What rebound? 'I got left behind'
It is now five years since the Great Recession officially ended, but these CNNMoney readers still don't feel they've fully recovered from the downturn.
'We continue to scramble'
- Name: Brian Thompson, 54
- Place: Blacksburg, Va.
Re-prioritize. Do more with less. Stay flexible. These are the marching orders for my wife and me.
I served in both the Air Force and Navy, and as a retired military family, we have had to endure zero cost-of-living raises on my retired military pay. Meanwhile, my wife has been laid off twice from her government contractor positions as a result of budget cuts.
I thought that by this time in life, we would be relaxed and enjoying each others' company. Instead, we haven't been able to live together since 2008. We each had to go where the work is to keep food on the table.
I've worked on contracts overseas, and now, I'm a defense contractor currently based in Virginia. After her two layoffs, my wife just landed a new position in New Orleans as a project manager for a large construction project.
To add more pain to our already hurting finances, we don't qualify to refinance our home mortgage under the HARP program because we have a veteran's loan and don't have mortgage insurance. We have high monthly payments and almost lost our home.
So far, I have not seen any recovery. We continue to scramble to make ends meet and feel the constant backsliding of our dreams, plans and future.
