[AmyBoz]

I found the article, itself, interesting enough...

However, more interesting, to me, were the comments. I'm always interested to see how many different points of view there are about financial matters.

Nevada family fights for survival in down times - Yahoo! Finance

 

[Lindsey]

Interesting to read...I don't really feel bad for them though. They make more money than most these days on unemployment. And she is worried about keeping the house because they-the kids- don't share a room!?! Maybe one of them should join the military (joking)

 

[Ramona]

I do feel bad for them. They worked hard and may have made bad decisions but the comments! Some of them are very, very mean.

 

[Guest]

I do feel bad for them, but I really can't see them moving beyond this. They need to face up to the fact that they are putting "the house" - which is really just a thing - ahead of their children, and they need to actually DO something more than "trust God" and wait for a job to fall out of thin air.

And I didn't get the dirty laundry part either - some people who have plenty of money and are on time with their bills have piles of dirty laundry. Some people who are living in paycheck to paycheck have dirty laundry. I don't think your money management or financial status has much bearing on your laundry habits.

 

[greekislandgirl]

That was an interesting article. I am not a mother but I imagine that if I were, I would put sufficient nutrition above separate bedrooms for my children. Their house sounds awesome - FOUR bedrooms, a garage, and a yard? My husband is fully employed and yet we live in a TINY one bedroom apartment with no garage, no yard, etc etc. I think a LOT of people would say the same thing. It sounds like their priorities are a little weird.

My advice to this couple would be 1) get your marriage on a stronger footing and 2) fix your priorities. $38,000/yr isn't that bad, their kids should not be hungry and failing out of school.

 

[Ali Lee]

38,000/yr & they can't buy bread to go with that peanut butter? They need a social worker for family depression & a good frugal person, like one of us, to help them thru this. I saw last year @ Walmart, a lady posted on a corner outside their parking lot, standing with a sign ... Need food for my kids, unable to work. I was amazed @ the people dropping off bags & looked like handing her money. I would do this-if I needed to feed my kids. And I see nothing wrong with a concrete floor...

 

[bustedparts]

They need to face up to the fact that they are putting "the house" - which is really just a thing - ahead of their children, and they need to actually DO something more than "trust God" and wait for a job to fall out of thin air.

I totally agree with this. her children are suffering bc she wants to keep a house? really!?! her daughter is failing school, but the important thing is they live in a huge house with a garage and a yard. wonder how she would feel if that house burned down or was destroyed by a natural disaster, after letting her kids go through all of this and failing school?

it is truly a sad situation for those kids

 

[pollypurebred39]

It seems like some very pertinent information was left out of this article, leaving much room for speculation on how their money is spent. From the article it sounds as if the house is a fixer upper? But it does not say just how much the mortgage is. Sometimes the mortgage is cheaper then rentals, or cheaper then slumlord rentals in a bad neighborhood. I'm guessing that how they lived before must have been pretty bad considering their daughter Amalea stated, "Sometimes I get happy, so happy," said Amalea, the youngest daughter at nine years old, "that I imagine this is a dream because the last place we lived was such a crappy apartment." If living in a home with a cement slab for floor, plastic for windows, and no doors is such heaven then it must have been fairly dismal. Which completely explains the Mother's dig her heels in we are not giving up our home mentality. (but does not excuse it) Even still, would their home even sell in such a depressed economic area?

I have to assume that they are getting phone call after phone call from people demanding money. That will rip a marriage apart, fast! The man is a young 24 who took on a ready made family, and all the stress that comes with it. Given his youth, he's barely had time to get his bearings let alone have gained the wisdom needed to weather this storm with grace. Sad that he is threatening divorce when his family is already in such a mess, divorce would only compound the problems, not rescue him from the stress of unemployment and marriage.

I truly feel for this family. They need guidance, and lots of it from very wise counsel before the bottom really drops out from under them.

 

[HeatSeeker]

Houses will not disappear. The economy is already recovering for some, and those empty houses will still be available for purchase a few years from now. They should buckle down, do what is necessary to survive and save money now, while rebuilding their credit, and buy a new house a few years from now.

Its sad that they are letting replaceable 4 walls tear their family apart.

 

[Nishu]

Their house is probably cheap as heck as it is, and it's not like it's going to sell in an area with a 15% unemployment rate. Where they gonna live if they lose it? And 38k isn't a lot of money. Plus they're obviously depressed and under an incredible amount of stress. What a horrible situation.

 

[monkeywrangler71]

I hate reading the comments on news articles, it sickens me to see how hateful so many people can be when no one knows who they are.

 

[bumplett]

Their house is probably cheap as heck as it is, and it's not like it's going to sell in an area with a 15% unemployment rate. Where they gonna live if they lose it? And 38k isn't a lot of money. Plus they're obviously depressed and under an incredible amount of stress. What a horrible situation.

I agree.

Many couples will crack under that amount of stress.

 

[mndtrp]

I hate when the comments are sorted most recent first.

Maybe dropping out of school at 14 wasn't the best idea. As it stands, they make more than a lot of people do in this country. From the article alone, it seems her priorities are out of whack. She should also look for a better way to release her aggressions. Yelling at her family isn't going to make things better at all.

 

[lisaflex]

very very sad is how i feel for them. we dont know and probably never will....about the mrtg amnt, etc. but, that being said, (imo) 38K is not a big amount yrly to raise a family on. now i know plenty do it, but, they were not used to that amount - they made double that! that is a huge change. maybe the $$ issues are causing the marital issues or maybe the $$ or marital issues were already there. either way, i feel sad for that family.

the parents need to iron out their differences and be on the same path together and be a unified front. that is why the kids are most likely doing poorly in school - home issues are most likely affecting their studies and attention span. and maybe they are just plain hungry. or maybe they are tired of the arguing and the worrying. so much to be said for this sad article.

i wish this family some good fortune in every way

 

[NikoSan999]

Their house is probably cheap as heck as it is, and it's not like it's going to sell in an area with a 15% unemployment rate. Where they gonna live if they lose it? And 38k isn't a lot of money. Plus they're obviously depressed and under an incredible amount of stress. What a horrible situation.

Good for you Polly and Nishu...who was it who said " until you've walked a mile in their shoes". The payment IS probably cheaper than rent. And 38,000 ISN'T alot of money for 4 people. Are there people living on less...YES, but that dosen't take away the fact 38,000 STILL isn't alot of money. The house ISN'T going to sell and if they move instate or out of state where they going to go with no money. That unemployment money ISN'T taxfree...they pay income tax on it at least. They walk away from it then the mortgage company comes after them for a 1099C then the IRS comes after them for the difference between what the house eventually sells for and the money owed which will be thousands above the amount as it stands now...and yes I'm in their shoes and this I know for a fact. There are no if, ands, or buts. In a nutshell

Last year we made barely above that, filed bankruptcy, lost the house ( still in it ) car and just about everything else we own. The only thing we kept was the business and that's up for question whether we get to keep it and as it stands it's barely holding it's own financially. That's a chapter 13 with payback and that was voluntary. We could have done a 7. We didn't walk scott free.

As for the economy "recovering"...must be everywhere but Nevada and Florida cause Fl is still over 12%. And buying again in a few years...HA...not happening with their credit so it is what it is. So they're stuck...and as for the comment can't buy bread...NO WHERE does it say she didn't buy bread...it said peanut butter and applesauce...you assume it wasn't a peanut butter sandwich.

So people that "THINK" they know what these people are going thru...think again because you don't know what they're going thru. It's easy to pass judgement and " I would" or " I would NEVER" until you are in their shoes and are living it.

And people that think depression and some yelling should NEVER happen especially in this situation....think again...this situation is exactly when it happens...should it...no...does it...yes....UNTIL YOU'VE WALKED IN THEIR SHOES DON'T JUDGE and DON'T THROW STONES cause you never know when that glass house may be your own.

Passing judgement when you aren't or don't have a clue totally shall we say, burns my cookies. Church is Sunday...who all is going and taking their bible

 

[bustedparts]

So people that "THINK" they know what these people are going thru...think again because you don't know what they're going thru. It's easy to pass judgement and " I would" or " I would NEVER" until you are in their shoes and are living it.

I have lived through very similar situations that they have. the house I grew up in was an old slave house on my grandmother's land. mind you this was in 1986 when I was 7. there were 5 of us living in a one bedroom house. the house was so old it had a skeleton key not a regular house key. we had a living room, one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a small hallway that led to the bathroom. my parents slept in the bedroom, I slept in the living room and my 2 brothers slept in the hallway. you had to walk through the bathroom to get to the kitchen since it was at the back of the house. we had no carpet or tile floors, only plyboard for floors. we had no ac or heat. windows had sheets of plastic over them bc they were so old you could not open or close them. I would not relive my childhood if someone paid me.

we did not have regular milk that came in a jug, only powdered milk. some days you only ate one meal. if we were fortunate we would get to eat the same thing 3 times in one day. I use to wear my brother's hand me downs. I was lucky to get a new pair of shoes every year. kids at school were absolutely cruel to me bc of my clothes and lack thereof.

we are a family of 4 and my husband barely makes $24,000 a year. in 2010 he only made $21,800 all year. we live off that with no late or past due bills. I know the cost of living varies from state to state, but people do have choices in what they purchase (cars, homes, clothes). it's called living within your means. dh and I would not go out and buy a $90,000 house when he's making less than $25,000 a year...that's just not smart.

so yeah, I DO know some of what these people are going through. not everyone that comments is being judgemental and just running off at the mouth. some of us have been there, done that, and wonder how people can choose to ruin another human being's life with their poor choices.

 

[Momto5RN]

thats a shame - i agree with one person who said they may need to give up their home and try to move somewhere else
even if in an apt if they can get jobs there .

the stress is hurting their children far much worse than sharing a room will.

two of my boys share a room - my oldest dd has the attic room but often sleeps in her sisters room on a pull out from the day bed because its too hot or too cold or she hears noises up there ( LOL )

heck 7 of us share on bathroom .
and with 2 teenage girls thats no party !

are they still in school - did they quit - that part confused me .

i am hoping the school uniforms they spoke of is just because the public school has a uniform policy
goodness knows i sacrifice alot and work alot for my kids to go to private school but if i couldnt pay my bills they would be out of there .

I wish i could ask her if there is a uniform exchange at the school - ours has one and the past 3 years i have been in charge
its kind of a thankless - hidden volunteer job - but i get first dibs on anything donated and i have the knowledge i am helping families out - many have grandparents that pay the kids tuitions and the parents get the uniforms.
Wish i could tell her if they dont offer to run it and then save $ on your own kids stuff ,

There is no magic fairy dust that is going to bring the economy back anytime soon .They will most likely eventually lose the home- and will possibly look back and think what were we fighting for .

are they not eligible for school lunch programs at school ?

i hate reading the comments on news stories - people get so mean when they can be anonymous and its about someone they will never know or meet .

I know we would be in trouble if dh or i ever lost our jobs at this point - so there but for the Grace of God go I ....

 

[NikoSan999]

I have lived through very similar situations that they have. the house I grew up in was an old slave house on my grandmother's land. mind you this was in 1986 when I was 7. there were 5 of us living in a one bedroom house. the house was so old it had a skeleton key not a regular house key. we had a living room, one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a small hallway that led to the bathroom. my parents slept in the bedroom, I slept in the living room and my 2 brothers slept in the hallway. you had to walk through the bathroom to get to the kitchen since it was at the back of the house. we had no carpet or tile floors, only plyboard for floors. we had no ac or heat. windows had sheets of plastic over them bc they were so old you could not open or close them. I would not relive my childhood if someone paid me.

we did not have regular milk that came in a jug, only powdered milk. some days you only ate one meal. if we were fortunate we would get to eat the same thing 3 times in one day. I use to wear my brother's hand me downs. I was lucky to get a new pair of shoes every year. kids at school were absolutely cruel to me bc of my clothes and lack thereof.

we are a family of 4 and my husband barely makes $24,000 a year. in 2010 he only made $21,800 all year. we live off that with no late or past due bills. I know the cost of living varies from state to state, but people do have choices in what they purchase (cars, homes, clothes). it's called living within your means. dh and I would not go out and buy a $90,000 house when he's making less than $25,000 a year...that's just not smart.

so yeah, I DO know some of what these people are going through. not everyone that comments is being judgemental and just running off at the mouth. some of us have been there, done that, and wonder how people can choose to ruin another human being's life with their poor choices.

These people purchased what they had when they were both working NOT after they were unemployed. They were living within their means. They could afford it at the time they bought it. If I remember correctly it was close to $80,000 a year and they were doing well.

And for the rest...well, we all know the news tells nothing but the truth...free lunches...they probably do but the news isn't telling that, "Are they still in school - did they quit - that part confused me ."...yeah, the so called story left alot to be confused by...like the peanut butter or peanut butter sandwich....poorly written story and made to make the parents look like bad parents like so many of the stories now a days do. Story itself leaves a lot of gaps, leaves you hanging to form your own endings.

 

[Momto5RN]

i dont think the mom would be scrounging for lunches though if they had free lunches unless there was a pride issue or embarrassment issue preventing it .

i remember my parents would buy lunch tickets for me so i didnt have to carry money - they made this available so no worries of kids loosing money and for every so many lunches bought ahead of time you got one free - the kids on free lunches also used the tickets .

even way back in the early 70s i remember derogatory comments about getting free lunches from other kids - so who knows how mean some kids could be now . They may not want to and TBH they may be getting too much in unemployment to be eligble .

i also was wondering about food stamps etc

and yeah they never tell a full story in the news but it at least makes you think a bit .

 

[mndtrp]

The fact that she said she would feed her children dog food, instead of giving up the house, shows where her priorities are. And quite frankly, Niko, you are coming across just as judgmental as anyone else in this thread. You don't know who else here has been in that situation, and to throw religion into it is ridiculous. What would this thread be if we didn't comment on the information given in the article?