This Is Not Where I Saw Myself at the Age of 40

When I was in high school deciding on my future, I wish that they had somehow prepared me better for the realities of everyday life. I mean, let's be honest, when you are young, you aren't concerned with balancing a checkbook, clipping coupons, or figuring out how to make a car payment and an electric bill in the same week. This has become my everyday life now.

There are probably a lot of things that I should have done differently in hindsight; gone straight to college, finished my degree when I eventually made it to college, taking a better look into maintaining good credit, etc. I didn't imagine that, at the age of 40, I would still be living paycheck to paycheck and living back home. I don't live beyond my means but on what I make, I can't even afford to live in my car with my dog!

Don't get me wrong, my life is a heck of a lot better than a lot of people out there, but it's my reality that I am faced with on a daily basis. So, just to give you an idea, here's what I have to deal with at times: I get paid weekly—thankfully, every Friday... by Sunday, I am looking for loose change for gas later in the week. If I didn't live at home, I would have to find a few roommates in order to afford a decent living space, but having a large dog in this state makes that nearly impossible. Now, the thing that keeps me up at night is that my mother is in her 70s and talks a lot about not being around for long...and as hard as hearing that and dealing with that reality is, I then worry about what I will have to do when that horrid day comes.

On average, I figure out ways to make things work. I haven't missed my car payment or been without gas in my truck or food on the table. I am blessed in that instance and it breaks my heart to know that things are so much worse for a lot of people out there. But with the way things are going in this country, it could easily be me tomorrow, and that is definitely not where I saw myself at this age.

So, what do you do? Well, the first thing I did was set a realistic budget and get rid of things that are not necessities. Yes, would I love to have the full cable package and a brand new TV? The answer is yes, but it is not anything I need in order to survive. Now, I have just internet and two streaming channels: Hulu and Amazon Prime. I got HBO for free with my FIOS, so between these three, there is TONS of content to keep me entertained.

The next thing I did was start grocery shopping with an actual list and pay attention to prices and sales. My mother has been a lifesaver knowing prices, where something is always cheaper, and not being held to shopping at just one store. Lucky for us, we have a few markets in the area so we can utilize the different sales.

I started realizing that I don't need tons of credit cards or store cards. I have one credit card for emergencies and ONLY emergencies: car breakdown, out of work for extended timeframe, etc. I stopped paying attention to sale emails I get from a lot of my stores and realize that they often come back around, and unless I am in need and not want, into the trash bin it goes.

Another thing I use now is restaurant coupons. So those BOGO deals are when I may splurge with my friends and head out for a nice dinner. Splitting the check is a lot better than being the sole holder of the bill. Also, when I get a little extra money, I buy gift cards to keep on hand for those times where money may be tight. At least I can eat.

Lastly, for the other essentials, I try to be on the lookout for deals to keep my business with places. I have called my electric and gas company to be put on a budget plan, which has greatly reduced my monthly cost and keeps it the same every month when budget planning comes up. I keep an eye out for competitor pricing and bring it to my current service providers to either match or offer me a better deal to stay with them. I also decided that getting a part-time job for a short period time helped with getting those small, past due things caught up and put a little money in my savings.