I read that half of Americans couldn’t cover an unexpected $1,000 expense. This sounds crazy to me. I understand that poverty exists, but the idea that an adult with a job doesn’t even have that amount saved up seems really strange.
What’s your relationship or philosophy with money? What do you credit for your financial success, or alternatively, what do you blame for your failures?
For the extra brave ones: how much savings do you have, and what are you planning to do with them?
No debts, but I burned through all my work coping mechanisms on the way to paying them off, burned out badly and now I can barely look after myself, let alone do things for someone else.
Luckily, if you can call it luck, at least one of the benefits agencies of my country (can’t really say government as they don’t change much if at all when the government does) agrees with my self-assessment and is providing me a pittance to live on. If I still had a mortgage (or rent) though, I’d be f–ked. Then again maybe I’d qualify for some other kind of assistance. I don’t exactly want to have to find out.
One of the other agencies largely implied that all I needed was a nagging wife and I’d be A-OK. Yeah, no, that’s not how mental illness works. Pretty sure at least one of us would end up in the ground. Probably just me, because I don’t think I could bring myself to harm anyone else.
But, to drag this back on topic, I have some funds put by for emergencies, which might cover me a couple of times. After that, well, I try not to think about it.