Nearly everyone I know is broke, this economy sucks!

Everyone I know is broke.

Ironically the ones who boast about having a $100K/yr job or more or in savings, at the same time have debts in the millions so Americans are delusional!

The wealthy are the most in debt, thats all.

Yes, one of my friends was hired as a math teacher and he lucked out and was able to buy a house for dirt cheap. He is renting out 2 of his bedrooms, and, it is true, the couch is always up for monthly rent and is often taken - we basically have a waiting list on who gets to stay in the house, even though they would have to take the couch first before moving on to the tertiary bedroom.

I am lucky because I am the senior renter, although our house does run as a democracy with meetings to discuss policy if need be. I can pull the senior renter card out if I think the situation is unfair for someone in the house. Another perk to being senior renter is having the biggest bedroom (besides the master suite).

One girl I know actually splits the cost of the living room couches in her house with her room-mate, a guy.

Originally posted by purplemer
reply to post by camaro68ss

 

I was out in Africa last year. Rest assured things are a lot worse there...

That is true, the math teacher who owns the house and is a friend of mine recently got back from a year teaching in Kuwait. I've spent a lot of my life learning how to budget and live comfortably and efficiently, so I'm not worried - but people expecting to own a house to themselves with a $40,000 car and extra rooms and a boat or whatever are going to be shocked. My generation is estimated to be worth 50% of their parents' generation.

None of this really bothers me, because I actually value the community and relaxed lifestyle that comes along with the economic crash.

Although, as it was for my graduating college class in 2010, any idealistic college student who thinks they are going to walk right out of college into a $30,000 + job is going to be in for a shock. I'm living off around a bit less than $12,000 a year as an extremely qualified college graduate.

I know it is tough and getting tougher. But.

Reaching for the bottle, and purchasing a new gun to go with your other gun does not sound all so broke to me, maybe my idea of being broke is actually being broke, I don't know.

Maybe you are just Broken, and not actually Broke.

I know that this economy isnt great but it isnt that bad ( for me and most people I know). I make a decent amount for my age and education level. Electric bill is down since its been really warm this winter. No cable bill. Thats what the internet is for. Gas prices are more or less the same. As for guns, there is always a shortage of them here. I consider it an american thing. We like guns. I dont think that has changed.

reply to post by HawkeyeNation


I wish Americans would stop whining about the price of gas. Come to the UK and you'll be paying $10 a gallon. You really don't know how easy you've got it over there.

reply to post by camaro68ss


I feel you.
I am 27, I have my papers, but I haven't filed yet. If I have to pay I quit America, seriously.
I went to school for two years and then quit before I had to take out any loans. Everyone I know has taken out huge loans and are now working to pay them back, broke. Even the ones with degrees that did really well aren't able to find work that pays any real money. Everyone that went to school is now trying to go back and do something in nursing. I wonder how many nurses can find work in this town (we do have a Hospital that is like a cancer itself and is buying up all available land and is just an insanely huge hospital, so maybe).

If you have any schemes OP i'll be your co-outlaw.

How are people going to pay back school loans and Obama's health care? Not everyone is going to be eligible for medicaid. Many of our working poor will not be eligible, yet will not be able to afford insurance either. What are these people going to do? Either way you go, you don't pay for insurance or school loans, it will come right out of income tax refunds.

They have the noose around our necks.

reply to post by dogstar23


The economy is really bad when the grocery stores and walmart in my area report that the only part of the month that the majority of sales taking place happens at the beginning of the month, when everyone gets their benefits. That says a lot about the way things are going, and how many people are on benefits.

It was actually on our local news that for the first two weeks in Feb, there was an increase in shoppers at walmart and local businesses.... and when they stopped some shoppers at various places....asking them why they thought many people were out in full force since Christmas? They all respond.... "just got my income tax refund".

There's always a boom in shoppers when income tax refunds happen, doesn't mean the economy is "not that bad" or "recovering".

Yes the end of the bubble economy is near. Those with massive debt will likely go bankrupt. Will it happen in 2013. I don't own a crystal ball, but I do think it possible.

Our government has gone rogue and we don't realize it. The bankers (Fed) and the stock market manipulators have taken us down this yellow brick road, but at the end is not good things.

If you have a mortgage, pay it off, if you can't pay it off then sell the house and purchase something for which you can pay cash. Keep extra cash to pay the taxes so you don't loose it later when things are tough. The alternative is to make your home a rooming house and take in boarders, that is if local ordinances allow it and if that will save you from loosing your home.

Save all the coinage you can. If the dollar collapses, it will likely be brought back in a new currency which will differ from the current ones. However it is too costly to replace the coinage, so your coins will upgrade to the new value and that will mean extra money in your pocket.

Every month purchase extra groceries and if they are fresh, learn to can them and store them away. It is actually quite easy especially if you do it together as a family. I don't bother with water bath canning, I pressure cook everything.

Store things like candy especially chocolate. Sugar too. It can be used as a barter item. Make sure your dry storage containers are ant and mouse proof. I thought plastic bottles of fruit juice were safe. Not so, something nibbled through a couple of jars stored in the basement.

Most properly canned foods are safe for up to 7 years.

FINALLY: Never tell anyone what you really have stored away. "Loose lips sink ships."

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


America produces oil my friend, UK rent the rights to extract oil, is a difference as big as the pacific ocean.

That is why you pay more for darn gas, we in the US should not be paying anything for it.

The budget cuts will add hundreds of thousand into the unemployment lines and welfare burdern, yes things are going to get a lot worst and more new "broke people" will be joining the ranks of the already broke ones.

This year is going to be brake it or make it for a lot of people.

reply to post by camaro68ss


I do understand how you feel.I am a baby boomer and the U.S. I grew up
in is nothing like it is now.My kids' have a hard time finding work.My husband
will be 77 later this month and still works full-time.We have been helping our
children until we have gotten ourselves into debt.My husband and I can't allow
our children to go without.
We just paid the property taxes for one and the utilties for another one.They
don't like coming to us for help but they don't have any choice.To get through
these hard times families have to have priorities and help each other out.
What kind of Mama would I be if I were living in comfort and my children were
suffering?

“We must beware of a small group of selfish individuals who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.” .......FDR

reply to post by camaro68ss


It is being done to make more and more people dependent on the government...

Watch how the government will soon enough, and once again, proclaim that it is another scapegoat's fault the government and Obama didn't do it, and only if we give more power to the socialist/fascist government of Obama will things get better...

Many of those people who say they are not turning in their guns will be some of the first ones to do it to get the next meal for their family... Will you keep your guns even when your children, your wife, your sister/brother etc are going hungry?... Most people will not... There will be more and more events done by local and state governments, and even the Feds to get more people to turn in more, and more guns, and Americans are so dumbed down, so lazy that the mayority will not be doing anything except compaint all day long in forums, or in the bar...

That's how bad things will get with this engineered crisis... The dollar will be over soon enough, and we will have the Amero, or some other new currency...

People...look at what has been hapening in Venezuela... THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN HERE AND IN YOUR COUNTRY...

Not that long ago Venezuelans, even the farmers could get food and there were no riots, or people fighting for food... After Chavez and his socialist/communist government took over things are much worse and people now fight with each other in supermarkets for the last chicken, or whatever food is left...

This economic crisis has been engineered not only to occur in one country, but every country, and eventually the puppeteers will claim that the only solution is "to stand together, make a one world government and all work together with this one world government to make things better"...

Britain is the 3rd largest holder of American debt, and Japan is the 2nd largest holder of American debt (China is the 1st)! In other words, Japan and England are the #2 and #3 largest purchasers of American Government Bonds!

Didn’t we have a revolution once to free ourselves from the British Crown… and didn’t we bomb the Japanese into submission because they were trying to control the whole world?

reply to post by marg6043


You ever heard of the North Sea? And shale oil?

ETA: No you shouldn't be getting free gas because a lot of money and man hours are spent to extract that oil. You want all of that handed to you by the government? Surely that would be a bit socialist in an american's eyes? You know, the commy socialist boogey man you guys are so afraid of.

Sorry, no disrespect to you personally. I'm just reflecting the general mindset of most americans who post here.

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


Yes I have but it doesn't do a darn thing to help anything with oil prices because shale oil is considered one of the least conventional oils to extract and more costly to refine.

It will be decades before you see nothing coming from the so call shale oil reserves in the world, China claims to have it and so Cuba, does that help the oil prices? not at all, becasue while the promise of cheaper and better for the enviroment is controversial when it comes to extacting and refining, natural oil is easier to extract and easier to refine.

US while an oil producer gets most of his oil from Canada, Mexico is our second seller and Saudi the third.

This is due to contracts and foreign corrupted politics, nothing but crap to keep the oil barons and elite in charge of how oil is pay and used for.

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


Dear, dear, dear, I do not debate on point of views and opinions, that is your opinion good for you.

reply to post by marg6043


You getting free gas is an opinion, who would pay for the costs of extracting the oil?