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Old 11-11-2017, 08:30 AM   #1
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Many older Americans are living a desperate, nomadic life

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ma...ife-2017-11-06

Is the above you?

I retired with enough money for a comfortable life and am full timing.

However, I think we all see many people described in the article along the road. I can usually spot them in Walmart parking lots in their vans or trailers that are a bit shabby and packed with stuff.

I think this will happen to more people as time goes on. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck and the loss of a job will put them on the street. One of the reasons that wages have not grown since the '70's is that people do not feel secure in their jobs so they don't ask for raises and stay in the job if they have one.
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Old 11-11-2017, 09:09 AM   #2
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Yes, sort of. Our SSDI and SSI were not paying the mortgage and living was eating up my meager 401(k) so we sold the house before the bank got it and bought our class A. Our first year of fulltiming was outside our budget but we expected that. Had to satisfy the tourist bug. Now we are on budget, more or less, and hope to find camp host opportunities to help.
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Old 11-11-2017, 09:40 AM   #3
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Yes, sort of. Our SSDI and SSI were not paying the mortgage and living was eating up my meager 401(k) so we sold the house before the bank got it and bought our class A. Our first year of fulltiming was outside our budget but we expected that. Had to satisfy the tourist bug. Now we are on budget, more or less, and hope to find camp host opportunities to help.
I've asked the moderator to delete "Is the above you?" from my post. After thinking about it; it isn't appropriate.

I guess I should have asked have you seen the people described in the article and is it affecting your RVing? I tend to avoid shabby RV parks for long term stays.

As to camp host opportunities; there are a lot of people with the same idea. I'd suggest you look at state parks because not many people look into those. Also, if you go with commercial RV parks try to form a good bond with the owners and return to the same ones you like. From what I've seen people do 'age out' of being a camp host. The manual labor becomes too much for them.
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Old 11-11-2017, 10:20 AM   #4
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I've asked the moderator to delete "Is the above you?" from my post. After thinking about it; it isn't appropriate.

I guess I should have asked have you seen the people described in the article and is it affecting your RVing? I tend to avoid shabby RV parks for long term stays.

As to camp host opportunities; there are a lot of people with the same idea. I'd suggest you look at state parks because not many people look into those. Also, if you go with commercial RV parks try to form a good bond with the owners and return to the same ones you like. From what I've seen people do 'age out' of being a camp host. The manual labor becomes too much for them.
So the assumption is that because we don't have a lot of money we are shabby? Are you afraid we will somehow infect your campground? Since when has camping been solely for the enjoyment of the privileged?
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Old 11-11-2017, 10:28 AM   #5
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I stop where I want to. The best reception we had on an overnight stay was at a less than stellar RV park. Everyone there said hello as they walked by or when we met them on the street.

It's not the unit it's the people that make RV'ing great.
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Old 11-11-2017, 12:39 PM   #6
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I've asked the moderator to delete "Is the above you?" from my post. After thinking about it; it isn't appropriate.

I guess I should have asked have you seen the people described in the article and is it affecting your RVing? I tend to avoid shabby RV parks for long term stays.

As to camp host opportunities; there are a lot of people with the same idea. I'd suggest you look at state parks because not many people look into those. Also, if you go with commercial RV parks try to form a good bond with the owners and return to the same ones you like. From what I've seen people do 'age out' of being a camp host. The manual labor becomes too much for them.
Have you come in contact with people described in the article? Has it affected you?

After reading that article how do you suppose people described in the article could affect you?

You know what affects me? Going to a Walmart or Home Depot or fast food restaurant or anywhere where I see older people working when they should be retired. It depresses the heck out of me to think in this country older people have to work until they die.

If they are retired and working for their own enjoyment it's one thing but working in your seventies in order to eat or live indoors is ridiculous.

Maybe if Bezos (sited in the article for taking advantage of people in that situation) paid his employees a living wage elderly poor people wouldn't affect you.

Bezos just sold enough stock to get him a billion in cash to fund his space hobby. That billion could go a long way to helping people not have to live in a trailer by just paying them a little more each week.

Sorry for the rant but suggesting people that are doing whatever they have to do in order to live indoors and eat might somehow affect your RVing experience is absurd.
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Old 11-11-2017, 03:07 PM   #7
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I read the article you referenced. I feel sorry for those who, through circumstances not always of their own making, find themselves trying to live a shoestring existence on the road.

I was positively appalled at the comments that appeared on that page. What a bunch of superior, arrogant, know-it-all's. I hope none of them find themselves close to retirement while having to support an elderly relative, or taking care of mentally or physically challenged children.

Some people make bad financial decisions, that's true. Many of these decisions didn't seem bad at the time, but were only proven to be so later. Wage stagnation, predatory lending, no healthcare can all combine to make it almost impossible to climb out of the hole.

I am most disturbed by the lack of compassion I saw in the comments on that page. What is this country turning into that we cannot find empathy in ourselves for those that have less than we do? Being poor by itself does not mean they're bad people, or stupid, or foolish. The deck has been stacked against these people for decades. Ask yourself why so many are living one paltry paycheck away from homelessness, while others, born on third base, act like their success was all due to their own hard work, and if you're not rich it's your own fault, because you must be stupid or lazy. Face it, capitalism only works for the rich, and mostly on the backs of the disadvantaged.

If you're so arrogant that you think you have all the answers, then please deign to share them with our elected representatives. You can probably catch them in between going to or returning from endless re-election fundraisers, where they are listening and responding to rich donors who whine about excessive taxation and how they are not as rich as they could be with a little help from Congress.

I am not responding to any comments made here, only those I found beneath that article. Very disturbing; just had to vent a little.

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Old 11-11-2017, 03:51 PM   #8
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We were at a campground in Michigan that was well taken care of. The lots were wooded and there was a very nice bath house and a lake. The cost for the whole year (April 15 - Oct. 15) is only 1000. So there are options if you are on a tight budget. PM me if you'd like to check it out.
It's not true to say capitalism only works for the rich. Many people including blue collar people like me work and save. I also agree that minimum wage is not a living wage. Still looking for a better country than the great US OF A.
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Old 11-11-2017, 04:09 PM   #9
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I could make some observations that would probably get my post deleted but...

Please don't make full timers and nomads the next class of victims to be used to justify more government programs and spending. Like any group of people, there will be those that are scraping by and those that are living high on the hog, so to speak. Maybe it's the recession/housing/stock crash of 2008 or maybe it's bad choices. Doesn't matter.

Some of us choose to live an existence on the road, despite or because of our financial situation, that would make the heart of your average social justice avenger renting a $3000 a month one bedroom flat in a major urban center bleed with misplaced compassion. I know there are plenty of folks that would rather live in a ten year old fiver pulled by an even older pickup and work odd jobs to stock the pantry than work a 9-5 job and lose their freedom.

There was another article like this a few weeks back that someone referenced. They highlighted some anecdotal cases without any real statistics or facts to prove their assertion that capitalism/corporatism/whatever-ism is bad. It seems some people are always on the lookout for some cause to champion.

I doubt most of us want the pity of these types, much less their help. There's plenty of programs out there to help folks that really need it. I sense a lot of people, especially folks born in the 40's, 50's and 60's, would rather make their own way than rely on charity and handouts. Not every older person whose retirement went up in smoke is living on the road. Usually, that was a choice made over some other lifestyle they probably found demeaning, boring or restrictive.

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Old 11-11-2017, 04:12 PM   #10
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The reactions here are sooooooo much different than those on the Escapees forum.
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Old 11-11-2017, 04:21 PM   #11
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As someone who did work at fast food restaurants early in my life in my opinion minimum wage is not needed.

I walked into that place looking for a job and said I would work whatever shift paid the most. I ended up working the late shift, closing up and cleaning. My sister took the start of day shift. Some days we passed each other in the driveway. Now we say no matter how bad a day we have we are not suggesting fries to our clients.

The moral, for me at least, hard work for crappy pay promotes a desire for better education and therefore better employment. That has served me well. Of course I did have some very good luck but none the less if this country is so bad why do so many immigrants risk their lives to come here?

Please remind me the last time some American Died trying to sneak into Mexico for a better life?

Stepping off the proverbial soap box
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Old 11-11-2017, 04:38 PM   #12
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As someone who did work at fast food restaurants early in my life in my opinion minimum wage is not needed.

I walked into that place looking for a job and said I would work whatever shift paid the most. I ended up working the late shift, closing up and cleaning. My sister took the start of day shift. Some days we passed each other in the driveway. Now we say no matter how bad a day we have we are not suggesting fries to our clients.

The moral, for me at least, hard work for crappy pay promotes a desire for better education and therefore better employment. That has served me well. Of course I did have some very good luck but none the less if this country is so bad why do so many immigrants risk their lives to come here?

Please remind me the last time some American Died trying to sneak into Mexico for a better life?

Stepping off the proverbial soap box
Unfortunately the book has nothing to do with entry level jobs or your political agenda. It is more about older Americans, many of whom worked hard their entire lives, who now can't afford to live in a stable location and are forced to accept minimum wage. Many, if not most, fast food workers are not kids nowadays. Many actually work multiple jobs, often well in excess of 40 hours a week just to get by. I guess you would have them work for even less. Try it some time and tell me they are doing it out of choice. We don't want a hand out, we want a fighting chance.
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Old 11-11-2017, 04:41 PM   #13
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In my family several members never tried to improve themselves even when other members tried to help them. Education they could have, never taken. They all are now hurting, financially and in health.
Early I wanted better in life, especially in retirement. Went to college even though I wanted to get married. Never over spent what I made. Started saving at 28, wife hated that. Didn't buy what I couldn't afford, saved up for first. Never made really good income.
Retired at 55 doing smart things. Fifteen years later can't spent fast enough for our present income.
Even the poorest can sacrifice a few pennies to make single dollars, that grow into thousands. THINKING AHEAD.
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Old 11-11-2017, 04:44 PM   #14
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I don't know about you guys but some of what was said in the article would be a dream to some. Traveling in a 2nd hand RV driving from one state to another, picking up seasonal jobs when needed just may be what some are looking for, even in there 60's. One of the responses in the article expresses this "The people I met on the road were so creative and resilient and I spent time learning from them. Following them was the most exciting opportunity I’ve ever had".

Over all i am not impressed with the article. Leaves a lot to interpretation with little true detail, but that may be in the book. And to suggest Amazon should pay more? Really, its a minimum wage job (actually they pay more than the minimum), 15 min break? That's better than most get that work 50+ hour work weeks.

There is nothing wrong with capitalism, it works for everyone as it always has. But when times are bad they are bad, some people are just effected by tough times more than others. Its what you make out of the bad times that matters.

All that said there is a ton of people living paycheck to pay check, no 401k or pension. That makes things tough for later.
Its sad that there are some in retirement age that don't want to do this or are forced to financially. But i believe this is why we have Social Security, even bankruptcy. I would have to get to know these people individually to comment better.

I personally would love to see more RV parks, tiny home property's creating an old school community of yesteryear where people of all ages support each other.
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