Could losing all your shit in this hurricane be a BLESSING?
 

my sister in law's best friend lived in New Orleans. The girl, her husband, and her son packed their shit in a Neon and escaped to Dallas where my sister in law and husband lives...Then the girl who escaped turned on the television just to see her OWN HOUSE floating down the street and she just cried.

She's gonna try to get a job in Dallas and her husband was a waiter so he can get another restaurant job. They've been considering leaving New Orleans for a long time. Maybe this is the kick in the ass that they needed....Now my sister in law's husband who pulls in 15k a month after taxes as a Dentist has to feed his family, his wife's best friend's family, and also his MAMA who lived in Biloxi. They just built a new house in Dallas and even though dude makes 15k a month, he's bogged down by the house note, two car notes, private school, his non-working wife who happens to have a PHD in clinical psychology, etc. etc.

During my divorce, I had all of my most prized sentimental things in one briefcase so if there was an emergency, I knew I could grab one thing and save what was valuable to me.....and thanks to a best friend of mine who is NO LONGER a best friend, he didn't watch my shit properly and even that shit is gone. It included the videotape of my first daughter's birth, the only recording of my dead grandmother's voice, etc. So as of right now, this whole house that I'm in could blow up and I wouldn't miss it. As long as I could save my computers and my cameras, I'd be good to go.

Since my kids live in another state 9 months out of the year, I was thinking of giving up this house and living the nomadic lifestyle for a few years because I feel that I'm bogged down by all this "stuff" that is in my house....So I'm going to get rid of this house and take what I NEED in my car and the rest of the shit can be given to neighbors...

When you're bound by "stuff" you make decisions that will consider your stuff instead of your LIFE....That's why people decide to ride out storms instead of leaving.

I wouldn't want to pack up my shit at moments notice just to have my house be destroyed but if it happened, in the long run, I'd be grateful for it...As long as I have a car, a cellphone, a PO box, and a WALLET, that's all one needs to survive in America.

Sometimes shit like this is a blessing...Just like me getting fired from my old job for looking at porn...Now I THANK THEM for doing that for me because it turned out to be the best career move for me ever.

So in closing, if you have your LIFE, all that STUFF that you lost doesn't really mean shit.

That makes a lot of sense. The shit you own ends up owning you.

At the same time, some people don't live responsibly and let their finances get out of hand. Pressure from all sides in our economy means that they are going to struggle.

At the same time there are people who are forced into poverty because of disasters or other socioeconomic conditions.

Either way it is important to live below your means and plan for your future and build in a safety buffer.