unicornwhisperer! Why did you delete your thread? I was just about to give a bunch of good advice.
Well, I'm never one to waste good advice. On the question of "How do I manage to pay my rent when it's due before the month's first paycheck?" I wrote this:
It's a good idea to keep a cushion in your checking account to allow for this. Probably 75% of our monthly expenses occur in the first 15 days, but it's never a problem because I have unbudgeted money sitting there to cover it.
If you get paid every two weeks, then an easy way to build that cushion is to take your third paycheck (in the next month that has three) and count it as the first paycheck of the next month. That way you're always one paycheck ahead of your bills.
--Mel
Posted by unicornwhisperer (Member # 294) on :
Sorry about that crowswife. I very much appreciate your advice.
I only get paid once a month. Marlozahn is in grad school and I only work Part time (because I am also a mom) so you could imagine how much income we bring in.... not much. Thankfully he is going to graduate soon! YEAH!!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, we don't have that much wiggle room in our budget, either.
Is your place managed by an individual or a company?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
SOrry...I didn't mean to sound mean or anything, I have had the same problem myself.
I found that rather than blaming them for wanting their money on the due date, if I blamed myself enough I would make the changes necessary to prevent it...or learn to lve with paying the fee.
Trust me, I know where you are comming from.
Good luck!
Kwea
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Ah. One paycheck a month does make things more difficult. As long as you are making enough money to cover the expenses, if only they were there after payday, you can use the credit card trick. In other words, pay as many of your bills that come after the paycheck with the credit card, so that you'll have money to cover the next month's rent. Then, when you get paid, pay off the credit card. Repeat each month.
Obviously, you have to be very careful not to overspend with this method. It really only works if you are obsessive about keeping track of every detail of your budget. But as long as you don't let it get out of control, it can help you essentially reschedule your bills for after payday.
Oh, and I give all of this advice after spending a year on a very lean budget, when my husband went from active duty military to retail management. I just had to tighten the budget even more, because my husband couldn't take the stress of management and asked to be demoted to a position that pays about 2/3 of what he used to make. And he'll be attending seminary starting this summer.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I understand what it's like to be on a very lean budget. Good luck!
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