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Old 11-12-2007, 07:51 AM
 
238 posts, read 1,141,849 times
Reputation: 232

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Years ago I was broke a number of times and had to beg, borrow and steal to eat and pay my rent. I have been so poor that I ran out of gas on the way to pick up my paycheck. I have also given my body to science (medicine) to get money to pay for food. I was basically lazy and hated menial work, so I found being broke actually worse than doing a terrible job.

When was the last time you were broke, and why?
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Old 11-12-2007, 10:11 AM
 
Location: in drifts of snow wherever you go
2,493 posts, read 4,372,606 times
Reputation: 692
Goodtype, once again, I'm confused by your questions.

When were you ever broke?

In different posts and PMs, you've stated several different scenarios:

- Your parents died in a horrible accident leaving you money so that you'd never have to work again.

- You were the director at an IT company and retired successfully at age 44 after working with a brilliant financial advisor

- You won the lottery.

I'm confused. If you were able to save up money to retire at 44, how was it that you were ever broke?

Greenie
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Old 11-12-2007, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Cary, NC
2,407 posts, read 10,658,008 times
Reputation: 1380
goodtype,

Would you mind defining broke? You recently posted

http://www.city-data.com/forum/mortg...-purchase.html

and

http://www.city-data.com/forum/work-...full-time.html

I am especially confused. People that have $300k to pay for a house in cash do not meet the definition of broke.
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Old 11-12-2007, 10:36 AM
 
238 posts, read 1,141,849 times
Reputation: 232
Default Some clarification is in order

Yes, I did semi retire and moved to temporary and part time evening work 7 years ago after winning a lawsuit related to my parents death. I won the lottery in a sense financially but to this day I would prefer to have my folks around instead of the money.

Maybe that is why I was so poor at managing the money left over from my parents estate, life insurance and lawsuit proceeds. I thought I would be able to live on part time earnings but I overspent and got caught with some bad investments.

Now I am slowly running out of money nearly broke (except for the equity in my home ($300K) and working a few temp jobs while I look for full time work again. I have a hard time finding a full time professional job because I have been out of the professional work field for many years. See my other posts.

My current question related to being broke was connected to my financial situation of many years ago (20 +). I was then completely broke not just going broke like today. I hope this clarifies the situation.

So, have you been completely broke? Tell us your stories.
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Old 11-12-2007, 11:11 AM
 
Location: WA
5,640 posts, read 24,869,103 times
Reputation: 6573
As a young man I got into a very bad spot where I sold my old car to pay rent, had no job, wife was five months pregnant and not working, and had no money at all. I invited someone into the apartment to live in the living room to have enough money to buy food.

I was desperate for work and unskilled and without transportation. Determined to find work I went out one morning and walked to every place of business asking for work. By late afternoon I was over three miles from home but a furniture company hired me as a delivery helper. I walked the three miles to and from work every day and worked there for over six months until I found a better job on a bus line.

Was very poor for a long time but a couple of years later was able to buy a used car and start college at night.

I am now retired after long career in IT but anytime someone tells me how hard it is to find a job I think of that morning humbly walking into every business asking for work.
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Old 11-12-2007, 11:28 AM
 
8,894 posts, read 11,671,438 times
Reputation: 10795
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdelena View Post
As a young man I got into a very bad spot where I sold my old car to pay rent, had no job, wife was five months pregnant and not working, and had no money at all. I invited someone into the apartment to live in the living room to have enough money to buy food.

I was desperate for work and unskilled and without transportation. Determined to find work I went out one morning and walked to every place of business asking for work. By late afternoon I was over three miles from home but a furniture company hired me as a delivery helper. I walked the three miles to and from work every day and worked there for over six months until I found a better job on a bus line.

Was very poor for a long time but a couple of years later was able to buy a used car and start college at night.

I am now retired after long career in IT but anytime someone tells me how hard it is to find a job I think of that morning humbly walking into every business asking for work.
Good story!
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Old 11-12-2007, 12:07 PM
 
Location: in drifts of snow wherever you go
2,493 posts, read 4,372,606 times
Reputation: 692
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodtype View Post
Yes, I did semi retire and moved to temporary and part time evening work 7 years ago after winning a lawsuit related to my parents death. I won the lottery in a sense financially but to this day I would prefer to have my folks around instead of the money.

Maybe that is why I was so poor at managing the money left over from my parents estate, life insurance and lawsuit proceeds. I thought I would be able to live on part time earnings but I overspent and got caught with some bad investments.

Now I am slowly running out of money nearly broke (except for the equity in my home ($300K) and working a few temp jobs while I look for full time work again. I have a hard time finding a full time professional job because I have been out of the professional work field for many years. See my other posts.

My current question related to being broke was connected to my financial situation of many years ago (20 +). I was then completely broke not just going broke like today. I hope this clarifies the situation.

So, have you been completely broke? Tell us your stories.
Goodtype,

If you were set to retire at 44 with the help of a brilliant financial adviser, how did you manage to spend it all in 7 years? That seems like quite an accelerated rate of spending. It's almost hard to believe.

Greenie
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Old 11-12-2007, 12:21 PM
 
20,187 posts, read 23,761,184 times
Reputation: 9283
I am broke at the end of every month... All of it going to retirement, bills, home/land, and other people. I simply don't have a dime. I truly live paycheck to paycheck and I am earning much more than I did three years ago but then 3 years ago I didn't save a dime either because I was also living paycheck to paycheck - the only difference now is that I am able to save for retirement. Why am I broke? Half my monthly income goes to recurring bills and expenses, the other 40% goes to retirement, which leaves me with 10% of my monthly income to pay for food, gas, car maintenance, supporting my wife who lives in another state, send presents to family members, etc. etc... I don't live an extravagant lifestyle and yet I am in the top percentage in terms of income... I am very "un-wealthy" for a person with a high income...
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Old 11-12-2007, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,879,814 times
Reputation: 9885
Ok, here's mine. When I was 18 I was homeless (long story) and worked as a short order cook in a really crappy restaurant. I had no car, no savings, nothing. Out of desperation I applied for and got an apartment even though I knew I couldn't make the monthly payment. Actually, I couldn't even afford the first month's rent + security deposit. The only reason I even got the apartment is because I had a friend pose as my employer to verify nonexistent income.

Anyway, and this is TRUE, out of desperation I bought a pick 3 lottery ticket and played $1 box and $1 straight the day before I had to come up with the money. I had never gambled before in my entire life. Yeah, you guessed it, I hit and won exactly enough money for the deposit and rent. My next problem was that I needed a better job. I opened the classified and the only thing advertised that week that was within walking distance was a position for a police dispatcher. The only reason I even applied was because they posted the starting salary and it happened to be exactly what I needed in order to make rent. I campaigned like crazy for that job and got it.

I still struggled to pay for food, but luckily I had a boyfriend who would buy food if I'd cook--I'm a really good cook, among other things

I hate to admit it, but I got a little greedy after the initial win and of course went for the big jackpot. Needless to say I didn't win. I never won anything before that and I've never won anything since. And I don't gamble....oh yeah, and I married that boyfriend. The man's definitely a keeper
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Old 11-12-2007, 03:26 PM
 
20,187 posts, read 23,761,184 times
Reputation: 9283
Congrats bande1102 I am happy everything worked, somehow it was "fate" that you continue on!!
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