Even the average millionaire drives a six-year-old Buick, so a ten-year-old car isn't so bad. Plenty of 10-year-old cars are very nice, actually. Driving a new car is way overrated in most cases. A buddy of mine is selling his '95 Chevy Blazer for 3k. Top-of-the-line "LT" package, all black, all leather, etc. That's a pretty nice 4WD ride for 3k. (Books at $4300, though.) I see nice '91 Buick Park Avenues go for $1200. That's a comfy car, and cheap to fix.
Can't you just declare bankruptcy to start fresh? It might be hard to buy a house anytime soon, but if there's no other way to pay off the debt, then you do what you gotta do. My cousin filed three times by age
- Btw, if you can afford that 2-bedroom apartment, you can probably afford a cheap house at this time for probably quite a bit less per month. A "decent" old house right now with a 30-year fixed mortgage should be a good 10-20% cheaper per month than an apartment.
Try some St. John's Wort from GNC (or wherever). Seriously. The solid caplets, not the less-powerful capsules. It should kick in within two weeks and can really help. It's prescribed for depression in Europe and places all the time. Lots of U.S. doctors and companies want it banned because it cuts into their profit margins. If you want to stick with something else, you can usually order medication from India for 1/4 of the price it costs otherwise. St. John's Wort is the real deal for depression, though.
And to top matters off, I'm
You can live like a king in the Phillipines for $300 a month. But, then again, you'd be living in the Phillipines.
An associate of mine did just what you described, although he was already divorced and his kids were at least 16 and could live with their mom. He's 50 or so, two credits shy of a Masters in Psychology or whatever, and a few months back decided he wanted to hitchhike across the country and be a bum for awhile. I am one of the few decent people he knows, so he gave me a painting and his computer, and also his Saab which I cleaned up to sell to give the money to his son. He grabbed a duffle bag of clothes and his guitar, and I dropped him off next to the highway with probably $200 to his name. He's emailed me from five or six different states during the past few months. I think he just felt a bit "broken" and needs a year or so to get some drive and goals back.
Do even some online checking of what houses and cost-of-living is not that far from where you live and you might be surprised. Living in a decent-sized city is always a pain in the ass, as well as rough on the wallet. Living even ten minutes outside of a city limits is often much cheaper as well as much more quiet. Plus you don't have stupid neighbors calling the Homeowners Association when you leave a car on jackstands in your driveway overnight, or if you want to burn trees and leaves or do whatever it is you want to do on your property. Living in a city or even suburbia sucks, whether it's in an apartment or in a house. I see all these people build new, expensive houses 20 feet from their neighbor, and it boggles my mind. If I can hear you watching TV, you live too close.