Author Topic: Feds should prepare for the next shutdown: too bad saving is impossible!  (Read 3785 times)

remizidae

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Here's the link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/03/12/federal-workers-should-save-now-case-another-shutdown-months-ahead/?noredirect=on

The article itself is quite reasonable, and phrased with tolerance for those who struggle to save. But the comments are amazingly wrong. Did you know it's impossible to find someplace to live in DC for less than $3000? And that someone can make $150k and still be completely and objectively incapable of saving anything?

For reference, the average federal worker in DC makes six figures: well above average even for this HCOL area. I used to make $38k and still saved 25%.

Sad to see so many people convince themselves they are helpless because "after I spend all my money, there's no money left!"

Holyoak

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Hmm.  Guess terrible intractable suffering would happen, if God forbid you had to eat a healthy diet of low cost vegetables, brown rice, beans, and some lean pork or chicken home-made meals for just a few weeks per month...  C'mon man, daily coffee is just $5, smokes $8/pack, a meal at some shitty chain $20...  Live a little you cheap bastard (barf). 

Reminds me of some entitled/keep up with the Joneses jackass business owners son, whose dad I worked for some years ago telling me: "Be cool like us, and get a truck instead of driving that faggy Jap car (2006 Matrix base 5 sp manual)"...  Hmm, fast fwd in less than two years and the business folded, and I find out grandma was paying for that monster 6.2L F250.  Wow, talk about a little bitch, having to have granny pay for your compensation crap.  Later found out he stole a bunch of grandma's money from a safe to buy a boat...  Both truuuuuck and boat are both gone now.

I remember reading of a well paid DC worker who was complaining about not being able to make her $3700/mo mortgage payment, during this most recent shutdown...  Just the mortgage!  Jesus Christ, you are in I'm broke panic mode after missing one paycheck???  Man, this country is fucked, and folks like you, me, and other MMM types are about as common, and welcomed by the mainstream as a shit sandwich.

Just Joe

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Must...spend...all...the...money!

Nothing left to save!

Holyoak

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Must...spend...all...the...money!

Nothing left to save!

Bu, bu, but YOLO...  No shit; you do only live once, - So how about do it right with some fucking dignity, class, and discipline.  Not some fucking slave to your weak mind, need for constant praise/attention, or soft-ass, lazy lifestyle.  How about tattoo that on you fucking neck?

jinga nation

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DoD folks are too damn insulated from the shutdown, quite a few were advocating for it. Stupid fucks!
(I love the fact that some of these are latino immigrants who are advocating for the wall.)

75-80% of these, or even more, would be super-dooper-fucked-in-the-pooper if the DoD was impacted in the next shutdown.

I might just FIRE. Or go on a mega-buying spree if retail property prices tanked due to foreclosures/short-sales.

So, for my shutdown advocating co-workers, I got something in common with you, but I'll be buying and you might be borderline homeless and hungry. Americans/humans don't really think too far out until that hunger hits them really hard in the belly.

Oh and I might buy your F250 diesels for pennies on the dollar and then sell them back to you later for a little markup. Nah.. I'll pass and let you deal with the repo man.

Holyoak

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Oh and I might buy your F250 diesels for pennies on the dollar and then sell them back to you later for a little markup. Nah.. I'll pass and let you deal with the repo man.

Hilarious.  I have been telling my brother this for a long while...  I tell him I'll steal it from them, at pennies on the dollar.  Same for their over-leverage home, etc.   Cash is ready, itching to deploy.

Fomerly known as something

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Had two guys on-boarding in the office 2 weeks ago.  Both will be working in DC and were looking at apartments.  They found a decent number of places (not in Pennsylvania) for less than $1,500 a month.

I too will be just bitching again about how I had to cancel my regularly scheduled Vanguard investment during the shitdown I anticipate in October.  (I'm actually upping my emergency fund because I didn't like seeing 1/3 of it disappear even temporarily during the last one.  Moving from 3 months to at least 6 months.)

wenchsenior

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DoD folks are too damn insulated from the shutdown, quite a few were advocating for it. Stupid fucks!
(I love the fact that some of these are latino immigrants who are advocating for the wall.)

75-80% of these, or even more, would be super-dooper-fucked-in-the-pooper if the DoD was impacted in the next shutdown.

I might just FIRE. Or go on a mega-buying spree if retail property prices tanked due to foreclosures/short-sales.

So, for my shutdown advocating co-workers, I got something in common with you, but I'll be buying and you might be borderline homeless and hungry. Americans/humans don't really think too far out until that hunger hits them really hard in the belly.

Oh and I might buy your F250 diesels for pennies on the dollar and then sell them back to you later for a little markup. Nah.. I'll pass and let you deal with the repo man.

LOL

This is a good attitude!

In addition to the next shutdown window occurring at the exact time DH might need to be doing field research in another country, he just informed me that the president's proposed budget eliminates his entire science division from existence. Again.  Not that it will happen, but the constant dismissal and belittling of science pisses me off so much. We need an attitude like yours.

RFAAOATB

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As annoying as a shutdown would be, whenever it's threatened I joke about looking forward to my mandatory vacation.  Other people show various level of concern/panic.  I know not everyone is as high on the pay scale as I am but still, that's why you should have a few months emergency fund no matter what your income.

What's interesting is exploring why these undersavers / overspenders bother us so much.  Would I be happier if I bought the better iPhone, personal massages, and big house and truck, or would I be happier if I just didn't have the concept of worrying about paying for it during the good times and just deal with it during the bad times?

Being overburdened with debt is stressful if you get an income shock, but is it really so bad when you've got enough to cover minimum payments? 

I wonder how much of a debt fueled lifestyle increase I can manage on my income.  Maybe I should ask the bank how big a mortgage I can afford.

dude

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You know which federal workers weren't impacted at all by the shutdown?  RETIRED federal workers! And I will be one of them in 52 days. In addition, while politicians routinely fuck with federal employees' pay raises, retirees' pay raises (COLAs) are automatic*. Can't wait to GTFO and stop dealing with the nonsense.

*yeah, yeah, I'm aware that President Fuckhead and his greedy fuck minions have floated the idea of stopping COLAs, but I'm not concerned all that much about it.

I'm a red panda

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As annoying as a shutdown would be, whenever it's threatened I joke about looking forward to my mandatory vacation.  Other people show various level of concern/panic.  I know not everyone is as high on the pay scale as I am but still, that's why you should have a few months emergency fund no matter what your income.

It's nice you have a mandatory vacation.  Most of my friends had work that they were unsure when they would get paid for.  So they couldn't even moonlight to make money elsewhere.

Fomerly known as something

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As annoying as a shutdown would be, whenever it's threatened I joke about looking forward to my mandatory vacation.  Other people show various level of concern/panic.  I know not everyone is as high on the pay scale as I am but still, that's why you should have a few months emergency fund no matter what your income.

It's nice you have a mandatory vacation.  Most of my friends had work that they were unsure when they would get paid for.  So they couldn't even moonlight to make money elsewhere.

What vacation?  My essential butt was at work.

RFAAOATB

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What vacation?  My essential butt was at work.

Exactly.  The most visible example is the planes have to keep flying.  We should cripple the aviation industry the next federal shutdown.  Use the Air Force for air traffic controllers and the Army MPs to handle TSA checkpoints.  Either the country can handle aviation running at reduced capacity for a month or the industry heads will put more pressure than before for Congress to come to an agreement quickly.