Wife had emotional affair. Is she sorry Should try to forget?

I'll bet you don't actually KNOW... Many people simply do NOT realize where their money is actually GOING. Do this for a week, completely 100% for each and every time you hand over money. Use cash, not a debit or credit card for everything.

Write down EACH AND EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND. Just write down what you bought and the price you paid. Get a receipt for each and every purchase.

Add notes if it is not clear what it was you bought. Too many people use debit cards. Debit cards are the biggest cash cow the banks have come up with.

When you put money into savings, it earns interest for you. With a debit card, you put your money in the bank, and pay a FEE to do so, and then another FEE each and every time you take some of your money OUT via the card. THAT, makes NO sense to me.

Sure, it IS convenient, but is it worth the fees you PAY for the bank to hold your money? With savings, they pay YOU for the use of your money, while with a debit card, you pay THEM for the use of your money. Like I said, it makes NO sense to PAY them to hold on to your money.

Dump the debit cards and get credit cards instead. You may have an annual fee for the credit card, but if you pay the entire balance each month, you pay NO INTEREST. Many times, you can negotiate with the bank to waive the annual fee and get a lower interest rate.

Many banks will give you a credit card with a low limit of something like $200 on your signature alone. It will have a high rate of interest. Then over time, use it, and pay the bill in full when it comes.

After a year or so, you will be able to negotiate for lower interest, a higher limit, and maybe waive the annual fee or all the above. Get separate accounts for each of you to keep your credit records separate. OK, so that is how you track your money.

Find out where it is going and then look at the receipts at the end of a full week for both of you. Compare notes. Did you really NEED the things each of you bought?

Could you have substituted something different at a lower price? Did you really NEED that double mocha java latte, every morning? A friend of mine spends $25/week on morning coffee alone!

AND another $25/week for a latte with lunch! I do NOT do designer coffee, ever. The COST!

OK, so next thing, shop sales and use coupons whereever possible. I clip coupons from the Sunday paper. I watch advertisements for sales.

I have a deep freeze so I can buy in quantity when I catch a decent sale. Last week, for example, my local grocery store had "store brand" tuna on sale 2/$1, normal price $0.89. Of course, I bought $25 worth, 50 cans!

Many stores will "double" coupons for certain items. I had a $0.50 off coupon for toothpaste. The store doubled the coupon, making that name brand $2 tube cost me $1.

I'll take 50% off any day. Last bit of advice, never shop hungry. Always shop AFTER lunch or dinner.

And, PAY CASH. Plan in advance for the money you will need and get it before your anticipated need. Leave the money in your savings until you need it to buy the groceries instead of the debit card for the same thing.

So what if it is inconvenient to visit the bank the day before you do your grocery shopping. Is the convenience worth the COST of a debit card? One last thing, generic instead of named brands.

Corn flakes are corn flakes. But the one which costs the least per ounce is the best deal. LOOK at the price tags.

Stores are required to post the price per ounce or some such unit measure for each package so you can look at corn flakes brand A and corn flakes brand B and compare the price per ounce on an equal footing. Of course, you buy the lowest price per ounce, right? These things are what my mom taught me about shopping.

Use cash and get the best price and ask yourself, do I really NEED this or is this something I WANT? NEEDS are things you NEED, wants are just that, NOT NEEDS, and you can skip them for now. Too many people indulge themselves too often with wants that they could do without and not suffer.

Your best course of action is to move somewhere where the rent and cost of living is lower, AND do these things I've suggested. At least, you can start doing these things NOW while you look for a place to move to, which may help enough so you do not have to move after all. Ben Franklin "Watch the pennies and the dollars will watch out for themselves.

You need to sit with someone who is experienced as budgeting. You, your spouse and this 3rd party go over all expenses and work out one that frees up some cash. My son complained and my husband and I did his budge and he now has 1200 freed up cash each month.

Shopping food sales, putting all insurance with one company and eliminating expensive cable, cell phone and internet plans can save you a fortune.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.