How are you adapting to our new economy?...

[WestSeattle2]

These are the steps I've taken:

1. Stopped contributing to my 401k. The markets are manipulated by the Fed, the government, and Wall Street; one or all can wipe out the net worth of individuals in a single day
2. Focusing on paying off my house. The stock market is nothing more than a roulette wheel; being debt free is a sure thing, not a gamble
3. Eliminated all impulse buying. I've had just one charge (for $20) on my Visa card in the last 30 days, and that was for gasoline (I take a train to work and own a Honda Civic, thus the $20 per month)
4. Reduced dining out to twice per month; down from eight to ten times per month (saves from $200-$300 per month)
5. Canceled two long-weekend vacations to Palm Springs (had been taking those trips twice per winter for 20 years - each trip costs about $1,500)
6. Stopped daily coffee trips to Starbucks (bought a coffee press and make my own at work now - saves at least $60 per month)
7. Reduced smoking from three packs per week, to two (hey, it's my one remaining vice!!! - saves $24 per month)
8. Increased savings contribution to 15% of my gross - (up from 5% - the difference is money previously sent to 401k)

The positive effect of these changes?

1. More stable financial footing
2. Control of my money will be in my hands, not in the hands of Wall Street thieves or DC liars
3. Less debt = less stress
5. Less travel = less stress! Flying is just a pain in the ass anymore
6. Reduced smoking = fewer carcinogens
7. Much healthier diet

The negative effect of these changes if more people did the same?

1. Wall Street types might actually have to work for a living, instead of stealing (negative for them, positive for America)
2. Restaurants and retailers would have to lay-off even more workers
3. Airlines, hotels, and rental car agencies would continue to scrape bottom
4. The economy will not recover for decades (70% of GDP is based on consumption)

[azmouse]

1. I'm buying more booze.

:)

[MercutioATC]

15. Me, too. 24,000 bottles of it.

I've "adapted to our new economy" by starting a liquor company.

The first run of 2000 cases should be shipping in early June.


If it doesn't work out, at least I can stay drunk for the next 130 years.

[azmouse]

25. Wow! Best of luck to you!

That sounds like such an exciting and interesting thing to do.

[MercutioATC]

28. Lots of work, but lots of fun.

...and I'll either make money or go broke...but sometimes one has to pursue a goal, regardless of risk :)

[happy_liberal]

35. I think you will do well

In the words of NOFX "It's not the right time to be sober, now that the idiots have taken over"

Check out this start up company...
Vodka producer experiences explosive growth

There's so much new going on with the Valley-based makers of Permafrost vodka, it's hard to know where to start.

In the past nine months, the company has completely exploded. In March it was offering high-end Permafrost vodka, made from Valley potatoes, in stores for about $45 a bottle. Company co-owner Toby Foster, a former medevac flight pilot, was making the stuff with help from a distiller and Foster's girlfriend, Scotti MacDonald, in a 500-square-foot shed he built in his Trunk Road back yard.

Cut to today: They're in a new production facility, a 7,000-square-foot former airplane hangar near Wasilla. There, Foster and MacDonald work with three full-time employees: two distillers and an account manager.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/1121733.html

[Luciferous]

43. Congratulations on your new business, and good luck to you!

[MercutioATC]

58. Thanks!

Fingers crossed!

[havocmom]

68. Hell of a plan! Complete with fall back plan that deals with reality

:rofl:

[asdjrocky]

2. I've been thinking about this for a while.

I've been thinking about how my life has changed in the last few years.

When I started coming to DU I was making about 80k, and doing pretty well, now, well let's just say it's a lot less.

I no longer live in a very nice apartment in Sacramento, instead I live in my family home in Stockton Ca. I live here with my sister and my bil because we pay property taxes and that's it. We all feel very lucky living in a home that my mother and father were smart enough to just pay off and live the rest of their lives in.

The business I owned back then was connected with the entertainment industry and let's just say now the business I'm in is connected with agriculture.

I keep only a very small amount of money in a local bank.

I have a large garden and I'm getting chickens.

I'm planning to never take a job again, but support myself with my own labor and brains.

It's been a drastic change in lifestyle, but it's been a good one.

When you expect less, you get so much more.

[WestSeattle2]

16. Your last line says it all.....The silver lining to our

economic train wreck is that millions are discovering, or rediscovering our own potential, and our ability to adapt and reinvent ourselves. Most of us experience those things in our teens and twenties, but then fall into a rut for a few decades and forget we possess those abilities.

[asdjrocky]

22. Yeah.

These days I'm having a strangely good life. I can go days without spending money. I go to the library, I would sure miss the library if it was gone. I'm closer to my neighbors too, because everyone needs help these days and I give it when I can. I go to city council meetings to fight for my neighborhood instead of fighting for candidates I'll never be able to really meet or influence.

I've stopped thinking about how America is going to do, and I first think about how I will do, and then how my neighborhood will do.

It's a new way of looking at life, that's for sure, but yeah, it's better.

[galileoreloaded]

47. Bravo! I have been getting more and more into the lifestyle choices you are talking

about right here.

Stop paying into a system that steals your soul, and extract as much as possible by utilizing services that you will never pay for in taxes.

Until we force a reset of the structural fundamentals of our economic system that allows sanctioned theft, we can never be truly free. Good for you!

And it WILL happen, sooner or later, and you will fall a lesser distance than many, even here on DU, who are proponents of the theft from their grandchildren by rationalizing generational servitude.

[Greyhound]

56. Before you get the chickens, look at ducks.

The eggs are better, they are less filthy, and they are nicer. OTOH, if you plan on eating them when they quit laying, it's easier to kill chickens because they are so nasty. Both are louder than you probably think.

[Taitertots]

3. Adapting? Sounds like something the Nouveau poor have to do

I'm old poor, I'm barely phased by it.

[SmileyRose]

8. LOL - I tend to feel the same way

When I see an online poll about how wonderful thrift and consignment stores are, or how wonderful grocery store brew at home coffee is, and asking the locals to rate just which is the most wonderful of all I just roll my eyes. Their dip into real life will be brief. Eventually their investments will start paying off again and they'll be back at starbucks and Macy's.

[WestSeattle2]

24. I'll have to respectfully disagree! I think this downturn

is reshaping the way millions of people think and live. The fact that millions of the jobs lost are never coming back, ensures that unemployment, or the fear of unemployment, will enforce restricted spending for years and years to come.

[SmileyRose]

27. maybe

you are correct on jobs, and wages. That I can agree on. However, the starbucks crowd are generally investors as well - and those investments will skyrocket up. Most still in investments got back, just in 2009, 60% of what they lost since this mess started. In another year they will be right where they were and even making money.

So yes, for folks like me, who lives well below what starbucks customers tend to consider difficult, and will never make enough money to have something left over for investing, I can expect my income to continue to be pushed down and buying power lost. For the middle class, it's a much better story, IMHO.

[WestSeattle2]

29. I was one of those who managed to recoup almost

all that I lost in 2008-2009, however what I learned and will never forget is how quickly it vanished. The fact that it bounced back (temporarily in my opinion) means little to me now.

That was a real eye-opener for me, and I believe for millions of others. Numbers on paper mean absolutely nothing in an economy that is reliant on credit and debt to function.

For that reason, I believe that the shift in thinking and priorities of many American's, will become permanent for at least a generation, if not two.

[dionysus]

41. you know you can still save money in a 401k and get money market or bonds instead of stocks, right?

[WestSeattle2]

61. My employer does not allow access to 401k funds...(no

loans), and if I were to get laid off I'd pay about 40% (income tax and early withdrawal penalty) for withdrawing funds early.

I have a money market account at my credit union. Again, it boils down to who controls my money.

[Political_Junkie]

11. Yep!

:hi:

[proudohioan]

17. Honey, I'm there with ya!!

:hi:

[CoffeeCat]

4. Here's what we've done in the past five years...

We called this crash when we purchased our house in 2005. Here's what we've done.

1.) Still contributing to 401k, but the funds go into a mm account--we're totally OUT of the stock market. Got out fall 08.

2.) Cut up and paid off all credit cards. Use only debit cards.

3.) Cut out a great deal of needless spending, although this varies. We are much more frugal now. Less eating out, fewer
trips to Target for needless junk.

4.) We paid off both cars and while we were doing that we started an ING account. We add money to it monthly. When we
need a car, we will pay CASH for it, to avoid payments. We get excellent deals now. When you walk into a car dealership
with $100 bills, they're much more receptive. We got 40 percent off retail on one car and 30 percent off the last month--AND
we have no car payments.

5.) I learned about to coupon/rebate six years ago. Our grocery bill went down significantly. Now, for all groceries, toiletries
and paper goods--we pay about $300 monthly for a family of four and two cats. Plus, I get TONS of FREE stuff at the grocery
store, which I give to charity and sell in a garage sale at our home--we made $3k doing this last year.

7.) Pulled out a chunk of money, that is no longer in the U.S Banking system. All you have to do is read Sheila Baer's comments
and take note of the FDIC payouts to failed banks--to understand that there is trouble on the horizon.

8.) We've become massive savers. We've had some setbacks though. Hubby took a 30 percent paycut for six months last year. Our goal
is now preservation and survival--not how cool our house looks or how much stuff we have.

[WestSeattle2]

6. Target stores.....opium for the masses! I used to shop

at Target a lot...now it's only for toiletries - their pricing is much better than grocery stores.

It sounds like your family and mine are on similar tracks; though it will be years before I can pay cash for a decent car!

[AllyCat]

5. A few changes for us, but not too much

1. We are stopping netflix. We rarely watch the movies anyway.
2. Stopped contributing to my 401K and putting the money into savings account instead.
3. Paying off a bunch of little bills by working extra now while I still can.
4. Maintenance work to both of our vehicles so we don't have to buy new.
5. Looking to refinance house with a credit union instead of Smells Fargo
6. Massive expansion to our vegetable garden this year. Have parents lined up to show us how to can.
7. Making our own bread, yogurt, and ice cream. We have the makers just sitting collecting dust. What we make tastes great and is cheaper than the natural/organic prices we usually pay.
8. Trying not to buy things outside of town that we can get in our local community. Buying local will save us tax money, quality of life, and people's jobs in the long run.

We refuse to compromise (yet) on the quality/type of food we buy. Mostly organic stuff. We spend a fortune on groceries. By making some of our own, we are saving on the staples that are quite pricey.

Oh yeah, I've not had a credit card in 8 years. Don't miss it.

[WestSeattle2]

9. Your #5 strikes a chord with me....I haven't used a

commercial bank in almost 20 years....credit unions are, in my opinion, far superior in both cost and service.

Netflix, and other discretionary items, are a great place to cut back....cable bills, cell phone bills, they all add up QUICK.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Cooking from scratch more often, buying less prepared food

[WestSeattle2]

13. Me too....and it's much healthier!

[Statistical]

10. If your 401K has a company match you are taking a voluntary pay cut

Rather than stop contrbutions you could set it to the minimum to get all of company match and put all the funds into a cash options. The name will vary but almost all 401K have a cash, money market, "reserve fund", or Treasury bond option.

Right now you will only make 2%-4% but that combined with the match is better than a paycut.

[WestSeattle2]

12. My employer does not match; they offer

a defined pension plan instead. By not contributing to my 401k my taxable income does go up however, but my contributions to charity have as well, so the increased in income taxes will be offset to some degree.

[Statistical]

14. Then in that case no big loss.

Only reason I use the 401K is to max out my employer's match. I contribute the minimum to get maximum match from my employer (in my case 5% of pay).

With an IRA you get same tax advantages and have much more control over your money.

[MercutioATC]

18. ...aside from mising out on being able to invest pretax money.

If one's 401k allows for a non-equities option, it DOES result in a tax savings.

[Statistical]

21. Yeah but the same tax savings can be obtained with IRA.

With IRA you have a lot more control over your investment choices and often have better options and lower fees.

Personally I would like to see the 401K system scrapped.

Make something called a "universal savings account". If employer wants to they can contribute to that. If not it works like an IRA now.

[sailor65]

19. What press are you uising?

I've been thinking about some DIY Starbucks for a while but I thought I'd need one of those expensive machines.

[WestSeattle2]

20. Coffee presses are or can be inexpensive.....I use

a Bodum Brazil 8 Cup Coffee Press, 34-Ounce:

http://www.frenchcoffeepress.net/french-press-coffee-online-store/

[AllyCat]

54. I've used a Bodum for years and love it.

You get used to the Bodum sludge in the bottom and know not to drink that far down. Unless you like grit in your teeth. Then we put the grounds in the compost pile.

[proudohioan]

23. Cigarettes? Unfortunately, that's my budget buster, too.

And definitely the next thing to go for me! Cutting back is just not enough in savings for me, they just have to completely go............

[WestSeattle2]

26. I buy mine at a local Indian reservation for $6 per pack....in

local grocery stores I believe they're almost $8 per pack.

I started smoking when they were .75 per pack!

My normal pattern is to smoke for a few months, give it up for a few months, sometimes for a year or more, then smoke for a few months....a never ending cycle.

[Political_Junkie]

51. Roll your own is way cheaper.

I can roll a carton for about $11.00.

[bvar22]

30. Sold everything in 2006.

Moved to The Woods
Planted a BIG Veggie Garden
Chickens & HoneyBees too

Resist all "packaged" foods,
what we can't produce, we buy in bulk and cook from scratch
Buy almost nothing NEW
Buy or Barter USED, 2ndHand, or Salvage, and make it work...
or do without.

No credit
No mortgage
Lowest possible "taxable" income
Wall Street can Live or DIE without our concern or money.

Reducing our dependence on "BIG ENERGY"

Changed our focus from National Party Politics to local humanitarian issues,
and developing new ways of defunding Corporate America and their bought politicians.


So far, so good.
We are no longer Good American Consumers.
Its a process, and next year
we will consume even less.

Still paying a monthly tribute to Big Comms (Sat TV, cell Internet),
but working up the will to shut off the Sat TV.

[WestSeattle2]

31. Wow....ok, I think you're tied for first place so far in the

"Most lifestyle-changing adaptation" category!

Being a born-raised-tried and true city boy, it's doubtful I could make that substantial of a change in lifestyle, but I admire you for doing so. That's a huge change.

Though you don't mention it, I'd wager that you are much happier and content too.

[bvar22]

45. The Economy wasn't our prime motivator,

...so answering your post isn't really fair.

We started planning for this in 2004.
Many things came together to convince us that "It was time to go.".

Our primary reasons were:
1)To withdraw our funding from the WARS by reducing our "taxable" income to a very low level.

2)An increasing distrust of the Corporate Food Production & Delivery System in the USA.

3)A genuine attraction to this lifestyle.

4)The 2004 Democratic Party Platform of "More WAR and FREE TRADE for EVERYONE".

5)The shock of experiencing New Orleans a week after Katrina in 2005.
(I was born and raised in New Orleans.)
Experiencing New Orleans in Sept 2005 provided the final motivation to irretrievably commit to the move.
We had already done the research, and had picked out a couple of areas that fit our requirements.
It was time to stop talking, and Just Do It.
One year later, we pulled up to our NEW home in the Ouachita Mountains (Arkansas).
That was before the the crunch hit, though there were many warning signs visible by then.

We aren't "survivalists", though there are some up in these hills.
They scare us, and we avoid them.

We are just two Old Hippies who are attracted to the "Less is More" lifestyle and lucked out on the timing.
We genuinely hope The Crunch does NOT get worse, because it will make things harder on us too.
But in all honesty, it does NOT look like the Democratic Party is concerned with much beyond making sure that Billionaires don't experience a single day of discomfort.

Starkraven and myself realize we are very fortunate to be able to do this.
We have no dependents, are strong and in good health, and between the two of us, have the necessary skills to make this fun.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2601

And, YES.
We ARE happy here,
though we DO miss the multi-cultural benefits of life in a Big Blue City.
We haven't been Out to a Movie, attended "live" theater, spent a day in a decent library, eaten at a really good restaurant, or simply gone Out for a Night in the City for over 3 years.
We also miss the stark, breath taking beauty of Winter in Minnesota.

[asdjrocky]

46. +1

I'm actually looking at a place with a big house/barn and a couple of acres now.

I just may be next.

[crazyjoe]

32. I'm making a great living in the nas/san tech industry,

and my wife is making more money than me!! Oh, and we are done paying for college, forever.....
Maybe I should feel a little guilty, but I figure I've paid my dues in life do we deserve it. I'm in my mid 40's, it wasn't always this good.

[WestSeattle2]

33. Why should you feel guilty?! More power to you and your

wife. I say enjoy the fruits of your labor and education.

[Silent3]

62. I'm in the same business, and yes, business is booming.

My wife works at a public library, however, and she gets paid crap. Still, since we have no children and no debt other than our mortgage, we're doing well.

We bought a fairly nice new house in 2008. We contracted to have it built early in 2008, something we probably wouldn't have done if we'd known how the economy was going to tank between that time and when the house was finished late in 2008. I had a lot of cash saved up to put into the new house, money that would have meant a lot of extra security if the storage business hadn't continued to do so well and I'd lost my job.

Still, things did turn out well, at least for us. By the end of this coming March, after my tax rebate and a bonus I'll be getting at work, my savings in the bank will be back up to about 2/3 of what they were before we bought the new house, and more than 10% of the new mortgage will have been paid off early. It will have taken less than a year and a half after closing on the new house to get to that point, and that included refinancing the mortgage once during that short time to take advantage of a big drop in interest rates.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

69. I'm in a very similar situation, sans the wife making more, but quite comfortable.

Amazing that one could achieve such things while being a leftist, huh?

[LatteLibertine]

34. Good ideas

Reducing impulse buying is a big one. Our culture of mindless consumerism encourages/manipulates us into feeling anxious and incomplete. Many times "wants" are implanted in us via clever marketing.

I try to support local community businesses. For example; if I eat out it's not at some big national restaurant, it's at one that is locally owned. I moved all my cash to a local community bank that has always operated in the black, supports local business and did not participate in TARP.

I definitely agree with you on keeping as much of your money as you can out of the hands of those who are out merely to harvest you and shake you down. I don't invest in large corporations either, even if it might yield a nice return. I often don't care for the way they; treat their workers, compensate their CEOs by contrast, and treat the environment/our economy. If you were indeed to consider them as individuals, they'd be sociopaths.

Investing in your health and peace of mind are solid choices. I refined my diet a few years ago. Drastically reducing sugar, and cutting out caffeine helped a lot. I don't consume a lot of simple carbs either.

Sounds like you've done great tweaking and tuning. Being responsible and aware can definitely improve one life and personal power.

In addition to all of what you suggested, I would suggest we vote politicians out of office who refuse to develope and pass real financial market reform. If we flip them enough eventually they will start representing the interests of the overwhelming majority of citizens instead of merely being sock puppets for the most wealthy minority. Of course we need to let them know why we are voting them out of office each time. It may take a while and DC needs to be put on notice.

[mnhtnbb]

36. We are facing a 40% reduction in income--due to "reform" of NC

mental health care system. At the start of 2009 hubby worked three days/week in three different
county clinics. As of the end of Feb he will no longer be working in any county clinics.

He is 67. We had hoped the county clinic work would last for another couple of years--until
our youngest son finished college.

Two years ago our house burned down. We rented for a year and then bought a very small
house on the same street, which we added on 300 sq ft and remodeled. He has his private
office here. It's just too small. We decided to rebuild on our lot and sell this house.
We are designing the house to be an 'age in place' home. The lower level will have
space for our son when he's home from college; when the time comes, we would hope to barter
the space for live-in help to keep us out of assisted living. The studio apartment above
the detached garage (which didn't burn) and used to house our son's drums is being rented;
the rent pays the property taxes. Our son now has his drums (he lives on-campus due to
a vision impairment and not driving)in a friend's house.

When we rebuild, we will pay cash and have no mortgage. We are both totally out of the stock
market, except for holding some short term bond funds. We are planning space for a vegetable
garden on the lot.

I can start withdrawing from my IRA, without penalty, in September. I am planning to file
for SS at 62--but that's three more years. I only hope the eligibility requirements won't change before then.

We used to go out to dinner at least once a week. We probably go out to dinner once a month, now,
and usually to a less expensive place.

[WestSeattle2]

38. It makes one wonder what will become of the clients of

the mental health system. Reducing mental health counseling today, virtually guarantees an increased prison population in the years to come.

Penny-wise, pound foolish.

Best of luck to you and your husband; it sounds like you have some challenges to confront.

[mnhtnbb]

52. No wondering required; California under Ronnie as Gov started

the process of moving people out of state facilities into community outpatient centers and then
the money to fund the community centers dried up. It's been done over and over across the country
in many states since Ronnie started it. Hubby has fought the battle, telling politicians exactly
what will happen, and they all act so damned surprised when it does.

Yes, people with no where to turn for mental health care end up in jail or on the street. It's
horrible.

[datasuspect]

37. i am stockpiling weapons, ammunition, MREs, desalinization kits, and plastic sheeting and duct tape

[Caretha]

48. Don't forget the

Iodine :)

[jotsy]

39. My video store is locally owned and my grocery store is employee owned.

It may not be much, but I do my best to avoid being part of the flow of money to the corporatocracy.

[Luciferous]

44. Three years ago we had three locally owned video stores and

and one local family owned grocery store. Then Family Video moved in, and now we are down to one locally owned video store. Our grocery store is now a County Market... I try to support locally owned businesses when possible, but it's getting more difficult.

[sandyj999]

40. Now that my husband is not working we have made some changes

We changed our cell phone coverage now having prepaid, which will save us over $500.00 a year. We no longer have a need for 700 minutes. We are no longer going out to eat. And we have moved all our money from Bank of America to a community credit union. I am no longer buying things I don't really need and the strange part is I don't have a problem with it. I have way too much "stuff"!

[WestSeattle2]

49. I get the "stuff" thing......and the cell phone bill.....I've heard of

so many people moving their money out of commercial banks and into credit unions, I'm rather surprised. Pleased, but surprised!

[sandyj999]

66. Thank you!

[scarletwoman]

42. I haven't had to adapt, I've been living by Great Depression rules my whole life.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression, and I've lived by the lessons they taught me my whole life:
(1) Don't buy anything unless you can pay for it in cash.
(2) Always keep a savings account (in a credit union, not a bank) and put away as much as you can.
(3) Repair and re-use everything you possibly can.
(4) Learn to differentiate between needs and wants. Be creative and frugal about taking care of your needs, be extra discerning about your wants. If you want something, save up for it, DON'T buy on credit!
(5) Neither a lender nor a borrower be. Okay, that one's from Shakespeare, but it's still excellent advice. :D

Honestly, my life is no different now than it has ever been. I bought my current house and 10 acres with a 10% cash down payment, and it was fully paid off several years ago.

I've never owned a credit card, I've never put money in the stock market. My life today is really no different from my life 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 or years ago -- except that my children are grown and off on their own. I have always gotten by just fine on very little.

sw

[WestSeattle2]

50. You do realize that if we had all followed your example

we wouldn't be in the mess! Common sense and logic seems to have escaped all too many of us.

Your self-discipline is admirable!

[scarletwoman]

53. It's never felt like "self-discipline" to me, it's just simple pragmatism.

I value my freedom, I've never wanted to be tied down by debt.

[Greyhound]

57. If we all followed her example, the economy would have ground to a halt decades ago.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but the American economy was built, and is utterly dependent, on over-consumption of disposable crap and planned obsolescence.

[WestSeattle2]

59. I don't think the economy would have ground to a halt, but

economic expansion based on debt and credit would most certainly have been curtailed.

[ddeclue]

55. umm WHAT economy again?

[WeekendWarrior]

60. I'm actually making more money than I ever have.

I changed careers and have been very, very lucky. Although I've always been a penny pincher. I hate to waste money and hate it even more when others do it. Like people who buy booze or weed when their kids are hungry. Never quite understood that.

[bergie321]

63. Bought a 2BR Condo

For less than I paid for a 1BR apartment.

[L0oniX]

64. I have no other choice now but to sell my body and deal dope.

[ipaint]

65. I'll be adapting by living in my truck should the EU benefits extention be delayed

Once I adapt to that I figure I'll be way ahead of those who think cutting down on impulse buying is adapting to an ongoing economic collapse. I look at my experience of this catastrophe as retraining for the next 5 to 10 years.

Good for those who are lucky enough that their hard work paid off. For most in the working class and working poor it doesn't.

[LiberalEsto]

67. We dine out once a year

on our anniversary.

We stopped getting takeout food once a weekend; now it's maybe once every other month.

We gave up meat and poultry, although we eat seafood once or twice a month.

We rarely take vacations.

I buy a lot of our clothing at yard sales.


However, we can't save a dime because:

1. I've been unemployed for 1 1/2 years.

2. We're paying our kids' student loans.

3. We're paying tuition at community college for the younger daughter.