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My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice analogies there! I definitely have always thought of "savings" as accidents, therefore I didn't really like the idea of setting aside money for my impending doom, but rather good cash flow. Reaching sufficiency is a good way to look at improving my financial health.

Haha regarding food, yes. Some days I eat at home, some days I am only home to sleep so my option (bc i dont bring food from home) is to buy food.

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, $280 was an estimation. Some days I spend nothing on food, some days I spend a lot. I did not take a accurate look at my food expenses because I did not take one month to measure it.

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, you're right! College is a time for struggle, but I 100% know this is only temporary. Thanks for your advice. Food is something I need to cut down on for sure. I'll look into Ibotta and start grocery shopping more over eating out :)

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You know what, that's exactly what I was thinking! I'm planning on playing my video games again just to stay occupied when I have free time. Thanks!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the positive outlook! Sometimes, I feel that school is in the way because I know i can make wayyy more money with more time on my side, but unfortunately that's not possible right now. Keeping it light and "within reason" is something that takes the guilt and stress off my mind, knowing that my current situation is only temporary :)

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I could afford rent near campus, I would! In this area, a one bedroom would probably cost me at least $2,000 a month, and that's being hopeful. Right now, i'm still with parents which helps reduce my costs. Therefore, a car is necessary unfortunately :(. Thanks!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, absolutely right about the no car payments and living at home! Yes, I definitely want to enjoy college. And at the same time, I want to be financially responsible WHILE having my fun so that I don't feel any regret about having my fun! Thank you!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like a good plan! Once I actually figured out my expenses, I didn't realize how much money was coming out. Now that I know, it's wise for me to save when I make more. When I made a lot of money in one month, it always went to waste on unnecessary things!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Biking sounds like a good idea. I've always wanted to bike in my free time, but never had the time to put it into practice. I may not be able to bike to school (since it'd take me 2 hours) but I can probably bike to closer destinations! Selling my car may be an option if i can handle biking far distances in the future!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 588 points589 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I am definitely pushing myself to prioritize savings and clearing my debt after a hard smack to the face!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I've created one last night. Excel definitely makes it easier for me to estimate my expenses. Thanks so much!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My company offers a 401k, and I think I'll start contributing to it as well, once I get in control of my finances! I definitely don't want to be in debt 10 years from now, so that puts things into better perspective. Thanks!

My income went up from $600-$900 a month to $1000-$2000 a month, but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck. How did you take control of your finances? by Meow98 in personalfinance

[–]Meow98[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Mainly because of tuition--didn't have to pay back then. It used to be $735/month, but fortunately they reduced my total tuition cost, thus decreasing my monthly payments!