanks to my divorce. However, nobody was after us for money, We had the income, and proven stability .. that is all they wanted. The only thing I had to do was pay off a dental bill .. and we got our house. Our score was LOWER than 600. I had bad credit, and he had NO credit. And we got it with nothing down, since we were first time home buyers.
It is not so easy now. With all the foreclosures, banks are not taking the risks that they did in the past. These have come back to bite them. Many people now need to have a high down payment and I even know someone with very good credit & 20% down & the bank still refused. All you can do is try.
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I don't think kerosene heaters are safe indoors due to carbon monoxide so be careful.
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Job transfers...
Unless the lease was specifically written with a clause that you could get out if you purchase a house, you can't. Well, you can, but you will most likely be stuck paying both payments. That is the purpose of a lease...to lock you in for a specific amount of time, with very few exceptions. It is for the protection of both parties, so that you don't have to suddenly find a new place & the landlord doesn't suddenly have an empty house without warning. If you want to do it and have a good relationship with your landlord, he/she may be willing to break it once they have a new rentor. So, if they can fill it no harm done. Right now, lots of people are switching to renting so it may be a possibility. But, the landlord is not obligated to agree.
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A cat showed up at our barn earlier last week. VERY sweet; not feral. Obviously at *some point* belonged to someone. Haven't seen any flyers and the cat seems quite happy at our barn (well, I think he'd be happier at my house, but hubs doesn't agree
)Anyway, I booked him an appointment to get neutered through ProjectCatSnip, even if he just becomes a barn cat.
My question: If you let your cat wander around, would you pitch a fit if someone got him neutered at no cost to you?
(Sounds stupid, I know...)
Who cares if they do mind? Trust me, some people get offended over everything and there is someone out there that would be upset by this. BUT, who cares? If you let your animals roam that much, it really isn't your place to pitch a fit. There are too many of these babies put down as it is and a roaming cat should not be intact (IMO).
My mom has a stray like that & she feeds it & takes it to the vet yearly for its shots. It is always near her house now. Not really "her" cat, but she said since it was around so much, she wanted to at least take care of it.
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How is that legal?
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What really aggravates me is that, if this is a known time line wear out item, that's fine. I just wish they would put it on the maintenance schedule. For example, I know that at about 130k I should start expecting the alternator to go. I know that every 30k I need to have a tune up and the plugs/wires need to be replaced. I know that about every 50k I'm going to need new brakes. Why wasn't I told that at about this point I would need to replace the transmission? I would have been better prepared finacially, and (believe it or not), emotionally for this. But, then again, it's been a rough week. Maybe this is just the last straw.
They don't put it on the maintenance schedule because people will not pay that kind of money on preventative maintenance. Why pay a couple of thousand dollars to fix something before it breaks?
Honestly, Fords are known for tranny issues and if you made it to 165K, you are doing great! Most need to be replaced at slightly over 100k. My mom had a Tauras and her mechanic told her to drive it until it got really bad. She got almost another year and 20K miles off of that tranny before re-building it and now, she has almost 100k more on that tranny and it is still going strong. Of course, if your mechanic suggests doing something now, I would. Your problem may be more immediate. I would not pay a lot of money just to get in the trans and fix only the problem parts though. If you go that route, I feel sure you will be right back in a few months down the road. As for whether to re-build or put the more expensive option in, that is up to you. Surely if you want this to be one of the 300K vehicles, you may want the better warranty. However, just keep in mind that if you drop $3000k into the trans, there is nothing saying you won't have to turn around and deal with some other major money problem down the road. So, just think about how much you want to commit. If you put all that money into it, are you gonna be willing to put more into it? I know alot of people who have gone the $1500k route with rebuilding and had very good results. However, none have been 6-9 years ago. You just gotta weigh your options and do what you feel is best. I had a truck that I planned to keep and put $4k into the engine. Well, after more money shelled out, I ended up selling it for $6k and basically just recovered the money that I had dropped into it in one year. I couldn't cope with it any more. May not happen that way at all, you just have to know that spending big money now on one item doesn't guarantee anything. If you are ok with that, then you may want the most expensive option because of the better warranty.
Good luck.
Took 50% pay cut, credit card dilemma, advice needed
in Internet Cafe
Posted
Can't take the class with no money to pay tuition and no car to get there & no sitter to watch the kids. But I am glad it worked for you.