Thought I was the only one..

 

All through college I used to go into the produce department get one of those clear plastic sacks and stuff it full of everything I could find in produce. There is all kinds of stuff in produce from to nuts to tofu. Then I would check out using the self-checkout and punch "cabbage". Did that all through college. Once in while the newer cashiers would catch me using this ploy- usual ones knew people did that and didnt care- and I would say oops didn't see all that tofu or whatever in there sorry. It was just survival- when I got a real job I went straight. It was just like that Jimmy Buffet song, you do what you have to do to get by.

 

I was a broke college student too...but I didn't steal to get by...

 

Boiler is right... I'm not so sure this is good advice to give...

 

He is prolly a good candidate for Gojets...

 

Here's a tip - take your pay rate/hour, times min guarantee, x .70. That'll be real close to your take home pay each month after taxes, insurance, and minimal contribution to 401(k).

At most companies, that's gonna be right around $1200-$1300/month.

Now, add up all your bills, and make sure they come in less than that figure.

Some things I did - got rid of the mx hog car and got an older, more reliable one, bought with cash. Then I cut back to minimal (liability only) car insurance. Now I pay <$40/month. Not bad.

I spend, on average, <$5/day on food over the course of a month. All food. From eating at home to eating, occasionally, on trips (thinks like Quiznos and other places that give a good value). My fiance aggressively cuts coupons. There have been times when we were paid to leave the grocery store with products!

The idea isn't how to make more money, it's how to figure out how to cut the fat from your budget. If you can't get your bills to come out less than what you make, don't take the job . There are plenty of other aviation jobs out there that pay MUCH more than starting pay at a regional. Don't steal to make ends meet like some of the above posters are suggesting. Be a professional, and have some self respect.

 

Funny no one metioned Northwest Airline's 101 ways of saving money.
http://www.mnheadhunter.com/mh/2006/...est_airli.html

 

I eat on $10 a day or less each day...What is unhealthy about oatmeal, spaghetti, and steak fajitas with onions, peppers, salsa, and cheese? If I'm destroying my body, I honestly hate to think what those that finish behind me in marathons are doing to theirs... Eating out destroys your body faster than nearly anything home-cooked will.

Something I forgot to mention earlier...potatoes. I bought a whole sack the other day at Wal-Mart for a dollar.

 

Yeah no kidding. We spend (together) around $250-$300/month on food, almost all home cooked. In fact, when we eat out, we generally find ourselves with upset stomachs from all the grease and oil used.

 

0% interest credit card dance! Keep the balance transfers going every 15 months. Definitely don't skip the bar time, we are pilots, this is what we do.