Originally Posted by
Rajplt
I recently came off first year pay. It isn’t easy, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had originally thought. My cars were paid off and the only debt I had was my mortgage. 3 kids under 13. Single income household. I have a frugal wife that was coupon crazy and every little bit helped. Some folks max out credit cards or take out some home equity to get by. I would say that is a last resort. In short, it’s only a year and I’d guess most everyone can do it. Good luck at the interviews!
Good advice.
And if you can't figure out a way to make it through the first year, spend some time listening to Dave Ramsey. You'll realize that even on first year pay, you're better off than the vast majority of people out there. It only lasts for a year. When I think back to the time that I was furloughed, and only getting unemployment for awhile, it was probably good for us to experience that (though it sucked at the time). You can go without and be creative to make things happen.
And I certainly hope your captains are taking care of dinner/drinks/tips. You'll be making the big bucks before you know it.