We Are the 99 Percent

31st October 2011

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We have been VERY lucky. 

In 2010 we were both unemployed, this year brought a new job and things are much better. 

When did earning 6 figures equate to living in a trailer park? 5 years ago I thought making $35k/year would be enough to support two people comfortably. Now I can’t imagine how we’d put the kids through college or ever retire if we paid rent on an apartment half this size.

At 38 y.o. my husband has NO retirement saved. In 5 years my daughter will be ready for college, and I’ll still be paying on MY student loans until she is older than I am now.

Our medical insurance has a $2000/person deductible, yet we’ve paid $3k in premiums and only needed routine well-baby checks and one ER trip for a single stitch ($600 out of pocket, no coverage; another $600 covered)—> So why pay for insurance?

We’ve done what we can to donate and help others, but every time I wonder just how much of our hard-earned money is actually going to the people who need it most? Now I just give gifts/money to family and friends in need, at least I know it won’t just line an exec’s pocket.

We worked hard! We were responsible! We want to own a REAL home, send our two kids to college without loans, and retire ON TIME. But what can we do when the grocery bill triples in 5 years, the gas bill doubles, the values of assets hit rock bottom, and the wages don’t change at all?

We, too, are the 99%!