Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How long could you make it?

Without a paycheck?


Keeping your current 'lifestyle'(and not using credit or selling assets) how long could you survive on your savings?



Pending no unusual/unforeseen expenses my wife would be okay for 6-7 months.


Ten years ago we might have made it 2 weeks.....


This REALLY makes a guy think about the funds needed for retirement.

Quite a while, between the freezer and canned and stashed food, wouldn’t have to hit a store for quite some time. Keep a stash of booze too!

Hmmm...not using credit eh?

Just cash on hand?


Zero days.

yeah, it varies. those better off by good fortune, birth, job, etc. will last longer than those not so well off at the starting gate.

in the army i made about 100 per month, involuntary servitude, but i was being paid.

and they fed me, give me a bed & shelter. medical care was a bit iffy.

when a soldier's family follows them into battle, it's tough.

it's better to pay cash, or just do without.

we can live by receiving gifts from heredity, from working, from stealing, and from gov't largesse.

we can eat, and find shelter, and somebody always pays.

paychecks is a form of lifeblood. blood is essential, especially when it's flowing.

Hopefully, until I kick the bucket.

at the moment about 3 months

I'd be eating alot of rice and beans

Schit. There have been a bunch of years where we lost money.

In the black a couple times...like twice. Wasn't even enough to make a pickup payment.


Other years were break even.



Everything I have is in the land and livestock....everything.



Hmmmmm....gives you a little pause to think about it Sam!

6 months.......with no extras like eating out, and road trips.

That is a scary place to be.

Jim, you're starting to sound like my father.....grin

Without social security payments, and somewhat conservative ( no Vegas trips, African hunts, etc.)....about 20 to 25 years! Assuming the market doesn’t crash badly! memtb

Cutting back on luxuries like extra rigs, cable, cell phones, needless trips, vacations, club dues, several subscriptions, etc, and relying solely on liquid savings about 3 years. Insurance and taxes are the big bills.

About 10+ years if we started dipping into IRA's and other retirement funds.

Even though I spend money like a drunk sailor, I was fortunate to have soldiers much smarter about money/investments. So they helped me, I have a money for that oh [bleep] times. Unlike my days on the rez where we spend our paycheck in 2 days and didn't have two nickels to rub together.. that lifestyle/culture I grew up in no such thing as a savings acct for majority of us..

Not borrowing? Not long.

Depends on what I need to take and the resistance encountered.

I do not do credit, am debt free, so, will be ok for awhile

We could live off my wifes. If we both suddenly were unemployed we could do fine till we found other jobs. She is old enough to draw her IRA but we would spend a lot different than we do now

I've been struggling with addictions most of my life. It's been killing my finances and I've never had the courage to face it until now. This probably isn't the place to confess anything personal LOL. That hasn't worked out real well in the past, but I really want to make this right, and this is the time and place to finally end it.

I've been thinking alot about how my life would be different today if I'd been free of them. It's no fun being a slave to your impulses. I expect everyone here to make a big joke of it, rub salt in the wound. There's some real heartless bastards on here.

How many vacations could I have taken my family on by now if I hadn't completely blown it all these years? It seems like financial decisions get put off because I just have to have my fix. I've tried to get help. Went thru a 12 step program twice, didn't take either time. Now, I just need to man up and kick this thing. I've got an extra 20 pounds and a good sleeping bag, I need to move out to that spot under the bridge and shake this addiction to food and shelter before it ruins my life.

Thanks, you guys have given me the courage to make this important decision.

Maybe I'll run into Middlefork Miner and we can share a PBR. I'd really like that.

I am retired and live on proceeds from investments which are in moderate to conservative vehicles. I can go until I die.

And Deflave will by to bag on you and how your ol lady logged on 24 hour called you lazy and was it worthless who knows, I never read that whole thing your ol lady posted about you. You will get your tit in a ringer, try to do battle of whits with him lose as usual and slink off into the night.. it's the usual wash dry and repeat..