America is in an economic tailspin. Why does life feel so normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have been preparing.

How are you preparing?

[Anonymous]

Like most things: it’s a question of how long it will go on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I paid my house off last year. Nothing fancy, bought it 18 years ago and added onto it, mostly myself. Its far better than I could live in if I had to pay someone else to do it for me. We live on one salary, mine, albeit its GS-15. I'm 42. I have 150 grand in the bank, cash savings. We drive old cars, clean our own house, and cook our own meals at home. I repair my own older iphone when it breaks (they do). I'm having to telework but grateful to have a job. (Just because I'm debt free doesnt mean I'm expense free.) People in bread lines in BMWs had the income, they just chose to spend it and not build up a 6-8 month savings. Maybe now they'll learn.

Why don’t you walk up and down the line at the food bank telling everyone they should eat cake.

People do live beyond their means. Or rather, they live to very limit of their means. In these BMW anecdotes, they didn't have to do that.

I get what PP's saying. If you're rolling up to the food bank with an iPhone 10 and a 50k car, well, you made choices.

I never forget the neighbors faces when my husband first rode up in his 70k luxury truck. The nosey neighbors think he paid the ridiculous amount, when in fact he purchased an almost new (prior corporate lease most likely) truck from Carmax for $32k. My point is you don't know the circumstances behind people's purchases. And the federal government GS15 worker pulling in $166,000 a year has never missed a paycheck, or worried about job loss. He needs to stfu because he cant relate to people's job insecurities. Heck, he doesn't even have to leave his house and put him or his family in danger of contracting a deadly virus , but he feels so sanctimonious to lecture others about their money or lack thereof.

I didn’t know they had luxury market segment for rednecks.

Not this poster, but damn, you’re a total asshole

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't feel normal to me. And I am better off MC. It feels like the spin is on. Of course, being from former Yugoslavia, I might have some better idea to look for small clues. I am not the Sarajevo siege pp.
I can tell people are angry, when I go to a grocery store or get constant calls from doctors to come for the check up. Never before did they call me so many times. Doctors offices can't pay nurses and staff without patients. I see people buying only a few things at the grocery store as opposed to in March when people were loading up. Perhaps that is bcs they are still stocked up, but I don't think so. I ran through my stock of food. I think when a person is buying two cans and a box of pasta and one sauce, they are broke.
This is how it felt in Yugoslavia, just being uneasy and faking everything is fine, until nothing was on the shelf, and people were going through trash containers. Any of you feels that sense of unease that you just can't shake off? You know it is not just the pandemic, but as if you are living in a mirage that is about to shatter? Perhaps I am just paranoid bcs of what happened to my country, but this is the first time since then that I am feeling the same.

I wouldn't have described it the same way, but I know what you're saying. I actually feel like crying when I leave my apartment, because it just feels so off and odd outside. I feel sorry for everyone I see, because of a sense of impending doom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our restaurants cannot find staff and therefore cannot open. Why would a server come to work when they make more on unemployment? There’s going to be a weird few weeks in August while people start going back to their service and retail jobs, and then things will bounce back.

Oh this is such bullshit, and you know it. When that $600 stops coming to families who need it, all hell is going to break loose in this country. It's here in a few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is how it felt in Yugoslavia, just being uneasy and faking everything is fine, until nothing was on the shelf, and people were going through trash containers. Any of you feels that sense of unease that you just can't shake off? You know it is not just the pandemic, but as if you are living in a mirage that is about to shatter?

That’s how I feel too and I’m not from Yugoslavia.

So maybe I am not just crazy? I hope I am wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't feel normal to me. And I am better off MC. It feels like the spin is on. Of course, being from former Yugoslavia, I might have some better idea to look for small clues. I am not the Sarajevo siege pp.
I can tell people are angry, when I go to a grocery store or get constant calls from doctors to come for the check up. Never before did they call me so many times. Doctors offices can't pay nurses and staff without patients. I see people buying only a few things at the grocery store as opposed to in March when people were loading up. Perhaps that is bcs they are still stocked up, but I don't think so. I ran through my stock of food. I think when a person is buying two cans and a box of pasta and one sauce, they are broke.
This is how it felt in Yugoslavia, just being uneasy and faking everything is fine, until nothing was on the shelf, and people were going through trash containers. Any of you feels that sense of unease that you just can't shake off? You know it is not just the pandemic, but as if you are living in a mirage that is about to shatter? Perhaps I am just paranoid bcs of what happened to my country, but this is the first time since then that I am feeling the same.

I see it too.

I have been preparing.

Oh, wow. I wished never to feel that way again. Thanks for replying. I was wondering if it is just me and my experiences that are making me feel like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't feel normal to me. And I am better off MC. It feels like the spin is on. Of course, being from former Yugoslavia, I might have some better idea to look for small clues. I am not the Sarajevo siege pp.
I can tell people are angry, when I go to a grocery store or get constant calls from doctors to come for the check up. Never before did they call me so many times. Doctors offices can't pay nurses and staff without patients. I see people buying only a few things at the grocery store as opposed to in March when people were loading up. Perhaps that is bcs they are still stocked up, but I don't think so. I ran through my stock of food. I think when a person is buying two cans and a box of pasta and one sauce, they are broke.
This is how it felt in Yugoslavia, just being uneasy and faking everything is fine, until nothing was on the shelf, and people were going through trash containers. Any of you feels that sense of unease that you just can't shake off? You know it is not just the pandemic, but as if you are living in a mirage that is about to shatter? Perhaps I am just paranoid bcs of what happened to my country, but this is the first time since then that I am feeling the same.

I wouldn't have described it the same way, but I know what you're saying. I actually feel like crying when I leave my apartment, because it just feels so off and odd outside. I feel sorry for everyone I see, because of a sense of impending doom.

Thanks for replying. I suppose we all ought to let that inner voice speak and not stifle it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't feel normal to me. And I am better off MC. It feels like the spin is on. Of course, being from former Yugoslavia, I might have some better idea to look for small clues. I am not the Sarajevo siege pp.
I can tell people are angry, when I go to a grocery store or get constant calls from doctors to come for the check up. Never before did they call me so many times. Doctors offices can't pay nurses and staff without patients. I see people buying only a few things at the grocery store as opposed to in March when people were loading up. Perhaps that is bcs they are still stocked up, but I don't think so. I ran through my stock of food. I think when a person is buying two cans and a box of pasta and one sauce, they are broke.
This is how it felt in Yugoslavia, just being uneasy and faking everything is fine, until nothing was on the shelf, and people were going through trash containers. Any of you feels that sense of unease that you just can't shake off? You know it is not just the pandemic, but as if you are living in a mirage that is about to shatter? Perhaps I am just paranoid bcs of what happened to my country, but this is the first time since then that I am feeling the same.

I personally don’t feel that. But, I’ve also never lived through what you’ve described, so my antennaes aren’t up. What other indicators do you see or would you look for?

I don’t believe economic hardship has quite hit white collar workers. But, we’ll see if that changes.

[Anonymous]

The federal $600/week on top of state unemployment on top of the stimulus checks has delayed the inevitable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I paid my house off last year. Nothing fancy, bought it 18 years ago and added onto it, mostly myself. Its far better than I could live in if I had to pay someone else to do it for me. We live on one salary, mine, albeit its GS-15. I'm 42. I have 150 grand in the bank, cash savings. We drive old cars, clean our own house, and cook our own meals at home. I repair my own older iphone when it breaks (they do). I'm having to telework but grateful to have a job. (Just because I'm debt free doesnt mean I'm expense free.) People in bread lines in BMWs had the income, they just chose to spend it and not build up a 6-8 month savings. Maybe now they'll learn.

Why don’t you walk up and down the line at the food bank telling everyone they should eat cake.

People do live beyond their means. Or rather, they live to very limit of their means. In these BMW anecdotes, they didn't have to do that.

I get what PP's saying. If you're rolling up to the food bank with an iPhone 10 and a 50k car, well, you made choices.

You're not totally wrong, but most people don't pay $50k out of pocket for a car. Interest rates have been low, even before this pandemic. And you can now finance a car for 7 years. When you both have good jobs and no reason to think that you will lose them it doesn't seem like a crazy idea to finance a more expensive car especially if you plan to hang on to it for a long time. It sounds all great to say folks should just pay cash for a car, but good used cars aren't easy to find. We were lucky to have $13k that we could liquidate several years ago to get a used SUV. We still have that car and have been able to pay cash for our used commuter cars, but guess what, we're two Feds and we know exactly what our paycheck is going to look like for the foreseeable future. And very, very thankful for it too.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the economic situation - especially when it comes to housing.

The market in Florida (even NOW with COVID #s) is absolutely nuts! There are condos that sold for $60K a year ago that are now selling for $148, with no major renovations being done.

I've been trying to buy a place for a family member and thought prices would be going down but they are higher than they've been in years.

Just don't understand it - at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I paid my house off last year. Nothing fancy, bought it 18 years ago and added onto it, mostly myself. Its far better than I could live in if I had to pay someone else to do it for me. We live on one salary, mine, albeit its GS-15. I'm 42. I have 150 grand in the bank, cash savings. We drive old cars, clean our own house, and cook our own meals at home. I repair my own older iphone when it breaks (they do). I'm having to telework but grateful to have a job. (Just because I'm debt free doesnt mean I'm expense free.) People in bread lines in BMWs had the income, they just chose to spend it and not build up a 6-8 month savings. Maybe now they'll learn.

Why don’t you walk up and down the line at the food bank telling everyone they should eat cake.

People do live beyond their means. Or rather, they live to very limit of their means. In these BMW anecdotes, they didn't have to do that.

I get what PP's saying. If you're rolling up to the food bank with an iPhone 10 and a 50k car, well, you made choices.

Exactly. And when things turn they are the first to show up complaining ahead of the ones who have truly been struggling the whole time and deserve our support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I paid my house off last year. Nothing fancy, bought it 18 years ago and added onto it, mostly myself. Its far better than I could live in if I had to pay someone else to do it for me. We live on one salary, mine, albeit its GS-15. I'm 42. I have 150 grand in the bank, cash savings. We drive old cars, clean our own house, and cook our own meals at home. I repair my own older iphone when it breaks (they do). I'm having to telework but grateful to have a job. (Just because I'm debt free doesnt mean I'm expense free.) People in bread lines in BMWs had the income, they just chose to spend it and not build up a 6-8 month savings. Maybe now they'll learn.

Why don’t you walk up and down the line at the food bank telling everyone they should eat cake.

People do live beyond their means. Or rather, they live to very limit of their means. In these BMW anecdotes, they didn't have to do that.

I get what PP's saying. If you're rolling up to the food bank with an iPhone 10 and a 50k car, well, you made choices.

I never forget the neighbors faces when my husband first rode up in his 70k luxury truck. The nosey neighbors think he paid the ridiculous amount, when in fact he purchased an almost new (prior corporate lease most likely) truck from Carmax for $32k. My point is you don't know the circumstances behind people's purchases. And the federal government GS15 worker pulling in $166,000 a year has never missed a paycheck, or worried about job loss. He needs to stfu because he cant relate to people's job insecurities. Heck, he doesn't even have to leave his house and put him or his family in danger of contracting a deadly virus , but he feels so sanctimonious to lecture others about their money or lack thereof.

Many times that govt worker has watched the contractor sitting next to him doing a similar job drive those cars and go on much nicer vacations making far more than his govt salary. It was a trade off for job security but people like you don’t want that part brought up right now. It’s the classic Buffett quote about seeing who’s not wearing a swim suit when the tide goes out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will add to my comment above that "poverty is not a character flew".

All you people with bootstraps to spare, who were gifted bootstraps from your parents, who don't know anyone without bootstraps and boots . . . you have obviously never been on public assistance or known anyone who has.

No one gets public assistance for fun. It's not easy. Cash welfare is not really a thing anymore since Clinton passed welfare reform. No one is rolling up to the food pantry in their luxury SUV for fun, because they had an extra hour in their day, because they love eating cheap processed food, because they would rather be tsk tsk'ed by some "nice" Christian ladies than spend $10 at Safeway. if you think someone needs to dress in rags and take the bus an hour to beg for some Aldi food the people donating wouldn't feed their own families and some dollar store toys and school suppliers, you are not a kind person and should find a different place to volunteer.

Waiting lists for Section 8 housing are long.
Applications to get free cable or get help with your heating bills are long and require cooperation from lazy ass landlords and may require you to jump through hoops to prove you are worthy.
The process to get and keep SNAP or WIC is not easy and if you do have WIC, you may have to endure the humiliation of your case worker telling you that according to her chart your baby is too fat for the whole milk your pediatrician recommends and you will only get 2%. Or generic formula that makes your baby spit up. God forbid you have a SNAP EBT card and you buy something the Karen behind you in line doesn't think is necessary. God forbid poor people have some stability or even worse - joy in their lives like nice nails that their sister the nail tech did on her day off to practice a new technique or a reliable car borrowed from a neighbor or phone that works, a gift from your boss so he can reach you.

Being poor sucked before Covid and will sucks more now.
Your life seems normal because you don't know any poor people. The people in your life who are silently suffering right now have the credit to keep up appearances - at least for a while. You may find out in 6-12 months that some people were closer to the edge than you imagined. You might find out in 10-30 years when people you know don't have money to pay for their kids' college or to retire.

Not always. Former neighbor in DC had no problem mentioning he signed up for SNAP even though he didn’t need just because it was easy. Maybe he’s the exception but it does happen and not all have the conscience about it that you think they should.