Man Making $62K A Year Living In A Truck With His Sick Wife Says She’s Suffering Because He’s ‘Acted Like A Kid’ His Whole Life
The reality of financial burden that most people face today.
halfpoint / Canva Pro Financial hardship is something that most people face in their lifetime. Especially with the current state of the economy, one small slip-up could lead to a lifetime of financial anxiety and struggle.
For one man, who turned to George Kamel’s financial podcast for advice, the stakes were incredibly high. Not only did he admit that he was homeless and living in the semi-truck he drives for work, but he was also attempting to care for his sick wife.
A man struggling to care for his sick wife sought financial advice after a lifetime of ‘acting like a kid’ with his money.
It’s all too common, the financial struggles of Americans today. The lack of a safety net, inflation, and a growing divide between the middle and upper class has intensified the situation as a whole.
This 59-year-old man’s acknowledgment of his reckless financial behavior in his early years is a much-needed reminder in our ultra-capitalist and maximalist society. So just in case you needed the reminder, saving money and growing your safety net is a good thing.
Being responsible with your finances, regardless of your age, is imperative in our current economic climate. You don’t need to shop at Whole Foods, you don’t need to buy a designer bag, and your holiday gifts are just as well appreciated when they’re sent from the heart rather than from Amazon.
So, whether you’re trying to learn healthy financial habits or you’re actively trying to find your way out of a sticky financial hardship like the struggling homeless man and his wife, there are a few foundational ways to help your future self find financial wellness.
Understanding, documenting, and budgeting your finances can help people relieve the burden of financial stressors — especially alongside consistency.
As Kamel suggested to the man from above, you have to know your situation before you can try to fix it. For many that means having a clear picture of how much money is coming in and how much money is going out.
If you’re able to budget in some areas of your life, do it. Whether it’s in 10 days or 10 months, you might have an emergency that you weren’t prepared for, and having a safety net to help you navigate those times without added financial strain can make tumultuous times more forgiving.
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For the man above, not going out to eat and cutting back on grocery expenses could help. Oftentimes, it’s the areas of our lives where we don’t think twice about spending money that could actually be costing us the opportunity to mend our financial stressors.
Creating your ‘financial identity’ and understanding your ‘money script’ can help to build future financial success and stability.
According to a 2023 Forbes article from a financial guru group, understanding your “money script” can help to set yourself up for financial success and stability down the road.
For the people who have the ability to do so, creating a space for financial stability does not always have to mean large sacrifices and intense work. It can be as simple as understanding your spending habits. Your money script is simply the subconscious “set of values, attitudes, and beliefs that influence virtually all of your financial decisions.”
Being able to find patterns and identify certain spending habits can help to understand the things that you don’t want to give up. For example, if you know that you recharge your mental battery by spending time with your family, but you tend to impulsively shop on Amazon when you’re bored at night, you can start budgeting for a future family adventure by quitting online shopping.
That goes hand in hand with your “financial identity.” The goal is to make difficult budgeting decisions often so they become a habit. They not only change the state of your financial situation, but they help to inform you of your habits, skills, and perspective.
If you’re a “planner,” you might be more focused on achieving financial stability now. Whereas a “giver” might sacrifice in certain areas to provide for loved ones in their life.
So, even though money is an uncomfortable topic of conversation for many, opening up the discourse can help you start growing your financial literacy in a way that sets you up for future success (whether that’s tomorrow or in a decade).
Our world is far from forgiving. With only 10% of Americans feeling they’ve achieved financial security, it’s hard to feel optimistic about a future of stability.
However, the more time you invest in learning your financial habits and values, the more successful you’re bound to be when money struggles slither their way into your life.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.