how much interest does the average citizen pay in their lifetime?

Good morning, our temperature outside is 15 degrees and inside it is 72. Our roads are clear and may be black ice in some places. The snow is still in place.
The other day we had a talk about me staying home while mom drives in these terrible conditions while I make a good and healthy pension just staying home. I drove and walked across the dam (3/4 of a mile and up 118 steps and down 118 steps twice a day) for 15 years before my legs just could not climb and walk across any more. At that time mom worked at the hospital we had only one car for about 5 years and mom walked to work (900 yards) in all conditions. Mom earns her social security plus what she earns at Walmart. We were in terrible debt and mom is digging us out with her job. Our home and her van will be paid for in another year and that will free up close to a half millions dollars in interest payments.

See walking on RipRap.

See Walking.

Some folks do not think much of a hard hat but this hat is something special. See the the red round sticker at left (you may have to click on the photo to get a better view); it says Ice and Snow 1977.
I got the sticker and $87.00 dollars while in the hospital after a hernia operation. The sticker and money was the governments appreciation for working 12 hours a day 7 days a week for two months in the 1977 -1978 winter storm. Click on the hat to see some of the photos of those days.
Anyway one day at Smithland (sometime in the 1980's I decided to bring my hat to the lock to display and use the hat. After the first day on display I noticed that someone was trying to take the sticker off the hat. I promptly brought the hat back home where it hangs in our laundry room. That sticker means a lot of very cold hard frost bitten work plus the hernia and I was not going to let someone get the sticker for a trophy.

It is raining this morning and the temperature outside is in the 40's. The big winter storm is to our west and I m not sure whether it will hit us. Well I know we will get the storm but I am not sure as to what we get? Snow, Ice or Rain.
I am washing clothes and cleaning a bird feeder as I type.
I took a cut in pay on my pension as Blue Cross and Blue Shield raised their rates and the government held its ground.
I was a retirement dinner last October with about 50 retired federal employees in attendance. In the room we paid as a group 1/2 a million dollars in premiums to just Blue Cross and Blue Shield.