Living paycheck to paycheck

[Mariah2019]

Hey, I’m a single mom with a toddler and work in a nursing home. I’m living paycheck to paycheck. After I pay all my bills, with no assistance I have nothing left over. I work .8 now but I’m confused why I this is happening. Anyone else have this issue?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Lots of great advice so far. Others have alluded to this, but do you have the option to find a different job or relocate?

About a year into nursing, I realized that I could be doing the exact same nursing job (NICU) in two different states, but one could pay a much better than the other relative to the cost of living. Some regions (like parts of the Midwest) tend to pay relatively well compared to the cost of living, while others (like Hawaii, Southern California, NYC and DC) pay poorly compared to the cost of living. Could you consider moving to an area where you could earn a better salary or get more bang for your buck?

Similarly, are you able to work at a hospital rather than LTC? You may find that there's a pay increase.

Finally, is there any chance you could move to be closer to family who could help you with childcare? Daycare is ridiculously expensive, and I'm guessing that it eats up a pretty big chunk of your salary. As a single person I live very comfortably on a nursing salary, but if I were a single parent paying for childcare I'd probably struggle, too.

The great thing about nursing is that you can do it anywhere. If you have the ability to move to a place where you'll be able to earn more, have a lower cost of living, or get help from family and friends, you may find you're in a better position financially.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Be super sure your family would be good with doing childcare long term. At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I have zero intention of ever being the babysitting grandma. I might do a week or something, but as a permanent solution? Nope. Don't move until you and that individual are both very very satisfied with the arrangement.

[Migrating]

Not a nurse (yet!), but I have seen this situation happen before. As some others have said, find a better workplace. You're an RN; you have experience, even if that experience in your particular area isn't what they're looking for, you can still be precepted. Find critical care, ED, or better-paying positions that can allow you more wiggle-room financially. You may end up having to work the 3-12's at a hospital to break even financially and daycare your child some days but at the end, raising your little one, having a decent place to call "home" (whether house or rent), and demanding better for your colleagues (finding a better paying job) does yourself and everyone here a major service. Stop letting people take advantage of you, and live your life the way you should!

[Tron8622]

On 3/5/2019 at 7:08 AM, Horseshoe said:

I don't know why you think lawyers are in such good shape. Many of my Ds peers in law school are coming out with loans in excess of 150K, some with more when you consider undergrad. We paid for our D's education, so she will have no debt, but she is definitely not the norm for a new law school grad.

Also, I know a lot of doctors. They don't all do as well as in the past-insurance reimbursement, debt, and malpractice insurance take a toll. But most do far better than nurses, as well they should, considering the amount of school and training they go through. Depending on the specialty, some docs are still knocking it out of the ballpark and making very big bucks.

And finally, not all nurses are living paycheck to paycheck. There are many threads on AN where nurses discuss their very solid salaries, some into the six figures. It depends on location, experience, willingness to take on OT or less desirable shifts, willingness to move if necessary, etc.

lets see my mom is an attorney , my uncle is an attorney , my cousin is an attorney , my girlfriend is an attorney, my two neighbors that have penthouses in my building are attorneys. Where did I ever get this notion . And a being an actual Six figure nurse it aint worth it

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

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lets see my mom is an attorney , my uncle is an attorney , my cousin is an attorney , my girlfriend is an attorney, my two neighbors that have penthouses in my building are attorneys. Where did I ever get this notion . And a being an actual Six figure nurse it aint worth it.

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As many readers know, only approximately 18-20% of graduating lawyers end up in Biglaw with high salaries and many don’t last more than 2-3 years before moving on to other pursuits. The vast majority end up making significantly less. And while an average starting salary of $84,111 is significantly ahead of the average US salary of $50,756, it’s not as big of a difference as many people think.

https://www.biglawinvestor.com/where-are-all-the-rich-lawyers/

@Tron8622, All that said, my D has a written offer from a medium sized firm for over $150K plus benefits. With no debt, that puts her in a very good position starting her professional career. Law school was, in her words, "total hell," though, so she feels she has earned the salary. She is staying an extra year to get her MBA, so she will get a big bonus from the firm when she completes it.

DH and I will jump for joy because we will finally have both kids off the payroll. ?

"and being a six figure nurse ain't worth it."

I completely agree.

[LovingLife123]

I also vote for Dave Ramsey. But, you also have a lot on your plate being a single mom. I’m not a single mom, but When I was it could be a struggle.

Does your child’s father not pay you support? You need to get that set up ASAP if he’s not. My ex and I are on great terms but there’s no way I’d ever not make him pay child support.