What do you do to support yourself?

[Rockinonahigh]

Acouple of years ago I had the oppertunity to pay off all my bills,now all I have to pay is car inshurance,phone,electricty and of corse grosery.To save $$ I shop at the goodwill store,go to estate sales (im a big record collector as well as anything frome movies) U would be surprised what some folks thnk of as junk thats worth big bucks.Lasttime I went pickin I bought a real record player with the 45& 33 rpm ect speeds.several boxes of 45's some station cuts and tons of records I havent gotten into checking out the signatures on yet.I have sold some things when I got the right price but at the moment im building up my stock...I may well open an anytique store in my garage so I can work from home.

[Apocalipstic]

Times are indeed tight, I have almost been thinking about going back into Food and Beverage or large Concessions management which is very well paid, but I am not sure my health is good enough any more.

Cynthia asked me last night if maybe we need to switch to a cheap coffee brand. GASP.

I wish At Last lived closer to help me appraise the Estate Stuff from my Dad so I could start selling things and have some idea of worth.

Rockin, do you know of a good website for old record player needles? I have tons of really cool LPs I want to listen to.

[theoddz]

Originally Posted by apocalipstic

Times are indeed tight, I have almost been thinking about going back into Food and Beverage or large Concessions management which is very well paid, but I am not sure my health is good enough any more.

Cynthia asked me last night if maybe we need to switch to a cheap coffee brand. GASP.

I wish At Last lived closer to help me appraise the Estate Stuff from my Dad so I could start selling things and have some idea of worth.

Rockin, do you know of a good website for old record player needles? I have tons of really cool LPs I want to listen to.

G'morning Mzzz Confection!!!

My stepmother looked and looked for a stylus for her old turntable and finally found one here: TurntableNeedles.com

For Christmas, one of the gifts I got my Pop was a digital turntable with the software and USB cables needed to dub all of his old Hawaiian music from LP vinyl over to CD. He's been making a huge project of doing this ever since!! Have you thought of dubbing your music over to CD?? The kit I got Pop was only something like $189, which was a hella lot cheaper than I thought it'd be. I found it at the Nellis AFB BX, but I'm sure they sell them comparably at other places, too.

Anyhoo, maybe you can find a needle at that site??

G'luck!!!

~Theo~

[SuperFemme]

I like the VS Ipex bra. It's the best support yet.

[julieisafemme]

I am a compliance officer at a financial services company. We took a 30% reduction in revenue in 2009. It has been stressful. I love my job. It suits my personality. At work I am the Compliance Domme!!

I moved this year to a less expensive place. It was a big step down but I actually like it a lot now. I can walk lots of places.

The budget is bare bones now. I have lots of child related expenses that I cannot save on so I have to do with less. Actually I am happier now then I ever have been in my life. Part of that is having a partner who is totally on the same page as me regarding finances.

This recession has taught me that disposable income is not necessary to be happy.

Great thread!!!!

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by apocalipstic

Times are indeed tight, I have almost been thinking about going back into Food and Beverage or large Concessions management which is very well paid, but I am not sure my health is good enough any more.

Cynthia asked me last night if maybe we need to switch to a cheap coffee brand. GASP.

I wish At Last lived closer to help me appraise the Estate Stuff from my Dad so I could start selling things and have some idea of worth.

Rockin, do you know of a good website for old record player needles? I have tons of really cool LPs I want to listen to.

Go to Ebay and research what has sold... this can be a good way to get an idea of what the market might yield. You can find sold prices within the past year. If you really have a lot of stuff, there are websites you can use to get appraisal info. from certified estate appraisers... or find one near you. If you have genuine antiques, sometimes, selling them via commission is good. just find out your area's usual & customary percentage for this.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

Acouple of years ago I had the oppertunity to pay off all my bills,now all I have to pay is car inshurance,phone,electricty and of corse grosery.To save $$ I shop at the goodwill store,go to estate sales (im a big record collector as well as anything frome movies) U would be surprised what some folks thnk of as junk thats worth big bucks.Lasttime I went pickin I bought a real record player with the 45& 33 rpm ect speeds.several boxes of 45's some station cuts and tons of records I havent gotten into checking out the signatures on yet.I have sold some things when I got the right price but at the moment im building up my stock...I may well open an anytique store in my garage so I can work from home.

Oh yes! There is treasure right in our attics, basements.... just need to take the time to research values. This can be a very lucretive home business with virtually no overhead! Plus..... its recycling!

[WickedFemme]

I have been so very fortunate to retain employment through these harsh economic times. However, I am making considerably less than I ever did prior to the economy downslide. It is difficult because my bills didn't decrease when salaries decreased and jobs became more scarce. I have had to cut back in all kinds of areas: shopping (I bargain shop for clothes if I'm able to do it at all), I have cut back on the extras such as online memberships, my gym membership, my blockbuster account, etc...

I don't eat out hardly at all anymore and if I do, it's a happy hour menu kind of thing once in a great while. I don't go to fundraisers anymore, I don't attend shows anymore, and the list goes on... I just don't have an entertainment budget anymore.

I am a Development professional for a nonprofit organization, which means i write grants to fund services, fundraising, etc...

I am in the process of looking for a higher paying position, but those just aren't out there and if they are, I am competing with people with even more experience than I, etc. It's difficult and it sucks, but I'm somehow managing to keep my head barely above water.

I have also had to put my student loans into forebearance status, I need a new car but can't justify the expense. Besides, my car is still running in spite of having over 150,000 miles on it.

I am not doing volunteer work anymore because I can't afford to do it - imagine that? I feel a need to focus my energy on taking care of myself first.. perhaps one day I will be able to have the luxuries I once did. I am however, researching the feasability of starting a new nonprofit organization within the next year or so. I have a fantastic idea to meet a huge and upcoming need in our community... so, stay tuned.

[sweetcali]

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

I like the VS Ipex bra. It's the best support yet.

What a perfect way to support your assets.

sweetcali

[Blade]

BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

[Soft*Silver]

my life changed when the semi hit me almost three years ago. I was a mental health psychotherapist. Since then, I havent been able to hold down a FT job because my back goes out on me after working for so long. I have tried PT employment and am hoping I can do that now that my health is better.

but this has really changed the way I live my life. If you only knew the amount of money I lived on monthly you would gasp. Yet I did it, with the help of my sister and some churches.

After this accident, and with the experience I had with my ex butch husband cheating on me and me losing the family farm over it, I pretty much am terrified now of losing anything again in my life...

So I have simplified my life.

The house I just bought is paid in full. I have no mortage payment. My car is also paid off. I will have a huge garden and this will help me be self sustainable for food as much as I can be. (I dont plan on eating much meat anymore as it isnt good for me.) I have just my car insurance and my utilities to pay now, just like Rocky said earlier in his post. I am a crafter so all my gifts come from my talents. I might even sell some this year to make some money.

If I dont have much, I cant lose much. What I do have, I can sustain even in the worst of times.

[Andrea]

In addition to my day job, I take surveys for $$, both online and in person. It isn't time consuming and adds about $300 a year to our income.

Entertainment such as plays, concerts, etc are usually won through sweepstakes I enter. For eating out, we use coupons and almost always get four meals or more out of two. We also go on picnics and long walks in good weather.

We buy the majority of our clothes at thrift stores and obtain items through Craigslist and Freecycle.

I don't think Rene ever buys meats that are not on sale or marked down for quick sale. He also has a fairly good size garden so we have fresh veggies and spices most of the year.

I have three unpaid furlough days now, and we lost some other income, so we adapted by selling a financed car, used savings to pay off a debt, canceled the newspaper, put Netflix on hold, transferred to a less expensive cell phone plan (no land line) and combined the auto and house insurance.

We are truly blessed because there is a bit more than enough and that is a lot in this economy.

Andrea

[Bit]

Originally Posted by apocalipstic

Cynthia asked me last night if maybe we need to switch to a cheap coffee brand. GASP.

Have you tried amazon.com? They have a subscription program for groceries. It's amazing; you can buy by the item or by the case, the shipping is free, and you tell them when to send the stuff, monthly, every other, every six... not only that, if you hit a crunch and need to put something off, you can tell them to skip a shipment.

I discovered them when absolutely no one in town was selling the supplies for the Breeze cat litter system, and I got hooked pretty quickly because it's so much cheaper than even the Big Gray Box stores (which did finally start carrying the supplies again). You do pay sales tax, but no shipping, which means I even save the $2.50 it would cost me to go to a BGB store on the bus---AND I don't have to struggle to lift and carry heavy stuff on the bus.

I dunno if you would find your brand of coffee there--they have tons of stuff, but of course they're more limited than most grocery stores--but they have so much stuff, and some of it green, like Seventh Generation cleaning and paper products, that I think it's worth a quick look, anyway.

I also save a considerable amount of money buying all our pets' flea meds at Amazon. It's even cheaper than 1800PetMeds, yanno? I just wish I could subscribe for those, but oh well, I'm just glad to be able to get them!

[sweetcali]

Originally Posted by June

After 20 years in the Financial Industry, I switched careers three years ago to work at a Design and Marketing firm. I wear a lot of hats, but right now, I am focusing on New Business Development, which means I research and write a lot of proposals. I am also involved in a lot of projects and my unofficial titles include: Cat Herder and Director of Safety, because a lot of these yahoos skateboard, unicycle, dance on ladders, etc. Hey, it's a design firm, we also have a WII in our conference room. It's a beautiful, creative space to work in, and I feel lucky to be around and collaborate with smart, funny adults who are passionate about what they do.

Last year, I asked to reduce my work week to three days so I could focus on the kitchen remodel and some other personal stuff. I am really thankful for the opportunity to do this, but actually, I often end up working from home on Thursdays and Fridays anyway for at least part of the day. Today, I am finishing up a huge proposal, and I actually came in the office to do it.

In my spare time, I do freelance design, marketing materials, copywriting and content organization for a variety of folks. Sometimes, I even get paid for it, but often I do it out of love or passion for their projects, like BFP (Note to Angie, put the new goddamn logo up - She's been sitting on it for 5 months!). I also volunteer some of my time with local non-profits, most recently a DV Shelter but I am being wooed by a friend who does development for a local organization who provides housing and resources, including job training to folks with low income and I'm pretty excited about it.

Everything you ever wanted to know about June, but were afraid to ask!

I would have to be starving before I would go back to Corporate America and deal with other peoples ill-behaved children.

I want to see June in an Easter Bonnet.

sweetcali

[theoddz]

I'm a Registered Respiratory Therapist and have been so for over 20 years now. Nearly 15 of those years I have spent working in federal civil service, specifically the DoD (Department of Defense, both military and civilian) and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. I am also "medically retired" from the U.S. Marine Corps, so I receive a nice pension check and full retirement benefits from the VA and military. I'm lucky enough that my health has held out and I've been able to keep working full time for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but my status as a Disabled Veteran affords me a lot of protections and security that others don't have. I'm thankful for that, because it's leveled the playing field so that I can continue to work and maintain a productive life. I'd go absolutely insane if I couldn't work at something, even if it were to just be volunteer work. I have this silly little fantasy of working as a part time projectionist at a local movie house, just so I could see all of the new movies for free!!!

I do some other things, too, and they're mostly work-related. I'm both a Shift Leader and Clinical Preceptor for the U.S. Air Force's Phase II Cardiopulmonary training program at Nellis Air Force Base. I'm also a Union Steward for our local AFGE Union (American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO), and I have been trained to specialize in representing the GLBTQ workforce in my local VA system. It's something I'm pretty proud of and very happy to do.

The past couple of years have seen me have to have both knees replaced, so I'm starting to feel the effects of having artificial joints, multiple medical problems and just plain ol' getting older. My hope is to finish the next five years as best as I can, then take a 20 year disability retirement from federal civil service. I've purposely avoided going headlong into debt, but I've also had the income, and the good fortune, to not have had to rely on credit in the past years. My only debt now is my mortgage and monthly living expenses, so when the next 5 years are up and I've got a nice financial cushion in the bank, I should be able to survive very, very nicely for the rest of my life.

Now, I am a *severe* Capricorn......a December Cappy, to be specific. I'm tight, tight TIGHT T-I-G-H-T and very, very good with money. Tabs can tell you how I am!!! It's both my worst fault and my finest blessing, so take that as you will. I was raised by Great Depression era parents, so I come honestly by my penny pinching ways and tight nature. Mother drilled into me, "There's no feeling more secure than that of having money in the bank." She should know. She's the Queen of Tightwads......and proud of it!!!! She taught me well, too. I am different from Mother, though, in that there are things that I do spend money on. Spending money on Myron, my pet frog, is one of my guilty pleasures. Before I buy anything, though, I always check myself with "Do I (or does Myron) really REALLY need this??". Many times, I have put whatever it was back on the shelf, remembering how satisfied I am with my financial affairs and the money in my wallet. I buy what I need, mind you, but I always consider how badly I need something.....and if I REALLY need it, because there's a biggo difference between "need" and "want". One of the few points of misery in my life has been that of "buyer's remorse" whenever I've bought something that I could well afford, but then missed the money I paid out for it more.

Gimme a rock.....I'll scratch a living off of it.

I salute every single one of us who is out there pitching and scraping to make a living in whatever we all have chosen to do....or wound up doing.

~Theo~

[Martina]

i am a teacher who lives in a very expensive area. Last year and the year before, i worked extra jobs -- lots of them. The budget cuts have meant that i only have one small extra job this year. Then HR screwed me over in two different ways. As a result i have to move to less expensive digs in a little over a month. i am looking forward to the move, but it's stress on top of stress. And i am a little worried about my cats adjusting. But there is no choice.

i need to do a lot of the things people here are doing -- like cook ahead for the week and pack lunches more regularly.

i have no talents and can't sell anything. i just work. In the past -- i worked a LOT. i probably am going to teach summer school again, and i will be very lucky to get it if i do. Lots of teachers want it and can't get it. But i wish i had the summer off.

[Oiler41]

I was working a consulting job in the refining industry for a couple of years; I knew it was a matter of time situation going in to it; what I didn't count on was the economy turning South at the end of it, and that my post consulting job situation was going to be much different (albeit much, much better) than what I thought it was going to be. I thought I was going to return to the company I was with when I took the consulting job, but that didn't work out.

I stayed in LA job hunting for a while and living on unemployment. I made good money consulting, but wound up not having much to show for it for several reasons that I'll skip. Anyway, after nine months of looking for work in California, I gave up. I'd met the love of my life in February (although I didn't know it for sure at the time) but in September, I did know. I was still unemployed and in order for us to work things out, we needed to be living closer together so, I left California and moved to Texas. After four months of job hunting here, and after a total of one year and six days of being unemployed and playing in between job hunting, I recently started a new job as an industrial Health, Safety and Environmental Manager for a manufacturing plant in here Texas.

If someone had told me twenty years ago that in 2009, I was going to take a year off of work, and still manage to be okay financially, I would have found that to be quite amusing. I had not been out of a job since 1983 prior to all of this. This economic downturn has been, and remains pretty tough for a lot of people. I was lucky that I had my unemployment and my rental house income to get me through. I'm indeed lucky that it worked out for me. I know many others have not been so fortunate. I've learned a great many lessons through this. I hope things improve soon, especially for you California folks. That place is an economic train wreck!

Glynn

Glynn

[BullDog]

I make most of my money from freelance writing- most of it is website content. I also work part time in the sales department for the Oregon Symphony. Then there is my little internet empire- I make some money from affiliate sales and Adsense. It is growing slowly but surely. I just registered 50 new domain names this week, so I have 50 new websites to build.

[Hack]

I work in public relations and communications. I also do a lot of freelance political communictions works in Michigan mostly.

[WolfyOne]

When R and I both lost our jobs in the podunk town we lived in, we decided to give plasma at the blood bank in a neighboring town. Between the two of us giving, it paid for the cats we were feeding inside and outside at the time. Heck, it even bought flea medicine for all of them. Our country vet taught us how to dose down all our cats from a large dog dose of Frontline. We were able to dose 8 cats from one of those dog doses. If we did the blood bank twice a week, we'd average an extra $200 a month each.