Homeless middle class

Well...I know in the early 90's when they started saying computers were going to replace a lot of folks (mind u I was like in 1st or 3rd grade by then) I already knew the economy would be headed this way.

I don't honestly think people try living beyond their means at all. True there are some but not most. The credentials have gone way up for jobs but not necessarily the pay. Which if I'm going to be in debt for a piece of paper to tell me I am entitled to a certain salary a year and still not be able to get that career...I see a problem!

Maybe I'm lazy but I just think it is dumb to ask someone to work 2 full time jobs and a part-time job just to say they made it, when if they drop one of the jobs they in fact haven't made it anywhere. Ok I'm rambling. Sorry. I just think some people need to stop trying to be so black and white about this situation b/c it can easily be any of us going thru this.

Posted at 9:39pm May 20, 2008 EDT

When I was in San Jose ten years ago, people were living at homeless shelters and working full time.

So something's obviously gone haywire there.

Posted at 9:40pm May 20, 2008 EDT

BLG - I agree with you altogether. There is a true middle class .... people who aren't weathly, but who own their comfortable little home, and live within their means. I just think it's a really small percentage of people.


I have friends ( a couple ) who just bought a $425,000.00 home. It's their first house. They had to get a forty year mortgage, and pay 1400.00 a month INTEREST. Sometimes they go a whole month eating only plain spaghetti to meet their bills. And they are considered middle class. It boggles my mind.

Posted at 9:47pm May 20, 2008 EDT

I think buying over 100k home for a starter home is a bit much unless you are pulling in over 60k a year by yourself. Even 60k for one person isn't enough for a mcmansion.

Posted at 9:49pm May 20, 2008 EDT

odkins, I totally agree, it's definitly a small percentage. A lot of people decide to buy enormous homes that they really can't afford... and that kind of ends up pulling you way down... and then it seems most folks think they

Posted at 9:53pm May 20, 2008 EDT

whoops, supposed to continue:

and then it seems most folks think they need to have a new car every year or two and new name brand clothes, brand name food, etc. I personally think that for most folks it's your priorities and mindset that make the difference between the minority and majority approach to middle class.

Posted at 9:54pm May 20, 2008 EDT

DelorisKaren - I'm in Canada, but our dollars are pretty comparable right now. I've never in my adult life seen a house priced for less than 100K ... in my town (historically a logger town, now a bit trendy, near Vancouver) the average price for a detached home is over 400K. Empty lots sell for 300K. You can't buy a bachelor apartment for less than about 180K, and that's rare.

In Guelph, Ontario, where I'm from originally, which is a regular sort of nice, small university town, the lowest price you'd get a real fixer-upper house for would be about 170K. I just can't even imagine being able to buy a house for under a hundred thousand.

Posted at 9:54pm May 20, 2008 EDT

YEah, BLG, we're on the same page ;)

Posted at 9:55pm May 20, 2008 EDT

Well the house I am in currently in 1988 was valued at 60k but now can run to 190k. They way it's built and the room in it. I think it should still be at 60k. Well the only homes under 100k now would be mobile homes and even some of those aren't even under 100k when you factor in the land cost. It just seems to me people getting overly greedy in asking prices instead of having common sense about their average consumer.

Posted at 9:58pm May 20, 2008 EDT

ugh. so sad.

a family up the road from us apparently just lost their house and are currently living in 2 tents. 3 kids and a cat and the parents. the guy worked for a big corporation and was really high up on the ladder when they downsized. they lived off of savings for a year until they pretty much ran out. the mom was a stay at home mom and 2 of the 3 kids are in school. there are outreach programs but apparently they are better off in a tent. i'm just happy that it's almost summer.

Posted at 10:01pm May 20, 2008 EDT