So what bills do you feel like you just HAVE to pay?

[socialist_n_TN]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately considering my personal situation. I figure house, utilities, car, and food. And that's it. The car only because I live in one of those southern cities that doesn't have much in the way of public transportation.

I've got a couple of credit cards, but I could give them up if I had to. I don't use them very much anyway. How about you?

The less we pay these fuckers, the less money they make.

[demosincebirth]

1. The first three would be essential in that order.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Plus: house and car insurance, required, house taxes, car and house repairs.

We pay only monthly living costs, no debt, but inflation ( food, gas) is really creeping up on a fixed income.
Car and house insurance goes up every year, guaranteed.

[Snoutport]

3. yeah...but...your mortgage goes to the banks, your car and utilities

puts tons of money in big oil's pocket...not to mention coal and other energy companies...sigh. Even your power might have some atomic power in it it. They've really stacked things in their favor!

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Are you advising that these bills are not essentials?

The problem is, the OP would be out of a place to live, would have the utilities cut off, and would lose the car which is his only means of transportation. It is not that easy. Or is it? We could all go back to living in caves.

[seabeyond]

4. i could give up internet, tv, cell, a lot of the insurances we have, pest guy,

credit card. i could easily get out of stocks and just put in cd

i could give up size of house, which would greatly reduce the water and gas/winter, electric/summer.

that is about it i believe. unfortunately, hubby likes all that stuff and wants more.

[notadmblnd]

6. house, gas electric and water. Car is paid for

I'll give up cable and phone if I have to. And I could drop insurance down to just PLPD. total savings would be about 450.00 a month

[msongs]

7. "the rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor..." - Leonard Cohen

[Common Sense Party]

8. I figure I have to pay any debt I incur.

If I borrow money, I am obligated to pay it back.

If I purchase something, I am obligated to pay it in full.

Maybe I misunderstood your question. But if I have bills, I make sure they get paid, one way or another.

[enki23]

12. sure. for instance, if you are unable to find sufficient employment to meet your obligations

then you're a worthless piece of shit for failing to plan for this possibility. if you aren't insured in every possible way against every possible eventuality sufficient to meet all your current obligations, then, just like all corporations and other entities who find themselves behind on their cash flow, you are obligated to sell off assets until you can. if that isn't enough, you are obligated to commit suicide for your abject failure. that's just how it works, if you're oh so fucking responsible. just like everyone has to. especially the wealthy, who never ever ever would rig the system so they don't have to play by the same rules you do, financially, socially, or otherwise. never. ever.

this country is full of fucking jackasses. oh yes it is.

[Sherman A1]

27. Agreed

:party:

[pipi_k]

32. I was thinking the same thing and wondering

exactly what the OP meant because I see this question two ways...


1. What bills are essential to incur/pay within one's means. For example, what can someone do without in order to make ends meet.

or

2. What bills are essential to pay while still enjoying the goods/services, for as long as one is able, of the ones that aren't being paid...


If one is getting goods and/or services that can't be paid for, it's really not sporting to keep on doing it while knowing the bills aren't going to be paid, just to "fuck the big guys".

I think the least someone should do is try to work out some sort of payment plan to show good faith until circumstances improve. Not screw over companies no matter how good it feels.

[Ghost in the Machine]

9. The only bills I have are my electric bill, cell phone and internet

I don't think I could do without any of them lol..

[SoCalDem]

13. You get free housing, water, gas?

Lucky you !! :)

[Ghost in the Machine]

16. No, my home is paid for, I have my own well, and will not have gas in my home..

I did forget to add in the $66/mo insurance on my vehicle, which is paid for too..

Yes, in an incredible stroke of "luck", I was severely injured in a work related accident and broke my neck and back, resulting in me never being able to work again. Fortunately my employer had workers comp, and they took care of me. I paid off all my bills, then opened a restaurant with the rest of it.. and promptly lost my ass lol. Now I live month to month on my disability check, but at least I don't have many bills.

[SoCalDem]

18. Yikes..bad luck indeed, but thank goodness you were covered by workers comp

:hug:

having that house paid off is the BEST way to solvency.. that an now credit card debt.. Absent those two, people can live comfortably on less than they think..
sounds like you know how to manage:)

[Ghost in the Machine]

24. I just try to make the best of it, since I can't change it..

I'm always looking for the bright side of things, so I can say that I am very fortunate that I can still walk, even though I walk like I'm drunk half the time. Before I got hurt, even with being a single father I used to work 6 & 7 days a week, daylight to dark. I missed a lot of time with my kids, so this injury gave me that time to reclaim and to spend lots of quality time with them.

As for spending, I live well within, if not below, my means. I wouldn't have a credit card if it was given to me, either.

Thanks for the :hug: , and here's one right back at ya :-) :hug:

Peace,

Ghost

[SoCalDem]

25. We are ramping up paying off our house..hubby retires in two years

We have only my piddly $366.05 pension per month, our SS and what we have saved & hope to never need.

Without that monthly mortgage payment, we can manage nicely on what will come in..

we live frugally, pay cash for cars (we currently have the last 2 cars we will ever buy...we keep them forever, and these are new-ish)... we have no debt, and are not "shoppers".. and I cook from scratch..at home

Our life will be what some consider boring.. we prefer to call it "calm & peaceful":rofl:

[Ghost in the Machine]

26. I certainly agree with the "calm & peaceful" lifestyle

I think if I was any more laid back, moss would start growing on me. I don't allow drama, arguing or fighting in my house. This is my "happy place". I guess I could be considered pretty boring, too. I mostly keep to myself, which cuts way down on the drama scale. I have 15 acres, mostly wooded, and when I need to get out of the house, I go for a ride into the woods with the four wheeler and go sit and watch the deer, turkeys and squirrels play.

Good luck getting your house paid off. It certainly takes a load off your mind..

[ThatsMyBarack]

10. ALL of them

Keeps the bill-collecting police away.

[Bonhomme Richard]

19. +1 n/t

[w8liftinglady]

11. when I got sick- these were the musts

rent/elect/insurance/car/gas/gro.
I cut everything else out.
Everything.
Found i could live without a lot of crap.
needless to say,I blew my credit when I got sick. A blessing in disguise.

[jwirr]

14. Rent, food, utilities, DU donations and medical co-pays.

[csziggy]

15. utilities, food, telecommunication for internet, gas for transportation

No house payment, no car payment. Gas for the trucks would pretty much have to be paid. I'd really miss my satellite TV but if it had to go, oh well.

Actually, there are some big bills which I would have to keep paying - feed & hay, vet and farrier for the horses. If things got really tough, I'd rather kill them than let them starve. But if it got that bad, good broodmares would be worth more than they are now, so they would not be likely to starve.

[The Straight Story]

17. Booze, hookers, smokes

Tried paying all the other things before, got me nowhere.

[SheilaT]

20. All of them. I've incurred them all.

Unless what you really mean to ask is what expenses or things do we feel are essential. That's a totally different question.

I don't have TV, but I do have the internet. My car is paid for. My mortgage is quite manageable, and since I live alone my food and utility costs are quite reasonable. I don't eat out a whole lot, and I prefer to pay cash for most things.

Actually, the best thing about not having TV is that I see very few commercials, because what I watch on the internet, which is plenty, is shown either entirely without commercials or with very limited ones. So I'm not exposed to the constant commands to buy buy buy. I went to a movie today, and was actually quite amazed at the commercials that were shown before the previews came on. When I do travel and stay in a motel, I find it impossible to watch TV because the commercials are so annoying.

[roguevalley]

21. same as the op. also, two little charities that I do: Madd for my

mother and ASPCA for my parents and myself. I try and do something good for the universe too.

[rainbow4321]

22. Rent, utilities, car insurance, food, gas

Are all the bills I have..car is paid off. Utilities being lights/water/cable/internet service.

Don't have credit cards. Everything we had to or wanted to buy when we moved into our apartment (furniture, wall decorations, new TV, etc..) I paid cash for.

I downsized in April 2010, sold the house that was becoming a money pit (not to mention the damn Home Owner Assoc. bull$hit) and moved into an apartment. My daughter and I only used like 25%-30% of the house space, anyway, so it's not like we are feeling very cramped in our 1170 sq ft apartment. No more throwing money at repair people or having an ever growing to-do list.

Best thing I ever did was down$ize!

[Armstead]

23. My monthly Rhapsody Music Service Bill.....

Shallow I know, but hey...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. Property Taxes and Insurance

I own everything else outright. I use credit cards for convenience and pay them off monthly. I can do this because I am old and have no dependents. Many can not and I understand that.

[sarcasmo]

29. House and utilities, car insurance. I could give up the car payment and drive a junker,.

[BobbyBoring]

30. I'll tell you what I don't pay

Credit Cards. I stopped after TARP. I WILL NOT support criminal organizations and B of A, CitiBank, and Chase are all criminal organizations.

I had never been late on a payment or anywhere near a credit limit when B of A lowered for no reason, my credit limits to just over my balances. The rest followed suit when they saw that I was near my limit even though those limits had been lowered by up to 10K in some cases so fuck em.

I told them all that if they would restore everything to where it was, I would continue to play their game and they declined so again, fuck em.

Now, I'm just one of 10s of millions with bad credit.

[Common Sense Party]

31. I guess you showed them. n/t

[pipi_k]

34. So let me get this straight...

If "X" is a criminal, then it's OK for "Y" to basically steal from them?

Oooookay

:+

[hobbit709]

33. Now that the house is paid off.

That took a major chunk off mine. I have 3 credit cars-two with a balance under $500 and one paid off. Utilities and food are my major expenses now. I spend $30-40 a month on gas since I've minimized my driving.
I need to set aside $250/mo for taxes and insurance.

[butterfly77]

35. ..