That would be an excellent option to earn cash if it is. I've hired task rabbits a few times to help with household stuff, and the people who do it have been people in your shoes - just regular young people trying to scrape together some extra money to afford life in a HCOL area. One tip -- if the prices of jobs seem low, from what I understand, apparently Task Rabbit takes a 20% cut of your pay, but not your tip. We tip high on people who bid low for that reason.
Otherwise, you may want to look to see if your area has some other crowd sourcing work options.
ETA I see we are on the same page.
Just signed up for Task Rabbit!! Looks like there's a few I can easily do this weekend. Score!
I would also look into babysitting. Get a profile on care.com or sittercity. I did that when I was unemployed for a few months and since you're in a HCOL you can charge $12 or $15 an hour. I used to rake in a couple hundred bucks a week that way.
Have you considered credit counseling? When I was in over my head right after college I used Credit Advisors Foundation. They negotiated lower interest rates with the companies and put me on a payment plan. They snowball the payments for you.
Oh God, I'd like to think I have it more together than her. But I'll admit that some of my financial decisions rival hers.
ETA - I didn't keep up much with her drama but I think she's pretty young right? 25 or so and a server. I'm 28 and a working professional for the last 6 years.
I hope this doesn't derail the great advice I've been getting.
I would also look into babysitting. Get a profile on care.com or sittercity. I did that when I was unemployed for a few months and since you're in a HCOL you can charge $12 or $15 an hour. I used to rake in a couple hundred bucks a week that way.
Have you considered credit counseling? When I was in over my head right after college I used Credit Advisors Foundation. They negotiated lower interest rates with the companies and put me on a payment plan. They snowball the payments for you.
My credit card debt has been charged off, so those are easily negotiated to a smaller one time payment.
The big ticket items are the car, student loans and medical bills.
Bliss you do realize that your twitter account mimics your posts on here.
I think you shouldn't purchase a museum membership as you previously posted and you need to increase your income. Whether that means a new job or a 2nd (or 3rd) job but there's no way you can pay off 80k in debt with high interest with a $2200/mo income.
I have around $100 a month for fun money and my income is a lot more. If you're not willing to make drastic sacrifices I am not sure what else to recommend. Good luck to you.
I think you shouldn't purchase a museum membership as you previously posted and you need to increase your income. Whether that means a new job or a 2nd (or 3rd) job but there's no way you can pay off 80k in debt with high interest with a $2200/mo income.
Well, I've got $100/month for fun money, which I think is usable for a museum membership. I don't believe that I should sacrifice everything to get out of debt. However, I do agree and have tabled the museum membership and settled on volunteering at a museum.
As previously posted, I'm looking for additional income through freelancing, looking for a bartender gig and I just signed up for Task Rabbit.
It definitely won't be easy but it is possible. It will be easier with additional income, but right now I'm happy that I can contribute $400/month. Might not be much but it could be worse. I prefer to keep an optimistic view.
I learned a few things since this post 1) I'm not upside down in my car!! I was totally floored to hear this and called twice-to speak with different people 2) I like to think I make a great salary considering I work in nonprofit.
I came across this board a year ago when looking for suggestions on how to talk finances with my ex. Long story short but a breakup and cross country move led me to posting here today.
Which I am now regretting because of the way this thread has turned. I was looking forward to getting feedback after I posted the debt specifics.
This is getting out of control. I'm going to take the advice I did receive and work with that. Since I posted this afternoon I signed up for Task Rabbit, lined up a meeting with a bar manager for Sunday, inquired about tutoring and asked to spend an afternoon with a friend and her little girl (get over that babysitting fear). Oh and inquired about dog walking.
Thanks again for the ideas on additional income. I'll post an update with specifics debt breakdown once 2nd income falls into place.
This is exactly what I was thinking between the budget and using the word "gig"
This is comical. There are some highly suspicious people on this board. Heaven forbid other people exist in the world with poor financial decisions.
I already kind of thought it was Bliss before this post. I follow bliss on twitter and saw her post about starting Whole 30, and then you posted about it here. It's not being suspicious... There are just lots of other things that stood out to me- wanting a dog, recently moving, recently starting a new job, etc. The main things that always stood out in Bliss' budget posts were medical bills and being upside down with her car. Plus Bliss used the word "gig" all the time.
Look, I am not a Bliss hater at all. If you are Bliss then I think it's awesome that you got a FT job and seem to be a little more settled/happy.
This is comical. There are some highly suspicious people on this board. Heaven forbid other people exist in the world with poor financial decisions.
I already kind of thought it was Bliss before this post. I follow bliss on twitter and saw her post about starting Whole 30, and then you posted about it here. It's not being suspicious... There are just lots of other things that stood out to me- wanting a dog, recently moving, recently starting a new job, etc. The main things that always stood out in Bliss' budget posts were medical bills and being upside down with her car. Plus Bliss used the word "gig" all the time.
Look, I am not a Bliss hater at all. If you are Bliss then I think it's awesome that you got a FT job and seem to be a little more settled/happy.
I understand that people here are a little obsessed with Bliss. I don't get why, but oh well. I know this place is a community and I'm an outsider. This just appeared as the best real time place to get financial advice-I'm questioning that now....
I know that I am not the only 28-year old who wants a dog, recently moved, started a new job and having medical bills. In fact, 3 of the girls I've met since moving have been in the same position within the last 6-12 months it is not uncommon.
I should have stuck to the financial board with all men.
Such GOOD NEWS about your car. I sold my car really fast about 6 years ago by creating a great Craigslist ad and posting on AutoTrader.com. How can I help you?? My STRONG recommendation if you are not handy with cars, is to find something new or new to you (2 ish years old) in the $175/mo payment amount, ideally for fewer than 5 years. Look into GM vehicles and Fords, they are both aggressively looking for new owners. Know exactly what you can buy, and then SELL THAT CAR. You may be able to do so before your next payment.
Then...re-focus your energy on medical debt. Try again, calling and asking for a negotiated lower payment.
Next up, go through your CC debt (sounds like you may have some, but not a lot) and see if you can make any improvements there.
Once you have done that, you can use the extra car money to start SLAUGHTERING your debt. And, each time you pay down one loan, you just add that payment to the next.
It is possible to pay off that amount of debt on your salary, but you have to avoid new debt and be smart with your choices.
I am sad that you felt you should go to a "financial board with all men.". This is a good crew, though there is one poster thst drove everyone nuts, overall participating here has been great for many of us.
Goodness gracious. I hate when otherwise good threads take nasty turns like this. I mean, really people?
OP, I think it is great you signed up for taskrabbit, I was about to suggest it myself. And if you like kids, babysitting is great money and you get to pick/choose your schedule. We're in a M/HCOL and we pay $12-15 per hour for our two kids (who can pretty much take care of themselves, mostly). $12 is for Middle/High School kids and we pay $15 to College/post college kids. Once you become a known entity, the moms and dads will be fighting over you!
Another thought I had was housesitting. I have never needed anyone to do this, but lots of people I know have used housesitters...usually when there's a pet involved like a cat that needs to be fed. It's great money and would still allow you to do your other job/s.
I hate that this thread turned to assusations instead of help. I know a lot of people were really frustrated by Bliss but if this is how we treat new members with debt problems we'll never get anyone else to join and we'll probably lose longtime members.
Lucky, I like the idea of task rabbit, which I had never heard of. Good luck getting back on your feet.
Post by WinterWine on Mar 29, 2014 21:45:31 GMT -5
Were you able to find out the details of your different debts? Type, balance, interest rate, minimum payment? That will help a lot.
I generally think that student loans should be prioritized last, and it sounds like that is the bulk of your debt. (Assuming interest rates are fairly low). However, selling that car and getting a less expensive model would help a lot.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Mar 29, 2014 23:21:16 GMT -5
Can you get to work without a car? Based on your gas numbers, you aren't driving much (good for you!) and if you could do your daily commute on public transit or a bicycle (or a combination), you might be able to save yourself a ton of money by selling your car and doing a car share instead for getting other places (Zipcar or the like).