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tuyop posted:What about getting a roommate? Those charts make it kind of obvious where you should cut spending. What normal person is going to want to move into a household with a newborn baby?
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Feb 13, 2014 06:17
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I'm 24 and living in Christchurch (a slightly less ridiculous rental market, but not by much) and I can't even imagine raising two kids on minimum wage. I don't know whether to tell you off or congratulate you.  It seems like you're doing what you can about expenses, ultimately the problem is that you're just not earning enough. So do what you can to keep your head above water until you can manage to retrain. Nursing seems like a decent plan but I seem to remember a nurse friend of mine saying recently the job market's tough... make sure whatever you study has good employment prospects, you can't afford to take risks on your course options with two little kids. As I'm sure you know. Oh, and that same friend actually flatted with a young couple and their baby for awhile. Not a newborn, baby was like a year old. But she loved kids, they gave her a good deal on rent, she gave free babysitting, it worked well. Something to consider for the future maybe!
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Feb 13, 2014 06:55
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Vox Nihili posted:That sounds more like "I've decided this way is better" than "it's required." Exactly how much does the land line run? It might be worth paying for a few more minutes to save $20 net/month or something. To take the phone line off cuts our price down by exactly 20 dollars. My mobile minutes rate is .79c per minute outside of the 60 I get for the plan. I am usually 5 dollars deep by the end of the month past the base plan pricing. To cut the phone line would be saving money for 24 minutes. Past that we would be costing ourselves more. I can almost guarantee my partner would blow 25 minutes in a single phone call to her mother, something which is currently free on the home line. We could put her on a plan, to give her her own minutes/best mate, but then we'd be exactly where we are now, but without a phone line for any other local calls we'd be wanting to make. Rudager posted:What normal person is going to want to move into a household with a newborn baby? That is a good point to add to our own feelings on a roommate. edit: ^^^ Nursing is in pretty high demand in Auckland, from what I can gather. I have a couple of friends who have completed their nursing degree and got hired by middlemore for shift work almost straight out the door. It's apparently even easier if you are willing to do things like geriatric nursing, or other such specialised services like that. There is even three old folks homes in the town we live in. One of which my mother in law works at. Unless something major changed by the time I finished (which it might, you never know) I am fairly confident in finding work as a nurse. Spiteski fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Feb 13, 2014 |
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Feb 13, 2014 06:55
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Spiteski posted:We are quite young, so her having 1 year off after finishing study to have a new kid is fairly easily explained. And we arent expecting her job to instantly make us affluent, but anything better than what I am on is an improvement. Also, a lot of new grads end up earning minimum wage so that is where my concern lays - I don't think you can necessarily depend on her earning anything more than you currently are, especially if she can't find work in her field. Maybe she could do some relevant courses on Coursera to demonstrate her continued commitment to keeping current with her education?
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Feb 13, 2014 13:05
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So your wife studied nursing but is taking time off with no experience accumulated to raise another kid? Im sorry but this is really really bad and she is quite possibly going to have a hard time getting into nursing with a gap like that. Anyway if you can get the student loan deferred that gives you another $76 per week to put towards interest bearing debt, its not much but its something.
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Feb 13, 2014 13:27
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Rudager posted:What normal person is going to want to move into a household with a newborn baby? Someone living in a place where a reasonable rental is almost $1800 a month.
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Feb 13, 2014 13:36
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Spiteski posted:Yup he's in a few hours of the 20 at either end of the week so my partner has a little time to herself, but the main problem for her finding work at the moment is the pregnancy. She's 32 weeks so finding somewhere willing to hire her, and somewhere she can actually perform the work heavily pregnant is a mission. As mentioned earlier once the new baby is settled we are definately planning on her getting into part/full time work. Missions are not all impossible. I switched jobs and started at the beginning of September, had #2 at the beginning of November. I only got 6 weeks off for semi-paid maternity leave, though.  I just looked it up and it looks like she wouldn't be eligible for any maternity leave. Boo. She'll be eligible for a place and extra time to pump/breastfeed! So that's something positive when you two decide it's time for her to return to the workforce. Have you considered cloth diapering? Cloth tushies are kind of adorable, and I know from personal experience that it's far cheaper than disposables. (And not gross like I initially thought it would be.)
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Feb 13, 2014 13:51
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I can totally understand that your situation makes moving feel impossible. The baby on the way must double that. But really, nearly 75% of your budget is directly related to the location of your home. Due diligence demands you try and find a way to move your house or move your job. It will utterly destroy the tenuous balance you have. But you cannot afford to discard it. At the very least you should try to find something that might work and run the numbers on it. Also, you said you are relying on family such that moving would only increase the commute somewhere else. For curiosity, what are you guys relying on family for? That's doesn't sound necessary if your partner doesn't work. That failing, you have to find a way to reduce the cost of your commute. Given the distance you're going, a carpool seems best. See if you can arrange one with coworkers who live near you. You've made it sound like there's nowhere else to live for this job, so you should be able to find somebody. Contact the mobile phone company and ask about buying out of the contract. It may not be cost effective, but you need to consider the option.
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Feb 13, 2014 14:06
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Can you pick up an extra shift at your job? Or are your shifts set enough to take on a second job. If your rent is really the lowest it can go, the only way you're going to save yourself from financial trouble is by increasing your income. You don't have to do this long term, you can do this until your wife can go back to the workforce.
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Feb 13, 2014 14:30
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tuyop posted:Someone living in a place where a reasonable rental is almost $1800 a month. There's also probably plenty of other options for them in places that don't have a newborn baby too.
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Feb 13, 2014 19:47
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Rudager posted:There's also probably plenty of other options for them in places that don't have a newborn baby too. Yeah you're right. Don't even bother trying, OP! There's no possible way you can change a single thing about your situation. Despair.
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Feb 13, 2014 21:00
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Well, it seems the unanimous advice is to sort out new living arrangements. In light of that, I've started browsings trademe listings (similar to craigslist/ebay combined) for rentals nearer to my work, and also seeing on the offchance if there are cheaper places in our current area to remain close to family. Bloody Queef posted:Can you pick up an extra shift at your job? Or are your shifts set enough to take on a second job. If your rent is really the lowest it can go, the only way you're going to save yourself from financial trouble is by increasing your income. You don't have to do this long term, you can do this until your wife can go back to the workforce. I work 6.30-4.30 mon-friday, and its not shift work, so there's literally no extra time that our company operates that I can work in addition to these times. Picking up an extra job would be good, I suppose I can add "part-time" to the criteria of job searching I am doing already. Folly posted:I can totally understand that your situation makes moving feel impossible. The baby on the way must double that. But really, nearly 75% of your budget is directly related to the location of your home. Due diligence demands you try and find a way to move your house or move your job. It will utterly destroy the tenuous balance you have. But you cannot afford to discard it. At the very least you should try to find something that might work and run the numbers on it. Also, you said you are relying on family such that moving would only increase the commute somewhere else. For curiosity, what are you guys relying on family for? That's doesn't sound necessary if your partner doesn't work. We arent relying on family as such, beyond the payments my parents make towards insurances, but we have a close relationship with both families. They also babysit for us when we need it, and are emergency backup for when we need our kid picked up, or looked after on occasion. As you say though, not necessary, but preferred. I do appreciate the advice guys, and I'm not just trying to churn out excuses, I swear.
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Feb 14, 2014 06:24
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Spiteski posted:I will try to specify which numbers are which. I keep forgetting to put "per week" but I'll do my best. So just to clarify for the thread, the OP lives in a tiny little town called Waiuku, which is 30km outside the outer edge of Auckland, and 50km from where he works. It's totally possible to legally bike (see map linked below), since you don't have to take the freeway. It looks pretty flat, but 50km is still at least two hours each way. http://goo.gl/maps/GXic9 However, contrary to the OP's earlier assertions, it doesn't take much to find houses that are cheaper than or equal to the $400/week he is currently paying, but which are actually in the same town as his job: http://www.realestate.co.nz/rental/search/bedrooms_max/3/bedrooms_min/2/prices_max/400/regions/35 90% of them even have gardens! Spiteski posted:Well, it seems the unanimous advice is to sort out new living arrangements. Seriously, you'd be much better off with a 15 minute bike/transit commute, and driving out to see family (or vice versa). Apart from the petrol (and eventual car repair) cost, right now you're losing two hours a day, five days a week, that you could be spending with your kids. Also on the topic of housing, and just in case it's a factor: kids can share a bedroom (get a bunk bed) without trouble for at least the first eight years of their lives, and even longer if necessary. Don't hold out for a three bedroom if a nice two bedroom comes up. Edit: here's a search for you on that trademe website, only searching the suburbs around Highbrook for 2+ bedrooms at $400/week or less. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Cat...orm_suggested=0 Here's a promising one, roughly 5km or less from work, and only $320 per week. Lead out in cuffs fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Feb 14, 2014 |
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Feb 14, 2014 07:59
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Lead out in cuffs posted:So just to clarify for the thread, the OP lives in a tiny little town called Waiuku, which is 30km outside the outer edge of Auckland, and 50km from where he works. It's totally possible to legally bike (see map linked below), since you don't have to take the freeway. It looks pretty flat, but 50km is still at least two hours each way. Yea we have no qualms about having just a two bedroom for a while. We intend on having the baby co-sleep for a while as it is, and our first child sleeps like a brick same as me. I did know that biking Grt Sth Rd was an option, but honestly, gently caress that noise. It's an incredibly busy road with a massive number of poo poo drivers on it. There is not a chance in hell I'd bike that road in the evenings safely in peak hour traffic. Mornings would be fine, as I'd be leaving early enough it would be dead quiet. Plus, a three hour bike ride is not the sort of thing you want on each end of a physical work day. Also, I eat my words about house prices. They were much higher when we were looking when I started my job, and 410 was about middle of the pack at the time.
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Feb 14, 2014 10:36
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Spiteski posted:Yea we have no qualms about having just a two bedroom for a while. We intend on having the baby co-sleep for a while as it is, and our first child sleeps like a brick same as me. It's actually pretty nice, though 100km/day is a pretty loving elite level of cycling. At what distance/time would you be comfortable commuting by bike instead of car?
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Feb 14, 2014 14:26
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tuyop posted:It's actually pretty nice, though 100km/day is a pretty loving elite level of cycling. At what distance/time would you be comfortable commuting by bike instead of car? Yeah we had a goon come into the bike commuting thread once, asking about commuting 50 miles each way through the Nevada desert, but even he was only talking about doing that twice a week. Anyway, asking the OP how far he'd be willing to bike is kinda moot, since the suburbs surrounding the industrial area where he works are chock full of cheaper rentals than his current place. He can and should move to within 5km of work and save money on rent in the process.
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Feb 14, 2014 17:50
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Yeah we had a goon come into the bike commuting thread once, asking about commuting 50 miles each way through the Nevada desert, but even he was only talking about doing that twice a week.  Wow, did he end up doing it? Two full centuries a week is a feat, even broken up like that. You'd have to have a pretty good handle on your diet for that to be worth it as well. That's like 10k calories a day if he does anything else active.
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Feb 14, 2014 18:15
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We never heard from him again. I'm assuming he's a pile of sand-blasted bones in the wilderness now  .One day, though, when I reboot that thread to have an actually useful OP, I'm going to be including that, along with Denizen's "it's -40 today, I'm biking because my car would break" post to the section on all-weather commuting, with the heading "Oh, it's raining a little / too hot and you don't want to bike? How precious."
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Feb 14, 2014 21:22
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Just a quick update; we've given notice at our current place to be out by the ninth of March. When I am not at work I'll go into more detail, but this is going to free up our renting cost situation immensely.
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Feb 18, 2014 20:13
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Awesome, I'm glad you're actually heeding advice and making changes.
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Feb 18, 2014 20:15
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Ok so the plan is as follows: Two years ago we were living in my parents property in the garage that had been converted into a three bedroom with a kitchenette and bathroom. A little less than two years ago my sister and her fiancé had to be bailed out from Australia because neither had jobs and their current living arrangement on a farm had stopped paying them for labour. They then came back, we moved out of they're bedroom and rented a place as we had income (mine and my partners studying allowance) and they moved in. Cut to now, they are moving back to aus and we are taking thee three bedroom. It's always been a cost free rental, all we have to pay is money towards power and our own separate phone and internet and food costs. Pretty awesome deal, it's roughly ten minutes and five dollars further from work, but we're essentially saving 400 per week. Much excited. We pay our last week of rent next week, but expect to be taken for a ride for our bond. Not mentioning names but the real estate agents are known for slapping hundress of dollars on costs as "cleaning" even after people have already paid professional cleaner to come in. In the end though, it's not going to take long for us to get the couple grand in credit card and overdraft sorted, and then maybe even put a decent amount into savings.
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Feb 19, 2014 22:30
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Spiteski posted:Ok so the plan is as follows: This is an incredible opportunity if you can stay vigilant about debt repayment and savings. As for the rental bond, clean it yourself and take 1000 photos of the property the day you move out. We got 'mistakenly' charged $1k+ in fees and sent them certified mail challenging their claim and barring them from collections until it was settled in arbitration, along with a mini-cd of all the images, and what do you know it all became an accident on their part.
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Feb 20, 2014 00:39
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BossRighteous posted:This is an incredible opportunity if you can stay vigilant about debt repayment and savings. As for the rental bond, clean it yourself and take 1000 photos of the property the day you move out. We got 'mistakenly' charged $1k+ in fees and sent them certified mail challenging their claim and barring them from collections until it was settled in arbitration, along with a mini-cd of all the images, and what do you know it all became an accident on their part. I fully intend to be vigilant and pictures is a great idea. I went to their office yesterday and got a Entry Condition report from when we moved in and had the guy telling me he can't release it until the check has been done. Told him to stop being ridiculous and had to get the manager in to give me the drat form. The form I'm legally required to have access to. Jesus some people are dumb.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:20
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Can you be present for the inspection? In the States, I always viewed my security deposit as a cost of moving, but I just moved in Canada, and was there with the inspector. I had a list already of what needed to be done, and got it signed off before I handed over the keys.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:28
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The added bonus, maybe, is that Grandma (and Grandpa lol) will probably enjoy the access to their newborn grandkid. You can leverage this for short (couple of hour) breaks on the weekends or in evenings when you need to chill together.
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Feb 20, 2014 15:13
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That's awesome. Get caught up on your money situation and feed your parents a lot of dinners.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:00
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Nam Taf posted:The added bonus, maybe, is that Grandma (and Grandpa lol) will probably enjoy the access to their newborn grandkid. You can leverage this for short (couple of hour) breaks on the weekends or in evenings when you need to chill together. Yea the bonus is that my mother (the grandmother were moving in with) is our midwife so there's bonus care there heh. We pretty confident this will work out well, I hope to update in three months and be down to just student loans. That is if we can resist massive amounts if takeaway and buying poo poo.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:09
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Spiteski posted:That is if we can resist massive amounts if takeaway and buying poo poo. This is the point where the thread pivots to making you create/post a new budget.
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Feb 21, 2014 03:06
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e: double post
Doc Faustus fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 21, 2014 03:06
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I've just read this thread from start to finish and I'm really glad that you've been given a great opportunity to get a handle on your finances. To be frank, things were bleak in the short to medium term, which they often are when so much of your take home is going towards accommodation expenses. I definitely agree with Doc Faustus, now is the time to sit down with the missus and hammer out a new budget with clearly defined goals and timelines AND STICK TO IT. Yes, you're going to want to splash out a little as you've been doing it tough for awhile and hell, I don't blame you. But, you aren't out of the woods by any stretch, this isn't the end of your financial trouble, only the beginning of the path to independence. It is certainly possible (and has happened before) that you'll need to move again unexpectedly in 4, 6, 12? months and if you don't set goals now, you could easily find yourself in the same or worse financial position than you are in now, with the added bonus of the knowledge that you had squandered the chance to get ahead. Realistically, that credit card should be paid off in full within six weeks of moving, you're putting $410 towards rent per week at the moment, $1600 in six weeks is achievable. Then start building an emergency fund. You've got a decent sized commute by car each day, what's your back-up plan (when, not if) you hit car trouble and need to hand over $800 yesterday to get it back on the road? And, as I'm sure you are aware, there will always be surprise payments when your second child is born. Many people get stuck in the paycheck to paycheck cycle and aren't lucky enough to have a support network that can help them out, use this time to ensure you don't get stuck in it again.
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Feb 22, 2014 11:57
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Spiteski posted:That is if we can resist massive amounts if takeaway and buying poo poo. As others have said, come up with a budget you're happy with in terms of debt repayment and some "fun" money thrown in. When you have a budget you feel good about, pay your obligations first as soon as you get paid so there will be no temptation to spend the money building up in your checking account. maybe use envelopes, anything to get you out of the "ooooh money, must spend" cycle.
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Feb 24, 2014 16:15
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OP ate himself into a fast food coma and isn't coming back to the thread any more, is he.
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Feb 25, 2014 12:46
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Weatherman posted:OP ate himself into a fast food coma and isn't coming back to the thread any more, is he. No no, I've been good on the fast food front this week past. Had subway for lunch only once because we forgot to food shop for the usual lunch crap and I leave too early to pick stuff up on the way. Just been busy packing and getting the place sorted. We're pretty much a right off for being able to meet the last weeks rent though. So I doubt we're going to see much of our 1200 in bond money back.
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Feb 26, 2014 00:05
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Small update for those who might want to know. This months pay cheque came in, and the bond was released with only a $70NZD charge for cleaning two stained curtains. So I now have $800 of my $1600 credit car paid, the previous daycare paid in full, and two weeks of the next daycare paid in advance. All utilities from the old house paid completely, a full tank of gas is in the cars, and we bought ourselves a couple movies and a game as a treat. Currently still have $650 left over to last us until next month. We've also lost $150 per week from the accommodation supplement but with the $410 per week saved from not having rent, we should be good. I'm organising today to have the credit card limit reduced to $500(the minimum) and leaving it in a drawer somewhere to avoid binge spending, but sill have it around for emergency/untimely costs. I think there is hope!
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Mar 17, 2014 21:20
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Spiteski posted:Small update for those who might want to know. Nah, buy an ipad, you deserve it!
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Mar 18, 2014 00:58
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tuyop posted:Nah, buy an ipad, you deserve it! We did receive some random persons iPad case in the mail the other week. It must be a sign!
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Mar 18, 2014 01:07
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Slightly depressing. Doing a budget cause I can't figure out where my money is going. Since the start of march, I have spent $1300 on non-groceries food.  I am pretty shocked at how fast buying bakery food, and fast food every now and then builds up.
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Apr 7, 2014 06:38
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Spiteski posted:Slightly depressing. Yup. This is why budget's are so necessary. You're doing the right thing. At least you caught it after about a month instead of letting it drain on for years. For reference, I think my non-grocery food budget is sized for 8 fast food lunches out (1 per week for my wife and myself) and 1 dinner out per month. Still, that's a lot of money spent even for not tracking. You're going to have to be especially studious about tracking for a while to break the food habit you have. It really is easy to cook cheaply and clean up after yourself. You just have to create the right set of habits. Keep up with the budget tracking. If you don't, you'll find that when you plug one hole another will open up somewhere else. I know the $1300 is disappointing, but the budget itself is great progress. Keep it up.
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Apr 7, 2014 16:27
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Cut out fast food completely if you can. That poo poo is worse for your body than it is for your wallet. However, I did eat Jack in the Box last Saturday due to some crazy circumstances. At least I mountain biked 18 miles that day, and walked the dog for 3 miles.
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Apr 7, 2014 19:08
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Folly posted:Yup. This is why budget's are so necessary. You're doing the right thing. At least you caught it after about a month instead of letting it drain on for years. For reference, I think my non-grocery food budget is sized for 8 fast food lunches out (1 per week for my wife and myself) and 1 dinner out per month. Well I've finished the budget all up (I'll edit out certain info and then chuck it up this weekend for you all to laugh at) Hopefully I can stick to it. Already getting up 4.45am to get a made breakfast in rather than a bakery or fast food breakfast which was quickly becoming the norm. (My beltsize already thanks me). But yea, it was a huge wakeup call. I thought I would be bad, somewhere around the 3-500 per month mark. But that seriously blew me away.
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Apr 14, 2014 09:47
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