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Yes I also broke when I was studying in the engineering because my whole education completed on scholarship and one time I did not get scholarship and broke totally.
I had -$310 in my account at one time. I went away for christmas vacation and came back to see a note on the door of where I worked. They had closed and didn't even tell the hourly employees. I was a full time student living in a college town. I applied everywhere and could not find anything. The money in my bank account was slowly disappearing. I just moved to the city and had no one. I had my water cut off. Only ate ramen for over a month. I had to pay my rent but only had 100 in my account, so I over drafted. Then my electricity got cut off, in the middle of winter. A teacher told me about a internship that he had recommended me for. A paid internship making 15/hr. I didn't even think about internships because I wasn't very far into the program and didn't think I would qualify. Everything started to turn around.
In 1968 my husband left me. I had two babies, one 18 months old and the other two months old. No child support. I got a job paying $200 gross/month. Out of that I had to pay $80/month house payment plus utilities. I also had to pay for child care while I worked. My car was a 1952 Chevy with only one working gear. This was in Denver and the heat didnt work in either the car or the house.
Need I say that I lived paycheck to paycheck? One payday morning I ran out of gas in my driveway and had no way to get to work downtown. My boss mailed my paycheck to me and I walked five miles (carrying both kids) to the nearest bank to cash the check and then to a gas station to buy a gas can for the gas...then back five miles again to the house and car. Of course, I lost several days' pay while waiting at home for the check to arrive in the mail.
On weekends, I stood at street intersections, kids in tow, and offered to wash windshields. It was embarrassing but I was desperate to feed my babies in those days.
A divorced woman across the street from me also had two kids and was on welfare. She actually made more $$$ on welfare than I made working (after paying for child care and gas). She always laughed at me for my being so "stupid" as to refuse to go on welfare. She had no intention of ever going to work or getting off government assistance.
I struggled for years until my work ethic finally paid off and I started earning an excellent salary. I've never forgotten how hard life was for us back in the late 1960's and 1970's, though. So, over the years as my salary rose to six figures, I donated a good deal of $$$, anonymously, to struggling families. And I sometimes think about that neighbor who was content to live on welfare and wonder if she'd still think I was so stupid for taking a different road than she did.
In 1968 my husband left me. I had two babies, one 18 months old and the other two months old. No child support. I got a job paying $200 gross/month. Out of that I had to pay $80/month house payment plus utilities. I also had to pay for child care while I worked. My car was a 1952 Chevy with only one working gear. This was in Denver and the heat didnt work in either the car or the house.
Need I say that I lived paycheck to paycheck? One payday morning I ran out of gas in my driveway and had no way to get to work downtown. My boss mailed my paycheck to me and I walked five miles (carrying both kids) to the nearest bank to cash the check and then to a gas station to buy a gas can for the gas...then back five miles again to the house and car. Of course, I lost several days' pay while waiting at home for the check to arrive in the mail.
On weekends, I stood at street intersections, kids in tow, and offered to wash windshields. It was embarrassing but I was desperate to feed my babies in those days.
A divorced woman across the street from me also had two kids and was on welfare. She actually made more $$$ on welfare than I made working (after paying for child care and gas). She always laughed at me for my being so "stupid" as to refuse to go on welfare. She had no intention of ever going to work or getting off government assistance.
I struggled for years until my work ethic finally paid off and I started earning an excellent salary. I've never forgotten how hard life was for us back in the late 1960's and 1970's, though. So, over the years as my salary rose to six figures, I donated a good deal of $$$, anonymously, to struggling families. And I sometimes think about that neighbor who was content to live on welfare and wonder if she'd still think I was so stupid for taking a different road than she did.
Excellent story, thanks for sharing!
The attitude of the welfare person laughing at you (trying to make it on your own) is what is soooo wrong with this country.
You worked your way up and out, while the welfare person, stays at the same level, and for people that do work up and out, they have self respect, and good working ethics, and role model for their kids, something many welfare folks will never have.
You set a great example for your kids, I bet they arent a burden to society as so many others are (trying to beat the system)
About 6 years ago had been divorced for a while and had been using credit cards to fill gaps since the 75% reduction in income after the divorce. I was working two jobs, single mom, blah blah blah. I got the house in the divorce but really couldn't afford the payment on my own. My teenage daughter had worked all summer and was working part-time during the school year and was saving every cent toward a car she planned to purchase. We had a joint account (for what reason I don't remember, since underaged kids can have bank accounts).
A junk debt buyer creditor for a credit card was after me and even though I studied creditboards.com daily, was not successful in dealing with them in court and was unaware of what they could do.
It was Friday night, I had 1/4 tank of gas and $5 in my wallet. I had just written a check for two mortgage payments and was now going to be caught up. I realized the creditor had been able to get the sheriff to seize all money in my bank accounts so my mortgage payment bounced, but the worst of it was that all of my daughter's money was seized too. I felt terribly guilty, even though my daughter fortunately never found out. I borrowed the money that the creditor wanted from my parents, immediately called a real estate agent, had my house on the market within two weeks, sold it in about 45 days, paid my parents back, paid off all debts.
I must be one of those people who does not live and learn. My kids are financially independent, successful adults now at least so there is no more risk that they will suffer from my errors, but I am back to living last week's paycheck to paycheck. The only difference is I have little debt and no creditors are after me.
Last edited by Anonymouse2012; 11-14-2011 at 01:37 PM..
In 1968 my husband left me. I had two babies, one 18 months old and the other two months old. No child support. I got a job paying $200 gross/month. Out of that I had to pay $80/month house payment plus utilities. I also had to pay for child care while I worked. My car was a 1952 Chevy with only one working gear. This was in Denver and the heat didnt work in either the car or the house.
Need I say that I lived paycheck to paycheck? One payday morning I ran out of gas in my driveway and had no way to get to work downtown. My boss mailed my paycheck to me and I walked five miles (carrying both kids) to the nearest bank to cash the check and then to a gas station to buy a gas can for the gas...then back five miles again to the house and car. Of course, I lost several days' pay while waiting at home for the check to arrive in the mail.
On weekends, I stood at street intersections, kids in tow, and offered to wash windshields. It was embarrassing but I was desperate to feed my babies in those days.
A divorced woman across the street from me also had two kids and was on welfare. She actually made more $$$ on welfare than I made working (after paying for child care and gas). She always laughed at me for my being so "stupid" as to refuse to go on welfare. She had no intention of ever going to work or getting off government assistance.
I struggled for years until my work ethic finally paid off and I started earning an excellent salary. I've never forgotten how hard life was for us back in the late 1960's and 1970's, though. So, over the years as my salary rose to six figures, I donated a good deal of $$$, anonymously, to struggling families. And I sometimes think about that neighbor who was content to live on welfare and wonder if she'd still think I was so stupid for taking a different road than she did.
I wish you could teach a class to people who want to help themselves out of a financial bind. I think you'd be great!
As a teenage back in the 70s sharing an apartment with my older brother and a friend. We all lost our jobs to a very bad recession, my car broke down, little to no food in the house. I was all alone and extremely hungry in the middle of winter. There was only a bag of flower and a can of sardines to consume. I elected to bake bread. Add water to flower, pop into the oven and presto, one big warm loaf of bread. NOT. One big pan full of clay. Lesson learned? Sardines are good.
College... Remeber eating crap food from my part time job for most of my food.
But I guess technically once I had about $1k in my account, and I had like $8k on a card, and I was $200k in medical debt, and on leave from work(non-paid)
Sent from my autocorrect butchering device.
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My car is on 'E' and I have about $0.30 until I get paid on Friday.
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