That's it. | Imamother

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 10:00 am

amother wrote:

No a bike for one person with a baby seat in the back. If you have one bike each with one baby seat in the back that works.
I don't have a car , can't afford one. We all have bikes. We do grocery shopping with the bike. There are special bikes aswell where 2 kids can sit in the front or you can get special carriages that can be attached to the bike.
20 dollars a day for taxis is A LOT.
Of course you don't have any money. If I took taxis instead of my bike I'd be begging for food in the streets. Plus biking is healthy and it's exercise.

To be honest, the idea of carring my baby in a bike scares me.

amother

Slateblue

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 10:24 am

amother wrote:

I have used them. I buy gift cards all the time. I guess I just feel trapped. Whenever I forget to buy something from the store we can't just get in the car and go. There are no parks to my chidren to play in my area. Why can't I just get in the car and take them? I hate getting or NOT getting invited to simchas because they know it's hard for me to get there or they need to drive me. I hate when taxi drivers say they'll be here in 15 minutes and ends up being 45 minutes. One day a lady said "she was on her way" one hour later I called her and said "it'll take me another 30 minutes" that was one hour and a half!! Mad

I needed to pump, I was in pain and we had been there waiting under the sun for one hour!! Never called her again btw.
Why is this so hard Sad

It is hard. We live OOT and have been without a car for various lengths of time. We didn't have grocery delivery for most of this time, and also unreliable taxis. We now have a car B"H but DH needs it most of the time for work (not walking or biking distance and no public transportation there) and we are too many to fit into this one car anyhow.

It's not easy, but you can make this work.

If you make a commitment to only use taxis 3 days a week, you will save over $60 per week = $240 per month, and in 3 months you will have enough for your down payment. Only use taxis 2/x per week, and it will be faster.

A bike trailer is not as scary as having baby on the back of the bike in a seat, if that works for you.

amother

Papaya

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:18 am

amother wrote:

Thank you for taking the time to do the math, seriously, thank you.
But see, I've done it too. The problem is that yes, I do have that money but never I have it all at once. For example, in order to buy my friend's used car I need to give her $700 for downpayment. That means I need my husband's entire salary of the week. What about insurance, registration and gas? Doing that would leave in zeros at the end of the week and again, no car to drive around bc how am I going to drive a car with no plates??
I wish I could get a car with no downpayment.
I don't even know if that would be possible with a great credit (wich we don't have). So yes, I have the money. But I don't.

Again, lots of hugs!
U posted above that your DH job would be a hr and a half walk. There was a time when I walked a hour each way and back. (In the summer.) Looking back I know I did the right thing, because I couldn't afford spending on the $6 taxi back and forth. I know it's hard, and I won't say that because I did it someone else should. I just want to say Ive been in a similar position.

I asked, and you didn't answer - how much CAN you afford? How much can you budget?

How much is the car your friend is selling for a $700 down payment?

(As an aside You said u can't afford $700 downpayment to your friend.. your spending ay the very minimum $480.. probably more.. a month. Can DH walk one way every day? Every other day both way? The dollars add up, and it's not till forever.. it's only till u get a car, and by walking temporarily your helping yourself get closer to getting one.)

I hope your financial situation I proved very soon IYH!

thunderstorm

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:26 am

amother wrote:

My mistake. I guess we could get one. It takes one hour and a half walking to his job (he did it for a month) during summer.

My DS has a one and a half hour walk to his Yeshiva from my house. When he goes on a bike it takes him 25 min.
For your DH at least it's worth it to get a bike.
That will at least save you $20 per day.
The. You can save up that money he would otherwise use on a taxi and you can buy that car from your friend.
In the evenings your DH can use the car and you will have a car to get out and about throughout the day.
I still think it would be wise for you to get yourself a job as well.

amother

Navy

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:35 am

amother wrote:

To be honest, the idea of carring my 6 month of baby in a bike scares me. And it scares riding a bike on streets with no sidewalks. There's a lot of traffick where I live. I've tried to walk but it takes 2 hours to get to the center of town.

There are special bikes where the kids are in front and the baby can be in a carseat and strapped in.
Look, if there's a will there's a way. It doesn't sound to me like you're trying to find a better option. It sounds like you are upset but you're not ready to give up the comfort of a taxi.
I understand the aspect of safety and if you feel that's too dangerous then try something else. But there is really no need to spend 20$ on taxis. If you get the groceries delivered and you don't work.. where do you have to go daily ?

Also there are jobs you can do from home. Lots of moms work from home and there are far more options than just babysitting.

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:46 am

amother wrote:

Thanks.

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:51 am

amother wrote:

Can you give me a few examples of things I could do from home? I'd really appreciate the advice.

I don't go daily, I'm talking about appointments, paying bills etc.

amother

Pink

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 11:55 am

You can pay cash for a Visa or American Express gift card if you need to pay for a service that only accepts credit cards....
You can hire somebody with a pick up truck and some teenagers to carry out and move your stuff....
The apartments may be ugly, but think of it as a short term necessity to get you into a better lifestyle...you sound like you would be much happier anyway to be closer to the center of town. Your current home sounds very isolated.
Research options into an at home study course for something like medical billing or book keeping. These can eventually lead to a job you can do part time/at home.
(I do agree that using a bike to transport your kids around is unrealistic at best.)

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 12:05 pm

amother wrote:

I looked for that type of job but everything I've found seem like a scam, they want you to take surveys and stuff like that, not a real actual job. I'm probably making the wrong search.

amother

Denim

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 12:07 pm

Would you think about moving? It seems that you are not close to family, public transportation or work now, and your husband's job doesn't sound great. Are you sure you can't do better elsewhere? Yes, a move costs money, but that's a one-time expense and might bring bigger savings.

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Jul 15 2018, 12:13 pm

amother wrote:

We have a lease for another year.