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Old 03-12-2015, 11:30 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,271,327 times
Reputation: 38559

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
Really. It's hard to get past "living between the redwoods and the ocean".
I know! I'm poor but I'm so blessed in my location now. Took my dog to the water yesterday, and she hunted rats in the seawall. It was misty, but we went in-between heavy showers. Today it wasn't rainy, but couldn't decide if it wanted to be cloudy or sunny, and I took her to the woods.

I highly suggest, if you're going to be poor, be poor somewhere you enjoy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windwalker2 View Post
To this I would add that if you have learned how to take advantage of public resources available to you, then don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it. Those resources were put into place by society to help those who need them.
This is one of the reasons I put up with the abuse here regarding being on the dole. I can take the abuse, being a feisty Irish/French old gal, and I know others need this info, and to know that others are on the dole with no shame whatsoever.

We paid into the system that takes care of poor old people. It's called insurance. And there's no shame in using your insurance. IMO.
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Old 03-13-2015, 04:32 AM
 
Location: Traveling
7,019 posts, read 6,226,298 times
Reputation: 14648
Another thing no one has mentioned, normaly by the time we retire we have all the 'stuff' ' we need, cooking, clothes, etc. So it is not like when we were young. So it is rent, utilities, and food. The occasional night out. It's really that hard. Yes, you don't live the high life, but it can still be a pleasant life.
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Old 03-13-2015, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Central Florida
3,255 posts, read 4,960,182 times
Reputation: 14987
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
The moral of the story is, you don't need big bucks to retire. You can do it on little bucks if you do it carefully. It's all about not listening to the smug voices on the outside that tell you otherwise but rather listening to the smart voices on the inside that got you successfully through the crises the life situations that brought you to where you are.

There is never "enough." Enough is whatever you have.
Beautifully said, Minervah. Sorry I can't rep you again.
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Old 03-14-2015, 03:58 AM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,311,674 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
The moral of the story is, you don't need big bucks to retire. You can do it on little bucks if you do it carefully. It's all about not listening to the smug voices on the outside that tell you otherwise but rather listening to the smart voices on the inside that got you successfully through the crises the life situations that brought you to where you are.

There is never "enough." Enough is whatever you have.

What if what you have is not sufficient to pay for rent, food, and adequate healthcare?
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Old 03-14-2015, 07:13 AM
 
Location: CT
3,440 posts, read 2,506,758 times
Reputation: 4639
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdflk View Post
To anyone who feels 'bad' about not having "enough" saved for retirement.....if you'e been a survivor of some of the hardest knocks life can throw at you, take pride in THAT. You're still here...and others are not. And you're not going down and out without a fight. I know fighting or responding to and dealing with the comments of people who are ignorant of your circumstances can be "tiring"...but shake that off....and live as "abundantly" as YOU can. That's all any of us can do anyway.
You are dead on! I'd also add, some people will "brag" how well off they are, but if you could see under the covers they may not be as well off as they claim. I remember during the nineties our neighbor was going on vacation, buying cars, living large, planning for early retirement. I thought, what are we doing wrong? Well, in 2009 they were filing for bankruptsy, and finally lost their house. They had taken a HELOC on the house and lived and spent like "jet setters" and now their house was upside down. Things may not always be as they appear, so don't let it bother you, you live happier and longer.
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Old 03-15-2015, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,835,434 times
Reputation: 32530
Quote:
Originally Posted by snowtired14 View Post
You are dead on! I'd also add, some people will "brag" how well off they are, but if you could see under the covers they may not be as well off as they claim. I remember during the nineties our neighbor was going on vacation, buying cars, living large, planning for early retirement. I thought, what are we doing wrong? Well, in 2009 they were filing for bankruptcy, and finally lost their house. They had taken a HELOC on the house and lived and spent like "jet setters" and now their house was upside down. Things may not always be as they appear, so don't let it bother you, you live happier and longer.
Your neighbor is the perfect example of why some of us bristle about a certain (large?) subset of people who end up on the public dole - not all people who end up there, but people like him. The idea that your neighbor will someday be living off my tax dollars makes me want to vomit. Let him eat dog food. The main reason I have a comfortable, if modest, lifestyle is that I did NOT do the things your neighbor did, and now I am penalized for it while he reaps the benefit.

The other side of the coin, for example, would be someone who was disabled in an auto accident (not driving drunk or anything of the sort, but the other driver's fault). The idea that my tax dollars are helping such a victim gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I'm glad I live in a country where generous help is available to such unlucky souls.

Realistically speaking, government cannot be expected to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving, of course. It is just one of those situations where the lack of fairness is part of life, and while we can bemoan it, there is no good solution. (I do not consider doing away with the safety net an acceptable solution).
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Old 03-15-2015, 01:34 PM
 
2,010 posts, read 3,162,775 times
Reputation: 4062
I can relate to the last two posts. I grew up in an area that over time became very expensive and "status oriented." People who used their appreciated homes as ATM cash machines ... boats, expensive cars, lots of vacations, etc, until the crash occurred. Now I live in a different part of the country (lower COL) and amazed at some of the men I've dated briefly ... late-50s to early-60s who used to have expensive homes and businesses that failed due to very poor life choices ... Excessive drinking, smoking, partying hard, a few failed marriages with much younger women who eventually took them to the cleaners. One of them were trying to get on disability (currently not working), yet still drove expensive vehicles and take vacations, a smaller home not paid off but hide their assets in another family member's name.

As a long-time single, working mother of two kids now in their mid-20s who I try to help some with their college debt and try my best to keep myself debt free while trying to have some savings and contribute the max to my 401k at work, I do have a big problem with these types of people. This doesn't pertain at all to those people who are truly deserving of public assistance. It just amazes me at some situations where there seems to be abuse of the system.

Last edited by smpliving; 03-15-2015 at 01:48 PM..
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Old 03-15-2015, 07:23 PM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,311,674 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
Your neighbor is the perfect example of why some of us bristle about a certain (large?) subset of people who end up on the public dole - not all people who end up there, but people like him. The idea that your neighbor will someday be living off my tax dollars makes me want to vomit. Let him eat dog food. The main reason I have a comfortable, if modest, lifestyle is that I did NOT do the things your neighbor did, and now I am penalized for it while he reaps the benefit.

The other side of the coin, for example, would be someone who was disabled in an auto accident (not driving drunk or anything of the sort, but the other driver's fault). The idea that my tax dollars are helping such a victim gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I'm glad I live in a country where generous help is available to such unlucky souls.

Realistically speaking, government cannot be expected to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving, of course. It is just one of those situations where the lack of fairness is part of life, and while we can bemoan it, there is no good solution. (I do not consider doing away with the safety net an acceptable solution).

Government decided long ago that I would not have the option of buying a tiny home where I live. If I had been allowed to do that 30 years ago, today I would have a paid-off house, instead of paying over half my income to rent a room. So government decided that the money I had hoped to save for retirement went instead to pay inflated rents.
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Old 03-15-2015, 07:52 PM
 
2,420 posts, read 4,352,155 times
Reputation: 3528
Quote:
Originally Posted by freemkt View Post
Government decided long ago that I would not have the option of buying a tiny home where I live. If I had been allowed to do that 30 years ago, today I would have a paid-off house, instead of paying over half my income to rent a room. So government decided that the money I had hoped to save for retirement went instead to pay inflated rents.
Hard to understand your thinking here. You are blaming the government for your not being able to buy a home at some point in your life? There were many times that a home could be purchased either through the FHA or Va, for either 0 to 3% down (even with sellers picking up your closing costs). All you needed was a very small down payment and decent credit.

How do you figure it is the government's fault for your not taking advantage of one of these programs?
How were you not allowed to buy a tiny home?
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Old 03-15-2015, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Traveling
7,019 posts, read 6,226,298 times
Reputation: 14648
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
Your neighbor is the perfect example of why some of us bristle about a certain (large?) subset of people who end up on the public dole - not all people who end up there, but people like him. The idea that your neighbor will someday be living off my tax dollars makes me want to vomit. Let him eat dog food. The main reason I have a comfortable, if modest, lifestyle is that I did NOT do the things your neighbor did, and now I am penalized for it while he reaps the benefit.

The other side of the coin, for example, would be someone who was disabled in an auto accident (not driving drunk or anything of the sort, but the other driver's fault). The idea that my tax dollars are helping such a victim gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I'm glad I live in a country where generous help is available to such unlucky souls.

Realistically speaking, government cannot be expected to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving, of course. It is just one of those situations where the lack of fairness is part of life, and while we can bemoan it, there is no good solution. (I do not consider doing away with the safety net an acceptable solution).
Thank you for saying that escort. I felt like a victim for so long & now that I'm finally getting disability, after 2+ years after the car accident(which I still can't figure out why she ran that red light. She was close to my age, not a kid.) But it took 2+ years to prove I was disabled.

Yesterday I really wanted to wash my car & the car wash was out of service. It took 3 breaks before I finished it, and that is my life. If I can even do anything, it takes 3 times as long. It's really hard to adjust to.
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