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[side_show]

With my career choice plus my total lack of family support I've always had to be very good with money.  Plus having worked for Mastercard for so long, I learnt a lot about financial management.

The best of all advice is to adopt a philosophy of peace in simplicity.  As JL notes, living green is financially beneficial, but it can also be very peaceful to look at what you really need in life.  It's amazing how little you need to be healthy and happy.  Taking on a DIY attitude toward everything is very empowering.  Most communities have DIY organizations, and there's tons of tips on-line and at the library about this.  Buying used clothing, especially if you can deal with basic alterations, is a great way to save.  It's amazing how many hardly-worn cast offs there are out there!

I definitely agree with the credit card advice.  If you have a card call the company and put a block on it, then either cut it up, or freeze it in a block of ice (that way you have to unthaw it and put a lot of thought into why you're using it.)  Don't cancel the card - having and maintaining a card is good for your credit rating.  Only unblock it if it's an actual life or death emergency involving your health.  

Living expenses - it seems to sound like you're already living in a situation that should be pretty cheap, but definitely investigate your options.  We've chosen to live in a poor neighbourhood because it's so much more affordable.  Yes it's more dangerous here, but even with the cost of high-quality alarm monitoring our mortgage payment is lower than our rent used to be.  If your city's much like mine, the shitty neighbourhoods are also the ones near the city centre, which means access to public transportation, which takes me to my next point...

The best thing I've done to cut costs is to drastically reduce my dependence on a vehicle - walk, bike, use public transpo, car pool - put every single option before using a car.  Having made this change I went from fueling up twice a month to fueling up 4-5 times a year (this saves me about $700 a year, not even including the reduction in regular maintenance costs).  If at all possible, find out if there are cheaper insurance rates for vehicles only used for "pleasure" and/or parked/dormant vehicles.  I have my car registered for "pleasure" during times when I need it and switch it to "dormant" to cover vandalism and theft for 5 months of the year.  My insurance is pretty high, so this saves another $300 a year.  Yeah, it's not fun to be walking out in bad weather, but the added benefits of the extra exercises I get are pretty awesome, and I'm pretty happy with the stress reduction of not having to deal with traffic.

Lastly, if you have a skill  you can make extra cash off, put yourself out there and do it.  Odd jobs are usually pretty fun, and even when they're not, they're usually short term enough that it doesn't matter.  If you're crafty, if you have fix-it skills, if you can pet sit... anything.  Market yourself to your bud's, around the neighbourhood and/or find something on-line.  I made money pet sitting, writing for a few on-line magazines, delivering fliers, editing papers... all sorts of odd jobs.  One thing that's really fun that I didn't get into but that was a way friends made money is by advertising yourself as a conversational English instructor by posting ads around university campuses with large foreign student/ESL populations.  Many of these students have particularly come to North America to learn English, and you obviously have the skill they need already.  You can meet you students in public places like grocery stores, coffee shops etc and make your lesson about the world around you.  

[theinevitable]

I definitely agree with the credit card advice.  If you have a card call the company and put a block on it, then either cut it up, or freeze it in a block of ice (that way you have to unthaw it and put a lot of thought into why you're using it.)  Don't cancel the card - having and maintaining a card is good for your credit rating.  Only unblock it if it's an actual life or death emergency involving your health. 

Ok, education time! Why do you still need to block it if it is frozen in ice or cut up? What exactly does blocking it accomplish, if you can call at any time and unblock it? I was under the impression that the "blocking" thing was for if, for example, your card were stolen. And I know a few people who've thought their card was lost, blocked it, and then found it, only to have to request that a new one be sent to them? Am I misunderstanding?

[KeithHernandez]

Lastly, if you have a skill  you can make extra cash off, put yourself out there and do it.  Odd jobs are usually pretty fun, and even when they're not, they're usually short term enough that it doesn't matter.  If you're crafty, if you have fix-it skills, if you can pet sit... anything.  Market yourself to your bud's, around the neighbourhood and/or find something on-line.  I made money pet sitting, writing for a few on-line magazines, delivering fliers, editing papers... all sorts of odd jobs.

Alright so I walked dogs for like 5 years (2 years of those were vet tech-draw blood, give medicine, help w surgery, deal with clients first, basically a dog or cat nurse m-f then walk dogs on weekends.  Anyways, if I wanted to walk dogs around San Francisco (I think I do), how would I go about doing that.  I have never lived in a big city, but like fliers?  Do people really do this?  I remember seeing it in some horrible tv show/ movie when I was a pre teen.  You know, jsut walk dogs around in packs of like 7 in parks and stuf, does this exist?  Will being able to give dogs shots/ previous experience help?

[wombat]

Keith, there are millions of small companies that do that now, and I am sure they'd be thrilled to hire someone with tech experience. Go to the job ads in the "ETC" category on Craigslist and you'll find the places hiring petsitters and dog walkers. Or just call all the dog walking services in town and ask. There's a lot of turnover in these places around here and they're always hiring - I can't imagine why that would be any different in SF.

I think you're better off working for an established service than putting up fliers. Also, I don't think that walking a big pack of dogs is state of the art in this business anymore - people expect individual attention for their dogs. Especially in the SF area which is pretty animal-crazy, there's probably a much higher standard than that.

I interviewed a franchisee for a national outfit a while ago and she hires people with no experience and trains them. She would have fainted with gratitude to get someone with your experience. I can't imagine it's that much different in other cities - it's not a job someone could live on forever so there has to be a fair amount of turnover.

Edit: This is the company I did the story about - they even have on-line job application
http://fetchpetcare.com/

[linnea]

Damn fine idea, omba!!! I can also give shots and draw blood, and although I've never done it on an animal (aside from giving my cats subcutaneous injections once) I'm sure I could do that. I have been trying to get a job as a blood tech/phlebotomist on Saturdays and Sundays with Bonfils, our local blood bank, but they have zero openings right now.

[wombat]

These places do hire people with other full-time jobs who are willing to petsit before and after work for people who are on vacation.  Fetch actually offers overnight stays with pets, which you could do if you have a day job.  Being able to give meds is a really good skill for this.

[KeithHernandez]

Yeah, I would rather just walk a dog (rather than a lot) anyways. Just what I saw on said horrible show.

Awesome though, thanks for the tips.  Just something to do for a while or, if I can somehow get another part time job that allows me rent, food, and party, for as long as I feel like having a good time.

[side_show]

Ok, education time! Why do you still need to block it if it is frozen in ice or cut up? What exactly does blocking it accomplish, if you can call at any time and unblock it? I was under the impression that the "blocking" thing was for if, for example, your card were stolen. And I know a few people who've thought their card was lost, blocked it, and then found it, only to have to request that a new one be sent to them? Am I misunderstanding?

Well, blocking it adds yet another step to take before use.  Calling in and waiting to talk to an agent makes you think about your actions more - anything that decreases the convenience of use is a good thing because sometimes when you've had a really bad day a bottle of whiskey/the perfect pair of shoes/a bottle of perfume you've been looking for for 8 years/etc feels like an emergency, but when you think about saying so to some agent at a call centre... you start to realize it's not. Basically what any credit councilor will tell you is that a credit card should not be conveniently accessable if you are in a situation where money is tight.

Blocking a card is different than reporting it stolen.  If you call in and give any indication that a card is stolen or being used fraudulently, that card number is automatically, irreversibly cancelled and you're issued a new card number, which can only be accessed after the physical replacement card comes to you in the mail in 10-14 business days and is activated from your home phone number.  If you call in and say that you are managing your debt and want to freeze your card from use for that purpose you can still make payments and/or your automatic payments will still go to that number, and in an actual emergency (say you're life depends on getting out of Reno after watching a man die) you can call, reactivate the card and use the card number to get yourself a one way ticket to Mexico or whatever.  In a lot of real-life emergency situations the physical card isn't necessary as long as you know the card number and the last three digits of the code on the back, while say... going to the Olive Garden or a Shopping Spree at Target, you need the physical card.  Also, in the case of cutting it up, in an actual emergency Mastercard can FedEx an emergency replacement card to you within 24 hours anywhere in the world -this probably goes for Visa also.  It has to be an actual, verifiable emergency and the card works with a certified bank wherever you are in the world to verify your identity and the situation, but it does happen.

[linnea]

Fuck, I have seventeen days until I get paid again. I have enough money to buy petrol for my car and that's it. Fortunately I have purchased some canned goods on previous shopping trips and I have enough food to last out the month, but it's going to be uncomfortable.

[Lister]

Well, obviously step 1 is to save enough so that you can actually start keeping money in your checking account.  This amount is your stake, safety net, or whatever else you want to call it -- do NOT count it when you do your budgeting.  This amount is only to be touched if there are no other options.

Once you have a reserve in your checking account, think about setting up one of those high-interest internet savings accounts and having your paycheck direct-deposited there.  I use ING Direct, but there are others.  This does a couple things for me:

1) Because I can't withdraw cash until it's been in my savings account for 5 business days, this essentially forces me to gain interest on my money before I can spend it.

2) I have to make an effort to move money to my checking account, which means I have to plan my purchases beforehand.

3) I have a highly visible number that gets added back in to my account the more I leave in the savings account.  This is a really big incentive (for me, at least) to leave money there as much as possible.  I find myself thinking "I'll wait until next month to buy that thing, and it'll be like getting 4.5% off of the price," and then the next month I think, "If I wait again, it's like almost 10% off the price!"  And then I think, "I've lived without that thing for two months, maybe I'll just leave that money in savings and not get it for 100% off..."

While it's really easy to transfer money back and forth, the extra effort involved makes me think twice before transferring more than my standard budget for rent/bills/gas (which is re-deposited in my checking account automatically each month, pretty sweet).  As Side Show said, that extra effort is usually enough to overcome the impulse.

I have friends who make about $80 a month by completing surveys online -- if I can remember their email (they're never on IM any more) I'll find out where they do that.

* If you do decide on ING, there may be promotional programs where we both get money if you open an account, so let me know.

[KeithHernandez]

Yes, please find that out.  Amazon used to do this thing called Mturk (they still do, but it was better), and I could make like $250 in a week if I was going on a trip or real strapped for cash.

[side_show]

Also, seriously - it sounds like you're dipping right below the poverty line.  If it comes down to it, there is nothing wrong with picking up a pack of noodles and jar of tomato sauce from a food bank if the other option is not eating or sacrificing another necessity to do so.

[Golfhaus]

Also, seriously - it sounds like you're dipping right below the poverty line.  If it comes down to it, there is nothing wrong with picking up a pack of noodles and jar of tomato sauce from a food bank if the other option is not eating or sacrificing another necessity to do so.

Make sure you're going through the right channels, though. My daughter's mother works for the food bank back in Virginia, and one of the misconceptions that a lot of people had was that the food bank gave food to people. They (at least that one) did not. They gave the food to other groups (church volunteer groups, etc.) that did the actual disbursement of food to the people. This became a sticking point after Hurricane Isabel left the area without power. People were going to the food bank warehouse for food, and being told to go elsewhere.

[Arachno-capitalist]

Yes, please find that out.  Amazon used to do this thing called Mturk (they still do, but it was better), and I could make like $250 in a week if I was going on a trip or real strapped for cash.

Re: Mturk
This paid-by-the-minute podcast transcription stuff looks like a better use of my time than what Im usually doing.

[jough]

I know this is easier said than done, but if you put 10% of your take-home pay into a savings account, you'll have a month's salary saved in ten months. 

Sell anything you don't need or want anymore, which is also easier said than done.  You know anyone who wants to buy a couple hundred DVDs?

Seventeen days between paychecks is a long time.  After paying bills and regular expenses, do the math and figure out how much you have every day. 

As someone who has his eye on a $2500 HDTV set, saying not to buy $800 purses may be hypocritical, but seriously, does an $800 purse really look or work that much better than a $100 purse?  Clearly I do not understand, as I'm dating a girl who has 4,100 pairs of shoes and I have two.

Also, payday is dangerous because you feel rich.  Maybe stick out the week after payday and act as if you don't get paid until the following week?

Another tip someone told me is to really scrimp the first few pays until you have a whole paycheck in the bank, and then live off of that and always be living a paycheck ahead.  That way you won't *need* that paycheck when it comes, as you're already ahead of it.

One of my goals for 2008 is to be able to live for at least six months on savings - and not just get by, but live the extravagant life to which I've grown accustomed.