Is the economy sound, or not?

#101
#101
I just finished with HR block, we're getting back almost double as last year. Thanks Trump!😁

* Figured this thread was as good as any to trigger someone with that post😆
 
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#102
#102
ClearwaterVol said:
45k in household income for a family of 3 isn't really what I grew up considering middle class to be. After the basics you are to be left with 1k per month for gas, health insurance, life insurance, clothes, sundries and food. Screw savings etc.
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I was in a family of 5 that grew up on equivalent income for the time and we considered ourselves middle class. Both parents worked and as soon as we could (12 for me) we got a jobs to pay for things we wanted
 
#103
#103
I came up the same way. Started cutting grass in my neighborhood at 11 or 12. Was 1 of 3 kids back then, on very meager budget...my parents would say "yall have 40 dollars each for school shoes this year, if you want something better then get to work." I remember getting a pair of Bo Jacksons for 120 bucks after tax, i had to cut a bunch of grass to make up that 80 dollars. You can bet i took damn good care of my shoes though when i had to sweat for them. My kids have no idea...i try to tell them but they still dont get it. Ordering pizza was a treat in our house as kids...happened less than once a month, eating out maybe couple times a year. I had to eat like an animal and barely taste it or i would only get 2 pieces because my big brother ate like a stinking dog and would eat my rightful share...my kids eat fast food anytime we are out and cant cook, pizza etc frequently...they dont appreciate it because its always been that way. They will say thanks sometimes, but they simply dont understand how good they have it.
 
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#104
#104
marcusluvsvols said:
I came up the same way. Started cutting grass in my neighborhood at 11 or 12. Was 1 of 3 kids back then, on very meager budget...my parents would say "yall have 40 dollars each for school shoes this year, if you want something better then get to work." I remember getting a pair of Bo Jacksons for 120 bucks after tax, i had to cut a bunch of grass to make up that 80 dollars. You can bet i took damn good care of my shoes though when i had to sweat for them. My kids have no idea...i try to tell them but they still dont get it. Ordering pizza was a treat in our house as kids...happened less than once a month, eating out maybe couple times a year. I had to eat like an animal and barely taste it or i would only get 2 pieces because my big brother ate like a stinking dog and would eat my rightful share...my kids eat fast food anytime we are out and cant cook, pizza etc frequently...they dont appreciate it because its always been that way. They will say thanks sometimes, but they simply dont understand how good they have it.
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Me and a friend of mine from about 10 years old would pull weeds, and bust and carry coal for people in our "holler". We'd get like a couple of dollars to pull weeds, and 50 cents a bucket for coal. It was hard work, but gave us a good work ethic. My dad always raised a big garden, and I'd have to watch other kids play on my basketball goal until I was done working the garden every day. I hated it then, but glad now. He'd always give me a few dollars a week for doing it, and he didn't have to do that.
 
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#105
#105
volinbham said:
I was in a family of 5 that grew up on equivalent income for the time and we considered ourselves middle class. Both parents worked and as soon as we could (12 for me) we got a jobs to pay for things we wanted
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You considered yourselves middle class. I don't consider kids needing jobs at 12 apparently in lieu of allowance is middle class. I would think for a family of three to be middle class, it would be 60-160 depending upon where you live, of course.
 
#107
#107
ClearwaterVol said:
You considered yourselves middle class. I don't consider kids needing jobs at 12 apparently in lieu of allowance is middle class. I would think for a family of three to be middle class, it would be 60-160 depending upon where you live, of course.
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How do you know they 'needed' to go to work? And why is being handed an allowance a better thing?

Oh stupid me, it instills liberal 'values' at an early age.
 
#108
#108
SpaceCoastVol said:
How do you know they 'needed' to go to work? And why is being handed an allowance a better thing?

Oh stupid me, it instills liberal 'values' at an early age.
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Nice of you to assume allowance means handed. It never has in my house. I worked for mine and my daughter works for hers. My personal opinion is that kid's job should be school. I am in position where I can pay an allowance based upon work done for me. I want my daughter to appreciate the value of money, but she doesn't need to be worrying about working a shift at McDonalds to pay for her insurance v. studying for a test. Or attending play practice. Be a kid. Enjoy it.
 
#109
#109
ClearwaterVol said:
You considered yourselves middle class. I don't consider kids needing jobs at 12 apparently in lieu of allowance is middle class. I would think for a family of three to be middle class, it would be 60-160 depending upon where you live, of course.
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We had all the necessities and took a vacation once a year. No allowance but I earned enough to buy a motorcycle (which I used to expand my paper route capabilities and income) and then a car when I turned 16. We lived in a middle class neighborhood in Knoxville.

We certainly weren't lower class and I don't see why we wouldn't be considered middle class.
 
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#110
#110
ClearwaterVol said:
Nice of you to assume allowance means handed. It never has in my house. I worked for mine and my daughter works for hers. My personal opinion is that kid's job should be school. I am in position where I can pay an allowance based upon work done for me. I want my daughter to appreciate the value of money, but she doesn't need to be worrying about working a shift at McDonalds to pay for her insurance v. studying for a test. Or attending play practice. Be a kid. Enjoy it.
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I learned a tremendous amount in every job I had and it didn't negatively impact my school work. Hell, in my paper route (age 12 - 15) I was basically running a small business where I had to purchase my inventory and collect all payment directly from customers. Greatest way to learn about budgeting and cash flow ever for a teen IMHO.
 
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#111
#111
volinbham said:
We had all the necessities and took a vacation once a year. No allowance but I earned enough to by a motorcycle (which I used to expand my paper route capabilities and income) and then a car when I turned 16. We lived in a middle class neighborhood in Knoxville.

We certainly weren't lower class and I don't see why we wouldn't be considered middle class.
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I understand what you are saying. We weren't the wealthiest where we lived, but were better off than many others. We knew we weren't rich, but knew we were okay.
 
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#112
#112
ClearwaterVol said:
Nice of you to assume allowance means handed. It never has in my house. I worked for mine and my daughter works for hers. My personal opinion is that kid's job should be school. I am in position where I can pay an allowance based upon work done for me. I want my daughter to appreciate the value of money, but she doesn't need to be worrying about working a shift at McDonalds to pay for her insurance v. studying for a test. Or attending play practice. Be a kid. Enjoy it.
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You assume that working means you miss being a kid.
 
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#113
#113
lawgator1 said:
The stock market has recovered well. A China trade deal would likely push it even higher.

But today car loan delinquencies are at record levels.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/business/delinquent-car-loans/index.html

The article explains that there are more car loans now than before, so that explains some of it. On the other hand, that is in part because banks are lending again to higher risk customers. We have seen that movie before!

So is the economy good, bad, ugly? I think it is mostly just uneven. The middle and the top are doing better. The top of the top, in particular, is benefiting enormously. The lower middle class and the poor, however, continue to take a beating it seems.
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Majority democrats.
 
#114
#114
joevol33 said:
I understand what you are saying. We weren't the wealthiest where we lived, but were better off than many others. We knew we weren't rich, but knew we were okay.
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Yep, had friends on either side of the spectrum but I have no doubt that the neighborhood as a whole (Timbercrest) was considered middle class.

I might have had to settle for the JCPenny "fox" shirt rather than the Izod "alligator" shirt but...
 
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#116
#116
SpaceCoastVol said:
You assume that working means you miss being a kid.
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Yep. In the paper delivery business it was all kids with a common bond and experience. It took me an hour each day for delivery and a couple hours on the weekend to go "collect". Hardly a time crunch.

When I moved to restaurants and grocery stores and car washes it was still maybe 15 hours a week.

The only "kid" thing I missed was working Friday nights and not getting to go to the High School football games.
 
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#117
#117
SpaceCoastVol said:
You assume that working means you miss being a kid.
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It doesn't mean you miss out on being a kid. Definitely different strokes for different folks.

Volinbham - Not saying that 45k for a family of three makes you low class, but I think of middle class as not having to struggle. I also think after hearing your story that 45k means a world of difference depending upon your location. 45k in Nashville is tougher than 45k in Knoxville
 
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#120
#120
ClearwaterVol said:
Nice of you to assume allowance means handed. It never has in my house. I worked for mine and my daughter works for hers. My personal opinion is that kid's job should be school. I am in position where I can pay an allowance based upon work done for me. I want my daughter to appreciate the value of money, but she doesn't need to be worrying about working a shift at McDonalds to pay for her insurance v. studying for a test. Or attending play practice. Be a kid. Enjoy it.
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I worked around the house, but never got an allowance until I was about 14. and it was crap, told my parents to keep it when my neighbors paid me more in one afternoon than my parents gave me for the whole month.

chores are part of life, when you are on your own no one pays you to do laundry, clean, cook, cut grass etc etc. thats just part of living. I agree with what others said, it sucked at the time but now I am thankful. seeing that I could get far more from others than what I could from family made me realize I wanted a job so I could provide for myself, instead of relying on my parents.

doing chores never interfered with the schooling or anything else.
 
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#121
#121
OP states economy is uneven.

I'm seeing a mix of replies that it is/was Obama/Dems fault, the other mix saying the economy is actually good.

So, it's Obama/Dems fault it is bad, or Obama/Dems fault it is good?
 
#122
#122
ClearwaterVol said:
It doesn't mean you miss out on being a kid. Definitely different strokes for different folks.

Volinbham - Not saying that 45k for a family of three makes you low class, but I think of middle class as not having to struggle. I also think after hearing your story that 45k means a world of difference depending upon your location. 45k in Nashville is tougher than 45k in Knoxville
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Middle class has always struggled. It's always about trade-offs. (also it's "lower class" not "low class" -- two different meanings)
 
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#123
#123
LouderVol said:
I worked around the house, but never got an allowance until I was about 14. and it was crap, told my parents to keep it when my neighbors paid me more in one afternoon than my parents gave me for the whole month.

chores are part of life, when you are on your own no one pays you to do laundry, clean, cook, cut grass etc etc. thats just part of living. I agree with what others said, it sucked at the time but now I am thankful. seeing that I could get far more from others than what I could from family made me realize I wanted a job so I could provide for myself, instead of relying on my parents.

doing chores never interfered with the schooling or anything else.
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I had chores - just never got paid for them! Working is what paid my meager bills.
 
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#124
#124
LouderVol said:
I worked around the house, but never got an allowance until I was about 14. and it was crap, told my parents to keep it when my neighbors paid me more in one afternoon than my parents gave me for the whole month.

chores are part of life, when you are on your own no one pays you to do laundry, clean, cook, cut grass etc etc. thats just part of living. I agree with what others said, it sucked at the time but now I am thankful. seeing that I could get far more from others than what I could from family made me realize I wanted a job so I could provide for myself, instead of relying on my parents.

doing chores never interfered with the schooling or anything else.
Click to expand...

That is the part allowance that most kids come to realize and it makes them want a job.
 
#125
#125
ClearwaterVol said:
You considered yourselves middle class. I don't consider kids needing jobs at 12 apparently in lieu of allowance is middle class. I would think for a family of three to be middle class, it would be 60-160 depending upon where you live, of course.
Click to expand...

Looking back we might not have been "middle class" family income was probably less than 50k a year then. Dad had me working on the farm in some capacity from as early as I can remember. My allowance was getting to eat and sleep indoors and if I needed extra money I picked up hay or other odd jobs from other farmers. We didn't have Nikes or name brand clothes, cable TV or even air conditioning but I don't ever remember going hungry, not getting medical care when needed or being not allowed to play sports or participate in school activities. Even had dirt bikes (since bicycles were useless) so I considered myself lucky.

Class is all a mindset.
 
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