# Been Frugal or Not?.



## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

There has been a trend on the news lately about famous people selling properties and taking a cut on the deals lately, also ex-famous losing everything and even prison time for not giving my Uncle his cut is this a signal of something coming, I'm no expert but I have mention the Mason Jars Banking System many times now. Now on the news regular working class families are also doing away with extras not needed to survived in this financial times and saving money, garage sales, shopping in second hand stores are up also, we tend to buy on impulse, commercials are pretty, my poor neighbor doesn't speak English so she buys what she sees, sometimes is lemonade and other times is rat poison.
So my question here is.
*What Gadget can`t you live Without?*


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## JaTGardner (May 21, 2013)

What a great question to really get your mind thinking... This is one I have to think about but will be coming back with an answer for sure... 

Because we have just started our Preppers Journey I don't want to jump right in and say anything until I have more knowledge under my belt. 

But thanks for the question and thanks for getting my mind working....


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

readytogo said:


> ...So my question here is.
> *What Gadget can`t you live Without?*


You should read my book, _Creating the Low-Budget Homestead_!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Man! This question has me looking around the house and I can see I have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of unnecessary stuff around here that makes me want to smack myself. Here is an example...

We have a 2 gallon water fountain for the cats...

Really!? Why can't the stinkers just drink from a bowl!? Because they won't! Spoiled brats! So, I'll need to change out the pump with a solar pond pump to cut that expense. I know it doesn't draw too much electricity to make a big change on the bill but every penny counts now a days.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

Wow, I'm finally deciding to go through my storage bus, I have put stuff in it for the last 5 or so years. To tell you the truth I don't remember half the stuff I put in it. I figure it's junk I bought that I was sure I couldn't live without, it's obvious I could live without it since it's in the bus. Today I have gone thru about 1/4 of the way thru and have found lots of treasures some must keep, like about 20 rolls of material good for clothes or whatever, my propane bottles still full, my propane generator, and a gas one, but there is other stuff like books that have been already read, old stereos, dvd, cd. vhs, players, that work fine I had just upgraded, back when I had a real paying job, for that stuff, well I guess it's time for a garage sale.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

mosquitomountainman said:


> You should read my book, _Creating the Low-Budget Homestead_!


This has been a paid commercial by PreparedSociety.com - I 'mosquitomountainman' endorse this message...

Sorry buddy - I couldn't resist... :beercheer:

My advice - read as many books as you can... both non-fiction and some of the better fiction ones out there... they can teach you a lot about being prepared.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

as for what gadget I could live without, I guess I should be ashamed of the waste... I mean thinking about it there is waste at every step - from having 3 cars for two people to having a double oven and two microwaves in the kitchen with a built in fridge unit... to having a LCD/Plasma 48-70 inch TV in 7 of the rooms.. to having 3 blu-ray DVD players, 5 laptops, 3 iPad 64GBs, 3 desktop PCs... all fairly new too...


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

invision said:


> as for what gadget I could live without, I guess I should be ashamed of the waste... I mean thinking about it there is waste at every step - from having 3 cars for two people to having a double oven and two microwaves in the kitchen with a built in fridge unit... to having a LCD/Plasma 48-70 inch TV in 7 of the rooms.. to having 3 blu-ray DVD players, 5 laptops, 3 iPad 64GBs, 3 desktop PCs... all fairly new too...


damn dude, you need to get a life 

I refuse to put a TV in any room other then the living room and the unused exercise room 

computers are my nemesis, but at least one is a server with several T of video


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

my water filter


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

My mandolin slicer, my slap chopper, & my iPad.  Like many people, we have too much stuff. I don't feel guilty about it, we work hard, we play hard.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

partdeux said:


> damn dude, you need to get a life
> 
> I refuse to put a TV in any room other then the living room and the unused exercise room
> 
> computers are my nemesis, but at least one is a server with several T of video


Yeah tell me about it... Good thing is it is all paid off except for the cars and house...


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

invision said:


> as for what gadget I could live without, I guess I should be ashamed of the waste... I mean thinking about it there is waste at every step - from having 3 cars for two people to having a double oven and two microwaves in the kitchen with a built in fridge unit... to having a LCD/Plasma 48-70 inch TV in 7 of the rooms.. to having 3 blu-ray DVD players, 5 laptops, 3 iPad 64GBs, 3 desktop PCs... all fairly new too...


You need to pick it up a little, you're falling behind. Get with it man!


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

Luckily my DH and I just bought a house and a ton of unused junk got tossed and other things got donated and taken to a consignment shop. But we still have plenty of stuff that we don't really need. I think the gadget I rely on the most for work and personal stuff is my iPhone but its older and I don't plan on getting a new one until this one craps out. The way I see it if I can pay my bills, put some savings away, and prep anything left over is gravy. Just because I prep for tomorrow doesn't mean I shouldn't live today too so I'm okay with a little extra fun stuff.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Invision - I am having troubles figuring out what vehicle I can do with-out right now.

I have seven vehicles licenced and insured, one that is in my backyard for "parts" right now. Out of all of the vehicles I have, I could maybe consider selling off one of them, maybe two of them if I am in a real bind ... :brickwall:


Now, back to the original topic, what gadget can't I live without?


I would say it would be a toss-up between my BBQs and my deep-freezer.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> Invision - I am having troubles figuring out what vehicle I can do with-out right now.
> 
> I have seven vehicles licenced and insured, one that is in my backyard for "parts" right now. Out of all of the vehicles I have, I could maybe consider selling off one of them, maybe two of them if I am in a real bind ... :brickwall:
> 
> ...


Roflmao - what you got? My wife's brother restores older cars - just completed a restore on a true GTO Judge - got paid big bucks on that by the owner to do the frame off - considered one of the better restoration guys in MS,,,, ...he also buys/sells himself...


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

invision said:


> Roflmao - what you got? My wife's brother restores older cars - just completed a restore on a true GTO Judge - got paid big bucks on that by the owner to do the frame off - considered one of the better restoration guys in MS,,,, ...he also buys/sells himself...


Ask him if he needs 2 MGs. I need to sell.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

I`m going to answer my own question.
As a child we never had air-condition(house nor car),ceiling fans, phone, refrigerator, water heater, had to walk to the store everyday with a ration card.Now comes my new country ,first advice we got was never mortgage your home never buy on credit, this coming from a men that got the entire family out of Cuba, me been the last, on a waiters salary from NY, bought the house cash on the barrel, I inherited it, have been upgrading it for 20 years, all by myself, no cell, no cable TV, no central air, small audio system, the slowest internet service available and the four of Us are happy, no bills and all pay for, have an old Chevy Van with a new rebuild Eng. ,has Air, let's keep in mind that I loss my job 4 years ago. For the cost of a movie ticket we rent movies, make pop corn, hot dogs, soda and since I cook, no need for restaurants. Happiness is not having all the money, happiness is not having to worried about money.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

We don't really have many 'gadgets', lots of tools though. 
We have a TV but don't use it often (motor racing  on free to air every now and then), 2 old laptops bought secondhand from ebay, I have a tablet as I read a lot and like free books from places like Project Gutenberg and can use it easily when traveling. We don't have DVD players etc, if we want to watch a movie we use the laptops. 
I have hundreds of tools in the kitchen and I use everyone of them, same in the workshop. Don't really think of any of them as gadgets as they are all practical and time/labour saving.
I don't like things that don't have a use, the only non 'usable' items in my house are family photos, art works made by people I know, textile art I've made and a few plants.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

*We are Skinflints*



We have a 17", 12 volt TV for the bird, and once in a while we watch some of the British sitcoms on PBS. We also have a 7" TV, 12 volts on backup battery for weather only. That one is in the basement where we shelter for tornado alerts. Our total cost for both of them new was less than $150. NEVER had cable TV.

I have a $20 Tracphone and barely know how to make a call with it. I have used 4 minutes on it in 5 months. I have it in case I need to call a wrecker if the old truck dies on the road. Wife has a $25 Tracphone that she uses to call home if she's going to be late. Uses about 10 minutes a month.

Our landline phone is a package deal with wireless internet for 60 bucks a month and includes unlimited long distance.

NO "i-gadgets" of any sort. Have an old stereo I put together about 30 years ago, but haven't used it in 10 years. We have a cheap microwave that we use to make instant coffee, cook bacon for breakfast, and reheat meals. Lots cheaper to use than either the electric range or gas range. The gas range is for canning season and power outages. It is located in a sunroom/summer kitchen so baking bread there keeps the heat out of the house.

We have a couple window AC units, but prefer to open the house on cool mornings and then close it up during the heat of the day, thus avoiding AC use. We heat exclusively with firewood, circulated by a 12 volt fan. Not off grid YET, but almost ready.

My frugality began 50+ years ago when I learned how much it cost to PAY someone to fix things--cars, tractors, lawn mowers, etc. I began to buy tools and haven't paid anyone since then. I do have a monumental tool collection, though.  As in, complete machine shop, complete wood shop (both power and hand tools so I can do it all off grid), and enough mechanic's stuff to do it all. From 1/4" drive sockets to 1" drive air impact, jib crane, chain hoist, sheet metal shop (stomp shear, box and pan brake, notcher, turret punch, English Wheel, and more), welding shop (Mig, Tig, AC/DC stick, oxy acetylene), and it goes on and on. Paid for all that stuff YEARS ago. MANY of the shop machines and tools I built from scratch, including the English wheel, power sheet metal roll, and a 50 ton press. Little to no cost there.

We have a LOT of gadgets, but they are here to SAVE money, like the hair clippers. I haven't paid for a haircut in over 20 years.

What could we do without? :scratch I dunno. I'm looking hard at that at present, because I am short of floor space.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

readytogo said:


> Happiness is not having all the money, happiness is not having to worried about money.


Best message I've read in a while. So true.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

SouthCentralUS said:


> Ask him if he needs 2 MGs. I need to sell.


Nope, he only restore American muscle and classics... No real $ in the MG market...


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Excluding garden tools, hand tools and the like and the puppy. It would have to be a vehicle. But, I was frugal there. I have a Toyota Yaris, manual tranny, manual windows, manual locks… I also hypermile and can squeeze over 50 mpg out of it in the summer, the combined EPA is 32.5 mpg. Winter I have yet to get less than 40 mpg and average about 45.

Living a bit out of any city it is a necessity to have. A bicycle with a trailer would be possible as it is only 10 miles to the store, but work is 28 miles away. Then again you have weather to take into account, no fun riding anywhere in the pouring rain.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

I would say that I could not live without my fishing pole.... LOL

Have not had TV for years.

Love the new truck I just acquired.... 1983 Ford F250 with the 6.9L diesel and a manual transmission.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

One of the biggest problems most people will face today in cutting costs is the way we have seen the last several generations raised. We have become a society of disposables, eating out, credit card debt, basically living way beyond your means. The simple truth is some people just get it. If you took all the money in society and redistributed it as the Obama people would have you do within ten years it would be back in the hands of a few. 

In society there are dreamers and there are visionaries. Dreamers make up 97 percent of the population. Those are the folks who always know they could make it big IF they just had the chance. Visionaries are the folks who know where they want to go and how they are going to get there. They are the folks who start trends and get out before the peak. Dreamers and the ones who buy into the paintball store after everyone has gone to air soft games. Dreamers can always do it better as long as it is someone else's money. 

The same thing holds true with people who get into preparedness/survivalism/or whatever is most politically correct at the time. There are some people who can formulate a plan and work with what they have to make it happen and there are others who will talk the subject to death for years on end. It is very difficult to get away from habits built up over a lifetime. When you live on credit it will eventually take you down. Getting people to do things like eat at home would be a major step. The problem is people enjoy pretending they have more money than they actually do. 

People who have made a lot of money rarely live an extravagant lifestyle. H. L. Hunt brought his lunch to work with him every day. He drove an old Chevrolet. His wife was his secretary. He knew how to make money. His kids knew how to spend money. Sam Walton drove an old pickup truck. When you make a lot of money you begin to understand the PRICE that HAS TO BE PAID. Everything has a price and you need to understand that price before you get in too deep. It comes under what are you willing to give up. Today we as a society are too heavily invested in how others look at us.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> One of the biggest problems most people will face today in cutting costs is the way we have seen the last several generations raised. We have become a society of disposables, eating out, credit card debt, basically living way beyond your means. The simple truth is some people just get it. If you took all the money in society and redistributed it as the Obama people would have you do within ten years it would be back in the hands of a few.
> 
> In society there are dreamers and there are visionaries. Dreamers make up 97 percent of the population. Those are the folks who always know they could make it big IF they just had the chance. Visionaries are the folks who know where they want to go and how they are going to get there. They are the folks who start trends and get out before the peak. Dreamers and the ones who buy into the paintball store after everyone has gone to air soft games. Dreamers can always do it better as long as it is someone else's money.
> 
> ...


Now if only the White House would follow your last paragraph :dunno:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

We stopped living long before the bottom fell out of this nation. We dove in trying to get this place ready for when we are old,wel its still working our butts off and we have little leisure time keeping it up.

We did get a 32in smart tv,but last night heard on radio it was watching us while we were watching it.I got this laptop from phone co on payments,until about 10 mo.s ago I had $10 a mom. WebTv. We live very conservatively.

Our 1 vehicle is a 1995 and we have an old shorty 24foot 1991 school bus.Thanks to the tyrants we can't afford to drive the damn thing too far. We got it take trips in but diesel is high.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Great answers guys ,we all should write a book on the subject, that's why I like this forum, participation is key in learning for all, I`m pretty sure that many of our lessons came from our forefathers and yet many now are to busy to remember or read some history.Recently there`s been talk of the housing market gaining momentum people buying expecting to resale at a huge profit, again they forgot history very quick, the quest for money is breaking families apart, and banks again are making a killing, this gadget generation is not doing very well;*A Pew Charitable Trust study, titled "Retirement Security Across Generations," examined the savings behavior of five age groups before the Great Recession hit and found that Gen Xers - the group of Americans following the baby boomers and range in age from 38 to 47 - fared especially poorly during the recent economic down swing. As a result, their retirement years will likely be more tarnished than golden.*
ABC, CBS and NBC book nearly $10 billion a year in TV ad revenues, not including political campaigns, and contributions to this campaigns, all design to make you buy something. Case in point, my friend bought a pair of non-stick pans, oven proof , Rambo proof, lifetime or till your death warranty
for $19.95 plus shipping, the rest is history; cost more to shipped them than
the original cost, nice commercial ,young woman in bikini frying eggs.
We all know this one; Everything that glitters is not Gold.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

readytogo said:


> Great answers guys ,we all should write a book on the subject, that's why I like this forum, participation is key in learning for all, I`m pretty sure that many of our lessons came from our forefathers and yet many now are to busy to remember or read some history.Recently there`s been talk of the housing market gaining momentum people buying expecting to resale at a huge profit, again they forgot history very quick, the quest for money is breaking families apart, and banks again are making a killing, this gadget generation is not doing very well;A Pew Charitable Trust study, titled "Retirement Security Across Generations," examined the savings behavior of five age groups before the Great Recession hit and found that Gen Xers - the group of Americans following the baby boomers and range in age from 38 to 47 - fared especially poorly during the recent economic down swing. As a result, their retirement years will likely be more tarnished than golden.
> ABC, CBS and NBC book nearly $10 billion a year in TV ad revenues, not including political campaigns, and contributions to this campaigns, all design to make you buy something. Case in point, my friend bought a pair of non-stick pans, oven proof , Rambo proof, lifetime or till your death warranty
> for $19.95 plus shipping, the rest is history; cost more to shipped them than
> the original cost, nice commercial ,young woman in bikini frying eggs.
> We all know this one; Everything that glitters is not Gold.


I think that the report you mentioned is spot on for my generation... I have had several friends get wiped out financially in this depression...unfortunately though it is the same cycle we saw during the first Great Depression... Although there are quite a few who have solidified their futures and gotten themselves out of any debt they have... I know my wife and I are one family that pulled it off in 09...


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

The past 6 months have been hell for my family. I work part time and our only full time income went from $600/week to $200/week and we have to pay to keep our insurance. We sold everything we cld and put off buying what we wanted. We've blown through our savings. So many of my friends are living above their means and find it strange I wld rather use a blender from the 50's than a brand new one. Mine has been working longer than my mother has been alive; you'll get what, maybe 5 years out of a new one? 

This situation cld have driven my husband and I to divorce but its made us a stronger couple. 

Off topic, sorry. I wld have a VERY hard time without my smart phone. I use it for everything. We only got the laptop cuz Bubby needs something to type his school reports on.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

partdeux said:


> damn dude, you need to get a life
> 
> I refuse to put a TV in any room other then the living room and the unused exercise room
> 
> computers are my nemesis, but at least one is a server with several T of video


Our one and only tv is used for Netflix!!

I've gotten as simple as I can get-- in every room--14, counting all baths and pantry, I count 6 things on the walls, and two of those are clocks.
Before I put these on the walls, it was Motel 6ish style!!artydance:

Yeah, the ladies are now counting all their walls and dreading the dusting and cleaning those wall accessories.

Added note, our vehicles are 10 year old Tribute(garage kept), 91 Sonora(Gene drives), and 98 Ford Ranger(my farm truck).

Am I a 'frugal' person? Just say, I hate paying $20 each month for a land line I don't use so I can get internet.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

readytogo said:


> ...*What Gadget can`t you live Without?*


Another gun safe?

Don't spend today what you'd wish you had tomorrow....


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## Foreverautumn (Oct 25, 2010)

What gadget can't I live without?

Easy. My laptop.


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## Quills (Jun 14, 2011)

Grimm said:


> Man! This question has me looking around the house and I can see I have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of unnecessary stuff around here that makes me want to smack myself. Here is an example...
> 
> We have a 2 gallon water fountain for the cats...
> 
> Really!? Why can't the stinkers just drink from a bowl!? Because they won't! Spoiled brats! So, I'll need to change out the pump with a solar pond pump to cut that expense. I know it doesn't draw too much electricity to make a big change on the bill but every penny counts now a days.


Or, alternatively, you could sell the cat-fountain either in a garage sale or through kijiji, etc., put the cat's water in a bowl, and wait. The cat gets thirsty enough, trust me, it'll drink from the bowl.

What COULDN'T I do without? Well, that debit card comes in handy, but in a SHTF situation, my pressure canner would be pretty hard to part with.

What COULD I part with? Pretty much everything except my kids and DH-- and the dogs, I suppose. Everything else is gravy


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## pandamonium (Feb 6, 2011)

I gotta say, I am not much into gadgets. I do have an i-phone, a pc, a laptop(which was given to me), and a tv. The phone is the only thing I wouldn't want give up, in normal times anyway. The rest of that stuff is just nice to have around. The only other gadget I have is my Hornady AP reloading press. THAT I won't give up! Actually, I find most gadgets to be annoying to the point that I don't even want to bother with them!!


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## wtxprepper (Jul 30, 2013)

I know alot of people that live above their means being my parents and in laws always having to have the newest car the biggest tv etc etc. I haven't had a car payment in over 8 years, have one tv, ps3 that can be used for movies etc, house is paid for and don't see the need for anything flashy or fancy. I'm only 26 if I could figure out a solar setup and get rid of my electricity bill and cell phone then I would be set with no bills.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Sounds like us wtx!! House paid for, TV only in living room, our cars still have payments but my last one had real high mileage, and hubbys truck had a bunch of manufacture defects so we got a brand new truck (stole it actually, .03% interest), and my used family car. All of our furniture is inherited antiques and we don't go all out for anything. Being in our 20's gets a lot of weird looks


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## Foreverautumn (Oct 25, 2010)

wtxprepper said:


> I know alot of people that live above their means being my parents and in laws always having to have the newest car the biggest tv etc etc. I haven't had a car payment in over 8 years, have one tv, ps3 that can be used for movies etc, house is paid for and don't see the need for anything flashy or fancy. I'm only 26 if I could figure out a solar setup and get rid of my electricity bill and cell phone then I would be set with no bills.


Along those lines, I have no smart phone, just an almost 10-year-old TracPhone, I have an old analog TV, but no cable, and I swore off TV 14 years ago, so it's really just a boat anchor. I don't have any high-speed Internet, just dial-up. I have one laptop, and one tower, but that one still runs Windows 98 2nd Edition, so it's pretty much obsolete; I just have it around as a backup for Internet access.

I have NEVER had a car payment, because I've always bought used, and even then, I've never financed any of them.

As for housing, though, I rent, and in all likelihood I will never be able to afford my own house. I will likely never be able to retire. Sure, I'll be out of debt by the end of this year, but it'll be all I can do just to replenish my savings, and travel to my 30-year high school reunion and to my family reunion, both of which are coming up next year.

Sure, I've got about 7 months of food and about 1 week of water put back, and I've got some savings, and a couple of first aid/survival/computer skills, and I'm not living paycheck-to-paycheck like everybody else, it seems. I'm employed, fortunately, so I'm at least not a burden on anybody yet. The point is, though, that I don't have many bills, but I also don't make much, either.  Two bachelor degrees, and I'm still working in a call center. How's THAT for pathetic? :surrender:


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