I personally don't know anyone but I've heard stories of people either LDS or that belonged to end world religions like the Jehovah's Witnesses who ruined their finances by either going on spending binges or not pursuing higher learning because the hour was supposed near.

When I was a teenager there were 5 families in our ward who all sold their homes, quit their jobs, and moved on a big farm together.
They stockpiled everything you could think of. They were going to live off of the land and the barter system.
The world didn't end quick enough. Predictably they all started fighting with each other. The whole thing fell apart. None of them ever really recovered financially. They had to start careers and life from scratch. Most of them were in their late 30's to early 40's.
I knew another family that sold everything they had to live in Missouri. I don't know what became of them.

My cousin's family had a lakehouse that I spent many summer days at while growing up. About 1998, one of their neighbors went nuts over the Y2K scare and started talking about how it would be the beginning of the end. They dropped everything, bought a house somewhere in the Cascade mountains, and hastily sold their property. As far as I know they never heard from them again.

Currently, my wife's mother and sister are being dragged along by their stepfather to sell everything here in Washington so that they can move to Montana. MIL's wonderful husband is a born-again Glenn Beck fan and is convinced that society's collapse is coming, so he is preparing to live off the land again. MIL was within an inch of divorcing him because of his excessive drinking and temper (seem to be typical born-again traits) but he somehow reeled her in again.

In the seventies, when I was going to jr. high and high school, my father spent large amounts of money on food storage that was never used. Every couple of years he spent thousands on two-year kits that came from Salt Lake City. All of the food was thrown out when it expired, and the wheat was contaminated with weevils.
During this same period, I was sent to school with no lunch money and received no allowance.

For awhile I stole my lunches from a local general store until I was caught. After that, I begged from other students.

I think that the cheapest word I have ever heard is "forgiveness." To me, it isn't worth Jack shit.

Ruined finances? Not necessarily, but to tie in with the debate over whether or not college is worthwhile, I graduated high school in '96. I had the y2k fear put in me by my mother, who has an anxiety disorder and dramatized the coming End Of The World throughout my childhood.
She also made very clear that there was no money for school and I should start paying rent immediately for taking up space in their free and clearly owned house.
I left immediately instead.

I had no plans, but a job and a car. There was no money for school, but I figured I had four years to prepare for the end, so I put my spare money in survival gear, hoping I could afford some land to bunker down on eventually.

Obviously the world didn't end, my money could have gone to a better purpose, but was never enough for college.
The survival gear helped a lot when I couldn't even afford rent, lol!
I was sure as hell never going back for help from my parents.

I worked the same sort of jobs college students did. How do I know? I was working with college students! :D
But I only had my living expenses to cover, not tuition.

Oddly enough, about the time I would have graduated with a four year degree of some sort, I started working my way into really well paying jobs. I now work as an engineer, with many college grads, but without any college debt. I had to get a $30 certificate, but any other training I have acquired free on my own time and through the company netlearn program, also free and not mandatory.



Ruined? I was homeless for two years, which some would consider quite rock bottom.

But I am delighted with where I am today, even though I know I am in most peoples' minds the exception. Not the rule for non college educated, according to many with degrees.

Everybody's got an opinion. My opinion? There is no one size fits all solution. In education or anything else.

Relative quit his job to move across country because the Spirit gave him an urgency of the end of days. Did I mention he has 6 kids? Oh, and he had the nerve to ask the family for money once he got out there and couldn't find a job.

I don't know about 2nd coming but if a certain war-crazed man gets elected that might not be a bad thing to do-go live in Montana when he starts World War 3 over his Israel fetish.