Has your income decreased? Are you as tired as I am?

[CoffeeCat]

I know that income and money are personal issues, but I need to vent. I'm feeling a bit exhausted by the feeling that I'm running faster than ever--and getting more and more behind.

I'm wondering if others feel the same. Anyone else dealing with income shrinkage?

I feel that this is happening on every economic level. The poor are remaining poor, with very little opportunity to make it out. The middle class, according to all accounts, is losing their battle to hold onto their standard of living.

The rich--well, they're doing just fine--thank you. I read the other day that luxury yacht orders vastly exceed what manufacturers can handle; and that NYC luxury property prices are soaring and selling at record rates. I'm not begruding the rich, but as I said--I'm just wondering why the rest of us seem to be working harder than ever, only to be falling farther behind.

Our situation…Since 2008, we've taken a 35 percent overall income cut. This is simply due to two layoffs during these years. Each time my husband has re-gained employment, his salary has dropped. He's in the IT/Network Engineering field--15 years of experience, excellent references and a college degree. His salary has decreased 35 percent!!!

Furthermore, food prices are astronomical--as are gas prices. We used to pay ZERO for healthcare; now we pay $500 per month--with higher copays/deductibles and no dental coverage.

I feel as if we are working hard and doing all of the right things--but that we keep getting tripped.

And please--I'm grateful for everything we have. I'm just---TIRED. We're no longer getting ahead or saving money.

I feel that everything has changed. The rules. The prices. The salaries. The cost of living. …and I don't like it.

Anyone else feel this way?

[el_bryanto]

1. I doubt you are the only one

Certainly I feel this way at times; increasingly. I am a man of simple desires, but even meeting those desires is becoming increasingly difficult.

Bryant

[SomeGuyInEagan]

46. "Working your self to debt" is how one friend states it

Which, I guess, is part of the plan by those who run the ship. And the politicians they own.

[redwitch]

2. Yes.

It's really hard for us now. We have lost so much ground we will never get it back. We are close to losing our home. And are too old to start over but we will do what we have to. Sad here.

[CoffeeCat]

3. I feel that there are many who share your story...

We are headed in that direction. It would only take one or two negative situations (or another layoff) and we would be in dire straights.

I think many, many people are headed that way.

In every direction, there are challenges. As an example--the price of groceries. We pay 40 percent more than we used to about seven years ago (I keep detailed budget records).

Everything seems to be working against people in all classes.

I am sorry that you are experiencing this stress too. I hope that you do not lose your home. I agree that we all have to do what we have to do. Maybe that means a different life? I've told my husband that I fantasize about moving back into a small condo and having a simpler life. That wouldn't be so bad.

You guys have each other. You can (and will) get through it together. And so many, like myself, understand.

[redwitch]

5. I will keep you and your husband in my heart

and my prayers. I know we are not alone. One thing I have learned in my life is that whatever I am going through I have company who have been there or are there with me.

[safeinOhio]

4. No.

Thanks to the pension from my UNION job at the factory and my SS. This has given me the time and resources to start a small, fun business that has been paying off.

I'm so grateful that I still pay union dues, even though it is not required of retirees.

[shanti]

8. why do you still pay union dues when you are retired?

i was also in a union until i retired, but found no reason to continue doing so....

[CountAllVotes]

13. Retired and still paying dues here too

Reason: The UNION is the place that cuts the deals and the contracts for the retirees!

This is reason enough to continue to pay dues as they are looking out for YOU, something that few if any people/places do these days.

I shall continue to pay dues until I am no longer around. That much you can believe in.

[shanti]

14. Fair enough

[hfojvt]

6. no, my income has grown

since I came out of retirement

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4386172

But I am fervently hoping to go back IN to retirment. Getting ready to do a whole bunch of work on my day off tomorrow. Got two VIP events to get through in the next week.

[LWolf]

7. Yes and Yes. nt

[reformist2]

9. Yes. And sadly, I don't see Dems as having real answers. We aren't thinking big enough.

In short, I mean to say that Dems are afraid of wealth redistribution, which is exactly what is needed.

[stillwaiting]

20. Yes. Way too many elected Democrats are economic conservatives.

It is THE problem that must be fixed.

If we never get more progressive representation in Congress, we will never begin to reverse the trend we've been on for so long. Things will keep getting worse for most.

[Myrina]

30. Agreed.

My income has increased with a career change -- now I'm at the point where I don't have to worry or decide which utilities are at risk of being turned off at the end of the month, and I don't have to come up with excuses not to take part in after-work social events (rather than tell them I can't afford to waste money on dinner etc.). I still have no savings and no 401k to call my own.

So yes, I have mo' money, but wouldn't say by a stretch of anyone's imagination that I'm "rich".

[shanti]

10. since taking early retirement in 2010

my income has been cut by approximately 50%. i never seem to get ahead now, because every january my health coverage goes up. the COLA arrives each may, but it only offsets the health coverage rise, so it's one step forward, two steps back, constantly.

and at 58, chances of obtaining a pt job are slim here. i'm doing ok now though, getting by. my income will only go up when i can get SS at 62, then things should be better.

[Boomerproud]

11. Yes and Yes

I'm not "feeling this way"-it's my reality.

[Duer 157099]

12. If you're "not begruding the rich"

then, imho, you're not understanding the problem.

Yes, most of us are feeling what you are. Except the begrudging part.

[BobbyBoring]

42. It's not all the rich

I know a few mega rich people who are the most caring, sharing people in the world. It's the nouveau riche that are the big problem. They have a type of greed I just don't get. They hate the thought of someone having 2 more pesos than them. Nothing is ever enough.

In the end though, we all wind up in the same place~

[Duer 157099]

43. Of course there are exceptions to every rule

If they weren't the exceptions, we wouldn't be having this problem at all, right?

[CountAllVotes]

15. YES and YES

It is a lot less now than it was in the past.

Being in poor health (at best) does not help one bit.

It sucks, yes it does.

[hunter]

16. Family income increases glacially.

Family standard of living retreats like a rapidly melting glacier.

It's utterly astonishing to me what my dad could do with a comfortable union income.

That world is gone.

Most people now are working twice as hard for half as much.

[Munificence]

66. Yeah but $5 says

That your dad nor your family had a $150 cable bill each month, $150 cell bill, 2 $35K vehicles in the drive, ate out 3-4 days a week, 2 kids with more toys and clothes than they know what to do with, 3 big screen tv's that they feel like need replaced every 5 years, couple Kindles, couple laptops, at least 2 gaming systems....and a big fucking 3000-4000 sq ft house.

I was squandering money away left and right on all this shit 5 years ago, felt like I was broke and my wife and I making over $110K a year...then it fucking hit me...these "rich bastards" are only rich because I facilitate them in being so.

We cut, couldn't be happier and are saving a lot of money now....not feeding the beast. Driving our 2 paid off vehicles (mine has been paid off for 6 years, the wife's has been paid off for 2), cut the cable, cut the eating out, paid off the credit cards and cut those bastards up also.

Remove yourself from the matrix as much as possible and live a bit. Do we really need all this junk? It's amazing how cool it is to cook out in the backyard, play horseshoes and "pass ball" with the kids a couple days a week. The other days of the week are home cooked meals and we EAT AT THE TABLE AS A FAMILY!

[hunter]

68. I drive an $800 car, no cable, no satellite, a $7 a month cell phone, and I'm mostly vegetarian.

Haven't eaten out for months.

It's the crushing medical bills and kid's college (our oldest has graduated) that were $$$.

I graduated from college debt free. My dad had good health insurance, not the crappy kind they have now where a person can go bankrupt even with insurance. My mom and dad enjoy a fairly comfortable pension.

My wife and I thought we had good medical insurance before the shit storms hit, and it's utterly astonishing what college costs now.

We're not suffering, and calls from medical debt collectors don't bother me at all any more, but our credit rating is still in the toilet.

[FreeJoe]

17. Steadily downward for 3 years

I posted recently (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024384884) that my income has declined fairly steadily since 2010. It's about 78% of what it was then. On the other hand, my net worth has increased because the market has done so well.

In my case, I really can't complain. I'm still making a good income and have no problem meeting my savings goals without significantly compromising my lifestyle. It's my bonuses that have declined, so our day-to-day lives haven't changed much. It just means that our vacations are less elaborate, less money is being spent on the house, and we're getting fewer toys. It hasn't reached the point that we're having to cut back on things that are important.

[MANative]

18. You're not alone

At my peak, my income was $133,000/year. For 2013, it was about $11,500, less than 10% of my best year. Believe it or not, that was better than 2012. Of course, most of our financial obligations were entered and based on a combined income of about $180,000/year, so you can imagine the state of my credit rating these days. I'm just over fifty, and in a profession that has become dramatically undervalued by the profit-hungry and people-devaluing corporatists in recent years. I develop management training programs that take people from basic work skills to solid, compassionate workplace leadership. No one spends anything on that anymore, and being one of the pioneers in this discipline has meant zilch.

[2naSalit]

19. Yup

My income has gone from a mere pittance to zilch. Have many debts, can't even come up with rent for Feb. yet... have 3/4 of it but that's not what is agreed to in the rental agreement, ya know.

[randr]

21. Yes and so has every one I know

Out Nation is in need of real leadership. Someone who is fearless in the pursuit of their ideals. Someone who is not afraid to stand up to their opponents. Some one willing to put into action what they know will work to get this nation back to work and to recover our lost dignity.
I am still patiently waiting for such a leader.

[davidthegnome]

22. Yes and no.

I never really made much to begin with. I started out at 17, washing dishes for the minimum wage of the time - 5.65 an hour. The best job I ever had was four years ago, working for the census, making 13.25 an hour (plus .55 cents per mile of gas). I made nine with a telemarketing job a couple years ago, now I'm making eight.

Prices for everything have gone way up since I started working. Jobs (especially good jobs) are much harder to find. Yes I'm tired - lately it seems that I'm always tired, I expect that anyone who is working for a living feels the same way.

I definitely think you're right that everything has changed. I DO begrudge many of the wealthy - though not all, there are a few very rich people who do great things for the world with their money... sadly, there are only a few.

I'm waiting for a Presidential nominee, or maybe a whole new party... that will advocate for the poor. It seems that the democrats focus on the middle class, while the republicans focus on the wealthy. We can see how well this has worked out. It's time for a political system that focuses on building people up, on making life affordable.

[aggiesal]

23. I'm an engineer as well . . .

and I've seen contract rates drop by at least 33% but as much as 40% - 50% since 2008 (most Obama years).
and for direct hire positions, I've seen salaries drop to 1990 - 1991 levels.

I also feel offended when filling out job applications when asked for my visa status.
This tells me that their placing a high priority on foreign engineers.

[SCVDem]

24. My retirement plan

Is now suicide.

I've lost everything else.

When I can no longer work it's over.

[grasswire]

33. That is stark, but understandable.

If you have to do that, do it on the steps of a greedy man's home. Some statements need to be made.

So sorry, friend.

[LiberalEsto]

25. YES and YES

I've been out of work for more than 5 years - currently waiting for early Social Security because there is no point even trying at my age. Nobody would hire me except maybe a supermarket, and I have a herniated disc and sciatica.

We're supporting 2 out-of-work daughters at the moment. We're paying $556 a month for Cobra coverage for one of them. We're paying student loans for both of them.

My husband's company just forced us into high deductible health insurance with a $4000 deductible. Yes, he's making more money than he did a year or two ago. But now our health costs will skyrocket, and supporting four adults on one salary with all these other costs isn't cheap.

I blame Congress for most of this. They have cut food stamps and other aid for the poor, cut taxes for the rich, and left the struggling middle class holding the bag to pay for wars, NSA spying, and everything else.

[knitter4democracy]

26. Oh, goodness, don't even get me started.

It's bad, and it's getting worse.

[1StrongBlackMan]

27. To be honest ...

No (to your first question) ... My income have increased 40+% from 2008.

But yes, I tired that so many find themselves in a place where their income in decreasing.

That's why I will be working my butt off to replace every republican with a Democrat.

[onestepforward]

28. Yes to both.

I fell out of the middle class several years ago for the first time in my life.

The majority of my time is now focusing on simply surviving and this way of "living" has left me exhausted and feeling hopeless at times.

I wished there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel for all of us who are struggling, but I don't see it yet.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

29. Clearly you're a "taker" and not a "maker".* The only people with rights to make headway in the new

American economy are makers. Whoever owns the company your husband works for is the "maker". Your husband should be grateful and you shouldn't complain for a second. Don't you know that the Koch Brothers know best?

* nothing but sarcasm

[LibDemAlways]

31. My husband took a 40% pay cut three years ago

after a layoff and 6 months of unemployment at age 59. Cheap companies will pay as little as they can get away with in this market.

And I make so little as a substitute teacher that Social Security,which I will finally qualify for in November, actually represents a substantial raise. How pathetic is that?

[CrispyQ]

32. The playing field is skewed more & more every day.

At some point there will be a critical mass of the desperate. What will happen? I don't know. In the past TPTB would toss us a few crumbs to appease us, but they seem especially greedy & psychopathic this cycle, re that asshole who compared the persecution of the 1% to the holocaust. I'd laugh at the phrase 'persecution of the rich' if his comparison wasn't so disgusting.

I don't think they are going to toss us any crumbs this time.

[kairos12]

39. Wow, what an accurate portrait. Appalling, but real.

[One_Life_To_Give]

34. Real inflation has taken it's toll

Costs of Food and Fuel have hit hard. Even fully employed raises havn't kept pace with the real costs of living. Maybe we need to bring back the COLA linked to the price of food and fuel?

[totodeinhere]

35. I hear you and I share your pain. But regarding your medical expenses, hopefully the

ACA will be able to help with that and bring those costs down.

[abelenkpe]

36. Company I worked for went bankrupt

Jobs in my field have been offshored to chase subsidies offered by other countries. I've been doing freelance gigs here and ther but nothing comes close to replacing what was lost. Before that the past fifteen years or so were spent working longer and longer hours (sometime seven day weeks and twelve hour days) with benefits being cut and salary stagnating. Still kicked ass at my job, moving up in position and winning many awards.
For years people in my field would say we need a union. But efforts to form one would fizzle out and fail. People were afraid if we unionized the studios would ship our work overseas. They sent our work overseas anyway.

[Phlem]

37. But But unemployment has dropped!? = Tired

I've been unemployed for 5 + years thanks to off shoring. What few positions are here have at least 100 applicants per open position, and then when you get that 40 hour salaried job they work you fucking 60 hours a week. It's totally fucked out there.

-p

[Burf-_-]

38. i feel ya

Has my income increased ? Yeah...it has increased, about 70 cents per hour over 5 back breaking years. So who am i to complain.... I'm still got hope of climbing that ladder, and living that dream....right......riggggggghhhht. Saving.... lol , if you call slowly bleeding to death financially, by not eating but one meal a day (Which i am supposed to feel lucky for right ?) Inflation increases exponentially while my wage increases mocks me in real world losses. Grateful what i have... of course ...why wouldn't i be ? This is my life , this is my life in the land of the "free" and the home of the fucking brain dead. All of us till going to employee meetings and hearing exactly how worthless we are due to "our" failures as employees to meet company financial goals. Watching democracy die because we have no other choice but to desperately cling to what little we have left, if anything at all. As far as our employers are concerned WE owe them every damn thing, and we are continually expendable if we dare "fail" to meet their ludicrous standards of productivity and profitability, even when we follow all the rules all the time and don't miss a day of work in 4 years. How dare we accuse them of being disloyal to us, what do we think we have free speech ? Sad truth is... we really don't, not at all. Corporate mindsets these days mean we should be happy to lick their ass if they offer the "privilege", and if they were to shy to ask we should offer to any way.

Don't like that Corporate masters ? Well too fucking bad, as long as the internet is still free I'm gonna punch you in the fucking throat and watch your ego cough up blood. I will be the first to burn you down as soon as i get the opportunity I promise you that. Props to the Ukraine.

[marions ghost]

59. welcome Burf

Righteous anger is needed. People in America put up with too much.

[woo me with science]

40. Yes.

K&R

[Little_Wing]

41. Yes and yes

And the feelings of foreboding and hopelessness are a daily battle. The poverty I now find myself mired in (living on early social security after being laid off at the age of 62, unemployment checks for 1.5 years... only making it because I live rent free for the time being, but homelessness is never far from my thoughts) could be semi-tolerable if there were simply some indication that the people who COULD change things cared enough to do so. I used to believe that we sent our smartest people to represent us in Washington, but no more. Now we send our richest, and they have made it more than clear that the sooner we shut up about what is happening out here in the real world, the better their world will be. I despise feeling so powerless, it was never a part of my personal vocabulary.

Feeling invisible/negated as the safety nets of human compassion fall away from the goals of those in Washington, D.C. This is not how I envisioned my country turning out, and I am sick to death of anyone defending how the elite despise and deny their fellow/sister citizens.

[salib]

44. I am in my 50's and I really do not know anyone who feels they can retire "comfortably" anymore

Or at all.

I think we have really been screwed.

[CoffeeCat]

48. I live in the suburbs...

…where things are supposed to be ok. I see my neighbors and others taking second jobs--besides their full-time jobs.

This is one of the reasons that I posted about this. I think this is a problem for MOST of America. People that you think are "ok"--driving nice cars and living in the 'burbs--ARE NOT.

Like us--we took a 30 percent pay cut and we're like hamsters on a wheel--trying to pay for everything that used to have no problem affording.

I think too many people are ashamed of doing something about it. We should downsize to a condo. However, it's tough admitting defeat--and the cost of moving and selling the house are barriers. Stagnant housing prices do not help.

I hear all of these stories--from all income levels--and it's just daunting. I really don't understand WHO is propping up everything for the rich. Who will buy what they make and sell--when the middle and upper middle classes are too strapped?

Yes, retiring "comfortably" is a luxury that too many really don't have any more. I am 49 and I wonder what will happen to Soc Sec--being the political football that it is. All it takes is one Republican to decide that those funds should be in the stock market and BOOM--we're all screwed.

I see many senior citizens working in grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Most just don't have this luxury any longer.

[donnasgirl]

45. The answer to your headline is yes

And i and my family are not the only people who feel this way, i have two neighbors who have college students who work for a dollar general. They received an increase in the minimum wage to 8 dollars an hour and what was the response from the employer, he cut their hours and by doing so now make less money. I need someone to explain to me why is it our politicians never seem to pick up on these abuses, is it because they do not want to see it, or is it they simply overlook the obvious.

[llmart]

47. Try being over 60........

it's even more depressing because you don't have any options left such as promotions or finding another, higher paying job, etc.

Also, just wait until those of us living in colder climates get a look at our total heating bills for this winter.

I wish I had the optimism I had in my youth, but I don't.

I had a coworker once who used to say, "I can retire comfortably as long as I drop dead the day after I retire." We used to laugh together about that, but now it's not so funny.

[Lifelong Protester]

49. I sure felt that way when I opened my electric bill

It said the company has been granted a 3% increase, so my bill went up by 18%. I realize I could have used more electricity, but this is on a monthly payment (a 'budget helper').
I'm sure others have bigger complaints, but this is just indicative. Most all bills for utilities have done nothing but go up. And of course, there's the propane issue-yes, I know we can't control the weather, and the poor propane company is getting squeezed too, but it's just another example of up up up. And getting tired of it.

[CoffeeCat]

53. Yes, I get what you are saying...

These little things add up to a higher cost of living, which means less disposable income.

This is what is creating the squeeze, in addition to lower wages.

The light bill, the water bill, gasoline costs, the price of food, medical costs--it all adds up. We opened up our car-registration tag bill and nearly fell on the floor. If you own a big SUV, your annual car registration tags are $20. However, if you own an economy car or a four-door sedan, or a minivan--it's a few hundred. It's just crazy. It didn't use to be like this.

All of these costs--add up to several hundred dollars. Combining that with a downward pressure on salaries--and it's just a big headache.

[Lifelong Protester]

54. I agree.

Nickeled and dimed, so to speak, out of the middle class.

[leftyladyfrommo]

60. Our utilities all have service charges on them now.

In the summer my gas bill might be $15 and the service charge is $30. Same for water and sewer bills.

My phone bill just as a whole bunch of taxes added on so I think the taxes come to over $20 on the bill.

Sucks. I really try to be careful how much gas, electricity and water I use. But I can't save much because the service fees are so high and they aren't based on usage.

[Lifelong Protester]

61. I know, all these somewhat 'mysterious' charges

oh, the phone company tries to 'explain' them, but I don't trust them.

Competition, my foot. All I see are monopolies. And we are stuck.

[KentuckyWoman]

50. My income at the moment is almost zero. But that was my choice.

in 2008 my corporate employer in Cincinnati said 30% pay cut to keep your job. I was a key person in a big department and told corporate to go suck it. And I mean I said, in front of 200 workers in the meeting, "If you think I'm going to do twice as much work for 30% less money so CEO (said his name) and Stockholders (named 5 names) who own 92% of the stock can shovel more profit into their own pockets then you can go suck it."

And I left the meeting, went to my desk, gather my crap and walked out. Shocked the daylights out of every co-worker and supervisor who knew me. I'm not a rablerouser.

Took a job with a small accounting office back in eastern Kentucky for the same money as the pay cut job in the city. Live in the house my grandpa built with his own hands in a super small town where everybody knows everybody's business.... which is good and bad.

Eventually I told that employer to go get bent as well because of abuse of lower level employees. Same type deal, owners offended by the idea a hard working employee wants a share of the wealth they help create.

So it's no just you. It's everywhere.

[7wo7rees]

51. Yes and Yes

[Skittles]

52. anyone who doesn't feel that way is either rich or not paying attention

I feel it and I see it all around me

[magical thyme]

55. I wish I'd only taken a 35% income cut.

Since 2002, mine's been cut about 66%. If I start social security at 62, there will be another 30% cut over what I currently scrape together. If I can hold out until 64-65 I will hold the line on my current pathetic income.

I'm exhausted, and at my age I don't see any recovery. Just tread water until I croak.

[GoneFishin]

56. Many, many people that I speak with are feeling squeezed more than in the past.

[CoffeeCat]

57. It's a secret festering in the majority of homes...

…and I think this is happening at all income levels.

I live in the suburbs and one of my neighbors, in addition to his full-time job, is working nights at a home-improvement store. Both he and his wife are professionals, both working. I see lawns and landscaping--that were once perfect--now, not as manicured. Fences need repairs. People are buying used cars and keeping their cars for longer. There are many signs that inside the walls--things are coming apart.

In our case, we had a very decent income. That income was cut 35 percent. That hurts. You get used to a certain income. The only thing that saved us is that we were/are savers. We probably saved 30 percent of every paycheck. That's all changed now.

I am grateful for everything we have. I count my blessings. However, this is a serious situation. This economic "sickness" has reached every income level. If, across-the-board, people have less disposable income, this means disaster for the economy. We have cut down on EVERYTHING.

If the poor have little chance of upward mobility; and the middle class is sliding down; and the upper middle classes are being crunched as well--I don't see how this DOESN'T slide into another Great Depression.

[GoneFishin]

63. Yes. I see it at all levels also. Just consider the cost of putting gas in your tank to get to work.

The soaring profits of the oil companies don't come out of thin air, they are being cut from the flesh of american workers. I know that I could use the extra $30 or $40 a week that I have to put in my gas tank, and the extra $500 or so in my heating bill. The extra hundreds and hundreds of dollars in usury credit card fees from banks who borrow the money from the fed for free. Then pay less than 1% interest on savings to those of us who thought we had a plan for the future. And pity the students with loans to attend for-profit colleges.

The gouging goes on and on. It's a curse I think was accelerated in the 80s when Reagan seemed to make being a greedy asshole something to aspire to, rather than being ashamed of it.

And I also see more used cars, unpainted fences and houses, and less manicured yards.

[Le Taz Hot]

58. As per our upcoming 2014 tax filings, we are making exactly 1/4 of what we made

12 years ago. And that's with both of us working. Sucks.

[CoffeeCat]

62. If you don't mind me asking...

I'm wondering why your income fell, and if your reasons are similar to our own.

I'm wondering if companies are just paying workers less--across the board? Does corporate greed include fighting minimum wage but also decreasing salaries for professionals as well?

I mentioned some about our situation. My husband was working as a network engineer with 15 years experience. He survived 7 rounds of layoffs, which mean that he was now working 3 jobs for the same pay (someone had to pick up the work that was lost in the layoffs). Then, he was laid off for six months--gained employment again but at a 20 percent pay cut. Then, laid off again, and is at his present job that is a 30 percent salary cut from his original job.

I'm wondering if 2008 wasn't some big excuse from the corporate jerks--to lower salaries and capitalize on the desperate workers who were fighting for jobs--due to high unemployment.

It's none of my business what salaries everyone around me are making. However, I do think that if we all hunker down, hiding in our houses and embarrassed--thinking that we're the only ones--it doesn't help anyone.

Maybe it's time we all pooled our resources and started relying on each other and helping each other (bartering services, community gardens, etc.) so we can counteract this deliberate squeeze on all of us.

I don't like that we're all so isolated and ashamed to admit that things are tough. Maybe if we all begin speaking about what we've experienced, this honesty can be the beginning of some creative solutions.

Just my thoughts...

[Le Taz Hot]

64. We both left our cushy (and highly stressful) jobs

in 2002 to open up our own business. It was going GREAT guns until 2006 and the bottom dropped out. As much experience and education as we both have you'd think getting another job wouldn't be a problem. Wrong. At the time I was over 50 and my husband was still in his 40's but, seeing as how his profession has to do with tech, they generally won't hire anyone over 30.

After that we were able to find jobs in start-ups that invariably failed after 2 years or less so we kept getting laid off, basically, being intermittently employed. He's working for another start-up now and I got a gig with the feds but it's only part-time and pays, well, shit. No benefits at either job.

Your idea of pooling resources, etc., is one that I was proposing about 5 years ago. My idea was community associations (not homeowners associations) wherein people could barter goods and services, have plant swaps, have neighborhood yard sales, have community gardens and/or personal gardens and trade their excess for produce in which they had none or not enough. Even things like swapping tools, say, I'll let you use the ban saw if you let me use your chain saw. Just stuff like that. The idea was to become more self-reliant with less reliance on corporations. Sad to say, I tried it in my own neighborhood and, after a year-and-a-half, just couldn't get up enough interest so I dropped it.

Having said that, I would LOVE to get something going along the lines of the above.

[Tree-Hugger]

65. It's disgusting

My husband works three jobs and we can't make it. We're drowning and all hope it gone.

Fuck this world, in all sincerity.

[TheFrenchRazor]

67. It's not just your imagination; welcome to the new normal.

over the past 30 years wages have been stagnant while the cost of absolute bare necessities has gone up significantly, and there's no end in sight.