people being hit super hard - you're far from alone

[Anonymous]

I just want to put it out there that the reality, for most americans, is one that is not wealth.

The other reality is that net worth aside, the amount of people affected by this economy is staggering, and for small business owners such as myself, who are impacted by other people's lack of money, its a domino effect.

I see very incredulous statements being made about people who dont have savings, have high credit card debt as a result of an economic downturn, and who generally seem offensive to some posters by saying their financial picture is horrible and its not because they made a bunch of terrible choices.

One good thing that I can say personally that has come from our experience with losing 30-50% of our income due to economic downturn, and who begged and borrowed to keep our home so far as we slowly rebuild and branch out into more stable markets is that i have come to understand that we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world. Without that thing called CREDIT most of us would not have enought money to buy a house, a car, or anything at all. And its changed how we do business and how we think abotu money completely.

Ive paid off credit cards and made a budget and felt good, and built the business only to watch another downturn take it all away again. But we will keep rebuilding until the scales tip iour favor, which I believe they will, within a few years. We just got a new contract for 2014, a brief windfall from what has been a disheartening decline interspersed with random high paying contracts here and there.

I see people posting with worst case scenarios, and Im just saying to you now: dont let these judgemental type comments deter you from whats important.

My old internist in Georgetown who I had to stop seeing because he did not take my insurance said this to me, and I quote:
"Everyone is being hit hard. The stress is very damaging. The most important thing to stay healthy is to exercise, get rest, and spend time with the people you love."

Words to live by. Hang in there everyone.

[Anonymous]

This is actually a nice post. There are so many DCUM threads about people with really high HHIs, large savings, parents who give their kids down payments for homes, et cetera, that I think it paints a misleading picture of what is average.

[Anonymous]

Good post!

[Anonymous]

Beautiful!

[Anonymous]

I think your internist is correct, financially speaking. Many, many people find themselves in trouble financially after a major health crisis.

I don't think anyone should categorize choices as either bad or good, because each decision rests on what comes before and after. However, I think it's fair to examine our own tolerance of risk and past choices for future guidance. I say this as someone who is not comfortable with risk, so to date, I haven't gotten that master's I really want and I'm not sure I will ever have the guts to get my business idea off the ground. Everyone, at any HHI, has made made choices and weathered some kind of financial hardship (even if it isn't evident).

Stay healthy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just want to put it out there that the reality, for most americans, is one that is not wealth.

The other reality is that net worth aside, the amount of people affected by this economy is staggering, and for small business owners such as myself, who are impacted by other people's lack of money, its a domino effect.

I see very incredulous statements being made about people who dont have savings, have high credit card debt as a result of an economic downturn, and who generally seem offensive to some posters by saying their financial picture is horrible and its not because they made a bunch of terrible choices.

One good thing that I can say personally that has come from our experience with losing 30-50% of our income due to economic downturn, and who begged and borrowed to keep our home so far as we slowly rebuild and branch out into more stable markets is that i have come to understand that we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world. Without that thing called CREDIT most of us would not have enought money to buy a house, a car, or anything at all. And its changed how we do business and how we think abotu money completely.

Ive paid off credit cards and made a budget and felt good, and built the business only to watch another downturn take it all away again. But we will keep rebuilding until the scales tip iour favor, which I believe they will, within a few years. We just got a new contract for 2014, a brief windfall from what has been a disheartening decline interspersed with random high paying contracts here and there.

I see people posting with worst case scenarios, and Im just saying to you now: dont let these judgemental type comments deter you from whats important.

My old internist in Georgetown who I had to stop seeing because he did not take my insurance said this to me, and I quote:
"Everyone is being hit hard. The stress is very damaging. The most important thing to stay healthy is to exercise, get rest, and spend time with the people you love."

Words to live by. Hang in there everyone.

You are headed in the same direction again. It's not a windfall that you received and when you view it as one, well that's a problem.

I don't really agree with most of what you posted. Most of the people I know in this area who ended up in bad financial shape are people who just didn't want to see or know that the good times were going to end and instead lived in the moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want to put it out there that the reality, for most americans, is one that is not wealth.

The other reality is that net worth aside, the amount of people affected by this economy is staggering, and for small business owners such as myself, who are impacted by other people's lack of money, its a domino effect.

I see very incredulous statements being made about people who dont have savings, have high credit card debt as a result of an economic downturn, and who generally seem offensive to some posters by saying their financial picture is horrible and its not because they made a bunch of terrible choices.

One good thing that I can say personally that has come from our experience with losing 30-50% of our income due to economic downturn, and who begged and borrowed to keep our home so far as we slowly rebuild and branch out into more stable markets is that i have come to understand that we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world. Without that thing called CREDIT most of us would not have enought money to buy a house, a car, or anything at all. And its changed how we do business and how we think abotu money completely.

Ive paid off credit cards and made a budget and felt good, and built the business only to watch another downturn take it all away again. But we will keep rebuilding until the scales tip iour favor, which I believe they will, within a few years. We just got a new contract for 2014, a brief windfall from what has been a disheartening decline interspersed with random high paying contracts here and there.

I see people posting with worst case scenarios, and Im just saying to you now: dont let these judgemental type comments deter you from whats important.

My old internist in Georgetown who I had to stop seeing because he did not take my insurance said this to me, and I quote:
"Everyone is being hit hard. The stress is very damaging. The most important thing to stay healthy is to exercise, get rest, and spend time with the people you love."

Words to live by. Hang in there everyone.

You are headed in the same direction again. It's not a windfall that you received and when you view it as one, well that's a problem.

I don't really agree with most of what you posted. Most of the people I know in this area who ended up in bad financial shape are people who just didn't want to see or know that the good times were going to end and instead lived in the moment.

You just had to go and ruin it
Just had to be the one to interject the vitriol
had to pee on the parade

[Anonymous]

After spending 18 months with 0 household income, uprooting ourselves and the children from our beloved house and schools, fighting between ourselves and receiving kind family help as well as family denigration, I agree completely with OP.

I am so thankful we still have our health. I am so thankful we are all still together. I am so thankful we still have our friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't really agree with most of what you posted. Most of the people I know in this area who ended up in bad financial shape are people who just didn't want to see or know that the good times were going to end and instead lived in the moment.

And we are all praying that karma finds you sooner rather than later

[Anonymous]

That's funny, most of the people *I* know in bad financial shape had plain old fashioned bad luck. Health problems, layoffs, a child with autism who needs expensive therapies and a parent at home, etc.

There are some serious assholes on this site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is actually a nice post. There are so many DCUM threads about people with really high HHIs, large savings, parents who give their kids down payments for homes, et cetera, that I think it paints a misleading picture of what is average.

+1

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm glad things seem to be turning around for you. But this:

"we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world."

is just an idiotic statement.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm glad things seem to be turning around for you. But this:

"we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world."

Yes, OP, I also agree with much that you said, but not this. Times are hard for many in America, I agree, but it is just not comparable to what some of the poorest people in the world have to live with (filthy water, no sanitation etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm glad things seem to be turning around for you. But this:

"we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world."

Yes, OP, I also agree with much that you said, but not this. Times are hard for many in America, I agree, but it is just not comparable to what some of the poorest people in the world have to live with (filthy water, no sanitation etc.)

I think OP meant it metaphorically. Some middle class people in the USA with long-term underemployment/unemployment, etc., probably "feel" like they are living in the poor house these days.

Just sayin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm glad things seem to be turning around for you. But this:

"we are not all so different from the poorest poor of the world."

Yes, OP, I also agree with much that you said, but not this. Times are hard for many in America, I agree, but it is just not comparable to what some of the poorest people in the world have to live with (filthy water, no sanitation etc.)

I think OP meant it metaphorically. Some middle class people in the USA with long-term underemployment/unemployment, etc., probably "feel" like they are living in the poor house these days.

Just sayin.

Maybe, but it's a shitty metaphor. What she actually said was that without credit we wouldn't be able to buy cars and houses. 'Cause that's remotely comparable to the "poorest poor of the world."