Help with savings plan

[poorme]

You said - "survive on cash only until I get everything cleared up and have a small slush fund to fall back on. Does anybody have any ideas about how to start that?

I also struggled with those unexpected emergencies...car repairs and routine upkeep always seem to creep up when they are least welcome, right? Here's what I did a few years ago that helped me, though it takes a while to get it solidified...

Add up your total expected costs for these incidentals for a two-year period. Using car repairs/maintenance, I figured on 4-5 oil changes per year, 2 brake jobs per year, a set of tires every two years, tag renewals, radiator flush, etc. and arrived at an average monthly amount. That's what I began putting into a savings account each month. As I needed the money, I just transferred it from savings to checking...and I was able to include that as a budget item in my software.

You see the idea...whatever your list of items is...just make a start and see how it works for you.

[fellowpoorman]

Seriousely, look who you are asking, we're all in bankruptcy, I know we all are here for different reasons, but we are obviously not finanacial geniuses.

[fellowpoorman]

Although the fact that we filed is the best financial move we've made in a long time, I guess. Hey I am a money wizard afterall, COOL.

[tired_of_debt]

you guys are awesome

I was never able to put money away for a rainy day. Seemed like every time I had a little, something always happened. Last summer, a friend of mine who had owed me money for some time finally paid me back. Five hundred dollars. I felt like I was in heaven. Two days later a storm blew through the area that ripped the meter box off my house, downed several trees...and the cost was 475.74 for the electrician and 50 bucks for a nice man with a chainsaw from the street department who privately cut the branches for 50 bucks ... a tree service would have charged much more. I work from home as a medical transcriptionist. Missed 3 days of work (power was out from Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon) and went in the hole from the "found" 500 from my friend by a factor of 25.74. Go figure. That was in July. Two weeks later, after my significant other found someone else to occupy his time and left me with a ton of bills, I found an attorney who did the job well and cheap from my perspective, but it has been a long hard road, and I am bound and determined to get through this and make a better life for my girls still at home and for me. Even 25 dollars every couple of weeks is more than I have been able to come up with in a long time. I took on a second part-time job that I can do after my kids are tucked in for the night and I enjoy the work. The fact is THAT will be the thing that puts my pittance in my savings account. Things are looking up and I am truly grateful to all of you for your awesome ideas....I know that once the move and the expense of the move is over, I will be able to squirrel away a little more each month. I don't want a ton of credit cards and am happy to deal in cash and work on cleaning up my past for however long it takes.

Thanks to all of you for your ideas and input. You have no idea how much it means to me.

[fellowpoorman]

Life has way of happening. Lets just try and enjoy it, cuz sooneror later it'll be gone. Bankruptcy can be a good thing too. Good luck