I have to assume that your 401-k has been devastated by the fall?
Maybe it will come back in a couple of years! Right when you need it.
Meantime be thankful for the Social Secuirty check and the health insurance it provides also. (That is worth about $15,000 per year).

You may be able to earn about 15,000 per year at labor, also.

Now, I don't think very many have been bailed out yet from their large house purchases! A few who bought million dollar ones maybe, but very, very few who bought the $2-400,000 homes. They can't ever pay for them!
Most will be foreclosed upon, I'm afraid. That is the cause of the current problem--foreclosures.

Tell me, what kind of banks loans people money who had no job or a little-paying job, with no down payment or hopes of ever paying for the home? Crooked ones! Banking on no end to the inflation!
Offer me a home free, and I will also take it!

The blame does not lie with those who borrowed--even on the credit cards! Whatever blame they have coming they will suffer.

The bailed-out ones are the bankers and their employees amd the wall street gang.

Now that the problem has been identified you can easily fix it. Courtesy of the the financial consulting firm of Bonkers, Nitpickers, & Dollar LLC.

Which is a subsidiary of the firm Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe.

I yam what I yam....Popeye

My biggest fear is exactly what has happened to you. Like you, I live within my means. It is my belief that service jobs are the only jobs that are not going to completely go away. Low paying? Yes, but there is a need for them. Even the field that I am in (education) is experiencing cutbacks. If education interests you then my advice is to, without delay, sign up for one of the GACE tests and find out what classes you need to get certified. Math, science and special ed teachers are still in need. You should be able to secure HOPE money to help pay for classes. Teaching is a low-paying job, but you will have insurance and a paycheck. I am always checking surrounding counties for openings because I want to be able to move fast should something happen. Both Fulton and Henry have openings at this time. If you can coach then you are even more marketable! Sorry this happened to you at Christmas time. As hokey as it sounds...when one door is closed; another is opened. I truly believe that. Good luck to you.

Thanks to all of you who sympathized with my situation. I appreciate the empathy and the suggestions. I’m an eternal optimist, but my pessimism and bitterness are not really for me, but for many others who I suddenly see struggling with job loss, facing retirement bubbles bursting and who are on the brink of facing financial devastation through no fault of their own. I’m at the front of the line, but I’m afraid the “average American” is just beginning to see the downfall that’s coming.

I’m talking about the “American way” which is just now starting to spring so many leaks that there is no way to plug up the holes and stop the bleeding. This country is heading for dire times for almost everyone. Work hard, pay your bills, educate yourself and your kids, live within your means and put away money for those golden retirement years. Unfortunately, for the many of us who have lived life this way, it now appears that it doesn’t work.

Due to my recent layoff, complicated by the age thing, I looked toward the government plans to bail out everyone to see if there was some help there. It goes against the grain, but you have to look at all your options. What I’m finding is that Sam is willing to pour money into companies that are faltering, which is just a band aid, but what’s worse is that there are new programs designed to help people who bought houses over their heads, are 3 months behind in their mortgages and never made enough to pay for their house in the first place. These programs allow these people to remain in their homes by substantially lowering the interest rates, forgiving months of payments, lowering the principal due or forgiving part of the mortgage. Nothing has changed for these people except that they bought and should pay for houses they never could afford. These are people being helped. When the next stream of possible foreclosures come from people who contracted for what they could afford, always paid and have struggled to maintain not their houses, but their homes, there will be no bailout money left. There is no bailout if you are current on your mortgage, paid for years, suddenly unemployed, can’t retire and have few options of saving it all. The very people who created this mess are the ones being “bailed out.” The Wall Street fat cats have enough stashed away personally to continue on and still get bailed out. The dirt bags who bought three times the house that they could afford and never worked for it in the first place still get bailed out. Companies who have been gouging everyone for decades with no concern for consumers still get bailed out. Modest American working people who are caught up in the mire of this mess get no consideration. Unfortunately, those who have continually “done the right thing” are paying for the greed and the dishonesty of those who created this mess and who continue to get handouts to help them carry on. The honest, average backbone of this country will suffer and pay for the greed of the dishonest.

Fortunately I’m resourceful, capable and move in faith one day at a time. I’ve been able to survive quite a few other train wrecks in life, and maybe those were blessings because I know how to be in survival mode, so I’ll be fine. Many others who will be facing hardship may have extreme difficulty handling it. It just irritates me that those who have struggled to “get there” can never make it and now may not even be able to stay where they were.

Arf,

I hope you're wrong. My heart sank reading your story and I know many in your same position. You were obviously taught to never quit...hang in there sir.

Right or wrong I added two high end jobs to my payroll this year. As you can well imagine I'm second guessing myself on that decision about now. However, there is a peaceful satisfaction knowing that one of these families has benefited greatly from the insurance I subsidize and the other was put to work immediately after getting laid off earlier this year. Business has finally hit the skids for us in November and I'm well equipped to weather this storm for about another quarter before having to make the difficult decision as to who we add to the unemployment rolls.

Rest assured I'm doing everything I can to keep my company families intact and that includes me being the lowest paid employee for an extended amount of time. I've been in business for over 18 years and have never had to lay anyone one off. I really, really, really desire not to ever have to make that choice. Although 5 positions have already been identified to be axed just in case I must pull that dreaded trigger.

Right now with all of these corporate welfare bailouts I have lost any remaining respect I've ever had for the clowns in Washington. I sacrifice and prepare while positioning my company to get a bigger piece of the pie in a shrinking market only to have our government blast billions at propping up bad business models while threatening me with more gumament controls on my biz and the Democrat threats of taxing more of my so-called rich a$$.

Am I bitter? I think so.... I stand with you Arf. We may very well be doomed.

A closing note: What is with George Bush and his massive impulse to blow so much of our money on corporate welfare all of a sudden? Is he afraid PEBO is going to attempt to break his spending records? What has happened to our sensibilities in this country?

...there are so many like you who are going through the same thing and it is tragic to hear about your situation, especially now during the holidays. I've often thought recently that maybe we should bring back communal living, with so many people losing their homes and jobs. You know, have some kind of commune on a farm where people can work and live together, share jobs/chores and band together to get through the hard times. It's heartbreaking to hear about people losing it all, and ending up homeless. Do you have family close by who can help?

I have been staring at the ceiling at 2:oo am myself. My mind just won't shut down. I run through every scenario, every possibility, go over and over my budget, evaluate the worth of my coin collection, etc...

When I was a little girl, my grandfather had been telling me horror stories about the Great Depression - me listening with the adoration I always had for him. He gave me a silver 1885 Morgan Head dollar and said for me to keep it and know that no matter what happens in life, I'll always have a dollar. Of course, to him, a dollar meant a lot. I've been thinking that I may have to cash that dollar in soon.

Luckydog mentions mattresses, and it reminded of the saying "Go to the mattresses" - we can't stop fighting.

May you both find something to salvage and hold on to. Good luck to you both.

Hold on...

hold on to your grandfather's dollar as it's a symbol to remind you to keep the faith and keep on truckin'.

You won't get much if you sell the old dollar and everything else is all only "stuff" anyway. Your faith is what will get you through. Apparently you've survived some very tough health issues. Financial strain is nothing compared to that, so you've been prepared, and it always works out somehow.

When you look at the Morgan, you'll know clearly that someone and something out there and up there is watching who will lead you through the bad and onward. Like I said, the rest is only "stuff."

Keep the faith...

I assume that you are talking about the restaurant!

If so, might I advise the following in such times as we have in the case of a store in a strip mall:

Reduce a plan to writing and offer the landlord one-half of the rent for one year--then it would have to be re-negotiated--otherwise shut down and move out.

Also, give the landlord your plan. I won't begin to tell you what to say, but he deserves to know what you are going to do.
It should contain such things as your expected income and expenses, whether you will get any pay and how much, how many hours you plan to work at it and how hard will the employees work, what you can do to reduce food costs if that is a problem.
Maybe cut the menu to hamburgers, hot dogs, fried shrimp, roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, country vegetables and biscuits. Free Tea and $1 soft drinks.
Home made deserts (made every night).
$2.50 Alcoholic drinks at lunch, and $3 after 4:00 P.M. Every fourth one free! Cuts your percentage of alcohol sales also.

Make huge pans of salad and crackers and vinegar and olive oil dressing---all you want for $3. Plastic utensils.

Make some pies, cake, etc.

Advertise a little by giving your customers a nice run-off.

If you are waiting for your sales to increase and you can't carry it for at least 18 more months, then shut down now!

Thank you for the advice.

I was actually speaking of personal finance but the business advice is welcomed too.

15 surgeries in the last 8 years - I've accumulated some medical bills along the way. 8 years ago I nearly died from a staph infection after routine surgery and it's been a long hard fight. So, mounting medical bills, car and home maintenance that had to be charged, and living on credit cards when I was unable to work due to MRSA, septicemia, 2 hernia repairs, a 2nd trimester miscarriage, 12 surgeries for cyst removal(sebaceous), and a hysterectomy - it's all crashing in now. By the way - Dr. Wilson with Fayette Surgical Assoc. is fabulous! I recommend him to anyone needing a surgeon (he's not the one that gave me staph - that was at Southern Regional).

Well, I've made it this far in life on sheer spunk and will power - after all, I've survived septicemia. I'll make it - sometimes you just have to redefine for yourself exactly what 'making it' means.

As far as the advice on business...good advice. We have been discussing ways of improving ourselves and hopefully we will 'make it'.

Thanks again. Good night.

You have to understand something about our Bonker$, first he doesn't like females, I guess because they don't like him, he also doesn't like dogs, same reason. He doesn't like our brethren of color either, he's a died in the wool Democrat, until they put a women or a black man up for election, then suddenly he's an independent who cries about the Republicans, despises everything they do, and stand for, and then votes for one.

The only thing our Bonker$, nitpicker$, D.$mith, $ageadvice, dollaradayandfound, (did I forget anyone $) enjoys is hate and discontent, so don't waste your time being polite, or reasonable with him, just do something more constructive with your time, like slamming your hand in your car door, or having a root canal, I think you get my drift.

I yam what I yam....Popeye

Calls him all kind of names, so as to put all of his enemies into one package--that pretends there is only one who disagrees with him sometimes!

I treat females just as I do males. Isn't that the thing to do these days? Do you still lie and cater to them?

As to "brethren of color," I haven't heard you say you will back President-elect Barack Hussein Obama yet! I do, until he goofs!
He is looking pretty good to me! Looks as if he can administer the Socialist set-up being left by Bush and company. (They were republicans weren't they?)

Maybe I can get in on some of these logical conversations on here, for example:
I plan to open a novelty store selling only democratic buttons, signs, flags, pictures, etc., right here in Peachtree City! Now, I don't have any money and owe everybody a total of $143,000, plus huge medical bills, but I do own two new vehicles, a Cadillac and a Mercedes.
I have no credit rating or job. I relax at the "Red Room," twice a week and have many wonderful thoughtful sympathetic friends there. They usually have no money, so I buy the drinks.
I go to a "coffee" occasionally with many "losers" but they make me feel important.

I do hope you will advise me about my business, Not my personal business, and come visit--we are open 2-3 hours per week on a rotating hourly basis. From 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM this eek.

Did you know that if you divide the number of citizens in PTC into the gallons of alcohol delivered here every week by all means, that in order for it all to be consumed, they must drink about 5-6 gallons each!

I don't hate you Bonker$, I pity you, I really, really pity you. I also despise you, but that's another story. I'm sorry you have no credit rating or job, and you don't have to go to coffee's with those losers, you can come to one of ours instead. BTW, why would I care how much alcohol is consumed in PTC, I'm a Fayetteville guy.

I yam what I yam....Popeye

Well, I am no psychiatrist or banker so I don't want to get in any deeper here.

Can't understand why a restaurant with all those bills and problems!

Did you get a medical settlement maybe?

One can only deal with ALL the facts to help.

If sympathy is the object, then I am not your healer.

Good luck.

Why are you like this?

What has happened to you to make you this way?

If this is what happens to people when they get old and retire, I hope I don't live long enough to find out.

I am very mean to criminals and their low life friends when they try to defend their crime, but you attack nice people on here. Why?

Since when is it attacking to enumerate facts?
I have little patience with people who try to converse with only a small portion of the problem available for discussion!

No on will cooperate with those who put just the best foot forward, or indicate that everything is someone else's fault. How does it help them in the end to sympathize without offering tough solutions?

By the way how do you know that I am old and retired? I may be lying! Some do on here, obviously!

How do you know about "nice people, on here?" They may be or they may not be. I have been told where to kiss! But after all everyone is just human, make mistakes repeatedly, and should always be forgiven!

I do not recall ever asking for your sympathy or your forgiveness. Nor would I even suppose that you have the capacity to give either. You are a petty, volatile, little man who would do well to remember not to go poking sticks into hornet's nests. I have little patience for people like you who find it necessary to always be that voice of discontent. You exist only to stir the pot and cause dissonance wherever you go.

If I were to start a hard-luck story here and you answered me with some advice, it would seem odd if I then told you to kiss my rear! No, not odd, but violent.
Bonkers is a friend of mine and I think he also has given up.
I don't know what sympathy or forgiveness has to do with the problems anyway.

Don't get the "hornet's nest" stuff--unless you are a hornet's nest.

Discontent and dissonance was already there. I just wanted to help.
Hope you resolve your problems.

Git on out Bro! You're actually going to shut up and leave Dawn alone. Nah....... Say it ain't so.

You have more personalities than Sybil.

Thought we were having a conversation.

Sympathy? Well, now you can just kiss my ass!!

Better label each item involved in that smooch so we can tell which is which.

LOL

I yam what I yam....Popeye

SHUT UP ALREADY! GO AFTER ME INSTEAD AND GET OFF DAWNS'S BACK!

Dawn, You've been through so much and have dealt with it in a remarkable way. You blame no one, you're not bitter, and you continue the good fight. Best to you......

Thanks to all. I do hope everyone knows that, while we all await news on Wulfman's condition, I would never have the audacity to request sympathy from anyone. Nor is it my character to elicit pity. I was merely relating that, unlike my thirty-something peer group, my debt was not acquired frivolously and the 33% default rates that the credit card companies pile on is not from irresponsibility.

Like my hero, Cool Hand Luke, we all fight the good fight and no George Kennedy could ever keep me down. Just take the punches and keep on going.

Arf, you are correct, it's the setbacks in life that provide the greatest lessons. I continue to use my granddaddy as a reference because I'm feeling nostalgic these days and it's only now that his wise words resonate in my memory. Growing up, everyday after school he would ask me what I had learned that day. Too often my reply was "nothing" to which he would reply "Well, then I guess this was a wasted day for you. You should have just stayed in bed." One day I came home from school and answered his question with "Today I learned that Michelle is not a good friend.". He smiled at me and said that sometimes life's greatest lessons don't come from books they come from adversity. My parents were and still are great role models for me, but having my mother's father live with us all those years was the best gift I've ever had.

He survived the Great Depression, World War II (European theater), a lifetime of hard work, and my grandmother's tragic death. Having typed the previous paragraph, I realize that Cool Hand Luke is not my hero, Walker Lawrence Owen takes that prize.

Hang in there, guys. With pride, grit, spunk, and good ole fashioned common sense.....we'll all be just fine.

Respectfully,
Shannon Dawn

Don't pay any attention to Bonkers et al. I don't understand why, but he picks on Belle too. Belle hasn't posted any comments here in a while. I hope she's okay and Bonkers hasn't run her off.

I understand what you're saying. You and Arf hang in there. I pray things get better for everybody.

I hope to visit your restaurant soon!

Tug

Hang in there Dawn. Our generation is better equiped to deal with adversity. We have learned from our grandparents who went through so much worse.

You have plenty of advice for me!!!

How have you helped her by telling her how well she has dealt with it?

How do you know how bitter she is? Some don't say what they feel, just what will "fly,"

Tell her something she can use.

Now I know why you liked McCain so much. You're both a couple of crotchety old grumps.

I can't say that when I grow up I want to be like you. As far as me Telling her something she can use.... Dawn, ignore this pathetic, old, bitter, mediocre Social Security dependent Yellow Dog grouch. Now there's something she can use.....

Leave "The Kid" alone. She is a breath of fresh air on here.

You are a contrary, lonely, malcontent. Your negative ramblings aren't worth a rebuttal or response.

I realize you won't go away. This is your only outlet for your pitiful existence.

I look foward to the day that no one ever reads or answers your stupid, ignorant and usually incoherent crappy posts.

Arf, you have my sincere sympathies. I'm a few years behind you and not laid off, but I could be in similar shoes soon enough if the economy further worsens this winter. I have stared at the ceiling at 2 a.m. a lot lately.

Among the various things this meltdown has revealed is the extent of the risk shift that has occurred for future retirees like us. Many of today's retirees are getting the last of a "golden age" of reliable benefits. Government/military retirees continue, at least for now, to have fairly predictable financial outcomes.

But less than 10 percent of private employers have regular pension plans anymore. Everybody loves 401ks during bull markets, but they are basically a roulette wheel in which a decade's worth of appreciation can be wiped out in 2 months, as we've just had happen. So if your timing's off, 20 or 30 years of careful planning and responsible living is torpedoed just as you are ready to reap the hard-earned benefits.

Meanwhile, few people realize this simple statistic but it's true: Incomes for the super-wealthy have taken off like a rocket in the past 20 years (while their tax rates, incidentally, are at historic lows, despite the constant whining you hear about their tax burden).

Middle class incomes, however, have gone NOWHERE when adjusted for inflation.

Until now, this has been masked by paper wealth (401ks, home values), virtual full employment and easy credit. They emboldened and enabled the middle class consumer to "afford" 30k kitchen remodelings and 35k SUV's. Increasingly, the US economy has been built on such consumption.

Now the makeup is off, and it's one ugly pig. I refuse to believe we're doomed. But somehow we are going to have to recalibrate our economy so that the middle class participates in the rewards of a growth economy by getting something more than just a high credit limit and nothing-down loan offers for everything from houses to mattresses. I don't pretend to know how.

Arf, your bitterness is understandable, though I hope you find a way to get beyond it and recover from this setback. I wish you a happy holiday season and the best of luck.