Too poor to retire; too young to die

[Moemg]

IMO a lot of people enjoy that nomad existence until they get to an age that makes it not fun anymore .Sleeping in a camper is fun & interesting at 30 not so much at 79 .

[panacea]

Sad, but geez, it sure seems like a bunch of poor choices to me. Doesn't have to be like this.

[travelover]

Sadly, I believe that the inability to handle money is just another manifestation of mental illness. And sadly, right now, there is not much we can do to treat it.

[Corporateburnout]

$21 meal for someone with 50K in debt and limited resources is too much no doubt but we pay a little more than that per person for lunch, tip included, a few times a week and not at fancy restaurants either.

So for folks that never paid that much for a meal where do you eat? Fast food restaurants?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corporateburnout $21 meal for someone with 50K in debt and limited resources is too much no doubt but we pay a little more than that per person for lunch, tip included, a few times a week and not at fancy restaurants either. So for folks that never paid that much for a meal where do you eat? Fast food restaurants?

Do you REALLY think your only options for a meal under $22 in this country are fast food? You need to get out more!

Maybe Aaron can be your guide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 I agree. I can't think of a single time in my life that I spent $21.36 or more on one meal. Even if there are leftovers, that's a ridiculous amount to spend on a meal for anyone who has $50K in CC debt.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corporateburnout So for folks that never paid that much for a meal where do you eat? Fast food restaurants?

For one person I know a few places where I could get out for $10 or so but not much less than that. It certainly wouldn't be prime rib though, more like a bowl of chili or a sandwich. But we live in the "wealthy" part of WV.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Sleeping in a camper is fun & interesting at 30 not so much at 79 .

Especially when your body and the camper start to seriously deteriorate at the same time. ;-)

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 But we live in the "wealthy" part of WV.

Does that mean you don't have a copy of the Road Kill Cookbook in your house?

[Sarah in SC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Does that mean you don't have a copy of the Road Kill Cookbook in your house?

<snort>!!!
Regular lunches out for me are around $15 per person. Cheap would be $10.

[Corporateburnout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Do you REALLY think your only options for a meal under $22 in this country are fast food? You need to get out more!

I have to look hard to find a place in this part of the country. I also neglected to say that I like my Sam Adams and DW likes her glass of wine with the meal so that makes a difference in price. Also we like to tip 25% for a good service

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corporateburnout I have to look hard to find a place in this part of the country. I also neglected to say that I like my Sam Adams and DW likes her glass of wine with the meal so that makes a difference in price. Also we like to tip 25% for a good service

There are definitely ways to spend a lot at a restaurant if one is determined to do so, I agree! Appetizers, alcoholic beverages, desserts, and extra side dishes can all ratchet the bill upwards quite a bit, as can ordering the most expensive entree on the menu and eating the whole meal all by yourself. Honestly there really is a middle ground between eating like that and fast food.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corporateburnout $21 meal for someone with 50K in debt and limited resources is too much no doubt but we pay a little more than that per person for lunch, tip included, a few times a week and not at fancy restaurants either. So for folks that never paid that much for a meal where do you eat? Fast food restaurants?

I have paid for than $21 for a meal a good number of times....


However, there are MANY places that have lunches less than $10 that are good sit down restaurants... heck, there are a number around here that you can get dinner around $10 (but then have to pay tax and tip)...

I cannot remember paying over $20 for a lunch... I have had them before when mega paid, but not out of my pocket...

[LARS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R If I were headed to NO, I'd just allot longer than a couple of days so that I had time to familiarize myself with the restaurants, if that was my goal. Hint: There Are No Shortcuts, when it comes to food. You can try www.nomenu.com if you want, which is New Orleans' most well known food critic, but like most local food critics, some think he is not immune to bribes. I SURE wouldn't ask a local single woman from the internet that I didn't even know where she eats all the time, unless I was a stalker. The reason I wouldn't do that, is that I would be likely to find just as good places on my own and it's just a little weird, KWIM? Unlike other destinations, in New Orleans there is not just One Good Restaurant - - the whole place is full of 'em.

To paraphrase Shakespeare: me thinks the lady doth protest too much. Or, if you prefer a different angle, but still from the Bard, this is a tempest in a teapot.

No one is "stalking" anyone. Just friendly banter on what are good local restaurants.


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[Corporateburnout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R There are definitely ways to spend a lot at a restaurant if one is determined to do so, I agree! Appetizers, alcoholic beverages, desserts, and extra side dishes can all ratchet the bill upwards quite a bit

But if someone finds enjoyment in it and can afford it why not?

We only live once and can't take it with us.

[urn2bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound But in addition to the $100 to see a Frank Lloyd tour, I wonder what other things that she spent money on that she should not.

How about her completely unsubstantiated belief that "organic" is healthier?

"Organic" means more expensive. I am shocked how many people have swallowed the notion that it means healthier. This seems to be nothing but marketing, plain and simple.
For those who disagree, don't tell me about your "belief" or your anecdote about how "organic" cured your (eczema, arthritis, irritable bowel, energy level, etc.) or list some litany of the evils of non-organic food. Just show me some actual evidence.



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[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 For one person I know a few places where I could get out for $10 or so but not much less than that. It certainly wouldn't be prime rib though, more like a bowl of chili or a sandwich. But we live in the "wealthy" part of WV.

It wouldn't be prime rib here either, but gee, who over 60 can eat an entire order of prime rib? At least, I seriously doubt I can no matter how hungry I might get. Maybe some seniors can, but most that I know wouldn't even try, not even on a special occasion or holiday.

Be that as it may, I can't imagine ordering prime rib in the first place because it is usually at or close to the top end of the menu, price wise. Even if someone else is paying, I would never order the most expensive thing on the menu.

I think the lady in the article isn't even trying to spend less money. I guess that's my point. I don't feel one bit sorry for her and I think the article was written to prey upon our emotions, not to describe one of the many truly needy seniors in our county. And there really ARE some very needy seniors; I just think the author of that article could have done more to find them.

[purplesky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOL! An LA Times article about retiring, travelling, nomading, and what not http://graphics.latimes.com/retirement-nomads/ (Apologies if already posted.)

This article just really motivated me to make a 2016 Roth contribution to Vanguard so thanks for posting it.

Save until it hurts!

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud I have paid for than $21 for a meal a good number of times.... However, there are MANY places that have lunches less than $10 that are good sit down restaurants... heck, there are a number around here that you can get dinner around $10 (but then have to pay tax and tip)... I cannot remember paying over $20 for a lunch... I have had them before when mega paid, but not out of my pocket...

+1

I cannot either and verified from my records that for the past 4 years, I haven't spent that much for a restaurant meal at good restaurants. That is all I am trying to say. Someone who is $50K in debt and then orders a lunch that costs over $20 is living extravagantly beyond her means, IMO. I don't think she has any shortage of money; she is just spending it unwisely.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by urn2bfree How about her completely unsubstantiated belief that "organic" is healthier?

Yeah, I caught that part about how she had to buy organic at Whole Foods because she had to keep her blood sugar under control. "Organic" has nothing to do with what it does to your blood sugar level. Whole Foods has a lovely display of cookies and other baked goods right at the entrance!

[W2R]

Mandinas is an example of a restaurant serving food that is universally recognized as some of the best in New Orleans, founded in 1932. You can eat a very nice meal there for $11. Here's how:

Order something like perhaps the Chicken Parmesan and Spaghetti (their red sauce is fabulous!), with water to drink. This dish costs $17.50, which with tax would come to $19, and with tip $22.

As always, the serving size is huge. So, unless you are a teenager you will need to split it between yourself and another person, or take half home and warm it up to eat tomorrow. There. Now you have a nice and very filling lunch for $11.

If you go on a Monday or a Saturday, you can get the Shrimp Creole as the daily special and that is out of this world; by far my favorite dish there. It's $15.95 so with tax and tip you can split it and get out of there for $10.

Although it was a favorite restaurant of ours for many years, and we used to eat there all the time, you will not find us at Mandina's any more. This is for two reasons:

(1) High prices. They almost doubled their prices after Katrina and these prices are more than we are willing to pay. $11 for lunch? Pul-eeze.

(2) Crummy looking renovations. The restaurant was badly flooded by Katrina so they had to do a complete renovation of the very old historic restaurant, and all the new ticky tacky makes it look so generic and it makes us sad. No, more accurately it breaks our hearts.

So we just don't eat there any more. We haven't eaten there for probably 8 years or so.