On Working poor still struggle

Posted on August 20 at 9:56 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

WOW! so many good posts on this issue, yet no solid answers. Our story? 18 years ago we lost our home and subsequently our jobs and ended up staying at a homeless shelter. No jobs, no education, no money for gas to look for work let alone money for basic necessities, and a kid to raise. We were there for 90 days. During our stay, we were taught how to BUDGET our money. Today, we own our own home(for the most part), we have bank accounts, 401k's, and have managed to bank a little savings. In general, we live comfortably, though we are by no means rich. I make less than 8 dollars an hour at a job I've been at for over two years. One of us went to school while the other worked, now we both work. We owe it all to learning how to budget our money. True, in 18 years we have never had a real "vacation", our vacations are spent at home makeing all necessary repairs and cleaning. No, it's not "FUN", but we are proud of our home and how far we have come, dispite our hardships. We are not standing in line waiting for the government to help us with anything, including our mortage, we have learned to help ourselves. We do not go to the movies,out for dinner, to the fairs, sporting events or swim resorts. We dont buy expensive clothing, shoes, electronics or accessories. We rearly buy NAME BRAND anything. Most of the furniture in our home was made by me. Nope it's not classy, but it works. We still maintain a "do or die" mentality when it comes to OUR WELFARE. A penny saved IS a penny earned. Our rule of thumb is simple, needs trump wants no matter what! We WANT to be rich, but we NEED to go to work so we can support our selves. Its not rocket science, it's common cents!