This year has been rough. I'm not a single mom but my spouse is disabled. I'm trying to get back on track after a car accident that totalled our car and left me out of work for 2 weeks. I work 3 jobs and still struggle. It's the economy currently. Inflation had made things impossible. Just keep going momma. We got this ❤
I'm so sorry you're struggling ❤️ hopefully we all can find our way to the surface of what seems to be a never-ending drowning of financial insecurity. I'm sending you and your family lots of love and positive energy ❤️❤️❤️
Hi there! Single parent for 15 years here. I completely understand everything you said in this video. Bless you for trying so hard for your babies! My kids are 31 and 28 now. My best piece of advice….NEVER count child support as income. My ex still owes me $48000.00. If it’s paid, use it for debt reduction. But don’t budget with it. It’ll mess you up every single time. ❤️❤️
New subbie here. My favorite quote is "you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have " You've got this and we are here to support you!
though I'm 16 and don't struggle with bills of my own I help my mom with everything I have (which isn't much lol). If it helps, I'll never stop seeing her as a hero and I'm sure your children will grow to appreciate all your efforts to keep them safe too. for now, remind yourself that you deserve happiness and will get it one way or another. so just hang in there!! the best is yet to come. (my english is bad, sorry 🙏🏻)
That's a lot of responsibility you've put on your shoulders. I'm sure your momma appreciates and loves you very much! Your job shouldn't be to help with bills, your job is to be a kid because adulthood comes wayyyyy to quickly, and along with it will come the bills and responsibilities. So enjoy being a kid now 😊❤️
Hello! Welcome to RU-vid! I was just going to give a tip for school pictures. I have been ordering one 8x10 so I can take a decent picture and then send it to family members on my phone. They then order prints if they want or canvases. Saves a huge amount! I had a stack of pictures I didn’t give away the first year and it’s such a waste of money.
This is definitely heart breaking to hear but can i just say i am so proud of you for wanting to make a change thats the first step!!!! So way to go mama! it will take alot of time to figure it out and get it going but we are here to support you and be your cheerleaders!!! im still learning and i have been trying to budget and save for a few years! its like you said once i get going theres always something that comes up that needs that money!
Omgosh, thank you so much for watching and supporting me and my journey ❤️. Always something, but at least we're trying to set the money aside for when those things to take the money, instead of creating more debt 😊 we got this 🫶🥹
I had been where you are. I had the help of my parents and sister. Sometimes you can't give your children everything, which is ok. Your video has brought me to tears. Things will get better. Both my daughters are college educated with children of their own and my oldest grandaughter grauated from college this year and the second grandaughter graduates from college next year. So like I said things will get better. It just take time and a lot of praying. Wish you well!!!
Omgosh, thank you for your kind words and sharing your experience ❤️ sometimes all we need is people to let us know we aren't the only ones. You've given your babies a great life and in turn, they get to give their own babies a great life 🥹 good job momma 👏
Your parents love you unconditionally! That is worth more than money. You are deserving of their love, and you will get back on track and provide fully for your kids (whom you love unconditionally.) Keep up with the accountability, and know that you now have a community of people rooting for your success. I’m starting a no-spend month to see if I can curb my impulse spending, so I’ll be working on these things right along with you!
🥹❤️ I do have wonderful parents and I'm very thankful for them. I hope my boys will know some day how much I love them and would do anything for them. We can do this!!!
Hey! Just some tips - I would go thru each bill and see if you have a way to get it lower. Like on your internet or cell phone, if you can shop you may be able to find something better. Also, since you get food stamps, if you are in the USA, you probably qualify for the ACP which is a $30/month credit towards your cell phone or internet bill. Going thru your bills can help lower your costs on thing and make them a little easier to manage.
Absolutely! I can do that right now, because I am now current on my bills...they tend to immediately say no if you're not current on your bills. I'll look into lowering those bills, especially my cell phone bill 😊 thank you for your support!!!
Thank you for sharing your story! I imagine it's not easy to share that you're struggling but you seem ready to get out of it, I know you can! You got this!! ❤️
Welcome to RU-vid what a great first priority! One suggestion I would have is to read out the company/category etc and the balance for people that may be listening to things in the background. Would still recommend having an emergency fund even though you are working towards paying off of debt. Best of luck to you on your journey!
Yes, you are absolutely right, I do need to read out my categories. I'm not very organized and I'm not well oiled for these videos just yet lol I'll get better, I promise 😊
Hi! New subscriber! Thanks for sharing. It takes a lot to do this, so I appreciate that you did! You seem ready to start this journey. This community is very supportive and will be here with words of encouragement, along the way! Hope you are having a blessed day! 🌸😃🌸
Thank you so much ❤️ it really does take a lot to do this, it's not easy...but anything worth doing is never easy. I appreciate your support so much ❤️
I can relate to what you are going through. I was a single mother raising 3 children and dealing with a dead beat dad. By the grace of God I made it and was able to persevere. Now that I am retired, my journey is different but challenging nevertheless. Trying to find a side hustle that will help me to eliminate my debts has been daunting. Some of the small debts that I do have, I am trying to not carry them into 2024, which will help me tackle the larger one. You can do this. Stay focused and give yourself grace when you make mistakes.
You are amazing for taking care of your babies ❤️🫶 life is hard as is, adding in all the extras is what living life is all about 😊 let's work hard together to reach our goals 🥰
Me and you are similar except I don't have kids. I find it so difficult to save money. Every time I get 1k something happens or someone in my family needs to borrow money. Good luck to you! You got this!
I am climbing out of a hole as well. We will overcome this. We just have to stay focused and remember our “WHY”. Thank you for sharing your motivational more than u know🫶🏼❤️
I have been there with being behind on bills and blaming myself for not doing better and being better with money. I know you will pull through this and I'm cheering for you!
I absolutely understand this situation. In total I have around the same amount of debt as Stella. The majority for me is in Student Loans. I tend to use "Retail Therapy" to make myself feel better in rough times. During the course of the last 3 years, I have lost both parents and gone through a rough divorce. I made bad choices during the course of this life mess. Spending is something I can control, and I let myself get out of control with it. Now I am going through FPU, and I have started budgeting to get myself out of the mess I got myself into. We are all working toward something. This is a good way to work toward being debt free. Best of luck to you Stella and everyone else going on the debt free journey as well.
I am so very sorry for your loss and messy divorce ❤️ sending you lots of healing energy to help you on your journey. I am right here with you and we can get through this...there is light at the end of this long, winding roller-coaster journey. We will reach our goals together 🫶🥹
New subscriber. Not a mom but taking care of my mom thru her illnesses and then me getting two chronic illness has left me disabled. Praying I get disability approved. 🙏🏼 that way I can start tackling debt too.
This is my first time watching you…. First! And foremost do Not beat yourself up… I get it… please give yourself grace… it’s one day at a time! Not sure where you live… but 90% of schools have reduced or free lunches.( please check into that) again there are places to help with school supplies. Clothes zero shame in garage sales, churches, thrift stores. You can even trade clothes with friends. Please get food from pantries, churches. If you go to Aldi or another place plan your meals this saves $$$. ❤❤ For gas, electric call them for help it’s out there…❤️❤️❤️
My POV. Take his behind to court for that back child support. It takes 2 to tango and if that results in baby both mom and dad need to contribute. Good luck on your journey. You aren't the only secret budgeter. Aria says her family doesn't know about her RU-vid and side hustles to make extra money either.
Firstly, I freaking love your I Love Lucy profile picture 🤣🫶 and secondly, I will wait a little while longer before I go back to court. It will look worse for him with the more money he owes. I'm not severely hurting so I'm thankful I don't need to go to court right now. But will definitely be making that move when the time is right. Thank you so much for watching! ❤️🫶 us youtube low Income budgeters appreciate any and all support 🥹
Sharing my debt Confession was harder than I thought it'd be...but what's harder is admitting that I'm the reason I'm in this financial mess. Just trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other ❤️ thank you so much for watching!
subbing to helo your channel! it's so so inspiring to others, keep it up! every bit helps. I hope you start getting some Google schmoney and your kiddos get some fun bdays and all the school supplies next year :) they won't remember the small things they didn't get, they'll remember they were so loved! also thank you for helping your neighbor with DV. Even though it's not your business, you'll regret not stepping in when you can. Speaking from experience.
Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️🥹 I just want to do better for my boys, I want them to have everything they need and more ❤️. And yes, my neighbor and her DV is hard. Every small sound I stop everything to make sure it's not more serious...it's scary. I hope you're now safe and healing from your experience ❤️🫶
The click is more of a physical gut reaction to spending money. I usually feel some excitement from buying things...but now, I get an upset stomach feeling when I think about buying something. The click was also mental...things were finally being understood. I'm no where near perfect at this 🤣 habits are sooooo hard to break. But I'm chipping away at it. Slowly.
Awe, tell you mom that she's got support from all of us single moms ❤️🫶 we understand how hard it is. Hopefully she can find financial peace some day too 🥹 thank you for your support
❤ Sending support!! It sucks that the U.S doesn't have Maintenance enforcement. We went through a lengthy 7 yr divorce and my legal fees totaled 25k at the end of it, but at least when he "decided" not to pay CS I only had to make 1 phone call to maintenance enforcement and they called him and gave him 2 days to pay in full ( including the arrears) or they'd garnish his wages. Problem solved. I'm sorry that isn't an option for you.
That's awesome that you have that! I truly believe that what you put your energy into will come back to you. I'm putting energy into being financially stable for my babies. The money will come to me eventually ❤️ thank you for your beautiful support, I truly appreciate it!
Why do you have a savings account fee? There are many accounts that have no fees, you should switch to Ally or SoFi or something with higher interest as well.
I was just thinking about that this weekend lol If my account has less than $300, I get charged $6 for every month that it's below $300. I think I'm going to close it and open that ally account for that higher interest for savings. ❤️😊
New subbie 🎉 i’ve been doing the same- writing it out seems to help put it in perspective. Been trying to think what to do as a side hustle 🫤 ur off to a great start 😊 and steak sounds great !!
Heyyyyy new subbie!!! Welcome to the jam fam 🤣❤️ side hustles are so hard to figure out! I'll share my one job when I'm more financially secure, but no matter the job or side hustles, it's exhausting! I hope you find a side hustle that's fun 😊 ...and yes, steak does sound great! 🤣 I tastes better than it sounds, too 🤣🤣🤣
Heads up if you use your thermal printer do not do not laminate it... I have a thermal printer as well and I just covered it and packing tape and like everything under it just acted like nothing was printed. But I would test it first before you put too much work into that if that's what your plan is
Yes, thermal printed papers may not be able to handle being laminated because the heat from the laminator will mess with it. But the thermal printer, for me, would just be a general printer. Not one I would use for stuff I would like laminated ❤️ thank you!
One other thing: I know you are counting on child support, but since the money has been unreliable, I would not include that in your budget. That way, if you don't get it, you don't miss it in the budget. And then have a plan for when you do get it so the money is more like extra.
Yes! I don't budget with it, but more so keep myself aware that it's "supposed" to be there and I remind myself to budget without those numbers so I don't screw myself over. Thank you 😊 I hope I get the support, but it also feels good to know I don't need it to survive. 🫶
Just curious, what did you go to school for that you have a student loan? Also, would be curious to see the interest rate and min payment on your debt? Sometimes snowball isn't the best method. The more you do, the more you can do. You've got this! 💜
I went to school for nursing at first and that go derailed and I then tried to do accounting but it wasn't my passion. Right now my student loans are being deferred, but I'll have to start repayment next April. I'm doing a mix of snowball/priority. I don't follow interest rates because it doesn't work for my budget 😊🤷🏻♀️ I can be more specific in my next video if you'd like. ❤️ thank you!!!
My income #2 is facilities maintenance work. I help hire people to complete jobs on properties to keep them in healthy working order such as landscapers, plumbers, electricians, etc. My income #1 is anonymous for right now. 😊❤️
Don't be scared to use your budget book. It's there to help you it's not about perfection use whiteout tape or something I mean I get that you know if my bug you. But there's no point in having a book that you've spent that kind of money on and not use it By the way keep going you may feel like you have setbacks here in just push through
You need to do something about your cell phone. I just bought a brand new Tracfone for $329 that includes a whole year of service and 24 GB of data. Great phone. People pay way too much for cell phones. Mine does everything.
I couldn't agreed more...but it's not just my phone. I pay for mine, my son's, my mommas, and a watch that has a phone line. But yes, I do plan on getting this lowered, possibly removing the watch because I had gotten it for my previous job.
Please go back to court and force your child’s father to have his child support garnished! I was a single mother as well and worked a full time job and my part time job. After 14 years I had to give up my second job due to exhaustion. I started couponing years ago to get things cheap or free. I use several couponing apps like Ibotta and Fetch to get money back. I canceled my cable and bought a small Roku tv and now stream for free and got on my son’s T mobile plan and got a free cell phone and get Wi-Fi for $30 a month. This cut $220 a month off my bills. I’ve been there and it sucks but you’ll get through it. It sounds like you are a strong woman and a great mom! I’m gonna subscribe and continue to follow you on your journey!! Best of luck to you!!
I wish I could get his wages garnished! But he's a master con artist and the state i live in doesn't do that. He received a letter for him to pay, if he doesn't he could face jail time. I also can't prove he's working, he does under the table jobs (currently he's DJing) and he mooches off women. He's currently living with his new baby momma. Such is life lol I just have to laugh and let it go. If I get the money...great! If I dont...I will eventually fight for it. But not right now.
BTW, I'm so sorry you struggled for as long as you did. That's so heart wrenching to know so many moms out there are struggling to give their babies the best life...but will go above and beyond to make it happen with or without their fathers.
@@HSGHFSBI get it. My state wouldn’t garnish either so I just had to take what I could get. When my son graduated, the state took his father’s tax return and told him he had to pay all remaining arrears in full.
Sadly they don't offer that. Normally I don't pay for school pictures because of how expensive they are, but I haven't had any school pictures of my oldest since 1st grade and he's in 6th now, and my youngest is in kindergarten and I definitely want kindergarten pictures. No worries though! I'll explain in my cash Stuffing today :)
Hopefully your order of support is NOT payable direct but through your states Support Collection Unit. If is is not you should change that. You should go to court a file a violation petition . If he is working a garnishment can be placed on his income. The court can force him to pay some or all of the past due support by threatening 6 month jail time.
His child support is court ordered, after he stopped paying when my youngest was only a few months old, I filed for it to be court ordered. I'm not sure what he's hoping to happen, but regardless, I need to take financial responsibility and take care of my babies with or without child support. Support should be supportive not a necessity to survive (in my opinion for my personal circumstances) I want to be able to give my babies everything and then some, with or without their fathers financial support. 😊 thank you ❤️ I appreciate your feedback.
Not sure what you mean by that? My budget clearly shows I can afford my wonderful doggie who is elderly and deserves a loving home until she's ready to join my other dogs in heaven. ❤️ thank you for watching 🫶
My oldest sons father pays for his schooling, but there is no other support that I get. And my youngest's father hasn't paid anything for a few months now.
All of my income is bi-weekly. September was all about getting my bills current, so now that all my bills are current, You will see that I have more "extra" income for October. (incase you were wondering) My income number 2 is taxed but my income number 1 is not taxed. I do not receive child support or any other money. I do get food stamps to off set my grocery budget thankfully.
@@HSGHFSB I'm very impressed with how you have outlined everything. You are fighting so hard. Are you paying for the phone itself or the service? I don't know if you ever heard of Mint Mobile? I use them for service. It's roughly $17 per month pre paid annually. Keep going! You will get through it.
I pay for My phone (I got a new one and can't get out of the deal they gave me or else I'll have to pay full price), I pay for my son's phone line because he's with his dad 50% of the time and I want him to have the ability to contact me any time or for help if he needs it, I pay for my moms phone line, I pay for a watch line that is mixed in with my phone deal, so I have to complete the payments or pay full price. It sucks but it's all good. I'm half way through my phone payments. Then when that's paid off, I plan to get us something cheaper. I will definitely look into Mint Mobile, thank you for suggesting it! ❤️❤️❤️
Court costs money, time and energy. I'm a firm believer in karma and it'll find him. This just makes me stronger, knowing I can care for my babies with or without the financial support. Thank you though! ❤️
@jodie19831 if that were the case, they have hundreds of thousands of cases waiting on their door step, just waiting to be dealt with. No sense in bringing myself down, of I get the support, great. If I don't get the support, oh well. ❤️
@HSGHFSB true. Things are so different in the states vs 🇨🇦. We have different options here. Sorry that u have to go through this. I also believe in karma. Well I'm routing 4 u. I also have been watching debt videos, budgeting for yrs and need to get my shit together as well. The kids will know that u my friend were there for them, that u fed, clothed and provided for them and most importantly loved them to pieces. U r a strong, independent woman. We all need help from our parents at times and that's ok. My parents have helped me numerous times as well. Very grateful. Don't be ashamed. Remember u r worth it and u deserve a happy life
In Texas I know you can contact the child support division and do reviews and enforcements yourself without any lawyer fees. Maybe something to look in to.
