This is a story about life and social security.
I'm 61 years old, close to 62 now, and I've been on social security for about 2-1/2 years now. I blew out my back in 2014 due to the accumulated over-stress of lifting heavy stuff with my thin frame. My last job, where I wrecked my back, was with a company that supplied various arcade games, juke boxes, pool tables, and other things like that to local businesses, mostly taverns. I was one of the people who moved them and repaired them. The stress on my back became too much over a period of time and I ended up at the V.A. hospital for serious back pain. That led to several months of physical therapy. I ended up having to quit my job due to my inability to do it anymore. I applied for disability and was approved for it 7 months later. I've been told by several people that I got lucky getting approved so quickly, but it didn't seem very quick to me when I was without any income for 7 months.
I assume that most people understand the basics of social security, but I'm going to talk about it a bit anyway. Social security was the first socialist program put into place in this country, in the 1930s, during the great depression. It has made it possible for generations of old people to survive without having to move in with their kids, for the most part. Social security is not an entitlement or a government give away program. I paid into social security from my earned income for my entire working life. Now the government is giving me back some of the money that I paid in for all those years. The amount that I get every month is based on my monthly earnings for the last 10 of my working years. I don't know how they figure the amount, and it doesn't really matter that much, I get what I get. I never had a good paying job in my working life, I was making 10.50 an hour when I had to quit, and that was the best paying job I ever had. So you can imagine, I'm not getting rich on social security.
Because of my age group, I would be eligible for early retirement at age 62, which I think would be 80% of my full retirement amount. I was definitely planning on taking it at age 62 if I was still working. I made a lot of money for other people during my working life, but not so much for myself and family. I was more than ready to get out of the rat race. But then, I messed up my back. It's a case of "be careful what you wish for, because you might get it, and it won't be how you think it'll be".
I think I'm lucky in some ways. I live with a friend who has a paid for house. All I have to pay for is half of the utilities and common expenses. If I was renting a place here in this 2 horse town, it would cost me half of my monthly pay. That, by it's self, is a big thing. I actually have a bit of extra money to spend most months. Not enough to get my teeth fixed, but that's a different story. I do provide a certain value to our living arrangement, I grow about half the food we eat, so I do pay my way, in a non money kind of value. She has a big back yard, and I've made good use of it.
I don't think I'd be homeless without the social security, but I'd be one hell of a burden to whoever I was living with. I'm glad that I can "pay my way" and be of some help to the friend who's house I'm living in.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post, eh!
I hope it wasn't to long...
