Living Paycheck to Paycheck Gets Harder

[medbiller777]

NEW YORK (AP) — The calculus of living paycheck to paycheck in America is getting harder. What used to last four days might last half that long now. Pay the gas bill, but skip breakfast. Eat less for lunch so the kids can have a healthy dinner.

Across the nation, Americans are increasingly unable to stretch their dollars to the next payday as they juggle higher rent, food and energy bills. It's starting to affect middle-income working families as well as the poor, and has reached the point of affecting day-to-day calculations of merchants like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 7-Eleven Inc. and Family Dollar Stores Inc.

Food pantries, which distribute foodstuffs to the needy, are reporting severe shortages and reduced government funding at the very time that they are seeing a surge of new people seeking their help.

While economists debate whether the country is headed for a recession, some say the financial stress is already the worst since the last downturn at the start of this decade


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGQXwrGsWqHymA-9VvUkgWpeOVYwD8SCH2701

I know that hubby and I are living from paycheck to paycheck and there is alot of time between those paychecks! He has a good job, but with prices of everything going up so fast we can't keep up. I took a friend of mine to her house last night and they had absolutely NO food in the house. Her hubby hasn't worked in over 2 years.

[cbressler1976]

I can relate!! my husband makes a pretty good amount....but after rent, groceries, gas and little things like toilet paper...there isn't much left!!!!
he makes twice as much as he did 5 years ago...!!!.....rent is the worst!!

[Faline]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGQXwrGsWqHymA-9VvUkgWpeOVYwD8SCH2701

I know that hubby and I are living from paycheck to paycheck and there is alot of time between those paychecks! He has a good job, but with prices of everything going up so fast we can't keep up. I took a friend of mine to her house last night and they had absolutely NO food in the house. Her hubby hasn't worked in over 2 years.

Gas is the killer for me....it's so outrageous, I have really had to tighten the belt in that area. I save money by cooking up a couple weeks worth of lentils and stews and freezing them so I'm not tempted to eat at fast food restaurants. You wouldn't believe how much you can save!

I also keep a change jar...every bit of change goes into that every Friday, and BOY...it adds up FAST!

[farmgirl]

Now I don't feel so alone. This month has been the toughest month financially we've ever had. My husband doesn't make bad money, but they cut all his overtime and we discovered how much we were counting on his overtime to just get by. The groceries that were supposed to last two weeks now have to last four. (We have four voracious kids) I hate telling my kids they can't have seconds at dinner. It takes two weeks to pay for our rent with nothing left over. We are both applying for extra work and PRAYING for God to provide. I just pray no one gets sick. The bad part is I didn't tithe this week and I feel so guilty but I was so afraid of not having rent. Are you supposed to tithe when you're using the credit card to pay for gas? I just don't know what to do in this area. I wish I had had the faith to just take the money out of the rent money and wait for God to provide but....thats a really tough one for me.:doh We don't have cable or high speed internet or cell phones so there's nowhere to cut.

[House of Light]

Yep. We are in this boat. Dh has a great job.....but its just not enough. We are frugal. We budget, and stick to it. We only buy what is on sale. But, everything is going up in price, and we are really feeling the squeeze. God is good....he will provide. My garden overflowed this year(as small as it was!). There will be other provisions made for us. For all of you too.

[Faline]

The Lord doesn't want you to tithe what you DON'T have...just what you DO have. If you are already using a credit card for gas, then you are already living on what you don't have...He knows that. Pray that he will supply so that you can tithe again.

Now I don't feel so alone. This month has been the toughest month financially we've ever had. My husband doesn't make bad money, but they cut all his overtime and we discovered how much we were counting on his overtime to just get by. The groceries that were supposed to last two weeks now have to last four. (We have four voracious kids) I hate telling my kids they can't have seconds at dinner. It takes two weeks to pay for our rent with nothing left over. We are both applying for extra work and PRAYING for God to provide. I just pray no one gets sick. The bad part is I didn't tithe this week and I feel so guilty but I was so afraid of not having rent. Are you supposed to tithe when you're using the credit card to pay for gas? I just don't know what to do in this area. I wish I had had the faith to just take the money out of the rent money and wait for God to provide but....thats a really tough one for me.:doh We don't have cable or high speed internet or cell phones so there's nowhere to cut.

[Free in Christ]

There are certain times in life that things get tight - it is not fun but it is an incredible time to grow in your relationship with God, both individually and as a family. God says a lot about money - giving, spending, saving and investing. Check out www.crown.org. Listen to some of the radio broadcasts and seek wisdom - God will see you through.:thumb

[Watching & waiting]

Farmgirl, I agree with Faline. I am in the same boat with 3 kids and being single, I use my credit card for things i when i am short on $, like for gas and groceries. I think i read somewhere in the bible but now sure where, that we are to take care of our families and provide for them 1st. As long as you have cut out frivolities and still struggle I don't think the Lord is going to hold it against you for not tithing what you don't have. We have shut off the internet, the satellite tv, drive a used 6 year old car, get our clothes at consignment shops and still struggle. I try to tithe but when it comes to food, house payment or tithe, I know that we are supposed to be faithful to pay back the debts that we have, so that is how I feel a little bit okay because the Lord knows I am trying to be a faithful servant by paying my debts, and then giving to him when I have a little "breathing room" and I give out of a cheerful heart, because I want to, not out of fear of the 10% tithe.

[Watching & waiting]

I listen to Crown Financial quite frequently but I have to disagree with some of their advice. They are so stuck on the 10% tithe that the other day I heard them tell a woman, who was living paycheck to paycheck , that she better do that 10% 1st right off the top no matter what. She said that would take so much out of their money that she wouldn't be able to pay her student loan and other things. I think that is wrong advice, sorry. I think better advise would be to tell people that God knows our hearts, he knows we want to give. So better advise to me would be to advise people to get out of debt, not to incur any more debt, get out of luxury items and debt on things you don't need, put $ towards paying off unneccessary expenses, then after being faithful to pay off our debts that we created ourselves, we have freed up our money to be able to tithe. I don't think 10% is in the new testament anywhere. We are to give out of our overflow, not our lack. Bad advise to give to people who are struggling financially because I believe it is not biblical to be in debt. And making people feel guilty to pay the tithe 1st and neglect their bills is not biblical to me..... okay I am hiding now....:hide

[Cameron]

I agree. God is not so unkind as to demand what one cannot pay. I do believe Jesus did that for us.

Many also argue what constitutes the amount to tithe on. Its is net or gross or what you have left over after everything is paid.

I believe God would rather a person be out of debt, and then they could give "cheerfully" from the heart, not from some formula.

Paycheck to paycheck living is often our fault, not the inflation of higher prices or not making enough money. Make a list and on one side put what you think are "necessities" and on the other side what you consider "luxuries" and lets review it.