So for like 600 months. That's 50 years for a decent house. When 50 years roll around, it'll be far more than that so you'll have to keep saving but you'll never get there.
Eh, you can find some decent ones in my country for about 150K, which is about 12 and a half years. But tbh yeah, the current housing market is just sad.
Yea. Though, TBH, given many things I've seen, I'm not really sure how bad it is to just ... eventually... not pay off the debts.(In the US) Like, yes, it'll hurt your credit - but even bankruptcy clears out in 7-10 years from what I understand. Just not paying off some credit cards?
So, if you're young enough, that might well not be a big deal, you can wait it out being poor just like you are now. If you're old enough, you probably don't care - one hopes you're not looking for a big loan at 80. And I also wonder - you know - on unsecured debt anyway - what is going to happen? I suppose if your total is high enough they might garnish your wages. But OTOH, many times it's just avoiding debt collectors, which usually is just not reading that mail, and not answering unknown phone numbers. You know - daily life in 2023.
I'm not going to suggest you default on your debts (unless it's in the context of dying without anything in your estate to go after), but I know of plenty of people who manage to go through life for decades basically paying very small amounts to keep foreclosure and tax auctions away, and otherwise just don't pay bills. The downside is they can't get loans, and don't have spare money - but it depends on where you are currently too - maybe that's just current life anyway.
Probably find a way to waste it without affecting anything.
I make 1000€ per month more than 5 years ago. Didn't affect anything. You always seem to increase your monthly expences with equal ammount. Buy slightly better clothes, more expensive food, get a new pet, etc. and it all just disappears.
We already had a pet, so it was to make the pet happier, but it was a bad example.
For example in food you can buy the cheap tortured chiken or organicly grown outdoor chiken. It's still the same chicken. You just feel a bit better when you think about it.
Little improvements like this are a money sink and you can easily sink a 1000€ per month without really changing you everyday life.
It's so interesting to me how money can have such a different value for different people. I live in the EU yet I make less than 1000€ a month even though prices are at EU levels. This would more than double my income and it would mean I could finally afford new clothes, I wouldn't have to worry about having money for food, bills would be paid on time and I could even save up a meaningful ammount! It would be a literal life-saver.
I kinda make that extra 1000 a month. I am a disabled vet and pretty much get UBI for the rest of my life, and I gotta saaaay it's pretty nice. Definitely lowers stress in a huge way. No matter what, mortgage is always paid. I really wish this could be a thing for everyone. Or, you know, businesses would be forced to pay workers a minimum wage based on profits or something, I don't know.
If everyone else also gets it? Nothing; rent and food prices would increase and eat it up.
If everyone else doesn't get it? Avoid homelessness slightly longer than everyone else; rent and food prices would still increase and eat it up, but everyone else would run out of money and become homeless.
I’d be able to pay off the debt collectors pretty quick. Then I’d be able to get a car, one that doesn’t feel like it will die at any moment. I might even have enough leftover to throw a hundred or so into a savings account.
Right now, none of that is possible. Eventually I’d like to be able to make enough to do some of those things, but that day is pretty far off.