Did you see the Clayton Couple on ABC World News Tongiht?

Oh..okay! Thanks!

 

Slow to Post
:iagree: but CLEO rocks...

 

Here is their "budget" -

 

I honestly think part of the problem is what others have stated...wants versus NEEDS. It is two totally different things and I think alot of folks get caught up in the "i got to have it" mentality. We have 7 kids, we knew it would take financial saviness in order to add more children each time. We wrote out a budget and stuck to it. There is no big plasma tv on our wall--LOL. We have used cars and only one payment of $162 amonth, almost paid off. Are they nice cars, not the best but we don't need the best. We need to get from point a to point b safely and that's it. If this couple was spending $800 on car payments, they can sell and buy used. I agree w/ the person that said contact Faye! We are a family of 9 and don't spend a thousand a month on groceries. There are ways to save.

We knew what we were getting into when we had an ARM. Ours is a long story and won't bore you. But we knew, did our research and it was only going to be for a few months. BUT, in case it wasn't(as you never know what life will throw you), we made alternate plans as well. I think the family needed better financial planning strategies in place and also a little better budgeting. I can not imagine ever going into a 9% loan and it being an ARM. That's nuts.

I used to work at a brokerage firm. I saw many things but mostly I saw alot of greed. People wanted to have it all. I learned after all those years in that business, that is NOT how I could want to live. I'm not saying it's wrong by any means. To each their own. I am just saying people need to learn to live w/in their means and not go overboard. We didn't have cable in this house for years. I'd rather have no cable than the worries of how I were going to keep my home.

It does sound like they are trying to straighten it out though and that is what counts. We all learn lessons in life. Good luck to all those in a rough financial situation. My unsolicited advice...write everything down on paper and see where cuts can be made. It's the little things that add up fast.

Take care,

Stephanie--mom to 7

 

So, is there any truth to this rumor that they are upside down in this 2700 sq ft house that they purchased for 172,000 and the tax appraisal stands at 178,000? Cuz the norm I see lately is houses selling for a good 20-30,000 more than the tax appraisal value. I also heard somewhere that houses in this area are going for roughly 100$-101$ per sq ft - if we went by that formula (100-101 per sq ft) then couldn't they sell for at least 270,000? The neighborhood is Charleston? Near 70 bus Clayton/Smithfield area. I don't know the area over there. Anybody? The lot is over an acre. Maybe I'll make them an offer? Say... 175,000? lol

 

We've only been in Clayton a month and saw the couple on TV last month. Yikes! The scary think for us is that our house in Albuq hasnt sold yet (listed almost 3 months). Weve lowered the price 3 times but now we are paying 2 mortgages on about the same income they claimed. Its enough to give you an ulcer. But even when our house sell, our monthly expenditures will look nothing like theirs. Our cars are older, but paid for. I will never have a car payment again, it kills the budget. $330 for cells phones! Must be including phones for their kids. The boys looked plenty old enough to be paying for their own phones. And insurance and gas.!

 

We have a family of 4. For cell phones we pay about $150.00 a month (Nextel), and I think thats too high! Working son pays us his share......(yes, I'm a mean mama.....) :mrgreen:

 

I guess that makes me a mean momma too! Good for us.

 

How in the world is their electric bill $400/month???? I live in a 3600 sq ft house, stay home with kids all day, and our bill is only $200, maybe $270 in summer! Y'all are right, they need to separate their needs from their wants...that is just crazy! My husband is always asking me where people get the money they spend, and I tell him "just because they spend it doesn't mean they have it"...

 

Im glad someone brought up utilities. I just received our first full months bills and was kinda surprised. $200 for the gas and $200 for the combined elec. and water. That seems really high. The house is just under 3000 sq ft and we dont keep the lights or heat on all the time or anything crazy like that.

 

I don't know anything about the gas bills...my electric is probably $225 averaged out, and water (now with us being very concious about water consumption) is $30/month. Is that a normal bill, or were there hook-up/start-up fees in there? And I wonder how long the gas will last you? Also, I'm not sure where you live, but I think I've read on here that Clayton folks pay more because of the company they use?

 

Cleo where did you get the budget? I can't find it on the abc site???

 

Yeah, we are in Clayton. The gas is natural gas, from Piedmont. Then the electric and water are combined from Town of Clayton. And, no, these bills didnt include any hook up fees. yikes

 

It was on the video, 2nd page of the article down at the bottom towards the left.

But I think we should stop referring to it as a "budget". It is really a list of bills written on a Nasonex pad she swiped from her job. If they had a real budget, we wouldn't posting on this thread right now.

 

maybe Id better turn off the computer to save some electricity.....nah

 

Here's the direct link to the video, Harley.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4211122

 

Are you on a laptop? Just use the battery for a few hours!

 

Clayton isn't that big a place. Someone here must know these people (or know someone who knows these people). They need to log on to the 4042 forum and make their case.

C'mon, people, track 'em down.

 

They already made their case on National Television. It went something like this.

"Poor us. We don't read what we sign."

 

or something along the lines of...

"We are living beyond our means now we have to fix it"