My brother has been here for three weeks and just received his first pay yesterday since he came here. He arrived with $100 in his pocket and borrowed a bit from friends/family to pay to get back and forth to work. He was excited about getting his first pay while on his own. Over the last few weeks an alarming number of unpaid bills have arrived in our mailbox though. Then we found that his truck payment has not been paid since July. His contribution to the financial management of their home was to sign the back of his check and give it to his soon-to-be ex-wife. He had no idea so many bills were unpaid.
Yesterday he went to get his pay and told me he was going to go shopping for supplies for his new apartment. I told him to go cash the check and not to spend one penny of it until he brought it back to me. We sat at the table and organized his funds. Has to pay his first month rent, pay deposits on water and electric, pay back the borrowed money, pay at least one payment on his truck and make arrangements to catch up on that, I set aside some money for next week (he is paid every two weeks) and gave him money to buy fuel for work this week. He had a look of dismay in his eyes when I showed him how much was left.
I called our family members and we are going to have a housewarming "shower" for him. Everyone is sorting through their stashes for blankets, sheets, towels, furniture, dishes, food, etc... I think we will get him set up for free.
I honestly think that they cashed their checks, spent whatever they wanted, then tried to pay their bills with what was left- if there was anything left. Life with me in charge is going to be much different! However my ultimate goal is to teach him to do this himself, but it is going to be a while before he is ready for that. I figure by going over it with him, IN CASH, each pay, he will see more readily the actual cost of living. He has a big problem with spending too much on junk food, pop, etc... That will have to be cut way back now.
Yesterday he went to get his pay and told me he was going to go shopping for supplies for his new apartment. I told him to go cash the check and not to spend one penny of it until he brought it back to me. We sat at the table and organized his funds. Has to pay his first month rent, pay deposits on water and electric, pay back the borrowed money, pay at least one payment on his truck and make arrangements to catch up on that, I set aside some money for next week (he is paid every two weeks) and gave him money to buy fuel for work this week. He had a look of dismay in his eyes when I showed him how much was left.
I called our family members and we are going to have a housewarming "shower" for him. Everyone is sorting through their stashes for blankets, sheets, towels, furniture, dishes, food, etc... I think we will get him set up for free.
I honestly think that they cashed their checks, spent whatever they wanted, then tried to pay their bills with what was left- if there was anything left. Life with me in charge is going to be much different! However my ultimate goal is to teach him to do this himself, but it is going to be a while before he is ready for that. I figure by going over it with him, IN CASH, each pay, he will see more readily the actual cost of living. He has a big problem with spending too much on junk food, pop, etc... That will have to be cut way back now.