Tiffany Raiford
Living paycheck to paycheck is something that really plagues so many families. During a recent playdate with a girlfriend and a group of other moms she knows at the splash pad, I overheard a few of them saying that they were looking forward to their husband’s getting paid on Friday so that they could hit the store and finally do some grocery shopping. This always hits me hard. It cannot be easy to live a life that entails not having the cash to make purchases until a certain amount of time, but it also makes me wonder how it’s possible that people can become so ensnared in that situation. When I stopped to think it through, it does seem quite easy to get just a little bit behind and struggle to finally catch up. That’s why we have a few tips that might help families living paycheck to paycheck stop the madness and finally catch up with their financial freedom.
Get on the same page
If you are a couple, you have to be on the same page. It’s so easy to get into debt and realize that overspending is happening when you are not both on the same page. So many people living this way are not talking to their spouses, understanding their finances and working together to create an appropriate budget that allows them to actually stay on their financial track.
Separate your necessary from your unnecessary expenses
I could do this right now without even blinking; in our budget, we could remove the daily coffee stops, the three or four weekly dinners we pick up instead of cooking, wine, and date nights every week. Those are just a few of the unnecessary expenses I could think of off the top of my head that would lower our budget significantly – though I’m going to tell you now I cannot give those things up. When you live paycheck to paycheck, however, you have to find a way to get rid of expenses you don’t need and only pay for those you cannot live without; such as food.
Find more money
I know it sounds a lot easier said than done, but you have no idea how much additional cash you might just be sitting on. Are you crafty? Sell something on Etsy. Do you have a lot of stuff you do not need? Get rid of it. Do you have a skill you could do online that allows you to hire out? Try it. Even if you’re only making a few extra dollars at a time, it’s still extra money.
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