50 Something Year Old Moves In With Parents

I read an article today on ABC news, written by Emily Fredrix, of a woman who moved into her parents home at 52 due to the poor economy and the loss of her job. The Associated Press business writer tells us the woman lost her job, sent her daughter to live with her husband since she could no longer support her daughter, then in Dec 2007 moved in with her parents, was able to get another job with the Experimental Aircraft Association, is living close to her ex-husband to be close to her daughter, does not pay rent or barely contributes for food because her parents let her.

Yet since the woman is not spending anything to help her parents who are on a fixed income, she says she could have her 5% down payment to buy herself a home by June this summer.

OK, now back up a minute. If she is getting paid enough to be able to save for a 5% down payment to buy herself a home by June, why doesn't she just get herself an apartment. If I was able to save that much from the time of December 2007 to the time of June 2008 and have that much as a down payment on a home, then I know that I could rent and pay my own bills in a small one bedroom apartment and just wait longer to buy a home. Yes, it might take a full year, or it could take two years. But if she down scales, she could do it.

The thought of burdening my parents with them providing for me especially if I could save that much in 6 months is shameful since my parents are on a fixed income, as most seniors are. In this economy seniors are getting hit as well. It's OK to except help from our parents when we are struggling. I and my husband have been struggling since 2002 when my husbands secured permanent HIGH TECH job was OutSourced to India and our Medical Insurance and his retirement fund disappeared. But to move in with my parents so they can support us when one of us had a job and pay nothing while saving to buy a new home because we did not want to rent an apartment when we were able to do so, just sounds wrong to me.

Yes, I do know what it is like to struggle. My husband's jobs have been temporary contracts, too far in-between, and too few. We are even close to foreclosure every time he is between jobs. But I will not live with my parents unless we loose our home and have no income of any kind coming in which would cause us to be turned down to rent an apartment.