There is a local family that I've known for going on 21 years. Every year, they are looking for handouts. Many years ago when their kids were young, members of my firehouse bought all of their kids Christmas presents, their tree, etc...

Last year, they got a big inheritance, over $350K after taxes, of course, in less than a year, they blew it all. Now bear in mind, their house was already paid off (a gift from a family member years ago), they mainly bought some vehicles, toys, etc...

Now last week, the wife (41 years old) passes away suddenly and here they are on facebook begging for money to bury her, putting up a go fund me, etc.. The husband drives a $60K Ram 2500 mega cab diesel (bought with cash from inheritance), the wife drove a newer Jeep Wrangler 4 Door (paid off) and the daughter has a nice car. The husband makes over 100K a year at a local industrial company, good union job and I know he makes that because I know other people there.

How about selling her Jeep or your truck to pay for the funeral? Nope, gonna beg friends and family to cover the cost in typical fashion. Now I don't consider myself a friend of this family, I know them through the firehouse as the husband is a life member but has not been active in the department for some time.

Absolutely pisses me off they live like kings then hold their hand out expecting freebies. I have mortgage, I don't drive a $60K truck yet they expect people like me to pay their way. F-That.

I got more angry the more I read.

Charity is not meant for those unwilling to sacrifice, it's reserved the destitute. Sell a vehicle, take a loan against your 401k, second mortgage, temporary loan until her life insurance/401k is paid out.

How does someone own all those fancy things but have zero reserves?

Nope.

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Originally posted by ulsterman:
Nope.

Not just no, but hell no.

We had a neighbor just like that. Plus she maintained neither her home nor her yard. I had absolutely zero sympathy for her complaints.

Very sad about the young wife, though.
Nah, we live in a decent neighborhood, but a block or two up they are very well to do… and a family there keeps showing up at my church looking for food. My mom works the food shelf, and one night she mentioned that these folks were back again, and how things must be hard. I did a drive by. Nuh uh. 2 newer Lexus vehicles in the drive, nice bikes and toys strewn all over the lawn, a much nicer home than mine.. good grief, folks, sell a Lexus. Or at least that $500.00 bike your kid left laying on the lawn if you need to take food from the food shelf and people who truly have nothing to barter to eat.
It’s definitely angering.

A company I worked for participated in the Marine Corps Toys-4-Tots program a few years back. I was working the sign-in desk (where folks sign in before picking up their cluster of presents). One of the kids working in the warehouse tells me to go look outside where they are loading the gifts. BMW, Infinity SUV, Escalade. Maybe someone picking up for them? Nope - the persons presenting their ID to me for pickup are the some folks jumping in and driving those nice vehicles. (I was driving a 10 year old Accord at the time)

That's why I now only make charitable donations to people I know personally - and even then I do so with forethought and caution.

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Plus she maintained neither her home nor her yard.

Same situation here, house and yard are a mess. Township codes officer has been a regular there.

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and a family there keeps showing up at my church looking for food.

The family I'm talking about in the OP did the same. The local food back distributes food boxes every Wednesday evening at the Township building. I've been told by friends that the family are regulars there, sometimes sending the teenage kids to get a 2nd box....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigarms229,

These sorts of families are not rare. Charity is still a good thing. I like to be in charge of my charitable giving. This family would not be at the top of my list.
Talk to pastors they know all about these types.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I got more angry the more I read.
....
How does someone own all those fancy things but have zero reserves?

Want to get madder? The assumption they have zero reserves is just that, an assumption.

Normal people wouldn't beg if they had assets of their own. Are those folks normal, though?

A nephew I disowned and his wife went to some sort of donation the Jewish do for their flock and got a free 25 pound turkey for Thanksgiving one year, then used it to throw a party for their friends.

I gave them hell for that but they didn't seem to care.

A young couple cried a river of blues and we donated a almost new upright freezer to them.

Stopped by to give them items to stock their new freezer.

They had sold it.

Well, when you are rewarded for bad or no behavior, you will keep it up until it no longer works.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

Want to get madder? The assumption they have zero reserves is just that, an assumption.

Normal people wouldn't beg if they had assets of their own. Are those folks normal, though?

I can believe these people have no reserves. People like that have poor money management skills so they end up needing help. People respond to help them. They never go back and learn good money management; no reason to.

quote:

Originally posted by sigarms229:


Last year, they got a big inheritance, over $350K after taxes, of course, in less than a year, they blew it all.

Sounds like the trash that bought the house next to my parents. They got some sort of big settlement or inheritance and blew it all on an RV, trucks, cars, a nice big in-ground pool etc

Then you look at their house and these clowns are running extension cords outside up the side of their house to power window AC units on the second floor...

No charities like that for me. If I know a family is struggling, I'll stick a few Kroger gift cards in their mailbox, but all that Angel Tree and Shop with a Cop stuff-really, folks, the same kids EVERY YEAR? Poverty is a temporary condition of you try at all.

I'd be tempted to out them on every social media I know of. You can't be the only one who finds this distasteful.

When we do the local shop with a cop thing here, someone has to stand at the checkout and draw a line through every bar code with a sharpie. This is to prevent the parents returning everything their kid bought for cash.

My mother worked with a lady who had a $600 water bill. She spent have the work day calling local charities and churches. By the end end of the day she had the bill paid.

The next day she comes in with a new cell phone.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hire her!