Do You Ever Feel Like The World Is Set Up To Take All Your Money?

Discussion in Off Topic Discussion & General Questions started by ACSAPA • Aug 5, 2014.

  1. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Sometimes I feel like the world is just set up to take every penny of my hard earned money. If my bank honors an overdraft, there's an overdraft fee. If they don't ,there's a returned check fee.
    If I'm late to pay any bill, there's a late fee. If I try to pay it fast by phone, there's a convenience fee. My landlord charges a hefty late fee if I'm even one day late with the rent.
    Sometimes I'm late to pay a bill because the bank charged me a ton of fees and then I'm overdrawn. If a phone bill payment bounces, I have to pay an NSF fee to both the bank AND the phone company, so they both get a cut.
    Do you ever feel like the world is set up so that you lose no matter what? It only takes one small misstep to cause an endless chain reaction of fees.
    Being late to pay one bill leads to all of them being late because the fees from the first late bill start to snowball.
     
  2. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    I know exactly how you feel. There are days when I think: can I save any money at all this month? And where are the secret fees coming from this time? Just when I thought I had something going, another thing happens that eats into the funds again. I get so tired, having to spend so much time of my life, thinking about money. I'd rather do something totally different.
     
  3. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    Only all the time. Granted I was able to scrounge up enough to go to San Diego in April but I think it's going to be a long time if at all that I ever get an expensive experience like that again and it took me probably a year at least to make enough and we still ended up having to getting a loan in the end.
    I don't have to worry about late fees with the rent but the cost of everything in life adds up to a lot and I just lose no matter what. I keep trying to get a job but no fish are biting. I'm like cursed.
     
  4. cedrickismw

    cedrickismwMember

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    I think its the under the table criminal activity that most of us generally honest individuals aren't aware of. Who knows who really owns some of the establishments we may visit and it could easily be a civilian clogging up their not so normal operation that sets off these kinds of reactions. I'm kind of starting to believe that the villain/hero dynamic really does exist and we get caught up in it which isn't so bad. I do think there are some people however who are downright evil(and not comically) and if they catch you in a financial corner will try to knock you into the poor house which can lead to some dark places I don't believe we're supposed to be in.
     
  5. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I still live with my parents, so I'm spared of that headache, but I noticed that even in our cable subscription there is a "disconnection fee", and whenever I withdraw money from the ATM, I get charged too for the "withdrawal fee". And let's not forget the fees that we have to pay when we transfer our Paypal funds to our bank account. I pay $6 per transfer regardless of the amount. I think it's just their way of getting more money from us, it's their racket!
     
  6. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    Absolutely, but you know how I feel about this by now lol. A legal way for the rich to continue stealing from the poor. Don't have enough money to pay your bill? Here, I'll just take some more then. So infuriating and of course everything is connected, so one fee leads to the next, which leads to the next until they've got your every penny. Same with government. You can't do anything without it being taxed and the most hard working poor are screwed even more in the end when seniors are basically left to fend for themselves. All systems make me sick. We are not free.... far from it.
     
  7. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    My phone company provides my internet and TV too. So my bundle is about $85. But what happens if I don't have $85 on time and my services are disconnected? There is a $30 reconnection fee for EACH product.
    So that means $30 phone, $30 internet, $30 TV PLUS a $10 late fee, PLUS the $85 I owed in the first place. So if I'm too late to pay my $85 bill, it becomes $185 very fast.

    This is why I sometimes envy and kind of resent extremely rich people. When I see that Beyonce spent $80,000 on a diamond encrusted Barbie for her toddler,
    I can't help but think that rich people are crazy and don't respect money, and they throw it away on useless crap.

    I think you have to be poor and working to realize that an $80,000 Barbie is kind of a stupid gift for a baby.
     
  8. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    Well I live with my mom too but I still feel that way because her money is our money when you think about it and once in a while I might still have to chip in because she can only work part time.
    I hate the ATM withdrawal fee. I can't understand why you have to be charged for that.

    I do too but I wouldn't like the lack of privacy that you'd have to trade for it. We're already having to worry about our privacy being compromised imagine being famous.
    I think that happens with celebrities who come from a fortunate background. I think Beyonce's just been famous too long. Now granted even the ones who were dirt poor can lose it but they appreciate the value of a dollar.
     
    #8Aug 7, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2014
  9. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    In my case, I don't chip in nor do they ask me too, because my sibling earns more than enough for the basics, because if he did not then I don't think we would even have cable and newspapers everyday since I think those are not necessary. I still plan to move out as soon as I'm able though despite this "convenience".

    Anyway, they paid a high price for achieving wealth and fame, with Beyonce being an Illuminati puppet and all, so she can do whatever she wants with her money from the devil, lol.
     
  10. Gelsemium

    GelsemiumWell-Known Member

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    That is exactly what happens, companies want to take our money, the government wants to take our money, everyone wants our money, everything revolves about money and we need to be smart to be able to live in a world like this. I don't care to give my money away if I receive goods in return, the problem is having enough money for everything we do need.
     
  11. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    They absolutely don't respect money.. I don't care where they came from; wealthy family or dirt poor. If you can blow money on a diamond Barbie (whaaaa? seriously??), then you have zero respect for money. Think of all the filthy rich in the world.. they could all come together and take care of the rest without risking their precious lifestyles and bank accounts. They choose not to. They help of course, I know that. But for most, it seems just enough to look good, because they could help a heck of a lot more people than they do and if you're buying diamond barbies (I have no words lol) then you're definitely not helping enough people. That baby would be happy with a paper doll lol, put that money back into the people that made you famous and the people that don't even know what fame is because they're too busy spending their every waking hour trying to scrape up enough water to live.

    Diamond encrusted Barbie.. someone shake that woman.
     
  12. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    Definitely. I always see expenses in my every move such as even the smallest of tasks like opening a refrigerator door or turning on the lights or fan. Not to mention that just walking outside I know il immediately be bombarded with hundreds of billboard ads reminding me of things and food that I should crave for. It is a consumerist world, but at least it's convenient and fun.
     
  13. forextraspecialstuff

    forextraspecialstuffActive Member

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    I can see the point being made but I think the thing is--and I mean this with no disrespect--is that bills have due dates for a reason and there have to be penalties of varying degrees for people who don't pay on time. If there weren't I'm sure lots of people would pay whenever or maybe not at all. I think the best way is to try to get by with the bare minimum, even if that means no cable or internet and only add these services once they comfortably fit within your budget.
     
  14. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Don't you work on the internet too? So you can see why that's not really a luxury. Some of us freelancers depend on an internet connection for at least part of our income.
    My main point was that a lot of fees are an unnecessary way to gouge people for profit. My phone company doesn't have to charge me a convenience fee for paying by phone. Talking to an agent is free, so why does paying with that agent cost more than talking to them? They don't have to add their own returned check fee on top of the bank's returned check fee.
    Everybody makes nice little profits when someone is down on their luck. Everyone piles their own little fees on. The late fees and reconnection fees sometimes end up being more than the original bill.
     
  15. DancingLady

    DancingLadyActive Member

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    There certainly are a lot of fees out there, but if you are so close to the edge with your money that you are at risk of being late with your bills, you might need to consider cutting back on your spending. There are a lot of thing we don't really need in life that most people have, like cable, or an expensive cell phone plan. You might need to give something up so you can get a better handle on things and save little so you won't ever have to worry about not having the money you need to pay your bills on time.
     
  16. GemmaRowlands

    GemmaRowlandsActive Member

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    Oh yes, I am feeling like that at the moment without a doubt. I sat at my laptop all day yesterday, and earned £90 - not the best rate but I was doing some accounts as well which are personal and obviously I don't get paid for them. When I got to my car, I noticed that there was a problem with it, so took it to be looked at, and the damage will cost £90 to be put right. It felt bad because it was the same amount that I had earned that day, and I had worked so hard to get it only to have it snatched away from me in the blink of an eye. It can feel as though I will never have enough money to do the things that I need to, which is a shame, because I am trying to buy a house and am getting rather impatient about it!
     
  17. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I agree, I don't have a cell phone. My phone bill is the landline that my computer uses to connect to the internet.
    I own three pairs of shoes. I fix things instead of buying new ones. I hand wash my laundry. I haven't been to a movie in years. What luxuries? I ride the bus.
    The reality is that as a single mom, I'm supporting myself and my kid on one income. There are no extras or luxuries. I still use pay phones.
    The $30 a month basic cable plan that you call a luxury is the only entertainment that we have because we don't really go anywhere.
    I don't know if you have a husband or partner that splits the rent with you. But I don't. I pay all of it.
     
  18. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    Same. I do use it for entertainment but I need it. I barely make that much since all I really do is things like surveys and it's not fulfilling at all but no one wants to give me a job so it's all I have as my own. My mom may be paying the bills but that's pathetic.
    Also I would feel more empty if I never had the internet. Being unemployed is bad enough but being unemployed without the internet is even worse. We use the internet for everything nowadays. Years ago we didn't need it but in today's society you can't be without it.
     
    #18Sep 4, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2014
  19. Onionman

    OnionmanActive Member

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    Hard as it is, I'm definitely trying to be more geared to the world of "abundance". So the idea of "lack" and the world against me is something I'm trying to avoid. Trying, at least. It's not very easy at times, as there are moments when everything seems take, take, take - tax, government, authorities etc. But at least if I have a positive attitude to it all, who knows, money may flow more positively for me. That's my intention anyway.
     
  20. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Let us know if it works out. I have a friend that believes that a poverty mindset and negative thoughts about money keep people from making progress. Of course her parents had money and left her an inheritance, so she might be biased.