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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:37:20 AM EDT
[#1]
Many people with limited income are living primarily on credit cards or government assistance. The latter will only increase, as free stuff and dependence makes for loyal Democrat voters.
Not sure what will happen when the majority are maxed out on the former . . . probably just get more cards and hope for a bailout. I've no doubt that whoever tells FJB what to say would be ecstatic to cancel credit card debt in the name of equity and subservience |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:42:45 AM EDT
[#2]
Cutting back on stuff like new tires because the 9 year old tires still look good.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:45:57 AM EDT
[#3]
It's pretty bad. I make just enough to not qualify for government assistance and after rent and vehicle payments there isn't a lot left over for everything else. I rent from my dad but it isn't much cheaper than renting a room elsewhere, forget about getting an apartment. The last few months the basic expenses of food, and household stuff have gone up to a point where the money is gone as soon as I get it. It's ridiculous and unsustainable. I haven't had any luck looking for a second job.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:46:44 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you have a plan at work with an employer match you need to at least be contributing enough to that account to get the max from your employer. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I wonder with inflation as bad as it is now, is putting money away for retirement the smart choice? Would it be more prudent to buy tangible durable good that you know you're going to need for the future right now? Once you have a that in order, then save money? If you have a plan at work with an employer match you need to at least be contributing enough to that account to get the max from your employer. That's a good point. I do not disagree with that. I do the max retirement savings with my employer every paycheck. I don't even factor that in and I only look at my take home pay. I'm more fortunate than most people in regards to my income stream. I have my VA disability pension that goes into a savings account. I have my Army pension also. My wife has a trust fund that her grandmother set up when she was born that if we decided to cut our expenses to bare bones and I lost my job, we'd still be comfortable. I have a few credit cards we use for points on Amazon and gasoline. We don't pay them off every month so the savings with points and cash back is mostly a wash. We set aside $1500 a month just on those three cards. It works for us. My truck payment is $800 a month but I pay $1000 a month on it. That payment comes put of my savings account so it hasn't made a difference in our day to day expenses. We have spent alot of money the last three years stockpiling food for long-term storage. We have three deep freezers, two refrigerators, our pantry has no more room left. The storage closet under our stairs also has no more room. I have a cargo trailer that I keep all my survival gear stored in. I recently purchased an RV trailer and am working on stocking that up with more survival gear and long-term food. We also have three generators that can handle our fridges and deep freezers. One is for the RV and a small one for the small electronics we need. I want a solar power setup but it's information overload and all that stuff is in the realm of magic as far as I'm concerned. I will most likely do something like that for the trailer. I'm also working on a reliable water storage system and a way to store gasoline. At this point I believe I have most of the major necessities covered. All I can do is take care of my slice of the world and hope for the best. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:50:38 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I got shitcanned from a horrible company prior to the COVID bullshit, and found a niche in doing house remodeling. That led to doing stained glass and now I do unconventional house work. So far I've just been doing stuff for neighbors, family and friends with all kinds of stuff most of the contractors won't touch. Just finished this for a friend. I price myself really low so I don't take in a lot of money but it also gets people I know the stuff they want. I also don't deal with assholes. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/67160/photo_2023-05-20_01-01-38_jpg-2822666.JPG |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 10:52:59 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: On a positive note, the number of "go be poor somewhere else" posts and threads seem to have slowed down considerably. I wonder why. LOL. True. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:04:17 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: With any luck, we'll make about $750k this yr overall, with major medical expenses and good food, in a very high cost of living area, we'll put away some savings, but take home is around 60%. With responsible retirement savings, we're not living it up for sure. Old cars, no vacations, $2,500 mortgage. The cost of a "nice" 3,500sq ft newish home, about $2.5m here. So if I save $250k/yr, maybe I get there by retirement. L O fucking L |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:21:22 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think the people saying spend less and you live below your means as advice are correct. Principles like that remain true. However, those posting about their cheep mortgage and paid off houses need to realize that things have changed since they bought. Go ahead and check your house estimate on zillow and look at the mortgage cost. Could you afford that today? I'm doing ok, but I worry about people just starting out (like my kids in a few years). You will own nothing and be happy. You make a really good point, and said it better than I probably could. My wife just finished nursing school, at the beginning of the year, and is finally making decent money along with me. Prior to that we were living solely off of my income, and we certainly weren’t living above out means, but money was definitely tight. All we’ve really wanted was to be able to move out of town somewhere with few neighbors where we could have a decent sized garden and maybe some livestock. What’s frustrating is that once we are finally in the position we’ve been working towards the last few years we feel like we’ve missed the boat. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:21:35 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do you even budget bro? Maybe up north you spend a ton on heating costs or something but in the middle of the country with an employer that provides healthcare coverage that's super doable. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Mortgage is ~$900, truck payment is ~$400, bought both before shit went crazy. I couldn't do it if I made $20/hr. Why not? That's ony $10,800 and $4800 out of $41,600. Without dependents that's doable and you could put 10% into a 401k. Do you even budget bro? Maybe up north you spend a ton on heating costs or something but in the middle of the country with an employer that provides healthcare coverage that's super doable. $41,600 - 30% for taxes and employer-provided health insurance = $29120 $29120/12=$2425 $2425-$1300 (mortgage and truck) = $1125 $1433-$450 for food ($100/wk) = $675 $983-$300/mo for utilities (phone, electricity, etc.) = $375 $375x12=$4500/yr So I guess you're technically correct, the best kind of correct. That would be living on the super cheap and not spending anything extra on anything, but it would be possible by the books. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:43:22 AM EDT
[#10]
The middle class is being destroyed. On purpose. Then you'll vote for those that offer you free stuff.
 Failed To Load Title  Failed To Load Title |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:50:39 AM EDT
[#11]
Living within my means, a $1700 mortgage is insane to me much less a $450+ car payment..
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Posted: 5/20/2023 11:59:16 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The middle class is being destroyed. On purpose. Then you'll vote for those that offer you free stuff.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya0bG4_xRQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r0m4UCPKHwYep. The globalist elites WILL get their neo-feudalist fantasy. Your grandchildren will be nothing but fucking serfs. 
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:00:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Last year I made 77k and easily squirreled away 1-2k a month, assuming I didnt go buy a gun or two. This year is on the same pace, except ive tightened things up a bit. People dont realize how much unnecessary shit they spend money on. My lifestyle is lean, but it brings me no pain or discontentment. Yep. Eating out and convenience store/gas station purchases are a bane of the middle class. A lot of people could cut $100s from their monthly spending if they would pack a lunch and not buy $3 energy drinks. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:00:28 PM EDT
[#14]
What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:04:46 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner. Low rent chains that used to be acceptable are universally terrible now too. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:05:22 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner. Thankfully we both like to cook our own food in my household. I'm a Louisiana coonass that sees "cooking a sauce" as a beer-drinking opportunity. Wifey is always trying new things and they're usually pretty good too. My in-laws eat out for I'd say 90 percent of their meals. On probably less than half of our income. I don't see how they do it. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:05:46 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner. Chick-fil-A, Subway, chipotle….you name it and it’s over $10 to eat there. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:12:11 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Great question. You didn’t think that the middle class would wield itself into serfdom, did you? The upper end of the middle class keeps voting D |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:12:40 PM EDT
[#19]
Go to Orlando,
How are 90 percent of those mouth breathers affording Disney? Seriously. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:13:09 PM EDT
[#20]
FPNI
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:15:41 PM EDT
[#21]
Some of us aren't surviving. My wife and I combined were only making 65,000 a year at the beginning of 2021. I was severely injured at my low payed EMS job that February and have been unemployed on temporary total disability since that time. I'm currently scheduled for yet another surgery next month, which is necessary, but won't allow me to return to the type of work I'm qualified to do. We live in a small city with a fairly low cost of living, but we are rapidly bleeding out financially. I'm 55 now, and given the overall situation, have no clue what to do with the ever rising costs of everything. Scary times for people like us.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:16:04 PM EDT
[#22]
One of the poors here. Lowlife State worker.
I paid off my mortgage, bought my cars outright in cash. My taxes and insurance on my house are surprisingly low at the moment. I pay off my credit card fully each month. Besides my CC, my highest bill is for my internet at $80 a month. Even keeping it nice and toasty in my house all winter my average natural gas bill is only around $70 a month. My electric bill is around $35 a month. I cook my own food from scratch. Many of my favorite hobbies are pretty cheap once I bought the initial gear, such as photography. This is how I save roughly 1/3 of my net income most years. It's only the years with a major expense, such as a new car or a roof replacement on my house, that I don't save money. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:16:21 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Go to Orlando, How are 90 percent of those mouth breathers affording Disney? Seriously. How are the mouth breathers I see sporting around in 80k F-150s affording them? I don't get it. Something is very fucky and it's going to crash soon. As I said, we are spending our way (through easy credit) into poverty. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:19:35 PM EDT
[#24]
We make good money and we are cutting back all the time. My commute is now shorter and that new Subaru I bought in 2017 (and paid off) I just sold for a crazy price. I used that money to buy a used jeep for a 1/3 of what I sold the Subaru for (same miles in them both)
Don’t care about the Jones’s My atv is from 2004, don’t need anything, and just buy a tool if needed. I did buy a utv new in 2018 for $7000 cash at dealer and thought it was way over priced but we live on 40 acres and figured my old Polaris atv is going strong too, so solid long term purchase. Guess I was wrong thinking it was overpriced, and then the finance toy crowd  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:20:18 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Let's math it out here. $41,600 - 30% for taxes and employer-provided health insurance = $29120 $29120/12=$2425 $2425-$1300 (mortgage and truck) = $1125 $1433-$450 for food ($100/wk) = $675 $983-$300/mo for utilities (phone, electricity, etc.) = $375 $375x12=$4500/yr So I guess you're technically correct, the best kind of correct. That would be living on the super cheap and not spending anything extra on anything, but it would be possible by the books. Poor people with kids get payed to file taxes. Poor people without kids barely pay anything. Taxes ramp up quickly as you get to a median income and surpass it. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:21:05 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Let's go Brandon. Oh, wait. It's Trump's fault.  Probably a whole lot of both |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:23:04 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner. It's cheaper to go to Costco and get a package of Ribeyes than feed 4-5 people at fast food like McDonald's or Taco Bell. And we'll have leftover steak. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:24:09 PM EDT
[#28]
Are you kidding, they are living off of EBT, free rent, government healthcare, subsidized up the butt by the democrats in exchange for their vote
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:26:47 PM EDT
[#29]
Doing fine at 95k gross combined in the Midwest. Just starting to make a little more money.
Definitely can't do the same things we used to when having less income so I can understand everyone who is feeling the hurt or higher costs at the store. We cut back significantly on dining out and should really just cut it off altogether. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:26:48 PM EDT
[#30]
Idk how they are either as I watch the folks that work for me not changing their spending habits. Door dash , coffees , energy drinks , smoked , and on and on still seem very prevalent with the group of 100.
I know a number of them still live at home and a few have roommates in some pretty shitty parts of town. But even in the hood in our lower cost of living area it’s going to run you $1000+ for a two bedroom. Renting a house in a half way decent area is in the $1600 range plus all the utilities. I make good money and wife does ok and we still feel it. Sure I could make some changes with selling off two vehicles , but right now I don’t need to. That may change soon , but we try and live within our means and save what we can. I’m not in a “beans and rice” situation and hopefully never will be. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:36:29 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It's pretty easy when you've only got yourself to take care of. I guess I bought all the shit I really "need" long ago, so now it's just about making enough money to be comfortable without dipping into savings, which so far hasn't been a problem. If I get a hair up my ass about a new toy I can put it on credit and adjust my luxuries until it's paid off. It works for me and I'm relatively happy. That’s sort of how I live, except for the credit part. I owe on my house and one motorcycle and if the economy tanks I have unemployment insurance on that loan. I do have a credit card but I have never used it. My wife is retired and frugal….. But I know that a recession will seriously affect me regardless. Mortgages still have to be paid, property taxes on my home and rural property need paid, medical bills need paid, insurance ain’t free, and even saltine crackers cost money these days.. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:38:55 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Lose the truck, that is a lot of money to look cool I know, right? I make $32 an hour and choose to drive an old minivan that I bought used. It;s not sexy, but not having a $700 a month payment is pretty fucking attractive too. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:40:24 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Probably a whole lot of both lol I remember Ronald Reagan asking, during one of his debates w/the incumbent Carter IIRC, if Americans thought they were better off than they were previously (The answer was an obvious 'no'.) That's all I need to know. "Are we better off now than we were 4 years ago?" Answer: NO. By any meaningful metric, the answer is NO. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:49:04 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Why not? That's ony $10,800 and $4800 out of $41,600. Without dependents that's doable and you could put 10% into a 401k. Just guessing here, but maybe he has other expenses which likely include things such as property taxes, utilities, repairs and maintenance, lawn care, homeowner’s insurance, gasoline, car insurance, car maintenance, groceries, and let’s not forget ammunition. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:50:53 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Lose the truck, that is a lot of money to look cool Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Mortgage is ~$900, truck payment is ~$400, bought both before shit went crazy. I couldn't do it if I made $20/hr. Lose the truck, that is a lot of money to look cool The average auto payment in this country is over $400. $400 is not a lot of money where auto payments are concerned. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 12:51:18 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: onlyfans   Nick |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:02:07 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The average auto payment in this country is over $400. $400 is not a lot of money where auto payments are concerned. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Mortgage is ~$900, truck payment is ~$400, bought both before shit went crazy. I couldn't do it if I made $20/hr. Lose the truck, that is a lot of money to look cool The average auto payment in this country is over $400. $400 is not a lot of money where auto payments are concerned. My daughter is paying $800. Long story, she had to buy one last year. She’s young and got screwed by the dealership. Interest rate ok, it’s what they did on the financing end. Tough lesson. So she’s working her real job plus another to get it paid off. At least she won’t need a new one for a long time. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:04:00 PM EDT
[#38]
Lucked out on cheap rent.
Not really easy. I'm basically where I was 15 years ago thanks to "progressives". When Orange Man was in office, it was the first time I'd ever had enough money that a few hundred bucks wasn't a big deal. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:12:49 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think the people saying spend less and you live below your means as advice are correct. Principles like that remain true. However, those posting about their cheep mortgage and paid off houses need to realize that things have changed since they bought. Go ahead and check your house estimate on zillow and look at the mortgage cost. Could you afford that today? I'm doing ok, but I worry about people just starting out (like my kids in a few years). You will own nothing and be happy. It shouldn’t matter what your house is worth at any given time, it only matters what it is worth when you sell. Houses are supposed to be a box to keep your shit dry while you raise your family, not grow your wealth by gambling on market timing. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:22:12 PM EDT
[#40]
What's funny about this thread is how many of you people need so much money to live.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:24:44 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I know, right? I make $32 an hour and choose to drive an old minivan that I bought used. It;s not sexy, but not having a $700 a month payment is pretty fucking attractive too. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Lose the truck, that is a lot of money to look cool I know, right? I make $32 an hour and choose to drive an old minivan that I bought used. It;s not sexy, but not having a $700 a month payment is pretty fucking attractive too. I have driven the same Civic since 2007. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:28:07 PM EDT
[#42]
Here in Florida long time residents that rent are getting royally screwed, but if you bought a house before everything went clown world you can still manage if you've been living at or below your means. My house I bought twelve years ago went up in value 3x the purchased amount.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:36:46 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What's funny about this thread is how many of you people need so much money to live. Living a budget lifestyle with a family is significantly more expensive than it was five years ago. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:39:15 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: On a positive note, the number of "go be poor somewhere else" posts and threads seem to have slowed down considerably. I wonder why. Interesting comment for a May 2023 join date. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:48:57 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wonder with inflation as bad as it is now, is putting money away for retirement the smart choice? Would it be more prudent to buy tangible durable goods that you know you're going to need for the future right now? Once you have a that in order, then save money? I have that conversation with myself once a week. My investments are not keeping up with this inflation; hopefully in the long run it does. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:49:49 PM EDT
[#46]
OnlyFans, you be surprised how many people are into old fat white guy's buttholes.
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:53:41 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think the people saying spend less and you live below your means as advice are correct. Principles like that remain true. However, those posting about their cheep mortgage and paid off houses need to realize that things have changed since they bought. Go ahead and check your house estimate on zillow and look at the mortgage cost. Could you afford that today? I'm doing ok, but I worry about people just starting out (like my kids in a few years). You will own nothing and be happy. You really think that people who've paid off their mortgages, and bought a good rates, need you to explain to them the state of housing and the economy, and salaries, on arfcom? The OP asked a question. Having paid my house off asap, after experiencing being laid off in 2007 and again in 2009, AND NOT GOING OUT AND GETTING IN MORE DEBT, there's a lesson to share with the millenials and gen y and z, who always want to know how they are supposed to have enough to retire someday. Of course they'll just respond by calling me boomer (I'm gen-x) and lecture me on the cost of housing and wages, and how the Boomers screwed everything up for them. I'm not giving you money, all I can offer is words of wisdom... you'll have to work your ass off, and make sacrifices, and scrimp and save, and if you're like most people today you will always worry that it's not enough, and for many it won't be enough. But if you don't do those things, and you aren't making good money, it's almost guaranteed to be bad for you. You have choices to make. I've made mine, and still have more to make. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:56:56 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What gets me is eating out. It’s stupid expensive now. Yet every time we eat out at a decent restaurant it’s packed to the gills. Lunch and dinner. Most of the restaurants don't deserve to remain in business at this point. I don't understand why people support the current poor quality of food and service, and double the price. It's rare to find a decent restaurant these days. All of our favorites have went to crap. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:58:34 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you have a plan at work with an employer match you need to at least be contributing enough to that account to get the max from your employer. That way they can steal both YOUR money AND your Boss’s money they steal….! Seriously, our .gov will NOT let the Free Shit Army suffer or starve while you have your 401k’s sitting in a neat and tidy pool waiting to be taken. Greece did it and nobody rioted. Argentina did it and nobody rioted. You’re a rule follower, you’ll take the IOU they replace the money with and like it because you’re too invested to rock the boat. Not a personal attack, this is what everyone with a 401k will be faced with. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 1:59:49 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: We make good money and we are cutting back all the time. My commute is now shorter and that new Subaru I bought in 2017 (and paid off) I just sold for a crazy price. I used that money to buy a used jeep for a 1/3 of what I sold the Subaru for (same miles in them both) Don’t care about the Jones’s My atv is from 2004, don’t need anything, and just buy a tool if needed. I did buy a utv new in 2018 for $7000 cash at dealer and thought it was way over priced but we live on 40 acres and figured my old Polaris atv is going strong too, so solid long term purchase. Guess I was wrong thinking it was overpriced, and then the finance toy crowd https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/65995/39F22592-6A84-4A27-878A-171039F4BF9B_jpe-2822900.JPG That is pure insanity. |
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