My Story is becoming a familiar one...
My wife and young daughter were living in a small rented farm house in southern Pennsylvania. I was working a short 45 minute drive away in Baltimore city. Our rent was low, which in hindsight was only an illusion. We were spending almost another rent’s worth in gas per month, just for my commute. During the winter, the oil prices began to rise, and rise, and rise. The old farm house was heated by oil. By now, we were paying 2 ½ - 3 rents. All of the money I was making was already spent. All of our bills began to slowly slip from our grasp. By the time the weather broke, we were a few months behind with everyone.
Then a miracle happened. In early April, our second daughter was born. The whole world was perfect for a brief moment. In the very next moment, I lost my job. There is not much to say about that, except that it took me two weeks to find another one. A note here to be mentioned: My wife and I decided before the children were born that we would live off of one income so that we were the ones raising our children. There are a lot of sacrifices with a decision like this, to be sure, but in the grand scheme of things it was an easy one for us. Now you have the perspective: We were very behind on all of our bills, our credit was bombing uncontrollably, and we had no money coming in. To top it all off, the spring brought in the mice (Apparently common in old farm houses, unbeknownced to me).
I finally got a job at a high end restaurant in downtown Baltimore. The money was enough for us to live and start catching up, although extremely slowly. We moved to Baltimore and saved a ton on gas. Our rent was higher, but our utilities were fixed which ended up saving us several hundred dollars over the course of the year. All was good… for a few months.
As the market crashed and everyone began freaking out, the restaurant (all of the restaurants it seemed) began slipping. Sales were down, gratuities were less and lower, and turn over was rising. The headway we started making quickly reversed. To offer you an overview that might be familiar (I really hope its not):
Health insurance lapsed and was cancelled
All of the credit cards were maxed and way behind (I’d completely shut off the cell phone I used for all of them)
Car payment was a month behind
Car insurance lapsed and was cancelled
And then I lost my job.
Aside from the financial position, all of the emotional trash that comes with all of this began to surface. I could not and would not pay anyone anything before my children ate.
I, like everyone I would imagine, want to pay everything I owe. I want my name to be solid and reputable. I was at the lowest point physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially I had ever been. The more people I talked to, the more I realized that everyone is facing the same thing.
I spent every wakeful hour (and some in my sleep, I think) on the net searching for answers. There wasn’t just one answer because there wasn’t just one question. This list of resources is the help and the answers to many, if not all of my questions. They are the steps, advice, and help I have started using (and will continue to use) to thrive in this depressed time.
WHERE WE ALL ARE
This global economic collapse which we are facing is affecting all of us. Some that I have spoken with have felt it only moderately. Most, however have felt it deeply. I personally know many people who are in the exact position I am in. I know many who are even worse off. Foreclosures are at an all time high. People are losing thier homes at a staggering rate. Some of these people are my friends. Businesses are closing left and right. Unemployment is sky rocketing. Every day I meet someone who’s had their life shattered by this collapse already (and it’s only just begun).
STOP THE COLLAPSE RESOURCES was put together to give all of us the tools we need; first, to survive this disaster, and then second, to thrive. Some of the resources I use on a daily basis address the questions of:
FOOD
GAS
FINANCIAL PLANNING/ BUDGETTING
DECREASING EXPENSES
MEDICINE/ HEALTH CARE
EXTRA INCOME
SHOPPING FRUGALLY
DEBT
TAXES
CHILD CARE
ENTERTAINMENT
SELF-RELIANCE
UTILITIES
UNDERSTANDING WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE PROGRAMS TO HELP
Plus others…
NOW FOR THE MONEY...
As I am very leery of pitch pages, I will lay it out simple and straight forward.
The cost: $17 USD
The Bonus/ Promise: For the next year, as I find new resources which are useful, I will email them to you. I will never try to sell you anything (you wouldn’t read it anyway, right? I don’t). I will never give your address to anyone else for any reason.
The particulars: We will use Pay Pal (It’s secure, and I use it for every transaction on the net when I can).
I have given up countless hours finding the answers we all have. Can you find them too? Yes, of course you could. But the price is about 2500-3000 hours. I am looking for the win-win here.
THE SIMPLE DEAL
Your $17 buys me one can of formula or 2 packs of diapers for my daughters. It buys you the resources you need to get through this oncoming depression. Everyone wins, right!?