Is frugality advice realistic?

[pensmama87]

Government backed educational loans, don’t worry, they’ll help you find a job if that’s what’s keeping you from paying it back. And they’ll stretch it out even longer if hardship and if you teach in low income areas, portions of it are forgiven year to year.

I’m aware of the forgiveness program. I applied to teach anywhere and everywhere I could, including our local juvenile detention center, and still couldn’t get a thing besides subbing (which paid minimum wage, by the way, except for a long-term sub gig I had where I had to drive two hours every day.)

I had one full-time job for five months (not in teaching, but in an education-related field) before corporate decided to shut down about half of their offices and do more distance stuff. By that time I had a small child. In the next eight months before I found part-time work, I had exactly one job that would have required me to be away for two weeks out of every month. So no, I didn’t take it. I decided spending time with my family was more important.

As it is, my husband actually makes a very decent salary - it’s just that debt eats up a big chunk of it. I started my own business last year as an in-home childcare provider. I’m due with my third in a few months, and next year plan on starting that up again. My husband is looking for a higher-paying job. But in the meantime, I’m doing what I can. And I wouldn’t trade my children for material comfort. My hope is that the scrambling period of our lives will be short. And then when we’re done with that, I’ll have the skills that will help us fund education and retirement without dependence on the government, and share generously with others. And my kids will learn those skills too so they too, can survive and not flounder in bad circumstances.

 

[Allegra]

Why would he say not have a condo on the ocean? He knows you need to have a home. If that’s the case, tell the pope to move out of the vatican into Section 8 housing in the states. You know, that thing “vow of poverty and chastity.” God gave me gifts of freewill; I use them to be successful. I honor God by using his gifts.

Isn’t a condo on the ocean a “thing”? If you’re going to drop everything and follow Him, then it stands to reason that you have to drop that too. The apostles didn’t have a home. They travelled from place to place and stayed with friends and strangers.

 

[Allegra]

Government backed educational loans, don’t worry, they’ll help you find a job if that’s what’s keeping you from paying it back. And they’ll stretch it out even longer if hardship and if you teach in low income areas, portions of it are forgiven year to year.

You have to teach for five years in a section 1 school in order to receive loan forgiveness. (I’m a teacher.)

 

[atjar]

No one in an anonymous internet thread is going to have enough information to even begin to make a statement as to the condition of your soul. No one knows where you’ve accomplished or failed in your life. I will say that I highly doubt that having a degree or a fancy house are considered much in the way of accomplishments by God. If you are really interested in an honest answer to your question, you should look at the last sentence in your post and consider how that meshes with what God commanded of us. I don’t remember Christ saying, “Feed my sheep, once you’ve taken care of yourself first.” He and His apostles put others first, despite the fact that they had nothing but the sandals on their feet and the cloaks on their back.

But that’s neither here or there. Being wealthy isn’t a sin, in and of itself, but neither is it a virtue of any kind. It certainly isn’t worth the sacrifice.

You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself. That’s why missionaries feed the hungry first before they feed their souls with the Good Word. God expects us to take care of ourselves; if we don’t we are worthless to our children and to society and we mock the tools he gave us. He doesn’t expect us to be martyrs if there’s a better way using freewill to make wise life choices.

 

[atjar]

You have to teach for five years in a section 1 school in order to receive loan forgiveness. (I’m a teacher.)

Exactly; in the interim you make minimal payments and payments are deferred the first year after you graduate from college.

 

[atjar]

Isn’t a condo on the ocean a “thing”? If you’re going to drop everything and follow Him, then it stands to reason that you have to drop that too. The apostles didn’t have a home. They travelled from place to place and stayed with friends and strangers.

No, you can keep it, and rely on the charity of others in your journeys before you return home to rest. Fits the model just fine; that’s why the pope returns to the Vatican eventually.

 

[Allegra]

You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself. That’s why missionaries feed the hungry first before they feed their souls with the Good Word. God expects us to take care of ourselves; if we don’t we are worthless to our children and to society and we mock the tools he gave us. He doesn’t expect us to be martyrs if there’s a better way using freewill to make wise life choices.

That’s actually not true. I know lots of people who take care of others before themselves. It really isn’t all that rare at all. Besides that, it’s not as if you are advocating for “taking care of yourself” as in making sure you have a home, medical care, food, and clothing. Your advocating for amassing enough wealth that you never feel the need to bother cutting a coupon in order to save money for something else. Those are pretty different standards of “taking care”.

 

[pensmama87]

Exactly; in the interim you make minimal payments and payments are deferred the first year after you graduate from college.

But you still have to get a job.

I graduated at the top of my class with recommendations from two professors who said I was one of the best students they’d ever taught in that program, from a highly regarded teacher prep program. I had a year’s teaching internship experience plus various other education-related jobs going back to high school.

I got a lot of interviews, a lot of second interviews. I applied everywhere within reasonable driving distance (which got longer as no offers came).

But I only ever ended up on a sub list.

 

[Allegra]

Exactly; in the interim you make minimal payments and payments are deferred the first year after you graduate from college.

You have some misconceptions about student loans. You can’t defer your loan payments unless you are unemployed or making such a small amount of money as to qualify for economic hardship. Even so, you will probably get a smaller payment, but not necessarily a full deferment. In many cases, $400 IS the minimum payment. In order to qualify for teacher loan forgiveness, you have to have paid five years of the loan off (in other words, half the loan.) and worked for at least five years in a section 1 school. (Not all schools in less affluent areas meet that qualification.)

 

[atjar]

But you still have to get a job.

I graduated at the top of my class with recommendations from two professors who said I was one of the best students they’d ever taught in that program, from a highly regarded teacher prep program. I had a year’s teaching internship experience plus various other education-related jobs going back to high school.

I got a lot of interviews, a lot of second interviews. I applied everywhere within reasonable driving distance (which got longer as no offers came).

But I only ever ended up on a sub list.

The choice should have been loans for a degree in a more marketable field

 

[UbiCaritas]

Ahem. If I may suggest (however belatedly, I admit) a quick perusal of atjar’s previous comments on these forums, they may be…enlightening.

 

[Allegra]

No, you can keep it, and rely on the charity of others in your journeys before you return home to rest. Fits the model just fine; that’s why the pope returns to the Vatican eventually.

That seems disingenuous.

 

[atjar]

You have some misconceptions about student loans. You can’t defer your loan payments unless you are unemployed or making such a small amount of money as to qualify for economic hardship. Even so, you will probably get a smaller payment, but not necessarily a full deferment. In many cases, $400 IS the minimum payment. In order to qualify for teacher loan forgiveness, you have to have paid five years of the loan off (in other words, half the loan.) and worked for at least five years in a section 1 school. (Not all schools in less affluent areas meet that qualification.)

Exactly because if u r unemployed or make little u can’t make payments

 

[Allegra]

Ahem. If I may suggest (however belatedly, I admit) a quick perusal of atjar’s previous comments on these forums, they may be…enlightening.

Is that your way of saying, “troll alert”?

 

[UbiCaritas]

Is that your way of saying, “troll alert”?

Suffice to say that I have it on reliable authority that fantastic creatures who live under bridges, even those bridges with an ocean view, often relocate if there is a shortage of fat, tasty, locally-raised goats.

ETA: grammar correction

 

[pensmama87]

The choice should have been loans for a degree in a more marketable field

From high school onward I was bombarded with information about a shortage of teachers. It was something that appealed to me and something I was very good at.

But oh well, I made my bed, so I’m going to lie in it, instead of skipping out on my responsibilities.

Whew. And now that I said what I wanted, and now I will take UbiCaritas’s advice. I was beginning to wonder, myself.

It’s just no fun putting yourself out there and getting trampled, KWIM?

 

[pianistclare]

From high school onward I was bombarded with information about a shortage of teachers. It was something that appealed to me and something I was very good at.

But oh well, I made my bed, so I’m going to lie in it, instead of skipping out on my responsibilities.

Whew. And now that I said what I wanted, and now I will take UbiCaritas’s advice. I was beginning to wonder, myself.

It’s just no fun putting yourself out there and getting trampled, KWIM?

Well, it was a great thread until it was hijacked.
Let’s go back to talking money saving!!!

 

[Allegra]

Where can one get one of those ten gallon buckets? I want to make my own laundry detergent and my step-father will get really mad if I take any of his. Does anyone just sell the bucket? I don’t really need ten gallons of paint or anything.

 

[pensmama87]

Well, it was a great thread until it was hijacked.
Let’s go back to talking money saving!!!

One thing I have noticed…and I can’t remember if this has come up yet…is that a lot of frugal advice also gets repackaged as “green living” in other places. Things like composting and having a garden, using reusable materials, make your own cleaning products, etc.

Of course, I often laugh at those blogs because of the crazy consumerism. I have to think that NOT buying something is probably going to be a lot better than paying more for something that claims to be “green.”

Or there was the time I was in the checkout lane in the grocery store and there was a blurb on the front of one of the “environmental living” magazines that toted “green sex.” Personally I thought Catholics had it as green as it got, but nope - apparently you need special uber expensive compostable condoms.

 

[pensmama87]

Where can one get one of those ten gallon buckets? I want to make my own laundry detergent and my step-father will get really mad if I take any of his. Does anyone just sell the bucket? I don’t really need ten gallons of paint or anything.

Home Depot will, but there are also places that will give them away - grocery stores, restaurants, etc. I called one and asked and got about five of them. They are great for storing lots of garage stuff. Or you can check on Craigslist or trade groups on Facebook.