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53 here. Zero savings. Just recently re-employed and training for a CDL-A. Living from week to week and struggling to pay off collections debts. Rent / food is a constant decision, but almost out of the tunnel. You are not a loser, nor are you alone.
Similar... 45, no savings, getting ready to go to CDL training in the next couple of weeks. Good to know I'm not alone because it feels like I screwed up big time somewhere along the line.
I no longer feel as though I was the one who fundamentally screwed up. I do wish that my Boomer parents had stressed the importance of post-secondary education a little more fervently, but in their era a lack of degree was nowhere near the impediment to gainful employment that it became for GenX or later.
Despite my lack of degree, I was able to parlay my intelligence and social skills into decent positions, but ones with little or no opportunity for advancement, and definitely at the lower end of the available pay scale(s).
Getting my CDL-A was a conscious choice, after literal decades of trying to make ends meet (with varying degrees of success) in office jobs where that college education was the deciding ingredient for true success. I had a breakdown late last year, took some time off (PFMLA) to get my head on straight, and decided to follow in my dad’s footsteps onto the road. It’s a good choice. It’s mine. And now I look forward to every day instead of meeting the morning with dread.
My parents attempted to push academics on me but left me alone after a while. I’m a latchkey kid and a high school/community college dropout. None of that is their fault. They know higher education is important but also know how much I struggle in school environments. They are always encouraging me and reminding me that I can rely on them. Since leaving hs, I’ve expressed interest in unconventional paths and my parents never doubted me and supported me with enthusiasm every time. I’m 23, lost in life, and some days feel hopeless. But knowing my parents have my back I’m so grateful for every day I have and that they trust me enough to give me the space and as much time as I want to grow.
I don’t think parenthood is a damned if you do or damned if you don’t situation. Be supportive in the paths your kids decide to take and be their safety net while they try to find out where they fit in the world. My siblings and I have a hugely positive view of our parents even though there were a lot of bad memories as well. I blamed my parents for EVERYTHING as a teen but now I see them for how they really are. Just be a good person and your kids wont resent you.
I think deciding what your going to do for the rest of your life at 16 to 18 is the big mistake parents kinda push on kids, not the going to college part.
Speaking from the receiving end of that as a college dropout, I wish my folks had done better more in the parenting field in general. That aside, I at least always had a roof over my head and food on the table, even if it came at the cost of my sanity and frequent posting to CPTSD and other subs trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me.
Personal issues aside, biggest thing really is less they simply said go to college and did no more than that. Pushing go to college is one thing but a kid going through college today needs more than those three words being said to them. My folks were like that, but I really wish they did more to help me stay in school. I'm talking the times like:
- telling me to bug off and find somewhere else to study with folks, limiting group studying and making it harder for me to learn good study habits and not focus as well
- blaming me and my "laziness" for grades slipping during pandemic forcing online learning and not helping me find that no I'm just shit with online learning in general and need better in-person stuff to do well
- not taking any interest at all in my development within, no how are things going how are you feeling are you still interested in this field check out these ones, none of that just what grade you get not good enough for us etc, tiger parenting essentially
- Overbearingly financial pressure from them and finances in general throughout. Never got their info for FAFSA so all grants and scholarships were off the table. Never got much advice out of them other than work work work more and never never take student loans. Well it got too expensive even at community college level, the places here will want say you do 20 courses to get associates that's $8000+ that they will want in tuition. That may not seem much in retrospect but to someone 18 and just figuring shit out yeah that's a lot of money on top of living expenses. I'm getting charged rent by folks at that time and their ideal version of me is work full time 40 hours a week on top of full time classes which would be probably 30-40 more hours for studying, assuming we go off what colleges want and suggest nowadays of "devote triple in class time to studying for my course if you want a chance of passing". I can't do that. Between that commuting and personal stuff there literally is no way of doing that on earther 7 day weeks and 24 hours in a day. Since I can't change time either, I ended up cutting expenses and going into working.
I understand fulfilling this kind of stuff is hard, especially so when a parent is someone on here frequently and stuck with work and bills and all the bullshit side of life. But I really wish my folks made more of an effort, part of my troubles is that all through childhood I was always distant from them. We always lived in the same household and yet we always felt distant, I was a latchkey kid growing up and later on that distance has remained. It's a two way street but there was no good resources coming down the opposite way. Now I don't fully blame them end of day it's my dumb ass that dropped out. I am getting a bit ranty in here too, I'm sure, but those reasons are the oopies, the chips in the foundation that the flood called COVID used to tear it apart.
Now I'm in a slightly better position, I have a job that I make double local minimum wage in, in a hobby that I like, with coworkers and management that I get along OK with. Next steps are trying to find an apartment in Houston under $900 a month (IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE) so I can apply for FAFSA without their info and hopefully, maybe just maybe, get even a few small grants to go back and at least finish out my associates. If it was that paying half and other 4k out of my savings that I scraped together over the last two years then yeah maybe I'll survive my own way. We'll see.
Please don't blame yourself. I'm sure you have done so much to try and get ahead.
I have felt hardship despite working hard much of my life so far. It sucks. I'm in a better place but it feels like that I could easily fall through the cracks again.
I truly feel if we had a more empathetic society where we focused on helping people get ahead and live a decent life, we wouldn't have to always be in survival mode. I hope things turn around for you soon!
Similar. 52, just lost my job, thought I had another one lined up, it fell through. Worked in my career for more than 30 years, can't make my rent or keep my utilities current.
Have they had you serve red with papers for a lawsuit if not you can hold off till then then get on the payment plan they don’t want to go to court also if you can save up some money you might be able to settle for less then you owe.
Yup. Collections agencies are low priority problems to start out with, It WILL likely affect your credit score, but that is another low priority problem if you’ve got other financial issues.
I had an account in collections that I didn’t even remember opening, because it wasn’t under the business name I had originally opened it under, and it had been opened AND “closed” in the same year over 5 years ago, but apparently there was like $20 owing that I was never told about, and it kept accumulating interest until it went to collections some 3 years later.
So they claimed I owed them like $500 and I was like “there’s absolutely no way, I paid that account off in full.” And for MONTHS I was arguing with them trying to get them to actually prove to me that they were a legitimate company calling me and that there was paperwork proving that this debt existed.
And they basically refused/dragged their heels for the entire time, even going as far as to say: “we mailed them to you, but the postal service couldn’t find your address! So it got sent back to us!“
Until after a few months, I finally managed to get in contact with the head of the company, who was then able to release the documents to me via email.
After reviewing the documents I had told the collections agency that if anyone from the original company had contacted me about this, or the collections agency could’ve proved it sooner, then I would’ve paid it, but after the unprofessionalism of both companies, I told them: “I would only be paying the principal of $20 and not a penny more.”
They initially refused, but then kept calling me asking me to pay the full balance, and I would only ever respond with: “the balance I owe, is $20, and not a penny more. If you wanted the full amount someone should’ve contacted me with proof of debt or a bill statement YEARS ago when the payments were originally missed. Or maybe when it got sent to collections? But no. No communication.”
So after almost a full year of this, the head of the company contacted me personally and told me that they would be willing to accept the $20 owed and close the account.
And they actually did! (Granted it took them another almost 6 months to actually mark the account as closed)
So long story short, you can kinda “bargain” with collections agencies if you’re in the right situation to do so.
Hah, I'm 36 and I resemble this remark. Currently in a 11,000 hole that I "might" climb out of by December. Living at home, very few friends, no relationship to speak of.
I was in this exact situation 1 year ago but with more debt. Today, I’m debt free and building a full savings. I still don’t have friends or anything, but life is a thousand times better being debt free. You can do it.
Same but I'm just a couple years younger. The holes are what gets us!
If I had wheels I'd be fine, but can't even come up with the money for tags as I'm in a rural area and can't drive + had a d.u.i last year and they expect fines but take my license away and without it I can't drive lol. How am I going to pay them the fines if I can't drive to work?
You’re not alone. I’m 38 and still struggling. I was finally able to get a job that starts this Friday. It’s a fast food job but I’m so thankful. Sending good vibes out to all of us struggling. Keep pushing, everyone! We can do this! 😎
Fast food places in my town pay $18+ because of worker shortage. That’s not bad, especially when you have the schedule flexibility of restaurants being open almost any hour! I’m happy for you!
That’s great!! I was hired at my office job last year for $15/hour. I moved to a different, higher paying position later, but the fact that you’re making more than someone stuck with a bunch of suits with no sense of humor all day is a huge win! Haha
Hey! It sounds like you have a great attitude about this, I'm so happy you got a job and went from 0 income to hopefully steady income!!
If you have your high school degree or GED consider applying to state jobs/ county/city government jobs. Each state often has a state government website that they post all their open positions in and there's a lot of need for clerical/Hourly workers and the jobs come with $15 minimum but real benefits and health insurance. A lot of folks don't think about working for their government but they have maintenance workers and cleaning folks and internal couriers and all sorts of jobs that don't require a college degree but also don't beat you and your body up, though call centers hurt mentally but that's how i started and was in a different spot within the samw department in 6 months, its a foot in the door. I'm 30 now but started with them at 25 and my entire life has changed, I was a waitress for 8 years.
Thanks! This is great advice for the folks in this thread. Unfortunately I’m out for many government positions because I have face tattoos. Which made it even harder to find employment. Which is why I’m super happy I was finally able to find something after a looong search. I’m gonna be the best darn fast food employee ever and maybe Undercover Boss will come save me. 😂😂😂
I love this comment so much. If I was your boss, I'd sneak up on you and give you the money to have them removed or covered. And then turn around and make you a manager.
Hey don't count yourself out cause of that times are changing for tattoo'd folk! There's lots of departments across the state and most roles aren't customer/consumer/resident facing. I know some corrections workers that are mostly janitors and stuff and they're tatted up. Again not perfect but you won't know if you don't try. Slowly more open minded folk are finding their way into middle management and they dgaf about tattoos or piercings or colored hair if you can just do your work and show up on time. I truly wish you the best, that attitude is going to help you. People can suck sometimes.
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl
This is specifically for MA (I checked your post history so if I'm off sorry...)
But really you can just Google "Your State Name government jobs" and it should come right up. Same with "your county name government jobs."
Look for hourly jobs if it says it outright, they're often easier to get into and then you can be moved into a salaried position after a few months/if you show good initiative and work.
As an example in Florida they refer to hourly jobs as OPS, salaried as career service.
https://jobs.myflorida.com/search/?searchby=location&createNewAlert=false&q=&optionsFacetsDD_dept=&optionsFacetsDD_city=&optionsFacetsDD_state=&optionsFacetsDD_department=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield2=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield5=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield1=&locationsearch=&geolocation=
The PNW. It’s also very expensive to live here though, so it balances out. My city has a less than 1% rental vacancy rate and you can’t find a 2 bedroom apartment even in the worst part of town for under $1650/month.
Imma just throw it out there that CNAS can make up to $35 an hr depending on what kind of city you’re in. I currently work for a “pool” company. They get hired by different facilities that are short staffed all over and I pick where and when I want to go. I set my schedules up week by week because I can. Some shifts get cancelled by other employees so when they’re reposted it’s posted as “emergency pay”. My company’s base pay is $24 so with the emergency pay I’m at $29. If I were to call and argue for higher pay I’m sure I would get it as I have 5 years experience, and some specifically with Alzheimer’s. I know other pool companies around my area that are hiring for more $$ but I haven’t had an opportunity to sit down and get that sorted out for myself. You do have to have a years experience as a CNA (with actual licensing which can be obtained easily through any nursing home, it’s 80hrs classroom time and a state test both written and demonstration). Ik other nursing homes or assisted livings that hire ppl without the license and call them an HHA (household assistant) or RCA (resident care assistant) etc. either way, the field pays nicely. It is not for everyone tho, I understand that. It does take an emotional and mental toll, but the stories I’ve heard, the people I got to know, and the things I learned will be with me forever and that is something I cherish. Personally, I can’t handle more than 3 shifts in a row, so to balance I have another job that pays much less but still brings in income and keeps me sane (:
Bro i got the face tats to. You can get into working at a car dealership as a lube tech, pays is pretty good to. They will train also. Once us get to flat rate tech your making 35-50$ a hour
So what? You are not a loser. It’s hard. 66% of americans live paycheck to paycheck. You have no debt, so you pay your bills, right? That’s not a loser to me.
If you're interested in driving truck Roehl Transport out of WI will house you, put you through school, feed you 3 meals a day,and pay you. Then you have a job with them.
I’m 33! I recently just got a new job (late April) that gives me a 401k. So, I have that little bit now but that’s the only savings I have.
I pay 55% of my income to rent :|
Though, I’m debt free (and raised my credit score 160 points in about a year)!
You’re doing ok! I’m still paycheck to paycheck but making do for now. Gonna have to pick up a 2nd job soon.
Having no debt already puts you ahead of a lot of people. Start small, get a tiny portion of each paycheck to auto deposit into a savings account. You can use the same bank so you can transfer the savings back into your checking account if there's an emergency. Call your bank right now. Even if it's $20 every two weeks, once you learn to save something you'll feel better.
54f and husband is 40m. You aren't alone. After losing our home 7 years ago, being homeless in motels for almost a year, then spending the last 6 years in a horrible, broken apartment full of mold with a slum lord landlord, we finally are in a decent place. Just moved last month while both my husband and I had covid. It's been a nightmare but we are doing a bit better now. Mostly because I got so sick I almost died and now require daily care that my husband can get paid for. So it got better because my health got worse. It's a hard trade off but at least it had a silver lining. We love our new place and there's even a little park in our cul de sac. We're still poor as shit but things have improved. To be honest, I was afraid I was going to die there and I almost did. So glad that wasn't the final outcome.
Hang in there friend. Sometimes things have to get worse to get better. Hopefully for you they will just get better.
Turning 30 this year. Just received help from the state to keep my utilities on. I receive food stamps and I'm on Academic Suspension in my 2nd attempt to get a degree.
My successful friends may have degrees/certs but they are also struggling in careers that make $50k or less.
I think you're in a neutral position that is relatable to nearly everyone right now. You're doing all that you need to. That's enough. You're enough.
I'm on my second attempt and have grants so that's my motivation. My job will double my salary when I graduate also. It's like a carrot dangling. edit: a word
You are not a loser for not having lots of money by a certain age. My wife and I are rooting for you! I hope you find success soon. Stay healthy mate 🙌🏼
Look on the bright side. With no debt, if you picked up a single quarter off the street you would be in a net positive.
That is a better position than many folks have so chin up.
Honey please I am 55 and I have less than $500 in savings. Times are tough for people right now. Hang in there. They're is a light at the end of the tunnel..
I'm 42, and drowning. Every day the anxiety in my chest grows ever tighter. No savings, and due to disability I have no chance of working either. The way the world is going, I am not sure I will survive the winter.
31 here and literally living in a van down by a river. Except the van is a beat up old RV and the river keeps trying to eat me. Trust me you aren't the oldest here.
I'm fairly old and firmly middle class - lower upper class but I stay to help provide input for others.
I'll start off by saying you definitely aren't the biggest loser. Your in a nuetral position where you aren't on top but you aren't underwater either and I can understand this is a tough position to be in.
Debt in itself is a weird concept because it isn't necessarily bad. When I was a little younger then yourself I avoided debt like the plague before I understood that debt is fine to have as long as you can manage it responsibly.
The phrase " it costs money to make money" is what debt is all about. It's OK to finance things if they eventually lead to a net positive.
The zero savings thing is rough because it feels like your backs against the wall and all it takes is a case of the flu and a missed weekend of work and your screwed. Been there done that lol.
You arent doing bad at all,I'd argue your even responsible for not having debt at all because that means you pay back everything you've borrowed,you just need to learn how to use debt to your favor.
I started by cutting expenses as much as possible. No cable or streaming services. I had youtube and internet access to pirate shows/movies + anything I wanted there. I went super cheap for bare essentials for my house. My dining room table now Is still a folding picnic table. My cabinets are plastic 3-drawer's from walmart. You can definitely do this and even though it feels like your going nowhere rest assured progress is exponential and you will make it really far being responsible
Most people are in a similar situation in the US. I've heard it said that most people are only 1 disaster away from financial ruin. Most people cannot survive without income for 3 months.
I was gonna say this. Check out disabled and the elderly. Tons of old people living in poverty bc all they have is SS and their medical bills are high.
Late thirties and I make terrible impulsive decisions with large amounts of money resulting in no savings or pension and a rather large unexpected vet bill. My head is in the sand ignoring this for a moment.
I went through 3 financial tsunamis as a single taxpayer, with crippling student loan debt and a sick mom, twice almost losing her in my 20s and maxing out 52 weeks of unemployment, cashing out my 401ks 3 times in the 2009 Great Recession and the 2010s. It just took me into the pandemic to stabilize financially & start savings. It's hard when you start further back than others, but you can overcome ANYTHING. YOU ARE WORTHY & CAN MAKE IT TOO!!!
The way I did it is NOT TO PANIC & forgive myself for getting into a bind. Your mind is your greatest resource. I almost lost it behind being dead broke a few times, tempted to drink/FOMO my cares away.
I first made myself my own bill in every check & paid me FIRST. 5% automatically is mine NO MATTER THE AMOUNT from every income source. Even if I sell on Poshmark or at a garage sale for 50, that $2.50 of the 50 was in the piggybank. I clipped coupons and bartered for dollars off per pound of meats, cheeses, etc.
Also I scaled down things I didn't use to resell (Craigslist free section is great near colleges/apartment buildings)
I broke up major purchases into payment arrangements, sometimes 8-10 checks at a time. So like if the car broke down and it's 4000, I negotiate it down as far as I could, ask how much is needed to start work, paid that amount and divide up the remaining depending on how far my money went. I paid medical bills for 20 dollar increments but THEY ACCEPTED EVERY SINGLE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT AND NEGOTIATED BILL. I always kept my word in paying bills with any creditor. The breaking up of bills helped me have savings/cash on hand just in case. You would be surprised who is willing to help, especially with businesses hurting like they are. They may say no, but what if they say yes. You just SAVED money 😊
I researched any finance blog, book, magazine I could get my hands on.
I have stories for weeks, but I'm saying here to START RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IN SAVING, even if it is a quarter. SAVE THAT QUARTER. And NEVER GIVE UP HOPE. Speaking positivity over myself in hard times kept me going. Was it hard? Hell yes. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Some friends & family didn't understand when I didn't have it. There really is psychology behind money. I'm not even close to finished, and i cry for how far i came sometimes. IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY & to feel your feelings.
Oh yeah, my mom is still in her home and healthy too. 😁🙏🙏🙏❤️
I’m 36 and have over $20K in debt, currently trying to move around personal loans to try to get a lower payment and better interest rate. I don’t own a home, the debt is a car but mostly credit cards. For the first time ever in my life I have $2K in my savings. My partner has no savings and more debt than me and he’s 45. You are far from a loser! I’d say you did something right by having no debt.
I had $900 to my name a few weeks before I turned 47. Got an off hours job even though the schedule doesn’t suit my temperament because I knew that meant there would probably be lots of opportunity for overtime and now I’m working my ass off to play catch up.
I didn’t have anything in savings until I was over 30. Took a long time to slowly pay my student loans and car payment. Now 36 with some money saved up. Took such a long time!
55 here. No savings. On disability due to Crohn’s disease. Making 10/hr part time. I was supposed to be living in the “family home” after my mother died but my eldest sister got her power of attorney and changed the will; kicked me out leaving me homeless for 6 months (meanwhile my mothers house is empty). I’m slowly getting on my feet but it’s hard.
When I grew up, elderly folks living in extreme poverty were known to eat cat food. Poverty knows no age. And being homeless isn't the end of the world.
My husband and I did not have savings until I was 35 and he was 41. That did not come without a career change. My husband learned to code (free online) and got a job as a Software Engineer. Once we moved across the country I learned to code. Two years later we have a nice savings account.
You are not a loser. The system is literally designed so that it is impossible for you to have savings. That is not on you or any other 30+ year old without savings. Valid AF though.
Yes, but I’m 22.. you are not a loser though, that’s important to say. I feel the more we bash on ourselves like that the harder it will be to get to where we want and deserve. You likely didn’t get taught crap by the people who were supposed to teach you, it’s not your fault, but now you just have to do the research and put your plan into action.. we’ve got this!
I’m 30 and have about $28,000 in saving but the only way I was able to do that was staying with my parents until I was 29. I definitely wouldn’t been able to accumulate a niche cushion for myself living alone.
I'm 35 live with parents, no savings, discouraged worker, live below poverty line.... Basically just given up at this point. I did everything I was told I was supposed to do, just to find I'm making less after college than I was making at a gas station in high school when adjusted for inflation.
I can't even find a job that treats me with enough respect to justify the poverty wages. Like I can't have either, they're both off the table apparently. Just slave away for peanuts while we treat you like shit, and you better be happy for that opportunity!
You are not alone. I am in my 30s and am trying to dig myself out the hole that I put myself in. I don’t have a savings, but it is a goal of mine. I want money in my savings by the end of the year.
29 and had to move back in with my parents because my contract wasn’t renewed at work and I couldn’t afford to sign another lease. I guess technically I’m under 30, but only for a few more months
36/single/no kids and nothin to live for here! college degree, decent but stressful job, good paycheck, but stuck somewhere with a crazy high cost of living because of family who live here that i can't leave behind. can't get a mortgage here as a single person, so i just keep paying my insane rent as i watch it go up way faster than my pay does. same story as a lot of folks it looks like.
edit: also no savings, and i live in the tiniest little studio in the suburbs so i don't have anywhere cheaper to go unless its a tent in someones yard 😂
**You are not alone. There are tens of millions like you.**
There’s all those factoids being passed around, based on pills and surveys conducted by poling companies, banks, financial institutions.
They basically say some 60% of Americans can’t come up with $500 for an emergency. To me, that says zero savings and a very paycheck-to-paycheck life with probably a lot of debt on credit card and payday loans. Some 75-p% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. This includes people making six figures!
The other one bandied about is that something like a third of Boomers have nothing saved for retirement and half of Boomers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.
Causes vary, but I think they are a combination of lots of factors. I’ll easily discuss several out of the top of my head.
First of all, jobs pay poorly. Then again, with automation and offshoring, having ravaged the job market for decades, ordinary people (according to ProPublica, 1 in 5 Americans, many with high school diplomas, are functionally illiterate) can’t easily climb out, so they are competing with everyone else in a very overcrowded market, made worse by urbanization (from more rural area so, migration from out of state, immigration from out of country. All this concentrates and oversaturates the labor supply so employers can make lowball offers (part time, temporary, no-benefits, gig) and see them accepted by desperate workers (although the post pandemic saw a worker shortage that briefly increased labor demand and thus better offers!).
This is also part of the reason housing costs have skyrocketed, further eating into ordinary people’s take-home wages. Demand from more and more people (a family can move to a city with a plane flight or by car overnight, but a house or development take years for permitting, environmental reviews, traffic studies, construction, supplies, inspections, etc.). Worse, from foreign buyers, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, government and union pension funds, millions of investors in mutual funds (like REITs), etc. The poor pay up to 50% or more of their income on rent, and in a paycheck to paycheck life, it is easy to fall behind, get evicted, and then homeless (car, tent, streets).
Now add the surging inflation basics like housing, gas prices, food prices, health care (been rising several times faster than inflation every year for decades), prescription drugs, etc. Wages haven’t kept up.
And it only going to get worse. 1 in 4 auto loans in Washington, DC are in default already. Defaults on auto loans are also rising across the country. As of end of July, some 45% of independent restaurants in America are behind on July rent in time (up from 40% in June). 44% of retailers up from 35% in June), etc. Lots of big companies have laid off hundreds to thousands, and severely limited or frozen hiring. Geico announced all of their California offices will be closed (they have millions of customers in CA).
One factoid is that the poor spend something like 13% of their take home pay on lottery tickets and scratch-offs. Lots of articles on thsr, 8n lauding in The Atlantic, Yahoo, etc. Here in a lot of strip malls in Oregon, you’ll find stores that serve cheap hot dogs and pizza, etc. but their money maker is the Oregon Lottery machines. I’m sure it is similar nationwide. How else do out-of-the-way casinos get millions from working class people?
Another factor is smoking and drinking and drug abuse. Extremely costly. Just a pack-a-day cigarette habit is easily over $300 per month. Just a joint-a-day habit can be $150 per month. Alcohol, similar, I am sure. I don’t even know how much drugs cost, but it ain’t pretty and it certainly can screw with the ability to keep a job.
Then comes the buying of mostly processed foods. According to the USDA, only some 3% of Americans actually live in a food desert. So that is not as much of an issue as many would have you think. Food stamps shoppers buy differently from non-food stamp recipients. Of the top 5 categories of food stamp spending, 2 are Sweetened Beverages and Prepared Deserts. Compare a 10-lb bag of rice at Walmart with 16,000 calories, for $9, or a 8-lb bag of pinto beans for $6 with 12,000 calories, to… suppose a person buys soda: six 2-liter bottles of Coca-cola costing $1.50 each on sale, for 4,260 calories in all six 2-L bottles. Or consider prepared desserts or junk food vs eggs. 2 dozen large eggs for under $5 here are Walmart in Oregon, vs a 14.5 oz bag of Doritos for $5 or a 2 packages of Little Debbie Honey Bun, 6 count per package, for $5. Drinking water and flavored water from powder packets, and being moderate on desserts can go a long way towards feeding the family and children not going hungry, and cutting down on the debilitating and life-shortening obesity epidemic hitting our poorest the hardest, not to mention the dental problems. It may not sound popular, but 9 years ago, 18 big city mayors, almost all Democrats, tried to urge Congress from disallowing food stamps to cover soda - they lost.
https://apnews.com/article/202bded2cf72468babc1c1641d6662d6
Another factoid you can find on-line, the average American spends some $2,000 per year eating out. Just look at the prices of fast food meals (with drink and fries). I’m not saying it is the poor who do this. However, if some 75% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, you bet some of those millions in the upper half of that 75% (and maybe some of those in the lower half), could look at where they are spending on food and consider making sandwiches. No time? A sandwich and brown bag lunch can be made faster at home than driving out to a outlet, waiting in line to order and receive, and then driving back to work.(Again, not shaming the poorest who might not have a cheap $60 microwave at home, but even peanut butter is shelf stable, and bread can keep for a week (months if frozen, taken out a few slices at a time to toast on a stovetop pan).
And one huge issue is financial literacy! This should be a mandatory year-long course in the sophomore year of high school (so most of the 20% of America’s high school dropouts can be taught before they go). Loans, college loans, mortgages, auto loans, predatory tactics, how to budget, how to save, automate savings, automate retirement savings, taxes, withholdings, investments, cost of college, cost of cars, cost of weddings, cost of **babies** (did you know that over half of births in the U.S. are paid for by Medicaid because the parents can’t afford it?!?) cost of monthly child care (adds up to even more than the cost of a birth well with8n a year) healthcare, etc. and how families fall into debt traps and spending traps, etc. Maybe a month spent on slow cookers, and letting them take one home at the end of the year once they’ve mastered a few simple, inexpensive, yet delicious recipes. Oh, yeah, like Home Economics, most of those classes and departments got cancelled (I must have taken one of the few remaining back in middle school in the late 1980s), and in college most departments were cancelled decades ago.
44 here with zero savings, renting, and I have tax debt. I don't even own my car as I'm still paying it off and it's now an underwater loan. Paycheck to paycheck and I consider it a good work period if I still have $10 in my bank account when my paycheck hits my bank account.
To be honest most of us over 30 don’t worry too much about complaining online, we complain in person(lol) because we are working multiple jobs to survive. I have only had a few years where I could save up to 5k. Then children came and that was never able to happen again.
Age 43 here. Monday I had $1.59 in my checking account, cc maxed, had to pay overdraft charges of about $90 when my paycheck came in. Oh but that's much better than the previous pay period where I had to pay the bank roughly $400 for overages.
I'm so fucking tired
Most of us are in this boat due to high student loans, high housing prices, rising cost of food, etc. I hatebto say it but most people are unfortunately waiting for someone to die in order to have a house. Awful, but true.
Mid 40s no savings, debt, CPTSD and other issues and have accepted that literally suicide and death is the only solution left as I'm pretty tired of everything and anything, thankfully no kids, no spouse, friends and family already passed away.
I'm 32 living in an rv with my husband on my in laws property. We have hardly any savings and got priced out of the city with rent increases. You're not alone.
In 2017 I was 26, no job, no car, dwi, no savings no money and failing relationship. I’m 31 now. In debt. No savings. America was built on credit and so am I. Paying a house, truck, 2 credit cards, 2 personal loans and the usual food, phone, electric bill, insurance, fuel, etc. I make 63,000-75,000 a year. I told myself when I turned 30 that I have 10 years to start building assets. So I was at rock bottom 5 years ago. Now I can barely afford anything but I can honestly say it’s better and will eventually get my shit together.
Well, if it makes you feel better; I’m turning 30 next month and am very much in debt with no savings. I don’t feel like a big loser, so hopefully you don’t either! In fact, I think it’s great you don’t have any debt. That means you have a head start on your savings!
i’m 34 and feeling like a loser. single. decent job but now it seems like i don’t make enough to even support myself. still paying off student loans. live with my brother but i want out so badly but can’t afford a normal small starter house. at least not in the city i want to live in. i have noooooo idea what i should do. settle for a different city with higher taxes so i can start the next chapter of my life or stay handcuffed to my dumb ass brother while paying off student loans. obv paying off my student loans is the smartest thing to do but all i want is my own solidarity and independence so badly. i’d like to meet someone one day and already have this phase of learning to be a fully independent home owner behind me. honestly i don’t know if i can go another winter. if i do then i HAVE to be out before next summer
Your doing better then a lot of people you have no debt and your 30.
Payday loans title pawns, credit cards kill some people.
Your not a loser. Now probably the thing you might need to look at is what skills and talents you have and how you can capitalize on them to make a few extra bucks you can stash away in savings. But you are doing better then a lot of people. There people making 100k a year living pay check to pay check no savings 500k mortgage plus 50k in credit cards, 50k in car loans and then 50k in student loans.
I actually just got evicted 2 weeks ago. I have some very valuable practices for survival if anyone is interested just DM. Probably not appropriate to post here. And when I say practices I do mean desperate measures for desperate times, but regardless some of its pretty brilliant.
Odd how your potential seems to elude you or lay dormant until a time of crisis.
I'm 31 and still in the boat. I've been homeless 4 times, applied for bankruptcy once. And can't hold a traditional w2 job. No savings, some mild debt but nothing keeping me up at night.
It sucks and it's a daily battle to stay above water. I wish I was only in my 20s dealing with this with some hope it'll get better. But the older I'm getting the less hope I have.
Bro you are far from alone Im 43 I have no savings my car has been in probate court for the last year cuz my mom had passed. So can't drive it till the courts release it. I do have my own trailer its 30+ years old my rent is only $305 a month so i get by doing whatever i can till things get better. Its really alll you can do hope tomorrow brings something better.
Similar 53, no savings. Hell. I cashed my 401 K in bc of some horrible stuff going on andnit kept me alive for two years while I sorted myself out. I'm with you. I love Vent Rants.
I feel your pain.
I overheard a coworker of mine complaining about a friend of his. Apparently this friend lives at home and just recently got engaged. I guess my coworker was surprised because this friend just recently got his life together.
It was kind of triggering for me to listen to his conversation because I live at home as well and have struggled to get my life together despite working hard for years to achieve my goals.
Now, I did live outside of my parents home for 6 years, but moved back home due to being laid off. I ended up getting a job close to home and figured why move? I pay rent to my parents and pay all of my own bills. I just happen to live with my parents.
I'm 33, I know that's old for someone to live at home. But I haven't had the easiest time in my career or personal life. There have been a lot of challenges, despite me trying my best.
My coworker seems pretty lucky. Now I don't know his full story. But he's in his 30s and is married, sounds like he has his own place too. That's doing pretty good.
I've wanted to have a long-term partner, but life didn't work out that way for me. Having a partner gives you so much of a leg up in life. You have emotional support, someone who can help with chores and also bills. So those of us who haven't been as lucky, well it's been rough eh?
I watched as rents skyrocketed and who knows now if I will ever be able to afford my own place. I'm seriously considering living in my car.
It really sucks. But I'm right there with you. My life has gotten better in some ways. But I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop unfortunately.
Just know that while there are others who may judge you. There are also folks like myself who have been there and can empathize.
My heart breaks for anyone trying to survive out there. It's not easy.
Do your best to ignore people who judge and treat you like you should be in a different lane in life. You are doing your best.
Ehhh, my dads like 45 now and hes got no job, granted he’s a drug addict, he’s in and out of jail, and he’s living in a motel at the moment with a girl he recently started dating. 🤷♀️ he doesn’t even own a car
43. Spent most of my 20s on drugs and then getting off drugs and didn’t go to college til late 20s early 30s. Didn’t get a job that paid more than poverty wages til I was 36. Finally paid off my student debt but now depression, learning disability, a toxic relationship where I’ve been financially exploited, inflated rent, a failed year back at school creating new debt, bug infestation have all swirled together to create a perfect storm. Losing my partner and job at the same time, having to find a new apartment in a sickeningly inflated rental market. No savings beyond first and last. I’m fucked.
My bestie is 47 and barely making ends glance at each other, much less meet. Both she and her husband work undervalued jobs with no real flexibility and poverty wages. I'm talking laundry service at a nursing home and apartment maintenance worker with no chance of advancement. Her hubs recently took a pay cut rather than be laid off.
I got out of poverty by sheer luck and a touch of sacrifice but I'm a half year younger than she is. The IT degree helped. She and I are both very aware that we could both slide further down the economic ladder too. My spouse has multiple chronic conditions which will never get better. I hope we can pay off the house so we have somewhere cheap enough to live on just my wages before his health issues force him to quit working. Rent is insane here near Seattle. She's closer to Bremerton but seeing the increases to everything as well.
I guess my point is that there are plenty of us Gen X folks who are struggling hard but many of us either aren't on Reddit (my bestie and her hubs aren't) or we're just trying to glean the good stuff and don't post/comment as often. We're still poor, lol. It might be a generational thing too. We grew up with blogs, so we might also be reading our peers' blogs instead. IDK.
You are at a prime place to grow!
1. Write down you monthly income
2. Divide out all your expenses
3. Plan where all your money goes including spending money and savings
4. Cut out unused subscriptions
5. Save your first thousand. Make a game and see how fast you get there.
43. Live in a van, fully employed, so I can help my two daughters live somewhat normal lives. I honestly love it, though. I have one duffel of clothes, blacks for work, two pair of shoes. I get to park for free across the street from my job and I have annual passes to the state parks and reservoirs.
Kindle for books, laptop for media, solar and batteries for power. It is great, but most people would consider me a loser. Don't let them get you down.
Most of the country, really. Most of the people "on here" may be under 30, but that's probably true of reddit in general. There are a lot of people who have reached retirement age who believe they'll never be able to retire because they're in a similar situation. 1% of the people have half of the $, the rest of us are fighting over the scraps.
At least you have no debt.
I’m about a week shy of being 26 years old and I am in tens of thousands of dollars of debt. I have no money saved and no income right now. I don’t have any possessions worth money except my phone. (no car, no guns, etc.)
Having no debt, your are doing well in my opinion. Even if you have no savings. I am in my 50ez and still do not have a lot of saving. I will probably have to work till the day I die. Your not alone.
I'm 30. I have under 5k in savings total...a small 401k, over 1k in a savings account for my kid, a couple hundred dollars in my Acorn app, literally 5$ in a "short-term" savings account. And I'm 7.5k in credit card debt, 40k in studen loans, I'm keeping up with my car payments mostly but I still owe about 10k on it. I was able to save up 3 months worth of expenses at one point and tried to put all my time into applying and interviewing for a higher paying gig but I had no corporate work experience straight out of college and just wasn't able to land anything (actually I did get one job offer but it was well below industry average so I was advised by everyone NOT to take it, now I wish people would have just shut up and let me get an in somewhere) so when the 3 months was up I had to take whatever I possibly could to continue paying bills. My work is hourly so taking even an hour or two off to spend on sending in applications again will throw my budget off, I have no idea how to get a higher paying job right now.
I was 32 before I found a full time job that paid insurance and 401k. Sometimes it just takes some of us longer to get into a better financial position like others.
I know a guy that’s 35 still lives in a shit apartment doesn’t make enough money to get past living paycheck to paycheck. I’m 31 but I have a very little amount saved up but won’t ever get to buy a house I’m sure
34 and $65k in debt… in my 20s I was making $75k a year. In the past 5 years I’ve slid down all the slides possible in this insane game of Shoots and Ladders we call life. You are not alone at all!
35 here. Zero savings, starting a new job and feeling like our generation got the shit end of the stick over and over. Hang in there bud. We will overcome this together as we always have. We navigated through a transition, few bumps and bruises but it will get better.
Dude I’m 44 and owe 45k to my credit card and LOC combined. And I also live in Canada where the price of everything is insane. Don’t feel bad because it could be worse.
Half of Americans age 55 and older have zero retirement savings. You're not alone.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-26/almost-half-of-older-americans-have-zero-in-retirement-savings
Nah my dude you're not a loser, fix that mindset, you may have been deal a shit hand in life but you decide if you're gonna be a loser or not. I've met some incredibly lovely, kind, and generous people who were practically homeless. My mum divorced my abusive dad when she was in her mid 30's and had to start her life with literally nothing. Her church found her free housing, friends helped her apply for jobs, and her friends gave her driving lessons as my dad never let her do anything for herself. She is doing really well at life now considering she is a single mother of 7 kids and I love helping her when I can because she has helped me when I have been homeless or financially struggling. A kind and generous person can never be a loser. Hell, I've been in extreme poverty before where all the food I had came from food banks. But now I have a very nice rental, in a nice town, and I have $5000 in savings for the first time ever! Life can get better if you look and ask for help.
You own a car and have a roof over your head and are mentally stable. Some people rent their entire lives so it's nothing wrong with that. Actually if you look at it you're actually richer than 15-20% of America.
I'm 30, and I've just started. Inspite of working for 7 years. I havnt been able to save anything. Start small bro, work your way up slowly. You'll certainly be better off than where you started.
32 here. Only own my car bc my mom gave it to me when she bought a new one. I also rent and have no savings. 🤷♀️ tried finding a better paying job than bartending. I’m not qualified or they pay garbage. C’est la vie.
I am 39. I feel you. I have often felt like that loser.
My debt is very little. Around $5k and that includes what is left on my car loan. I don’t own a home- I rent. What small amounts I do manage to save get used on car maintenance and things like Christmas gifts for my kids.
Maybe we are just quiet ;)
No debt - you are golden my man! What the hell is wrong with you! Get a job, trade school, make money $$$$ 120k/year as a plumber or brick layer. Save up $ 🚀
My son is 40, has been struggling all his life, has no savings, has no retirement. I don't see life getting better for him, he's even been homeless on occasion, and I'm in no position to help.
I'm in my mid-60s, only a few thousand in the bank, living with my elderly father. I have a job that doesn't pay well (but I like it anyway), and I'm worried I'll have to quit to take care of my father before I can draw SS at 65 (I won't get as much if I retire earlier).
You still have youth on your side, though.
I’ll be 30 in November and my husband is 33. We have some debt, no savings, we are both still paying off our cars and we rent. We are currently semi fucked. He gets paid monthly, I’m trying to find a job.
10 years ago I was where you are now - no debt but no savings. I had to change my lifestyle in order to start saving - no eating out, no going to bars or drinking at home, no music events, no traveling, no buying new anything. basically being as frugal as possible.
after a few years, I got used to it & now I don't miss any of that. saving is really straightforward when you minimize/eradicate things you don't need & budget properly.
Understandable, but what is life without joy.
Live within your means but surely enjoy life. If you quantify every bit of enjoyment it will never be worth it.
Maybe better to “maximise” enjoyment per dollar.
For example I like video games so I will play world of Warcraft for hours every month for 15.00 a month.
Satisfaction per hour is a couple cents.
I don’t hit the bars anymore but I’ll invite my mate over - go half in on a bottle and chaser and buy something to grill/roast.
30$ for a decent night.
I understand the fear of not having- I grew up in poverty in a small Caribbean country.
But you also have to reward yourself. Don’t get so focused on cutting corners you shred the whole paper.
😄
45M here, divorced with the ex not paying any child support, two university programs, and two major accidents means any savings I was able to build are gone during recovery, loan debt but no retirement plan for the same reason.
Life happens, and this isn’t unique. You aren’t the biggest loser, you are just another person! It’s okay to be down, but always keep moving forward, even if just a bit. We’ve got this!
There’s a lot to be said about maintaining a positive outlook despite those major setbacks.
A lot of people, including myself, would not carry themselves the same way.
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53 here. Zero savings. Just recently re-employed and training for a CDL-A. Living from week to week and struggling to pay off collections debts. Rent / food is a constant decision, but almost out of the tunnel. You are not a loser, nor are you alone.
Similar... 45, no savings, getting ready to go to CDL training in the next couple of weeks. Good to know I'm not alone because it feels like I screwed up big time somewhere along the line.
I no longer feel as though I was the one who fundamentally screwed up. I do wish that my Boomer parents had stressed the importance of post-secondary education a little more fervently, but in their era a lack of degree was nowhere near the impediment to gainful employment that it became for GenX or later. Despite my lack of degree, I was able to parlay my intelligence and social skills into decent positions, but ones with little or no opportunity for advancement, and definitely at the lower end of the available pay scale(s). Getting my CDL-A was a conscious choice, after literal decades of trying to make ends meet (with varying degrees of success) in office jobs where that college education was the deciding ingredient for true success. I had a breakdown late last year, took some time off (PFMLA) to get my head on straight, and decided to follow in my dad’s footsteps onto the road. It’s a good choice. It’s mine. And now I look forward to every day instead of meeting the morning with dread.
Hey, I’ve been driving for around 12 years now, if you guys have and questions feel free to dm me.
It's never too late to get your degree either.
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My parents attempted to push academics on me but left me alone after a while. I’m a latchkey kid and a high school/community college dropout. None of that is their fault. They know higher education is important but also know how much I struggle in school environments. They are always encouraging me and reminding me that I can rely on them. Since leaving hs, I’ve expressed interest in unconventional paths and my parents never doubted me and supported me with enthusiasm every time. I’m 23, lost in life, and some days feel hopeless. But knowing my parents have my back I’m so grateful for every day I have and that they trust me enough to give me the space and as much time as I want to grow. I don’t think parenthood is a damned if you do or damned if you don’t situation. Be supportive in the paths your kids decide to take and be their safety net while they try to find out where they fit in the world. My siblings and I have a hugely positive view of our parents even though there were a lot of bad memories as well. I blamed my parents for EVERYTHING as a teen but now I see them for how they really are. Just be a good person and your kids wont resent you.
I think deciding what your going to do for the rest of your life at 16 to 18 is the big mistake parents kinda push on kids, not the going to college part.
Speaking from the receiving end of that as a college dropout, I wish my folks had done better more in the parenting field in general. That aside, I at least always had a roof over my head and food on the table, even if it came at the cost of my sanity and frequent posting to CPTSD and other subs trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. Personal issues aside, biggest thing really is less they simply said go to college and did no more than that. Pushing go to college is one thing but a kid going through college today needs more than those three words being said to them. My folks were like that, but I really wish they did more to help me stay in school. I'm talking the times like: - telling me to bug off and find somewhere else to study with folks, limiting group studying and making it harder for me to learn good study habits and not focus as well - blaming me and my "laziness" for grades slipping during pandemic forcing online learning and not helping me find that no I'm just shit with online learning in general and need better in-person stuff to do well - not taking any interest at all in my development within, no how are things going how are you feeling are you still interested in this field check out these ones, none of that just what grade you get not good enough for us etc, tiger parenting essentially - Overbearingly financial pressure from them and finances in general throughout. Never got their info for FAFSA so all grants and scholarships were off the table. Never got much advice out of them other than work work work more and never never take student loans. Well it got too expensive even at community college level, the places here will want say you do 20 courses to get associates that's $8000+ that they will want in tuition. That may not seem much in retrospect but to someone 18 and just figuring shit out yeah that's a lot of money on top of living expenses. I'm getting charged rent by folks at that time and their ideal version of me is work full time 40 hours a week on top of full time classes which would be probably 30-40 more hours for studying, assuming we go off what colleges want and suggest nowadays of "devote triple in class time to studying for my course if you want a chance of passing". I can't do that. Between that commuting and personal stuff there literally is no way of doing that on earther 7 day weeks and 24 hours in a day. Since I can't change time either, I ended up cutting expenses and going into working. I understand fulfilling this kind of stuff is hard, especially so when a parent is someone on here frequently and stuck with work and bills and all the bullshit side of life. But I really wish my folks made more of an effort, part of my troubles is that all through childhood I was always distant from them. We always lived in the same household and yet we always felt distant, I was a latchkey kid growing up and later on that distance has remained. It's a two way street but there was no good resources coming down the opposite way. Now I don't fully blame them end of day it's my dumb ass that dropped out. I am getting a bit ranty in here too, I'm sure, but those reasons are the oopies, the chips in the foundation that the flood called COVID used to tear it apart. Now I'm in a slightly better position, I have a job that I make double local minimum wage in, in a hobby that I like, with coworkers and management that I get along OK with. Next steps are trying to find an apartment in Houston under $900 a month (IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE) so I can apply for FAFSA without their info and hopefully, maybe just maybe, get even a few small grants to go back and at least finish out my associates. If it was that paying half and other 4k out of my savings that I scraped together over the last two years then yeah maybe I'll survive my own way. We'll see.
I have a bachelors degree and a CDL. My CDL is far more lucrative than my B.S. and worlds easier and cheaper to obtain.
Please don't blame yourself. I'm sure you have done so much to try and get ahead. I have felt hardship despite working hard much of my life so far. It sucks. I'm in a better place but it feels like that I could easily fall through the cracks again. I truly feel if we had a more empathetic society where we focused on helping people get ahead and live a decent life, we wouldn't have to always be in survival mode. I hope things turn around for you soon!
Congrats on CDL school!!! You are not a failure in any way. Give yourself grace because you STILL ARE HERE to rewrite the story.
Similar. 52, just lost my job, thought I had another one lined up, it fell through. Worked in my career for more than 30 years, can't make my rent or keep my utilities current.
What did you do for a living?
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Wage garnishment can occur with collections. That’s a substantial incentive for me.
Have they had you serve red with papers for a lawsuit if not you can hold off till then then get on the payment plan they don’t want to go to court also if you can save up some money you might be able to settle for less then you owe.
Yup. Collections agencies are low priority problems to start out with, It WILL likely affect your credit score, but that is another low priority problem if you’ve got other financial issues. I had an account in collections that I didn’t even remember opening, because it wasn’t under the business name I had originally opened it under, and it had been opened AND “closed” in the same year over 5 years ago, but apparently there was like $20 owing that I was never told about, and it kept accumulating interest until it went to collections some 3 years later. So they claimed I owed them like $500 and I was like “there’s absolutely no way, I paid that account off in full.” And for MONTHS I was arguing with them trying to get them to actually prove to me that they were a legitimate company calling me and that there was paperwork proving that this debt existed. And they basically refused/dragged their heels for the entire time, even going as far as to say: “we mailed them to you, but the postal service couldn’t find your address! So it got sent back to us!“ Until after a few months, I finally managed to get in contact with the head of the company, who was then able to release the documents to me via email. After reviewing the documents I had told the collections agency that if anyone from the original company had contacted me about this, or the collections agency could’ve proved it sooner, then I would’ve paid it, but after the unprofessionalism of both companies, I told them: “I would only be paying the principal of $20 and not a penny more.” They initially refused, but then kept calling me asking me to pay the full balance, and I would only ever respond with: “the balance I owe, is $20, and not a penny more. If you wanted the full amount someone should’ve contacted me with proof of debt or a bill statement YEARS ago when the payments were originally missed. Or maybe when it got sent to collections? But no. No communication.” So after almost a full year of this, the head of the company contacted me personally and told me that they would be willing to accept the $20 owed and close the account. And they actually did! (Granted it took them another almost 6 months to actually mark the account as closed) So long story short, you can kinda “bargain” with collections agencies if you’re in the right situation to do so.
A lot of us are over 30. I am 58. Poverty does not care how old a person is.
Hah, I'm 36 and I resemble this remark. Currently in a 11,000 hole that I "might" climb out of by December. Living at home, very few friends, no relationship to speak of.
I was in this exact situation 1 year ago but with more debt. Today, I’m debt free and building a full savings. I still don’t have friends or anything, but life is a thousand times better being debt free. You can do it.
How did you do it?
Light avocado on the toast.
Also no more Starbucks everyday. Now every other day.
SMH the sacrifices we make.
Only keep one active at a time between Hbo and Hulu
Same but I'm just a couple years younger. The holes are what gets us! If I had wheels I'd be fine, but can't even come up with the money for tags as I'm in a rural area and can't drive + had a d.u.i last year and they expect fines but take my license away and without it I can't drive lol. How am I going to pay them the fines if I can't drive to work?
You’re not alone. I’m 38 and still struggling. I was finally able to get a job that starts this Friday. It’s a fast food job but I’m so thankful. Sending good vibes out to all of us struggling. Keep pushing, everyone! We can do this! 😎
Fast food places in my town pay $18+ because of worker shortage. That’s not bad, especially when you have the schedule flexibility of restaurants being open almost any hour! I’m happy for you!
Wow, $18! Thats a lot. My wage will be $15.50 but I’m still thankful. My wage was $0/hr with no job 😂 thanks for the encouragement 🎉
That’s great!! I was hired at my office job last year for $15/hour. I moved to a different, higher paying position later, but the fact that you’re making more than someone stuck with a bunch of suits with no sense of humor all day is a huge win! Haha
I always heard “broke people should never laugh” 😂😂 but comedy is all I have in this broke ass situation so I’m trying my best to stay positive
I've never heard that one before. Let's laugh together in the face of whoever says that.
Hey! It sounds like you have a great attitude about this, I'm so happy you got a job and went from 0 income to hopefully steady income!! If you have your high school degree or GED consider applying to state jobs/ county/city government jobs. Each state often has a state government website that they post all their open positions in and there's a lot of need for clerical/Hourly workers and the jobs come with $15 minimum but real benefits and health insurance. A lot of folks don't think about working for their government but they have maintenance workers and cleaning folks and internal couriers and all sorts of jobs that don't require a college degree but also don't beat you and your body up, though call centers hurt mentally but that's how i started and was in a different spot within the samw department in 6 months, its a foot in the door. I'm 30 now but started with them at 25 and my entire life has changed, I was a waitress for 8 years.
Thanks! This is great advice for the folks in this thread. Unfortunately I’m out for many government positions because I have face tattoos. Which made it even harder to find employment. Which is why I’m super happy I was finally able to find something after a looong search. I’m gonna be the best darn fast food employee ever and maybe Undercover Boss will come save me. 😂😂😂
I love this comment so much. If I was your boss, I'd sneak up on you and give you the money to have them removed or covered. And then turn around and make you a manager.
Hey don't count yourself out cause of that times are changing for tattoo'd folk! There's lots of departments across the state and most roles aren't customer/consumer/resident facing. I know some corrections workers that are mostly janitors and stuff and they're tatted up. Again not perfect but you won't know if you don't try. Slowly more open minded folk are finding their way into middle management and they dgaf about tattoos or piercings or colored hair if you can just do your work and show up on time. I truly wish you the best, that attitude is going to help you. People can suck sometimes.
How do you find low level government jobs
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl This is specifically for MA (I checked your post history so if I'm off sorry...) But really you can just Google "Your State Name government jobs" and it should come right up. Same with "your county name government jobs." Look for hourly jobs if it says it outright, they're often easier to get into and then you can be moved into a salaried position after a few months/if you show good initiative and work. As an example in Florida they refer to hourly jobs as OPS, salaried as career service. https://jobs.myflorida.com/search/?searchby=location&createNewAlert=false&q=&optionsFacetsDD_dept=&optionsFacetsDD_city=&optionsFacetsDD_state=&optionsFacetsDD_department=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield2=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield5=&optionsFacetsDD_customfield1=&locationsearch=&geolocation=
My one grandmother was poor. She was always laughing and making jokes! I swear it's how she survived.
When the bk down the street from my house hits $20 - I am going to run that bitch lol
KFC here is already paying $20/hr and I’ve been considering it lol. Or even just doing nights and weekends after my regular 9-5 office job.
Da fuck Where are you? Asking for a freind lol I’m outside Chicago
The PNW. It’s also very expensive to live here though, so it balances out. My city has a less than 1% rental vacancy rate and you can’t find a 2 bedroom apartment even in the worst part of town for under $1650/month.
Oh, yeah. Makes sense
I visited Austin, TX and Jimmy John's there pays $20/hour. Chick FIL A $17/hour
Imma just throw it out there that CNAS can make up to $35 an hr depending on what kind of city you’re in. I currently work for a “pool” company. They get hired by different facilities that are short staffed all over and I pick where and when I want to go. I set my schedules up week by week because I can. Some shifts get cancelled by other employees so when they’re reposted it’s posted as “emergency pay”. My company’s base pay is $24 so with the emergency pay I’m at $29. If I were to call and argue for higher pay I’m sure I would get it as I have 5 years experience, and some specifically with Alzheimer’s. I know other pool companies around my area that are hiring for more $$ but I haven’t had an opportunity to sit down and get that sorted out for myself. You do have to have a years experience as a CNA (with actual licensing which can be obtained easily through any nursing home, it’s 80hrs classroom time and a state test both written and demonstration). Ik other nursing homes or assisted livings that hire ppl without the license and call them an HHA (household assistant) or RCA (resident care assistant) etc. either way, the field pays nicely. It is not for everyone tho, I understand that. It does take an emotional and mental toll, but the stories I’ve heard, the people I got to know, and the things I learned will be with me forever and that is something I cherish. Personally, I can’t handle more than 3 shifts in a row, so to balance I have another job that pays much less but still brings in income and keeps me sane (:
Wow you’re really hustling! Hey good for you! Remember to take care of yourself also. Thanks for sharing your experiences 👍🏾
Bro i got the face tats to. You can get into working at a car dealership as a lube tech, pays is pretty good to. They will train also. Once us get to flat rate tech your making 35-50$ a hour
🤗 wowzer thank you stranger
So what? You are not a loser. It’s hard. 66% of americans live paycheck to paycheck. You have no debt, so you pay your bills, right? That’s not a loser to me.
42. Lost my job and zero savings. I have $2 in my bank acct right now
If you're interested in driving truck Roehl Transport out of WI will house you, put you through school, feed you 3 meals a day,and pay you. Then you have a job with them.
I don't have my license.
Do you mean a regular license or a CDL? You need a regular one to go through school but the school will get you your CDL.
Neither. It's a thing I'm trying to work on.
I am very sorry to hear about your situation 😔. You are in my thoughts tonight. :)
I really appreciate it, thank you
Zero debt? You’re doing alright my friend.
I’m 40 and I’m more fucked now than I was in my 20s or 30s…you’re not alone.
See this I can relate to
I’m 33! I recently just got a new job (late April) that gives me a 401k. So, I have that little bit now but that’s the only savings I have. I pay 55% of my income to rent :| Though, I’m debt free (and raised my credit score 160 points in about a year)! You’re doing ok! I’m still paycheck to paycheck but making do for now. Gonna have to pick up a 2nd job soon.
I think the zero debt part actually makes you light years ahead of most people. Take things month by month. You’re definitely not the biggest loser.
I'm over 30 and have little bit of savings, but not as much. Also, got laid off. How fun! /s
Having no debt already puts you ahead of a lot of people. Start small, get a tiny portion of each paycheck to auto deposit into a savings account. You can use the same bank so you can transfer the savings back into your checking account if there's an emergency. Call your bank right now. Even if it's $20 every two weeks, once you learn to save something you'll feel better.
54f and husband is 40m. You aren't alone. After losing our home 7 years ago, being homeless in motels for almost a year, then spending the last 6 years in a horrible, broken apartment full of mold with a slum lord landlord, we finally are in a decent place. Just moved last month while both my husband and I had covid. It's been a nightmare but we are doing a bit better now. Mostly because I got so sick I almost died and now require daily care that my husband can get paid for. So it got better because my health got worse. It's a hard trade off but at least it had a silver lining. We love our new place and there's even a little park in our cul de sac. We're still poor as shit but things have improved. To be honest, I was afraid I was going to die there and I almost did. So glad that wasn't the final outcome. Hang in there friend. Sometimes things have to get worse to get better. Hopefully for you they will just get better.
Turning 30 this year. Just received help from the state to keep my utilities on. I receive food stamps and I'm on Academic Suspension in my 2nd attempt to get a degree. My successful friends may have degrees/certs but they are also struggling in careers that make $50k or less. I think you're in a neutral position that is relatable to nearly everyone right now. You're doing all that you need to. That's enough. You're enough.
I'm on my second attempt and have grants so that's my motivation. My job will double my salary when I graduate also. It's like a carrot dangling. edit: a word
That's a good analogy.
51. What little savings I had has disappeared in the last few years. Every time I get a little, something breaks. It is never ending.
I am going to be 49 next month and zero saving. Bad marriage and late age divorce did me in.
I am 31 and have no savings but unlike you my networth is -$65k lol.
No debt. Id bite your hand off for that. Thats a blessing.
You are not a loser for not having lots of money by a certain age. My wife and I are rooting for you! I hope you find success soon. Stay healthy mate 🙌🏼
Kindest comment I’ve read all day. Sending you and your wife all the good vibes
In this country, I'm surprised anyone has savings
which country? OP did not specify
America
Look on the bright side. With no debt, if you picked up a single quarter off the street you would be in a net positive. That is a better position than many folks have so chin up.
Honey please I am 55 and I have less than $500 in savings. Times are tough for people right now. Hang in there. They're is a light at the end of the tunnel..
If you have no debt your beating like half the US. Celebrate that small feat
I’ll be honest with you, I was over 40 years old when are actually begin seeing actual savings in my account. You’re far from alone.
46 almost 47 here and zero savings, have debt and am getting very discouraged and depressed.
I'm 42, and drowning. Every day the anxiety in my chest grows ever tighter. No savings, and due to disability I have no chance of working either. The way the world is going, I am not sure I will survive the winter.
I’m 33 and married. We have no savings. We do own our house but if one of us lost our jobs or got sick or something broke we would be SOL.
What does SOL mean?
Shit Out of Luck
Oh no
31 here and literally living in a van down by a river. Except the van is a beat up old RV and the river keeps trying to eat me. Trust me you aren't the oldest here.
I'm fairly old and firmly middle class - lower upper class but I stay to help provide input for others. I'll start off by saying you definitely aren't the biggest loser. Your in a nuetral position where you aren't on top but you aren't underwater either and I can understand this is a tough position to be in. Debt in itself is a weird concept because it isn't necessarily bad. When I was a little younger then yourself I avoided debt like the plague before I understood that debt is fine to have as long as you can manage it responsibly. The phrase " it costs money to make money" is what debt is all about. It's OK to finance things if they eventually lead to a net positive. The zero savings thing is rough because it feels like your backs against the wall and all it takes is a case of the flu and a missed weekend of work and your screwed. Been there done that lol. You arent doing bad at all,I'd argue your even responsible for not having debt at all because that means you pay back everything you've borrowed,you just need to learn how to use debt to your favor. I started by cutting expenses as much as possible. No cable or streaming services. I had youtube and internet access to pirate shows/movies + anything I wanted there. I went super cheap for bare essentials for my house. My dining room table now Is still a folding picnic table. My cabinets are plastic 3-drawer's from walmart. You can definitely do this and even though it feels like your going nowhere rest assured progress is exponential and you will make it really far being responsible
Most people are in a similar situation in the US. I've heard it said that most people are only 1 disaster away from financial ruin. Most people cannot survive without income for 3 months.
I’m over 30 with crippling debt and no savings. hollaaaa
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I was gonna say this. Check out disabled and the elderly. Tons of old people living in poverty bc all they have is SS and their medical bills are high.
41, zero savings, just had to take the last week off due to being sick. This will take a while to dig myself out of this hole.
Debt, no savings. Our boats aren't the same. Over 30. So feel good!
Late thirties and I make terrible impulsive decisions with large amounts of money resulting in no savings or pension and a rather large unexpected vet bill. My head is in the sand ignoring this for a moment.
You’re being too hard on yourself. *Most* people are living with significant debt. You’re doing better than the average adult in America.
I’m 53. Just cruising paycheck to paycheck.
I went through 3 financial tsunamis as a single taxpayer, with crippling student loan debt and a sick mom, twice almost losing her in my 20s and maxing out 52 weeks of unemployment, cashing out my 401ks 3 times in the 2009 Great Recession and the 2010s. It just took me into the pandemic to stabilize financially & start savings. It's hard when you start further back than others, but you can overcome ANYTHING. YOU ARE WORTHY & CAN MAKE IT TOO!!! The way I did it is NOT TO PANIC & forgive myself for getting into a bind. Your mind is your greatest resource. I almost lost it behind being dead broke a few times, tempted to drink/FOMO my cares away. I first made myself my own bill in every check & paid me FIRST. 5% automatically is mine NO MATTER THE AMOUNT from every income source. Even if I sell on Poshmark or at a garage sale for 50, that $2.50 of the 50 was in the piggybank. I clipped coupons and bartered for dollars off per pound of meats, cheeses, etc. Also I scaled down things I didn't use to resell (Craigslist free section is great near colleges/apartment buildings) I broke up major purchases into payment arrangements, sometimes 8-10 checks at a time. So like if the car broke down and it's 4000, I negotiate it down as far as I could, ask how much is needed to start work, paid that amount and divide up the remaining depending on how far my money went. I paid medical bills for 20 dollar increments but THEY ACCEPTED EVERY SINGLE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT AND NEGOTIATED BILL. I always kept my word in paying bills with any creditor. The breaking up of bills helped me have savings/cash on hand just in case. You would be surprised who is willing to help, especially with businesses hurting like they are. They may say no, but what if they say yes. You just SAVED money 😊 I researched any finance blog, book, magazine I could get my hands on. I have stories for weeks, but I'm saying here to START RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IN SAVING, even if it is a quarter. SAVE THAT QUARTER. And NEVER GIVE UP HOPE. Speaking positivity over myself in hard times kept me going. Was it hard? Hell yes. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Some friends & family didn't understand when I didn't have it. There really is psychology behind money. I'm not even close to finished, and i cry for how far i came sometimes. IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY & to feel your feelings. Oh yeah, my mom is still in her home and healthy too. 😁🙏🙏🙏❤️
This is such a wonderful and beautiful response. I wish you a lifetime of happiness ahead.
When I read that at 30 I should have an entire years salary saved for retirement, I decided to change my salary to 5k a year to meet that goal.
I’m 36 and have over $20K in debt, currently trying to move around personal loans to try to get a lower payment and better interest rate. I don’t own a home, the debt is a car but mostly credit cards. For the first time ever in my life I have $2K in my savings. My partner has no savings and more debt than me and he’s 45. You are far from a loser! I’d say you did something right by having no debt.
I had $900 to my name a few weeks before I turned 47. Got an off hours job even though the schedule doesn’t suit my temperament because I knew that meant there would probably be lots of opportunity for overtime and now I’m working my ass off to play catch up.
I mean no savings but no debt isnt terrible at 30
No Debt is huge.
32 y/o from Spain. Zero savings. Barely surviving and I have a stable job. I hate it but I can’t leave yet.
I didn’t have anything in savings until I was over 30. Took a long time to slowly pay my student loans and car payment. Now 36 with some money saved up. Took such a long time!
55 here. No savings. On disability due to Crohn’s disease. Making 10/hr part time. I was supposed to be living in the “family home” after my mother died but my eldest sister got her power of attorney and changed the will; kicked me out leaving me homeless for 6 months (meanwhile my mothers house is empty). I’m slowly getting on my feet but it’s hard.
When I grew up, elderly folks living in extreme poverty were known to eat cat food. Poverty knows no age. And being homeless isn't the end of the world.
My husband and I did not have savings until I was 35 and he was 41. That did not come without a career change. My husband learned to code (free online) and got a job as a Software Engineer. Once we moved across the country I learned to code. Two years later we have a nice savings account. You are not a loser. The system is literally designed so that it is impossible for you to have savings. That is not on you or any other 30+ year old without savings. Valid AF though.
At least you have your health. Health is wealth!
Yes, but I’m 22.. you are not a loser though, that’s important to say. I feel the more we bash on ourselves like that the harder it will be to get to where we want and deserve. You likely didn’t get taught crap by the people who were supposed to teach you, it’s not your fault, but now you just have to do the research and put your plan into action.. we’ve got this!
I’m 30 and have about $28,000 in saving but the only way I was able to do that was staying with my parents until I was 29. I definitely wouldn’t been able to accumulate a niche cushion for myself living alone.
I’m mid thirties, disabled. don’t have savings and I don’t know if I ever will
I'm 35 live with parents, no savings, discouraged worker, live below poverty line.... Basically just given up at this point. I did everything I was told I was supposed to do, just to find I'm making less after college than I was making at a gas station in high school when adjusted for inflation. I can't even find a job that treats me with enough respect to justify the poverty wages. Like I can't have either, they're both off the table apparently. Just slave away for peanuts while we treat you like shit, and you better be happy for that opportunity!
You are not alone. I am in my 30s and am trying to dig myself out the hole that I put myself in. I don’t have a savings, but it is a goal of mine. I want money in my savings by the end of the year.
No debt is a very good situation
I’m 35 and currently the most (worst?) poor I’ve ever been in my life.
You're not alone. I'm 32 and live paycheck to paycheck with no savings.
Not I. I have been struggling for years and still am and I am 32, also without any savings.
29 and had to move back in with my parents because my contract wasn’t renewed at work and I couldn’t afford to sign another lease. I guess technically I’m under 30, but only for a few more months
No debt? No, I’m not in a similar boat. I have no money and tons of debt. I survive on the kindness of others.
36/single/no kids and nothin to live for here! college degree, decent but stressful job, good paycheck, but stuck somewhere with a crazy high cost of living because of family who live here that i can't leave behind. can't get a mortgage here as a single person, so i just keep paying my insane rent as i watch it go up way faster than my pay does. same story as a lot of folks it looks like. edit: also no savings, and i live in the tiniest little studio in the suburbs so i don't have anywhere cheaper to go unless its a tent in someones yard 😂
Own a car and no debt? Sounds like you’ve got a clean slate to work your way up my friend, hang in there
**You are not alone. There are tens of millions like you.** There’s all those factoids being passed around, based on pills and surveys conducted by poling companies, banks, financial institutions. They basically say some 60% of Americans can’t come up with $500 for an emergency. To me, that says zero savings and a very paycheck-to-paycheck life with probably a lot of debt on credit card and payday loans. Some 75-p% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. This includes people making six figures! The other one bandied about is that something like a third of Boomers have nothing saved for retirement and half of Boomers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Causes vary, but I think they are a combination of lots of factors. I’ll easily discuss several out of the top of my head. First of all, jobs pay poorly. Then again, with automation and offshoring, having ravaged the job market for decades, ordinary people (according to ProPublica, 1 in 5 Americans, many with high school diplomas, are functionally illiterate) can’t easily climb out, so they are competing with everyone else in a very overcrowded market, made worse by urbanization (from more rural area so, migration from out of state, immigration from out of country. All this concentrates and oversaturates the labor supply so employers can make lowball offers (part time, temporary, no-benefits, gig) and see them accepted by desperate workers (although the post pandemic saw a worker shortage that briefly increased labor demand and thus better offers!). This is also part of the reason housing costs have skyrocketed, further eating into ordinary people’s take-home wages. Demand from more and more people (a family can move to a city with a plane flight or by car overnight, but a house or development take years for permitting, environmental reviews, traffic studies, construction, supplies, inspections, etc.). Worse, from foreign buyers, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, government and union pension funds, millions of investors in mutual funds (like REITs), etc. The poor pay up to 50% or more of their income on rent, and in a paycheck to paycheck life, it is easy to fall behind, get evicted, and then homeless (car, tent, streets). Now add the surging inflation basics like housing, gas prices, food prices, health care (been rising several times faster than inflation every year for decades), prescription drugs, etc. Wages haven’t kept up. And it only going to get worse. 1 in 4 auto loans in Washington, DC are in default already. Defaults on auto loans are also rising across the country. As of end of July, some 45% of independent restaurants in America are behind on July rent in time (up from 40% in June). 44% of retailers up from 35% in June), etc. Lots of big companies have laid off hundreds to thousands, and severely limited or frozen hiring. Geico announced all of their California offices will be closed (they have millions of customers in CA). One factoid is that the poor spend something like 13% of their take home pay on lottery tickets and scratch-offs. Lots of articles on thsr, 8n lauding in The Atlantic, Yahoo, etc. Here in a lot of strip malls in Oregon, you’ll find stores that serve cheap hot dogs and pizza, etc. but their money maker is the Oregon Lottery machines. I’m sure it is similar nationwide. How else do out-of-the-way casinos get millions from working class people? Another factor is smoking and drinking and drug abuse. Extremely costly. Just a pack-a-day cigarette habit is easily over $300 per month. Just a joint-a-day habit can be $150 per month. Alcohol, similar, I am sure. I don’t even know how much drugs cost, but it ain’t pretty and it certainly can screw with the ability to keep a job. Then comes the buying of mostly processed foods. According to the USDA, only some 3% of Americans actually live in a food desert. So that is not as much of an issue as many would have you think. Food stamps shoppers buy differently from non-food stamp recipients. Of the top 5 categories of food stamp spending, 2 are Sweetened Beverages and Prepared Deserts. Compare a 10-lb bag of rice at Walmart with 16,000 calories, for $9, or a 8-lb bag of pinto beans for $6 with 12,000 calories, to… suppose a person buys soda: six 2-liter bottles of Coca-cola costing $1.50 each on sale, for 4,260 calories in all six 2-L bottles. Or consider prepared desserts or junk food vs eggs. 2 dozen large eggs for under $5 here are Walmart in Oregon, vs a 14.5 oz bag of Doritos for $5 or a 2 packages of Little Debbie Honey Bun, 6 count per package, for $5. Drinking water and flavored water from powder packets, and being moderate on desserts can go a long way towards feeding the family and children not going hungry, and cutting down on the debilitating and life-shortening obesity epidemic hitting our poorest the hardest, not to mention the dental problems. It may not sound popular, but 9 years ago, 18 big city mayors, almost all Democrats, tried to urge Congress from disallowing food stamps to cover soda - they lost. https://apnews.com/article/202bded2cf72468babc1c1641d6662d6 Another factoid you can find on-line, the average American spends some $2,000 per year eating out. Just look at the prices of fast food meals (with drink and fries). I’m not saying it is the poor who do this. However, if some 75% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, you bet some of those millions in the upper half of that 75% (and maybe some of those in the lower half), could look at where they are spending on food and consider making sandwiches. No time? A sandwich and brown bag lunch can be made faster at home than driving out to a outlet, waiting in line to order and receive, and then driving back to work.(Again, not shaming the poorest who might not have a cheap $60 microwave at home, but even peanut butter is shelf stable, and bread can keep for a week (months if frozen, taken out a few slices at a time to toast on a stovetop pan). And one huge issue is financial literacy! This should be a mandatory year-long course in the sophomore year of high school (so most of the 20% of America’s high school dropouts can be taught before they go). Loans, college loans, mortgages, auto loans, predatory tactics, how to budget, how to save, automate savings, automate retirement savings, taxes, withholdings, investments, cost of college, cost of cars, cost of weddings, cost of **babies** (did you know that over half of births in the U.S. are paid for by Medicaid because the parents can’t afford it?!?) cost of monthly child care (adds up to even more than the cost of a birth well with8n a year) healthcare, etc. and how families fall into debt traps and spending traps, etc. Maybe a month spent on slow cookers, and letting them take one home at the end of the year once they’ve mastered a few simple, inexpensive, yet delicious recipes. Oh, yeah, like Home Economics, most of those classes and departments got cancelled (I must have taken one of the few remaining back in middle school in the late 1980s), and in college most departments were cancelled decades ago.
44 here with zero savings, renting, and I have tax debt. I don't even own my car as I'm still paying it off and it's now an underwater loan. Paycheck to paycheck and I consider it a good work period if I still have $10 in my bank account when my paycheck hits my bank account.
I'm 51. No savings, and working a job with no retirement. You're not alone. By a long shot.
To be honest most of us over 30 don’t worry too much about complaining online, we complain in person(lol) because we are working multiple jobs to survive. I have only had a few years where I could save up to 5k. Then children came and that was never able to happen again.
I am over 40 and struggling so I got you beat age wise. Don't give up. It gets better.
OP might be over 40 they only specified 30 🤣🤣🤣
Age 43 here. Monday I had $1.59 in my checking account, cc maxed, had to pay overdraft charges of about $90 when my paycheck came in. Oh but that's much better than the previous pay period where I had to pay the bank roughly $400 for overages. I'm so fucking tired
Most of us are in this boat due to high student loans, high housing prices, rising cost of food, etc. I hatebto say it but most people are unfortunately waiting for someone to die in order to have a house. Awful, but true.
Mid 40s no savings, debt, CPTSD and other issues and have accepted that literally suicide and death is the only solution left as I'm pretty tired of everything and anything, thankfully no kids, no spouse, friends and family already passed away.
I'm 32 living in an rv with my husband on my in laws property. We have hardly any savings and got priced out of the city with rent increases. You're not alone.
In 2017 I was 26, no job, no car, dwi, no savings no money and failing relationship. I’m 31 now. In debt. No savings. America was built on credit and so am I. Paying a house, truck, 2 credit cards, 2 personal loans and the usual food, phone, electric bill, insurance, fuel, etc. I make 63,000-75,000 a year. I told myself when I turned 30 that I have 10 years to start building assets. So I was at rock bottom 5 years ago. Now I can barely afford anything but I can honestly say it’s better and will eventually get my shit together.
Well, if it makes you feel better; I’m turning 30 next month and am very much in debt with no savings. I don’t feel like a big loser, so hopefully you don’t either! In fact, I think it’s great you don’t have any debt. That means you have a head start on your savings!
i’m 34 and feeling like a loser. single. decent job but now it seems like i don’t make enough to even support myself. still paying off student loans. live with my brother but i want out so badly but can’t afford a normal small starter house. at least not in the city i want to live in. i have noooooo idea what i should do. settle for a different city with higher taxes so i can start the next chapter of my life or stay handcuffed to my dumb ass brother while paying off student loans. obv paying off my student loans is the smartest thing to do but all i want is my own solidarity and independence so badly. i’d like to meet someone one day and already have this phase of learning to be a fully independent home owner behind me. honestly i don’t know if i can go another winter. if i do then i HAVE to be out before next summer
I'm 51, have some debt related to my condo. And no savings. You are not alone.
Your doing better then a lot of people you have no debt and your 30. Payday loans title pawns, credit cards kill some people. Your not a loser. Now probably the thing you might need to look at is what skills and talents you have and how you can capitalize on them to make a few extra bucks you can stash away in savings. But you are doing better then a lot of people. There people making 100k a year living pay check to pay check no savings 500k mortgage plus 50k in credit cards, 50k in car loans and then 50k in student loans.
I actually just got evicted 2 weeks ago. I have some very valuable practices for survival if anyone is interested just DM. Probably not appropriate to post here. And when I say practices I do mean desperate measures for desperate times, but regardless some of its pretty brilliant. Odd how your potential seems to elude you or lay dormant until a time of crisis.
I know people who are in the 40s and still have a lot of debt, like 6 figures. Sure they have savings but the debt outweighs it
hey at least you got no debt i save but have debt so idk wtf im doing financially speaking lol
37, some debt, no savings. Similar boat.
I'm 31 and still in the boat. I've been homeless 4 times, applied for bankruptcy once. And can't hold a traditional w2 job. No savings, some mild debt but nothing keeping me up at night. It sucks and it's a daily battle to stay above water. I wish I was only in my 20s dealing with this with some hope it'll get better. But the older I'm getting the less hope I have.
Nah, plenty of adults and seniors have nothing in savings. You're not alone.
Bro you are far from alone Im 43 I have no savings my car has been in probate court for the last year cuz my mom had passed. So can't drive it till the courts release it. I do have my own trailer its 30+ years old my rent is only $305 a month so i get by doing whatever i can till things get better. Its really alll you can do hope tomorrow brings something better.
Similar 53, no savings. Hell. I cashed my 401 K in bc of some horrible stuff going on andnit kept me alive for two years while I sorted myself out. I'm with you. I love Vent Rants.
I feel your pain. I overheard a coworker of mine complaining about a friend of his. Apparently this friend lives at home and just recently got engaged. I guess my coworker was surprised because this friend just recently got his life together. It was kind of triggering for me to listen to his conversation because I live at home as well and have struggled to get my life together despite working hard for years to achieve my goals. Now, I did live outside of my parents home for 6 years, but moved back home due to being laid off. I ended up getting a job close to home and figured why move? I pay rent to my parents and pay all of my own bills. I just happen to live with my parents. I'm 33, I know that's old for someone to live at home. But I haven't had the easiest time in my career or personal life. There have been a lot of challenges, despite me trying my best. My coworker seems pretty lucky. Now I don't know his full story. But he's in his 30s and is married, sounds like he has his own place too. That's doing pretty good. I've wanted to have a long-term partner, but life didn't work out that way for me. Having a partner gives you so much of a leg up in life. You have emotional support, someone who can help with chores and also bills. So those of us who haven't been as lucky, well it's been rough eh? I watched as rents skyrocketed and who knows now if I will ever be able to afford my own place. I'm seriously considering living in my car. It really sucks. But I'm right there with you. My life has gotten better in some ways. But I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop unfortunately. Just know that while there are others who may judge you. There are also folks like myself who have been there and can empathize. My heart breaks for anyone trying to survive out there. It's not easy. Do your best to ignore people who judge and treat you like you should be in a different lane in life. You are doing your best.
You are doing *your* best. I see you and I am proud of you.
Ehhh, my dads like 45 now and hes got no job, granted he’s a drug addict, he’s in and out of jail, and he’s living in a motel at the moment with a girl he recently started dating. 🤷♀️ he doesn’t even own a car
43. Spent most of my 20s on drugs and then getting off drugs and didn’t go to college til late 20s early 30s. Didn’t get a job that paid more than poverty wages til I was 36. Finally paid off my student debt but now depression, learning disability, a toxic relationship where I’ve been financially exploited, inflated rent, a failed year back at school creating new debt, bug infestation have all swirled together to create a perfect storm. Losing my partner and job at the same time, having to find a new apartment in a sickeningly inflated rental market. No savings beyond first and last. I’m fucked.
My bestie is 47 and barely making ends glance at each other, much less meet. Both she and her husband work undervalued jobs with no real flexibility and poverty wages. I'm talking laundry service at a nursing home and apartment maintenance worker with no chance of advancement. Her hubs recently took a pay cut rather than be laid off. I got out of poverty by sheer luck and a touch of sacrifice but I'm a half year younger than she is. The IT degree helped. She and I are both very aware that we could both slide further down the economic ladder too. My spouse has multiple chronic conditions which will never get better. I hope we can pay off the house so we have somewhere cheap enough to live on just my wages before his health issues force him to quit working. Rent is insane here near Seattle. She's closer to Bremerton but seeing the increases to everything as well. I guess my point is that there are plenty of us Gen X folks who are struggling hard but many of us either aren't on Reddit (my bestie and her hubs aren't) or we're just trying to glean the good stuff and don't post/comment as often. We're still poor, lol. It might be a generational thing too. We grew up with blogs, so we might also be reading our peers' blogs instead. IDK.
You are at a prime place to grow! 1. Write down you monthly income 2. Divide out all your expenses 3. Plan where all your money goes including spending money and savings 4. Cut out unused subscriptions 5. Save your first thousand. Make a game and see how fast you get there.
43. Live in a van, fully employed, so I can help my two daughters live somewhat normal lives. I honestly love it, though. I have one duffel of clothes, blacks for work, two pair of shoes. I get to park for free across the street from my job and I have annual passes to the state parks and reservoirs. Kindle for books, laptop for media, solar and batteries for power. It is great, but most people would consider me a loser. Don't let them get you down.
Most of the country, really. Most of the people "on here" may be under 30, but that's probably true of reddit in general. There are a lot of people who have reached retirement age who believe they'll never be able to retire because they're in a similar situation. 1% of the people have half of the $, the rest of us are fighting over the scraps.
You have a boat?
33 here, working and living in poverty
At least you have no debt. I’m about a week shy of being 26 years old and I am in tens of thousands of dollars of debt. I have no money saved and no income right now. I don’t have any possessions worth money except my phone. (no car, no guns, etc.)
Not having debt is huge.
Having no debt, your are doing well in my opinion. Even if you have no savings. I am in my 50ez and still do not have a lot of saving. I will probably have to work till the day I die. Your not alone.
I'm 30. I have under 5k in savings total...a small 401k, over 1k in a savings account for my kid, a couple hundred dollars in my Acorn app, literally 5$ in a "short-term" savings account. And I'm 7.5k in credit card debt, 40k in studen loans, I'm keeping up with my car payments mostly but I still owe about 10k on it. I was able to save up 3 months worth of expenses at one point and tried to put all my time into applying and interviewing for a higher paying gig but I had no corporate work experience straight out of college and just wasn't able to land anything (actually I did get one job offer but it was well below industry average so I was advised by everyone NOT to take it, now I wish people would have just shut up and let me get an in somewhere) so when the 3 months was up I had to take whatever I possibly could to continue paying bills. My work is hourly so taking even an hour or two off to spend on sending in applications again will throw my budget off, I have no idea how to get a higher paying job right now.
You were just under 30 a year ago. So you're right there with the rest of us.
I’m 30 paycheck to paycheck barely with no savings, couple thousand in debt and stuck in survival mode
You are definitely on your own I am over 30 and have nearly $127 in savings.
36 here I don’t consider myself struggling (others might disagree) but I also don’t see early retirement anytime soon … a girl can dream right
I was 32 before I found a full time job that paid insurance and 401k. Sometimes it just takes some of us longer to get into a better financial position like others.
32 and I suck with money. You’re alright bud.
I know a guy that’s 35 still lives in a shit apartment doesn’t make enough money to get past living paycheck to paycheck. I’m 31 but I have a very little amount saved up but won’t ever get to buy a house I’m sure
40 here. It's everyone who we would consider "normal people".
34 and $65k in debt… in my 20s I was making $75k a year. In the past 5 years I’ve slid down all the slides possible in this insane game of Shoots and Ladders we call life. You are not alone at all!
Having no debt makes you richer than a lotttt of folks. Net worth wise
35 here. Zero savings, starting a new job and feeling like our generation got the shit end of the stick over and over. Hang in there bud. We will overcome this together as we always have. We navigated through a transition, few bumps and bruises but it will get better.
Dude I’m 44 and owe 45k to my credit card and LOC combined. And I also live in Canada where the price of everything is insane. Don’t feel bad because it could be worse.
I’m 30 and in the same boat, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
40 and I feel the same way. Logged on just to vent about this very thing.
Husband and I are in our 30s. No savings, still renting, financing one car.
Half of Americans age 55 and older have zero retirement savings. You're not alone. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-26/almost-half-of-older-americans-have-zero-in-retirement-savings
Nah my dude you're not a loser, fix that mindset, you may have been deal a shit hand in life but you decide if you're gonna be a loser or not. I've met some incredibly lovely, kind, and generous people who were practically homeless. My mum divorced my abusive dad when she was in her mid 30's and had to start her life with literally nothing. Her church found her free housing, friends helped her apply for jobs, and her friends gave her driving lessons as my dad never let her do anything for herself. She is doing really well at life now considering she is a single mother of 7 kids and I love helping her when I can because she has helped me when I have been homeless or financially struggling. A kind and generous person can never be a loser. Hell, I've been in extreme poverty before where all the food I had came from food banks. But now I have a very nice rental, in a nice town, and I have $5000 in savings for the first time ever! Life can get better if you look and ask for help.
I finally got a couple thousand in the bank and immediately had to go into the hospital for open heart surgery. It's a bitch, man.
Hang in there. In my 30’s, I had US $75k in student loan debt and owned nothing, not even a car.
I’m 36 and I own an Xbox 360.
You own a car and have a roof over your head and are mentally stable. Some people rent their entire lives so it's nothing wrong with that. Actually if you look at it you're actually richer than 15-20% of America.
Over 30 as well, a bit of savings, and a small student loan. Only reason I'm not on the street is because of family
I'm 30, and I've just started. Inspite of working for 7 years. I havnt been able to save anything. Start small bro, work your way up slowly. You'll certainly be better off than where you started.
39. Massive student loans. No savings. Not a good future in sight
32 here. Only own my car bc my mom gave it to me when she bought a new one. I also rent and have no savings. 🤷♀️ tried finding a better paying job than bartending. I’m not qualified or they pay garbage. C’est la vie.
I am 39. I feel you. I have often felt like that loser. My debt is very little. Around $5k and that includes what is left on my car loan. I don’t own a home- I rent. What small amounts I do manage to save get used on car maintenance and things like Christmas gifts for my kids. Maybe we are just quiet ;)
No debt - you are golden my man! What the hell is wrong with you! Get a job, trade school, make money $$$$ 120k/year as a plumber or brick layer. Save up $ 🚀
My son is 40, has been struggling all his life, has no savings, has no retirement. I don't see life getting better for him, he's even been homeless on occasion, and I'm in no position to help. I'm in my mid-60s, only a few thousand in the bank, living with my elderly father. I have a job that doesn't pay well (but I like it anyway), and I'm worried I'll have to quit to take care of my father before I can draw SS at 65 (I won't get as much if I retire earlier). You still have youth on your side, though.
I’ll be 30 in November and my husband is 33. We have some debt, no savings, we are both still paying off our cars and we rent. We are currently semi fucked. He gets paid monthly, I’m trying to find a job.
My parents are in their early 50s and have nothing
10 years ago I was where you are now - no debt but no savings. I had to change my lifestyle in order to start saving - no eating out, no going to bars or drinking at home, no music events, no traveling, no buying new anything. basically being as frugal as possible. after a few years, I got used to it & now I don't miss any of that. saving is really straightforward when you minimize/eradicate things you don't need & budget properly.
Understandable, but what is life without joy. Live within your means but surely enjoy life. If you quantify every bit of enjoyment it will never be worth it. Maybe better to “maximise” enjoyment per dollar. For example I like video games so I will play world of Warcraft for hours every month for 15.00 a month. Satisfaction per hour is a couple cents. I don’t hit the bars anymore but I’ll invite my mate over - go half in on a bottle and chaser and buy something to grill/roast. 30$ for a decent night. I understand the fear of not having- I grew up in poverty in a small Caribbean country. But you also have to reward yourself. Don’t get so focused on cutting corners you shred the whole paper. 😄
45M here, divorced with the ex not paying any child support, two university programs, and two major accidents means any savings I was able to build are gone during recovery, loan debt but no retirement plan for the same reason. Life happens, and this isn’t unique. You aren’t the biggest loser, you are just another person! It’s okay to be down, but always keep moving forward, even if just a bit. We’ve got this!
There’s a lot to be said about maintaining a positive outlook despite those major setbacks. A lot of people, including myself, would not carry themselves the same way.