Unusual things people are going without in this economy

[olepossum]

well mc gear head they aint working for less than minimum wage and washing windows they are in the meat packing plants and you dont buy the stuff they buy on less than minimum so the theroy they work for less than we do is bullcr-p when plant is union

and when you work for nation wide chainstore you dont work for less than minimum you work for min for 6 months and leave town come back 30 days later and do it all over again

and they dont work harder than we do they do as little as possiable unless you threaten their check trust me i worked with 30 last summer i was 10 bales of hay to their 5 so the work theroy is cr-p

it all boils down to the owners of the companys they work tax free for 6 months and go home and the company has to pay no taxes on them not much lost and a lot gained

 

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[K*E*L*L*Y]

olepossum,

Here is just a little tip to make you feel better.

When you see someone (of any color or any race) driving around in a financed car, living in a financed house, and spending a whole lot more than is normal - they aren't doing better than you - in fact - they are probably WAY, WAY in debt, and the house of cards will eventually fall down.

I'd rather be driving by 5 year old SUV, with my 1989 pick-up truck, living on property that is fully paid for, with a cell phone that is pay-as-you-go, so there are no cell bills, but I can call 911 if I need to, and having a garden so I never have to buy vegetables, and work part-time for a rancher so we don't have to pay for beef or sheep, make a trip once a month to the "big city" to buy for the entire month (saves over $150.00 a month, buying toilet paper and Bounty and coffee and sugar - and some other items, in bulk). If I buy something with my credit card, I pay it off every month (which is a good thing since every credit card has raised my rates - my lowest now, which used to be 6.99% is 14.99%, and they never actually get to charge it). I barter a bunch of stuff in the summer - fresh veggies for home-gathered honey, and other stuff - we always have a big garden and can and freeze for us - but there is always extra for sale and trades right up to Thanksgiving, where we are getting rid of the last of our pumpkins. Heck, I've even traded an old violin for a wood stove.

Anyone who lives within their means are always "richer" than those who charge everything. And you can sleep better at night.

B

If you can look at someone and say "how can they afford that when I can't" - they probably cannot afford it.

WOW! this isnt ALWAYS THE CASE! i choose to put most things i buy on my amex.
and i dont work... and i dont NEED to either! I have a wonderful trust fund from my
family... and if I want to buy things... who cares how or where I GOT THE MONEY!
not everyone who gets out a chargecard is in debt over their head! and i also choose NOT to pay off
my home... i NEED the tax write off from the interest on the loan to off set other capital gains.
so again... YOU MIGHT BE WRONG HERE! .... just a thought!

 

[czechdetectingtours.com]

In all seriousness, it is extremely tough at the moment

The 10-20 million illegals are having the best time of their lives.....

Yep, working in the slaughterhouse and picking strawberries in the sun all day is REAL FUN woo-hoo!

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

Im in bad credit card debt, well its not bad but at my present income it will take some time to pay it off. the good thing is I went from 15k in credit card debt to about 8k in the past year and a half and got rid of about 4-5 other credit cards. My car will be paid off this winter after 5 years so no more $600 a month payments but Im really tempted to buy a new 435hp SRT version of my SUV, you only live once right?

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

Saw two news items recently about expenses people are doing without in these tough times - birth control pills and car insurance. Heard of any others?

Here you go to jail without car insurance and they impound the car.

 

[K*E*L*L*Y]

Saw two news items recently about expenses people are doing without in these tough times - birth control pills and car insurance. Heard of any others?

Here you go to jail without car insurance and they impound the car.

but still.... lots of americans DONT have ins. thats why its best to pay a little more on your
own ins and get "uninsured" coverage too.... otherwise you'd be F if they hit you.

 

[WindHarvester]

Scotch and Hookers.

 

[Immy]

Im in bad credit card debt, well its not bad but at my present income it will take some time to pay it off. the good thing is I went from 15k in credit card debt to about 8k in the past year and a half and got rid of about 4-5 other credit cards. My car will be paid off this winter after 5 years so no more $600 a month payments but Im really tempted to buy a new 435hp SRT version of my SUV, you only live once right?

Aaahh! Don't spoil that great progress with a huge credit purchase. Apply that $600 to your credit card debt (in addition to what you're already paying on them) and you'll be debt free in less than the year and a half it took you to go from 15k to 8k. No new car looks as good as debt-free feels!

 

[simonds]

I'm self-employed and work is slow, and will be thru the winter months. I am researching many good treasure hunting sites, but will not be able to go to far and hunt them because of gas prices. I have to put off many things that I really enjoy. I will have to stay home mostly and be an armchair treasure hunter.
Happy Trails to all of you,

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Kelly,

You are correct - it is not always the case. But - if you had to bet on it, the chances are much more likely that it is what I said, and not the case you presented.

Though, I would really have to think hard about the morals of a person who does nothing with their lives, just because their family has money, and they get money for free.

B

 

[umrgolf]

Kelly,

You are correct - it is not always the case. But - if you had to bet on it, the chances are much more likely that it is what I said, and not the case you presented.

Though, I would really have to think hard about the morals of a person who does nothing with their lives, just because their family has money, and they get money for free.

B

Wow

 

[K*E*L*L*Y]

Kelly,

You are correct - it is not always the case. But - if you had to bet on it, the chances are much more likely that it is what I said, and not the case you presented.

Though, I would really have to think hard about the morals of a person who does nothing with their lives, just because their family has money, and they get money for free.

B

OK AGAIN WITH THE STEREOTYPES!
ill be happy to list ALL the nonprofit organizations i work
for..... FOR FREE ! all thankless volunteer jobs... for people
who dont have as much as i do... and BTW i dont live ABOVE my
means... i have the smallest home... and i dont drive 100k suv's...
but i guess i could... and IM STILL A GREAT PERSON! im very blessed and
i have NEVER done anything to shame my family or make anyone feel
badly for having less than i do.

 

[K*E*L*L*Y]

Kelly,

You are correct - it is not always the case. But - if you had to bet on it, the chances are much more likely that it is what I said, and not the case you presented.

Though, I would really have to think hard about the morals of a person who does nothing with their lives, just because their family has money, and they get money for free.

B

Wow

yuppers! and youve been to my house! i need a jet for my runway... its empty right now!!

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Kelly,

My, my, we are taking my opinion personal, aren't we?

If you are doing something worthwhile with your life, I am obviously not talking about you. So, you are rich, you live off your family and you spend your time helping others - good for you!

But I know many more people, in my many years, that are not rich, don't live off mommy and daddy or grandparents, but work. They have mortgages because they HAVE to, they finance their cars because they HAVE to, to drive to their jobs. Sorry, that's not a stereo type, its the real world.

I find it funny that you immediately jumped up to say what a do-gooder you are. You want the "other" stereotype. That all rich people help out in the world - and its just not that way. Sorry to tell you , but many "unrich" people go out of their way for others also. The point is: you cannot live outside your means forever. Not if you are rich, not if you are not-so-rich, not if you are poor. You just cannot live outside of your means, and many, many people do.

I believe the subject, specifically, that I was speaking of, is the person who lives way beyond their means - way beyond what they can afford.
In fact, my exact words were "driving around in a financed car, living in a financed house, and spending a whole lot more than is normal - they aren't doing better than you - in fact - they are probably WAY, WAY in debt, and the house of cards will eventually fall down". So, you see, I am not stereotyping anyone in particular - except that particular type of lifestyle.

And, I will stick to what I said. Most of the people who have answered this, on this thread, have said things like, I cannot afford it, so I don't want it, the economy is slow, but I'm paying things off slowly, and that is great.


But there are thousands who are in the toilet, right now, because they have to have everything, and they have to have it right now, but don't ever save for a rainy day - well, the rainy days are here, and a large percentage of people that I see, every single day, are having to sell their cars, or turn them in, - in other words, got all caught up in the "bubble" in our society, that just burst last year. And it isn't just here, it is all around the country. Do you think the government would be talking about bailing out all these places and people if everyone, or at least the majority, had lived within their means Come on now.

If you try to live within your means, and save for rainy days, the hurt would be much less than it is. And that includes companies and individuals.

If you don't, and you find yourself financing everything - not just the necessities, you are in for a fall, and, its hard to get sleep when you don't know where the next mortgage payment money is coming from, or how you are going to buy your kids their next pair of shoes.

Someplace, along the line, a lot of people came to the conclusion that they absolutely NEED a plasma TV, they absolutely NEED a Wii, they absolutely NEED a cellphone, they absolutely NEED to have the latest and greatest in computers, or Xboxes. They absolutely NEED to spend thousands on their children for Christmas, they absolutely NEED to go spend thousands on their weddings, and thousands more on their honeymoons, and have to have 3000 square foot houses for their first homes. Boy, I watch some of these property shows, and for the life of me, I cannot understand how nonchalent some people are about spending 500,000 bucks on their first home, just because they have "been approved for that much money". Makes me shiver to think about being in debt that much. And they get double mortgages and what not.

I could not ever live that way. (and I've been playing the real estate game for a loooong time.)

B

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

Kelly,

You are correct - it is not always the case. But - if you had to bet on it, the chances are much more likely that it is what I said, and not the case you presented.

Though, I would really have to think hard about the morals of a person who does nothing with their lives, just because their family has money, and they get money for free.

B

OK AGAIN WITH THE STEREOTYPES!
ill be happy to list ALL the nonprofit organizations i work
for..... FOR FREE ! all thankless volunteer jobs... for people
who dont have as much as i do... and BTW i dont live ABOVE my
means... i have the smallest home... and i dont drive 100k suv's...
but i guess i could... and IM STILL A GREAT PERSON! im very blessed and
i have NEVER done anything to shame my family or make anyone feel
badly for having less than i do.

IDK about very blessed, i'd keep it at blessed I mean im way sexier than your BF, cooler too, ask Ma. I bet he doesnt have a 351c 4bbl in his garage either and I bet he drinks wine.

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

I've been paying for auto insurance for 35 years now. Sometimes, I only have liability-the minimum. Whenever I was purchasing a vehicle with a bank loan, they require you to have full coverage. Very expensive, but I understand that the lien holder wants to protect their property until it's been paid for. The higher cost of full coverage in addition to the interest laden auto loan payments make it very hard to have money for other mundane things like rent, food, etc.
I haven't had an accident that was my fault or a ticket of any kind for over 25 years. Seems like my insurance company should pay ME or else a years free premium....
What a scam. The insurance companies know that you MUST have insurance and stick it to you.


Wonder if health care insurance is going to be just like that.
I haven't been sick or injured for over 10 years now. Don't need health insurance. Don't want it, can't afford it and DON'T want to be forced into it.

"Hi. I'm from the Government and I'm here to help...."

Scott

I paid for my own insurance for about 4 years at 250 a month which was a "great deal" thats 3k a year and I never used it once, that was 12k for nothing. Health insurance was originally intended to be used in case of catastrophic injury not for every time you get a cold and run to the doctor like it is today which is what drive up prices. Two years ago I got rid of it since then I have spent 65 bucks for a checkup and like 12 bucks for a prescription. Im now covered through my work but in those 2 years I saved 6k, well $5,933? I think if everyone stopped taking med's every time they sneezed and stopped hitting the ER everytime their toe hurt we would all save a fortune on insurance. At least make some insurance breaks for people who dont use it like the safe driver program some auto insurers use. If someone doesnt smoke, exercises, and is in good shape why should they pay the same as the person who smokes and drinks everyday, eats fast food, and watches TV?

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

That's how the insurance companies do it.

Everyone is in a group of some type - either age, sex, type of car, previous history or health or driving record, even if you had an accident that is not your fault, and, of course, statistics. Now, obviously, there are some places that are better than others.

Wait until you are sixty+, and try to get insurance on your own when you've had a medical condition. If you stopped smoking 5 years ago, you can get insurance. (at a more reasonable rate) than you can if you had a stroke 5 years ago. Even AARP the "nobody is rejected" will reject you for life insurance. (or drop you if you already have it).

That is one thing I wish they would/could change.

But, it is the same with many other things that the population uses. Electric rates are based on averages, telephone, internet - all those things are charged as the market will bear. Cell phone deposits are based on past experiences (as are their contracts).

When there is a major shift in services that go unpaid for, the balances are spread out among the rest - so, even if you and I pay bills, every month, on time, the rates can go up if there starts to be a significant percentage that defaults. (to keep their profit margin).

Yep, it sucks sometimes, but, that's the way it is in a lot of cases.

B

PS - you were talking about not having any accidents, etc - I know what you are saying - not to mention - the car you are driving might be getting older, so, replacement value is decreased, but, they don't care.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Beth You, ORO and I are going to get along just fine. Get to cracking on your Spanish

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[AU24K]

One other thing that I forgot to mention about full coverage auto insurance; your rates are also dictated by WHERE you live. They always ask, "Where is the vehicle "garaged" at night?" Seems that if you live in an affluent neighborhood, you pay more. They say that it is based on vandalism statistics. You know the slum viz a viz Easy Street. Yeah, Right....

Scott

PS. Funny how it is when you don't have alot of money how educated you get about where EVERY penny goes....

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

That's a very good point, AU24K,

I would have assume that there are more valuables to steal in an affluent neighborhood than in one that is more slum area. I'm not sure that the slum areas are packed with diamonds and nice cars as much as an affluent neighborhood - but, I don't know. I also would think that maybe, there might be older cars (not older as in classic), and not as many people would have full coverage.

But, again - it's also based on how many miles you drive, whether you use it for work or pleasure - anything the insurance companies can come up with to charge you more.

B