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Jealousy

September 14th, 2012 at 11:23 pm

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous of a few bloggers on this site. Credit Card Free is one of them. Monkey Mama is another one. There are several more, including Ceejay. These bloggers have their financial act together. They have a healthy retirement fund. They have a healthy emergency fund. They can provide for their children without help from a grandparent. For all these reasons and more, I am jealous. I am getting my act together but I don't foresee being able to save any significant amount of money. I don't see my circumstances changing any time soon. I simply don't make enough money to pay all my debts. I have tried to get a second job but no one that I applied to called me back. It would help right about now. All I can do right now is keep on trucking and try to make a dent in my debts. I just get so frustrated sometimes that I let myself get in this position in the first place.

I went to the grocery store this evening and bought more orange juice and bread. Total spent was 12.56. I know have 1.61 left in my account until next Friday. That is assuming that I will spend $60 on gas on Tuesday and that should only be about $30. So I have a little bit of a cushion there.

No Eating Out: 11/13
No Soda: 0/4
NSD: 7/13

11 Responses to “Jealousy”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1347670128

    I can see where our blogs, at times, are hard to read, because of where you are right now. Please don't let jealousy keep you from meeting your goals. You are doing so well in making awesome changes!! Yes, a bigger shovel helps, but it isn't everything. And don't give up looking for different streams of income. It may not be the traditional part time job that works for you. It may be a side gig cleaning houses, or buying garage sale finds and reselling. Keep your mind open and looking for possible ways to bring in cash. I'm cheering for you!

  2. NJDebbie Says:
    1347674542

    NG, I agree with ccfree! You are making a lot positive changes in your life. Don't get discourage; we are all rooting for you!

  3. texasdisneygirl Says:
    1347675825

    Please don't get discouraged. I've learned that there will always be people worse off than me, and always people who are better off than me. You are headed in the right direction.

  4. rob62521 Says:
    1347677239

    Nothing worth doing comes easy so don't give up!

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1347679984

    Everyone starts from a different place and different circumstances. I think that is one thing that makes this blogging family so great - that people from so many varied walks of life can share and encourage each other in making the best of whatever *their* personal circumstance is. Like the others said, you have been making great progress for where you are *right now.* I have a pretty small financial shovel (as CCF put it) and know that even having $100k in retirement savings is probably a pipe dream ... but I can only do what I can do with what I have right now. The rest I'm (personally) leaving up to God.

  6. LuckyRobin Says:
    1347682109

    You are moving at your own pace and doing what you can. Try to stay positive. You are making good steps forward these last two months. Don't judge yourself based on someone else's yardstick. I have faith that you will get there even if it's slowly but surely. Baby steps still move you forward. Just keep taking them.

  7. Monkey Mama Says:
    1347717333

    I think ccfree said it very well.

    I've always thought you were doing well and making a lot of improvements. Comparing yourself to others is a sure fire way to be unhappy. On the flip side, I have always appreciated the people I was *jealous* of because they motivated me to do better - and gave me ideas on how to do so. I don't think I would be anywhere near where I am financially, without other people to look up to and learn from. People on savingadvice have pushed me that extra mile. I know we have pushed you too, and you are better for it. All you can do is try your best, and that is all that matters in this world.

    P.S. I have several very poor relatives who didn't get their act together until very late in life (50s/60s). They have turned things around significantly. In the grand scheme of things, you are young, and have a lot of time ahead of you for improvement. All is not lost! The one quality that abounds in our family is being positive. The glass is half full. Not to undermine your personal struggles - but you are a very blessed person. You have family, health, food, shelter. I also think that volunteering in a soup kitchen or something like that goes a long way to perspective, when the going gets rough. It's the double whammy of being able to help others while seeing firsthand how blessed we really are. It's hard to get that sense in such a material culture. It's way too easy to feel lesser and lose sight of how blessed we really are.

  8. BuckyBadger Says:
    1347718991

    I hate to change the subject or belittle the main point of your post, but why did bread and orange juice cost $12.56?

  9. North Georgia Gal Says:
    1347726677

    BB: I bought 3 cartons of OJ, swiss rolls, and a loaf of bread.

  10. ceejay74 Says:
    1347740591

    Hang in there NGa! I was amazed at other people's financial security when I first came on here, and I'm still a bit jealous of people who started their adult lives on the right financial path vs. myself who floundered for about 15 years before I figured some things out.

    I foresee your budget getting a lot easier to manage in a couple years when your kids are grown, move out, get their own health insurance and food, etc. Also, you might have had a raise or found new income by then. If you keep fighting right now, you'll at least keep yourself from digging a bigger hole, and it will be easier to come out when your budget eases up a bit!

  11. snafu Says:
    1347745236

    Perhaps you haven't yet realized you are moving forward. You may not be taking giant strides yet...but you are certainly more aware of what you need to do and what actions work against your goals. You certainly have a lot of SA pals who are cheering every baby step Yeah to giving yourself some non spending rewards like watching the football game with friends rather than spending pay for view. We want you to succeed, and several have explained we've all had different starting points.

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