One family on "hard times"

[mattm04]

Check out the picture of this women form NOLA. Look at what what she calls "pitiful" living conditions.

http://pursuingholiness.com/2007/12/...n-new-orleans/

Scroll down to the picture below the YouTube video.

[Eben56]

Sorry, but I just don't understand why there is so much anger about these folks telling their story. They were not whining, complaining, or asking for anything. They even say "life is good".

I saw it as just an interesting human interest story about how even people who would normally have been unaffected by changes in the economy. The story was saying how they were adjusting, the kids were chipping in, their only major change to their life is fewer trips, etc.

There have always been poor people just scraping by and there have always been the rich. This is the first time that the american middle class has had to really think about money and saving.

I make a good living, I eat out a couple times a month, don't look at the price when deciding whether to have pork or chicken for supper, etc. I drive a pick-up, pay my bills on time and put $200-$300 each month into savings. The price of heating oil here is double last year. Some will freeze. To me it means there goes $150 of that savings. Gas is now $4.00. My commute is 300 miles per week. There goes another $100.00. My health insurance just went up about $100.00 each month.

I'm not hurting, but I have to change my lifestyle through no fault of my own. I did not become an alcoholic, did not quit my job (actually working more as I am salary and have to take up some of the slack because of layoffs), did not buy a pricy SUV. I was always fairly frugal... Not many toys.

My fellow CSers: These stories are important to read because traditionally it is the middle class that is the engine of any strong nation's economy. These are the people who eat the fast food we serve, buy the cell phones we support, and buy the computers we repair. If I have to decide whether to buy gas or go out to eat, I will still eat at home, but some hardworking single mom is not going to get my tip that night.

OK! rant off.

[Racket_Man]

Boo freaking hoo, they can't go on 2-3 vacations a year. I haven't been on a vacation in over five years. I don't see me going on one any time soon.

Did they say $130 a WEEK in gas? How is that possible? I spend like $35 every 2-3 weeks. That's pathetic. How do they waste so much gas?

try doing delivery driving. I go through around $100 a week doing that though maybe for notmuch longer.

vacations hmmmmmmm lets see I take $10 a week from my tips and put it away so I can drive 500 miles to see my mom for a week.

hmmmmm do not now how to budget and needs to be shown???????? do some simple math like net income vs. expences like house payment, insurance, food, etc.

you know you will have certain fixed expences like house and car payment and insurance EACH AND EVERY MONTH put that aside 1st no questions asked. next variable expences try and best estimate them and put that money aside.

lastly put away (MEANING save some back) for emergancies. anything left over is yours (these days not much)

that my friends is budgeting