https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:02:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight/page/2#post-399705 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:20:10 +0000 DillonLion 399705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meaganceleste: Same here. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight/page/2#post-399700 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:19:37 +0000 PearlBee 399700@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep. The beginning and end of a month are much tighter for us than the middle. Like previous posters said, it's somewhat self-imposed, but still. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight/page/2#post-399467 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:13:31 +0000 meaganceleste 399467@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're in one of those right now...although its self-imposed since we force ourselves to make our transfer into savings every month regardless of where we are. If it means we're eating freezer surprise for a week, so be it. We also pay off our credit card every single month without fail. If we even let it ride once without paying it off fully, its like a snowball effect. </p> <p>We still have student loans, but we only pay about $350/month combined on those and we both believe that student loan debt at a low interest rate is a good debt to carry while we're young. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight/page/2#post-398428 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:53:17 +0000 ValentineMommy 398428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did. I get paid every two weeks, but now DH gets paid every week, which has helped a bit. It's always tight though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-398336 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 01:24:14 +0000 BabyBear 398336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: I get paid bi-weekly on Thursdays! So, my next three check month is January. Stokement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-398335 Thu, 15 Nov 2012 01:23:10 +0000 BabyBear 398335@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, and sometimes I wonder where the heck all the money goes. I'm pretty darn frugal! I'm also constantly checking the bank account and crunching numbers. It drives me insanzy. I can't wait to finish paying off some wedding debt (which isn't much, thankfully) so I don't have to stress myself out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-397964 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:07:17 +0000 yoursilverlining 397964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't use mint but I know its helped a lot of people. One tip that helped me (probably more than anything else) was to divide up my debts by my paychecks. So; I get paid every 2 weeks, and every 2 weeks I pay a portion of every bill so I never have a "biggie" to pay at the end of the month and am never late on any bill. As long as you make a partial payment on a debt, they won't report you to the credit bureau for being late...so even if you are having a really lean month, you won't get your credit dinged.</p> <p>The other upside if you get paid every 2 weeks is that there are a few months where you get 3 paychecks instead of 2; so over the course of a year you end up making extra payments towards your debt, without feeling like you're out in extra money.</p> <p>Hope this is helpful for someone! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-397876 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:18:47 +0000 Bao 397876@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ha our tight weeks are every week. I am a SAHM so DH is the only income and he doesn't make a fortune, unfortunately. We have one small credit card but it's only used for emergency situations. We don't have much of a savings, however my car will be paid off THIS month, so we will be able to roll that over into savings, or paying off other debts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393469 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:34:02 +0000 mediagirl 393469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: I used to be in that same position when we were paying off debt. Now that we have paid it off, it doesn't happen anymore! We are able to budget so we always have a buffer of "just in case" money. By not using your credit cards, you're doing great!!! Keep up the good work!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393463 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:32:32 +0000 pl0508 393463@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>absolutely - we are doing the same as you guys - paying a lot towards paying off debt and not using credit cards. It can be really stressful sometimes! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393446 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:25:10 +0000 DillonLion 393446@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@char54: Ah, thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393445 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:24:52 +0000 Charm54 393445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: Yep, just click the transaction and then hit "split". From there you can categorize different amounts based on how you'd like (just enter the $) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393433 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:19:00 +0000 DillonLion 393433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@char54: @char54: Do you know if there is a way to split up charges on Mint? I really like the interface and concept, but when I go to Target and buy groceries, household stuff, and baby stuff, I wasn't able to separate those costs into different categories. So, I never felt like I could get a totally accurate picture of my finances so I quit using Mint. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393426 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:16:38 +0000 Mrs. Pen 393426@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's been really hard the last couple months. We moved into a new apt that is $200 more than we were paying and we have no leftover money and have had extra expenses lately so even making minimum and required payments has been soo hard!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393417 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:10:12 +0000 Charm54 393417@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsTiz: Mint.com was crucial in getting me back on track - I was working on my Masters for 2 years and was using that (tuition) as an excuse for why I always had no money. Suddenly though, my M.Ed was finished and I was no longer paying tuition - and I had even received a salary increase at work for finishing - and STILL had no extra money! Lol. I was feeling super guilty b/c DH has lots of money and it so financially smart but my personal savings were pretty much zero. He was super sweet and always says its 'our money', but I felt like I should definitely be contributing more. </p> <p>This helped me see things very clearly (WAAAYY too much on groceries and gifts!!) and make realistic budgets that I can stick to. Now I log in every day and don't feel stressed about money. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393354 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:47:42 +0000 MrsTiz 393354@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: THIS.<br /> We make enough to pay all of our bills, no problem, but lately we've been having to shift money around to make payments on time, and I can't figure out what we're doing wrong! I'm going to look into that @char54: !</p> <p>Anywho, lately we're stressed about money from the 1st to the 31st when it *should* only be about a week at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393294 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:25:12 +0000 Charm54 393294@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: The mint.com app is awesome for this! It makes my life so much easier. Every time I swipe my card, it automatically categorizes it. Then I can see where I am spending the most money and adjust accordingly. You can make budgets for each category and it will tell you when you're getting close or go over. It's fun seeing your savings go up on the app, too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-393288 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:22:28 +0000 daniellemybelle 393288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It happens to us a lot... honestly, not because we are saving or paying off debt diligently, but because we both lose track of our spending. I've been thinking of putting us on the envelope system to really keep us to our budget for discretionary spending. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392833 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:18:51 +0000 heartonastring 392833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. Right now! Don't get paid again until Thursday, and pretty much have zero left in my chequing account for a few reasons: (1) All my deductions (benefits, pension etc.) come off my first pay of the month, so it's a few hundred dollars less than my second pay, (2) I do the whole "pay yourself first thing" where as soon as I get paid I pay my bills, put money in our property tax account, toward my line of credit and put money into savings (and quite a lot, as I'm trying to pay off debt and save rather aggressively) That generally means that I only have enough money left for groceries and a few incidentals. I did this week's groceries yesterday afternoon, so now I seriously have zero spending dollars until I get paid again on Thursday.</p> <p>Our finances are only somewhat combined (works for us). So I'm not totally destitute, as DH has a good chunk of change in his account if I need more, but I'm trying to get used to living frugally since I'll be on mat leave for a year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392785 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:49:24 +0000 ladyfingers 392785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. Like right now. We combined our finances and we haven't mastered the way our paychecks are staggered. Nor have we mastered spending freezes. There have been times we've moved money over from savings to get us by. It makes me feel like we suck. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392717 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:25:22 +0000 MaisyMay 392717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Right now. Money's been tight, especially with LO due next month. Hubs has been pretty good about not complaining about money, but I know this is especially hard on him. I grew up without a lot, but he's always had a decent amount in the bank. We just keep reminding ourselves, that it'll all get better in a few months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392716 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:25:03 +0000 HLK208 392716@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes :( we have those weeks about once a month. So stressful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392664 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:01:01 +0000 MediaNaranja 392664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, constantly. I am a student and DH cannot work yet (still waiting for his papers). We currently live on my graduate stipend that covers rent + groceries, and not much else. I just try to keep in mind that within 8 months we should be going from a no-income household to a 2-income household, and we will have some freedom to contribute more to savings/pay down debt and make an occasional fun purchase. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392660 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:56:05 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 392660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Right now because we just bought a new house, our old house hasn't closed and we haven't sold our Seattle house yet either. Tight for 2 more days and then we should be ok with the other house closing. But we're really good at not spending after years of practice! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392658 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:55:29 +0000 Mrs. Superhero 392658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>for sure :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392627 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:32:39 +0000 photojane 392627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>every. single. month. i try to tell myself that we're still both young (24), and recent college grads, and it won't be like this forever... but, most of the time i just don't believe it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392621 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:25:23 +0000 DillonLion 392621@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: Nice!! We're about halfway through paying off all of our junk. Those dang student loans are all we have left and it will be so lovely to get those paid off. Hopefully just a few more years to go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392618 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:24:02 +0000 prettylizy 392618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: I think that's a great mindset to be in. We just paid off my student loan last week and thats the last of our debt (other than house and car). It's a strange feeling now that we're not having to pay something off. DH wants to put extra money into our mortgage now, I want a new Kate Spade bag! lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392616 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:21:32 +0000 DillonLion 392616@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: I'm really hoping this season of our lives gets us in the right frame of mind and helps us get our finances into a position where we don't ever feel like there isn't enough to go around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-ever-have-periods-of-the-month-where-money-is-really-tight#post-392612 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:20:34 +0000 prettylizy 392612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've been there, thankfully not so much anymore but we paid our dues and are still pretty carefull not to go beyond our means. DH reminded me this just today when I wanted to spend $1000 on a play kitchen for LO and we should probably put that into our new carpet downstairs :S </p>