While my parents were always able to make ends meet, there wasn’t much leftover. That meant that there wasn’t much wiggle room for unnecessary spending. However, I didn’t realize that that also meant that my parents weren’t prepared for retirement.
While they do get Social Security and a small pension, money is tight for them. It’s not uncommon for them to embarrassingly ask for a couple of bucks for groceries from me and my siblings. While we never hesitate, it hasn’t been easy.
My brother gets annoyed because he feels that our parents were irresponsible, while my sister is a little more empathetic and has hired our mom part-time for household chores—oddly enough this has brought them closer. And, for me, it’s been a rude awakening that I also am not prepared for retirement….