Am I Honest Enough.....

[Paradox]

I completely understand everyone here’s standpoint.. HAVE to do what YOU have to do to care for/protect those you love.

I just HAVE to point out..

That when you have kids.. it’s an ENTIRELY different game..

Or if you made bad choices, like roughly 60 percent of people in your post-high school/college years... it sets you back enough that you basically have to start over...

Then.. if you have BOTH... that “gravy-train” becomes idealized and SO unrealistic to obtain...

So we alter our IDEA.. of what that “Gravy-Train” IS...

Kudos to those who were wise, early on... and most likely were presented opportunities/expectations that some never had during development, and “made it” in the classical sense... I know many people like this.. They have earned EVERY iota of their happiness...

But, it’s important to understand... that’s only half or less.. of people...

Once you KNOW it.. you own it, though... so from this discussion FOWARD.....

I agree.
However, it is also never too late to get back on track if you do get set back.
Resiliency is key

 

[HorseloverFat]

I agree.
However, it is also never too late to get back on track if you do get set back.
Resiliency is key

EX-FUCKING-Zactly’s Breath!!!

 

[just.wing.it]

Around here, most “private sector” (non union?) guys are trash. The good ones end up being organized in so they can make a real wage.

We do leave non union the strip malls, and residential hack work because we cost too much. Sometimes non union gets prevailing wage to do public work because our collective bargaining agreement is so strong.

No chance mom and pop plumbing or electric could build a 400 million dollar apple/amazon/google data center, or a stadium.

Happy IBEW member here, call me when the non union electricians are making 80$ an hour before benefits like my guys do.
Most large trade unions are Private sector by the way, I talk to the owner of my company all the time.

I'm glad it's working out for you buddy. The way I see it, unions are useless garbage. They promote mediocrity. And a new guy who doesn't know anything making the same wage as an experienced guy who actually knows what he's doing is absurd.
There was a time in this country when unions had their place. When for example, you worked in a coal mine, and were paid in special coal miner dollars that you could only spend at The Company Store that was owned by the coal mine.
Today however, equal Opportunity Employment laws and every other thing makes unions irrelevant and again, mediocre at best.

 

[hinmo24t]

I'm glad it's working out for you buddy. The way I see it, unions are useless garbage. They promote mediocrity. And a new guy who doesn't know anything making the same wage as an experienced guy who actually knows what he's doing is absurd.
There was a time in this country when unions had their place. When for example, you worked in a coal mine, and were paid in special coal miner dollars that you could only spend at The Company Store that was owned by the coal mine.
Today however, equal Opportunity Employment laws and every other thing makes unions irrelevant and again, mediocre at best.

you reminded me of these videos ive been enjoying lately , so good in case anyones never seen any. my favorite are the appalacian ones and feel for them the most of any of his vids

 

[sorce]

Around here, most “private sector” (non union?)

For @just.wing.it as well.

Signing a union contract, or being employed by a non union company, has absolutely no bearing on weather or not the person running the company is good or bad.

Once exposed enough, it's easy to see that one can find happiness, respect, and overall well being, and the exact opposite, from both union or non union companies.

So there is no sense arguing the 2 as if they have the power to change a person's heart. The employees, or the employer.

There are good and bad union companies with happy and unhappy employees, and good and bad non union companies with happy and unhappy employees.

It depends on both the employer and the employer.

It's clear what situations you have found yourselves in.

Sorce

 

[Rafael Najmanovich]

To find 235 Bonsai folks willing to lend me a thousand dollars?

She was denied for this mortgage loan only because she switched to a higher paying Job with a small gap she worked 2 part time jobs during.

I'd be paying 10% interest before 20 years or sooner, at least monthly.

I am reaching out because, well, it seems my other option is homelessness.

At least it's summer right!?

You are the only folks I know that may care enough to help me save my Family.

Any thoughts on other ways to come up with 235K are welcome.

Thank You for your Thoughts and Prayers.

Sorce

I am sorry to hear you're struggling. If I were in your place struggling to keep the family safe, the first thing I'd do is sell my bonsai collection. I have over 100 trees in my collection and some are worth several thousand and I my reaction score is 163. I bet that with nearly 29K messages and a reaction score over 40K, surely you have a huge collection of remarkable trees are worth at least a quarter of what you're asking.... sell your trees. get a job.

 

[sorce]

But, I guess I’m not as smart as Sorce! I don’t know how to hunt boar in the woods with a spear!

You are so simple.

Enlightenment is understanding the difference between being able to afford a tennis racket or not.

I wouldn't expect you to understand.

My investments make more money each month than I can spend.

And innocent children starve!

Go you, big Man!

I get some people are infatuated with money as if that's what matters.

Life is what matters.

When you get in a wreck in that paid off car, and the child that would have been there to save you isn't there because they recently died from starvation, you die too. That's a double loss, yes, double because I care about even the most ignorant, like yourself.

Money doesn't guarantee self preservation. Or the preservation of a peaceful society.

We're witnessing the breakdown of it right now.

You are too simple.

When they talk about Privelage, they're probably talking about you.

Continue!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

sell your trees.

Un or regular fortunately.....

I can't sell any trees effectively because of my respect for both the trees and humans.

It's not exactly "keeping them safe" as much as it is "keeping them safe in the manner in which society seems correct".

Thank you Sir!

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

You are so simple.

Enlightenment is understanding the difference between being able to afford a tennis racket or not.

I wouldn't expect you to understand.



And innocent children starve!

Go you, big Man!

I get some people are infatuated with money as if that's what matters.

Life is what matters.

When you get in a wreck in that paid off car, and the child that would have been there to save you isn't there because they recently died from starvation, you die too. That's a double loss, yes, double because I care about even the most ignorant, like yourself.

Money doesn't guarantee self preservation. Or the preservation of a peaceful society.

We're witnessing the breakdown of it right now.

You are too simple.

When they talk about Privelage, they're probably talking about you.

Continue!

Sorce

You are insane. Seek professional help.

 

[Hartinez]

@sorce rer! I feel for your situation bro. Ive been through quite a few ups and downs over the years with 3 kids in tow. I’m going to throw this out there as personal experience that may or may not help. I’m also a creative and have been fortunate to make it in the creative industry. So far at least.

I worked a (non-union if that matters to anyone) construction job for 13 years. I was a carpenter who installed doors, cabinets, windows, finishing framing etc. I had also had dreams and goals of starting my own design business, but the intention was always to do that after my wife got her degree as a PA (which happens this year in sep). Until that point though, I would work my construction job, which paid decent, but was consistent and reliable for the 5 years we had left before my wife graduated.

Well, I was fired from my job 5 years ago, throwing our plans for a bit of a tail spin. We had just bought a house, (a small one) and had a 2 month old needing care. Plus my wife was in school with little to no money coming in. Fortunately, for the 2 years before that, I had been putting in some serious ground work towards my eventual goal. Proto typing products and designs with the intention of making a living off of that work. I also put a ton of time in my etsy page that I used at the time. My initial plan was to get another job swinging a hammer till my wife graduated, but fortuantely, she talked me in to going for broke and having a go at my passion. She took out a small student loan (all her school had been paid by the GI bill before that) and we paid our bills for a month for me to get going. Well, I hit the ground running. More like sprinting. I Went from showing up, doing the work, getting paid consistently, to hustling for every dime and penny I pulled. Those first 2 years in business I said yes to every event, market, fair, festival, pop up and construction based job. I did ok. It was a grind and I worked far more hours a week than I ever did when i worked for someone. Only reason I’m saying all this is because i just started my fifth in business full time for myself on April 1st. Ive consistently, other than last year, increased my gross and net and built a name and reputation that continues to keep me incredibly busy. In fact, I’ve gotten to the point where I choose the jobs and say yes when i want to say yes. Monthly income has become less a problem than ever. I built a pretty great (at least I think) website and have an awfully diverse product line that fits my skill set greatly. Ive utilized platforms like facebook, instagram, Shopify, mail chimp and others to maximize my profile and visibility and there is still a lot more I could do.

YOU HAVE THE SKILL SET TO MAKE WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FOR YOURSELF SELLING YOUR PRODUCTS. But you already know this. Your work is great and products great. Are you even on Instagram or Facebook? If not, you should be. An overwhelming majority of my contracts, clients and sells come directly from social media. I know social media is an evil empire, but a somewhat necessary one if a creative business is desired. I share no personal information or photos unless I have to. All of my products are what fills my pages. Mostly. Do you have a mailing list or do you participate in local markets fairs and festivals? If not you should. You could make a quarter of your total income in 2 months if you participate in holiday markets alone.

I know none of this helps with the problem in front of, so please don’t take this as BS unsolicited advice, though it may be as it comes across. But I def can’t lend a G at the moment. But what I could possibly lend is what I’ve learned managing and running a creative based business for the last 4.5 years where I set my hours, I make what i want and I answer to no one but myself and my real boss (my wife). Ive got 3 kids and have been fortunate to get us through the years of my wife being in school. AND while I sacrficied a ton and my kids did not always have it easy, we have turned a massive corner and my wife graduating will just make things better. It’s been a struggle, but its all slowly paying off and has been 100 percent worth it. As someone else said in a post in this thread. Handle the fire directly in front of you and continue to put them out. If you ever have any questions you think i could throw at you or help you out with, I’d be more than happy to chat or have a phone convo.

I sincerely hope this finds you well and in good faith as I have great respect for you and your situation. If this message is more noise that you don't want to hear. I’m sorry.

Danny Hart

Ps. I spewed the content above so some of it may not make sense...

 

[Dav4]

I'm in my mid 50's.... and I worked over 50 hours last week. Since middle school, I've always worked whenever I could, always for someone else (the boss) but ultimately, for myself, really, whether it was snow shoveling driveways, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, pumping gas, waiting tables, managing retail stores or being a vet. Just last Saturday, I woke up at 5:30 AM and drove almost 90 minutes to be at my first gig by 8. Didn't get home until after 8 pm that night. Today's my only day off this week and I spent all of it up until now and reading this thread, moving my daughter from her apartment over an hour away. In early August, I'll be carving more time out of my schedule to move her to West TN to finish her BSN degree. I'll be moving the boy back to UA then too. I've changed jobs 4 or 5 times in the last 12 years, most recently 3 months ago where I cut ties with my previous place of employment for the last 7 years to start my new gig as a relief vet. My knees hurt, my back hurts, my wrists hurts... and I'm really not digging the grind like I used to... I'm tired, real tired, bone tired... but... my wife and I work a lot, and we're going to get our kids through college without them going into debt. I was in my late 40's when I finally paid off my loans from vet school... took me 18 years to do it. We're going to keep on working because we live in a nice house and we want it to stay that way. Our entire retirement, excluding Social Security (kind of a joke but there it is) is tied up in the stock market in some way and we've been lucky enough to invest wisely which gives us piece of mind for our future. Would I like to retire?... you bet your ass, but I can't do it... yet. Plus, I need to continue to be a positive roll model for my kids, who frankly have no idea ho hard and unfair life can really be.... don't want to let my family down... ever!
In closing, I have to say this thread is absolutely surreal. Once, I forgot to bring my wallet when I went out to lunch with a friend, and I felt nauseous when I realized I was going to have to borrow $15 from him to cover the meal... but $230 K from strangers?... from people that work as hard as me and understand the value of that pay check and hard earned money??? I could never do that as the responsibility to pay them back would be too much for me to handle.

Good luck with everything, Sorce.

 

[Adair M]

I'm in my mid 50's.... and I worked over 50 hours last week. Since middle school, I've always worked whenever I could, always for someone else (the boss) but ultimately, for myself, really, whether it was snow shoveling driveways, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, pumping gas, waiting tables, managing retail stores or being a vet. Just last Saturday, I woke up at 5:30 AM and drove almost 90 minutes to be at my first gig by 8. Didn't get home until after 8 pm that night. Today's my only day off this week and I spent all of it up until now and reading this thread, moving my daughter from her apartment over an hour away. In early August, I'll be carving more time out of my schedule to move her to West TN to finish her BSN degree. I'll be moving the boy back to UA then too. I've changed jobs 4 or 5 times in the last 12 years, most recently 3 months ago where I cut ties with my previous place of employment for the last 7 years to start my new gig as a relief vet. My knees hurt, my back hurts, my wrists hurts... and I'm really not digging the grind like I used to... I'm tired, real tired, bone tired... but... my wife and I work a lot, and we're going to get our kids through college without them going into debt. I was in my late 40's when I finally paid off my loans from vet school... took me 18 years to do it. We're going to keep on working because we live in a nice house and we want it to stay that way. Our entire retirement, excluding Social Security (kind of a joke but there it is) is tied up in the stock market in some way and we've been lucky enough to invest wisely which gives us piece of mind for our future. Would I like to retire?... you bet your ass, but I can't do it... yet. Plus, I need to continue to be a positive roll model for my kids, who frankly have no idea ho hard and unfair life can really be.
In closing, I have to say this thread is absolutely surreal. Once, I forgot to bring my wallet when I went out to lunch with a friend, and I felt nauseous when I realized I was going to have to borrow $15 from him to cover the meal... but $230 K from strangers?... from people that work as hard as me and understand the value of that pay check and hard earned money??? I could never do that as the responsibility to pay them back would be too much for me to handle.

Good luck with everything, Sorce.

Wow!!! You spent the day reading this thread!!! Now, THAT’s a waste of time! Lol!!!


I’m sorry you can’t come up to the Atlanta Bonsai Society event at my house tomorrow.

I’ll set aside a Shiner and put your name on it.

 

[sorce]

don't want to hear

This is exactly what I need to hear most!

I can't put into words how much I appreciate your taking the time to write it.

Who's GI bill? Hers? Gangster! Thanks either way, especially if I already know it was yours.

The situation in front of me is just a tiny fire we are plenty adapted to coping with.
It's just presently, living here, without buyer competition, it actually makes it a great time for is to "realize the dream". Though without question, getting the fuck out of the city is a safer, more educated dream.

Just purchasing this house and reselling it for what it can actually be sold for, minis the $5k wed have to repay for leaving before 5 years due to downpayment assistance, would have us up by 10 or 20k.

At which point, this "20 year" investment becomes a 2 month investment. And....lobigl.
Someone that has "more money that they can spend", may be able to make 20k in just 2 months. Can't worry about lack of comprehension making dicks miss out though.

That's what happens when you put down instead of getting down, in the investigation stage!

I know I'm not "sad" enough to have people charity this up. It was never about charity, or the title would have been, "Am I Bitch Enough".

It's never been about the money.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

I could never do that as the responsibility to pay them back would be too much for me to handle.

Without roping you back in!....

I thrive on that sort of purpose.

I recently came up with a "motto" that goes.....
The only thing I hate more than debt is a debt that I don't know exists.
In regards to how shitty I would feel if someone is out there with a freeze broke Sorce pot I don't know I owe. There's 2 I am concerned about.

You are, have been, and are even more so now, someone who I have great respect for.

Thank you.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

This is exactly what I need to hear most!

I can't put into words how much I appreciate your taking the time to write it.

Who's GI bill? Hers? Gangster! Thanks either way, especially if I already know it was yours.

The situation in front of me is just a tiny fire we are plenty adapted to coping with.
It's just presently, living here, without buyer competition, it actually makes it a great time for is to "realize the dream". Though without question, getting the fuck out of the city is a safer, more educated dream.

Just purchasing this house and reselling it for what it can actually be sold for, minis the $5k wed have to repay for leaving before 5 years due to downpayment assistance, would have us up by 10 or 20k.

At which point, this "20 year" investment becomes a 2 month investment. And....lobigl.
Someone that has "more money that they can spend", may be able to make 20k in just 2 months. Can't worry about lack of comprehension making dicks miss out though.

That's what happens when you put down instead of getting down, in the investigation stage!

I know I'm not "sad" enough to have people charity this up. It was never about charity, or the title would have been, "Am I Bitch Enough".

It's never been about the money.

Sorce

No, Sorce, I live below my means. My income exceeds my spending. I’m not starving any babies.

Oh, so now you are getting down payment assistance? And you are planning in advance on flipping the house before the 5 year holding period is up? Trying to game the system?

 

[sorce]

No, Sorce, I live below my means. My income exceeds my spending. I’m not starving any babies.

Oh, so now you are getting down payment assistance? And you are planning in advance on flipping the house before the 5 year holding period is up? Trying to game the system?

Yeah....go run tell someone!

They won't hear you because your ass is muffling your speech!

Sorce

 

[MrWunderful]

I'm glad it's working out for you buddy. The way I see it, unions are useless garbage. They promote mediocrity. And a new guy who doesn't know anything making the same wage as an experienced guy who actually knows what he's doing is absurd.
There was a time in this country when unions had their place. When for example, you worked in a coal mine, and were paid in special coal miner dollars that you could only spend at The Company Store that was owned by the coal mine.
Today however, equal Opportunity Employment laws and every other thing makes unions irrelevant and again, mediocre at best.

Im not here to convert anyone. If someone wants to do the same job as me, for less money and no benefits, more power too them.

But you are miss-informed. I cant speak to other trades, but for the IBEW, if you dont know anything, you are an apprentice. Journeymen all make the same amount, are required to have the same training and certification. So I am not sure where the whole “somebody who knows nothing= someone experienced” thing is coming from.

And not sure about mediocrity, we are required to have a certain amount of additional education every year to keep us up to date and at the cutting edge of technology.

I looked up the DC area IBEW local 26, and they make a decent wage and have the majority of the market share (which if true, is rare) and means they are far better than the non-union folks- especially because the wages are much higher.

But then again, this is all from an electrician point of view, if you are another trade the mileage may very. I personally know some really hard working high quality non-union guys who arent paid what they are worth and it pisses me off.

 

[Adair M]

Yeah....go run tell someone!

They won't hear you because your ass is muffling your speech!

Sorce

So you are taking a program that is meant to help families who really want, really need a pennant home, and you are going to abuse it to make a profit.

And you accuse ME of only caring about money?

Look, IF this is what you are planning to do, and IF you can aquire this house well below market value, there ARE ways to finance it outside the traditional mortgage route.

There are private real estate investors who will loan money on a handshake (and security dead) if the deal is good enough. They make what are known as “hard money loans”. Yes, the interest rate is expensive. But, they loan strictly based upon the value of the house. Not whether the borrower has any money or credit. Of course, if for some reason you can’t make the payments, they WILL foreclose…

You can find “hard money lenders” at the local Real Estate Investors Association(s). I’m sure Chicago has one. Probably several.

Here’s one:

https://www.chicagoreinvest.com/home46120890

 

[Dav4]

Wow!!! You spent the day reading this thread!!! Now, THAT’s a waste of time! Lol!!!


I’m sorry you can’t come up to the Atlanta Bonsai Society event at my house tomorrow.

I’ll set aside a Shiner and put your name on it.

Yeah, syntax isn’t my strong point! Let’s just say I was putting my new truck to use today with a sleeper sofa a mattress box spring dresser and a bunch of other other things… Unloaded and back in my driveway about 330 this afternoon. Keep the Shiner cold!

 

[BonjourBonsai]

@sorce , I'm curious why you aren't trying to raise funds to expand your business instead of selling an unsecured note to buy a house? The 235 b nutters would be obvious first round friends and family investors who share the bonsai dream. You could build the business into something that would spin off enough for cash for you to qualify in 2 years. Keep your books tight and right and you'll be there in no time.