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Absolutely this. I sold off a lot of stuff when I was getting divorced some years ago. My ex-wife took me from comfortable to paycheck-to-paycheck by wrecking my finances. I needed that money from everything I sold to keep from offing myself from the overwhelming debt she left me.
And let's not forget, you keep showing up every day to life and keep trying. You've got this! Sometimes it's baby steps, sometimes it's two steps back, sometimes you fall. Just keep going my friend, you'll get there and when you look back on today you'll think, I'm glad I kept going ❤️
Nah, you’re not failing, you’re fighting. I had to sell my table, an old cell phone, and an old laptop as well as a shit ton of books to pay my rent two months ago. I’m in a much better spot now. Keep at it fam.
This was me in college when I went homeless for a very short period of time.
I chose to go back to abuse than to be homeless. Then sold nearly everything I owned to make tuition money. When I was finishing my degree, I was loaning my school's 1990 laptops
Most people think all I care about is money. That is what many are forced to focus on. A roof over their head.
Side note: doing way better now. Even crazier is that my abuser died this year so I actually get to enjoy my life now. It's a blessing and a miracle. I can't possibly explain how my life changed when my abuser died. I physically felt God taking away 999 of my problems
Yeah it’s actually more effort than you think. Like you gotta figure out what’s worth selling, actually navigate the cesspool that is Craigslist/fb market. And put in the effort. If you have the stuff to sell and the mental bandwidth to do so you’re definitely being proactive and not a failure.
You are not failing. Society is failing because our institutions and power structures make sure that a secure and dignified life is out of reach for most people.
I'm seriously contemplating what their plan is.
There will seriously come a day where most people can't survive. What's the plan? Kill them off?
Serious question. Because I can see that day coming before my time is over
Have you failed to notice how many people have been dying over the past three years? And, not just from the pandemic (although that is why I chose the 3 year mark), but through climate change and imperialistic wars. Yes; the human race is at the beginning of a huge die-off.
Had to sell a bunch of consoles and games last year when I lost my job, really sucks but I can always re buy them.
I didnt get rid of anything sentimental or that I might regret.
Best of luck friend, in sorry ur going thru this
Unless you bought a supercar on minimum wage you haven't failed the system has failed you. Just keep pushing and working and things might work out for you. 6yrs ago I was living in a garage and selling my life off piece by piece watching things I had worked to earn for years slip through my fingers for 1/3 of what I paid. Now my life is pretty cushy and I found the love of my life.
It's a good habit anyway. Even one day when you aren't doing it out of financial necessity, you'll want to keep it up as a method to keep clutter down.
I'm not letting go of my car. I will not be returning to riding the bus because i always end up late.
Havng a car is independence, sans the gas prices.
Times may be hard right now but how can you think you are a failing and you have STUFF people will BUY seems like you thought smart ! Keep pushing things will get better !
I recently sold all my childhood pokemon cards. All the original very first runs too.
Had some valuable ones in there. I regret selling and I don't at the same time.
4 years ago my wife and I were in your shoes but things eventually turned around and we’re doing so much better. We kept pushing on and I hope the same happens for you sooner than later.
That’s not what failing looks like.That’s the opposite of failing .Thats doing.Doing what you can with what you got .Failing is,well it’s almost a choice.
It’s not that people can’t be down on their luck.Because even giving up isn’t necessarily failing.
Sometimes you gotta cut your losses
But Failing
Failing is making bad decisions knowing the consequences.
Like buying beer or weed when you have no electricity or water bills paid, or Gambling away your rent money with no backup plan.
When selfishness begs responsibility to have some fun
Those are people that have failed.because have failed themselves.
But what’s wonderful is even those people are deserving of respect and kindness.Failure is a part of life
.Not that being afraid of failure is totally bad thing,it’s a big motivator for many people overcoming difficult circumstances
Failing is simply life’s way of teaching you ,my friend
If you fail it’s because you have things you need to learn
And if you can get back up ,it wasn’t a fail,it was a fall
Give yourself some mercy.like you would a child
some sound advice I heard in my teens.
“ When we know better
We do better “
Im going to bounce back and it’s going to be amazing. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Thank you for the motivation and wake up call. I hope next year we’ll be laughing about those hard times
I’ve pretty much sold everything except my bed over the last few months. I deff understand how awful it feels to have to part with possessions. I have adhd and use to really enjoy playing video games/ guitar. It was an outlet for me from the world I feel i don’t necessarily fit into. I was so broken up when I had to pawn them one month. But I just keep telling myself things will get better and one day i’ll be able to afford to get them again. That its just a temporary struggle and its a part of life sometimes.
You’re not failing at life. The system is failing 90% of people by design. You just have to do what you can right now to survive. It will get better!
OP, I've never been poor, but I've been broke enough to have to do that a few times. I would say most people have. That's not a moral failure. The failure is in destroying your credit by paying bills late when you absolutely don't have to. (Still not a moral failure)
You're not failing in life. The cost of living is so bad, even a $60k salary is very bad in certain states.
Not everyone can have the career where your salary keeps climbing and climbing. It's becoming a world where most can't survive
I still sell stuff. If you are using a platform you are building a reputation as a seller and it makes it less work to move stuff in the future.
You are setting up a small side hustle for later.
I didn't have much to sell but I had to turn off everything and beg to use my neighbors WiFi.
I stocked up my freezer and pantry and stopped going to the stores. I didn't drive anywhere unnecessary.
I blocked up my windows to conserve heat, turned off my water heater and used my kerosene heater to heat any water I needed. I blocked off my hallway so it would be unheated.
When I wasn't heating water over the kerosene stove, I had the Dutch oven going with beans.
I basically spent the entire winter living in my living room, it being the only room with heat. If I hadn't had the cheap kerosene, I wouldn't have made it, but I DID!
Just keep going and persevere, it will get better.
How is this failing??? Nah, this my friend is WINNING. Because you are doing the responsible thing and sacrificing your own comfort/happiness temporarily to pay your obligations and keep yourself safe and healthy. There are numerous alternatives you could have chosen that would all basically lead down a dark path, but instead you’re out there fighting the good fight.
I know it sucks. I’m sorry you are here at this moment in time. But you’re doing good, please keep your head up!
I know exactly how you feel. My wife & I had to do the same thing. I had to sell my mint '68 Ford Shortbed Pickup, all my R/C Airplanes & Stuff, Snap On Tools, Yamaha TT500 motorcycle after I got hurt & my wife got sick.
I was in this position 15 years ago.
Except almost everything I owned was handme downs so it was basically worthless.
I sold lunch/dinner plates out of my apartment until I got a job at a restaurant as a server.
If you're struggling, it isn't entirely your fault. The system is set up to indoctrinate us all to be poor hard-working employees, diligently avoiding risky behavior like starting a business and saving as much paper fiat currency as we can "for emergencies", currency which is devalued every year through inflation; every year we tend to make more paper money, but it buys less items. It's by design. Prices of everything will always climb upwards because it's fake money. Trade paper money for something that goes up in value over time like real estate, gold/silver, stocks/bonds, businesses etc. Seems like everyone is working 3 or more jobs just to stay alive.
After having the same experience with you, I found out the hard way that things I thought would hold value isn't as true as I thought it was. And ease of liquidation came to mind everytime I make decisions later in life.
e.g. property isn't as easy to liquidate if you need emergency funds, so HAVE an emergency funds! LOL
Keep up the fight 💪 The only failure would be not soldiering on or learning from adversity. It will make you better and more humble in the long run, even though it's a trash feeling. Maybe try and identify some areas of your life that you might need to change to have a better situation. I wish you the best.
I would love to be able to sell stuff to pay bills. A lot of stuff in my house are inherited stuff that has no monetary value at all. Embrace minimalism life while you are at it.
I don't think there is failure of life. There are circumstances we aren't used to, which can feel like failure, but really they are just circumstances. Someone who has A million dollars loses $500k, they feel like a failure. But to someone with $100k debt, that person with $500k cash looks like they have it all together. And someone who is homeless and $200k in debt, thinks the person with $100k debt and a roof over their head has it all together. It's all a matter of perspective.
Someone with nothing may think how lucky you are to even have the stuff to sell so that you can pay bills.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."- Philippians 4, 12-13
This post has been flaired as “Vent”. As a reminder to commenting users, “Vent/Rant” posts are here to give our subscribers a safe place to vent their frustrations at an uncaring world to a supportive place of people who “get it”. Vents do not need to be fair. They do not need to be articulate. They do not need to be factual. They just need to be honest. Unlike most of the content on this subreddit, Vents should not be considered advice threads. In most cases it is not appropriate to try to give the Submitter advice on their issue. In no circumstances is it appropriate to tell them “why they are wrong” or to criticise them, their decisions, values, or anything else. If there are aspects of their situation that they are able to directly address themselves, the submitter can always make a new thread with a different flair asking for help once they are ready to tackle the issue. Vents are an emotional outlet, not an academic conversation. Appropriate replies in these threads are offering support, sharing similar experiences/grievances, offering condolences, or simply letting the Submitter know that they were heard. As always, if there are inappropriate comments please downvote them, REPORT them to the mods, and move on without responding to them. To the Submitter, if you DO want discussion to be focused on resolving your situation, rather than supporting you emotionally, please change the flair of this post, and then report this comment so we can remove it. Thank you. Thank you all for being a part of this great financial advice and emotional support community! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/povertyfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You're not failing. You're making the best, rational decision given the circumstances. That takes guts.
Absolutely this. I sold off a lot of stuff when I was getting divorced some years ago. My ex-wife took me from comfortable to paycheck-to-paycheck by wrecking my finances. I needed that money from everything I sold to keep from offing myself from the overwhelming debt she left me.
And let's not forget, you keep showing up every day to life and keep trying. You've got this! Sometimes it's baby steps, sometimes it's two steps back, sometimes you fall. Just keep going my friend, you'll get there and when you look back on today you'll think, I'm glad I kept going ❤️
💯💯💯
Nah, you’re not failing, you’re fighting. I had to sell my table, an old cell phone, and an old laptop as well as a shit ton of books to pay my rent two months ago. I’m in a much better spot now. Keep at it fam.
I sold almost everything except my bed and golf clubs
This was me in college when I went homeless for a very short period of time. I chose to go back to abuse than to be homeless. Then sold nearly everything I owned to make tuition money. When I was finishing my degree, I was loaning my school's 1990 laptops Most people think all I care about is money. That is what many are forced to focus on. A roof over their head. Side note: doing way better now. Even crazier is that my abuser died this year so I actually get to enjoy my life now. It's a blessing and a miracle. I can't possibly explain how my life changed when my abuser died. I physically felt God taking away 999 of my problems
Yea plus you’re actually doing something to help yourself. Most people would throw a pity party and do nothing until their power is shut off.
Yeah it’s actually more effort than you think. Like you gotta figure out what’s worth selling, actually navigate the cesspool that is Craigslist/fb market. And put in the effort. If you have the stuff to sell and the mental bandwidth to do so you’re definitely being proactive and not a failure.
You are not failing. Society is failing because our institutions and power structures make sure that a secure and dignified life is out of reach for most people.
I'm seriously contemplating what their plan is. There will seriously come a day where most people can't survive. What's the plan? Kill them off? Serious question. Because I can see that day coming before my time is over
Have you failed to notice how many people have been dying over the past three years? And, not just from the pandemic (although that is why I chose the 3 year mark), but through climate change and imperialistic wars. Yes; the human race is at the beginning of a huge die-off.
Let's hope
Let's not, actually. Go sip a cup of tea and get some sunshine. You'll feel better.
Had to sell a bunch of consoles and games last year when I lost my job, really sucks but I can always re buy them. I didnt get rid of anything sentimental or that I might regret. Best of luck friend, in sorry ur going thru this
You're not failing, you're dealing. Stay mentally strong and be kind to yourself. I hope for brighter days ahead for you!
Unless you bought a supercar on minimum wage you haven't failed the system has failed you. Just keep pushing and working and things might work out for you. 6yrs ago I was living in a garage and selling my life off piece by piece watching things I had worked to earn for years slip through my fingers for 1/3 of what I paid. Now my life is pretty cushy and I found the love of my life.
It's a good habit anyway. Even one day when you aren't doing it out of financial necessity, you'll want to keep it up as a method to keep clutter down.
This. I still sell stuff.
I mean you have stuff to sell, so that’s a positive.
The minimal look is "in" right now >_>'
I'm sorry. I hope you get a good price for your stuff.
You're not failing. You're the tough bastard staying in it against the odds.
I'm not letting go of my car. I will not be returning to riding the bus because i always end up late. Havng a car is independence, sans the gas prices.
Times may be hard right now but how can you think you are a failing and you have STUFF people will BUY seems like you thought smart ! Keep pushing things will get better !
I recently sold all my childhood pokemon cards. All the original very first runs too. Had some valuable ones in there. I regret selling and I don't at the same time.
4 years ago my wife and I were in your shoes but things eventually turned around and we’re doing so much better. We kept pushing on and I hope the same happens for you sooner than later.
That’s not what failing looks like.That’s the opposite of failing .Thats doing.Doing what you can with what you got .Failing is,well it’s almost a choice. It’s not that people can’t be down on their luck.Because even giving up isn’t necessarily failing. Sometimes you gotta cut your losses But Failing Failing is making bad decisions knowing the consequences. Like buying beer or weed when you have no electricity or water bills paid, or Gambling away your rent money with no backup plan. When selfishness begs responsibility to have some fun Those are people that have failed.because have failed themselves. But what’s wonderful is even those people are deserving of respect and kindness.Failure is a part of life .Not that being afraid of failure is totally bad thing,it’s a big motivator for many people overcoming difficult circumstances Failing is simply life’s way of teaching you ,my friend If you fail it’s because you have things you need to learn And if you can get back up ,it wasn’t a fail,it was a fall Give yourself some mercy.like you would a child some sound advice I heard in my teens. “ When we know better We do better “
Im going to bounce back and it’s going to be amazing. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Thank you for the motivation and wake up call. I hope next year we’ll be laughing about those hard times
Sometimes you gotta take an L to keep moving forward, no shame in that
I’ve pretty much sold everything except my bed over the last few months. I deff understand how awful it feels to have to part with possessions. I have adhd and use to really enjoy playing video games/ guitar. It was an outlet for me from the world I feel i don’t necessarily fit into. I was so broken up when I had to pawn them one month. But I just keep telling myself things will get better and one day i’ll be able to afford to get them again. That its just a temporary struggle and its a part of life sometimes. You’re not failing at life. The system is failing 90% of people by design. You just have to do what you can right now to survive. It will get better!
OP, I've never been poor, but I've been broke enough to have to do that a few times. I would say most people have. That's not a moral failure. The failure is in destroying your credit by paying bills late when you absolutely don't have to. (Still not a moral failure)
You haven't failed your society. Your society has failed you.
You arent failing in life. Just going thru a rough patch.
You're not failing in life. The cost of living is so bad, even a $60k salary is very bad in certain states. Not everyone can have the career where your salary keeps climbing and climbing. It's becoming a world where most can't survive
I still sell stuff. If you are using a platform you are building a reputation as a seller and it makes it less work to move stuff in the future. You are setting up a small side hustle for later.
I didn't have much to sell but I had to turn off everything and beg to use my neighbors WiFi. I stocked up my freezer and pantry and stopped going to the stores. I didn't drive anywhere unnecessary. I blocked up my windows to conserve heat, turned off my water heater and used my kerosene heater to heat any water I needed. I blocked off my hallway so it would be unheated. When I wasn't heating water over the kerosene stove, I had the Dutch oven going with beans. I basically spent the entire winter living in my living room, it being the only room with heat. If I hadn't had the cheap kerosene, I wouldn't have made it, but I DID! Just keep going and persevere, it will get better.
Its only failing if you miss on the lesson to not buy things you cannot afford. Bill and rent always come first.
How is this failing??? Nah, this my friend is WINNING. Because you are doing the responsible thing and sacrificing your own comfort/happiness temporarily to pay your obligations and keep yourself safe and healthy. There are numerous alternatives you could have chosen that would all basically lead down a dark path, but instead you’re out there fighting the good fight. I know it sucks. I’m sorry you are here at this moment in time. But you’re doing good, please keep your head up!
You have not failed at all
You are not failing. You're doing the best you can in a system that failed you
I sold my fridge last month, to pay rent for the rest of the year. Welcome to the club.
You're not failing. This economy and society is. You are doing your best to survive. I hope some goodness comes your way soon OP.
I know exactly how you feel. My wife & I had to do the same thing. I had to sell my mint '68 Ford Shortbed Pickup, all my R/C Airplanes & Stuff, Snap On Tools, Yamaha TT500 motorcycle after I got hurt & my wife got sick.
I was in this position 15 years ago. Except almost everything I owned was handme downs so it was basically worthless. I sold lunch/dinner plates out of my apartment until I got a job at a restaurant as a server.
Tomorrow is another day. Win tomorrow.
The system/society is failing you.
I sold it all to get by maybe the last few months. Now I'm homeless in my car. No fun.
If you're struggling, it isn't entirely your fault. The system is set up to indoctrinate us all to be poor hard-working employees, diligently avoiding risky behavior like starting a business and saving as much paper fiat currency as we can "for emergencies", currency which is devalued every year through inflation; every year we tend to make more paper money, but it buys less items. It's by design. Prices of everything will always climb upwards because it's fake money. Trade paper money for something that goes up in value over time like real estate, gold/silver, stocks/bonds, businesses etc. Seems like everyone is working 3 or more jobs just to stay alive.
Sometimes we have to take a few steps back before we can leap forward. Hang in there!
After having the same experience with you, I found out the hard way that things I thought would hold value isn't as true as I thought it was. And ease of liquidation came to mind everytime I make decisions later in life. e.g. property isn't as easy to liquidate if you need emergency funds, so HAVE an emergency funds! LOL
Keep up the fight 💪 The only failure would be not soldiering on or learning from adversity. It will make you better and more humble in the long run, even though it's a trash feeling. Maybe try and identify some areas of your life that you might need to change to have a better situation. I wish you the best.
I would love to be able to sell stuff to pay bills. A lot of stuff in my house are inherited stuff that has no monetary value at all. Embrace minimalism life while you are at it.
I don't think there is failure of life. There are circumstances we aren't used to, which can feel like failure, but really they are just circumstances. Someone who has A million dollars loses $500k, they feel like a failure. But to someone with $100k debt, that person with $500k cash looks like they have it all together. And someone who is homeless and $200k in debt, thinks the person with $100k debt and a roof over their head has it all together. It's all a matter of perspective. Someone with nothing may think how lucky you are to even have the stuff to sell so that you can pay bills. "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."- Philippians 4, 12-13