Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

[Diolla]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

Only old person here? I was 30 and my DS was 2. We lived in a crappy house in a crappy neighborhood and I was on WIC. I don't think we had any savings and the in-laws paid to have new carpeting put into the house.
I had about 4 years in my first good job and my DH was touring with a childrens theater company.

Fast forward 5 years and we were doing much better.

[lillyb]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

I was 20 and my dd was 2. Barely squeaking by, ex and I both working low paying jobs. That was when I worked just to pay the babysitter. Investing? We were happy just to pay the bills. Ahhh... such stupidity.

[Ima saver]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

My husband was building houses, charging $10.00 an hour. I was making $2.01 as a waitress . A good day in tips was $20, a top night on Friday was about $40 in tips. I went home every night and put 10% of my tips in a tiny cedar chest. Once a month, I sent the tips off to the mutual fund that I had just opened.

[DivaJen]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago...summer between junior and senior years of college. I probably had a job that summer, but my parents were still paying my tuition as well as room and board.

[rob62521]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago I was 30 years old, had been married one year. Both of us worked full time. We had about $10,000 in savings. I had about $1000 in an annuity and $1000 in an IRA. We owed on both cars, the house and I was going to grad school part time in addition to working. I didn't make a huge amount of money as a teacher and that's why I was working on my master's.

[jmjj215]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago I was 10. I think I had a paper route that paid me $30 every two weeks. I have no idea where that money is now.

[jamreed02]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago, I was 8! too bad I wasn't thinking about saving money back then! I wish I had saved more (with my 1st two jobs at 16 and 18), or at least that my parents had actually done the college savings account that they had promised me. I still haven't gone to school, but my three kids (all under 4) have college accounts (529 age-based risk management accounts).

[debtfreeme]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

i was 15 and working sat and sunday baby sitting for a little boy. easy money and i had lots of time to study. What ever did i do with the money? paid car insurance and spent it! Ugh.

[JBinKC]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

Ima saver I was 25 at the time and I had a little over $24000 total to my name with only about $7500 in my IRA at the time. Wow have things changed since then. In 1992 was the year I decided to dump the mutual funds and go to a self directed IRA with individual stocks and since then never looked back. In 1993 one of the stocks I purchased was 3000 shares of the stock Iomega for $2 and thanks to the zip drive the stock eventually topped out at $330 in 1996. Right now I am 43 and contemplating full retirement next year.

[Thrifty Ray]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago...

So much has changed since then... I was in Calif still, DH had just returned from war, we were expecting DD3 (born Christmas Eve)...other kiddos were still in elementary school...

We had no retirement saved and no savings...but we were making fairly decent money for the cost of living.

Since then, we accrued alot of debt (atty fees and moving) a few vehicle changes, bought a nice home on 2 acres, amassed some retirement savings, paid off accrued debt, had 3 graduations, paid for weddings, braces, senior trips, surgeries, home repairs, bought a travel trailer, and started 2 new businesses. Whew!

Im very glad I am at this end of that 15 years!!!

[Ima saver]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

Ray, you have been busy!!

[disneysteve]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

I saw this question earlier while at work and couldn't wait to get home and post a reply. My financial records only go back as far as December 1992, so not quite 15 years but close enough. I was 28 (so yes, count me among the over-30 crowd here) and had been married for 4 months.

Our financial assets totaled a whopping $9,138.30!

Now, almost 14 years later, our combined assets (investments and home equity) are nearly half a million dollars. How times change.

[Bluezy]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

15 years ago I was 30 and living in a 3rd world country during Apartheid. Need I say more?

[puppypal]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

hhmmmmmmm
15 years ago was a terrible time in my life. I was in hiding as such, from my ex-hubby with a 1 yr old. I was on Food stamps and medicad as it was called back then. With my fathers help as the yr progressed We opened my business. I was making a whooping 600.00 a month! YES! 600.00 a month. I was driving a beat up duck taped battered and buised excort. I risk my credit and bought a tiny trailer and lived behind my business. It was then I started budgeting by must! No child support and a child that had medication for Asthma that totaled over 200.00 a month. Bad time in my life. But we managed. I learned how to save. I read every book in the library at story time! That taught me how to make it on little. I did have a credit card debt at that time which was 1500.00 but it could have been a millon because I was barely making it. I was 26......
Single and broke...right after my child was born I got laid off because of missing too much work. I basically had to borrow a pot to pee pee in as the saying goes!

[Ima saver]

Re: Where were you, financially, 15 years ago?

Wow, puppy, you had it rough. I was poor in my twenties, but not that poor!