Retiring Poor Is NOT as Bad as You Think! (crying, husband, raising)
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Did you read the part where I lost my on-campus job when I graduated? (The position was dependent on being registered as a student.) Cash flow constraints made moving blind (i.e. without a job lined up at destination) a dubious proposition.
Did you read the part where I lost my on-campus job when I graduated? (The position was dependent on being registered as a student.) Cash flow constraints made moving blind (i.e. without a job lined up at destination) a dubious proposition.
And then worked in equivalent jobs at equivalent pay for the next 37 years. Too timid to make any kind of move. You had chances and opportunities to make things happen for yourself but refused. In short, you've forfeited your right to complain at this late date.
Know what I did when I found myself in your exact situation at the same age? I joined the Army. And the next year went to OCS. And eventually retired from the Army.
You (if your story is true) flipped burgers for the next 30+ years, throwing your life away. And you now expect some kind of sympathy? Forget that!
Piece of cake, just make your home and car the same thing. I lived in a camper I built on the back of a Toyota truck for 13 years. I bought food, gas, auto insurance, the occasional truck part, and not much else. I had a solar panel and extra batteries, and upgraded my laptop to a new 5 year old model every year or so. Spent most of my time camping on BLM or NF land in beautiful spots, moving with the seasons.
Even counting depreciation on the truck I'm sure I spent <$5k/yr (mostly in the 90s). I had enough saved prior that I was earning $7-8k/yr on interest from CDs. It's easy to do if you like nature and solitude, and don't feel the need to live next to a hospital.
So true. It is very doable. I think I could try that for a while but we have our 24 year old still here. Probably not going anywhere.
Good for you, nice to hear how you got by so easily
Did you read the part where I lost my on-campus job when I graduated? (The position was dependent on being registered as a student.) Cash flow constraints made moving blind (i.e. without a job lined up at destination) a dubious proposition.
Haven't you ended up in an awful position anyway years out? It's water under the bridge at this point, but had I the same mentality as you I would still be making <$12/hr, and not nearly $60k like I am now.
Did you read the part where I lost my on-campus job when I graduated? (The position was dependent on being registered as a student.) Cash flow constraints made moving blind (i.e. without a job lined up at destination) a dubious proposition.
So, you just didn't realize that you would be graduating and losing your college job?
LOL, you didn't think ahead? Didn't line up a job for after graduation? Didn't intern anywhere?
I'm amazed you made it through college!
Gosh, I didn't even finish high school; imagine what I could have accomplished with a college degree! Instead of making $72k as I am now, I could have probably added another $100k to that!
I have a brother who lives on his $12,000 SS in Wisconsin. He is a veteran, so utilizes the VZ benefit for health care and RX, he gets about $18.00 in SNAP, gets some utility assistance, gets food from a local pantry, and gets more that he needs including all paper products. Since it is in a tourist/retirement area, the local thrift shop has new cheap clothes and also gets free items at the food pantry. He gets his Medicare payment paid for by the state, has an older truck, small both, and owns a trailer, so basically only pays for some utilities, gas, an lot rental, and a little food. He fishes all summer, winters are brutal, but has managed. I am thankful for this, since I would rather he be happy, than worrying about every penny. This is a guy who did not work much from 40 - 65, but in the end, did live with and kept my mother company, drove her around. So it depends on where you live, and how many people are using the food pantries, etc.
Just my opinion here. Thinking that it would be nice to keep addressing the OP's first post, rather than falling into the old thing of beating up on anyone, even if it's tempting to do so. I'm losing track of the original point.
I think the tough part comes when comparing someone who has nothing in savings to speak of, no paid for home or condo, and gets $1,200 social security. This opens a lot of doors for them in assistance.
Compare that to someone else who has a small paid for house, two hundred thousand in savings, and a $1,200 soc. security check. Who is going to be better off? My guess is #1 is more secure than #2.
#1 is going to get a generous housing subsidy, utilities and maybe cable or internet. A little food stamps, a free phone, medicare/medicaid, free prescriptions, free dental and eye glasses and free transportation.
#2 gets to pay real estate taxes, home insurance, home upkeep and repairs, medigap and co-pays to doctors and maybe deductibles, prescriptions, utilities, phone, internet, cable. Hmmmm, what to chose, what to chose.
Only consolation is #2 will most likely one day become #1. So for #1 and #2 - the "inbetweeners" (my made up word), I guess it's good that it is there.
What's unreal about it? People were fleeing the entire Rust Belt at the time because jobs were scarce.
Ever been to Flint or Detroit or Allentown?
More of the same. Useless!
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