Completely defeated. Like, I lost. I lost to capitalism. It won. I am in my mid-30s and have nothing to show for it.
I work 70+ hours/week and have no savings. I have no usable health insurance (global deductible is $8,000 — for my non-US friends: this means that unless I spend $8,000 in a year I have to pay 100% of my healthcare out of pocket. 100%. Walk-ins? That's $300 in most cases.) Same for dental. My teeth are starting to rot. It's been over 10 years since my last dentist appt. I brush and floss but that's not enough for someone approaching middle age (let's be real tho… I AM middle-aged, at this rate).
I have 2 jobs. Both pay above minimum wage. I can barely afford a 1-bedroom apartment in a bad part of Brooklyn, NY. Again: no savings.
Somehow I have good credit, but this has taught me that Credit is only used AGAINST a person. Having good credit doesn't GET you anything. It merely presents an opportunity to get something provided you have the money for it. Credit is only used to hurt people that have had to rely on it as a cushion (aka poor people).
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What's to be done? Where does someone go from here? I'm not doing this shit for 40 more years.