10 Reasons You're still broke

[cteddiesgirl]

I was nearly blinded in one eye by a 1st gen airbag blasting my cornea. Apparently, 99% of people close their eyes just prior to impact & I was the 1%er who didn't.

The airbags in steering columns are dangerous for drivers who are short. When I drove, I had to have the seat so close to the steering wheel that my chest almost touched it.

 

[irishsharon]

I remember years ago listening to the radio and the hosts where talking about how the cars in the student parking lot of a school were better that the teacher parking lot. People called in and expressed their opinions so at dinner that night with my brother in law and sister in law I asked what kind of car would they get their kids and I almost fell over when my sister in law said....As long as its better than what you get your kids!!!!! I was a stay at home mom who cared for her children and she was a lawyer Dh and I plan to help ( a little) our boys to get older very safe cars

 

[barkley]

The airbags in steering columns are dangerous for drivers who are short. When I drove, I had to have the seat so close to the steering wheel that my chest almost touched it.

I had one deploy and the e/r staff was amazed that I hadn't either broken an arm or my nose. told dh and I that if there's time to react the first impulse people have is to raise their arm up in front of their face-so the bag hits the arm and breaks it as it's hitting and breaking the nose. I did end up with bruising up and down both arms and my chest (no injuries from the actual accident though).

 

[MillauFr]

You must live in either New York City, Long Island, or maybe New Jersey. Lol

Me too. Downtown Wall Street here. Cost of living plus all the extras will make your head spin!

With a name like SEA33 I thought they lived in Seattle. Home of the $2 million dollar cracker box....

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/839-NE-66th-St-Seattle-WA-98115/49140825_zpid/

Seattle is bad but San Francisco is even worse.

 

[mrsabbott]

We are broke because we started a business. It was my husband's dream, the opportunity presented itself, and we did it. We had very little debt and a savings. The end result? Lots of debt, no savings, and a closed business. Live and learn, I guess.

We can only afford the minimum payments on stuff right now, but our job situation will change soon and we can do the debt snowball. I did quit school, but am going back in the fall. Hubs is also getting his degree.

I do impulse buy at the grocery store but it is usually a "Oh look! That is a good deal on (whatever food item)!!" type of thing. I don't go clothes shopping often and won't pay full price for anything if I can help it.

We don't keep up with the joneses, but I do wish we could have/do things that our neighbor does. I would love to fix up our house, put in a pool, build a new deck, and go on a cruise.. Of course, they are at a different place in life. Their kids are grown. They have good jobs and the means to do things now.. One day, we will be in that place. I hope.

 

[DawnM]

I had a stick shift when I got pregnant. We had to go get a new car (Dh's was a stick shift also) so that I could drive to work! I couldn't fit in that close after about 6 months' gestation!

The airbags in steering columns are dangerous for drivers who are short. When I drove, I had to have the seat so close to the steering wheel that my chest almost touched it.

 

[hsmamato2]

The couch potato one really struck me as "chicken or the egg" because if you have financial problems TV is one of the cheapest ways to relax and wind down.

this is true!!! We watch a lot of tv (we have an antenna and Tivo setup) and that is our FREE way to wind down and relax after a busy day! add a netflix subscription for some easy movies...I guess a lot of the list made sense... but as I'm not broke.... I'm gonna continue to watch my tv at night! (what would I do without my British mystery shows?) And since none of these other things apply to our life......

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Also to add to this I have a 2006 Honda Accord. I LOVE my car. Bought it brand spanking new and it's now paid off. It's very safe and reliable. Has 100K miles on it and has never *knock on wood* given me any issues other than routine maintenance. I plan to keep it until the wheels fall off or it gives me a major issue.

Another plan is to give it to DS in 3 years when he turns 17 and buy myself a new car. But I don't think I should just "give" him anything.

 

[DawnM]

This is what is says: The bolded is what I read is the issue.

At the end of the day (and perhaps in the beginning and middle of the day as well) there’s nothing you like to do more than kick up your feet and watch television or surf the Web. But if you’re having trouble making ends meet, then you’re wasting potentially valuable time

It does go on to say that those who are wealthy have side jobs, volunteer, or read self help books.

I don't know what they consider rich. If I were Paris Hilton, I am quite sure I could be as couch potato as I wished and not need a second job and still be rich.

this is true!!! We watch a lot of tv (we have an antenna and Tivo setup) and that is our FREE way to wind down and relax after a busy day! add a netflix subscription for some easy movies...I guess a lot of the list made sense... but as I'm not broke.... I'm gonna continue to watch my tv at night! (what would I do without my British mystery shows?) And since none of these other things apply to our life......

 

[Iowajes]

If I were Paris Hilton, I am quite sure I could be as couch potato as I wished and not need a second job and still be rich.

And yet- Paris actually busts her butt with a gajillion jobs. She does promotion where she gets paid to go to clubs, she models, she records "music", she films TV shows, she has perfume lines, handbag lines, clothing lines, shoe collections, watches- as much as it seems like she is famous for being famous, that woman WORKS.

So, sure, she could probably just be a couch potato with her Dad's money- but I think the article was pointing out that most rich people don't waste their free time. They monetize it.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

I am broke, because

1-10. - DH has student loans.

 

[AquaDame]

Supposedly there are 2 ways to get the most transportation for your money.

1) Buy new and keep forever.
2) Buy a 2 year old car and keep it 2 years.

I'm not sure I get this... for 3 grand 7 years ago I've had a reliable vehicle for very little money. Aside from gas, a set of new tires & fluid changes/top offs in those 7 years I've had to do a timing belt at 120,000 miles, the front struts and an axle boot. All regular maintenance type stuff and the car is still running great - we're driven it half way across the country with no issues on several occasions. I just went over 200,000 so I'm due for my timing belt again but I'm absolutely getting the most transportation for my money. It helps that we've done almost all these things on our own - the only thing we've used a shop for was an alignment and the axle.

Viva la Subaru Impreza!

 

[eliza61]

And yet- Paris actually busts her butt with a gajillion jobs. She does promotion where she gets paid to go to clubs, she models, she records "music", she films TV shows, she has perfume lines, handbag lines, clothing lines, shoe collections, watches- as much as it seems like she is famous for being famous, that woman WORKS.

So, sure, she could probably just be a couch potato with her Dad's money- but I think the article was pointing out that most rich people don't waste their free time. They monetize it.

It's an interesting concept.

When I was younger I did think " time was money". I worked over time, did 2nd jobs.

Now that I'm older time is waaaay more important, I'm not doing another 2nd of over time. I get 6 weeks vacation and wish I could have 4 more.

 

[SEA333]

You must live in either New York City, Long Island, or maybe New Jersey. Lol

Me too. Downtown Wall Street here. Cost of living plus all the extras will make your head spin!

Close....Chicago suburbs.

Well, OK, maybe not so close, but definitely the cost of living here in the western Chicago suburbs rivals that of your area - and for sure is a LOT more than suburban/rural Michigan where I am from.

The thing that continues to shock me every single summer is the registration packet we get from our PUBLIC schools - an average of $300 registration fees for each of our three kids. in Michigan, public schools are not allowed to require so much as a #2 pencil. They can "wish/suggestion list" it, but they are not allowed to require it. Here, not only do we pay really high mortgages/rent/property taxes AND registration fees for our kids to attend PS, but we also pay $130/year for each kid to ride the bus, pay to play, books, AND a required school supply list that tells us exactly what color and style folder the student is to have. It's absolute nuts. And I hear that my DS14, who is starting high school in the fall, also will have "course fees" for each class he takes on top of all of this. That will add at least another $200 to the total. And everyone that has lived here all their lives thinks I am crazy for even questioning this!

Sigh...Ok. Vent over!

ETA: DH and I decided to stop venting over this subject (although I couldn't help myself here! LOL) and just chalk up everything we pay to "public school tuition" and be thankful that our kids are getting the education they are getting - our High School routinely ranks in the top 15-20 for the state of Illinois, and always ranks very high (like in the top 50) for the nation for various magazines - the most recent being Newsweek and US News and World Report. Knowing this helps ease the pain somewhat...LOL

 

[SEA333]

With a name like SEA33 I thought they lived in Seattle. Home of the $2 million dollar cracker box....

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/839-NE-66th-St-Seattle-WA-98115/49140825_zpid/

Seattle is bad but San Francisco is even worse.

Haha...SEA is the initials of my kids' names/nicknames

We live in the west Chicago suburbs. Originally from Detroit/suburbs

But Chicago home prices are not far behind Seattle!

 

[teller80]

Nobody's mentioned the million dollar myth in reason #1. "Over a 40-year career, a worker with a bachelor’s will earn $1 million more than a worker with just a high school diploma". It's not true, it was based on a flawed study. See The Great College Hoax on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/060.html

 

[havaneselover]

Nobody's mentioned the million dollar myth in reason #1. "Over a 40-year career, a worker with a bachelor’s will earn $1 million more than a worker with just a high school diploma". It's not true, it was based on a flawed study. See The Great College Hoax on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/060.html

Maybe that was a flawed study but there's an article in the wsj today which cites a ny fed study claiming a 15% average return on money put into college degrees. To me that's a pretty good roi.

 

[Dakota731]

And the article leaves out two of the most proven factors that determine if someone is going to be poor or not - don't get pregnant out of wedlock and marry the father of your children.

 

[tvguy]

I'm not sure I get this... for 3 grand 7 years ago I've had a reliable vehicle for very little money. Aside from gas, a set of new tires & fluid changes/top offs in those 7 years I've had to do a timing belt at 120,000 miles, the front struts and an axle boot. All regular maintenance type stuff and the car is still running great - we're driven it half way across the country with no issues on several occasions. I just went over 200,000 so I'm due for my timing belt again but I'm absolutely getting the most transportation for my money. It helps that we've done almost all these things on our own - the only thing we've used a shop for was an alignment and the axle.

Viva la Subaru Impreza!

I think buying new and keeping forever is pretty straight forward, you get every mile you can, and own it long enough to negate any concerned about depreciation. You pay the money and drive a couple hundred thousand miles.

Buying a 2 year old car and keeping it 2 years is supposed to be a good balance between letting someone else take the biggest hit on depreciation, and minimal outlay for repairs. A typical 2 year old car will have about 24,000 miles on it and still be under warranty, and when it is 4 years old it will on average have just under 50,000 miles and still be under warranty.

What you are doing is kind of a mix of both.

Also depends how much you drive. My Suburban is 27 years old but only has 145,000 miles on it, just about half what the average person drives. There are people who drive 30,000 miles a year, and others like my mom who drove 56 years, had 3 cars, and drove a total of 143,000 miles in her life, and average of about 2,600 miles a year

 

[disfamof7]

And the article leaves out two of the most proven factors that determine if someone is going to be poor or not - don't get pregnant out of wedlock and marry the father of your children.

Wow! Well I tend to not say much on this forums but this one really offended me! I have children and I was not married to their father. I am by no means poor simply because I wasn't married and had children out of wedlock. That is such an old fashioned notion. I support myself and my children just fine. Please understand that just because someone lives a different lifestyle than you by no means automatically subjects them to life of poverty.