Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Financial setbacks

The lesson on patience seems to keep dragging along....

I have had three divorces. Those were no picnic.

I have had it really good compared to many people.

When we leave this place, all we get to take with us are the things we did in life, we lose everything else.

Kinda sucks, there's some objects I've grown attached to over the years.

So by the same token if you go visit someone out of town, and your house gets broken into and your stuff gets stolen, and your wife's diamonds end up on another well deserving ladies fingers, surely that's a good thing?

It's the owner's fault for not protecting livestock better?

That's pretty crazy Gus.

Even for you.

Prob the best thing that could happen, collect insurance never lift a feed bucket, make more clear money !!

Well-put. Nobody gets through this life unscathed.

As a well known preacher put it one time "I see two groups of people here tonight -- one group that's been through some kind of tragedy and the other that hasn't.................yet."

"Retirement" nine years ago, just before Obama. I was next on the hit list and had seen the movie before four times as the boss went after jobs. At 51, with only 16 years credited, the check is miniscule. However, God is good. My wife had gone back to work (same company) at her former rate, with full vacation etc. just like she'd never left, after thirteen years raising our daughters.

We now have care of my 92-y-old father (3 1/2 years) and my 50-y-old bro-in-law (stroke recovery) as well.

The county owned educational farm I managed was closed in 2009/2010. I found another job at about the same hourly salary but the old job was 96 hrs in a pay period and housing was provided.

Less hours and paying for housing equaled about a 50% pay cut. And with the economy in the crapper then, it took my wife 18 months to find a job.

Dale

We've had some ups and downs but have always been able to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I count my blessings everyday.

My dad and four of his siblings got taken for $4.5M in a land investment scheme. Come to find out the SOB who got them had served a prior prison sentence for the same thing but changed his name and did it all over again. Currently in prison in California, but they'll never get their money back.

My low point financially was immediately following the 911 attack. I was an insurance agent at the time, and our company (Farmers) implemented a huge rate increase on all of their commercial insurance products, my main line of income. Basically, I was no longer competitive with other insurers in our market, and my income went from five figures per month to just a couple of thousand on a good month. I was up to my neck in personal debt (mainly credit cards and college loan payments.) It got so bad I missed at least one mortgage payment (my first one ever) and had creditors constantly calling me on the phone demanding payment. This was the lowest financial point in my life. A change in careers turned everything around, and discovery and adherence to Dave Ramsey's Seven Baby Steps got us 100% out of debt and on our way to financial freedom.

I hate to call it a setback, but when you hear the ultrasound tech say A and B.....your having twins.

It is more than twice as much money to have twins... but my financial "hardship" has been paid in full by having a pair of little boys that I would not trade for any amount of money.

the purpose of prepping, is to create a safety net, to Coast through those low times. most of your grandparents would have been called Preppers by today's standard. Frozen, canned, dried, salted, pickled, or live on the hoof, you stored food or you didn't eat very well through the winter.
Six months worth of stored food would be a small safety margin. I know of a Mormon church that requires the man set aside two years worth, before he is allowed to marry in the church. This to prove he can provide for a family.
( I used to work in a Mormon owned machine shop.)
When my wife Took sick, We dropped to one income, and the medical bills never end. But that stored food made the difference between Eating and going hungry. It's mostly gone now. My winter has lasted about 10 years now.
she could die tomorrow, or ten years from now. depends on how many factors hit her at once .
I Supplement my income by Recycling scrap metals.

In the market crash about 15 years back my IRA took about a $40K hit. Took about 7 years to get it back. Bailed on the recent housing related crash, so lost nothing there.

Been lucky and saved a lot, so have never been hit with a life changing situation.

These kinds of issues tend to be relative in nature - a big setback to one person or family may amount to a bump in the road to another.

We are grateful to have been blessed with success in our work and to have been able to keep a home and eat while raising four kids into good people. Our hearts go out to others who have known financial hard times, and especially those with families. I admire those who dig in and come back on top after drastic losses.

That said, when we married as college kids we were about broke - did not have enough $$ for a bank account, both worked part-time jobs and didn't think we could afford to buy a pizza on Saturday evening. And, our first child arrived 11 months later. A start like that will help make one financially conservative and investment conscious. Each small improvement over those days has been a blessing. Having been so fortunate, we do try to give other good folks a leg up when they experience bad setbacks. The least we can do.

Short version: Due to a few bad decisions on my part, and a few major setbacks I couldn't control, I'll never live well again or ever retire.

My New Years toast this last time was Fuck 2016!

I will never retire. Thanks obama.

I'm sorry that it remains a sore point with you. Is what it is. I thank you for your service, and along the way probably at least one family somewhere over there benefitted from your setback

The loss of life of loved ones far exceeds the hurt of financial setbacks. Money can be renewed, lives can not.


I always try to keep that in mind.

Excellent observation - thanks.