http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4542292Oh my.
I wasn't aware primitives had any money these past eight years, to save.
I thought primitives were just barely getting by.
merwin (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-26-08 08:19 PM
Original message
I just had to cash out my 401k
It was that or not be able to pay the rent and health insurance.
The incredibly sucky part is that my 401k had gone down from $14,000 down to $8,700 in less than a year due to Bush's financial ****up. And because of the penalty for early withdrawal, I am only getting like $6,1000.
So this year I've been diagnosed with Celiac's disease, had to stop trying to have another kid because the fertility dr is $500/month for the artificial insemination that we need. I lost my job for a couple months at the beginning of the year and got a new one that pays less than half as much. My wife is currently out of a job (since the beginning of October). And when my wife does get a new job, it won't be working at home anymore, so my 2 year old will have to be in full time daycare. We had to declare bankruptcy (no-asset case, thank God).
I am officially ready to be DONE with this year.
The only saving grace has been Obama getting elected... I actually have hope that things are going to improve eventually.
The really amazing part is that all of this has brought my wife and I closer together.
Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant! Had to get it out
Uh-oh.
That "eventually" stuff bothers me, really bothers me.
The Obamaites, and the Obamaite primitives, promised us things would get better right away, immediately, in the twinkling of an eye. And now they're reneging?
Phred42 (1000+ posts) Wed Nov-26-08 08:35 PM
Response to Original message
8. Had to do the same back in August
out of work for 18 months, no prospects and all other resources gone. the Sucky thing was that there would have een no penalty if I could have held out UNTIL FEB 09
HillbillyBob (201 posts) Wed Nov-26-08 09:18 PM
Response to Original message
15. May you have many blessings to come
My partner and I went through a few bad years after 911, he was in the aircraft parts biz got outsourced 2x. I got sick and lost my job, then finally went on SSD, its not enough to replace my earned income but it is better than nothing.
I ll not list the whole thing but it was bad bad time. We are much closer, we
were close anyway.
Now several years later, we have adapted and managed to find a house with some land cheap.
We are finding we like living in the woods and and our garden put a large dent in our grocery bills. We are happy well adjusted(some may argue that!)
I know how hard it is for you now. It will get better. At that time it did not feel like it would ever get better. If it had not been for Second Harvest food bank we would have starved, I applied for food stamps and got a whole 8$ per month, and on top of it all I was very sick.
Some thing that might help is flours made with quinoa (keen'wa or amaranth, they are gluten free It is easy to digest.
cook similar to rice as a side dish and very nutritious.
merwin (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-27-08 02:03 AM
Response to Reply #15
20. My wife's unemployment is a whopping $130 a week.
Helps, but not enough to do any significant good. The worst part of the whole thing was having to take the mandatory bankruptcy classes, which you can now do online in a couple of hours. It's completely remedial and says stuff like "If you can't afford a new TV, don't buy it until you can". We don't have that problem, as we had already moved back to our small hometown an hour north of Seattle into a tiny little house, canceled cable, got rid of one of our cars (I ride my motorcycle now. Sucks in the winter). Only so much you can cut out.
After several years of living in the big city in a nice house, it took a while to get accustomed to small town life again.
Sirveri (901 posts) Thu Nov-27-08 12:37 AM
Response to Original message
19. I was in the same boat a month ago myself.
On the verge of cashing out my retirement, saw it drop from 10k to 7200. Thankfully the unemployment kicked in in time for us to make rent and my wife just found out she's getting a job. I'm still looking myself though, which really sucks.
leftofthedial (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-27-08 02:21 AM
Response to Original message
23. sorry for the financial loss
I'm happy for you and the wife. That's what matters.
I cashed out my life savings and spent the last of it on housing, food and insurance a couple of years ago.
barbtries (1000+ posts) Thu Nov-27-08 06:29 AM
Response to Original message
26. i'm sorry you had to go through so many hard times
just know you're not alone.
i filed bankruptcy in 1987 and still have no credit. drive a 1994 escort without a mortgage on it and moved to NC from CA (home, where i spent the first 52 years of my life and thought i would never leave) just to be able to afford to live. within a month of arriving here a year ago Oct 3, i was working at a terrific firm and now have the first 401K of my life! just in time for it to meltdown of course, but i never saw the money and my employer matches most of it.
looks to me as if you and your family represent one of the early waves. i think it is safe to say that it will get worse before it gets better. the thing to know is it will get better. and i am so happy for you that this has brought you and your wife closer, that makes ALL the difference.
I am really really bothered by this.
I mean, really bothered.
The Obamaites and the Obamaite primitives promised us thing would get better right away, right the minute the Big Zero took office, in a split second there would be milk and honey and free medical care for all and peace on earth.
And now they're hedging on their promise?
