I will confess that I have spent money I should have saved. I will confess that I have made even more mistakes of every kind beyond that in my lifetime, many of which have impacted my financial situation in ways I would not have thought would do so at the time I made them. But that does not mean I have spent extravagantly, nor refused to work. I work seven days a week.
I saved earlier in life, to build a down payment for a house. Since then I haven’t saved a cent, though I have tried. It’s difficult to do so when you don’t get a paycheck you can plan on every two weeks. Now, approaching retirement age, I am really tying to turn that around. It is not easy. The collapse of 2008 left me taking a job out of desperation that does not pay enough to pay my bills. A bad investment in a business in 2006 that did not pan out sucked equity out of my house and left my monthly mortgage higher than it should be for the household income we have now.
I am getting work again in my field and things are looking up, but it’s very difficult to remain optimistic under such circumstances but I celebrate every tiny victory, and look at the debts I’ve paid off or continue to pay down. Attitudes such as yours, and the whispers of friends and family members, don’t help.
I don’t ask for sympathy nor advice. I just hope people realize that the world has changed and many things our parents could count are no longer there. Not everyone who has no savings is a bum.
You don’t sound like the type of person I am talking about. Being in need, but trying to be responsible is a whole different category of person. True need. The world has changed. That is true. Many are sinking while trying. Many sink while hardly trying.
“when you don’t get a paycheck you can plan on every two weeks. “
One thing I have realized is that I have the ability to make more money if I desire to make more money.
I did say “most” deliberately and clearly. I do have sympathy for those, through no real fault of their own, who have been plagued by plain old bad luck.
But I’d encourage you to examine your financial picture. Do you have cable t.v., or high speed internet? An expensive smart phone plan or just the bare minimum for communication? Do you eat out more than once a week? Drive a new car with a payment?
All of these were considered expensive luxuries only a generation ago.
I wish you the best, SoCal Pubbie. It sounds like you are doing all of the right things considering the circumstances. Keep up the fight!
there are people all set for life here on FR...the govt workers/retirees including military retirees/ those that have inherited a good amt of money, and those who were simply lucky in choosing work that didn't end in bankruptcy....
the world is far different...its worse for the younger people....