How poor are you right now?

[prolesunited]

Misery loves company. It's not just me, is it?

[DarkTirade]

1. I just finished my second week of classes. Still haven't bought any books yet.

I think I can afford the one I need most right now, so I should be okay. And I was gonna buy a copy of one of my books from a friend who took the class last semester and never sold his book back.

[Blue Dog Dominion]

35. After another week you will know which ones to not buy altogether

I used to go the library and borrow a copy for when I needed one.

[applegrove]

2. I'm working so they cut my disability payments by alot. I've just received

a few hundred dollars and know it is from them. My rent is $725. I hope I can get an advance from somewhere because I don't have enough in the bank to cover that amount of rent.

Wish they weren't so efficient at the disability office. They are right on my case. Oh well - I love to work so I'll just have to deal with it.

[Blue_Tires]

3. I'll have to keep the Ferrari another 6 months before flipping it...

[BurtWorm]

4. We're so poor we eat rice crispies with a fork to save on milk.

We're so poor, when someone came in my house and stepped on a cigarette burning in the hall, my wife said, "Who turned off the heat?"


We're so poor, we throw our toilet paper in the laundry.

[prolesunited]

40. Thanks for the chuckle.

:-)

[redqueen]

5. Nope!

Playing utility bill bingo at the moment. I got my butt enrolled in class though, even though I can't get the books just yet.

Hang in there. :hug:

[no name no slogan]

6. I'll have to forego buying my second Space Shuttle

And I've had to cut back the lobster dinners to six a week, so yeah, times are a little tough.

[MrCoffee]

7. I had to let Rodrigo go. Who is going to tie my left shoe now?

I don't know how the right would get tied without Nadia there. She's going to be pulling double duty for a while.

[azmouse]

8. I bought the 3 carat diamond ring instead of the 4 carat.

Sacrifices must be made. :(

[Ohio Joe]

9. I've been unemployed for six months

My unemployment ran out at the end of Dec. and since the state of Ohio has downsize ODJFS, it is seeming to be impossible to get myself on the extended benefits. I also had a fire about a month after I lost my job and pretty much everything I owned burned. I had insurance but still have not gotten them to pay up. I have no money, no job and own almost nothing.

[prolesunited]

41. That sucks

Why is the insurance company refusing to pay? You should report them to the state insurance agency and the AG. Also, keep on the unemployment thing. Sit on their doorstep every day. Or maybe you could call a state rep or senator to help intervene. Their staffs do that kind of stuff all of the time.

You definitely have me beat, but it's no contest that you would want to win. Hope it gets better. My husband is from Ohio and I know things are grim there. Can you relocate?

[Ohio Joe]

56. They are not refusing....

It took me more then three months to fill out the forms (and I'm still doing updates). They require a line item for everything I owned. At 46, I had acquired a crap load of things and remembering each one, where it had been purchased, when it had been purchased, how much had been paid, how it was paid for (cash, card, gift, ect) and finding a replacement cost is a real bitch. I call them every week and they are "still processing the claim". At over 8,000 line items (and growing as I do updates), I suppose it is not a huge shock but it still sucks. I'm still glad I had insurance, if you don't have it, get it. I would have been seriously screwed if I had not had it. Also, take pictures of what you own. With cell phone cameras its easy now and I would kill to have pictures, it would have saved a lot of time.

I can relocate for work but I'm a mainframe programmer and there just are not a whole hell of a lot of companies hiring for that right now. But yes, I am filling out applications all over the country.

[JNelson6563]

47. So sorry to hear this!

Tragic. Damn! :hug:

I wish I could afford to send you more than encouragement but that's all I've got to spare for now.

Julie

[Ohio Joe]

57. I appreciate it

Some nice DU'er got me a star a while back :D

[emilyg]

50. So sorry. Hug.

[Ohio Joe]

58. Thank You!

[Bertha Venation]

61. Joe, I wish I could do something for you.

Sending lots of good vibes. :hug:

[Ohio Joe]

72. This place always makes me feel better :)

Thank You!

[JVS]

10. I'm so poor that I'm beginning to think that the personal luxury submarine might not happen

http://www.ussubs.com/submarines/phoenix.pdf

I need a hug. :-(

[graywarrior]

11. Collecting unemployment for 5 weeks $75 per week

Food stamps.

Wicked poor.

[Rhythm]

12. Nope... not just you...

To be fair, Lyric and i are in college, so that means unavoidable poverty for the next few years.

[HopeHoops]

13. I just sold the last of my dental floss on eBay

[derby378]

14. I have enough cash to buy sodas for the weekend and gas up the car

Oh, sweet payday! You can't arrive soon enough for me.

[NightWatcher]

15. My business closed and I'm working PT at my cousin's pizza buffet

today was payday and I'm already broke again. I did save a few bucks for a couple cases of Yuengling. Tomorrow is a day off for me, so I'm going to process a lot of beer. Maybe I can get some grocery money from family, but I have dipped into my "survival rations" to get me by till then. The upside is I get all the free pizza I want everyday (WHICH IS TWO FRIGGIN PIECES).


...off to drink and post my fingers off. Will be PUI in an hour....

[PassingFair]

16. I am not poor at all....

but my job is threatened, and they
THREATEN to fire me weekly.

Gotta LOVE sales.

I could probably hold out for about
6 months if I get the shaft, but I
don't know what I'd do about health
insurance for my family.

I read today that the proposed
stimulus has provisions in it for
medical insurance...I hope the
provisions don't get taken out
in the Senate....

:scared:

[prolesunited]

44. I know

That will be only thing that might possibly save us. My buyout subsidy on our health insurance ends in March and the monthly premium goes from $450 to $1,025. I don't know how we'll do it, but we both have health issues so we won't do any better on the open market and going without isn't an option.

I just had to have a gastric workup this, both top and bottom, because of internal bleeding. Turns out I have gastritis and am on my way to developing ulcers. Hmm... perhaps the stress has something to do with it. Now I have even more stress trying to come up with more money to pay the deductible and co-pay. And lucky me gets another prescription to take. Thankfully, there's a generic for this.

I was the first one in my family to graduate from college and I've worked my ass off my entire life and I'm watching it all just slip through my fingers. I've never made a ton of money, but I also didn't worry that I going to die in the street of asthma or something.

[bigwillq]

17. I am doing ok.

Living with family helps.

I don't think that I could afford to live on my own. Well, I guess I could but then I would have about 36 cents left over, and that would be pushing it! :)

[crimsonblue]

18. I got about $8000 of credit card debt

and no job. Thank God for loving parents (I'm still in college), and I think I can make by for another couple of months-- my friend is getting me a job at Dillons. I've been applying elsewhere in the meantime, but nothing is too promising yet. I may have to take out (more) student loans to pay down my debt. It'd be cheaper in the long run.

[Bake]

19. I'm so broke I can't even pay attention!

:hi:

Bake

[dembotoz]

20. doing sort of ok

most bills generally paid

my 17 year old just got a 20hr /week job so
we now have a bit more of a safety net--he doesn't know
that he is the safety net.

working full time-job sorta secure??

doing sort of ok.

[Sky Masterson]

21. I am a rich man

Not financially.
But I have friends who love me.
So there ya go.

[Orrex]

31. Welcome to DU!

There's a crap game in the sewer tonight, if you know someone who can get you in...

[Sky Masterson]

36. Stick with me baby, I'm the guy that you came in with

Luck be a lady tonight!
Thank you for the friendly re-welcome.
I haven't been welcomed to DU in almost five years. ;)
Brings back memories. :)
:hi:

[femmocrat]

43. Like your new name, "Sky"

How many posts did you have to give up to start over? That took guts! :)

:hug: (for making me smile)

[Sky Masterson]

59. Over 31,000

And it was worth it.
:)
:hug: you are welcome.

[Bertha Venation]

62. well said, Sky, and welcome to DU

:hi:

[Shell Beau]

22. I am ok, but I will say this week has been full of unexpected payments.

My Lolly had to go back to the vet for bloody poo! $400
My husband had to pay a $200 speeding ticket and then got popped again leaving the courthouse. Another $200.
Bella got sick. Had to meet insurance deductible again. $300
She is going back to doc, I am sure another $100 or so.

These times are tough! I am sorry for everyone having troubles.

[moriah]

73. Vet bills are expensive.

My Ninja just came home from the hospital, another blockage -- maybe not poo, but still bloody excreta. One night/weekend vet emergency clinic call and a week in the hospital, looking right at a grand.

CareCredit is my friend. I paid it down with the overtime from Christmas, but ....

It covers human doctor copays, too.

[Drunken Girlfriend]

23. Dirt Poor

My income is currently under 20 000 dollars,which is considered
the poverty level here in Canada.

I am dirt poor at the moment,but at least I got some beer to keep
me company.:)

[XemaSab]

24. I've been unemployed for over a year

I had $1000 in vet bills last month.

Yes, I am BROKE.

[arcadian]

25. I am rich in spirit

Translation: Monetarily: Very

[kedrys]

26. Seriously paycheck to paycheck

The s.o.'s not allowed to work yet, so I'm supporting us both, and it can get dicey in spots. Like the next 2 weeks.

Note to self: channel college years and relearn to luv ramen noodles. :P

[Forkboy]

27. I'd have to borrow money to be broke.

x(

[Merrick]

28. Just sold one of my livers on the black market

got $120.

[Jamastiene]

63. Uhm, I really regret having to be the one who has to tell you this, but

you only have one liver. :\

Well, it was nice knowing ya. :hi:

[Orrex]

29. I've scaled back and am now lighting my cigars with fifties

Times are tough, I tell you.

[FarLeftRage]

30. No more severance...

Unemployment checks are helping me... but no medical...
If things don't change soon and I have no $$$ for meds, then I am looking at kickin' the ol' bucket...

[mwooldri]

32. Well I'm not "poor"... but I tell you this...

... at 6am my bank account entered four-figure territory.

It wasn't even 9am and my bank account was back in the low 3-figure territory again.

The good thing is all the bills are paid.

It will be a nice day when my debts get into four figure territory. If you exclude my student loan and car loan then yes, my debt is in four figure territory but those are my two biggest debts.

Mark.

[SKKY]

33. I'm not poor, but I've certainly made some changes...

...I take my lunch to work now. I play Bridgestone E6+ golf balls instead of Titleist Pro V1s. I only play golf twice a month now and only on base (It's $8.00 dollars for 18 holes vice 65 or 70 at one of the local courses). I run to work (4.4 miles round trip) instead of drive. I limit myself to $20.00 a week for "stuff". Simple little changes like that make a HUGE difference.

[libodem]

34. I'm so poor

that I lost my DU donor star. I keep promising myself if I get a little extra $ it's going off to Skinner-land. I like that feeling of belonging because I've contributed. I do not like the feeling of having a naked spot where the donor star goes. (I'm on an unemployment extension and have not been able to work for the last 3 years because of a back injury.)

[prolesunited]

46. You don't see me sporting one of those either

And I've been here eight years and always had one.

Backs are pretty tricky. Have you tried any kind of therapeutic yoga? Is that even a possibility?

[libodem]

77. Yahoo

I had a you got mail sign this morning and a little note from Skinner with the someone gave you a star. I'm so happy I could cry It's a very humbling and happy feeling.

[prolesunited]

66. Hey, look!!!!

Someone both gave us stars. That made me happy this morning. I am so grateful for the simple things.

[BlueJazz]

37. I'm doing alright.

[AwakeAtLast]

38. I'm doing alright now

but I went through my lean times when things were good ('94-'98). We are by no means living it up, but we have money left over at the end of the month and we can go out to dinner every now and then. The one thing that would make me feel more comfortable is if we had more emergency savings built up. That is what I'm working on now.

I'm sorry you are having a rough time of it - let's hope this new administration can change things quickly! :hug:

[JTG of the PRB]

39. I put $100 dollars into savings with my first paycheck of the month.

Yesterday, I had to take $115 OUT of savings and move it to checking so I could pay my rent.

x(

[ThomCat]

42. Living on public assistance, waiting for Disability to be approved.

Burning through money I took out of my 401k at a rapid rate to survive until my Disability money starts. :(

Yeah, I went from middle class to poor really quickly.

[undeterred]

45. Frozen waffles aint just for breakfast.

No, its not just you. :hi:

[ornotna]

48. Doing ok

Work is slowing down here though. Hope it picks up soon.

[Yavin4]

49. No One Is Poor on DU

No one is poor here because on DU we have each other.

:hug:

[auntAgonist]

51. I was just given an 8% pay cut. I'm feeling the pinch.

Husband is off work ill (for a long time by the look of things). Not poor, but there's not a lot to go around right now.

[prolesunited]

64. It's worth it to save your job and your benefits.

In fact, I would take a fairly low-paying job for good health insurance. Hey, maybe I can walk around downtown with a sign, "Will work for health insurance."

[Tuesday Afternoon]

52. really fucking Land poor. So worth it, though. n/t

[OswegoAtheist]

53. I'm so poor...

...that I had to throw a bottle of domestic wine filled with gasoline at a CEO's limo.

Oswego "and George W. Bush must be tried for warcrimes" Atheist

[deoxyribonuclease]

54. Rich enough to live comfortably

I rent a nice condo in a nice neighborhood, have a good job (for now), never had any debt. I guess I'm relatively lucky :toast:

I need to get out more and make some more friends, though.

[prolesunited]

65. Sounds like a charmed life.

I've always worked hard, lived within my means and never acquired much debt, but I'm still treading water.

[lizziegrace]

55. Too poor to pay my rent on Sunday

My unemployment is still being batted back and forth.

Also, my car needs new front tires and Lelapin's car needs front tires and a timing belt/water pump as well as rotors. Her father's paying for the rotors, but the rest is me. She's working 20 hours a week but has to buy her food, pay utilities and pay her medical copays.

My parents are paying for her cap and gown for graduation. This is humiliating. x(

[Bertha Venation]

70. lizzie

:hug:

[lizziegrace]

71. After a while

this is all just normal life. x(

[datasuspect]

60. i'm so glad the upscale stores where i shop have free delivery

i feel so guilty walking around with bags and parcels from high end stores.

[Cabcere]

67. I have about $30 on my debit card, $6 in cash, and

I got another rejection letter yesterday from another potential employer. I've been job searching since I graduated college in May (with the exception of about three months when I was either in the hospital or recovering from surgeries), and if my parents hadn't taken me back in when I broke my ankle and allowed me to stay for a while, I'd be completely screwed.

[prolesunited]

69. Well, at least you can count on your parents

and have an education. What's your degree in and where are you located?

[Cabcere]

75. True - I am very lucky in those respects, and many others.

:) I have a bachelor's degree in Anthropology, which is virtually useless, since there are very few anthropology-related jobs (and those that do exist almost always require a Ph.D.). I live in rural Virginia, so that doesn't exactly help matters, either. :hi:

[yellowdogintexas]

68. currently not scared. There have been periods of terrifying in my past so I am just

glad I don't feel terrified right now.

My hopes for all who are.

[hfojvt]

74. depends on how you define 'poor'

Presumably I will make the same $12,000 this year that I did last year. As long as I keep my job, I will be all right even with a pay cut or no raise this year. My savings is down to about $1500 now even after I cashed a CD and at the end of a 3 paycheck month.

[peacefreak]

76. Only when I think about it.

I've been unemployed since October & it's gettting harder to make rent each month.

[Monk06]

78. 57 yo workin in a phone room poor. After being wo work for a year and a half

[Lil Missy]

79. Just a paycheck away.

I took in my mother and we share the bills.

Either of us miss a check, and we both go down. Homeless.

[oedura]

80. Unemployed 5 months...

...with about $6,000 worth of debts and maybe a grand left in the bank.

[sakabatou]

81. No income and no real plans of getting any in the near future

I'm a poor student.

[wickerwoman]

82. No job, living with parents, everything I own fits in two suitcases,

but at least I'm not out on the street.

I can't even find shitty retail or temp work around here and my masters degree is completely useless.

In the past year I've had seventeen job interviews and only one offer which fell through because the company went under (after I'd already given notice at my other job). Most places have been telling me they're getting 2-300 applicants for each job and the jobs are crappy paying part time work I could have gotten with my qualifications ten years ago.

The only consolation is that everyone else is having a hell of a time too and the four month gap in employment won't look so awful on my resume.

[astral]

83. not doing great

and I sure hope there aren't 300 people applying for the two jobs I'm trying to get an interview for.

[Kat45]

84. My job was eliminated, I am not eligible for unemployment, and

tomorrow I won't have health insurance.

[Critters2]

85. Why aren't you eligible for unemployment?

Cuz that really sucks! :hug:

[Kat45]

86. Because I was working for a church.

When one works for a church one is not eligible, I guess because churches don't pay into the unemp system. You're probably aware that that's the case for church employees though you may not have known that I've been working as a Parish Administrator this past year. Thanks for the hugs.

[Critters2]

87. No, I didn't realize you worked for a church.

But, yeah, I know churches don't pay into unemp. I don't know why, but I know it's true. And they eliminated your job? They're going to go on without an administrator? That doesn't seem wise. I don't know what I'd do without ours here.

I'm really sorry this is happening. I feel so bad every time I hear the unemployment numbers. The numbers are bad, but the real stories--like yours--are even worse.

You're in my prayers!

[Kat45]

90. Thank you for the prayers.

Yeah, the priest has to do the admin work now, so it's likely that only the absolutely necessary things will get done (like the Bulletin). She's not happy about that either. She's an interim and she can't wait until her gig there is up.

The church is in a difficult situation right now; I even feel badly for them. They had plans to do extensive renovations in the parish hall and the rectory, but they had to scale them back. They didn't raise as much money as they'd hoped and they lost about one third of their endowment in the current financial tsunami. Now, the work in the parish hall will mostly be asbestos and lead abatement. The rectory has to have a lot of work to get it in shape for the new rector, and st this point they don't know if it will be ready on time when they are ready to hire a rector. And the interim plans to leave at a certain time whether or not they've found someone by then.

Like many churches, they'd been taking too much out of their endowment every year to balance the budget and they've finally realized that they can't do that any more. Besides cutting my job, they had to cut their mission budget in half. Man, why is it only the good churches that struggle, while the wingnut churches are rolling in dough?

[prolesunited]

88. Perhaps the congregation, at the urging of the pastor

Take up a collection to help you out. If they can't give money, perhaps food would help. Maybe there's a doctor in the parish who could help with medical care. If churches are not going to pay into the system, I think they have some obligation to support their workers in a time of crisis.

[Kat45]

91. They did pay me for one more month, and they continued my

health insurance for that time. As of today, I have no health insurance. :scared:

[Iggo]

89. I'm okay as long as I keep my job.

If I lose that, things would go south pretty quick and I'd probably be broke in a couple of months.

[Richard Steele]

92. I'm 40 years old and bumming floorspace in an old friend's basment

How POOR is that, do ya reccon?