If you made 15K a year and had a significant other and a kid, you’d be lucky to afford a one room efficiency with two windows on skid row.
I think you equate a $700,000 house with huge mansion in the Bridle Path. That’s not true by a long shot. You have to take into account the location of the home. For example, my parent’s house was bought for around $80,000 in the late 1970’s. It has apprecieated in value to about $700,000- $800,000 and it is a bungaglow. That’s a single story house with a basement.
Changes over the years include a subway extension nearby, construction of cookie-cutter mansions near Finch, conservation of the Don Trail and urbanization and expansion of the Markham suburbs. All of which have added to the area’s appeal to those who work downtown and still want some peace and quiet when they go home.
The area where I grew up (North York) used to be considered the northern suburbs. It’s now considered to be more urbanized and is undergoing condo-fication. It’s already getting more yuppy than the Yonge-Eglinton area.
The poverty line has very much to do with the standard of living you’ll have in a city.
The poverty line in Toronto is around $18,000 I think. This number includes having a family to support. That means for $18,000 a family will have the bare minimum to live on.
Just to make a comparison, you seem to think that for $15,000 you can afford a decent place to live and support a family. Three years ago you could rent a two bedroom apartment at Bathurst and Steeles for $1400 a month. This includes two utilities, which were electricity and water, I believe. You wouldn’t even be able to afford the rent for a year.
Let’s aim a little lower, shall we? You can rent a basement apartment for about $800 a month. Rooms and utilities vary depending on location. Well over half that paycheque is going towards rent and food hasn’t been calculated yet. What about clothing? What about transportation? What about the EI and income tax that hasn’t been calculated on the salary yet? For sure you’re not going to be taking home a flat $15,000 every year.
Get your head out of the clouds, Hades. You’re the one who seems to be living in a t.v. show
I haven’t really read the thread, save for the first post, but I feel your pain. I, too, am expecting… 
edit: More hades brilliance. Have you ever made 15k a year and lived alone on it? It fucking blows. Talk about struggling to pay rent AND buy groceries - you can forget about anything fun, video games, going to see a movie - all of it is substanitally outside your grasp. I’ve lived on 15k a year, and while I can believe you can support a family on it, it is by no means comfortable. You said you were lucky to be so comfortable, are you so lucky as to have all your furniture come out of the dumpster because it was free? Trust me Hades, 15k is nothing, thats like minimum wage.
Raising someone in America on only 15K is, as far as I’m aware, practically impossible. In theory, I suppose it is doable, though the wife would alm ost certainly be working a job too. The problem with this is, they will be wanting more money. because more money doesn;t jsut mean opulence and splurging on useless things. It’s stability. Every parent wants their child to grow up happy and comfortable. At that little pay, it’s very hard, and can have, in fact, far more detrimental effects on the child than if they grew up “spoiled” as it were. As Sorc said, with that little money, a child can’t afford to do a lot of things, and while this isn’t such a problem while young, by the time they’re a teenager, that does have an effect on their social life and self-esteem. And this is assuming everything goes right, and you don;t get any medical situations, which is very unlikely.
Also, I’m not sure about the rest of North America, but the people I meet who make so little money? I find that they are constantly overworked, overstressed, and suffering from the same sort of anxiety that was once reserved mostly for farmers during a bad growing season.
To get back on topic Boltgun, stay in school. There are schools that train people for skilled trades and they need a highschool education to get in. You say you’re good in welding, but is that the only skill you have? It’s much better to have more than one.
Think of a computer programmer who graduated from university. Typically they’ll learn 1-2 programming languages and 1-2 database languages while learning the concepts and theories. A typical job posting lists an average of 10 languages, not including database languages. There is definately no possibility you will know everything an employer is asking for, but having more to begin with is a headstart.
This is more a testament to how chronically stupid people like you and Lex are than an actual legitimate jab.
I don’t need to trust you, because I already live with other people on less than that in a city that happens to be pretty close to Toronto. But nice try, you embarrassingly muddled brat. And I’m not even talking about USD.
It’s no measure of health to be well adapted to a profoundly sick society. - Sin’s Sig. It has a lot of cool stuff in it 
And no, bad-growing-season stress is the kind that drives people to suicide. The kind of stress you’re seeing is tantrum-throwing-suburbanite-who-feels-slightly-inadequate stress. That’s a fucking awful analogy.
As in you’re supporting only yourself and splitting rent and utilites? That’s an entirely different story than supporting a faamily with the same salary.
You were the first person in this thread to mention a dollar amount of money. I assume you were talking about CAD.
I wouldn’t get too worked up yet. Odds are she isn’t pregnant.
And as far as raising a family on $15,000. That sounds borderline impossible. I make about $20,000 a year right now. Between that and my girlfriend’s leftover financial aid money for school, and the little bit of money she brings in from working we just get by. Yea we’re fairly comfortable providing no unexpected expenses come up. But we by no means could afford a kid right now.
Children are expensive. Very expensive. And raising them in a state of poverty like that - and yes, it is fucking poverty, at least by US legal legal definitions and certainly in most urban areas - is negligible. At least, when there was the chance to increase possibilities to provide for your children. While I understand the desire to make sure your child grows up happy and healthy and not spoiled, I’d rather err on the side of spoiled than not provided with enough.
Like I said. It’s not the Money that makes stuck up asshole kids. It’s the lack of parenting rich kids get. You can make 100k a year and still be a good parent. And teach your kids morals and ethics and what not. And you don’t HAVE to spoil them. Money is not the root of all evil. It’s the fact that people with money are fucking dumb. Parents that make a lot of money make up for not spending time with there kids by giving them money and toys and shit. And of course the wives of rich men, who are sposed to be being housewives, are just sitting by the pool and fucking the pool boy cuz women are whores.
Ok. I was raised with a salary of about to 25k and 30k (depending on what was going on) up until now and the future. I have been living very comfortably my whole life. Now its probably 25k because my is disabled now. Like now i have a xbox 360, 6 xbox 360 games, a 25 inch tv, a nintendo ds? my phone which im doing this on now cuzz i dont have internet, a computer(was my gfs), the whole rockband set, i have lived in a shitty apartment, i have furniture, a bed, food to eat all the time, and im living in a development now. I say I have been living very comfortably.
I live in a shit town that prolly has 100,000 in population.(very rough estimate) Its cambridge,maryland and its on the eastern shore. We were origanally a fishing comunity but now we have a hyat and dennys. So 25k here and you can live comfortably here.
And yes i do have other skills. I am a very good artist and a writer. I am working on a book now. I learn fast and everything. I am good with computers and technology. So im sure i can do with those skills.
Hades is right; one can live on much less than they think, and still be comfortable. However, you also have to factor in cost of living in North America. It’s not exactly cheap… you can get by with decent money in other countries, but if you’re living in a metropolitan area in Canada or USA then you better be making some decent cash. Unless you want to live with roommates for the rest of your life.
People could live on $15,000 maybe a year or two ago. They could do this because they’d make up what they weren’t through credit cards, payday advances, furniture rental places…basically the easy extension of credit made it possible, but of course these families were getting completely and hopelessly bogged down in debt, and the chickens are coming home to roost now. Most of the payday advance places have closed shop because of new legislation, and good luck trying to get a new credit card these days if you only make $15k a year. I would say it’s much, much more difficult to do now.
Let me tell you, it is not the people making $15k who are overworked and overstressed. Minimum wage jobs are the easiest. Forty hour weeks are a cakewalk. If you want stressful, try 75 hour weeks at a bank or law firm or hospital. The idea that 40 hour weeks at McDonalds or Gamestop are overly stressful is laughable.
But I agree, $15k is too low for city living. Basic housing, transportation, insurance, food, utilities and health expenses add up to that much. $30k will get you by in most places, but forget big cities. Here in Manhattan, I’m paying $26k yearly for a small studio apartment, and about a thousand for each other category.
For $15k, I guess you could raise your kid in a trailer park, and have enough left to get drunk every night. Or you could be a subsistence farmer, growing your food, cutting down trees to build your house, etc. You could even rent a cheap one-room apartment, eat sparsely and play video games. But hopefully you don’t like driving, traveling, seeing movies, going out, or retiring.
Now chatting in #first_world_problems
Families in Africa raise 27 children on 1 dollar a day, therefore none of your problems matter at all
Images removed.
Real meaning of Boltgun’s thread
“Hey rpgc nerds I had SEX!”
Space reserved for a future awesome post
Today, I received my passport in the mail. They got my birthdate wrong. Then I picked up my birth certificate that I had sent in with the application. Turns out my parents have been celebrating my birthday on the wrong day for 16 years. FML
#18551 (653)
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On 02/09/2009 at 8:55pm - misc - by Noname (woman) - United States (Louisiana)
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Today, I was sitting in class and I fell asleep during the lesson. I was wearing sweatpants and had an erection. My teacher came up to me and grabbed my penis. She thought it was my phone. FML
#153070 (1042)
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On 02/27/2009 at 2:52pm - intimacy - by jgondi1 (man) - United States (Pennsylvania)
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Today, my boyfriend told me he couldn’t hang out with me because he felt really sick. I went to his house anyway to surprise him with homemade soup. I walk in to his room only to find him hooking up with my sister. She can’t drive, our mom drove her there. FML
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On 02/28/2009 at 7:44pm - love - by Noname (woman) - United States (Virginia)
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Today, I heard my sister masturbating in her room. I took the dog around the block to get out of the house, and I came back to see her leaving her room… my electric toothbrush in her hand. FML
#21600 (667)
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On 02/10/2009 at 6:06pm - intimacy - by misc (woman) - United States (New York)
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Today, I wanted to have a good lunch with my wife before fasting for my surgery which I may not survive, she decided getting her hair cut was more important. I ate alone. FML
#100088 (436)
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On 02/21/2009 at 10:41pm - love - by Still here (man) - United States (California)
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Today, this really attractive woman that I’ve known for years told me that when I can have sex with her standing up, she’ll have sex with me. I’m confined to a wheelchair. FML
#88381 (357)
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On 02/20/2009 at 1:53pm - intimacy - by C Me Rollin (man) - United States
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Today, I was having sex with my boyfriend. When he was about to orgasm, he screamed “Yes Brittany!” at the top of his lungs. My name’s not Brittany. That’s his sister. FML
#11340 (341)
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On 02/06/2009 at 10:29am - misc - by caroline (woman) - United States (Pennsylvania)
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Today, I saw an elderly man fall in a crosswalk, so I jumped off my bike to help. As I helped him across, the light turned green. At that point I noticed my phone had fallen out of my pocket in the street and was run over by several cars. I then watched across a 6 lane street as someone stole my bike. FML
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On 02/20/2009 at 3:29am - misc - by Mick (man) - United States (Colorado)
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Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her “Edward”. I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy her “Twilight” book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML
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On 02/05/2009 at 7:06am - love - by Noname - United States (Illinois)
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Today, my mom : “You and your dad like all the same foods right? Try this for me”, she then proceeds to give me a strawberry flavored jelly. I say that it tastes good and ask what she gave me. “It’s my new nipple cream, I want to surprise your dad tonight.” FML
#112605 (98)
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On 02/23/2009 at 9:54am - intimacy - by yada (woman) - United States (Illinois)
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Today, my husband dropped me off at work, ten minutes later I got a text saying" I just dropped the b*tch off I’ll be there in a few baby, miss you". I asked him about it he said he “I dont know what youre talking about Megan”. My name isnt Megan, not even close. FML
#159600 (93)
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On 02/28/2009 at 6:10am - love - by thatsucks (woman) - United Kingdom (Nottinghamshire)
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Today, my boss called me into his office to show me the web site of a potential business partner. When he began to type ‘virginia’ into google, it auto-completed his search with his recent search for ‘virgin boy assholes’. I have to go on business trip with him tomorrow. I’m a young guy. FML
#36396 (365)
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On 02/13/2009 at 10:54am - misc - by The Sbeak (man) - United States (Rhode Island)
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Today, I was talked into having sex with my boyfriend of 4 years. I had always wanted to wait till marriage but my boyfriend convinced me otherwise. Once we were done, he said he could never marry me because I was no longer pure. FML
#334017 (419)
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On 03/15/2009 at 12:57am - intimacy - by kallieco (woman) - United States (Florida)
Today, 3 days before my wedding day, I found out that my fiance is sleeping with one of my bridesmaids. I just cancelled a $200,000 wedding. I would go into more detail, but I have to help my family (who flew in from Poland, California, and Massachusetts) book flights back home. FML
#146339 (357)
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On 02/26/2009 at 7:53pm - love - by mike_d_is_a_loser (woman) - United States (New Jersey)
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Today, I had drunk sex with a girl that I barely know. I didn’t have a condom and was nervous about getting her pregnant, but she assured me that I could pull out. Right when I was about to pull out, she wrapped her legs around me and yelled : “BE MY BABY’S DADDY!” I couldn’t get out in time. FML
#253938 (1092)
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On 03/09/2009 at 6:58pm - intimacy - by RC3Welly (man) - United States (Florida)
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Today, I found out that I am being sued for losing a set of wedding photos that I took. I lost them by being mugged on the way home after the shoot and £10,000 worth of equipment was stolen from me. FML
#46067 (111)
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On 02/15/2009 at 9:31am - misc - by Xsjado (man) - United Kingdom (Manchester)
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Today, the girl I’ve loved for the past two years finally expressed her innermost feelings for me. After a brief make out session, she asked me to “never leave her side”. When I got home, my mom told me that my dad got a new job. I’m moving to the other side of the globe in two weeks. FML
#594439 (350)
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On 03/25/2009 at 1:43am - love - by Anonymous (man) - United States (California)
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Today, I found out that I’m pregnant. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for a while, and I was very excited to tell him the news. When I opened his office planning to surprise him with the news, I saw him making out with a man. FML
#1104891 (329)
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On 04/19/2009 at 12:05am - intimacy - by soontobedivorced (woman) - United States (New York)
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Today, my daughter asked me when was the first time I had sex. After I told her 22 she quickly shouted, “Beat ya!” She’s thirteen. FML
#226342 (495)
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On 03/06/2009 at 2:04pm - intimacy - by Noname (woman) - United States (New Jersey)
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Today, my teenage stepdaughters, as a punishment for refusing to buy them iphones, told my wife they saw me in town kissing an attractive blonde and grabbing her ass (all invented). She believed it and i’m single. I’ve been faithful and feeding the whole family for 10 years. FML
#549309 (532)
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On 03/23/2009 at 6:03am - kids - by gordon (man) - Germany
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Today, I told my mom about my night terrors in which I am laying in a ditch with people shooting at me, and I have no ammunition to defend myself. She told me I should stop being such a whiny bitch, and to grow up and be a man. I am 20 and got back from Iraq 10 months ago. FML
#693999 (550)
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On 03/29/2009 at 11:37pm - misc - by KSFarmBoy (man) - United States (Tennessee)
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Today, my husband of 9 years announced he was gay. He insinuated that he was only able to achieve erections because I looked like a man. FML
#505547 (168)
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On 03/21/2009 at 3:15am - love - by jilted (woman) - United States (Missouri)
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Today I noticed that my daughter was making funny noises which oddly resembled sex sounds my wife makes. When I asked her what she was doing she said “I’m pretending to be mommy from last night.” I was on a business trip last night. FML
#465150 (135)
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On 03/19/2009 at 12:49pm - kids - by Anonymous (man) - Canada (Ontario)
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Today, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I called all my family members to invite them over this evening because I had some very important news for them that could not wait. They all declined the invite. When I asked why, they said they were going to my cousins to watch his new TV. FML
#406352 (222)
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On 03/17/2009 at 1:47am - health - by Mikey (man) - United States (Louisiana)
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Today, I got a call from the hospital that my fiance was in the ER. When I arrived at the hospital they told me that he had a heart attack while having sex. FML
#469613 (149)
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On 03/19/2009 at 4:45pm - health - by jmoney (woman) - United States
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Today, I texted my college boyfriend to tell him how terrible I felt about cheating. He replied saying he was so relieved because he had been cheating on me with a girl in his dorm. I was talking about my math exam. FML
#379076 (104)
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On 03/16/2009 at 1:11pm - love - by gentileman (woman) - United States (Maryland)
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Today, my teacher demanded to talk to my dad because she thought he wasn’t a good enough male role model because i’d misbehaved. i told her he had died of cancer in 2005. She said that my lie was rude, disgraceful, and that i should be ashamed, then gave me a detention. He actually did die. FML
#587190 (336)
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On 03/24/2009 at 9:19pm - misc - by scoldedstudent (man) - United States (Connecticut)
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Today, my first girlfriend of over 3 years left me for another guy. She said she’s looking for someone who can financially provide for her in the future. The dude owns a T-Mobile kiosk. I’m going to medical school. FML
#341783 (226)
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On 03/15/2009 at 2:29pm - love - by thankskimi (man) - United States (New Jersey)
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Today, I had to make a family tree for one of my classes. When I was going through it, I realized that both my parents have the same last name. So, I asked them about it and they told me that they are second cousins. FML
#204871 (259)
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On 03/04/2009 at 3:52am - misc - by fam_surprise (man) - United States (California)
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Today, I bit my boyfriend’s neck. I felt something squirt into my mouth. Turns out I had just popped a pimple on his neck. Into my mouth. FML
#361047 (353)
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On 03/15/2009 at 10:20pm - misc - by KAAALIS (woman) - United States (New York)
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Today, I checked my facebook, and my wife of 5 years was listed as single. I then write on her wall that it is ok to announce to be married. She writes back saying that we have to talk and to come to the kitchen. My wife divorced me over facebook. FML
#705373 (170)
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On 03/30/2009 at 5:34pm - love - by nothappywithlife (man) - United States (Illinois)
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Today, I went on a date with a guy for the first time. We went to Starbucks and got coffee. We talked for awhile, and we weere joking and having a good time. Suddenly, he put his hand on my stomach and said, “soon, this will be plump with my seed.” FML
#836792 (605)
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On 04/06/2009 at 3:39pm - love - by creepermagnet (woman) - United States (Maryland)
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Today, I was reported to my principal because someone caught me shooting up at the cafeteria lunch table and as a result I have been suspended from school. I am a diabetic, I was giving myself insulin before I ate crappy school food. FML
#181647 (37)
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On 03/02/2009 at 9:35am - misc - by SugarFree4Life (man) - United States (Maryland)
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Today, I decided to take a nap. My boyfriend gave me some sleeping pills but I decided last minute not to take them. I woke up to my boyfriend kissing my neck and unbuttoning my shirt. Without opening my eyes, I whispered “ooh this is so romantic.” He blurted out shocked, “Oh…you’re awake?!” FML
#744790 (444)
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On 04/01/2009 at 12:13pm - intimacy - by Anonymous - Canada (Ontario)
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Today, my boyfriend brought me breakfast in bed, told me all the things he loved about me, got down on one knee and pulled out the little blue box I had been hoping for, for so long. He opened the box and there was a note inside that said, “April Fools!” FML
#743266 (306)
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On 04/01/2009 at 9:44am - love - by twstedillusion (woman) - United States (Texas)
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Today, it’s my 18th birthday. My parents got me a $5 gift certificate to Itunes. It came for free with the iPhone they just bought my sister for her middle school graduation. FML
#580113 (267)
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On 03/24/2009 at 5:15pm - misc - by happybirthday (woman) - United States (Wisconsin)
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Today, I took the bus to work and a sweet old lady got on after me and sat next to me. Halfway to work, she fell asleep and her head was on my shoulder. Trying to be nice, I gently tried to wake her up before my stop came. She wasn’t sleeping. I let a dead woman lie on me for 30 minutes. FML
#960425 (317)
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On 04/13/2009 at 10:11pm - health - by meteorbabe0101 (woman) - United States (Michigan)
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Today, I texted my boyfriend saying hi. His response, “I got your best friend pregnant”. FML
#14097 (88)
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On 02/07/2009 at 10:08pm - misc - by bittersweet - United States (New York)
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Today, I thought I heard my little sister playing on my brand new grand piano. Angry, I ran downstairs to stop her. My parents were having sex. On my piano. FML
#800425 (223)
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On 04/04/2009 at 2:15pm - intimacy - by GuitarChick42 (woman) - United States (Virginia)