are you better off than you were 4 years ago?

uh...
'flat broke like', I mean.
'flat broke ike' sounds like a mid 20th century Chicago street musician.

Flat Broke Ike wears a turqoise shellsuit and sings songs about how he's the son of god.

It mostly down to being a homeowner because interest rates have been frozen at nothing for the past few years, which has kept mortgage repayments down. My mortgage repayments were nearly £300 a month more expensive 5 years ago.

But given I have no children and don't own a car there isn't really anything for me to spend that extra money on, so it just goes in the bank. This is the main source of my financial comfort.

• no children/dependants
• no mortgage
• no outstanding loans/debts (a bank would have to be massively negligent to lend me money oh wait)
• don't drink don't smoke (whatcha do-di-do-di subtle innuendos follow must be something inside)
• no expensive hobbies
• not particularly bothered with having the latest shiny-shiny tech gadgets

Also, my mortgage is about £400 cheaper than the average price of rents in my neighbourhood. Lack of affordable housing stock is definitely the Tories' fault.

Absolutely here, tho if you'd asked me even 2 weeks ago I may not have said so. I have a higher salary, a better job, an adorable bf, i've paid down a big chunk of debts recently, and tho I am paying way more rent, it kind of evens out with the other financial/lyfe things, so. I mean to me, money ain't the be all and etc.

wait lol I had the same job 4 years ago haha. well ive had one payrise since then, only the one tho*grumble*.

I am, but that's mainly because I've gone from working in an underpaid 9–5 to being a freelancer, so I'm working much longer hours, and things like new laptops and other computer equipment I can claim as expenses.

still have the same amount (€0) in my account the day before payday, but it's all going on the basics these days and money is a constant 'thing'. Rent doubled recently and i'm struggling to adjust tbh.

Still taking thrifty trips, vouchered meals out, amn't starving and can afford broadband, and the job is safe so i can p much carry on in an ok way forever.

i'm not in the US obv but, god yes. i earn literally twice as much as i did then, now, and i am secure in a job rather than on a trainee contract that's about the end.

am i happier? well...

about to end*

"We're hiring you as a trainee Mayan Year 2012 Endtimes Administrator. It's a short term contract only."

i am fucking skint at the moment tho cos i am spening 3k on a diploma. two more months of instalments to go, it's horrible.

spending, jesus, ilx is like my lazy typing zone

Economically? Definitely, yes, not quite at earning twice as much as 4yrs ago level but not far off. General feeling of having more options as well, which helps.

On an emotional/personal level this is probably impossible to answer. Yes in one significant way, no in another. Would have been a lot worse without the Yes factors though.

financially : yes.

in every other aspects of my life : no.

Joining in "congrats DJP" derail!

laid off in 4/09, still not making what I was then.

DJP and Mrs. DJP will be excellent parents. Many congratulations.

Yes, thank you Australian exceptionalism economy worringly over-reliant on selling minerals to China.

british people can vote on this, obama is basically world president anyway

not until we see his birth certificate that proves he was born on earth

Despite that, we've still saved enough to take extravagant Asian vacations and adopt a child.

This makes me so happy, congratulations!

Congrats to DJP!

Better in almost all respects, especially economically, but this mostly nothing to do with either US or UK governments, but more to do with getting to the point in the academic career ladder of a permanent job. Worse only in having sustained a permanently disabling injury (but one which could easily have been much worse).

Better economically but only in the sense that I've gotten married and it's been advantageous to file jointly.

Also DJP are you adopting a child for realsies?

Haven't done it yet, but yes

what dan isnt telling you is that that child is l0u1s jagg3r

omg

a) CONGRATULATIONS DAN & J! :D

b) I am hereby officially offering my babysitting services for not yet adopted but hopefully soon to be little Perry. Either that or you must bring child to all future FAPs so I can hang out with it.

In answer to the question - better in every single way but not at all because of the government.

Haha you can bounce lil Louis on your lap while you reach for your pint

Now I have "French Kiss" stuck in my head

Thx everyone, this has been in the works for a while and we finally decided to move on it in earnest last month. Gonna go back to not talking about it until it's a done deal now.

Good luck.

Fantastic Dan, congratulations and best of luck!

otm

congratz dan.

this thread makes me wonder if a) ppl talking in thread are more likely to be ppl who feel they're better off but that ilx as whole is not so overwhelmingly positive (poll results will indicate this i guesS) and b) if ppl who post on ilx maybe due to stuff like internet access / education / literacy better situated to do okay even in times of economic depression.

for the last 2+ years i have actually been working on recovery act grants and am in a much better place job-wise and salary-wise. 100+ jobs were created at my organization with ARRA funding. iit also gave me some good experience and now that i am looking for a new job i have been getting more responses and interviews. so yes.

doesn't seem to say much more than ilx (avg age 33 or something) makes more money than four years ago who knew

It helps tbh that I actually finished college and then finished college again in the past 4x years. If I hadn't got my masters I wld be manager at a call center right now. The pay was half what I get now and, you know, the job was manager at a call center.

I am 33.

so was Jesus!

I hope everyone is factoring in inflation and the fact that they are four years closer to death

Four years further away for having NEVER EXISTED.

33 is a relatively fortunate age to be in the current climate, a lot of people will have had years of experience of working in a boom, it's a fuck of a lot better than being 21 and trying to get a first job or being in your 60s and seeing your pension evaporate.

And crucifixion potential! Don't get INRIed my fren
xp

ppl in their 30s are overall in a better position but they're also the ones who bought the bubbliest houses

huh, update i just got fukn promoted

like just now?

deems otm

this thread makes me wonder if a) ppl talking in thread are more likely to be ppl who feel they're better off but that ilx as whole is not so overwhelmingly positive (poll results will indicate this i guesS) and b) if ppl who post on ilx maybe due to stuff like internet access / education / literacy better situated to do okay even in times of economic depression.

I was definitely thinking b; part of me wonders if an argument could be made that the actual real middle class is better off now than they were 4 years ago but the poor are worse off, although some of that is definitely tied to the myopia caused by my social circles.

Don't get INRIed my fren

this reads like an alternate lyric to "Jumper"

the actual real middle class ?

xps ya i mean i am actually better off than i was twenty minutes ago

All congrats Djp

I'm better off. I have an MA now, and no more student debt. Healthier and less stressed-out all the time. Things are okay.

I'm way better off economically, but only as a couple - I still earn less at my US job after 4 years than what the minimum wage now is in NZ. But Ytth is earning twice as much, working for a young company that maybe wouldn't have survived the recession under a republican president.

nothing has been done about climate change, so we are all worse off, esp you crazy ppl who have just had kids.

YES, I'm living my lifelong dream!

Morbs (miserably) otm

guilty lol

Absolutely doing better now than four years ago. Better job, no longer living with my father-in-law, published a novel. Of course, my diabetes hasn't gone away, and we're no longer living with the FIL because he died, but still, things are looking up.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

still curious about the results of this

that's because they're not out yet

The ilxor demographic is likely to skew more toward "better off" than the USA at large, so it will be hard to read much into it.

Plus as individuals we're all four years further up the ladder - not true of the economy as a whole.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/the-47-percent-may-struggle-but-the-top-20-percent-are-feeling-flush/