How are you coping these days? Share your story.

If it helps anyone in the thread, I will say that I have been taking Skyfloating's heartfelt advice about living life with the attitude of an abundance of blessings and I think it truly helps.

"It's not your apptitude but your attitude that determines your altitude," as Brother Jesse is found of saying. Throw in a bit of Sky's gratitude and I'm just clinging to my timeline - praying for everyone.



[edit on 1/7/2008 by kosmicjack]

The thing that gets me, with all these people suffering, when I think of all the money (not to mention lives) waisted in this stupid war. Please, I don't want to reduce what's becoming a very heartfelt and important thread and shift it into a discussion of the war. But still, we could have REALLY used that money.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


well - i don't have the kind of energy necessary right now for a "War - what is it good for"? discussion

but - whichever side you're are on - can't help mention it when it comes to the economy - and how it's affecting people - if not economically then just psychologically

it's definitely part of the mix

good topic - interesting to see how far this thread goes - and where it goes

reply to post by schrodingers dog


The whole college landscape has changed dramatically from when I went to college. I managed to pay for college with a few small loans and a lot of work on the side. Now, not only is it almost impossible to find work for unskilled laborers (thanks to the overload of illegals), college costs are unbelievably high and simply not covered by scholarships.

My son got a partial scholarship to one New England school that would pay for all but 15K of his costs. That yearly extra $15K still puts his education out of reach.

reply to post by SevenThunders


I'm sorry, I didn't realize how far out of touch I was with college costs. When I went to college back in the mid/late eighties state college tuitions were almost nothing.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Typical costs at most colleges is $40-$50K a year. A state college may be a bit less, say $30K. It's actually out of reach for most middle class Americans who have to handle all the taxes, gas and other expenses of day to day living.

This is how they want it. An uneducated underclass is perfect for total enslavement. Your best bet to get your child through college is to send them to Iraq, hope they don't get killed or injected with government bio-experiments in the form of vaccines and then go for getting college paid by the military. Why bother with the draft, when the military may be the only way to get a college education.

Not that college will help you much. In fact you may be better off in trade school learning to work with your hands. It's more difficult to outsource service jobs (though they are trying).

[edit on 1-7-2008 by SevenThunders]

reply to post by SevenThunders


You know ST,
I follow the news be it what they feed us on tv and in the papers, I read alternative news sources, I've got my XM dial set on BBC international, and like most members of ATS understand that there are powerful people in this world who attempt to shape the events on this planet.
But to tell you the truth, on a personal level, what is happening to this country and the world over is really good for no one. Maybe all the secret societies aren't writing memos to each other or maybe they're just not that good at the whole "world domination" thing.
But if you can't send your kid to school, and if amatrine had to put her cat to sleep because both of you can't afford these costs, then it really doesn't matter what the Bilderberg group is plotting.
As demonstrated on this thread, yours and other people's suffering is real and it is happening right now, and it has brought tears to my eyes since this thread started.

Well its not all jobs here in Canada either. I lost my job in the lumber industry,and because of that the town turned into a ghost town within months. Now my house is lost value,and up for sale like everyone else. Till the housing market turns around. From CANADA, made in china. Peace,Love,and good happiness stuff.

Well, I guess I could add to the litany. This reminds me somehow of 'Captains Courageous' where at the end of the season, everyone gathers and remembers what they lost.

For those who never read it, you should but don't worry. It's not too much of a loss, all things being what they are.

For myself, I had begun to adjust in April. I left the military and traded in my premium-fuel drinking luxury car for a small truck that got roughly the same mileage for 20 cents less a gallon. By April I had abandoned the truck for my daily commute and simply took the train and a bicycle. I was working for Adobe, troubleshooting Photoshop software and making a little over $13 an hour. I adjusted my schedule to work four ten-hour days rather than five regular days, which was great since I'm a single parent to boot. Gave me more time with the kids and a day less per week to pay for daycare. I sold most of my gun collection, built up over the last few years, keeping only the three 'essentials.' And... then I went to Utah for a writer's workshop and came back to find myself being laid off. I haven't worked since the middle of May, and I thank my lucky stars that I don't have a house payment to speak of. I survive now on the graces of friends and family(living on my step-dad's farm in a farm-hand home), and a tiny unemployment stipend from the state. Oh, and food stamps. ( I HATE having to rely upon outside help) usually my monthly bills only come up to $1200, simple things like food and gas aside. Those are the debtors, truck and insurance, rent, etc. I currently owe nearly 3K right now, as I can't make my bills, and the number will only rise until I can up my income.

So far they're being understanding, but eventually something's going to give. The fun part is that while I have some certifications and plenty of experience within the military, little of it is useful in the 'real' world. I can do more, better, in an IT environment, than any fresh graduate. But I won't find much use for the other half of my military training, where we actually got certified for our work. Noope, my best bet is to get my arse into school again and get a new skill under my belt, or perhaps lay a nice shiny degree on top of years of experience.

I cope because I have to. Just as many of us do. If we didn't cope, if we didn't hold out that things will improve, we would have given up already. As to how I cope, well, I'm not in a bottle. I gave up smoking when I left the Corps, and it's too expensive besides. So I tinker around on my truck and a little 4-cyl project car, I play with my kids, I self-educate and work on my book, I clean my weapons on the porch while the mailman drives by with those pesky bills...

Well, maybe not the last one, but you folks get the picture. When the big things in life start to weigh you down, it's time to appreciate the little things again.

When I first started out on my own at twenty, I rented a quarter of a house within walking distance to my job at Metro Hospital for 150 a month. Things were getting weird at home. I graduated in the top 20 percent of my class at the wrestling mecca St. Eds.
The smell of the steel mill in the morning would wake me up.
I had one thing going for me. I ran five miles a day and benched over 300.

Bullet proof invincible. Worked my way up through the ranks and did 55k one year with one and a half jobs. Life, love was good.

Realized my dream of buying my own home in '93. Cement pond and everything. About three years ago I kept getting sick. Normal cold/flus hanging on for weeks.

Savings, 401k, gone. My equity loan has floated me for the time being.
Went to docs last week. My hematocrit is 32. I have chronic pain and some neuropathy.

It's been a good ride. I wouldn't change it for a moment. Well, maybe some things.

Not being healthy enough to work has put me on zoloft. The first antidepressant I've ever been on. Cherish every blessing, we know not what tomorrow may bring.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Recently unemployed, I live with my wife and a roommate in a 2 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, NY. How do I cope? I drink a lot!

compared to a lot of people in this world, I'm doing
great. my stomach is full everyday.

I'm in california.
I find food to still be cheap. I go to costco, i have
to feed my daughter and I. every 2 weeks I buy
box of oatmeal $10 2 bags veggies $10 eggs $8
snacks $12 fruit $15 chicken nuggets $10 coffee $8 once/month
sugar $7 once/month milk $6
huge bag of rice $30 - only once a month- I think thats
how much it is now,i havent bought rice in a while cause
I stocked up a few months ago.
We can both be full on $50/week.

I cut costs when I stopped buying
bottled water. I bought the berkey water filter system,
its allready paid for itself.

wow, your energy costs are high, my electricity is about
$40/month. but thats without using the air conditioner and
heater. when its hot, we eat popsicles, about $8 for a
huge box at costco, i think theres over 100 in there. when
its cold we wear extra sweaters, socks, jackets. A few
times it would be too cold so I have to turn the heater on.

My daughters health insurance is $54/month.
I dont have any, I'm pretty healthy,
just hope I stay that way, hehe, knock on wood.
I used to smoke but I quit. way too expensive, but I'm glad now.

I rent, if I cant pay, well I have a tent
for emergencies, and sleeping bags.
I have food/water stocked up too.
Thats my cushion. We can survive 6 months with what i have
stocked up.

gas is killing me though. we stay home most of the time.
only to work and back. i cant handle that anymore.
its just not worth it to drive around anymore, you know just
for visits and fun with family. anyway,thats why I started
coming on here a lot so I hope all of you dont get too annoyed.

The whole thing really is an awful mess.


The stories I hear on a daily basis are hearbreaking. I get to talk to people who are trying to refinance their homes in order to pay off debt and help them survive the overwhelming increases in cost of living. It is hard seeing people who have worked their whole lives end up ruined and unable to even feed themselves due to illness or job loss. The worst part for them is the lending rules have changed now to the point that if a person is even 30 days late on a mortgage just one time, their odds of being able to do anything to help themselves is all but gone. All that equity sits there unable to be touched, while home prices plummet as owners sit and watch.

When elderly people are having to make the life and death decisions to either pay their insurance premiums in order to keep their health benefits or buy food for the month, it is a sad state of affairs. You would absolutely not believe the number of people who are literally one paycheck away from being homeless. Then as a knee jerk to all of the payment defaults, credit card companies are going behind peoples backs and cutting credit limits in half. This takes away the one available option that a lot of working people were using to get by month to month.

The part about the pets suffering is a harsh blow and makes me feel just sick. You see all of these families on Craigslist trying to adopt their pets away because they are about to lose their home or can no longer afford to care for them. Locally the SPCA and the animal shelters are literally overflowing with abandoned animals.

Today I had a man come to my front door pushing a lawn mower. He had the most desperate look on his face, and he went on to tell me how today is the first and his rent is due and he doesnt have money to pay it. He cant buy food for his wife and two little girls because he cant afford the gas to go out and look for a job. I let him mow my lawn for $25 even though I had just cut it on Monday because I felt so bad for him.

Me personally, I am single, no kids, I work two miles from my house so gas isnt so much of an issue. It has been pretty tight lately trying to juggle rent combined with the insane rate hikes in utility costs (in the dead of summer, no doubt) I grocery shop once a month at WalMart because conventional grocery stores are a scam these days, Last time I went to Harris Teeter it cost me $147.00 for two weeks supply of basic goods. I have cut out pretty much any luxery items, I dont buy new clothes or new toys or new furniture. I haven't taken a vacation in two years. I dont eat out hardly ever, and I dont go to bars/clubs or any other leisure activities because it doesnt make sense to.

All in all, it seems that most everyone I know is struggling right now. The job market is scrawny and continuing education just isnt even an option for now. I am getting by and doing better than a lot of people so I cant complain too much, but damn it if doesnt seem like all we are doing is working to pay bills and earn the right to do it all over again the next month. It is an economic prison of sorts when you think about it.

If nothing else positive comes of this whole debacle, I believe this economic deprtession will force people to band together and take a more active role in friends and family. It is a bonding experience if nothing else, maybe helps people focus on what is really important in life. It will also force a lot of people to get educated about their finances, and hopefully will prevent folks from making some of same mistakes in the future.

As to how others less fortunate are making it? I ask myself that all the time. If I am making a good income and I am having difficulty getting by, I can't even begin to imagine how some family making minimus wage with two or three kids is even surviving. If I were forced to take on a child or two right now it would sink me financially. My heart truly goes out to the families out here trying to make it. I don't know how you are even putting food on tha table.

My guess is a lot of them aren't


So much for living in the land of plenty.

And believe it or don't, that is your choice, but I am telling you this is just the beginning. We havent even hit the real hard times yet.

All I can say is I am glad to be where I am, and thank God I had the good sense to leave L.A. when I did. California is going to be ground zero for the great depression part II.

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
The thing that gets me, with all these people suffering, when I think of all the money (not to mention lives) waisted in this stupid war. Please, I don't want to reduce what's becoming a very heartfelt and important thread and shift it into a discussion of the war. But still, we could have REALLY used that money.

I think the good people of the US of A could definately find a good use for $165 Billion....I use this amount as example because this is the most recent amount of our tax dollars that have been pissed into the never ending black sink hole that is the Iraq occupation (let's call it what it is)

Makes me angry to think about it

I was working full-time (average income) up until last week but have a part-time business Ive run on the side for some years now (income varies). I often wonder how an individual survives on a single F/T income. If it wasnt for the sideline business I would have lost the roof over my head more than once this last few years. Im not an extravagant spender but I just wouldnt be able to survive on one income.

Still, I seem to live comfortably. I bought a high end PC late last year (paid cash & built it myself) & high end mobile phone (also cash). I guess life cant be all bad if you can afford to buy a couple of toys now and then. On the flip side I'd love to upgrade my 20 year old gas-guzzling car one day. Oh, Im out of F/T work too & looking for another job right now (my expertise is IT so I shouldnt be out of work too long). I still find I rob Peter to pay Paul sometimes but fortunately I always manage to put food on my table. Have to find $500 to come up with over the next couple months to pay for driving unregistered last year. Managed to get the rego together for my car last week before I finished my current job contract (at least im good to go for the next 3 mths)

All in all, I guess Im happy. Im lucky Ive got a second job to fall back on, but I still run close to the wall sometimes. I feel for you that are hurting. Its tough out there right now & this goddam meddling in Iraq isnt helping, no matter where in the world you live. Fuel & food is costing a fortune. Ive had to raise my hourly rate recently to help compensate, but to me thats not an answer. I mean if everyone does that, where does it all end?



[edit on 2-7-2008 by Nonchalant]

well things here arent that bad.

me and my wife are both disabled me mentaly her physicaly. she has some health issues nerve damage, reduced immune system so she gets sick at the drop of a hat. we have cats cable and the internet those are our luxurys. we live off of about 11k a year in a appartment but are on a waiting list for help with our housing. we currently have no children but hopefuly one day we will have one. hopefuly by the time we do have a kid things will be better. i leave the house maybe once a week for half an hour we dont drive or own any vehicles and dont go any where we dont spend money on movies or any of that and we stretch every dollar we get to make things work. we eat once maybe twice aday. beside being put in a psych ward a few months ago for a seriouse breakdown mentaly im doing well. things could be better but they could also be a lot worse.

Good thread and it touches me to read the hope in spite of all we see before us.

Like most everyone else, we feel the crunch. Gas is $5.20/gallon, our last month's power bill was $225, and we don't have a clothes dryer and cook with propane, run a small window-rattler at night when it's too hot to sleep without it...... small house, just the two of us and two cats. We moved here 13 years ago and put everything we had into the house, and the first two years ate a lot of parrotfish and rice. We both work full-time and have pursued a minimalist lifestyle. I consider us really fortunate, and we've become accustomed to living very simply. No theatres here, no concerts, shopping malls, or anything else to suck the dollars from a person's pocket. I've never bought a new car in my life. Three years ago, our cars were barely alive, and while we'd have loved to buy American, the best deal for us was a used car right from Japan. I bought a '91 mini-van with 32,000 miles on it for $900, and shipping was about $1700. It gets nearly 40 mpg. We were really fortunate to be able to get on with a credit union years ago, and make it with a series of low-interest loans. Couple of years ago my wife had to have a medical proceedure that set us back $8400, even with insurance. We just got another loan and just ordered a tandem three-wheel trike, as we can easily see a time where we can't or won't afford gas, but still have work. This country's economy is inherently tied to the U.S. economy, and we worry like hell about the whole global picture. I don't have time to fret about NWO...... if they want our 17 dollars, they'll have to come and rip them physically from my hands Our primary luxury is the internet and satellite TV, and that's enough. I'm a very lucky man, having found my darlin', and September of this year, we'll be married 20 years.

Y'know, it's hard to laugh sometimes but I try to interject my own whacky version of humor whenever possible. Finding it hard to unearth any this morning, but I do feel a lot of [perhaps misplaced] hope. We live in a place where a lot of bartering is done, and we're coconut-rich.

One major advantage we have is that this is where we've chosen to make our stand, come hell or high water. No bugout for us. I shop at the dump once a week, and have salvaged enough stuff to fabricate a solar collector for our water heater, as well as a 12V water pressure system (had to buy a 5W solar charger). If whole-house solar were financially feasible, we'd try and get a loan for that, but it's just not.

I worry most of all about those of you in the city centers, with an emphasis on water. Water seems to be the new gold, and I can't stress enough the need for a good filter. Somebody earlier mentioned the Big Berkey, and ours has also paid for itself several times over.

y'all be safe and thanks for the opportunity to vent S. Dog.


[edit on 2-7-2008 by argentus]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Well I haven't done anything for myself in a year and a half. I haven't bought my self anything that wasn't necessary in forever. It costs me 25% of my salary to get to work each month. I'd say I'm not coping, more or less getting trampled by the mudslide of a crumbling economy really. Its a good thing it doesn't take much for me to be happy.

A great thread.
I live in Ontario, Canada.
How do I get by???
Single mom..8 kids..all live with me.
My oldest children, have jobs, and help pay bills.
Here in Ontario, health care is free, and the government gives benefits monthly to all parents with children under age 18, whether you are employed or not. That monthly sum is more then enough to pay for everything we need.
My rent is government subsidized, as I live in a townhouse and am considered low income..$160.00 per month. My utilities, are about $300-$350 per month. Food is our biggest expense..but..I walk to the store daily..and buy things that are reduced or discounted. I also buy in bulk if the price beats the unit cost.
I have a huge freezer that can store things in.
I don't drive or own a vehicle..savings are astronomical there.
I buy all of our clothing at discount and thrift stores, and yard sales.
I avoid Walmart like it's the black plague.
I have learned to differentiate "needs" and "wants".
Years ago, I bought a set of books called "The Tightwad Gazette". They changed my life for the better.

I'm personally doing OK. Getting fired from my crummy job hasn't hurt a bit. I wish this site didn't have manners and decorum rules, then you would get to read some pretty graphic griping about my employer. Fortunately, I have plenty of free time. My three cats are good company.
Play a lot of online poker at Poker Stars, do stuff on the computer. A good deal of time for paranormal research. Have some weird bots, practice telepathy, clairvoyance. Drink daily, smoke a lot of cigarettes.