After spending weeks getting a client to pour through checking statements, ATM receipts and every conceivable transaction and bill that is paid throughout the year and narrowing it down to what would be if evened out over 12 months we quickly realized she needed an average of $300 more per month than she was actually making in income. That's $3,600 per year that she needed to pay for from somewhere, usually a credit card. Desperately needed to save a few hundred a month into an emergency savings account. So, really she needed about $500 per month from somewhere.
"I just don't know why I can't get this card paid down," she said. So we went over her detailed list of expenses. Dining out each month $200, Gifts to friends $80, Cosmetics $50, $100 to various charities as cash, $200 for doggie daycare (playtime for pooch) and $60 per month in fresh chicken for two dogs. All of which she deemed necessary expenses and would not reduce or eliminate in any way.
Really?