Discouraged --tips on saving money?

[Runninginheels]

Hey guys, sorry to post on what I'm sure is an oft-written about subject, but I was wondering if/how you guys saved up money for your breast augmentation? And for those of you who did financing, did you use Care Connect and have was your interaction positive or negative?

As I've mentioned before, I'm a college student and am trying to save up to pay for it in person, instead of taking out a loan. I'm already up to my waist in student loans (I go to a private college and am paying for it myself, save what scholarships I get.), so I was really hoping to avoid adding another chunk of cash to it. Plus, I'd have to get my mother to co-sign the loan, and her credit isn't the best, that I know of.

But I'm experiencing some set backs as far as saving goes...the holidays are coming up, one of my two jobs can no longer afford to pay me (it's a privately owned organization, so it's facing issues thanks to the recession.), but I still have to work there to finish up my psychology internship. I can't juggle three jobs and go to school full time, so that basically means I'm out half my income at least for a few months.

In addition to that, I just found out my breast augmentation will be more than I was originally quoted (or what I thought I was originally quoted...I may have remembered the price wrong). While $6000ish isn't bad, and actually seems to be the going rate for all the reputable, good surgeons in, oh, a 5 hour radius from me, it is a strain on my budget. And that's if I don't need a lift, which I'm pretty sure I will, since I have tubular breasts and one is sort of saggy.

So I was wondering if you guys could tell me how you managed to save up for your BAs/which financing company you used? Any info would be really appreciated, because I'm really really frustrated and discouraged right now, . Thanks in advance, and I'm sorry the post is so long.

[Genie]

Hi. I actually used care credit for mine. I put $2000 down that I had in savings and paid the other $5500 with the credit. I'm sorry I can't give tips on how to save cause I'm the worst person in the world when it comes to budgeting!! Hope u get your boobies soon tho!

[Fenix]

Hi! I'm using Care Credit too. They had a bunch of payback options and I chose the plan that worked best with my income. I could have saved for the surgery but I am kind of an instant gratification kind of girl and did not want to wait. I'm also in college and I guess i figured I'll already be paying back loans for the next 15 years so whats another $6,00 going to hurt! haha. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[babyfromheaven]

My best saving tip is to pay yourself first. Set an amount that you would like to save each paycheck, with in reason. Put that in savings first, then pay your bills. What you have left is your spending money, gas money, grocery money, incidentals, ect. Don't touch the savings unless it is an emergency! No pulling for a night out with friends saying that you will pay in back next month.
I saved for mine by cutting out all unnecessary expenses. No eating out or shopping. Buying the cheaper alternative. I also got someone on my side to always remind me that I didn't need something, I just wanted it. They helped me rethink a purchase and almost always decide against it.

~Good luck! Try hard and you'll get where you want to be.

[PumpkinLuv]

Heres what I did.....
Save/Finance Plan


*I went for my consultaion, got my price
(just a little less than $8,000)

*Went out and bought a 2009 calendar

*Picked what month would be the best for me to have this done
(Summer months due to more people at work and I'll have someone to cover for me)

*Decided August was too far away, didn't want July - too hot, so I went with June. I picked June 1st or 3rd to be the day for my breast augmentation

*I then looked at what I had saved already
(I told myself I needed to be able to pay for more than half by the time the big day rolled up)

*From the time I saw my PS in Early Oct. to the last week in May I marked what days I got paid in each month, what pay check my car, insurance, cell, etc. had to come out of.

I picked which paycheck day would be eaisier to save money from and mapped out just how much I'd have to put away out of those paychecks until May - without breaking the bank.

*From there I did the math (again and again)

By the time my breast augmentation rolls around I will only have to finance TOPS $3,150.00
though Chase Health Advance. Their min' amount to finance for a breast augmentation is $2,500anyway. So most I will have saved away and the other ($2500-$3150) will be financed.

[aderr02]

I bartend so it was a little different for me (i.e. not getting a paycheck to divide by bills, etc.)

Originally I was going to put $250 per week for 6 months = $6000. I wanted it faster than 6 months so I chose one night a week to only "Work for Boobs." I chose Wednesday nights, not my busiest night, but definately not my worst night. I would make around $300 and put that towards my boobies. (I made a special bank account not linked to my debit card for the boobs)

I got too anxious and got to the point that everything I made went to boobs, and only living expenses like rent, bills, gas and food came out. I gave myself NO money to shop with and told myself I didn't need new clothes until I had new boobs. I had all of the money in 1 1/2 months.

One thing that really helped was the break-down of cost:

Surgeon Fee: $3500- already paid $100 consult so $3400
Anesthesia: $625
Hospital Fee: $950
Cost of Implants: $1300

I wrote them down and checked them off one by one. I found it's much easier to work towards several small goals than one huge one.

Hope this helps!

[TTmakeover]

Great ideas. I did about the same. I picked up as many extra shifts as I could and saved every extra penny I had. No shopping, very little eating out and very little going out. I also shared the thought of many others, no more new clothes until I have new boobs The rest will be financed with care credit for 1 yr no interest. I'm hoping to use my tax return to pay off the balance. Good luck.

[hm814]

Since you are a college student, could you pick up night-time hours as a babysitter/nanny? Night nannies are something a lot of parents like to have with newer babies, because it gives them an occasional break from the night feedings. And, while the baby is sleeping, you can study or do homework. If you go this route, I highly recommend you get certified for CPR/First Aid first. And you can register on sittercity.com or a similar website. Nice thing, too, for you is that often this money is paid cash, so no taxes. Also, what about pet-sitting? Another nice option that allows you to be flexible.

For clothing, etc., check out the resale shops. Or see if you can get your girlfriends to do a clothing exchange party (there are plenty of articles about this on websites, where you can get ideas of how to throw one...you can do it for a lot of items, not just clothes). Good way to get "new to you" stuff without paying (or without paying much) for it. Also...if you have stuff you don't use anymore, list it on Ebay or find a consignment shop in your area.

For haircuts, etc...find a beauty school close to you. You can often get services for free, if you are willing to let a student work on you. They are supervised, so it's not like you are going to walk out looking like a lamb during sheering season. ;D

For Christmas presents, see if you can come up with homemade gifts. Are you crafty? Maybe you could make scrapbooks for friends/family, focusing on topics that are mutually important to you and them. Or a vacation you took together. Add comments and memories you have of the shared experience or vacation. There are a lot of websites out there with creative ideas for gifts that don't cost much.

Hope these ideas will help you a bit. Good luck!!!

[Ten96]

I did a mixture of what has already been mentioned (setting aside all overtime money, writing dates and amounts on the calendar, and breaking up the total into smaller amounts by payee). But I'm the type who needs a "jump start". I can't start with $200 here or $300 there. That just doesn't feel like I've accomplished anything. So I started at tax time. Most of my tax refund went into my boob fund to jump start it so saving seemed to go so much faster. I lumped that money into the account at the end of January, then added to it each week. Had my surgery paid for and performed the first week of March.

[sexyangel]

I would recommend to make an acct just for ur breast augmentation as the other girls suggested. That way u are committed and determined to come up with the money.. In my situation, I really didn't save for the breast augmentation, I just had an acct with money for emergency and it happens to be that I decided to get my breast augmentation and thats a worthy saving!

I still had to finance $2000 through Care Credit.. But that should be a small amts of payment...

I think u can do it if u r determined to get it.. Good Luck!

[smallboobs]

The girls above have given great advice. One of my suggestion would be before going shopping go online & see if you can find coupons for groceries & things like that that could cut down on your cost. Go through your car, house & find coins (I used to this when I was lil), remember every penny counts! For Xmas present ask for money donation or credit card gift cards instead of gifts. Do you have any broken/old gold? You can sell it (but don't send them to those tv ads go to a place in town that buys gold) & make some extra cash also by selling on eBay/craigslist things that you no longer need. I do surveys & read email on sendearnings. Com is not much but it can help some.
Eat inside instead of going out to restaurant if saves you alot!

[Runninginheels]

Hey guys. Thanks so much for your responses! I'm doing a bunch of those things already, and it's reassuring to know I'm on the right track. Now that I've worked out and stress cleaned my house I feel a lot more stable, haha.

Pumpknluv--for some reason, the thought to save most of it and get as small a loan as possible hadn't come into mind, which is sort of embarassing! Haha.

aderr02--I really like the idea of breaking down the costs! As soon as I ick out someone and get all that worked out, I'm definitely going to do that. I wish I could bartend, but I'd have to drive an hour to and from work, and the roads in winter are super nasty (it's not unusual for them to be closed in the middle of the night thanks to storms), so my mother would have a fit if I did it.

hm814--I would babysit/nanny if I could! But I'm already working most nights on one of my jobs, and it actually pays far better than baby sitting would (the going rate is about $5 an hour, unless it's for a co-worker/friend of mine..and then it's a bottle of whiskey, haha). I've worked with kids for years now, so I already know all the technical stuff that goes into it.
We don't have many resale shops that are worth going to around here, but I'm on a super tight shopping budget, have more than enough clothes, and was raised by a really frugal mother, so I'm always able to find a good deal when I need one. And I agree, Ebay's wonderful!
Haircuts are super cheap in my area, so if I went to the beauty school (which is an hour and a half away...I live in a REALLY rural area), I'd actually spend about the same on gas!
I'm probably baking/putting together cheap gift baskets for most people, drawing them a picture(I was an art major before I switched to psychology) or making them magazine bowls. Scrap booking is so cute, but my ADHD ends up kicking in half way through everytime I try it, haha.

smallboobs-I'm fanatical about saving change! I just cashed it in and got about $150 out of it that went into savings, so you're right....it's amazing how every little bit adds up.
I already cook almost all of my meals, because I love to cook and am really big into healthy food, but I'm making an effort to not buy as many groceries each week!

Thanks again SO MUCH to all of you guys. You were all so helpful and sweet to reply!

[avxbebe]

Originally Posted by babyfromheaven

My best saving tip is to pay yourself first. Set an amount that you would like to save each paycheck, with in reason. Put that in savings first, then pay your bills. What you have left is your spending money, gas money, grocery money, incidentals, ect. Don't touch the savings unless it is an emergency! No pulling for a night out with friends saying that you will pay in back next month.
I saved for mine by cutting out all unnecessary expenses. No eating out or shopping. Buying the cheaper alternative. I also got someone on my side to always remind me that I didn't need something, I just wanted it. They helped me rethink a purchase and almost always decide against it.

~Good luck! Try hard and you'll get where you want to be.

that's a really good tip!, to "pay yourself first"
how long did it take for you to save for your breast augmentation?

[babyfromheaven]

My breast augmentation was saved up for in about 2 months. From there we just kind of saved more money so I could buy some new clothes and bras after. I didn't go crazy shopping, but having money saved was a good idea.

[Gogibean]

It took me about 3 yrs to save for mine!! LONG time!!!

I am a SAHM to 3 young kids. I babysat 1-2 days a week and I sell on Craigslist and E-bay. I had a seperate account for my special fund. I would have had to it sooner but I also need to use any extra money I make for any kid's activities or family extras. Also, I had to use a bunch of money on appliances when those went out two years ago! I had a goal though and I stuck to it. It felt soooooo good to being cash in to the Dr's office. I also went on several consults, picked the Dr. I wanted and then asked him if he would come down a bit on the price. It never hurts to ask!! Mine came down to what I actually had in cash. I ended up saving a ton just by asking!

[AANoMore]

I was going to have a breast augmentation last spring, but then the vehicle died and I had to use the money for a down payment on a new van. Well this time I am determined that I am getting a breast augmentation before spring, hopefully this winter.

I decided to get a additional part time job to save money for my breast augmentation, it is a second job for me so I jokingly call it my Boob Job, lol, since I save every penny I make from the extra job for my future boobs.

Clean out your closets of unwanted clothes and sell them on ebay.

I have also tightened up my budget to help save. Here's some of my tips;

1. Turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees lower.

2. Hang out clothes to dry when the weather permits. I hang my clothes out on the line and then when they are almost dry I put them in the dryer with a dryer sheet to soften and fluff them up, this has made a big difference, since I have an electric dryer.

3. Always make your coffee at home and put it in a travel mug to go. Those coffees that you pick up at the convenience stores or coffee shops really add up. Save the money take the coffee to go from home.

4. Bring your lunch to work, instead of take out. That saves a lot of money.

5. Don't go out to eat as often.

6. I am also shopping only for items we need, not things that I want. The unnecessary things or wants can wait. I just keep reminding myself that if I buy that now, then I put off my breast augmentation even longer, that makes it real easy to take it out of the shopping cart and put it back on the shelf. Clothes shopping will be so much fun after a breast augmentation anyway.

7. Put the breast augmentation money in a separate savings account.

8. Every time you spend a dollar or paper currency, put the change into a piggy bank. Save all the coins, it adds up.

I know that some of these tips may not apply if you are in college especially if you live on campus, I remember my college days, it is hard to save. Good luck.

[zoeyrosebud]

I'm working extra on the side; I told myself 'cash only' and I'm sticking to it! Things have come up, and it might take a little longer than I wanted to save for the sugery. I finally told myself to 'get over it!'. I got obsessed with having the surgery, and I could feel my thinking shifting over to 'use credit cards'. Now I'm taking a chill pill. I WILL have my surgery. It just might take a bit longer, and I've told myself that I'm not going to 'die' from waiting! So basically I'm having to do a lot of 'self talk' and a lot of side work, lol. I will not use credit cards. If things are too hectic and you're working three jobs already, just re-adjust your time table. My two cents.