Need Financial Help BAD!

D.,
I read the advice you've already gotten. You should definitely talk to the bank ~ most of the time they will try and work with you or at least recredit you some of the overdraft fees.
Also, Eileen had some GREAT advice. Dave Ramsey is on the radio on 570AM from 1-4pm and is a fabulous financial councelor. My husband and I have been working his program for almost 2 years and we are completely debt free and are currently building up an emergency fund. His plan is awesome and his advice on the radio is the best!
Finally, if you are needing food for the month... I have heard about this program (one of my friends needed to use it for a while) that helps people who need to substantially lower their grocery bill for a bit. You can go to www.angelfoodministries.com and then find out where your local host site is located. I believe that it offers a weeks worth of food for $25 and you can buy one or more boxes. Again, I'm not exactly sure how it works but my girlfriend and her family used it for about 6 months last year and it really helped them get through a tough financial stretch.
Good luck!
D.

1 mom found this helpful

Dear D.,

Do you live within the Keller school district? If so, the Community Storehouse is good at helping people financially through crisis times. They helped us last year.

Hope this helps.

A. S.

D.,

PLEASE listen to Dave Ramsey. Go to www.daveramsey.com you can listen on line while you are cleaning or feeding the baby. He is a wealth of financial knowledge. He is also currently on KLIF radio from 1:00 to 4:00 daily. That's AM 570.

Someone suggessted you get a payday loan or borrow from your 401K. That is BAD advice. The payday loans will only set you back farther than you are right now. Please don't do that.

Someone else suggessted a part time job. Now that is a GREAT solution. That would help get you out of the crunch. Most pizza delivery workers make about 1000 per month. That's working part time in the evenings. You could throw newspapers or work at a department store. There are many options out there.

I wish you the best. I know this is stressful for you, but you will make it through this. Dave Ramsey's advice is to buy the necessisties first. Food, shelter and clothing. Buy groceries first, then pay your mortgage, then any clothing that you NEED. After that, start paying others like utilites, car payments, creditors, etc. Eat beans and rice until you get out of the crunch. Seriously, you can do it. It will be hard, but you will be just fine.

I dont know if this has been suggested before, but sell, sell sell. Look around and see what you dont really use, need, ect. Have a yard sale or Craigslist items.

I have made a couple hundred bucks off kids clothes, household items and what not during a hard month.

GL!!

We have been in the same boat before with negative $400 in the bank and I believe our baby was 4 months old.

We did the pay day loan thing and I have to say I DO NOT recommend this. I beleive someone else advised against this and she's right. It really will set you back even more. My husband ended up borrowing from his 401K to pay off THAT loan.

The best advice I can give is to stay calm and stay positive. I know that is hard to do, TRUST ME! I've been there and can't say I'm too far from it now. Just keep your head up and looking forward and juggle juggle juggle.

If you would like to chat more I'm open!

J.

I also did the www.angelfoodministries.com a while back and it really helped out a lot. The food is pretty good too.

I agree, talk to your bank, some (like mine) refuse to forgive on fees, but others will up to a certain amount. Go talk to them in person and really lay out your exact needs, perhaps they can even get you a short term loan so that you can at least get out of the negative with your creditors.

Sometimes, calling the creditors and pleading your case may help... it just depends!

While in college, I used http://www.expressconsolidation.org
and it really helped me get out of debt. They negotiate with all your companies, drop fees and interest rates... Then you pay them and they disburse the monies to your creditors at an agreed amount. It takes a while to pay off (but at least your making payments), but once you get back on your feet, you can pay it in full and get everything cleared. Of course, they charge a monthly fee for their services, and they have had some bad wrap in the past. I have heard that it can make your credit rating go down as well, but it is better than bankruptcy.

D.,
I can empathize on what you are going throught right now. I have been in a similar situation before. Im not sure about any financial service but there are some short term options available to you. Of course, there is the pay day loan option for you guys. Also, if you are needing food, i do know of some churches that may help. I live in Haltom City and know of Riverwalk and there is St. John's the Apostle which is located in Richand Hills, I believe. St johns helped me and my daughter with both food and clothes for 2 months. Depending on your situation, you can apply for a one time TANF for your family. That is something you can call to get an application mailed to you or you can visit your local department of human services for--check your local phone book. Im trying to think of other options for you. I will definitely pray for you and your family though! You guys will get back on top of things! If you guys have invested anything in 401K or savings, sometimes you can get loans or withdrawals from that. Hmm..that is all i can think of right now. I do know that my bank allows loans for any overdrafts so check with your financial institution as well. Good luck and God bless!

Well, I would start by calling the companies whose bills you can't pay and see if you can work out a deferred payment or payment arrangements. Just be honest with them...usually they are willing to work with you when you call them for a solution! Also, I would think if the company de-activated him, the company is responsible for paying him. And, they MUST pay him for the time he worked, you don't say if they evr paid him for the check he didn't get. IMO, they should also pay you for overdraft fees since he didn't get a check, but I don't know if you will be able to get that. Call the labor board and see if there is anyting they can do...I think they will help you for free. And, I don't know this for sure, but if they haven't paid him for the time he worked, I think he can also collect a certain amount of extra money for each day that they haven't paid him.

Other than that, good luck!!! I hope it all works out for you! Sorry I don't have any ideas for how to get some quick cash...but definitely try calling the companies to whom you owe money and see if you can work something out!

Hi D.,

you may want to try the Consumer Credit Counserlors. They can help you with financial matters and budgeting and I believe their services are free or nominal. You can google them to find the location nearest you.
Hope this helps. Good Luck to you!

A.