you knew you had it hard when...

[bk4sky]

when did u have a moment when u knew that things were rough?? i thought this was a cute idea for a thread after what happened to me yesterday.

i was checking out with an energy drink and then realized i didn't have enough, the lady behind the register felt so bad for me she gave me the rest of the money i needed....i was mortified, but damn i needed that drink! now i must pass a good deed along to someone else.

[Ifonly]

...when I couldn't cash my unemployment check (a STATE check) at the Walmart check cashing kiosk. I didn't even bother to call ChexSystems to ask why. I know my credit is crappy but I've never had a banking problem, abandoned account, anything like that. The woman behind the desk tried to run my SS# twice and said something like, "that hardly ever happens!". Only to deadbeats like me, I guess!

[Allmixedup]

when I couldn't even afford to get my kids school pictures done this past year...

[dingdong]

when I couldn't even afford to get my kids school pictures done this past year...

Don't feel bad, candids and home done pics are so much better. Plus, little known fact, they usually photograph all the kids, and the pics are attached to their school files, so you could probably talk a secretary into scanning one. ( Don't tell anybody I told you...)

[AngelinaCatHub]

It is always good to lend a hand to one who needs it. It comes back to you.

Here is my horror story and the good part of it. Having a diesel car, I pulled into a station to pump up the tank. First pump diesel second pump (two handled as in diesel on left gas on right) said "NOT GASOLINE" on it. The assumption was diesel. while the car idles and I'm filling it to the top, it quits. I look closer at the pump and it says in nearly rubbed off letters E85. What the h*ll is E85?

I found out. Ethanol mix. After a near riot in the convenience store with manager, and stuck on her pump apron, a man over heard me. He said I'll run you down to the car store and you can buy three five gallon cans and I'll help you pump out the car. For Four hours he and I pumped crap out of the tank. When we pushed the car back to the other pump and filled it, it started with a groan and ran roughly for about ten minutes. Lots of smoke.

The man refused money, I gave him the fifteen gallons of whatever to use as a mix in his heavy equipment, and the cans and offered him a tip again. He again refused. I was using a combo tool thing that has all the little tools in it like a Swiss knife, and I told him. "Please take this tool for my sake, not yours. It will make me feel good if you would take it." He simply said thank you and I told him I would pass his favor on to another. Karma works both ways. 'Hub

[JRScott]

Me I kinda realized about a couple years before my bankruptcy. I just kept putting it off thinking it would get better.

In late 2004 I hurt my back again, and I also had sinusitis. I kept the sinus problems for 6 months until I finally left the job I was working at. I was in a hard spot before that but the medical bills etc were just to much even with insurance and all the time off work by doctor's orders was killing me too.

Out of job I stretched my money and the 401k disbursement as best I could living off of it for the next couple of months.

I then in mid 2005 finally got a new part time job. Obviously I needed more than a PT job but that's all I got. Anyway I was in trouble. Finally got a full time job at the PT job as a few months past (around early 2006).

Even with FT I was making less per hour than I had before but without the medical bills I was actually bringing home slightly more money. Well it still wasn't enough. I was in pretty deep at that point. I chose ignore the creditors . So I did for a long time. Except for Dell who I kept paying and a few gas cards.

By this point I had cut things pretty bare bones anyway. Finally in early 2007 I was served. Filed Bankruptcy as a result. Even before being served I had started prep for bankruptcy I just couldn't stand the calls all the time. I filed about 2 months after being served .

[Flamingo]

When we first realized things were really rough? Having $10 in the checking account with a week until the next payday and figuring out how we could afford the gasoline for two vehicles to get to/from work until payday. We had many sleepless nights. Something wakes you up, gets you off your butt, and you do what you gotta do and change your life so it never happens again.

[kenshirley]

Before the housing and stock market crunch we decided to buy an RV and full time it and travel.
We jumped when we should not have done so and bought a very nice RV and readied it for travel.
We prepared our single wide mobile home on acreage to sell at the same time and then put it up for sale. We had lots of lookers and people that said they wanted it but nobody ever came back to buy it.
So after about 3-4 month of this I made some phone calls and found out that my single wide mobile (16'x84') could not (or would not) be financed by the lending institutions anymore. I called some 20 of them and only 2 said they might be able to do something but it would take some 25% down, very good credit and then the interest rate would be around 12% or better on the home.
The housing market was having problems by that time too and I knew that anyone with very good credit and a 25% down would pick up on a stick home somewhere and the bank would give them very good interest rates on it.
So we decided to rides things out and wait for improvement in the market. What the hell, we were retired and had our incomes from that and my wife still worked as she wanted to and with that job the RV and home/land payments were no problem.
Then the wife developed medical issues which cost her the job she had. I was already out of work with medical problems and I could not find work within my limitations.
So now we have the home, land and RV payments and we cannot sell the RV either due to the very high gas prices. We were just barley making the bills and having a tough time doing it.
Then the stock market fell and we knew that we were in trouble all the way around.
So we had a very nice RV but could not afford to take it anywhere as we had no $. We were stuck due to our own stupidity mainly of buying the RV before we sold the home.
We sold the land the mobile sat on quickly and got a little equity out of that and abandoned the mobile knowing we were headed for a BK. We took the RV and moved to another area where we found a rental and turned in the RV they day we got the rental. The bank sure didn't want that back either.
It took the bank 6 months to sell the RV for half of what we owed and the mobile home sat with no offers whatsoever as the property owner told whoever looked at it that it had to be moved. He wanted the home for himself and got it for about 1/3 of what it was worth from the bank that owned it.

[lmeghanx]

when i paid $.50 for a coffee refill with my debit card and i was hit with a $35 overdraft fee the next day

[LuciluS]

when my husband at age 50 had 5 bypass surgery in 2/07, followed by a pacemaker implanted in 6/07 & was off work for 7 1/2 months due to Department Of Transportation regulations.

I am disabled and receive SSD. We took $10,000 out of his IRA and made it until 9/08 when I couldn't pay all of our credit cards as they raised the minimum payments and interest rate. Retained Attorney & filing 9/09. Praise the Lord we are current on our mortgage and DH's truck.

I could 'kick myself' for not seeking our options in 2007. My concern was taking care of my husband. I was never late on any payment & have never bounced a check in my entire life. Gee, I've never received a Fine/Ticket & have never stepped foot in a Courthouse.

I felt it was 'my duty' to be what I perceived as a Good Citizen. Boy, was I wrong after hubby found this Forum.

Luci

[Flowers]

I had 0.19 cents in the checking account and went to my closet to search through handbags for some loose change so I could go get something to eat.

[twuoo]

I had so many times, I've lost count. On top of going through divorce stuff, it just hit me like a ton of bricks.

[frogger]

I've had so many of those moments when I knew it was rough for many years. For the last 10 years or so, bills would come in, and I have sold this, that, and the other to pay the bills. Rough is looking back and understanding that I should have filed 5 or 6 years ago and would have been better off. I thought by doing the things that I did, I could make everything work out. If I had filed years ago, I would be past the stress of it and well on my way towards rebuilding my future. Now, I'm still getting ready to file (this year!).

Rough is looking in the mirror and having to face reality. I do it every day.

[blankslate]

Frogger, I can totally relate. I can't say things have ever been wonderful financially but at least there was a time when paying the rent, utilities and for food and gas were at least done without panic. In 2002 the layoffs started. Several of them in one year and then I could only find part time work for a year. Finally got a stable full time job and then the student loan garnishment started.

While the last 6 years have been unbelievably rough, the timing of my bk actually worked out for the best. The student loan is now down to an amount that I can finally pay off in a lump sum and I can actually make sure rent is paid and food is on the table again. I still fear going back to the way it's been for so long and look forward to the day when I can really breathe easy again.

[Notes4fr]

Knew it was time to finally acknowledge where I was (and prepare to file) while syphoning gas out of my van (which is waiting for the $200 to repair it) so I had gas to make it to the next payday. My thought.... "Man... I hope this thing doesn't explode. It would be bad to have the thing explode... just because I don't have enough cash to get gas.... "