I feel that I am destined to be poor.

Originally posted by AthlonSavage
If you have usable and appyable trade skills.....start you own business. Advertise in your local news paper for work....just get on with it...dont wait in anticipation of the enconomy picking up.

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That could be all fine and dandy but it takes money to do what you propose and then you have to jump through to hoops to have the mundane paper work filed just to say hey I'm a business, which requires more money. If the OP has no money how would you propose he do this, cause I'd like to know as well, and even been told my catering business would boom, but it takes money which Americans are seeing much much less of.

reply to post by mytheroy


Looking for partners can work. People with more money willing to invest. Or joining forces with people trying to enter the same market.

I'm on pretty decent money and have been pretty good managing my families affairs fiscally, how ever the rate of increase of everything to live week ion and week out is now becoming a pinch. My neighbor earns about 1/3 I do and is struggling every day to just make ends meet, he rents and has no kids and lives very frugally how ever I keep telling him that if he doesn't put enough money into superannuation then he will live a very poor retirement.

Power, water, food, gas, insurances, licenses, rates and clothing have all sky rocketed here and no relief is in sight. But the politicians keep giving themselves 15% pay rises twice a year under the guise of keeping up with the standard of living but the workers get told no if they go on strike we will jail you and fine you $20 000 for breaching work place rules and here is 3% over 4 years so shut up.

Its a matter of time before breaking point, a work mate of mine keeps saying there will be rioting in the streets and he thinks its not far off. I how ever think they have perfectly engineered all this so we just put up with it when they raise the retirement age and add new taxes every year so they can waste more of it on useless projects that are self aggrandizing.

Originally posted by mytheroy
That could be all fine and dandy but it takes money to do what you propose and then you have to jump through to hoops to have the mundane paper work filed just to say hey I'm a business, which requires more money

If doing it the legit way is a big obstacle then he could just do 'private' work for people. Do various private jobs for people and have them pay you in cash. No paper trail. No taxes. No legal red tape. Your situation will also be much better if a big chunk of it isn't going to the government.

[inb4 moral crusaders sticking up for the government]

Originally posted by hououinkyouma
reply to post by mytheroy

 

Looking for partners can work. People with more money willing to invest. Or joining forces with people trying to enter the same market.

I have, but with the economy hanging by a thread nobody except big corps or franchises are investing.

reply to post by mytheroy


I think that's one great problem nowadays. It's not always easy or secure, but people should try and invest on something. They can't wait for the market to be perfect or the government to help.

reply to post by liejunkie01



There is poor, and then there's hopeless. Don't BE hopeless! I have never had a problem finding jobs. I put in applications for manual labor everywhere (I really load the market), then call or visit each factory every other day.

If the pay is crap, hey, it's still money until your construction job opens back up.

Good luck to you.

My suggestion first off would be to stop thinking of yourself as poor. This is self defeating and stops you from creating your full potential. Comparing yourself only to others who have more than you instead of less, will always doom you to fail.
Second of all, been in your situation many times over...You have to take all the energy you have into being pro active for yourself, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. What lengths are you willing to go to to gain employment and improve your life? Figure that out and go from there. Are you willing to relocate to a better area?
Enter a completely different vocation? Only you can answer these questions. Just don't waste a minute with negativity.
Good luck to you.

Originally posted by hououinkyouma
reply to post by mytheroy

 

I think that's one great problem nowadays. It's not always easy or secure, but people should try and invest on something. They can't wait for the market to be perfect or the government to help.

I'm doing things slowly lol just need a food handlers license and I can begin doing bbq catering, cause well nobody here does it right lol,

But if inflation does occur and stuff does skyrocket, there is no way I can compete with the bigger boy's with enough funds to squash me.

and no I'm not asking a single cent from our corrupt gov.

reply to post by mytheroy


I know you are trying, I wasn't talking about you lol.

Only about people who use that as an excuse to not try. What does not seem like your case.

Well, you're not going to get rich as a tradesman, but you can make a living with it.
With construction you have to be able to chase the work. Houston is booming right now, from what I hear.
If you do AC work, move to Florida. AC is one of the things that people fix right now around here. Floors can wait, paint can wait, even the roof can wait, but AC? That gets prompt attention.

Originally posted by liejunkie01
I was born poor, raised poor, and currently poor.

I am 33-34. I am not affraid to work.

A couple of years ago I tried(and still trying) to change that. I enrolled myself at the loacal college after 12 years at the same dead end job. I did really well in the grade sector. Got a job three weeks out of college. I scored in the top 5 in the testing to get the job.

I worked for a year and a half with no problems, and some of my posts reflect this. Now the construction industry has taken a hit, it seems that the federal funding band aid fell off.

Now after a month of being laid off I am starting to lose hope. I have heard some in the trade that lay-offs can last many months. My unemployment is not even paying the rent and now it is starting to hurt with Christmas coming around.

I really do not want any sympathy. I just needed to put some thoughts out there.

Should I stick with the trade and tough out the thought times or move on? I like what I am doing working for a mechanical contractor. But being laid off sucks.


Just living the American dream

If you're in construction, then hope that Obama wins and that the DNC picks up enough votes in the House to push that Jobs Act through. If that things ever sees the light of day, you'll be home free. The roads and bridges will be the first to get funded, but they also want to upgrade the electric grid and (like they did in Europe) run the entire thing underground, instead of dangling out in the open air like it is now. The savings in electricity (we lose about 80% of it within the grid's wiring right now) would more than offset the initial investment and guys like you would be working steady for many years to come.

The increased tax revenues from all those jobs would pay off our debt a lot faster than starving our economy by shutting down all government contracts to private companies (like they're doing in Europe, which is causing economic catastrophe).

You'll be fine if the GOP's European style "austerity campaign" can be stopped. If not, then at least you won't be alone in your poverty. You'll have an entire nation of people suffering right along with you.

Originally posted by r2d246
At least you have freedom. Go buy a pick up truck.

So what are you waiting for?? Someone to knock on your door with a free hot lunch? It aint gonna happen. Forget finding a job. JOB means Just over Broke. That's why you're Just Over broke! So start a small business. Then when you start to make some money get into house flipping. Amazing money in that! Next thing you know you'll be retiring in a beach house in palm springs. And you'll remember me! ha ha

This is hilarious. Just like the authors who write books telling unpublished writers how easy it is to get published, when the only book any of these guys ever got published was a book on how to get published.

"Go buy a pick up truck"

Hell, while he's at it, why not buy a McDonald's franchise? When you're broke, $5K is no different than $50K. Obviously, you've never been poor. Man, there's a real disconnect between the different economic groups in this country. It's as if they're from different planets.

I hear you.

I'm 30, living in northern Ontario. Its pretty bad up here. The hey day of the mining sector up here died in the 80s. These days its like a roller coaster. One year its good and the mining companies hire like crazy, the next few years everyone is unemployed and the crime rate skyrockets. Also, we were one of the hardest hit Canadian centers in 2008the because our local economy relied so much on the markets.

Safe to say my adult life has been similar to yours. I had a dead end telecommunications job for seven years after graduating from a three year technologist program in electrical engineering. Couldn't get a job in the trade unless you had family in high places or you were in the top percentile of your class or one of the most outstanding of the group. Good work ethic means nothing, its who you know and who you are related to.

The middle class pretends they are wealthy and lord it over everyone who is not. Up here, they spit on the poor in the streets. The job stats are such. Usually 8% unemployment, actual jobless rate is probably 20% however. According to the census, over 60% of all people earning a wage live below the poverty line. The crime is rampant, large sections of the city is used for the hordes of unemployed and drug addicted as a loitering spot around the clock. The city bus station is an unofficial homeless shelter to the point that at any given time, up to 60%you of the people at the bus station are just hanging out there, not using the bus. Roving gangs of drunks and addicts who shake down people in the street for money and smokes. Our jails are full, court system a revolving door.

I am back in college now in a really good program, one that I originally wanted to take when I was younger but didn't have the balls to. I quit my job and cashed in my pension in order to go back, sold whatever I could. I took out another loan but who cares its not like I was ever able to pay back my current debtload anyways. My job paid well however long term sustainability didn't look good. I couldn't find anything better in the seven years I was there. My wife only made minimum wage however she's back in school as well, earned one diploma and is working towards a second one now. People told us we were crazy, to throw away our incomes and get rid of our cars and such. I can tell you I'm much happier now. We don't have the stress of the crappy jobs we worked at that made us depressed and feel like we were worthless. We felt the same too, like this is the best that it gets. Well let me tell you , the careers we chose, after much research, have huge demands, and can get our family the hell out if this northern s$&t hole for good and off to greener pastures.

My advice to you, make a plan, no matter how off the wall or impossible it might seem, and run with it. Take risks if you must. Its better to take a risk to possibly make your life better than to do nothing and lose everything in the end. Just remember, things are the way they are because there are too many of the older generation (baby boomers) in the workforce who are hoarding all the cash. Guess what's gonna happen? When they start dropping off from the workforce, and start being shoved into retirement homes, or buying dream homes with their savings, the money will flood the markets but there will be nobody to work the jobs. By 2020, there will be so many job vacancies in the market, that any professional will be able to take their pick. You will be high seniority within the first five years of a career. Its going to be insane. The biggest chunk of baby boomers will reach retirement age in about three years, then there will start a massive exodus from the workforce the likes of which has never been seen. The Canadian govt is so worried in fact that they are creating fictitious labour force demands to get people into school now so there are bodies ready to go when it happens. I imagine the US is no different.

Just hang in there, make a plan, stick with it, you'll be fine in five years time as long as you apply yourself and don't give up.

I remember someone told me years ago, a teacher I believe, who said, at first we are gonna be screwed, because of the numbers in the workforce, but then there will be huge opportunity. I never thought nothing of it when I was a teen, but now I am slowly starting to realize it.

Hang in there man \m/

Originally posted by NorEaster

Originally posted by r2d246
At least you have freedom. Go buy a pick up truck.

So what are you waiting for?? Someone to knock on your door with a free hot lunch? It aint gonna happen. Forget finding a job. JOB means Just over Broke. That's why you're Just Over broke! So start a small business. Then when you start to make some money get into house flipping. Amazing money in that! Next thing you know you'll be retiring in a beach house in palm springs. And you'll remember me! ha ha

This is hilarious. Just like the authors who write books telling unpublished writers how easy it is to get published, when the only book any of these guys ever got published was a book on how to get published.

"Go buy a pick up truck"

Hell, while he's at it, why not buy a McDonald's franchise? When you're broke, $5K is no different than $50K. Obviously, you've never been poor. Man, there's a real disconnect between the different economic groups in this country. It's as if they're from different planets.

There is a huge disconnect. I remember going for coffee with one of the more senior guys at work. He was a full timer, bought his house before the bubble when prices were low, and was a decade into a stable career before the economy went bad. He wasn't doing bad at all. When me and my other buddy were at coffee with him one day, we were discussing the woes of living paycheck to paycheck. We talked about our deathtrap vehicle's, and our slowly failing appliances and furniture that we are constantly repairing ourselves, or how we don't know how we are going to buy new winter clothes for our kids. His repined to everything was "well just go buy another fridge" , or "just go buy a house" or a new car even. We asked of he was on drugs. I had to tell him that there isn't even enough money for groceries some weeks, and I had to point out that I have three kids and he only has one. Hell, he still believed you can buy a house for under 100k with a 5k down payment (which I still wouldn't be able to afford) . We laughed at him. I actually envy him though, ignorance must truly be bliss. To see life as peachy and to able to just go buy something when you need it.

Maybe some of these points will help you. Good luck.

I saw your post earlier and wanted to write- but had to wait to get to a decent keyboard.

Try not to despair, have an unshakable attitude that this too shall pass.

It's hard. For you it is the economy and the field of expertise you have. For us it was the same - we were happily living our life when the housing market crashed. My husband worked in the housing market. A few months before that, I had got very sick.

We own a home with a mortgage. We lost our insurance. Our income plunged to a bit over 15k a year. To make it worse, our neighbors were in the same boat. They weren't as thrifty as us, and we often were feeding 5-8 teens a day, though we just had one of our own, because they'd send their kids over here to stay/eat/ect., while they tried to clean professional offices at night for a bit of extra cash.

We made it though- we just lived tight, never went anywhere. We lived good - during this time we made our own beer, wine, grew a lot of our own food. Made a bit extra selling tomatoes and cucumbers we grew from seed. In the spring a lot of people will snatch those up if your plants are healthy and look good.

We kept our Internet on. A few times we took really pathetic jobs- jobs that did not pay nearly what we were worth - because it was work we could get..

We very rarely ate out - I mean, people really need to watch where the money goes that is not the bill money.

One thing that helped us so much is that none of us were ever 'uppity' about anything. We shopped at thrifts when we had money. I took to using coupons with a vengeance.

We started an eBay business- a hard one - selling used clothing- it's hard work but can pay off well if you have any sense of fashion - but it's hard because each item is unique to list and that increases work.
We put out feelers everywhere - here's the tricky part- letting people KNOW your situation - that you're poor and want to work- but keeping people from exploiting you utterly.

If you aren't poor, you won't get that. IF you are, you will understand. If you let yourself get exploited too long, for too little, you WILL trap yourself. This includes people that would hire you, or sell you things- anything.

Well, one of our friends came through with a job opening where they are. We were warned it was hard work but my husband took it. It's also only 11.00 an hour for really heavy, dirty manual labor when he used to make 25/hr with GOOD bonuses sitting at a desk pushing a mouse. He wanted to quit for the first 3 months.

Today we're recovering. He still has that 11.00/hr job and we still don't have health insurance but he might be eligible for it soon. (It's the temp trap..he's still technically a temp working 6-7 days a week for months now...)

The temp agencies are really something to be leary of with the exploitation thing. You do what you have to though.

We're also now a top rated seller on eBay, and I've found a source for NEW clothes I can buy in multiples....
...and the best builder in the area is giving him side work.....we have a greenhouse full of plants and a garden that's producing too. Our savings is building up to where it was, and WE DID NOT LOSE OUR HOME.

Did we have help? Not much. All total family and friends gave us 1300 charity, mostly as Christmas gifts. The govt. gave us a few months food stamps and a cell plan - something that we needed badly so hubby could get calls for work. He went to so many interviews we were going broke buying gas!

You've GOT to live though. It is not worth it at all being poor or rich if you don't enjoy life. Your girlfriend better be helping you with that! It's a lot more fun to be poor with someone you love. I'd hate to be poor and miserable, because that is not living at all.

People would tell us we should cut our internet off to save on bills.

IF we had done that, we'd have been cutting off our lifeline. We used it for movies, tv, (Hulu) finding deals, phone, occasional work that came in that way, coupons, eBay (The small start of what is now a good source of income for us!)...little bits of money from surveys, swagbucks, stuff like that...

We are pretty much all destined for that fate, it seems like unless you were born into success or meet a lot of successful people in your lifetime who in turn help your success your kind of destined for ordinary/poor. Success is more of a popularity contest. Seems to me anyways. Btw I'm a carpenter who makes 25/hr, I thought that was good enough, but can I buy a house? Lol I wish.

reply to post by liejunkie01


Advertise a handyman service by saying that you will finishes the projects that husbands start.

Originally posted by Putyournamehere
Btw I'm a carpenter who makes 25/hr, I thought that was good enough, but can I buy a house? Lol I wish.

A lot depends on where you live. My dad bought one in North GA for 8k at auction. He had to fix it up but it has an acre with a lot of pecan trees. He's been renting it out and selling the pecans each year.