How did/do you come to accept money the way it is???

At the moment we aren't recieving any FTB and are surviving on 1.5 incomes. More so because DHs salary changes so much with commissions we jsut can't predict our earnings accurately during this time.
I know it's Christmas time and things are harder around this time of year - but i'm talking about in general terms, not just this time of year.

How do you/did you come to accept money is the way it is? I find myself forever chasing my tail when it comes to paying bills etc and I consider myself pretty good a making sure things are paid. Lately though it seems i'm having to prioritize what needs to be paid for first. Rent is ALWAYS paid on time and there is ALWAYS food in my house for my family to eat. However anything and everything else is paid when it can be. I'm always wondering how we got into this place. I would REALLY love to get my hair cut - not even coloured or shampooed, just cut. But we just can't afford it. Please don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS make sure my daughter has what she needs, no matter what I have to do to get there.

Have you been in a similar situation or felt stuck so to speak in a similar situation? What did you do to get through it? At the moment - an extra job isn't an option.

I'm in exactly the same spot...

Somehow our rent got $2100 behind when DF lost his job and everything else fell away in the same manner and here we are...
Our rent is always paid plus a bit to slowly catch up the arrears, we don't always have food in the house eg: I can't makea cuppa cause we can't buy any milk till next pay day.

Sometimes I look around when I'm on the computer trying to figure out what not to pay and I think... how the hell did this happen.
WE have worked out that even if I did work 3 days a week, after Child care petrol etc we would only get $80 a fortnight so there's not point...

I think though that most days I'm ok, I take joys in little things like making a cake or cookies, or getting myself a drink from the supermarket when I do the shopping and sitting down to enjoy it with DS.

You can't get used to this type of living, because it breeds stress, the best thing is to slowly work towards getting out of the situation and distracting yourself in the mean time...

Sorry I can't be much help, but you're not alone (I haven't had my haircut in 12 months)

Ella

We are the same as far as DH's job goes. We defer our FTB because it's just not worth the bill at the end if we have underestimated our income. It is a nice suprise to have when it is paid out though.

Nov is a bugger fo us, not just with christmas, but it seems to be when we have family birthdays, insurances: house and car, and regos are all due at once, as well as the regular bills and xmas.

I budget out what the regular expences are each week - rent food petrol daycare and any extra is put aside in savings for bills. If it isn't in my account, it isn't as easliy spent. Well that's theory anyway!

Merry Christmas!

Well, we just decided what we can and cannot afford. I always bugetted for the minimum money, so a bonus or a payrise doesn't affect us as it's put away for when we need something (eg car insurance or renovations). I've just had a payrise and I've ploughed the whole amount into paying off more mortgage. DH's bonus this year is in shares, so I'm pleased I didn't budget for it!

DS goes without. We all do. He wears cheap clothes not ones from nice shops. Certainly not designer things! I go without - most of my work clothes I bought before I got married. Over five years ago! DH goes fishing just to bring us some food home some weeks. OK, so not since I've been back to full-time work.

We still have to pay off some money on the second car, but we budgetted for that and I know that the money will be in for that next month.

You just have to find (if you can) cheaper food (ie no brands), realise that children only need about 5 outfits per size (OK I go up to 10 if I can afford it!) and have your treat as a meal that you got half-price from the shops because it's going past dates tomorrow in front of a DVD you've not seen for a couple of years. Holidays? Staying with parents for a week.

It sucks. But if you need to do it theen you need to - and remember that it doesn't last forever. Far better, IMO, to be frugal now and enjoy later than "live a bit" now and pay for it the rest of your life.