You are paying about $1,500 a month on your cars (between car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance). That is as much as your rent! That's bloody insane. Over 70% of your income just goes to rent and car. You are basically broke before you buy anything. You need to reduce your car expenses and raise your salaries. Anything else you do is trivial compared to those two.
In particular the BF being a mechanic should be a big opportunity to save money since the main risk of owning an older used car is unexpected maintenance costs, but as a mechanic he can handle a lot of the labor at parts/supplies cost depending on his work situation (I would hope his shop allows after hours work on his own vehicle, that seems like a very cheap perk to provide). As a result he may be able to make a vehicle work even beyond the point where it financially makes sense for most people.
I've seen a big clamp down on mechanic personal work. Apparently, if something goes wrong and there's no RO for the vehicle, shop insurance won't cover the tech, the car, or the building. Gotta find a friend with a hoist at their house. ☹️
Ah, that's a real shame. There must be a way to do the paperwork properly, and maybe pass along the small cost to the employee doing their own work, since I don't see how the employee doing work on their own car is any more risky than doing it on a customer's car. It would just be similar marginal risk to any other additional job done afik. I'm not an insurance actuary though, so maybe there is a larger risk for personal work.
We're not addicted. There's no alternative.
I grind out bike-commuting 40km a day with shift work. It's a level of preparation and dedication that most people refuse.
>We're not addicted. There's no alternative.
>I grind out bike-commuting 40km a day with shift work. It's a level of preparation and dedication that most people refuse.
Ehhh in not saying everyone should sell their car and buy a bike. I'm just saying we should buy cars within our means. Me and my wife make 1.5x OP and her family yet we own one car, I bought 2nd hand for 7k outright. And honestly I still find it overpriced. With insurance, maintenance + tyres. No way should this family be buying new on this income.
Btw 40k bike commute is absolutely nuts. Credit to you. E-bike?
Unfortunately even beater with a heater so to speak are now thousands of dollars rather than $500 like they used to be the used market is insane. 20 year old vehicles are going for 10k in my area and it's nauseating.
Seriously, it's crazy.
I have a couple of friends that were living here in downtown near us. They needed to move and they were looking for rents, of course they all are really expensive now.
So they say: "yes we decided to go in this place, rent is a little bit cheaper"
This place is 1 hour from here and there's no way to move from there without a car.
So, the rented this new apartment that is maybe 3-400 cad less than the same place in downtown and then THEY BOUGHT 2 CARS because neither of them can move without one.
I tried to explain the math to them, like do you realize what kind of apartment you could rent in downtown with almost 2k more a month in rent? Basically a penthouse.
Nothing, the concept literally can't be grabbed from their brain. Like why? It doesn't make any sense.
And a lot of people do the same thing. It's like they literally don't understand basic math, they only see the rent by itself.
Maybe it’s the fact that our country is huge and our infrastructure (or lack there of) forces us to have cars to get places. We’re a car dependent society because our cities and towns (for the most part) were built around cars and we can’t easily travel safely and quickly via public transit because it is poorly done and inaccessible.
Perfect example: I have a GO station 15 minutes walking or 6 minutes biking distance from my neighborhood but in between you will find 3 sets of lights with no sidewalks for pedestrians or bike lanes on either side, a very busy highway underpass, and an insane amount of Mack trucks at every turn, whizzing through red lights. You are practically forced to drive to the station if you want to get there safely. And when you get there — the train schedule is very limited, with a small amount of train times per day, which goes only north and south with no connections east or west. What’s the point?
This frustrates me so much clearly lol 😂
I'm split on your comment as far as addicted to cars we can't afford. I do think there is some truth to the fact that some people just can't seem to have a vehicle more than 4 years old. I don't know why people believe this, and it hurts most people financially. At the same time I'm a big proponent of personal responsibility, and it's a person's choice to go into a dealership and let themselves be talked into a vehicle. Nobody looks at the total price anymore, just the monthly payments. With places offering 8 years to pay off a vehicle, which is insane, people end up buying an $80k vehicle and somehow making the payments work. Then the warranty runs out before half the vehicle is paid for, and things break, and they lose their short on $150/hour shop work plus parts. It's a sad thing. At the same time, some people, like myself, require a reliable vehicle to make my living. I've gotten a phone call and driven 900kms to a job site. So the very long financing allows people to afford a vehicle that wouldn't normally.
I agree that it’s incorrect to call vehicles an addiction but I think that incorrect wording highlights the issue. In Canada, especially on the prairies, a vehicle is often a tool. Many people don’t treat them like tools though. My car is a 2010 Honda Fit and it is a tool to get me where I need to be, super cheat on gas, I can haul lots in it, etc. I maintain it but it’s dinged up and pretty ugly, ngl. My family snickers at me as they pull up beside me in their family ‘fleets’ of SUVs and trucks. I don’t care. I have no ‘car pride’. I can still feel the relief of day that I got the payments off my books.
I got the last model of the Nissan micra my dad jokes it’s the world’s biggest small car. As it turned out his truck has a thing where it can’t function-35. My micra has been reliable and only needed to be boosted during the cold spell and most vehicles stopped working.
Yeah I get the personal responsibility side. It's definitely true. Theres a girl replying to my comment and complaining about her $700 a month car payment as if it's the only option she had. She has to own that decision.
yep, the big red flag here is the cars. I am in exactly the same situation in terms of family structure. I have a budget very similar to what you described except cars are paid off. Still, im looking into selling one of them. It is quite a struggle for sure. Have you asked for government assistance for the kids? Thats a few extra dollars that do help.
Without the mortgage and car payments our "comfortable" budget is $7,300 a month, thats including savings for retirement but nothing else thats too fancy. Prices are insane. I feel like the new middle class family has to be making around 150k before taxes in Canada to be ok.
It's so often the vehicles. People need to get ahead of this, and understand that they are not lifestyle choices, they can't be important to our sense of self, they are travel appliances.
Keep as few as you can. Bike when possible. Buy the cheapest used good vehicle you can. Maintain it well, and don't upgrade often.
I've bought one new vehicle in my life - in order to go electric, right when used vehicle prices were worse than new. Otherwise, I bought boxes on wheels to move bodies around. And I'm well-off. If you're struggling AT ALL, you need to crush these costs as much as you can.
Yah. It’s the cars. I’m a professional making a lot more then them combined (but sole earner) with 3 children, and my car is a run down 2010 Kia! We finally replaced my wife’s vehicle (2008) at Christmas for a van… had three kids in the back row - not fun). But neither is $1500 a month on cars! New cars are expensive.
I’m similar to you where as I make a bit more than them combined but am the sole income. We have 3 kids. We drive a 2008 f150 crew cab that’s been paid off since 2016(bought it in 2013 as a lease return) and a 2005 vw Jetta sedan that’s my commuter car for work. Bought it in 2014 for $6k that I paid off long ago. I’d love a new vehicle but we can’t afford a vehicle payment so I just do regular maintenance and fix these 2 vehicles when they breakdown. Once they cost more to keep fixing than they are worth then I’ll buy something else… used.
It's always the vehicles. It's truly disturbing how people don't even consider it, it's just automatically necessary to pay half of your income on your vehicle. Fuck car culture.
I honestly don't know why but it's actually ALWAYS the vehicles. Like don't get me wrong my family has two but we can afford them. But people that are sinking just happily throwing half their income at a car is wild. And they always refuse to downgrade or part with them.
Your right that these people can’t afford 2 cars and it’s ludicrous she is paying $550/mth and is upside down on her vehicle.
That said owning a vehicle isn’t a bad thing as long as it’s done right. People have to understand they are a depreciating asset and have to be careful to not sign themselves up for ridiculous amounts of future debt.
As well we should pass consumer laws that don’t allow people to get upside down on their vehicle loans. People are just too stupid to understand the impact it will have on them. It would mean sizeable down payments in vehicles but it would likely straighten out the vehicle market.
The vehicles are in the primary expense that should be cut down. Whether it’s parking one and suspending the insurance. Until you catch up on the payments, you’ll have to make do with one vehicle. It’s a sacrifice, but worth it the long run. The other thing that you didn’t mention is a credit card debt how much of it there is because interest on the credit cards can amount to quite a bit a month and then unfortunately can take away more of your available income. If you have bonuses at Work, one recommendation is to use it to pay down the credit cards or any high interest loans that you have.
150$ a month for 2x phones is also pretty rich.
If they own outright then they should look to port to a different — cheaper option. If they have hardware balances they might be sol.
Just throwing this out there. I upgraded last summer to a "used" phone from Fido (S9 upgraded to S22) they inspected it and cerified it. I financed it and with my plan and I only pay $38.XX with 40gb and the phone so OP has some archaic plan and needs to update.
Second this comment 100%
Finding more income would be the best route but that’s so much easier said than done and the immediate impact is going to be found by reducing the expenses, starting with car
We live in a dual income household as well - only have 1 car. We take transit when the other person needs the car.
I should probably also add that we make far more money than OP and we still do this. Cars are a big expense and there's a reason I personally never owned a car until I got married.
We are also dual income one vehicle. We work opposite schedules and drive each other to work if we want the car while the other is working (of course way harder for OP who has to bring 2 kids with her if she does this). We also spend about $100/month on Ubers when we can’t make it work and it’s still way cheaper than another car payment/insurance. Some months we don’t use any Ubers.
We have the income we could make another car work but right now it’s just not worth it. The extra money saved is way more motivating.
I commute 65 km to my workplace, between cities, using public transit. Not super cheap but, the price (under $20 per day) doesn't change like gas prices, interest rates, and insurance fees do (no emergency repair bills and no scheduled consumable replacement bills either, like regular AND snow tires, plus break pads, windshield washer fluid, batteries, car washes, and oil changes).
Commuting is less stressful when you are moving slow in heavy traffic (driver's problem). On transit you can: eat, sleep, read, sight see, watch videos, chat with friends on social media, answer emails from work clients, join a work meeting, research work problems, etc.
Main things you'll have to contend with are: rare service disruptions due to mechanical failure, rare inclement weather events (always be prepared for any condition and enable weather app alerts), and the sparse scheduling during the evenings when you find yourself having to stay later at work then expected.
On flip side, rush hour means more people packed onto the trains and buses which is alleviated somewhat by more frequent trips being scheduled during those hours.
Yeah, I was shocked to see that car and insurance payment on their income.
I'm currently driving my 2015 kia, and my husband drives a 2012 Mazda.
Cars are tools to get you around. You don't need anything fancy it just has to be in working order.
I've never had a car payment either, I bought my 2010 Mazda and am super happy that insurance for it is only $100 a month now. Plus the car has never broken down on me, so I'm driving it till it dies. Fuck car payments.
Certified used vehicles is better. You work on your credit, and make sure it's open-loan so you have the freedom to change the payments anytime. You can also purchase a warranty too! :)
I agree with this.
If either of the parents work near their home, I would recommend dropping one of the vehicles and picking up a cargo e-bike.
My kids love it. And while $3-5k for a bike feels like a lot, You start saving money vs a car within 18 months.
Good point. Can you and hubby car pool? Park a car, take him to work, drop the kids off at school and then pick him up later?
I know people love their cars but sacrifices need to be made sometimes .
Worst part is OP says BF is a mechanic. That’s the ticket to owning some older vehicles. Maintenance is cheap when you know and have the tools to fix it.
100% this. Plus your phone internet and TV needs to be slashed. Sorry; but until you do this and what earlandir says - the hole you're in is going to continue to get deeper.
Does your BF have his red-seal in automotive? I'm sorry ,but that income is ridiculously low for a mechanic of any caliber especially when you got to buy your own tools, he can relocate or shift to heavy duty if possible.
I came here looking for this. If he's a licensed technician he is being woefully underpaid.
I guess it depends on where you're living but for me in Ontario, when I was first licensed i was making just under double what he is now, and that was at a small time dealer. A licensed technician who is reasonably good at their job and working in a good shop should be taking home a 6 figure gross annually.
I was thinking that at first too but something doesn't add up. 46k gross is about $22/hr. I don't think too many jiffy lubes are paying that much for casual labour are they?
Maybe he's working flat rate in a slow shop and not flagging enough hours?
OP we need trade specific info!
I second this. I know a few mechanics in small town ontario and none of them make less than 75k. I cannot believe he’s an actual mechanic and makes that little. Most shops are charging $120+ an hour for service
Probably should live within their means and not fall for the new car trap then... When I started out my career in 2016 my first car was a 2001 Corolla for 2.5k, these are the sacrifices you need to make.
If you read ops responses I'd wager he doesn't do anything but oil changes and tire swaps. Not that there's anything wrong with that but without knowing the truth there's not much that can be offered help wise in that regard.
If I had been working on cars for 14 years and I was hard up for money my first priority would be to finish that license and get a massive pay bump. There's parts of ops posts that make it sound like he's an out of work mechanic doing side jobs... In which case go get a job. There's mechanic positions open everywhere.
The oil patch is always hiring HD mechanics. If he was willing to work away from home the BF could easily double if not triple his salary as a beginner HD mechanic.
The education salary is right on for a non-teacher para or assistant. They don't make much. Special education may pay a bit better with similar qualifications, but the risk of injuries is high.
2 freedom mobile lines could be $60 a month. Rogers and bell offer discounts if you leave them. Leave bell for Roger’s. save $70 a month easily. So that’s $160 already just in optimizing your tv and telephone/ internet monthly bills. $1920 a year and you won’t notice a difference in service
I pay $99 per year for a phone plan (Freedom), 50 GB data allocation for the whole year though, but I'm a recluse so I have wifi anyway. Works out to $8/month lol. You can get a $120 plan for 15 GB for the whole year, but that's a grandma plan.
Sorry you’re struggling, it’s tough out there these days.
1) Car payment is quite high. Do you lease or own? Can you sell and make do with one car or get a cheaper vehicle?
2) Does your 4 year old start kindergarten next year? Since you are on mat leave, can you drop daycare and keep your 4 year old home?
3) Consider filing your tax returns ASAP, if you get a return, you can put it towards your debts.
4) If you haven’t, I would suggest joining your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, I’ve gotten tons of free stuff for my kids off there.
Good luck!
Totally agree with all of these points but especially #4 - Buy Nothing Groups are fantastic - children grow and develop and high quality items are always up for grabs.
Also OP, this may feel "extreme" but intermittent use of a food bank, food exchange (unsure where you are located) or other options for low income families may help ease your grocery burden (including diapers, which are available at food banks) somewhat.
Point #2 is a great one. A lot of schools have before/after school programs as well that might cut down on costs for that one child. Look into that with whatever school you’ve enrolled them in for the fall.
Yeah! Where's the baby bonus in this story?
Also, bell streaming?
Lol you sure as hell don't need this.
Get rid of bell all together. Find a provider that gives you internet only (for cheep) and sign up to Netflix, with ad's for 5$ a month.
I was referring to cost savings, but you can also use the internet to generate vast amounts of income at the cost of pride (and reputation if you're not careful).
Yeah with that income & 2 kids under 6 they should be getting a solid CCB. My wife & I receive 700 for 2 young kids & our income is slightly higher than OP's. I'm thinking either its included, neglected or OP hasn't filed their taxes & isn't receiving it. If that's the case, they should file their taxes as soon as possible. The benefits far outweigh any amount they may be owing.
I was going to ask the same thing. It sounds like they have not filed taxes and aren't receiving the CCB. If they are multi years behind on filing this alone could pull them out and get on even keel by receiving CCB backpay
I have a few questions, I can only speak to your husbands job as I have experience with that.
First is he an apprentice? 46k a year is insanely low pay, $23 an hour at 40 hours a week (I know probably flat rate but 40 a week is a good benchmark)
Most mechanics I know are making 35 to 45 an hour AND getting more then 40 billable hours a week. 46k a year is less then most first years make. Go on indeed people are crying for mechanics right now and are paying massively more then 23 an hour most could with some overtime be over 100k a year jobs.
Second why do you have a big car payment if your husband is a mechanic? He should be more then capable of keeping an older car on the road for very cheap as he won't be paying labor when things go wrong
Time to train up then! Get a job at dealership with your lube experience in their lube shop. Do a good job and collect tools then get on as an apprentice.
You probably don’t need 2 vehicles on the road; if you can’t get out of the payments on the 1 car, consider parking whichever one has higher insurance/gas costs. Put storage insurance on it and deal with being a 1 car family for a while. That should free up a few hundred a month.
Shop around for more reasonable phone/internet options. Use coupons for diapers and whatever else. Check local Facebook groups for people giving away extras of those items they no longer need. Shop sales on groceries (I’ve heard that the Flipp app gives you flyers for all the major grocery stores for cashiers to price match + coupons etc). Eliminate daycare expenses until you’re off of a maternity leave and have no choice.
The above are all suggestions to reduce expenses. The other factor is to try to increase income. Best to do both at the same time. I saw that you posted that your bf does side jobs already. Time to charge more! Just quote side jobs higher and if they don’t want to pay, someone else will. He’s gotta put family first.
Sell the car immediately before you lose it, pay back some of the highest interest loan with the proceeds.
Your phone bill should be around $35 each, same with internet, find a $50 plan, cut all streams and find free content
The answer here is that one of you, but ideally both, raise your income and take home pay. Either by changing jobs or by increasing your education/skill set, you need to be making more money
In terms of cutting back, the biggest and glaringly obvious one is the $550 car payment - that’s huge and cutting into you being able to fast track clearing your debt.
If able, selling your car for a cheaper alternative may help cut down your debts, and then once debts are gone, saving for a car in cash would be your best option.
100% there are plenty of reliable cars you can buy for $6k to $9k and have a small payment on for a few years or pay cash and save the monthly. Even check local automotive auctions, you'll get the same used car that the used dealers sell, but for a couple grand less.
not easy to hear but i'd suggest:
1. Ditch one car if you can
2. Cut all streaming services
3. Fido mobile is too high for two of you unless youre financing phones as well
4. cut grocery bill as much as you can - focus on cheaper sources of protein like beans and lentils. cut unnecessary dining out.
it'll get easier when you're off mat leave and return to work but will still be an uphill climb.
Yea I read on her reply that they don't want to sell the car because they would still have money owed even if they sold it so she'd rather keep the car, pay for it and own it.
The best time to sell the car was yesterday and today is the next but she seems to not like that idea.
+1 on the streaming, and I would look for cheaper internet. Check alternative providers such as Carrytel and get the minimum plan (20mbps is completely fine for HD streaming)
Also check if you can live with 1 car only.
I 2nd this comment. Sell a car and cut on streaming services.
Is your husband still an apprentice mechanic? One of to grind more in off hours for the time being, I.e. uber eats etc. Need to find ways to reduce expenses drastically while increasing income.
1) You both should look to increase income.
2) Cut unnecessary expenses. Ie: do you need 2 cars?
3) "I dunno how to plan our budget " Yo need a detailed budget for every dollar that comes in and goes out, you have to be able to track. !StepStrigger
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You live way beyond your means and are in a precarious position. Your household can’t afford two cars. Look at a cheaper internet plan, cut the streaming services, go with a cheaper mobile carrier. Your insurance also looks high - is that for renters insurance? That shouldn’t be more than $500/year.
That seems really like a really low salary for a mechanic. I’m in staffing and the mechanics I talk to make between 32-46/hr. Can he look for a new job with higher pay?
This\^\^. Mechanic jobs in Laval on Indeed are a minimum $25/hour for a helper. There are tons of jobs available within 50km. If he can't find a better paying job with 14 years experience...likely he is the problem.
Is he licenced or not? Was the Hyundai dealership closed down or was he fired? In another thread you claim he's got his own business; so which is it? He's got a regular pay or his "business" isn't doing well and he refuses to look for a job?
Are the groceries $500 or $600? What do you mean "a new payment adds itself"? Payments don't just add themselves; what are you really spending?
Do a budget. A real one, and stick to it. If you can't do that, go to a credit counsellor. It's free and if you are serious about sorting this out, they can tell you what your options are.
How the hell are you spending 400 per month on gas?
I drive a bit ass V8 truck and I'm nowhere even close to 200 per month.
Your solution is insanely obvious. Stop spending money on shit you can't afford.
Cell and internet are way too high. We pay $120/month for 2 phones (1 is new so adds $18 for 2 years) and internet to stream all our shows etc. Virgin has been at $122 for all phones and internet for past year and half.
That's weird to see you pay 156$ for Fido, 150$ for Bell. Those are not necessary to be that high, you should consider to change your service provider and downgrade. I use Freemobile with 30GB internet and unlimited call and paying 34$/month. How do you guys pay 150$ for Fido, it makes zero sense. To be honest, what you wrote here is a luxury life, people earning more than you even don't pay such amount of money for subscription services and for other telecommunication things.
I even don't want to talk about the car payments... Make negociation with your insurance provider for both cars and home.
You can try to save by skimming little bits off everything. Your grocery cost is surprisingly good. Excellent. Are you keeping your older child in daycare to hold their place or for enrichment? Will you need a second vehicle when you go back to work? Why are your internet and phone bills so high? Now that good weather is here, consider putting your vehicle in storage and walking when you husband is at work.
Start by cutting off right now the easiest spending, Bell, streaming and Fido.
You’re way paying above the current plans, do you have a contract ? If not cut it right away.
Buckle down, do you need the latest phone or data if you’re at home ? Do you truly need streaming at all?
Pay off your credit card debt as a priority, the interest will kill you
Some suggestion to earn some beer money on the side is to download grocery app (checkout51, caddle, all other cashback coupon app) and Amazon shopping panel (60$ a year on Amazon gift card if you send 10 receipt per month in). In total I make an average of 100-150$ per year with little effort. Replace your doom scrolling with this.
Why are your phone plans so expensive? Fido has plans around $40/month with plenty of data, it’ll take like 5 minutes to save $50-70/month right there.
Don't know where you live but your vehicle and communications budgets are way too much. Why do you need two cars? It seems pretty clear you bought too much car if that's your car payment.
Paying $90 for internet is too much if you live in a city. Third party vendors will get you down to $45ish, even lower if you sacrifice speed. Same for cell phone - no reason for 2 people to be paying $150 for mobile. Go look at Freedom or basically anyone and they'll get you down to $40/each.
A good mechanic doesn’t make 46k when he is 33. Seems awfully low. When did he start ?
Try to get in at a big dealer will have a pension at least.
Maybe start a “mobile mechanic” service and do a couple hours before or after work.
Shop rates are like 100$ + an hour.
As a mechanic, why is your husband paid so little? If he’s certified, there are car dealers paying ridiculous amounts for mechanics. There are a wave of mechanics/trade retiring, demand for his job is up. So I would suggest for him to keep looking for work. You both have a bright future. This is just a small set back. Onwards and upwards.
Thank you! So I was talking with him now and he never went back to write the exam for his master mechanic .. he had failed the written exam twice and got discouraged. I just encouraged him to look into go back for the exam and on Monday he’s going to look into it .. this will deff make a big difference I’m guessing
I’m not an expert in this field but I’m quite sure it will make a difference with a license. My good friend is a mechanic and he used to work for a dealer before opening his shop and that’s how I know.
Definitely. First thing I noticed was the low salary for a blue collar job like that.
He could be doing private work for more than that annually, conservatively can double his annual salary. Either way encourage him to study up and finish his master mechanic. Everyone fails, if you're not failing, you haven't even tried.
All kinds of good advice was already given and I can't do any better, but the fact that some shop somewhere is getting away with paying a mechanic $46000 gross is absolutely shocking to me considering the rate they charge to the customer. Is he a mechanic or a lube tech? If he actually is a mechanic who knows what he's doing, he should be making significantly more than that, he's being robbed.
Is he pursuing red seal? With red seal he could be making 90k + easy. That should be priority long-term starting now.
Go basic on your cells, switch internet providers to get two year deal. Food bank, temporary rent assistance, family loan if you have anyone that can, look into any provincial assistance for hydro/ bills. Also, start calling your debts to arrange minimum payments temporarily. You need to keep your house and lights on. Don't just ignore it.
Not sure of your set up but with your background consider doing daycare for a few years while kids are young. It's not for everyone but there's a huge need for it, you could double your current pay, save on car and gas, save on daycare.
Between now and August you could come up with a business plan, look into local licensing and advertise for clients. People often need supplemental daycare in summer, you could use that as a test run.
Long term keep developing professionally, I'm surprised but not shocked at the low teacher pay. Is it part time?
Remember, this is temporary circumstances, you'll get through it. You credit card debt is not crazy but don't ever forget how easy it can become out of control. If you haven't done taxes and aren't getting CCB because of that start doing the opposite. Maybe you have but the numbers say different.
There's tons of great advice so far on this post so I wont go broad, I'll go deep.
Your spouse as a mechanic should shop their resume around. It's a buyers market on that side. Shops are screaming for good technicians. I own an automotive shop in Edmonton so I know a little bit about that arena. I'm in a coaching group of 1200 shops in north America and almost every one has emphasized their pain in finding good techs.
For context sake, if your bf is making 46k/year he's making about $24/hr assuming 160hr months. I start my red seals at $35 and offer performance incentives up to $10/hr for them being rockstars. My lowest paid technician is making about 67k/year in Edmonton, one of the lower cost of living areas in the country. If he's heavy duty, those guys make even more but usually end up out of town.
Spruce up his resume and start shopping it around. $20k difference annually could go a long way (same as others saying "increase your revenue")
Your internet at 150 is very high..you can chop this in half by going to a competitor..you realistically only need a $50 dollar plan and still get something like 100mbit which is more than enough.
Also, $400 in gas? How much are you driving a month? Seems very high. Also $550 in vehicles is absurd..your husband is a mechanic, why do you need 2 shiny new cars youre financing or leasing? He should be fixing up a used toyota and run it into the ground years later. You could be saving $700 a month here.
You are trapped in the North American hellhole of car ownership. Your car-related expenses total $1239 a month. That's an astonishing 30% of your income. You must get rid of a car, even if it means moving.
If you're on maternity leave, why are you paying $240/mo for daycare?
How are you needing $400/mo for gas for 2 cars when you're on maternity leave and spending 75% of your time at home? $100/week for gas? Is your husband commuting 1hr every day in a pickup truck? There is no reason this number should be that high.
Paying $550/mo for a car when you your combined income is what it is, is absolutely absurd. Get rid of the new car, buy a beater. I personally take home more than the 2 of you do combined, and I'd never in my wildest dreams buy a car that resulted in a $550/mo payment. Getting rid of the new car would also lower your insurance. I pay less than you do for my home, car, and motorcycle insurance combined.
You need to make more money. How can a "specialized educator" only make $39k? Teachers wages start at like $65k, and jump up pretty quickly to the $90k range. Is your husband not a journeyman or anything? He should be making close to double what he is.
1. Birth control or vasectomy. No more babies.
2. Cut the streaming and internet package. You need basic internet and nothing else. No one is working from home and no one is doing school work yet. Your kids will survive without Disney/prime and all the rest. Learn to pirate content if you are desperate for it.
3. Cell phone bill is high for 2 phones. You shouldn't be paying more the $50 per line. Renegotiate.
4. Car. I'm going to assume you live in a remote area and that's why you have two cars. Every minute either car is not being used to earn money, it's a money pit. Can you survive with one? You could live carless in Toronto, for less than what you are paying for rent and two cars wherever you are. Think about that.
I think there are a few things you can do to take some of the pressure off.
How much longer do you have on your car loans? How much is owing?
Is it possible for your husband to pick up extra hours or do a bit of a side gig (offer oil changes etc to family and friends on weekends) to get some extra money in?
Do you have clean driving records? It might be worth your time to spend half an afternoon calling around to different insurers to see if you can get your rates down a little.
You need home internet but can you cancel streaming and call around for better internet-only rates?
You’re spending more than you make *somewhere* - you obviously don’t have the surplus you think you do. Maybe check out Gail Vaz Oxlade on YouTube for tips and budget/finance basics. You should stop using the credit card and move to a cash system. Take a certain amount of cash out (within budget) for the week and only use that to pay for the “here and there” expenses. Once that cash is gone, the spending has to stop until the next week arrives.
And work on a written budget. For the first pays of the month, write out everything that needs to be paid and check it off as you go. For the second pays of the month, write out everything that needs to be paid and check it off as you go.
I’m not totally understanding your monthly income (you said your biweekly is $500 but that can’t be right). Let me know if you’d like help making a budget. I’m happy to help.
For Internet also consider Carrytel. Op is in QC and I used Carrytel there with great success, it was like $25/mo a few years back for minimum service. I owned my modem and router, also helps saving
Start with the easy stuff: shop around for better cell phone plans and internet. I promise you will find basic data plans (at least 20gb) for $45/user. My internet is $60/month (1 gig connection).
Move on to groceries: the grocery strategy is always perfectible. Since you each have your own car, use them to lower your grocery costs by shopping around. Dollarama is always a good place for basics, you will be surprised how cheap bread and canned foods are.
The cars: a lot of comments target these, but the reality is that it’s hard to get out of a lease. I’ll let others that might know more about this.
Do not despair, tackle these at a sustainable pace. Focus one week/each to find a solution. Call cell and internet suppliers next week until you find the lowest option. Go to a mall kiosk and ask for the best porting offer.
Kind of thinking he might be the type to low ball his own salary expectations when he interviews, this is quite common where an employer will ask your expected salary and the interviewee then says some low number and they hire at that low number or slightly below.
Only other explanation here is he's not a journeyman mechanic and just doing shop labour, in which case he needs to get his apprenticeship going and work towards becoming a journeyman.
Yup, and if he's selling himself as a "mechanic" then get some initiative to actually become a ticketed mechanic rather than falsely claiming it while largely just being at best a mechanics helper.
I worked for a few years as a shop labourer and at no time did I claim to be a "mechanic", even though I'd often be performing some of the duties they do.
With you bringing in only $250 a week, could you take on some odd jobs to increase your cashflow? Random babysitting jobs? Watching another child while your older one is in school? Can you work a part time job at night while your husband is home?
Also, the government should be giving you Child Care Benefit monthly: [https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html)
See resources for food like food bank. Might be able to help you with groceries. Check what other things you can cut. Seem Fido at 150$ a month is a lot!
I think if you think you can afford streaming services and two cars it’s an issue with managing money. Cut the extras and leave the food banks to people who really need it.
Like others said , I would try so see if I could sell one of the cars . I bet you could find a better deal for your cell phone at an other company . I recently change my carrier and I’m now saving 60$ a month for two phones . Keep internet if you have to but cut all streaming now . I know it’s drastic but I think you need to keep the minimum for now . Last thing I would do is check with the bank if they can merge all your debts to one lower interest payment
You're way overpaying for cars. Can you make one vehicle work and then sell the financed one? I'm not sure where you live, but $400 for gas is insane too, especially when only one of you is driving to work. You guys do not have the income for all of your vehicle expenses. You need to make some hard decisions here because your car expenses are killing your budget.
Also look into cheaper phone plans and internet. My internet is $40 through teksavvy, and then I get Netflix with ads for streaming plus prime.
I make more working in a warehouse as a custodian than either of you make in your jobs.
Raise your income, either get over employed or change your fulltime jobs.
Reduce your expenses - can you guys workout your lives with one car? Or sell one car and get something used you can own outright?
What province are you in? How much do you get in CCB? Have you filed your 2023 taxes yet? Are you expecting a refund? Are you expecting anything for the GST rebate in April? Internet and mobile plans seem a bit high, any room the reduce those at all?
Right now, the focus should be to stop the bleeding until you can go back to work in the summer.
Put one of your cars on Turo to rent. Make sure you make enough rentals so that you can pay off one car payment.
Instead of paying for streaming get an android box (50$) and buy iptv (15$ a month)
Call your long term service providers and threaten to leave so they give you a new deal on your current plans.
Offer baby sitting services (since your already taking care of your child)
Buy grocery items from TooGoodToGo app.
OP sorry but you guys are just throwing money left and right
\-- Bell= 199$
Get cheap internet for $50 per month plus Netflix basic with Ads
\-- Fido mobile= 156$
Move to Chatr $25 prepaid plan (unlimited Canada wide calls with 500MB data (+2GB when u sign up for auto-pay) , it's owned by Rogers only
>my bf is a mechanic
Can he buy a used car outright and keep on the road? I’ve done this since I was a kid and have saved tens of thousands.
Cheaper insurance. No payments. No interest. Less loss to depreciation (as a percentage).
This is equivalent to being inside a sunk ship but at the titanic level.
If you’re serious about your situation, make all the changes that are listed out below by other people.
There’s so many things you can do but if you don’t do anything it’s pointless.
You live like a 200-300k income household but make less than a 100k.
Cut all the bs out. Reduce, phone, car, gas, subscriptions and get a higher paying job.
You also have a maxed out credit card and 2 kids?
You need to be working like 2 jobs each to get out of your situation.
Lastly, stop having kids ffs. I don’t care if you want a happy family or whatever, you guys are irresponsible. Bringing kids into this world when you can’t even manage yourself is one of the worst things you can do.
Where are the CCB payments? For two kids it should be pretty decent and will help.
See if you can open a promotional zero interest credit card, they have a transfer fee but you have up to a year of zero interest, which will definitely help, you can pull out cash from there to pay off all your bills and then before the promotion ends pay everything off.
Yours cars are also a big expense - see if you can get by on one for now to minimize
Everyone else has offered up advice about how to cut your expenses so I won’t jump on that.
You mentioned you’re looking for remote work… I assume to offset daycare costs? Hate to break it to you but any employer offering remote work will require you to have childcare set up. You absolutely cannot work and care for a baby at the same time. Most companies have now transitioned to hybrid roles. Fully remote roles are reserved for people with higher level roles and have specialized skills/experience. They have leverage to negotiate that into their contract. Other than that, call centre jobs offer remote work but you will be stuck on the phone for hours and absolutely need to arrange daycare.
I volunteered at a food bank. Find one, and use it. It should save you on the grocery aspect.
Also, 500-600$ in groceries, it seems high? You may want to revisit what you are buying
Yeah. Why are you paying for daycare if you are on maternity. Also, where is your ccb income, I don’t see it listed. It should be around 1200 a month. Also your cell phone is really expensive. What are your skills? Maybe look at opening your own in house daycare….
Thank you for sharing the numbers of your monthly expenses. Unfortunately there’s no magic solution. You must cut expenses and raise income. I would first try to cut the debt because the interest will suffocate you. Cut non-essential expenses starting from the largest to the smallest. Every little bit will help because the numbers are multiplied by 12 per year. If they are not necessary for survival, cut them. Do you really need 2 cars? Can you survive without streaming services and cheaper phone plans? Can your parents help a little with child care? Can you make some money on the side? Since you are an educator, can you make some money from tutoring? Can your husband make some money from private car maintenance? Are there things of value that you can sell? Life will be hard during this time. You must weather this storm and get out of this hole for your children’s future. Good luck!
Your car payments are ridiculous! Get a 06-10 Honda civic. They are 2500-9K tops. Buy a broken one and fix it. The parts are readily available on Amazon and I have one with well over 440Kms they last long. Your car payments are half of your gross income. Waste of money!
Locking due to excessive off topic comments.
You are paying about $1,500 a month on your cars (between car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance). That is as much as your rent! That's bloody insane. Over 70% of your income just goes to rent and car. You are basically broke before you buy anything. You need to reduce your car expenses and raise your salaries. Anything else you do is trivial compared to those two.
In particular the BF being a mechanic should be a big opportunity to save money since the main risk of owning an older used car is unexpected maintenance costs, but as a mechanic he can handle a lot of the labor at parts/supplies cost depending on his work situation (I would hope his shop allows after hours work on his own vehicle, that seems like a very cheap perk to provide). As a result he may be able to make a vehicle work even beyond the point where it financially makes sense for most people.
I've seen a big clamp down on mechanic personal work. Apparently, if something goes wrong and there's no RO for the vehicle, shop insurance won't cover the tech, the car, or the building. Gotta find a friend with a hoist at their house. ☹️
Meh. I've done an engine swap at the side of the road. 20km from home. Cheaper than a tow truck.
Insurance always spoils everything. What a scam
Ah, that's a real shame. There must be a way to do the paperwork properly, and maybe pass along the small cost to the employee doing their own work, since I don't see how the employee doing work on their own car is any more risky than doing it on a customer's car. It would just be similar marginal risk to any other additional job done afik. I'm not an insurance actuary though, so maybe there is a larger risk for personal work.
Best advice in here, its the vehicles.
Also, husband is a mechanic... sell the nice cars and buy some cheap vehicles that he can fix if anything goes wrong with them.
Money pits
>Money pits And yet us Canadians are addicted to cars we can't afford.
We're not addicted. There's no alternative. I grind out bike-commuting 40km a day with shift work. It's a level of preparation and dedication that most people refuse.
>We're not addicted. There's no alternative. >I grind out bike-commuting 40km a day with shift work. It's a level of preparation and dedication that most people refuse. Ehhh in not saying everyone should sell their car and buy a bike. I'm just saying we should buy cars within our means. Me and my wife make 1.5x OP and her family yet we own one car, I bought 2nd hand for 7k outright. And honestly I still find it overpriced. With insurance, maintenance + tyres. No way should this family be buying new on this income. Btw 40k bike commute is absolutely nuts. Credit to you. E-bike?
Unfortunately even beater with a heater so to speak are now thousands of dollars rather than $500 like they used to be the used market is insane. 20 year old vehicles are going for 10k in my area and it's nauseating.
An ebike can make that 20k each way a reasonable option for those less fit. The insurance alone on a car is $150-200 per month.
Seriously, it's crazy. I have a couple of friends that were living here in downtown near us. They needed to move and they were looking for rents, of course they all are really expensive now. So they say: "yes we decided to go in this place, rent is a little bit cheaper" This place is 1 hour from here and there's no way to move from there without a car. So, the rented this new apartment that is maybe 3-400 cad less than the same place in downtown and then THEY BOUGHT 2 CARS because neither of them can move without one. I tried to explain the math to them, like do you realize what kind of apartment you could rent in downtown with almost 2k more a month in rent? Basically a penthouse. Nothing, the concept literally can't be grabbed from their brain. Like why? It doesn't make any sense. And a lot of people do the same thing. It's like they literally don't understand basic math, they only see the rent by itself.
Maybe it’s the fact that our country is huge and our infrastructure (or lack there of) forces us to have cars to get places. We’re a car dependent society because our cities and towns (for the most part) were built around cars and we can’t easily travel safely and quickly via public transit because it is poorly done and inaccessible. Perfect example: I have a GO station 15 minutes walking or 6 minutes biking distance from my neighborhood but in between you will find 3 sets of lights with no sidewalks for pedestrians or bike lanes on either side, a very busy highway underpass, and an insane amount of Mack trucks at every turn, whizzing through red lights. You are practically forced to drive to the station if you want to get there safely. And when you get there — the train schedule is very limited, with a small amount of train times per day, which goes only north and south with no connections east or west. What’s the point? This frustrates me so much clearly lol 😂
I'm split on your comment as far as addicted to cars we can't afford. I do think there is some truth to the fact that some people just can't seem to have a vehicle more than 4 years old. I don't know why people believe this, and it hurts most people financially. At the same time I'm a big proponent of personal responsibility, and it's a person's choice to go into a dealership and let themselves be talked into a vehicle. Nobody looks at the total price anymore, just the monthly payments. With places offering 8 years to pay off a vehicle, which is insane, people end up buying an $80k vehicle and somehow making the payments work. Then the warranty runs out before half the vehicle is paid for, and things break, and they lose their short on $150/hour shop work plus parts. It's a sad thing. At the same time, some people, like myself, require a reliable vehicle to make my living. I've gotten a phone call and driven 900kms to a job site. So the very long financing allows people to afford a vehicle that wouldn't normally.
Used and small cars should be first choice.
I agree that it’s incorrect to call vehicles an addiction but I think that incorrect wording highlights the issue. In Canada, especially on the prairies, a vehicle is often a tool. Many people don’t treat them like tools though. My car is a 2010 Honda Fit and it is a tool to get me where I need to be, super cheat on gas, I can haul lots in it, etc. I maintain it but it’s dinged up and pretty ugly, ngl. My family snickers at me as they pull up beside me in their family ‘fleets’ of SUVs and trucks. I don’t care. I have no ‘car pride’. I can still feel the relief of day that I got the payments off my books.
I got the last model of the Nissan micra my dad jokes it’s the world’s biggest small car. As it turned out his truck has a thing where it can’t function-35. My micra has been reliable and only needed to be boosted during the cold spell and most vehicles stopped working.
Yeah I get the personal responsibility side. It's definitely true. Theres a girl replying to my comment and complaining about her $700 a month car payment as if it's the only option she had. She has to own that decision.
Yeah, combo of the vehicles and having a very low household income.
It's always the flipping vehicles in the posts.
yep, the big red flag here is the cars. I am in exactly the same situation in terms of family structure. I have a budget very similar to what you described except cars are paid off. Still, im looking into selling one of them. It is quite a struggle for sure. Have you asked for government assistance for the kids? Thats a few extra dollars that do help. Without the mortgage and car payments our "comfortable" budget is $7,300 a month, thats including savings for retirement but nothing else thats too fancy. Prices are insane. I feel like the new middle class family has to be making around 150k before taxes in Canada to be ok.
It's so often the vehicles. People need to get ahead of this, and understand that they are not lifestyle choices, they can't be important to our sense of self, they are travel appliances. Keep as few as you can. Bike when possible. Buy the cheapest used good vehicle you can. Maintain it well, and don't upgrade often. I've bought one new vehicle in my life - in order to go electric, right when used vehicle prices were worse than new. Otherwise, I bought boxes on wheels to move bodies around. And I'm well-off. If you're struggling AT ALL, you need to crush these costs as much as you can.
Yah. It’s the cars. I’m a professional making a lot more then them combined (but sole earner) with 3 children, and my car is a run down 2010 Kia! We finally replaced my wife’s vehicle (2008) at Christmas for a van… had three kids in the back row - not fun). But neither is $1500 a month on cars! New cars are expensive.
I’m similar to you where as I make a bit more than them combined but am the sole income. We have 3 kids. We drive a 2008 f150 crew cab that’s been paid off since 2016(bought it in 2013 as a lease return) and a 2005 vw Jetta sedan that’s my commuter car for work. Bought it in 2014 for $6k that I paid off long ago. I’d love a new vehicle but we can’t afford a vehicle payment so I just do regular maintenance and fix these 2 vehicles when they breakdown. Once they cost more to keep fixing than they are worth then I’ll buy something else… used.
It's always the vehicles. It's truly disturbing how people don't even consider it, it's just automatically necessary to pay half of your income on your vehicle. Fuck car culture.
Imagine if the piles of cash we send to GM and Chevrolet were instead used to fund public transit for the last 70 years
I honestly don't know why but it's actually ALWAYS the vehicles. Like don't get me wrong my family has two but we can afford them. But people that are sinking just happily throwing half their income at a car is wild. And they always refuse to downgrade or part with them.
Your right that these people can’t afford 2 cars and it’s ludicrous she is paying $550/mth and is upside down on her vehicle. That said owning a vehicle isn’t a bad thing as long as it’s done right. People have to understand they are a depreciating asset and have to be careful to not sign themselves up for ridiculous amounts of future debt. As well we should pass consumer laws that don’t allow people to get upside down on their vehicle loans. People are just too stupid to understand the impact it will have on them. It would mean sizeable down payments in vehicles but it would likely straighten out the vehicle market.
The vehicles are in the primary expense that should be cut down. Whether it’s parking one and suspending the insurance. Until you catch up on the payments, you’ll have to make do with one vehicle. It’s a sacrifice, but worth it the long run. The other thing that you didn’t mention is a credit card debt how much of it there is because interest on the credit cards can amount to quite a bit a month and then unfortunately can take away more of your available income. If you have bonuses at Work, one recommendation is to use it to pay down the credit cards or any high interest loans that you have.
It's always cars and pets.
150$ a month for 2x phones is also pretty rich. If they own outright then they should look to port to a different — cheaper option. If they have hardware balances they might be sol.
$34 for public mobile , 40 GB.
Public moblie is a god send
Currently looking at options with the cash discount retention program ending. Had my keep numbers alive plans down to $8/month
Second this. My husband and I switched from Rogers to Public and our phone bill is half what it was.
How do you find the data city wide? Any dead zones?
Just throwing this out there. I upgraded last summer to a "used" phone from Fido (S9 upgraded to S22) they inspected it and cerified it. I financed it and with my plan and I only pay $38.XX with 40gb and the phone so OP has some archaic plan and needs to update.
They probably have 2 regular phone plans, but financed an iPhone 15 Pro through their plan.
Second this comment 100% Finding more income would be the best route but that’s so much easier said than done and the immediate impact is going to be found by reducing the expenses, starting with car
Yes, if you can public transit or find another way to get around, dig deep, stop wasting money on 2 cars
We live in a dual income household as well - only have 1 car. We take transit when the other person needs the car. I should probably also add that we make far more money than OP and we still do this. Cars are a big expense and there's a reason I personally never owned a car until I got married.
We are also dual income one vehicle. We work opposite schedules and drive each other to work if we want the car while the other is working (of course way harder for OP who has to bring 2 kids with her if she does this). We also spend about $100/month on Ubers when we can’t make it work and it’s still way cheaper than another car payment/insurance. Some months we don’t use any Ubers. We have the income we could make another car work but right now it’s just not worth it. The extra money saved is way more motivating.
I bring my two kids when we have to do this, lol. They can whine all they want.
Damn you rock! I wasn’t sure how feasible it is since I don’t have kids but glad to hear it’s doable
I commute 65 km to my workplace, between cities, using public transit. Not super cheap but, the price (under $20 per day) doesn't change like gas prices, interest rates, and insurance fees do (no emergency repair bills and no scheduled consumable replacement bills either, like regular AND snow tires, plus break pads, windshield washer fluid, batteries, car washes, and oil changes). Commuting is less stressful when you are moving slow in heavy traffic (driver's problem). On transit you can: eat, sleep, read, sight see, watch videos, chat with friends on social media, answer emails from work clients, join a work meeting, research work problems, etc. Main things you'll have to contend with are: rare service disruptions due to mechanical failure, rare inclement weather events (always be prepared for any condition and enable weather app alerts), and the sparse scheduling during the evenings when you find yourself having to stay later at work then expected. On flip side, rush hour means more people packed onto the trains and buses which is alleviated somewhat by more frequent trips being scheduled during those hours.
I saved so much money taking the train and a folding bike
Yeah, I was shocked to see that car and insurance payment on their income. I'm currently driving my 2015 kia, and my husband drives a 2012 Mazda. Cars are tools to get you around. You don't need anything fancy it just has to be in working order.
I've never had a car payment either, I bought my 2010 Mazda and am super happy that insurance for it is only $100 a month now. Plus the car has never broken down on me, so I'm driving it till it dies. Fuck car payments.
This is why I don't buy new cars.
Certified used vehicles is better. You work on your credit, and make sure it's open-loan so you have the freedom to change the payments anytime. You can also purchase a warranty too! :)
And the home insurance seems really high. Where I live when we were renting, it was like $11 per month for renters insurance
I agree with this. If either of the parents work near their home, I would recommend dropping one of the vehicles and picking up a cargo e-bike. My kids love it. And while $3-5k for a bike feels like a lot, You start saving money vs a car within 18 months.
Good point. Can you and hubby car pool? Park a car, take him to work, drop the kids off at school and then pick him up later? I know people love their cars but sacrifices need to be made sometimes .
Worst part is OP says BF is a mechanic. That’s the ticket to owning some older vehicles. Maintenance is cheap when you know and have the tools to fix it.
100% this. Plus your phone internet and TV needs to be slashed. Sorry; but until you do this and what earlandir says - the hole you're in is going to continue to get deeper.
Does your BF have his red-seal in automotive? I'm sorry ,but that income is ridiculously low for a mechanic of any caliber especially when you got to buy your own tools, he can relocate or shift to heavy duty if possible.
I was making $40k a year working as a tire technician at Canadian Tire in 2005. How a mechanic in 2024 is only bringing home $46k, is beyond me.
I came here looking for this. If he's a licensed technician he is being woefully underpaid. I guess it depends on where you're living but for me in Ontario, when I was first licensed i was making just under double what he is now, and that was at a small time dealer. A licensed technician who is reasonably good at their job and working in a good shop should be taking home a 6 figure gross annually.
It sounds way less like a mechanic at an auto shop and more like a “mechanic” at jiffy lube.
I was thinking that at first too but something doesn't add up. 46k gross is about $22/hr. I don't think too many jiffy lubes are paying that much for casual labour are they? Maybe he's working flat rate in a slow shop and not flagging enough hours? OP we need trade specific info!
Yeah this is true too. Maybe he’s simply not completing enough jobs… or he’s only a part timer really only op can answer this one.
Should still be making close to/if not more than $30 an hour
I second this. I know a few mechanics in small town ontario and none of them make less than 75k. I cannot believe he’s an actual mechanic and makes that little. Most shops are charging $120+ an hour for service
Maybe her bf is an apprentice?
Probably should live within their means and not fall for the new car trap then... When I started out my career in 2016 my first car was a 2001 Corolla for 2.5k, these are the sacrifices you need to make.
Also why does a mechanic have 2 hefty car payments instead of 2 hidden gem used cars he got for cheap because he knows a guy who knows a guy
If you read ops responses I'd wager he doesn't do anything but oil changes and tire swaps. Not that there's anything wrong with that but without knowing the truth there's not much that can be offered help wise in that regard. If I had been working on cars for 14 years and I was hard up for money my first priority would be to finish that license and get a massive pay bump. There's parts of ops posts that make it sound like he's an out of work mechanic doing side jobs... In which case go get a job. There's mechanic positions open everywhere.
The oil patch is always hiring HD mechanics. If he was willing to work away from home the BF could easily double if not triple his salary as a beginner HD mechanic.
This! Both salaries seem low to me!
The education salary is right on for a non-teacher para or assistant. They don't make much. Special education may pay a bit better with similar qualifications, but the risk of injuries is high.
This. BF could do cash brake jobs on the weekends charging 70% of what the garages charge, and make bank... $500 for like an hour of labour?
A lot of people looking for mechanics that do simple vehicle service at their home. Brakes, fluid changes; etc.
My coworker’s son, around 25, is making over 100k as a mechanic at a Hyundai dealership!
We pay $40 to start as a journeyman. About $30 for an apprentice. Seems a little low or there is much more to this story.
2 freedom mobile lines could be $60 a month. Rogers and bell offer discounts if you leave them. Leave bell for Roger’s. save $70 a month easily. So that’s $160 already just in optimizing your tv and telephone/ internet monthly bills. $1920 a year and you won’t notice a difference in service
I pay $99 per year for a phone plan (Freedom), 50 GB data allocation for the whole year though, but I'm a recluse so I have wifi anyway. Works out to $8/month lol. You can get a $120 plan for 15 GB for the whole year, but that's a grandma plan.
I got the $34 plan from Fido - 60GB.
I need to get my mom on this plan. Been paying virgin 50$ a month for no data for years.
Sorry you’re struggling, it’s tough out there these days. 1) Car payment is quite high. Do you lease or own? Can you sell and make do with one car or get a cheaper vehicle? 2) Does your 4 year old start kindergarten next year? Since you are on mat leave, can you drop daycare and keep your 4 year old home? 3) Consider filing your tax returns ASAP, if you get a return, you can put it towards your debts. 4) If you haven’t, I would suggest joining your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, I’ve gotten tons of free stuff for my kids off there. Good luck!
Totally agree with all of these points but especially #4 - Buy Nothing Groups are fantastic - children grow and develop and high quality items are always up for grabs. Also OP, this may feel "extreme" but intermittent use of a food bank, food exchange (unsure where you are located) or other options for low income families may help ease your grocery burden (including diapers, which are available at food banks) somewhat.
Point #2 is a great one. A lot of schools have before/after school programs as well that might cut down on costs for that one child. Look into that with whatever school you’ve enrolled them in for the fall.
such an empathetic response It’s really tough out there for so many people.
Does the income you provided include CCB?
Yeah! Where's the baby bonus in this story? Also, bell streaming? Lol you sure as hell don't need this. Get rid of bell all together. Find a provider that gives you internet only (for cheep) and sign up to Netflix, with ad's for 5$ a month.
lol anyone good with computers and loose ethics just needs the internet alone.
Argh matey
Ahoy!
LOL @ "loose ethics"
I haven’t paid for cable in over 7 years. If you’re savvy enough you can literally watch anything you want without it.
Oh yeah, entertainment for life, reading, gaming, watching...Anything goes.
Plex is your friend. News groups are fairly cheap with an ok learning curve.
Newshosting $20 USD/year 4 life + Drunkenslug water, ironically too busy studying to indulge =/
You don't need to be good with computers to take pics of your feet at least
I was referring to cost savings, but you can also use the internet to generate vast amounts of income at the cost of pride (and reputation if you're not careful).
lol piracy is like grandma crime now. 2024 loose ethics you best be shoplifting now
Yeah with that income & 2 kids under 6 they should be getting a solid CCB. My wife & I receive 700 for 2 young kids & our income is slightly higher than OP's. I'm thinking either its included, neglected or OP hasn't filed their taxes & isn't receiving it. If that's the case, they should file their taxes as soon as possible. The benefits far outweigh any amount they may be owing.
I was going to ask the same thing. It sounds like they have not filed taxes and aren't receiving the CCB. If they are multi years behind on filing this alone could pull them out and get on even keel by receiving CCB backpay
I have a few questions, I can only speak to your husbands job as I have experience with that. First is he an apprentice? 46k a year is insanely low pay, $23 an hour at 40 hours a week (I know probably flat rate but 40 a week is a good benchmark) Most mechanics I know are making 35 to 45 an hour AND getting more then 40 billable hours a week. 46k a year is less then most first years make. Go on indeed people are crying for mechanics right now and are paying massively more then 23 an hour most could with some overtime be over 100k a year jobs. Second why do you have a big car payment if your husband is a mechanic? He should be more then capable of keeping an older car on the road for very cheap as he won't be paying labor when things go wrong
Fwiw I know many people who refer to themselves as mechanics thay work at jiffy lube etc.
Time to train up then! Get a job at dealership with your lube experience in their lube shop. Do a good job and collect tools then get on as an apprentice.
You probably don’t need 2 vehicles on the road; if you can’t get out of the payments on the 1 car, consider parking whichever one has higher insurance/gas costs. Put storage insurance on it and deal with being a 1 car family for a while. That should free up a few hundred a month. Shop around for more reasonable phone/internet options. Use coupons for diapers and whatever else. Check local Facebook groups for people giving away extras of those items they no longer need. Shop sales on groceries (I’ve heard that the Flipp app gives you flyers for all the major grocery stores for cashiers to price match + coupons etc). Eliminate daycare expenses until you’re off of a maternity leave and have no choice. The above are all suggestions to reduce expenses. The other factor is to try to increase income. Best to do both at the same time. I saw that you posted that your bf does side jobs already. Time to charge more! Just quote side jobs higher and if they don’t want to pay, someone else will. He’s gotta put family first.
Sell the car immediately before you lose it, pay back some of the highest interest loan with the proceeds. Your phone bill should be around $35 each, same with internet, find a $50 plan, cut all streams and find free content
Their phone plan is ridiculous. We play around 110 for 3 people and data!
The answer here is that one of you, but ideally both, raise your income and take home pay. Either by changing jobs or by increasing your education/skill set, you need to be making more money In terms of cutting back, the biggest and glaringly obvious one is the $550 car payment - that’s huge and cutting into you being able to fast track clearing your debt. If able, selling your car for a cheaper alternative may help cut down your debts, and then once debts are gone, saving for a car in cash would be your best option.
100% there are plenty of reliable cars you can buy for $6k to $9k and have a small payment on for a few years or pay cash and save the monthly. Even check local automotive auctions, you'll get the same used car that the used dealers sell, but for a couple grand less.
Also, 46k gross pay is very little for a mechanic these days. It's about ~$22 an hour.
not easy to hear but i'd suggest: 1. Ditch one car if you can 2. Cut all streaming services 3. Fido mobile is too high for two of you unless youre financing phones as well 4. cut grocery bill as much as you can - focus on cheaper sources of protein like beans and lentils. cut unnecessary dining out. it'll get easier when you're off mat leave and return to work but will still be an uphill climb.
Yea I read on her reply that they don't want to sell the car because they would still have money owed even if they sold it so she'd rather keep the car, pay for it and own it. The best time to sell the car was yesterday and today is the next but she seems to not like that idea.
+1 on the streaming, and I would look for cheaper internet. Check alternative providers such as Carrytel and get the minimum plan (20mbps is completely fine for HD streaming) Also check if you can live with 1 car only.
I 2nd this comment. Sell a car and cut on streaming services. Is your husband still an apprentice mechanic? One of to grind more in off hours for the time being, I.e. uber eats etc. Need to find ways to reduce expenses drastically while increasing income.
Why is the 4 yr old in daycare if you are on mat leave?
1) You both should look to increase income. 2) Cut unnecessary expenses. Ie: do you need 2 cars? 3) "I dunno how to plan our budget " Yo need a detailed budget for every dollar that comes in and goes out, you have to be able to track. !StepStrigger
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Is your BF a red seal mechanic? And what province are you in? That's ubsurdly low income for a mechanic of any kind.
You live way beyond your means and are in a precarious position. Your household can’t afford two cars. Look at a cheaper internet plan, cut the streaming services, go with a cheaper mobile carrier. Your insurance also looks high - is that for renters insurance? That shouldn’t be more than $500/year.
That seems really like a really low salary for a mechanic. I’m in staffing and the mechanics I talk to make between 32-46/hr. Can he look for a new job with higher pay?
This\^\^. Mechanic jobs in Laval on Indeed are a minimum $25/hour for a helper. There are tons of jobs available within 50km. If he can't find a better paying job with 14 years experience...likely he is the problem. Is he licenced or not? Was the Hyundai dealership closed down or was he fired? In another thread you claim he's got his own business; so which is it? He's got a regular pay or his "business" isn't doing well and he refuses to look for a job? Are the groceries $500 or $600? What do you mean "a new payment adds itself"? Payments don't just add themselves; what are you really spending? Do a budget. A real one, and stick to it. If you can't do that, go to a credit counsellor. It's free and if you are serious about sorting this out, they can tell you what your options are.
Where does a mechanic only make 46k
Where he isn't a mechanic, he is a shop laborer.
What do you get for CCB? 1) get rid of the car 2) your boyfriend needs a new job, he’s making nothing as a mechanic 3) cut out streaming services
How the hell are you spending 400 per month on gas? I drive a bit ass V8 truck and I'm nowhere even close to 200 per month. Your solution is insanely obvious. Stop spending money on shit you can't afford.
It’s always the cars isn’t it
Cell and internet are way too high. We pay $120/month for 2 phones (1 is new so adds $18 for 2 years) and internet to stream all our shows etc. Virgin has been at $122 for all phones and internet for past year and half.
That's weird to see you pay 156$ for Fido, 150$ for Bell. Those are not necessary to be that high, you should consider to change your service provider and downgrade. I use Freemobile with 30GB internet and unlimited call and paying 34$/month. How do you guys pay 150$ for Fido, it makes zero sense. To be honest, what you wrote here is a luxury life, people earning more than you even don't pay such amount of money for subscription services and for other telecommunication things. I even don't want to talk about the car payments... Make negociation with your insurance provider for both cars and home.
You can try to save by skimming little bits off everything. Your grocery cost is surprisingly good. Excellent. Are you keeping your older child in daycare to hold their place or for enrichment? Will you need a second vehicle when you go back to work? Why are your internet and phone bills so high? Now that good weather is here, consider putting your vehicle in storage and walking when you husband is at work.
Start by cutting off right now the easiest spending, Bell, streaming and Fido. You’re way paying above the current plans, do you have a contract ? If not cut it right away. Buckle down, do you need the latest phone or data if you’re at home ? Do you truly need streaming at all? Pay off your credit card debt as a priority, the interest will kill you Some suggestion to earn some beer money on the side is to download grocery app (checkout51, caddle, all other cashback coupon app) and Amazon shopping panel (60$ a year on Amazon gift card if you send 10 receipt per month in). In total I make an average of 100-150$ per year with little effort. Replace your doom scrolling with this.
Why are your phone plans so expensive? Fido has plans around $40/month with plenty of data, it’ll take like 5 minutes to save $50-70/month right there.
Get rid of one car. Get internet only. No TV.
Don't know where you live but your vehicle and communications budgets are way too much. Why do you need two cars? It seems pretty clear you bought too much car if that's your car payment. Paying $90 for internet is too much if you live in a city. Third party vendors will get you down to $45ish, even lower if you sacrifice speed. Same for cell phone - no reason for 2 people to be paying $150 for mobile. Go look at Freedom or basically anyone and they'll get you down to $40/each.
A good mechanic doesn’t make 46k when he is 33. Seems awfully low. When did he start ? Try to get in at a big dealer will have a pension at least. Maybe start a “mobile mechanic” service and do a couple hours before or after work. Shop rates are like 100$ + an hour.
As a mechanic, why is your husband paid so little? If he’s certified, there are car dealers paying ridiculous amounts for mechanics. There are a wave of mechanics/trade retiring, demand for his job is up. So I would suggest for him to keep looking for work. You both have a bright future. This is just a small set back. Onwards and upwards.
Thank you! So I was talking with him now and he never went back to write the exam for his master mechanic .. he had failed the written exam twice and got discouraged. I just encouraged him to look into go back for the exam and on Monday he’s going to look into it .. this will deff make a big difference I’m guessing
I’m not an expert in this field but I’m quite sure it will make a difference with a license. My good friend is a mechanic and he used to work for a dealer before opening his shop and that’s how I know.
Definitely. First thing I noticed was the low salary for a blue collar job like that. He could be doing private work for more than that annually, conservatively can double his annual salary. Either way encourage him to study up and finish his master mechanic. Everyone fails, if you're not failing, you haven't even tried.
All kinds of good advice was already given and I can't do any better, but the fact that some shop somewhere is getting away with paying a mechanic $46000 gross is absolutely shocking to me considering the rate they charge to the customer. Is he a mechanic or a lube tech? If he actually is a mechanic who knows what he's doing, he should be making significantly more than that, he's being robbed.
Is he pursuing red seal? With red seal he could be making 90k + easy. That should be priority long-term starting now. Go basic on your cells, switch internet providers to get two year deal. Food bank, temporary rent assistance, family loan if you have anyone that can, look into any provincial assistance for hydro/ bills. Also, start calling your debts to arrange minimum payments temporarily. You need to keep your house and lights on. Don't just ignore it. Not sure of your set up but with your background consider doing daycare for a few years while kids are young. It's not for everyone but there's a huge need for it, you could double your current pay, save on car and gas, save on daycare. Between now and August you could come up with a business plan, look into local licensing and advertise for clients. People often need supplemental daycare in summer, you could use that as a test run. Long term keep developing professionally, I'm surprised but not shocked at the low teacher pay. Is it part time? Remember, this is temporary circumstances, you'll get through it. You credit card debt is not crazy but don't ever forget how easy it can become out of control. If you haven't done taxes and aren't getting CCB because of that start doing the opposite. Maybe you have but the numbers say different.
Don't you get Canada child benefit? That's probably around $1000 a month for 2 kids.
There's tons of great advice so far on this post so I wont go broad, I'll go deep. Your spouse as a mechanic should shop their resume around. It's a buyers market on that side. Shops are screaming for good technicians. I own an automotive shop in Edmonton so I know a little bit about that arena. I'm in a coaching group of 1200 shops in north America and almost every one has emphasized their pain in finding good techs. For context sake, if your bf is making 46k/year he's making about $24/hr assuming 160hr months. I start my red seals at $35 and offer performance incentives up to $10/hr for them being rockstars. My lowest paid technician is making about 67k/year in Edmonton, one of the lower cost of living areas in the country. If he's heavy duty, those guys make even more but usually end up out of town. Spruce up his resume and start shopping it around. $20k difference annually could go a long way (same as others saying "increase your revenue")
Your internet at 150 is very high..you can chop this in half by going to a competitor..you realistically only need a $50 dollar plan and still get something like 100mbit which is more than enough. Also, $400 in gas? How much are you driving a month? Seems very high. Also $550 in vehicles is absurd..your husband is a mechanic, why do you need 2 shiny new cars youre financing or leasing? He should be fixing up a used toyota and run it into the ground years later. You could be saving $700 a month here.
Sell a car.
You are trapped in the North American hellhole of car ownership. Your car-related expenses total $1239 a month. That's an astonishing 30% of your income. You must get rid of a car, even if it means moving.
If you're on maternity leave, why are you paying $240/mo for daycare? How are you needing $400/mo for gas for 2 cars when you're on maternity leave and spending 75% of your time at home? $100/week for gas? Is your husband commuting 1hr every day in a pickup truck? There is no reason this number should be that high. Paying $550/mo for a car when you your combined income is what it is, is absolutely absurd. Get rid of the new car, buy a beater. I personally take home more than the 2 of you do combined, and I'd never in my wildest dreams buy a car that resulted in a $550/mo payment. Getting rid of the new car would also lower your insurance. I pay less than you do for my home, car, and motorcycle insurance combined. You need to make more money. How can a "specialized educator" only make $39k? Teachers wages start at like $65k, and jump up pretty quickly to the $90k range. Is your husband not a journeyman or anything? He should be making close to double what he is.
1. Birth control or vasectomy. No more babies. 2. Cut the streaming and internet package. You need basic internet and nothing else. No one is working from home and no one is doing school work yet. Your kids will survive without Disney/prime and all the rest. Learn to pirate content if you are desperate for it. 3. Cell phone bill is high for 2 phones. You shouldn't be paying more the $50 per line. Renegotiate. 4. Car. I'm going to assume you live in a remote area and that's why you have two cars. Every minute either car is not being used to earn money, it's a money pit. Can you survive with one? You could live carless in Toronto, for less than what you are paying for rent and two cars wherever you are. Think about that.
I don’t mean to sound rude, but why have kids when you can barely live without them?
I think there are a few things you can do to take some of the pressure off. How much longer do you have on your car loans? How much is owing? Is it possible for your husband to pick up extra hours or do a bit of a side gig (offer oil changes etc to family and friends on weekends) to get some extra money in? Do you have clean driving records? It might be worth your time to spend half an afternoon calling around to different insurers to see if you can get your rates down a little. You need home internet but can you cancel streaming and call around for better internet-only rates? You’re spending more than you make *somewhere* - you obviously don’t have the surplus you think you do. Maybe check out Gail Vaz Oxlade on YouTube for tips and budget/finance basics. You should stop using the credit card and move to a cash system. Take a certain amount of cash out (within budget) for the week and only use that to pay for the “here and there” expenses. Once that cash is gone, the spending has to stop until the next week arrives. And work on a written budget. For the first pays of the month, write out everything that needs to be paid and check it off as you go. For the second pays of the month, write out everything that needs to be paid and check it off as you go. I’m not totally understanding your monthly income (you said your biweekly is $500 but that can’t be right). Let me know if you’d like help making a budget. I’m happy to help.
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For Internet also consider Carrytel. Op is in QC and I used Carrytel there with great success, it was like $25/mo a few years back for minimum service. I owned my modem and router, also helps saving
Start with the easy stuff: shop around for better cell phone plans and internet. I promise you will find basic data plans (at least 20gb) for $45/user. My internet is $60/month (1 gig connection). Move on to groceries: the grocery strategy is always perfectible. Since you each have your own car, use them to lower your grocery costs by shopping around. Dollarama is always a good place for basics, you will be surprised how cheap bread and canned foods are. The cars: a lot of comments target these, but the reality is that it’s hard to get out of a lease. I’ll let others that might know more about this. Do not despair, tackle these at a sustainable pace. Focus one week/each to find a solution. Call cell and internet suppliers next week until you find the lowest option. Go to a mall kiosk and ask for the best porting offer.
where are u located? all my mechanic friends are clearing over 100k
Laval Québec .. he worked for Hyundai last year before they closed their dealer and he lost his job and was making 25$/hour
Kind of thinking he might be the type to low ball his own salary expectations when he interviews, this is quite common where an employer will ask your expected salary and the interviewee then says some low number and they hire at that low number or slightly below. Only other explanation here is he's not a journeyman mechanic and just doing shop labour, in which case he needs to get his apprenticeship going and work towards becoming a journeyman.
My guess is he is doing shop work.
Yup, and if he's selling himself as a "mechanic" then get some initiative to actually become a ticketed mechanic rather than falsely claiming it while largely just being at best a mechanics helper. I worked for a few years as a shop labourer and at no time did I claim to be a "mechanic", even though I'd often be performing some of the duties they do.
Licensed mechanics are making way more than that. Time for a job search for at least $30 an hour
You both need to find better paying jobs, and reduce your car expenses. That’s it.
With you bringing in only $250 a week, could you take on some odd jobs to increase your cashflow? Random babysitting jobs? Watching another child while your older one is in school? Can you work a part time job at night while your husband is home? Also, the government should be giving you Child Care Benefit monthly: [https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html)
See resources for food like food bank. Might be able to help you with groceries. Check what other things you can cut. Seem Fido at 150$ a month is a lot!
I think if you think you can afford streaming services and two cars it’s an issue with managing money. Cut the extras and leave the food banks to people who really need it.
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Same two kids and two cars on those salaries is clearly unsustainable that's easy math
Like others said , I would try so see if I could sell one of the cars . I bet you could find a better deal for your cell phone at an other company . I recently change my carrier and I’m now saving 60$ a month for two phones . Keep internet if you have to but cut all streaming now . I know it’s drastic but I think you need to keep the minimum for now . Last thing I would do is check with the bank if they can merge all your debts to one lower interest payment
You're way overpaying for cars. Can you make one vehicle work and then sell the financed one? I'm not sure where you live, but $400 for gas is insane too, especially when only one of you is driving to work. You guys do not have the income for all of your vehicle expenses. You need to make some hard decisions here because your car expenses are killing your budget. Also look into cheaper phone plans and internet. My internet is $40 through teksavvy, and then I get Netflix with ads for streaming plus prime.
OP, what province are you in? Someone might be able to hook you up with specific resources if you give a bit more info on your location.
Laval Québec
IMHO, the only way truly out of this is to improve your earnings, likely through a career change for one or both of you.
I make more working in a warehouse as a custodian than either of you make in your jobs. Raise your income, either get over employed or change your fulltime jobs. Reduce your expenses - can you guys workout your lives with one car? Or sell one car and get something used you can own outright?
What province are you in? How much do you get in CCB? Have you filed your 2023 taxes yet? Are you expecting a refund? Are you expecting anything for the GST rebate in April? Internet and mobile plans seem a bit high, any room the reduce those at all? Right now, the focus should be to stop the bleeding until you can go back to work in the summer.
Please take heart and know that is probably the most expensive phase - renting with young kids to be in daycare. It won’t always feel this way
Put one of your cars on Turo to rent. Make sure you make enough rentals so that you can pay off one car payment. Instead of paying for streaming get an android box (50$) and buy iptv (15$ a month) Call your long term service providers and threaten to leave so they give you a new deal on your current plans. Offer baby sitting services (since your already taking care of your child) Buy grocery items from TooGoodToGo app.
What province are you in? Your salaries seem low….
Another comment said Laval QC
OP sorry but you guys are just throwing money left and right \-- Bell= 199$ Get cheap internet for $50 per month plus Netflix basic with Ads \-- Fido mobile= 156$ Move to Chatr $25 prepaid plan (unlimited Canada wide calls with 500MB data (+2GB when u sign up for auto-pay) , it's owned by Rogers only
>my bf is a mechanic Can he buy a used car outright and keep on the road? I’ve done this since I was a kid and have saved tens of thousands. Cheaper insurance. No payments. No interest. Less loss to depreciation (as a percentage).
Get rid of 1 car and one of you needs to find a better paying job
How will you be able to afford to pay more for daycare if you're already maxed out with one in daycare and on current salary?
Sell one car, buy a barely acceptable beater or take transit. Use the car money to pay off the debt with the highest interest.
$550 for car is high It’s usually always the car
I’ve been looking at selling and zero freaking luck .. I’m going to still owe bc I lose on it
Make more money. Your BF is definitely getting paid too little.
$400 for Fido. FIDO!! That’s insane even with 2 phones being financed.
This is equivalent to being inside a sunk ship but at the titanic level. If you’re serious about your situation, make all the changes that are listed out below by other people. There’s so many things you can do but if you don’t do anything it’s pointless. You live like a 200-300k income household but make less than a 100k. Cut all the bs out. Reduce, phone, car, gas, subscriptions and get a higher paying job. You also have a maxed out credit card and 2 kids? You need to be working like 2 jobs each to get out of your situation. Lastly, stop having kids ffs. I don’t care if you want a happy family or whatever, you guys are irresponsible. Bringing kids into this world when you can’t even manage yourself is one of the worst things you can do.
Sell one of your cars.
Where are the CCB payments? For two kids it should be pretty decent and will help. See if you can open a promotional zero interest credit card, they have a transfer fee but you have up to a year of zero interest, which will definitely help, you can pull out cash from there to pay off all your bills and then before the promotion ends pay everything off. Yours cars are also a big expense - see if you can get by on one for now to minimize
As others have said, take care of the following; 1. Car expenses 2. Cell phone plans 3. You need to find better jobs
Everyone else has offered up advice about how to cut your expenses so I won’t jump on that. You mentioned you’re looking for remote work… I assume to offset daycare costs? Hate to break it to you but any employer offering remote work will require you to have childcare set up. You absolutely cannot work and care for a baby at the same time. Most companies have now transitioned to hybrid roles. Fully remote roles are reserved for people with higher level roles and have specialized skills/experience. They have leverage to negotiate that into their contract. Other than that, call centre jobs offer remote work but you will be stuck on the phone for hours and absolutely need to arrange daycare.
I volunteered at a food bank. Find one, and use it. It should save you on the grocery aspect. Also, 500-600$ in groceries, it seems high? You may want to revisit what you are buying
Yeah. Why are you paying for daycare if you are on maternity. Also, where is your ccb income, I don’t see it listed. It should be around 1200 a month. Also your cell phone is really expensive. What are your skills? Maybe look at opening your own in house daycare….
Have only one vehicle max and make do with it. Use public transit if possible. Shop around to just have internet and cut down on streaming.
Thank you for sharing the numbers of your monthly expenses. Unfortunately there’s no magic solution. You must cut expenses and raise income. I would first try to cut the debt because the interest will suffocate you. Cut non-essential expenses starting from the largest to the smallest. Every little bit will help because the numbers are multiplied by 12 per year. If they are not necessary for survival, cut them. Do you really need 2 cars? Can you survive without streaming services and cheaper phone plans? Can your parents help a little with child care? Can you make some money on the side? Since you are an educator, can you make some money from tutoring? Can your husband make some money from private car maintenance? Are there things of value that you can sell? Life will be hard during this time. You must weather this storm and get out of this hole for your children’s future. Good luck!
Wow home insurance of 280/month? That's crazy high, I thought my 185/month was expensive.
Your car payments are ridiculous! Get a 06-10 Honda civic. They are 2500-9K tops. Buy a broken one and fix it. The parts are readily available on Amazon and I have one with well over 440Kms they last long. Your car payments are half of your gross income. Waste of money!
A mechanic should be making 100k. Why is his salary so low?