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Updated almost 7 years ago,

User Stats

19
Posts
64
Votes
Erik Mogan
  • Lexington, KY
64
Votes |
19
Posts

No money or credit, plus my job stinks. (Advice request)

Erik Mogan
  • Lexington, KY
Posted

Hi y'all!  Despite the dour tone of this post, I'm a genuinely happy person.  I half-need to vent, and half-need some help.  This isn't me looking for a hand-out or a pity party.  I need good, solid advice how I can make my way towards achieving my dreams.

The situation:

  • My wife lost her job shortly after Christmas and has had trouble finding something else. 
  • Her aunt and two kids live with us, and they bring in no income; in fact, they're a drain because I have to pay outrageously for a place that can fit all of us (I'm paying almost $1300 a month to rent; in Lexington, that's why on the higher end). The only relief they provided was that when my worked, her aunt watched our 4-year-old kid.
  • I work at a lower-end bank; I won't say the name, but suffice to say I get paid $12.80 an hour and have to work about 66 hours a week to make ends meet. 
  • Since December 31st I've only had 4 days off, and that was only because my wife had to have some dental work done.
  • Over the last year the bank has essentially made it impossible for promotion by removing assistant branch manager positions and almost exclusively doing outside hires for managers. 
  • Due to the weird nature of our bank, there's no room for lateral movement into commercial banking or mortgage lending or anything.
  • My wife refuses to let me kick out her aunt and cousins because her aunt is disabled (but doesn't get disability because apparently it take around 9,000 years to get approved for that) and they have nowhere to go.

Now that the sad stuff is out of the way, here are some things I have going for me:

  • Work ethic! I work 66 hours a week but I love doing it. I've gladly given up my nights and weekends when I wasn't in such dire straits because working hard is in my genes. I consistently hold more than one job and I crush it.
  • Time management: Due to the amount of hours I work, I have to structure my life around schedules; as such, I have been able to accomplish everything I need to accomplish by exercising extreme control over my time.
  • Personality. I said it at the top, I'm a genuinely happy person. I know the stuff that's happening to me is mostly my own doing, and the stuff that isn't is fixable if I'm willing to sacrifice a little, so I'm not raging at the heavens and being all 'Woe is me,' about everything
  • Budgeting! Like I said, money's tight.  Every penny is accounted for; every dollar has a place in my budget, and any extra I get (very rare) goes into a savings account to help out the next month.


Again, this isn't a pity party.  I don't need a hand-out.  I need advice.  I can't pay down my debts and build my credit until I lower my expenses and upgrade my income; I can't move until I figure out what to do about my wife's aunt; I can't take time off to interview or job hunt until my wife finds a job, but if she finds a job we essentially have to keep her aunt around to watch our kid. I feel like I know what I need to do, but it will help if I can hear it from other people.

Please, people of Bigger Pockets, give me advice.

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