Tired of being broke!

[didnotseeitcoming]

Anyone else sick of being broke? This sucks! I'm tired of living with someone else because I can't afford a place of my own, it seems like all my friends have an endless supply of. Discressionary income.....most of my money goes to support for d6 and her tuition which I'm obviously ok with, I would just love to be able to take a vacation again and have my own place again! Just venting.... But what are some of you other guys doing to improve your financial situations?

[keko]

Working overtime whenever I can, minimize going out and stop wasting $$ on stupid stuff.

[jerico08]

Cash jobs on the side once in a while. One guy I know delivers pizza, makes some good cash. Consider what is a vacation and budget for it. Two or three days in the woods camping and fishing; Cheap tent from Walmart or borrow one, sleeping bag, fishing pole, matches and beer..How's that for starters?

[hanzblinx]

In my case my finances have shot up through the roof since my ex wife got re-married and I got alimony terminated. I suppose it will shoot through the roof again when my son is emancipated, just 5 more years.

My only advice is to get a vasectomy and avoid marriage like the plague.

[RC211V]

...My only advice is to get a vasectomy and avoid marriage like the plague.

No kidding. My alimony is done in a couple months, can't wait. Any time ex gets a job, support will go down... they might impute her income too. Next year car is paid off. Between alimony and car payment my bills will be decreasing almost $1k a month. Divorce done and a little financial relief will let me focus on finishing school and getting out of the relatively small debt I have.

Do you have bills you can cut back at all? Start with small stuff maybe, reduce expenses and interest payments, penny saved is penny earned right? Then use that to work on making more somewhere. Working more for me isn't a good option, because it is straight out less time with the kids.

[Thermite]

The only way to save money is to spend less than you earn. So either cut spending, or earn more. Sounds simple, right?
The first place to start is a very detailed budget. You can't really look at making any changes until you've got this first basic step done. I could even send you a copy of my own budget if you'd like, just to get you started.


As I've mentioned before, one of the main factors leading to my divorce was my ex's destructive spending habits. I tried to stay married as long as I could, which morphed into me enabling her. In other words, long before divorce, I adopted a very frugal lifestyle just to keep us out of bankruptcy. Even now, my normal monthly living expenses are about $750, but I have to put back enough to be ready for big annual expenses like home insurance, taxes, etc., so really it's more like $1000. That includes tuition for D7's school & daycare a couple days a week; if I was really struggling she'd be going to public school and I'd rely on family members more for child care, and the Christmas budget would be really scaled back.

I outlined some ideas on saving money here:http://www.dadsdivorce.com/father_divorce_forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38502&start=10

[hanzblinx]

my ex's destructive spending habits

Yup. Between CS, alimony, and insurance I was ordered to pay her $2,850/month at temp orders. Even with that massive payment, it was actually cheaper than having her around. She was one of those SAHM who got bored at home, so to fill her time she'd go shopping 2x-3x a day.

not cheaper to keep her

[didnotseeitcoming]

Great stuff guys! So here's my plan....monthly expenses(check) budget leaves me very little for food, gas, etc. I am planning on working and extra 5/6 hrs a week. Plus I'm going to start a little side business... So with those things I should be able to improve my situation...thanks all for taking the time to share your helpful info.

[Chris A]

Craig's list can be your friend. Heck cleaning rain gutters can earn you a extra $80. Cash.

[all4nothing]

Wow, I feel a little better now. I was beginning to think that I was the only one screwed over. (temp. order: $1200/mo. alimony, $1300/mo child support for one child)

Unfortunately, I've been told that I will probably be paying alimony for the rest of her life. (27 years of marriage and she's never been employed.) I will also probably be giving her half my retirement and pension. Her cut, +$400k. And won't she also be eligible for my social security when she is eligible?

I just want to say that I think that I was a great father and husband, but it takes 2 to tango. Money can sometimes really screw things up.