Starting to see articles about federal workers having yardsales to raise cash due to no paychecks. Emergency savings plans seem like a good idea, but it just doesnt seem to be reality for a lot of folks. Smh

It should be at least 7 more days before anyone misses getting a check. This is clearly a stunt done for sympathy and political reasons.

Keith

They thought they were on a never ending gravy train. Not a lot of sympathy from this guy.

Most Americans are not in very good financial shape where they can miss a few Pay checks. Our government can run without debt.

I wish financial education was taught in schools. I know I could have used the lessons earlier in life instead of playing catch up now.

One thing to focus on beside savings is lowering your cost of living

If you can't "live" without missing a couple pay checks; and have to have a yard sale or take out a loan your living waaasyyyy beyond yours means.......sure seems like BS

How many pay checks could they have missed. The shutdown just started.

BS from the dems

Yes, but also many people buy crap they don't need. Consumerism is a disease.

Instant gratification, keeping up with the Jones And trying to look rich Play a large part.

One if the conversations is had with the boys included. Do you want to look rich or be rich? Then went into people trying to lo9k rich wills never be able to build wealth becuse they are spending all their money on things to look successful And have little to none left to buy assets that create wealth.

I don't doubt 50% of Americans are over extended and missing just 2 pay checks would be a big problem.

been there myself

definitely lowering cost of living , so many people are in debt the house , car , everything is a payment , that isn't the kind of thing you can turn around over night.

it is going to be hard for some , if yard sales is how they managed , it is better than not managing.

Heard a story that Air Traffic Control guys claim they need to get a second job so they can pay the mortgage....but haven't missed a check yet.....and these guys make a GOOD salary...poor things....

Or as they say in the south,...Bless their hearts,.. lol

I think Ramsey has a quote something on these lines, “we spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like “.

Daughter and SIL are both Federal research scientists now out of work. They've led a rather frugal lifestyle and somewhat anticipated this. Hopefully a compromise can be reached.

Meanwhile . . . too bad the paychecks for these Federal politicians can't be withheld. That might speed things up a wee bit, eh?

What I have never been able to understand. When people start talking about any government employees making to much money. Why have they them selves not hooked up to that easy teat??
Being a fire fighter for 30 years with family that were and are teachers and law enforcement. Heard so many people go on and on about knowing better how to do my job or family members job. We were all over paid under worked cry babies... Really got old. So come do my job or theirs.. sign up..
I have never been good with money and numbers. No financial genius like so many here apparently are. But I managed to raise a family single income modest lifestyle. Pretty much lived pay check to paycheck like most people know.

Mac

I could live a long time if I just sold the things I no longer needed, in fact a little room would be nice.

If everybody became a government employee, how successful a country would we have been? Somebody has to pay for you. You are welcome!

Hear the crickets??

I went to college for a natural resources major with focus on forestry. Did 2 summer internships for the USFS with the promise of a full time position in research at graduation. As graduation approached, was told I must of misunderstood, the only job available to ‘ME’ was a technician job paying about $7/hr. The research position had to be quota filled and I wasn’t part of the pool.

I took a job in manufacturing and have made a successful career and raised a family. You can keep your government politics.

Most people are referring to bureaucrats who bring nothing to the table but bloat.

This is a parenting failure, IMO. Sure, I would support financial education in public schools.... but ultimately it is the parent's job to teach their children about finances. Mine did not. Nor did my school. And that set me back 20 years! For a long time I was one of those people that couldn't cover those expenses. Regardless of my situation in the future, I cannot imagine that ever being the case again... barring catastrophic circumstances. I believe the majority of people in that situation are there because they simply have no understanding of finance. Of course... there are exceptions.....

My fall back plan is mmove to Florida and become a giggalo

I think they'll all be fine

Back pay for staying home and eating chips is the plan

That's a quote from Tyler Durden in Fight Club. Still relevant, though.

Not a bad plan as Florida has a pretty generous homestead exemption when it comes to bankruptcy.

Lots of land developers relocated there at the onset of the real estate bust in 2007.

Ol dad

While I didn't love the shutdowns back when I was working, it wasn't the end of the world either. Still had to come to work as everyone in my department was considered "essential" . Which really would grind me when furloughed employees got back pay.

Yeah like I haven't heard this before.
I was required to live and my primary residrnce be in the city I worked in. Was told right out they wanted their employees to spend their money in city they worked in.
I also never seen on my pay check or property tax bill or my federal or state tax. A credit or box that said credit for government employee.
So I paid just as much in local, state, federal taxes as anyone else. Essentially I paid as much of my own wage as any other city residents.
No one ever thinks about that little Diddy.

Mac

You're wasting your time here, Mac.

Don't say "No one" because that isn't true. Many people realize government employees contribute to the tax base just like everyone else. Here in Sask there's always lots of crying too when nurses or teachers or firefighters or doctors etc. get a 2% pay raise. Funny thing is that they don't see the hypocrisy in loving things like farmer bailouts, or here in Sask, when each year taxpayers fund 100's of millions in crop insurance payouts. "But to heck with those lazy woke libtard nurses" LOL

Yes he is. You can't run a government on government employee paid taxes. It is just math. Everything government is paid by the private sector.

I know but like said gets really old same people pissing moaning. Think their only Real Americans done so much more struggling than anyone else. Federal, State and municipal employees are not the problem. It's the people we elect jerking them around that are the problem.
Even as a lowly fire fighter politics in job was part that sucked.

Mac

We need firemen. We can live without people who don't do anything more than work 3-4 hours a week and get paid 40. No sympathy from me if they don't think shutdowns happen and keep a little cash in their sock drawer.

I quit my job at Sunflower Army Ammunition plant because my conscience got to me

You beat me to it. Good catch.

This sounds almost identical to me. When did you graduate?

When the rest of the country gets laid off , you dont hear the feds crying for us, tough beans I say…

Don't think it's legal to force people to work without pay in the private sector, is it?
Idiots from both parties go on vacation in August knowing this was all coming, and they did it anyway. And now they just point fingers and yell at each other instead of actually doing anything. Pathetic.

And yet while both sides blame each other for not passing a CR, they fail to mention anything about not having passed a balanced budget in how long???

The Government has to stop printing money, all the shutdowns and BS is pointless. Want to have money in your pocket? Get out of debt!

Heard they're trimming employees now.

This is why you check at least 3 sources before jumping to conclusions.

Preach.

I’d be willing to bet a good majority of the people here knocking others who can’t miss a check, would also be uncomfortable if they missed a check.

I agree, most would be, and should be at least mentally uncomfortable about it. However, unless they are just starting out, they shouldnt be in a position to be floundering by missing a couple paychecks. If the pandemic didnt teach folks anything, it should have taught them to always have an emergency fund for when the unexpected happens.

They are being laid off. Can draw unemployment for reduction in force notices. If their job comes back with back pay it will have to be repayed. Asked my marine grandson last night if not getting paid was going to be a hardship. He said he was fine. I am sure some of them will struggle if they have families. Military is not paid anywhere near what civilian fed employees are paid.

FWIW big is D blocking an agreement to pay the military.

I'm sure it isn't nice being laid off or fired, but I hope the republicans hold and don't cave to adding over a Trillion dollars into Obamacare

during budget impasses under other administrations, at least SOME federal employees were told to stay home. true, they weren't paid during those stand-offs.

but as soon as the budget was resolved, they were paid for their "lost" time.

in essence, they got a paid vacation out of it.

Sucks that essential employees work and temporarily don't get paid but nonessential employees basically get a paid vacation. That is just wrong.

Why were nonessential employees hired in the first place???????

Why are congressmen and senators still getting paid?
Shows how many actually give a crap about the mere mortals.....starve them out and this nonsense will get settled quick....

It is so simple, even people bad with money may understand it is delayed pay. Plan accordingly.

P.s. Nobody is being forced to work without pay. If they don’t want to work for delayed pay, they can quit and take their skills to a private sector job.

delayed pay, but THESE employees didn't work during the funding lapse, so they were [eventually and essentially] paid for doing nothing.

Most of them get paid for doing nothing when there is no shutdown.

Well, I guess unless they're in the military...

"It's a big club, and you ain't in it."....... George Carlin

Agreed ..........you could send me a check. I always accept them.

Trump saying the military will not miss any paychecks. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy...ri&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

You got me thinking about my personal situation so I looked and ran the # mainly becuse my savings on hand it about half of what I'm comfortable with.

At my current spending levels in can go 5 months without a pay check before im broke on a quick surface level look. But with deeper figuring. I won't have expenses of going to work when not working saving $400 a month in gas, there would be unemployment or my short term disability insurance payments To help stretch out the time frame , in 5 weeks my wife's vehicle will be paid off eliminating that bill and of course there are other areas spending could be cut if needed. So on a deeper dive look I could go 10 to 12 months.

This is important to me to know piece of mind since I have been having health issues that may end up limiting my ability to work as im used to of at all. And knowing my savings was lower than I liked had me up tight but looking more closely I do feel just a little beter. Thanks for posting the question and geting me thinking about it in the open instead of it rolling around in my subconscious worries adding to my irritability.

Even one pay check missed I would not like it one bit I would not like watching savings get lower. But Its good to know its there if needed and where I actually stand.

On a positive note. Its always nice to be able to find the positive results from negative situations. In this case knowing I had the possibility of MS it lead me down the journey of becoming debt free as fast as possible and becoming financially educated. 5 years ago I would have been in about the same boat as most people and in trouble if I missed a month or two of work.

It would be a nice world if people didn’t have medical bills to pay. Or mortgages, or extensive car repairs, or roofs to fix, or kids to support, but a good portion of American workers do. Getting a paycheck is important, whether you work for the private sector of the public one.

And stop giving us this heifer dust about federal workers having slough off jobs. Highway maintenance, air traffic control, prison guards, IRS agent, national park management, etc were all deemed necessary by “We The People”. We need knowledgeable people doing all the interstate type jobs that only the federal government can do. And they need to be paid if we want our government to keep working for We The People.

Everyone should have 6 months to a year of cash in the bank. Sounds like a hard thing to do but it’s not.

Sure is. Most people seem not to be able to even save 1,000.

I have lost count of the highway jobs I have been on. Never seen a fed. Private contractors and state guys.

PS National park managers? Is that a joke?

I've got a 27 year old daughter that works for the Corps of Engineers.She makes good money and works hard for it. She is a smart kid and has only herself to look out for, so she'll be fine going without pay for awhile. When I was 27 I made very little money and had young mouths to feed, No way could I have survived without a paycheck.

"We the people" only applies to those of us that are not members of Congress. Rest assured, they won't be going without their checks, perks, or benefits while others may be going without.

Now Craig, they know what's best for us. So just be a good boy and do what you're told.

There is always a way to make some money. Pick up a shovel. Nobody wants to do that. Also if any have carpentry skills the field is wide open. I have work to be done but everybody is swamped. Eating joints could use some good help. Even hospitals could use help that will show up.