When the chain I worked for bought another we went to 6 day weeks for years. I was actually working 2 other jobs at one point as well . The money came in handy to help payoff debt from both of our previous divorces and get the kid through college, but it was a killer.

Be sure to put money away for retirement into a 401k or alike as the tax advantages can help you now and the nest egg is important in your older years.

It feels good to have cash to cover a problem, rather than break out the credit card.

I still use the credit card 💳 for as much as possible, pay off the balance each month and collect the cash back bonus. Gotta game the system as much as possible as they are gaming us as much as they can.

They say at least 15% is optimal. I was putting that back for a while, but had to bring it down to 10% a little while back. Hopefully I'll be able to put it back up to 15% soon.

Happy to hear that you have not neglected that aspect. Yeah sometimes we need to make temporary adjustments to deal with the priorities on the plate, but retirement comes sooner than we think. And my advice is go as early as you can. Everyone's economics are different to be sure, but go as early as the finances allow you to go. One never knows what tomorrow brings.

Long periods of stress are damaging to your health. It's a well known public health issue that poverty itself--not just lack of access to health care--contributes to greater risk of significant health issues.

It's good to hear that financial pressures are easing a bit for you and your wife. I was thinking just the other day that I hadn't seen a post from you in awhile and was hoping you were ok.

I have seen several articles recently that there is a shortage of truck drivers nationwide. Apparently true for your area, too. Hope that continues to work to your advantage, but be sure to get enough rest, too!

Yes, there is a truck driver shortage. Couple that with the fact that a lot of truck drivers job hop and a lot of companies are perpetually short-handed right now. I think under ordinary conditions the industry has a 100% turnover every year.

👏🏼👏🏿👏🏼👏🏿👏🏼

Granted, we are not starving in the Sahara wondering where the next drink of untainted water will come from.

Though I have had the good fortune not to be in this position, I have one sibling that is (I help her out), and here in Germany, my wife has at least one girlfriend who lives from disability check to disability check, and has joined an urban agricultural commune to bring down her grocery bill. She is seriously mentally ill, and cannot function without strong medication. Even now, after several decades of her condition, she gets re-committed if she forgets to take her pills or encounters some stress situation she can't handle.

Kudos to you for having the drive to tackle your situation head on. It's so easy to give up and let it overwhelm you. In her job as a social worker, my wife saw that happen often enough, too. The emotional stress brought on by economic pressure is real, and it can be crippling. Watching the Dow hit 25000 doesn't help if you have negative credit card balances.

...that a lot of people are still struggling in America. I am thankful that I have enough to eat and a decent home, and I'm sure to say that in prayer while meditating. But if America is the land of plenty, it is also very expensive to live here. And people fall behind all the time even in so called boom times.

Divide your monthly payment by 12. Pay that much extra every month. Anything over the required payment comes off the principle. It turns a 30 year mortgage into a 15 year mortgage.

Returns the highest without risk.