How poor/broke did you ever get?

[JS80]

4th grade, the year before I started selling candy at school. Spent all my money on video games and was dead broke. Moved my way up starting 5th grade.

My dad bought me investing books when i was 12. I thank him every fucking day for it because I got lucky on a few picks and was able to pay for college on my own with the original few hundred bucks i saved from working and gifts.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Beev

Originally posted by: Deeko
There's $1.50 in my checking account and I have $68k in student loans.

That said, I'm not really that broke.

What's your monthly income? Are you paying on those loans yet?

I make plenty. And yes, I'm paying my student loans.

 

[Jadow]

I got down to where I'd make my house payment and had like 100 bucks left to my name afterwards.

Got stretched pretty thin during about a 6 month span back in 2004 after I first built my house and before several large raises. Was on the razor's edge, but I always got all my bills paid and luckily didn't have any catastrophe's or emergencies come up.

That was 4 years ago and luckily today, I make >2X what I did then, my debt to asset ratio is less than half what is used to be, and life is good.

 

[chuckywang]

Instead of flying cross country in a jet, I now have to resort to first class.

 

[compguy786]

I have tried to stay off of my parents for money, I started doing stuff since i was 13, and made a good amount at that age compared to my friends, hell
some of my friends at age 19 couldnt make more than me when i was 13. Anyways, i have been broke to 0.97 left in my checking
THATS BROKE !

 

[zanejohnson]

bad, my dad was a drug addict when i grew up, i remember times when we wouldnt eat for days, no electricity, etc...

 

[hellokeith]

4 months after the web bubble burst and Sept 11, I was living in a garage at a friend's house, paying no rent, with $4k in credit card debt, $200 bucks in my bank account, and no job. After 6 months of being unemployed, I broke down and took a position which payed less than half of what I previously made. Oh and the girl I helped through hard times (i.e. thousands of dollars) didn't pay me back a cent, instead paid her way to an expensive private college.

The lesson I learned is that debt is anathema. Nothing is worth being in debt.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: zanejohnson
bad, my dad was a drug addict when i grew up, i remember times when we wouldnt eat for days, no electricity, etc...

the ironing

 

[TallBill]

Never really got low after the age of 16. Once or twice I guess I was a little bit tight while waiting for a large sum of money for different reasons.

 

[Beev]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Beev

Originally posted by: Deeko
There's $1.50 in my checking account and I have $68k in student loans.

That said, I'm not really that broke.

What's your monthly income? Are you paying on those loans yet?

I make plenty. And yes, I'm paying my student loans.

Sorry if that was too personal I'm pretty much in your exact situation and was looking for more info

 

[FeuerFrei]

I lost my job once and once unemployment ran out I resorted to financial assistance from my church. They paid the rent a couple months. Since then I've repaid them beyond what I received.

 

[Vonkhan]

heh ...

Ancient history (College):
Scrounged for change in the dorm's lounge couches & gathered up $2+ so and bought 2 cans of tuna
Ate a chicken that my dog had knocked off the kitchen counter and dragged across the floor
Walked 3 miles in deep winter to Little Ceaser's (they didn't deliver) so that I could get their Buy 1 Get 1 deal

Contemporary history:
Gf pregnant, expenses went thru the roof: medical bills, need a bigger place to stay (crazy expensive in NYC), baby stuff & keep her happy during the period...

So no breakfast or lunch, no beer/alcohol, walk 20+ blocks between work and class, stapled the leather rim of my shoes together, do the laundry in the sink after my gf is asleep so that I'd only have to spend quarters in the dryer, ... still haven't been to the dentist for a really bad cavity, shoulder needs surgery because of a second dislocation, need contacts, etc.

hard to keep it all secret from my gf, but what mama don't know ...

& it's all worth it, can't wait to see my baby girl

disclaimer: I do spend some money on WoW ... yeh, I know

 

[SparkyJJO]

I had $17 in the bank and no more than $5 in my pocket. Don't want to be that broke ever again.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
heh ...

Ancient history (College):
Scrounged for change in the dorm's lounge couches & gathered up $2+ so and bought 2 cans of tuna
Ate a chicken that my dog had knocked off the kitchen counter and dragged across the floor
Walked 3 miles in deep winter to Little Ceaser's (they didn't deliver) so that I could get their Buy 1 Get 1 deal

Contemporary history:
Gf pregnant, expenses went thru the roof: medical bills, need a bigger place to stay (crazy expensive in NYC), baby stuff & keep her happy during the period...

So no breakfast or lunch, no beer/alcohol, walk 20+ blocks between work and class, stapled the leather rim of my shoes together, do the laundry in the sink after my gf is asleep so that I'd only have to spend quarters in the dryer, ... still haven't been to the dentist for a really bad cavity, shoulder needs surgery because of a second dislocation, need contacts, etc.

hard to keep it all secret from my gf, but what mama don't know ...

& it's all worth it, can't wait to see my baby girl

disclaimer: I do spend some money on WoW ... yeh, I know

holy shit dude, how are you going to afford the baby if you can't afford to fucking wash your clothes?

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Beev

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Beev

Originally posted by: Deeko
There's $1.50 in my checking account and I have $68k in student loans.

That said, I'm not really that broke.

What's your monthly income? Are you paying on those loans yet?

I make plenty. And yes, I'm paying my student loans.

Sorry if that was too personal I'm pretty much in your exact situation and was looking for more info

Well, I've gotten a new job since that first post (which was in January), so I have more than $1.50 in the bank now. My cash was low mainly because I graduated college with debt, both student loan and credit cards, so a carefully balanced budget & weekly paychecks kept me perfectly afloat and paying down debt - I also was putting 8% into my 401k, so again...while my cash in the bank was low, I wasn't really in a "bad" financial situation. My starting salary out of college was 57.5k.

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
I sometimes wonder if i could save a lot more money by living the way I did back then, with the money I make now. No taxi cabs, no eating out -- only the most basic of groceries for food --, no movies or entertainment costs. No internet or cable at home, no money for going out to drink, socialize, or see movies. I could probably save almost $1K a month.

And have an amazingly fun life too!

 

[Vonkhan]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
heh ...

Ancient history (College):
Scrounged for change in the dorm's lounge couches & gathered up $2+ so and bought 2 cans of tuna
Ate a chicken that my dog had knocked off the kitchen counter and dragged across the floor
Walked 3 miles in deep winter to Little Ceaser's (they didn't deliver) so that I could get their Buy 1 Get 1 deal

Contemporary history:
Gf pregnant, expenses went thru the roof: medical bills, need a bigger place to stay (crazy expensive in NYC), baby stuff & keep her happy during the period...

So no breakfast or lunch, no beer/alcohol, walk 20+ blocks between work and class, stapled the leather rim of my shoes together, do the laundry in the sink after my gf is asleep so that I'd only have to spend quarters in the dryer, ... still haven't been to the dentist for a really bad cavity, shoulder needs surgery because of a second dislocation, need contacts, etc.

hard to keep it all secret from my gf, but what mama don't know ...

& it's all worth it, can't wait to see my baby girl

disclaimer: I do spend some money on WoW ... yeh, I know

holy shit dude, how are you going to afford the baby if you can't afford to fucking wash your clothes?

I can afford the baby - that's not the problem. It's the short term expenses before hand that really get you. Should have also mentioned that my gf is on a hiatus from her work and is scheduled to start again in November - so its a single income for now.

Having no savings (NYC here, no surprise) and to move into a decent sized 2 bedroom in a nice neighborhood is pretty expensive initially - 1st month rent, last month rent, security deposit, pet deposit is HUGE!

Also, she's not on my medical insurance yet and her insurance isn't that great. We were planning on getting married earlier but stuff just got way to hectic and she had to renew her visa, etc. So yeah, we end up paying achuck of her bi-weekly - now weekly check ups.

And the cost of baby furniture - HOLY SHIT DUDE

See, here's the kicker - I could NOT move into a better apartment, I could ask her to skip the baby classes, buy cheaper "Made in China" furniture, etc. but at this point all that I care about is her & our daughter's happiness Like I said, all worth it.

I know from past experience that when you need to save, you to SAVE every last bit that you can. So yeah, if I can save $10 in laundry costs every 5th day (and work out my forearms ), why not

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
heh ...

Ancient history (College):
Scrounged for change in the dorm's lounge couches & gathered up $2+ so and bought 2 cans of tuna
Ate a chicken that my dog had knocked off the kitchen counter and dragged across the floor
Walked 3 miles in deep winter to Little Ceaser's (they didn't deliver) so that I could get their Buy 1 Get 1 deal

Contemporary history:
Gf pregnant, expenses went thru the roof: medical bills, need a bigger place to stay (crazy expensive in NYC), baby stuff & keep her happy during the period...

So no breakfast or lunch, no beer/alcohol, walk 20+ blocks between work and class, stapled the leather rim of my shoes together, do the laundry in the sink after my gf is asleep so that I'd only have to spend quarters in the dryer, ... still haven't been to the dentist for a really bad cavity, shoulder needs surgery because of a second dislocation, need contacts, etc.

hard to keep it all secret from my gf, but what mama don't know ...

& it's all worth it, can't wait to see my baby girl

disclaimer: I do spend some money on WoW ... yeh, I know

holy shit dude, how are you going to afford the baby if you can't afford to fucking wash your clothes?

I can afford the baby - that's not the problem. It's the short term expenses before hand that really get you. Should have also mentioned that my gf is on a hiatus from her work and is scheduled to start again in November - so its a single income for now.

Having no savings (NYC here, no surprise) and to move into a decent sized 2 bedroom in a nice neighborhood is pretty expensive initially - 1st month rent, last month rent, security deposit, pet deposit is HUGE!

Also, she's not on my medical insurance yet and her insurance isn't that great. We were planning on getting married earlier but stuff just got way to hectic and she had to renew her visa, etc. So yeah, we end up paying achuck of her bi-weekly - now weekly check ups.

And the cost of baby furniture - HOLY SHIT DUDE

See, here's the kicker - I could NOT move into a better apartment, I could ask her to skip the baby classes, buy cheaper "Made in China" furniture, etc. but at this point all that I care about is her & our daughter's happiness Like I said, all worth it.

I know from past experience that when you need to save, you to SAVE every last bit that you can. So yeah, if I can save $10 in laundry costs every 5th day (and work out my forearms ), why not

oh okay well good luck man :beer: err :tap water;

 

[Ramma2]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Vonkhan

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
heh ...

Ancient history (College):
Scrounged for change in the dorm's lounge couches & gathered up $2+ so and bought 2 cans of tuna
Ate a chicken that my dog had knocked off the kitchen counter and dragged across the floor
Walked 3 miles in deep winter to Little Ceaser's (they didn't deliver) so that I could get their Buy 1 Get 1 deal

Contemporary history:
Gf pregnant, expenses went thru the roof: medical bills, need a bigger place to stay (crazy expensive in NYC), baby stuff & keep her happy during the period...

So no breakfast or lunch, no beer/alcohol, walk 20+ blocks between work and class, stapled the leather rim of my shoes together, do the laundry in the sink after my gf is asleep so that I'd only have to spend quarters in the dryer, ... still haven't been to the dentist for a really bad cavity, shoulder needs surgery because of a second dislocation, need contacts, etc.

hard to keep it all secret from my gf, but what mama don't know ...

& it's all worth it, can't wait to see my baby girl

disclaimer: I do spend some money on WoW ... yeh, I know

holy shit dude, how are you going to afford the baby if you can't afford to fucking wash your clothes?

I can afford the baby - that's not the problem. It's the short term expenses before hand that really get you. Should have also mentioned that my gf is on a hiatus from her work and is scheduled to start again in November - so its a single income for now.

Having no savings (NYC here, no surprise) and to move into a decent sized 2 bedroom in a nice neighborhood is pretty expensive initially - 1st month rent, last month rent, security deposit, pet deposit is HUGE!

Also, she's not on my medical insurance yet and her insurance isn't that great. We were planning on getting married earlier but stuff just got way to hectic and she had to renew her visa, etc. So yeah, we end up paying achuck of her bi-weekly - now weekly check ups.

And the cost of baby furniture - HOLY SHIT DUDE

See, here's the kicker - I could NOT move into a better apartment, I could ask her to skip the baby classes, buy cheaper "Made in China" furniture, etc. but at this point all that I care about is her & our daughter's happiness Like I said, all worth it.

I know from past experience that when you need to save, you to SAVE every last bit that you can. So yeah, if I can save $10 in laundry costs every 5th day (and work out my forearms ), why not

oh okay well good luck man :beer: err :tap water;

Tap water costs, time to setup a rain water collection system

 

[alkemyst]

I had just graduated college the second time and my ex at the time decided to liquidate my account, take my dog and since all the utilities where in her name; shut them off and put a hold on them.

I was ok though. Ended up spending the next few weeks until another paycheck came in at a ton of chicks I used to hang with.

I was well-fed and fucked. My ex was freaking livid, I'd have whatever chick I was with answer my cell

 

[Trey22]

Been low, been high.

Lowest = Divorced, 30k in debt, sleeping at friends houses, sometimes in my own car. Had to borrow money for everything.

 

[nace186]

When my parents, me and my brother first arrived here in America a dozen years ago. We got a couple duffel bag of used clothes and $200 bucks borrow from friends.

 

[djheater]

Stayed in New Orleans after Mardi Gras back in '95 after having dropped out of college with no direction and not wanting to go home.

I squatted, lived homeless for about a month, then my brother came and got me.

More like malaise and I certainly could have gone home at any time... but it was a good lesson in retrospect.

 

[LeadMagnet]

right now I am $350,000 in debt

 

[tfcmasta97]

in second year uni, I had spent all my cash and had $14 left in the bank account meaning I couldnt withdraw from ATms that only spat out 20's.

I was out of food, so I opened up the fridge and ate all I had left that was mine.

That being 2 slices of craft cheese.

I called my mommy to bail me out the next day