Stressing out

*sigh* it's 5.13am and I am awake stressing about money. My dh is in the army full time obviously and makes a fairly decent wage. We were posted to Melbourne in jan and because we have 1 child and I'm due to have another soon we decided it was better for me to stay home. Anyway things have been pretty tight. We get by but we're not rolling in money. Probably doesn't help that we've used a private ob and that's added to our costs.

Anyway, I'm awake stressing about money. I want to be able to be out of cc debt but at the moment that's just not happening. I just don't know what to do. We get about $180 a fortnight in ftb a&b and that's about all we qualify for I think. Maybe I should just go into centrelink and talk to them.

Any advice ladies?

i think you need to sit down and work out where you money is going. do up a spread sheet and put in every cost for the month.
cut up the CC!!! we dont have one (only visa debit) we have to save for something, if we dont have the cash we dont get it.
i meal plan so food wastage is non existant now(yippeee) its also cheaper.

Get a really, really realistic budget happening. Painfully realistic, with no slush.

Get it by pulling out your receipts and c/card statements for the last 12 months, and working out how much p/an you spend on things.

Then make a budget of what's reality at the moment.

Then make a new budget of what you're aiming for, for the next 12 months.

Then stick to the budget, and write down every day EVERYTHING you spend, so you can see from week to week how much $ you have left for different areas.

Areas in my budget include:

* church & charity
* rent/mortgage
* utility bills
* other bills (rates, waste, whatever - put in body corporate if you have it, etc)
* insurance (home, car, health, whatever)
* car (servicing PLUS an allowance of $2K p/an for any repairs, oil, coolant, etc)
* food and cleaning products
* pets (including allowance for vet bills, worming etc tablets, flea collars, pet rego, etc)
* petrol
* train ticket (I have a yearly, so I need to save this year for next year's ticket IYKWIM)
* clothes
* memberships (gym, soccer, professional memberships, etc)
* entertainment (going out, alcohol, special food for when we have friends over, etc - that all comes out here so it doesn't sneak into our grocery money!)
* slush money for DH (this is SMALL and we also buy prezzies for each other out of this...)
* slush money for me
* uni (DH is studying, so his text books, his student fees, extra $$ for extra printer catridges, etc)
* medical (allowance of $$ for Drs, Dentist, medicine, the Pill, flu shots, whatever - based on the earlier years)
* Christmas (again, based on the earlier years, and increases/decreases based on whether we'll be earning more or less this year, ITMS)
* clothes
* savings (non negotiable in my household!)
* presents (allowance for the upcoming year based on how many weddings, engagements, 21sts, 30ths, etc we're anticipating, plus the standard mothers' day, fathers' day, our b'days, etc ... obviously, it's not an exact science, but we try to predict as much as we can! but doesn't include Christmas)
* ummmmmmmmmm ... I'm sure I'm forgetting some things - but you'll know what you're spending.

when DH and I got together, I sat down with him and went through this, and he was astounded on just how much he spent on some things, like food and books ... and cigarettes, but we've stopped that!

even if you don't go to the anal extremes I do of double entry bookkeeping with separate tabs for the different items and a total journal with all the "in" and "out" entries noted, it's a great start to see what comes in, what goes out, and where is there flab you can trim down ...

I hope this sounds empowering and not terrifying ... I really find it helps me!

on another matter - WELCOME TO MELBOURNE!!! Where abouts are you going to be based?

I'm finding it really hard right now also. Now being home with 3 kids i figured that's where i'd be until DS1 is at least in school but i'm already thinking of ways i can also contribute. Along with DH's pay we're currently receiving ftb a&b and the bb but i'm sure that's going to run out pretty soon. I hate barely having any pay left from the min it hits the account.

I've been meaning to look up the threads where there are budgeting ideas and money saving tips but i find it so difficult to get the chance. Got to do it though because things are so so tight right now.

Peanutter you have some great tips there, i may also give it a try.

I know how you feel! My DH is full time army too but he's the lowest pay band, so I wouldn't say his wage is decent but its enough for us to survive on. We got posted to Townsville and its just been impossible for me to find a job, and now with the twins on the way there's no point in me really starting to work, so I've been lying awake at night wondering how we are going to manage when they arrive. Having to get a bigger car hasn't helped, but we get by somehow.

I know its probably easier said than done if you're in Melb, but have you thought of growing a few basic veggies? We've just started growing salad basics and its saved us $20 out of the grocery budget. Its not much but every little bit counts. I also bake a lot of things, like instead of buying DH little morning tea snacks and stuff I make cupcakes, or brownies or scones for him to take because in the long run buying staples like flour in bulk every now and then (if you have the storage, I keep it in the freezer) works out cheaper than buying cake mixes every week. Plus, it gives you something to do with DS! I'd love to get chickens too so we could save money on eggs but we don't have the space for them here. Also buying meat in bulk if you can (once again if you have the freezer space) cuts down on those regular costs - especially since meat at the supermarket seems to have gotten incredibly expensive in the last few years. My dad used to do it when we were kids, he would go once every about...4-6 months I guess and buy a buttload, and it would last. If we ran out of something, we ran out of it, tough tits, it was no longer on the menu.

Another thing my sister raves over is those Christco hamper things? I've never got one but that could be an option when you look at budgeting in your Christmas like Peanutter said - at least then you would have a regular amount you could put into that budget thats set and you know you will get everything you need at christmas for that amount each week/fn.

Also, since DH is army, remember to keep ALL your receipts because the amount of things they can claim on tax is phenomenal - we've claimed everything from new sneakers, to Black Ops (games in a modern warfare setting are classed as training aids so can be claimed back on his tax return, so I always get him something like that for his birthday and then we get the money back for it anyway!). Plus, then you also have a record of all of your spending regardless. You can also use the gym on base if you have an ID card (free to get for spouses) and its not within working hours, so if you do have your own gym membership, thats something that you might be able to give the flick altogether. Lavarack barracks has a childcare centre, I don't know if thats something all bases have or not, but I've heard its cheaper than in the real world - and probably more convenient since the serving member can pick up the child(ren) on their way out.

The Defence community organisation in Melbourne should also be able to provide you with financial advice and help you make the best of the benefits you are entitled to when you have a serving member in your family, so maybe check them out too? And always remember if you are feeling stressed, you have just as much a right to talk to DH's unit padre as he does - even if you're not religious, they respect that and are happy to help if you need, even if its just to vent, they will listen and do their best for you.

wow this is fantastic, [peanutter you have most definently made me think about where our money goes sometimes
i think i will be popping into the budgeting thread and checking out some budgets cause i know we struggle somtimes and i would LOVE to fix that!

this might sound silly but i save money just by not having a home phone, i have a mobile which i use for everything i pay $115 a month for 'unlimited' usage and i find no 'line rental' or anything, people look at me silly when i say i dont have a home phone but for me and my family its much better, i now even have DF's boss looking into maybe possibly doing the same thing

Yes i have kids but my phone is 'always' contactable for incoming or outgoing for those 'just incase' moments you need something!

I also have the internet, i pay $50 a month for that but i have sussed out what i do and dont do on it and made sure i pay for what i use pretty much, and a little more just so i never go over my plan and cop a wopping bill


These are just some of my money saving tips but i amd also now going to search the budgeting thread for alot more ideas!

P.S- what could i use to do like a spreadsheet?? i dont have microsoft word or anything

I use "excel" but if you don't have microsoft office or similar, there's a free one (it's called open office or something) which you can download, and it has a program like word, and another like excel, etc.

good luck!

Yeah Open Office is just like Microsoft Office only free, you should be able to google it!

We don't have a home phone either, we were looking at getting one of those...internet phone things because my aunt and uncle have saved hundreds with theirs, but because this is a brand new house we found out DHA expected us to foot the $300 bill for getting assigned a number and stuff and we were like...F that.

So many people don't have home phones these days, the only time I've found it annoying is when places are like "we need a landline number" and I'm like "Well, unless you want to call my parents in Brisbane, you can't have one because we don't have one" and they get ****ty but will usually take two mobile numbers. And then we just have a $30/month internet plan and when it runs out, it runs out.

Also being on the same phone provider as as many of your friends and family as you can helps a lot. We're with Virgin, and then our parents just have prepaid sims that we call them for free on, that way we can be on the lowest cap plan and save money.

I went and double checked centrelink and we're not entitled to anything extra which is what I thought :D. We have done a lot of the things that have been suggested. We don't have a home phone, just mobiles and internet is pretty cheap on the plan we have and the family we call the most are on our provider :D. We try and limit our spending, and I do lots of our cooking at home. I think our biggest trouble has been that when we had the money we didn't think about it and now we don't and are struggling to adjust. *sigh* will definatley be sitting down with DH tomorrow night to look at a decent budget and committing to keeping to it.

Strawberry, the pay does get better eventually. Fortunately for us, DH and I weren't married when he was on crappy trainee wages and I was still working full time. Also, I know DHA aren't always the greatest, but our rent is so much cheaper living in a DHA house than if we had to rent privately.

Peanutter, we're living in Yallambie :D. So far I'm actually really enjoying Melbourne. Where are you?

Thankyou so much guys for your suggestions and letting me get this off my chest :D Big :hug:

Kilsyth :)

And we've gone from 2 incomes to 1 recently, so I thoroughly understand!!

thankyou, im going to download it right now

im interested in ideas more also of how to save money/budget as we really need too

Tara- stress caused by financial problems i think is very common, i know it causes alot of problems here its very frustrating