Sunday, November 22, 2009

SPECIAL SECTION: THE BIG SQUEEZE

Background: While inflation has gone up, most people's incomes haven't. Countless families in the Inland Northwest - and not all of them the working poor - are struggling with debt. We bring you some of their stories and tips for keeping life and finances balanced.

Do the math With the online calculators at bankrate.com you can estimate car payments, figure out how long it will take to pay off your credit card, and even estimate your FICO score. Graphics • Monthly budgets for two Inland Northwest families: 1997 vs. today • Household income growth since 1980 Comparing costs Automobiles | Children | City utilities | Entertainment | Family income | Food | Health care | Housing | Recreation | Sports

The Big Squeeze

7/9/2006 | For the first time in years, Tammy Loe of Post Falls is carrying a balance on her credit card. For groceries. In Pullman, Matthew Root has seen health care costs shoot up as much as 18 percent for his handful of employees.

Debt defying

7/9/2006 | A year ago, Cassie and Matt Breithaupt did something unusual for a growing family. They bought a smaller house. Using the proceeds from the home sale and a radical change in spending habits, they've paid off all debt but a mortgage, and they're working on building their savings.

We've got the toys, but where's the time?

7/9/2006 | It's funny how things change with time. In 1987, just before the birth of my second child, we got crazy and purchased a video camera.

The haves and have nots? More like haves and have mores

7/9/2006 | Everything costs more. Right? Think health insurance, child care, postage stamps, gasoline, electricity, cable television, movies, newspapers, coffee, cigarettes, dope and lawyers. Getting gouged by high prices again and again every single day is frustrating.

Porsches right on our back porch

7/9/2006 | As some drivers struggle to afford gas to keep their old Geo Metros running, a new Porsche dealership drove into the Northwest with autos costing $40,000 to $450,000.

Money can't buy meaning

7/9/2006 | Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream.

Sometimes you can only pray

7/9/2006 | Staeheli earned $15,000 in 2005, mostly from substitute teaching. She also works at a minimum-wage job doing phone surveys. With the $700 rent and utilities for her two-bedroom home eating up most of her income every month, she says she feels like she barely makes it.

College costs weigh heavily

7/9/2006 | College expenses can be tough on any family. For the Murphys, that was triply so. With three children in college in recent years, the Murphys estimate they've spent roughly $100,000 on higher education in the last three years.

Small business faces big pinch

7/9/2006 | Matthew Root left academia several years ago and went into business for himself. His firm, Rain Shadow Research, performs archeological research and planning for development projects – finding and fixing any conflicts with items of historical value.

Feeling heat from soaring gas bills

7/9/2006 | People always ask the Loes how they do it: Seven children, one full-time salary. Their answer is a combination of careful budgeting, simple living and faith in God.

Closer attention to budget pays off

7/9/2006 | The Greiners are both 33, and they expect to pay off their house and get completely out of debt by Jan. 1, 2012. Living on a combined annual income of $78,000, they're paying extra toward their student loans and home mortgage.