Mortgage and Insurance

Lost $$ in investments, figured oh well…win some lose some.

Lost over $100,000.00 in home value over 2 years time, figured w.t.h. I plan on living here for the rest of my life, no skin lost.

Lost both jobs in less than a year, figured we were both highly skilled with impeccable resumes.  It’ll be okay.

Trimmed all the fat and hunkered down once we realized there has to BE a job to get  job, but we had savings and figured we’d be okay if at least one of us got a job within a year.

 

Fast forward to now…17 months later.

 

Eggs were on SALE for 10.85 a case…(5 dozen)

Honeydew melons on sale for 4.99 each.  They were as big as my grandsons tiny little baby head.  :-

We spent 78.00 on 2 plastic bags of groceries.  Stuff for green bean casserole, 5# of asstd. fruit for ambrosia salad, 4# of sausage, 2 bags of cheapy cereal, a 2 cup bag of chopped nuts and a loaf of bread.

Gas is over $3.00 a gallon.

 

Everything was significantly higher in not only the grocery stores, but in discount stores and almost everywhere we went before Christmas.  Anyone who seriously believes that the economy is getting better is deluded, or alternately, can I have some of what they’re taking?   One simply cannot look at any one sector and say “Look!, the economy is improving!” 

 

Unemployment has NOT decreased.  The government would love to push that theory, but in reality, one does not become employed magically when they stop claiming their unemployment insurance payments.  And, glory be to the highest I heard all last week because “They passed the extension!”  Most folks who aren’t claiming their unemployment insurance payments don’t even grasp that it was NOT an extension of benefits.  It was simply a stop gap measure to extend the date by which one was eligble to apply for the extensions already in place.  It had NO effect on those at the end of their last extension.  So, tons of people went into Christmas knowing that this week, there would be no check. 

 

I am deeply saddened by the fact that by this summer, without some miraculous changes, we will enter the beginning of an era where many children will see homelessness as their normal.  Millions of people will lose everything they worked for their entire lives.  I already see many families in communal living situations, “kids” lost their jobs, lost their homes and moved back in with mom & dad or siblings along with significant others and children of their own.  I live in a little grouping of 5 homes and 3 of us have our adult children & grandchildren living at home again after job losses.   The world is changing for millions upon millions of people. 

 

I’m thinking that the most voiciferous/viscious among the posters should take a moment to thank whoever you pray to if your life hasn’t been turned upside down by this mess, and if you could, lay off those who’re just trying to make sense of their world falling apart.  If you must feel superior, fine.  I can live with you thinking you’re more intellegent, made better decisions, hey, whatever gets you through the day.  But seriously, life is hard enough right now.  Feel superior in silence, huh?