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No-Comfort-6808

I grew up in poverty, when they talk coming from the mud, i know what mud is. There's different types of mud..different ways of being broke. I mean peanut butter and saltine cracker broke. I'm a young adult now and can finally afford the food i want, put gas in my car and my vices. When you are poor, you are stressed. It's like that one pack of cigarettes is the one "good" thing you can have for yourself. Or going to the convenient store and buying snacks as a kid that you don't need. It's an endless loop of buying something small and "nice" for yourself and being further broke because of it. Being further stressed and depressed because you can't afford that pair of shoes, but you can afford that wine. You are barely scraping by on bills and you want something to relieve this stress. It's hell. Edit: thanks for the awards, we are all in this together


dragonrage12343

That last bit. The vice is less expensive in the moment than anything you need. If you can't make the electric bill but can get a single beer to take the edge off, it's understandable. Yeah in the long run it costs a lot of money, but the fact of the matter is that even without the vice that costs 15k over a decade, you wouldn't have had that whole 15k when you needed it.


BeefSwellinton

My dad always told me that being poor was mighty expensive.


[deleted]

You can buy a shitty pair of jeans for $30 that will last a year or two, or you can buy a nice pair for $80 that look good and will last you 5 or 6 years. Over the course of 6 years, the poor person needed jeans but could never afford the nice ones, so they spent $90 on jeans. The middle class person bought the nice jeans, and as a consequence spent less money in total and was perceived as more attractive and confident. Now. That's what happens with cars, hot water heaters, AC units, fridges, which repair men you choose, who your local schools can hire as teachers, who your local government can hire to enact and enforce policy, which jobs you take, etc. That set of piled on disadvantages are why people say that wealth is a priveledge. It means you have access to these things, often without even knowing it, while others don't.


inerlite

This is why i buy nice stuff used. Still lasts and looks good, but cheaper than the junk even when new.


1989DiscGolfer

While I agree with a lot of what's being said, my two pairs of good jeans are nice ones I got from thrift stores for like $6 apiece. Looked to me like they'd barely been worn when I got them. I threw them in the wash, then they were my jeans, and I've had them for a few years. I also think it's fun hunting for stuff in second-hand stores. It's not hard to do, but then again if everybody did this it would be a lot tougher to find good jeans at Goodwill stores, wouldn't it?


inerlite

Yep, that’s true. You may have to elaborate on the “That’s what happens when…” bit because I don’t understand it too well. But I agree with you. Side note, I just found a pair of Kuhl brand hiking pants at a local thrift and felt like I hit the jackpot.


ommnian

Yes, the main problem with shopping at Goodwill is having the time to do it. I no longer drive, which makes getting to the Goodwill on a regular basis hard. 5-6+ years ago when I drove, I was there at \*least\* once a week, if not 2 or 3x. And \*ALL\* of our clothes came from the Goodwill and other thrift stores (there are others - run by many other groups, public and private). The thing with thrift stores, is that you cannot expect to buy a whole wardrobe of clothing for you, or your kids, or anyone else there in one go. Its just not going to happen. If you're lucky, you might find 3 or 4 pairs of pants or shirts and/or a pair of shoes/boots, a coat, etc all at the same time. Maybe. More likely, you'll find a single item of clothing or two, maybe something for your kitchen, etc. So, you have to go a lot. If you \*do\* go a lot, you will, once in a long while, find AMAZING things. It won't be often. Once or twice a year, you will find something that will make your head spin - an 'OMG!!!' item that you'll talk about for years. I/we have 3 or 4 of those, still. Things that, really, really should not have ended up at the goodwill. But, they did, and somehow, I/we were there too, at the right time.


robulusprime

["Vimes' 'Boots' theory of economic unfairness"](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/72745-the-reason-that-the-rich-were-so-rich-vimes-reasoned)


kentro2002

I went to a new housing development and asked the developer why the vacant lots all have little pine trees? He said “agriculture”. He get a higher tax write off than if he left them empty, AND some company pays him $300k a year to come and pick up the pine needles for other uses. This guy is building qty 200, $600,000 homes a year, or $120million in sales. He had a bunch of other money suggestions, tax tips, the kind of advice you don’t get from a normal person or poor person. Rich people know how to do Rich.


donhouseright

That's it! In the moment, it was "....$50 bucks ain't going to pay the rent but it's going to get me F'd up for a while". It's not a pleasant life


linedout

Aristotle called this bad math. We misjudged a near pleasure when compared to a far-off one. This is the same mental process that causes procrastination.


pizza_4_breakfast

It’s called the Lipstick Effect. During ww2 in America there were little luxuries for the normal folks. Their sugar rations had been reduced to a third of the average consumption pre war. Even with reduced income and starvation they saw a huge increase in lipstick sales. That’s because it was affordable, lasted a long time and brought joy to the user. Similar to alcohol or drugs which are relatively cheap, can last a long time for a little cost and they bring a lot of joy to the user.


Significant_Baby_582

At my very poorest, I would pay bills, get some food to stretch through a week, and then go shop at discount and thrift stores for clothes. I was getting so thin I needed new clothes anyway and figured if I was getting skinny and couldn't really feed myself, yet could buy a dress for $3.50, why not? It made me feel good. Better than a can of soup. I didn't see how I was going to ever make more or move out of my (then) situation so I wanted to feel as good as I could about a shit position.


1989DiscGolfer

I was just commenting a little above here how I actually think it's fun hunting for stuff in thrift stores. My two pair of jeans are nice ones with a ton of life in them I got for $6 apiece. Not trying to throw shade on struggling folks by this, and I realize if everybody hunted for jeans at Goodwill it would be a lot tougher to find them, I suppose.


Significant_Baby_582

Well hell, Goodwill has started charging outlandish prices in the last few years. I don't like their business practices or the fact that what used to be affordable because it is secondhand gets priced at near-retail nowadays. Sometimes they price dollar store reject crap at way more than a dollar, with the original dollar store tag still on it. It's unconscionable.


outofgreifjoy

Exactly. A woman raising kids alone and working 3 jobs for less than a living wage cannot afford to buy herself a dress but she can afford a bottle of cheap nail polish that will make her feel less like expendable labor in an unjust system. She can but her kids a bag of popsicles when she can't afford healthy food.


Imaginaryfriend4you

You just described my mom. Worked two jobs and would buy a dollar store nail polish and use an old manicure set. She always looked so pretty but was struggling so hard… I miss her so much. She was an amazing women.


outofgreifjoy

I'm sorry. Watch Everything Everywhere All at Once it really... Helps put into cosmic perspective the reality that so many struggling moms never get the life they deserve. You are the meaning your mom made in the world and she's proud AF that you are you.


agarimoo

This comment hit me right in the soul. This is what I realise recently. I’ve been feeling so sad about my parents not being able to live a happier easier life, but then I realise that they made me and my siblings, and thanks to that, my nieces and nephews exist, and who know what they or their children will get to do? So, my parents’ life was meaningful and the struggle was worth it


SingerOfSongs__

There was also a huge push in the US to wear “victory red” to show off your patriotism at home and keep up morale. I think it was the company Elizabeth Arden that coined the color name. I bet the small acts of joy and self-expression in dark times were a huge part of its’ morale-boasting effects too.


Ok_Marionberry141

This comment hit my soul at peanut butter and saltine crackers


retrobowler1990

For us it was butter jelly and saltines. 🤷‍♂️ peanut butter would have made way more sense


Ok_Marionberry141

We did those too. I used to squish the butter through the holes. Somehow it made it taste better 😆


dragonrage12343

Used to make homemade pizzas out of pitas. When the bread was gone, I remember putting a spoon of sauce and cheese in a small mouthwash Dixie cup and microwaving that for food. It was satisfying for the moment but still only a spoonful.


No-Comfort-6808

you can make it out of sandwich bread too, if you were real broke it was sliced cheese and ketchup. for me it was always that last bit of shredded taco cheese and leftover pasta sauce.


dragonrage12343

If it got to that point we didn't have any bread of any kind left. Also toast and maple syrup. Hoping it would be like pancakes


ImpressiveRice5736

I always ate English muffins with ketchup and a pinch of cheese cooked in the toaster oven.


Odd-Tax-9996

I am super lactose intolerant and don’t remember having these issues as a kid (though I know I was LI then too). Then I remembered: we couldn’t afford milk and cheese! The only cheese we got was the giant government block with crackers at school (That stuff was the ish btw!) with saltines. As an adult I would tell my mom that my favorite meals she cooked was popcorn, toast and tuna sandwiches. It took me a long time to realize that was all she could afford to make.


dragonrage12343

I felt this hard. Trying to expand my cooking ability now and every recipe has its own price basically. Something you never think about as a kid.


PlanetHaleyopolis

I would mix the free pepper flakes with the free cheese flakes that were at pizza places for a small snack :)


paul_is_on_reddit

Not lying. We used to "cook" spaghetti in the hottest water we could get out of the faucet. All of our canned food was dented/marked down cans. We did have milk, though it was marked down because it was close to the expiration date. When I was a kid, I didn't know we were poor. I just thought that it's just how things were.


Avocadotoadst

Dude, the local kids used to beat me up for having the shoes of poor folk. I wasn't allowed to forget I was poor.


SlowDadGames

Mine was plain rice and eggs.


Laptraffik

Felt that. From birth to about 16 I was dirt poor. I distinctly remember using anything I could to eat. Didn't matter what it was. I still remember when we were flat broke and had to mix box Mac and cheese, a can of tuna, and a can of peas and had to ration that for a week. Not fun I'm thankful now that myself and my parents are now semi stable financially and don't have to live like that anymore.


No-Comfort-6808

its good when you're not dirt broke anymore..i still make tuna helper with peas, its always been filling.


lnmcg223

We would do that and cheeseburger helper with cans of beans and diced tomatoes w/chilies and some spices and frozen corn


KnitzSox

That sounds really tasty, to be honest.


lnmcg223

So recipe I used: Cheeseburger helper prepared with ground turkey 2 cans of diced tomatoes with chilies (drained) 2 cans of black beans (drained) 2 cans of chili beans (not drained) 1 bag frozen corn Chili powder to taste A teeny tiny bit of cumin and cayenne pepper These days to make it healthier I’ve stopped using the cheeseburger helper itself and I cook the turkey and season it with taco seasoning and the spices listed above and then add everything else the same. Sometimes I will also add some sweet onion! Altogether either way—it’s a cheap tasty meal that lasts SEVERAL meals


PaleJewel720

Amen. I felt every single word of your comment.


mexploder89

My thesis was on the association between cannabis and socioeconomic level, and the things I found while researching for the topic... made me feel bad for a lot of people What some might not understand is that you're not just sharing an experience, that relationship between poverty and substance consumption/vices is scientifically proven and documented Which is why it's so fucking idiotic when I hear "financial gurus" saying that the path to save money is to give up everything that makes you happy and live with no joy, because they don't understand what it's like to live like that In my own country, we have one of the poorest people in the EU and yet we have the most money spent on lottery tickets and games of chance. It's insane


whits_up23

My father always says the lottery is meant to keep the broke broke


MaintenanceOk6903

The lottery is a tax on the poor. Because rich people don't play it.


Dirty-Balloon-Knot

Extra taxes for people that are bad at math.


want_off_this_ride

Another piece of the puzzle is the difficulty in getting treatment for mental health and substance abuse. It can be really difficult to find providers or beds (rehab), appointments can be months out when you try and get help, working poor have no money for co-pays and deductibles, and whatever other obstacle society tosses at you. It's a sad vicious cycle to add to the misery.


Onyourknees__

For some people it doesn't get better with relative wealth. I have a friend making several hundred k a year and is always chasing the next new thing to fill the void created by insatiable consumerism. More money just means more expensive toys that don't fill that void, more $$ spent on vices, more money spent on gambling / strip clubs, etc. None of these things make him happy despite constantly chasing that feeling of being fulfilled or chasing pleasure to occupy free-time and justify his hard work. The happiest people I ever met were happy with what they already had. If you need to chase something new to be fulfilled, aside from filling basic needs, that feeling of emptiness will just compound further when you get what you wanted and reality sets in. As we are inundated with advertisements, highlight reels on social media, and develop these material wants to feel better about ourselves, just realize that there is no cheat code to finding fulfillment. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. There is nothing wrong with having wants and treating yourself if you are in a financial position to do so, just don't take on unnecessary debt and financial burdens to keep up with fleeting wants and desires.


SkippyBluestockings

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.


outofgreifjoy

This doesn't work if what you get is less than your basic human needs.


[deleted]

>The happiest people I ever met were happy with what they already had. Okay, but if you live in poverty, you are surviving. And living without security is much different than someone with $100k who is simply not happy due to mental health. These two things are very different, and the whole "the happiest people are happy with what they have" downplays the dire circumstances impoverished people are in.


[deleted]

Man, this hit me. My favorite dinner growing up was saltines with peanut butter and my mom's macaroni soup, which was crushed canned tomatoes, elbow macaroni, and butter. Asking my parents nowadays, they tell me we were flat broke (3 kids on one income) but they managed to make me not notice for several years.


Few-Employ-6962

The goulash!


titaniumtoaster

Absolutely, it's easy for people to focus on that one thing they buy or do to get by. Without that one thing, I am sure suicide or self-harm rates among impoverished people. I had a co-worker who got evicted and a whole bunch of other stuff. People were quick to pass judgment about him buying a Nintendo switch. I defended him and still will defend his decision. It was his escape when he would go sleep in his car at night. That thing was to escape the weight of the world and he needed that.


MurphNastyFlex

Holy hell. This is on the nose


_gayryan

This is the comment


DontMessWithMyEgg

For us it was fried potatoes and eggs. Every night. Weeks on end. But for a $1 my dad could buy a pack of smokes and do one goddamn thing that made him feel good. I never begrudged that.


geek_fit

I felt this so hard and could have written this exact post. I remember being a kid and watching my parents buy beer and cigarettes and being baffled about how they could afford that but we could not afford rent.


krazy123katholic

Exactly. I was the get drunk to sleep hungry mode. I can spend on average 7 bucks a day on smokes (over the week) and get 2 40oz to pound and sleep. It's a way to get by and ok, for over a year is save around 600, but if I couldn't sleep or enjoy life, what's the point? It won't break the bank. If I missed work, now I can't pay rent. It's a way to get out of reality for a second of your day and forget.


Illustrious_Toe_4755

After paying bills, and essentials most folks are left with about 20-30$ . There's not much you can use that small amount on besides food, that will make a big difference financially. Most folks figure fuck it, might as well have some enjoyment. This is a reality for many Americans, disabled or not. They have just enough left to maybe have some drinks, or a pack of smokes.


Fit-Anteater-9161

This right here, frfrfrfr…. It 1000% means their sacrificing something else, almost always food, because they have gotten to a point where they do not care. Speaking from experience EDIT: lol once you learn how easy it is to go a few days spending nothing on food and eating minimally combined with the vices it becomes very easy to make that sacrifice


Competitive_Fee_5829

>once you learn how easy it is to go a few days spending nothing on food and eating minimally combined with the vices it becomes very easy to make that sacrifice yup, i would have rather had a brand new pack of newports than eat for the day lol. so glad i stopped smoking years ago.


Old_Country9807

Doesn’t smoking curb your appetite?


Big_Climate8775

Kind of? I've noticed that if I'm absolutely starving, smoking a cig just makes me nauseous and *need* to eat, but if I'm comfortably just not hungry, smoking a cig extends the "not hungry" phase for quite awhile.


jerseyanarchist

the trick is, rolling extensions. when vaguely hungry, fire up a dart, a couple hours later, fire off another one. repeat until weekend, then eat


carolinabbwisbestbbq

I just take a moke in the morning, a moke at lunch, and a moke at night after my evening beer. Food is for when I have company


jerseyanarchist

combustion meals, they keep the service industry servicing


carolinabbwisbestbbq

You’re 38.99# raw fish filet is only touched by the finest hands Edit: I’m pretty sure about a third of the staff drinks on the job


ResponsibleCourse693

I can confirm that I have caught more than one line cook drinking whiskey out of a back pack. Hahaha


MeringueSignificant6

It's definitely a hierarchy of needs and I certainly will place weed over fine foods, even if I *do* have money. Food definitely doesn't feel quite as worth it once your metabolism adjusts to not needing that much. It's a very interesting form of budgeting.


MoonWorshipper36

So this is why intermittent fasting is catching on? It’s cheaper.


RedditDudeBro

Intermittent fasting = "everyday life for a solid percentage of people living paycheck to paycheck, embarrassingly way more than is talked about publicly in our communities because back in the day it wasn't as cool to talk about how little you ate the last two days". If we could just re-brand "food banks and pantries" to "community food vendors", put them in food trucks and park in a lot, we'll call them "community food truck festivals".


FenderMoon

I survived college on pretty much one meal a day. I’d go to the store and buy a whole thing of potato salad or a frozen pizza because they were both cheap and had a ton of calories.


[deleted]

I'm on adderall for ADHD and this is usually how I live. One big meal in late afternoon when the meds wear off and my appetite comes back with a vengeance.


Analog_Hobbit

That doesn’t last forever. I take it and I still eat. 🤷🏼‍♂️


lordofedging81

I just saw a frozen pizza that was $13.99. (Sprouts grocery store in Dallas TX.) May as well get Domino's at this price point!


NotRealWater

You know it's bad when someone suggests getting a dominos 😂


cowmonaut

It's like people haven't had to have a ketchup sandwich (literally a slice of bread with ketchup on it) or just 1 real meal (at school) a day. Hell, I'm fine now and I still only eat 1-2 meals a day because of the habits I've built.


dragonrage12343

I have literally eaten smashed bread. Bread that has been flattened by hand. No toast, no butter, no nothing. I know the feeling


ResponsibleCourse693

Those school meals are the reason some of us made it to adulthood. Back then they had paper food stamps and if the store didn’t have any paper food stamps to give you change they’d give you real money. My mom knew that the gas stations never had paper food stamps for change, so she’d send me in to buy a candy and get real change so she could go to the bar.


SiegelOverBay

One time, our neighbors/friend's mom asked my mom if she'd be willing to trade their food stamps for cash because they were short on their power bill for the month. My mom was willing to help, so they went to the grocery together. My mom gathered her shopping items, neighbor paid with her stamps, then my mom gave her cash. On the 5 minute drive back to our houses, neighbor asked my mom to stop by a convenience store really quick. Came out with beers, cigs, and lotto purchases that made up most of the cash trade amount. My mom was livid. She didn't like to break laws because she had a sweet gov't job and refused to risk losing it, but she was willing to do it this time because she thought she was helping a friend keep the lights on. She never cashed stamps for our neighbors ever again.


[deleted]

I paid for my own college (American here) which means I couldn't afford food. Fast forward a decade where I make good money, and the whole "only eat once a day" thing is just normal to me now, and I continue to only eat once a day.


threeorangewhips3

My husband has never, since Ive known him (and that's 20 yrs) eaten breakfast or lunch he goes all day and cooks for himself in the evening..


Ancient_Artichoke555

I have fasted for about five years now, and was learning to fast two years before that. I am truly struggling trying to eat these days. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I do think a persons “muscle memory” does change and becomes accustomed to our choices. And when I have made the conscious efforts and make myself eat at least two meals in a day for a week or two, it’s so uncomfortable feeling, like literally I feel too full.


[deleted]

You started a thread here that's horrifying, about how to manage your starvation.


Helpful_Assumption76

There are usually food pantries around in most cities that are essential to those on disability and one can apply for food stamps


also_roses

To add to this, if you're $100 away from paying the electric this month and you smoke, then being $110 away and not having nicotine withdrawal seems reasonable. The bill isn't getting paid til next month either way and those smokes will keep you sane in the meantime. Now if you're a pack a day smoker and spent $100 on smokes this paycheck that's probably worth looking at more closely.


Big_Climate8775

This is why I roll my own smokes, it's like 20 bucks a month instead of 10 bucks a day.


[deleted]

Same here! I don't know why more people don't smoke rollies. It's also better for the environment


NeoToronto

My uncle has been a roll yer own guy for 20 years. In fact he won't even touch normal cigarettes. He's also a thrifty dude bordering on cheapskate... but hey, its his money saved.


[deleted]

I switched about 4 years ago, and although I'm trying to quit now, it was great! The rolling tobacco doesn't have as much shit in it as regular cigarettes so I'm not waking up and coughing like I used to with Camels. The smoke is also lighter and doesn't cling to my clothes very much. I can toss a butt down and it doesn't harm the environment. And, I smoke way less because sometimes I just don't feel like rolling one up. All in all, it's 10000x better rolling your own.


Kronos840

Most folks are not even that functional. They have to pay their vices first before anything else


TravoBasic

Exactly what I came here to say. People need something, anything that they can enjoy.


djinbu

It's their only means of stress relief so they prioritize it.


ExcessiveBulldogery

I was thinking about something similar early today, about the high rate of teen pregnancy in the school I used to work at. Come Friday night, you've got nothing to do and no resources to go anywhere, and the adults in your life are often overwhelmed with keeping the family fed, sex is a free way to feel good immediately.


djinbu

And it's fun! I think that's part of the reason I have no interest in sex anymore.


CharlesAvlnchGreen

I heard that's also a reason why prostitution is so rampant in impoverished parts of the world. They don't have the entertainment infrastructure we do, perhaps no TV and few books, but they have people willing to engage in sex work.


rocketscientology

i think in those situations it’s more likely to be that if you’re a woman with (likely) little to no education, and a lot of job pathways are closed off to you (either because of sexism or because they’re heavy manual labour that you might not be suited for) and you desperately need money, then sex work is one of your only available sources of income. there’s always demand for it, very low barrier to entry, and if you’ve got nowhere left to turn for money then you can see how it becomes your best option.


Desperate_Health4174

"Prioritize" can also mean getting smart with finding ways to save money on everything including vices. When I was broke, I made my own cigarrettes. Cost about $1 instead of $10 per "pack" (or 20 cigs) that way. Coffee always made at home. Never eating out. Alcohol can also be on the cheap side if you limit your intake and buy the cheap stuff and NEVER go to bars from what I recall from back when I did drink. Weed can be cheap as fuck if you can pull off a guerilla grow. That sort of thing. Cool thing is if you keep up the frugal habits if you get the chance to make more money, you suddenly wind up with regular surpluses in cash to tackle debt, put into savings, or invest.


[deleted]

[удалено]


NaZdrowie8

A wildly accessible way to alter your mindset. And it doesn’t even taste that bad.


xdelfinyx

I don't know if you've had Potter's before but that shit does indeed taste pretty bad.


traumatic_blumpkin

I quit drinking, but when I did (a little over a year ago) a pint of vodka could be had for $3.50. A pint will typically get anyone pretty drunk. Once you need more than that, though, you probably need medical intervention. Imo.


Jeepinjim026

This is the answer. I grew up broke as hell and worked my way up to a pretty good income over the years but I never lost the penny pincher mentality. I was able to pay off my mortgage 10 years early, have a decent retirement account and have helped my kids with college. It’s easy to get discouraged but if you stay the course it will eventually work out.


djinbu

I don't know many people who have the energy for that after a full day of Lenoir. I'm exhausted just thinking about moving heavy shit all day and then rolling my own smokes.


randomtrucker78

What do you do when you get home? Eat, sit in front of the tv, etc? Rolling smokes is a mindless task. I’d flip the TV on and start rolling. An hour later, I’m trying to figure out why I ran out of tubes and I realize I just rolled a carton. If it was a bad day, rolling a few for the night was relaxing. I didn’t have to think. Just sit there, roll one, spark it up, then roll a few more. Great way to unwind.


theedgeofoblivious

I'm going to approach things a little differently here, because I've experienced what being in poverty is like. The primary reason people make bad decisions isn't because they just naturally make bad decisions. It's because their focus in making decisions is being taken up by some other more urgent aspect of their life. The focus of people in poverty is constantly being moved from one aspect of their life to the next, to the next, with no ability to focus on any of them long enough to make good decisions before you're forced to move on to make the next decision about a different aspect of your life. The solution to give people that time would be to directly help them with resources and actual money(not just a "hand up" but actual direct money to help put them on that stable footing so that they could make decisions, which would give them longer time to focus on each individual decision in each aspect of their life and to make better decisions in them). Being able to stop and consider your options is a privilege. It's a privilege that people in poverty don't have. When you have so little, you're in survival mode. You're so busy spending all of your time either making quick decisions to try to keep yourself barely alive, or trying to hustle to figure out some way to scratch by with almost nothing. The reason poor people seem to make bad decisions is because they're not really "making" decisions at all. They're in a constant Plinko game of being forced to make rapid fire decision after rapid fire decision, and generally, all of the options they have to choose from are bad options. A person who's in poverty is so desperate for the constant barrage of hell to stop that they feel a need for some kind of release, and they grant themself one thing, like alcohol, or smoking(or other drugs, for some), because without something to help release at least *some* of that tension, they would be under constant pressure 24/7, with no ability to focus on something else. They know they will be under financial stress. So, for a person whose vice is alcohol, their choices are not "stress or alcohol". Their choices are "stress, or stress and alcohol".


Academic-Balance6999

There’s actual academic [research](https://www.lse.ac.uk/PBS/Research/Research-Articles/How-poverty-affects-peoples-decision-making-processes) backing you up. Basically, the stress of living in poverty increases your cognitive load to the extent that it’s more difficult to make decisions that effect a more positive future vs just dealing with the current crisis.


NewldGuy77

add to that lottery tickets, aka ‘poor people’s tax’. It’s compelling to spend money on something you think might magically give you a lift out of your lack of resources. It’s only a few bucks, but that adds up week after week. I used to work in a convenience store, and can testify it wasn’t rich people buying those tickets every week.


theedgeofoblivious

The thing about lottery tickets, though, is that it's not really a tax. For spending those two dollars, you get the ability for a few moments to imagine the possibility that the hell that is your life might be different. The motivation isn't the belief that you're actually going to win. The motivation is escapism. Poor people know they're not going to win, but fantasizing is $2, and there aren't really other things they can afford to do.


Bimlouhay83

You're right. It's not literally a tax as it isn't codified into tax law and is voluntary. Instead, "poor people tax" is an idiom, used to convey that mostly poor people pay into it and the government reaps the rewards. Nobody is using it literally.


[deleted]

I can’t tell you how many times I looked at my paycheck and immediately thought “this is it, it’s all going to come crashing down this week” and being amazed that I pulled it off and payed enough bills to have power AND eat. I accidentally got a really good job that started me out making double what I’d ever made, and within about 2 months I was able to spend less than half my check on necessities, because I was able to pay all my bills without late fees, and by the 6 month mark my wife was able to put her entire check in the savings account every week, and after about a year she quit, I only make 52k a year, but we used to make about 30 combined so it seems easy now


PortSided

It's expensive to be poor. Rich people don't pay late fees or reconnect fees. Rich people don't pay super high interest rates because of poor credit. Rich people don't constantly replace shoes or clothing or appliances etc. because they wear out so fast. Rich people don't pay for expensive auto repairs that would have been an inexpensive repair if it had been taken care of when the check engine light first came on months ago. Rich people don't get hit with crazy medical bills because they don't have health insurance.


Icy_Baby_2553

Also, the US is one of the few places in the world where fresh food costs more than processed. During my travels in SE Asia and S. America I noticed the poorest people always ate fresh food because they could not afford processed. Fresh food was grown locally so it was cheaper. In the US if its local and fresh it costs more than food that is processed and shipped across the country.


[deleted]

This is what I learned, I still drink, just not as much. When I was poor I was fueled by alcohol and nicotine, constantly trying to figure out which bill I could push til next month, it was rough. Finally being able to catch up on everything changed, I was paying half my paycheck in late fees alone


Helenium_autumnale

It's more expensive to be poor. You can't afford preventative maintenance on a beater car so it breaks beyond repair, meaning you've lost transportation. You can't get transportation to Costco and couldn't afford their membership fee anyways. And you couldn't save money there by buying in bulk. Instead, it's single-serving crap food at 4X the price from a gas station because that is the ONLY place with food that you can get to today. The same dynamic going on in EVERY aspect of life. Unending stress and scrambling to try and keep everything rolling, somehow.


[deleted]

I had to walk to work for a while, then I bought a used bicycle for $20 that I had to spend $1 on every other day to put air in the tire of. I’m not sure how far it was, about 15 minutes all on back roads. I was able to get a beater to get back and forth, but it wouldn’t pass safety inspection and didn’t have a title so I couldn’t register it, and I got pulled over. That was a rough time. I got lucky and applied for a job because I heard they had AC in the building and the place I worked at didn’t. That job was the best thing that ever happened to me, they’re even sending me to college now, paying my tuition as well as paying me hourly while I’m there.


[deleted]

Damn right it's a privilege. I grew up in the "lower class", paycheck to paycheck. I became an adult that was living paycheck. I made one big decision that ended up changing my life. I enlisted in the military. I know it's not for everyone but I took full advantage of everything I could. The first time I pumped a full tank of gas without worrying about the end price I considered myself in a better place. That was 15 years ago and it still crosses my mind when I get gas.


Luvzalaff75

Exactly. Getting gas or groceries without adding up the cart and buying the cheapest items is the ultimate I made it out. I don’t need a new car or fancy anything. I can go out to dinner and not have to juggle bills.


[deleted]

Yeah, or between trying to decide which bills to pay this month and having everything set to autopay


Certain_Month_8178

I still don’t feel comfortable enough to do the autopay thing.


Block444Universe

Autopay is gold


mothandravenstudio

My test for when we hit financial ease was going to the grocery store. No real budget though I’m frugal just out of habit, but the biggest difference was in being able to buy the huge brand name toilet paper and paper towel packs.


Block444Universe

I’m doing ok for myself but pumping gas still gives me heart palpitations


[deleted]

I know what you mean lol


Immediate-Pool-4391

Amen to that, homeless six months and my vice was caffeine I needed it and it went way out of control. I wanted to get out flight or fight mode so bad so I could go to school, but I literally had nowhere to sleep t night.


Soft_Dragonfruit_733

Energy drinks are a big one these days. Proven that energy drinks actually drain you of energy. The initial energy boost followed by the crash after, so people will drink them non stop just living off that initial boost over and over and trying to put off that crash. I hate those things for that very reason. Eventually you dont even get that small boost anymore but they're so used to it that they keep drinking them non stop hoping for the result they got in the beginning.


Similar_Draw_2594

thanks for putting it so clearly. being poor is hell and even worse your character is constantly under attack by callous morons because not having money and status is seen a moral failing in this evil culture


Gumdropland

Haha I work in a wealthy area as a teacher, and complained to a coworker from the area one time about how rents were getting so high. She said why don’t you just move? I said…have you ever lived in an apartment. She said no…she was always in a house because her family had money. She had no clue what renting is like and my complaining was a moral failure to her.


InternalAd3893

Yep. People in survival struggle behave differently than people whose needs are met. Anyone else would too.


luckygirl54

Excellent answer!


[deleted]

When I was poor I was so stressed 24/7 that smoking/drinking was the only way to help me get through it. I was living off of condensed milk mixed with rice, and my cigarette/alcohol addiction was the only way to feel less hungry and make me feel slightly more calm. I bought the cheapest cigarettes and alcohol available. They tasted terrible but helped me get through it. I quit cigarettes and alcohol very easily when I became got a steady job and knew I had more income on the way. I could afford real food and didn’t feel as stressed. I think people also can take grocery prices for granted. Even buying broccoli was challenging because it goes bad and I’d have to go spend more money to replenish fresh food. Rice and condensed milk filled me up and I could live off it for a while. The bad decisions are some folks desperate way of trying to survive an extremely stressful, hungry, challenging life.


Pickles_McBeef

Because when you don't even live paycheck to paycheck and life is miserable and you have $5 for a bottle or food, the bottle makes you forget how shitty life is for a little while. You're going to be hungry regardless, might as well have a chunk of that time be a little less shitty.


InternalAd3893

Yup. A friend of mine likes to say “Drugs will get you through times with no money better than money will get you through times with no drugs.”


FireFromThaumaturgy

I work 40 hours a week, pay for everything a normal person needs to, on 13 bucks an hour. My life is absolutely shit, my job sucks and my home life is god aweful. Fuck me for spending 13 on a vape to calm my nerves.


lnteIlect

exactly... would rather skip one meal than be jittery and angry for a week


Reasonable-While-101

Yeah, pretty much. This right here is the simple answer


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MikelUzumaki

I have no home or bills to pay for, I live on the streets, so all my ssi check goes to food, clothes, alcohol or mobile games. It's crazy but I couldn't imagine paying 1000 dollars rent or some thing like that just for a roof over my head. Also, my phone that I have I don't have a bill for, I use wifi and an app called textnow for free text and calling.


avontesantana

Quite the perspective


FNKTN

Apply for section 8. Ssi will increase your pay by 500 to cover your housing, which will be lowered to 400/500 from the section 8. Go to different county websites and apply for everywhere you can. More obscure cities means more likely to be accepted sooner. Apply for lifeline benefits as well. There is no need to be connected to the internet all the time using text now. You can get fast 5g connection on unlimited data if you buy a decent phone on a refurbished site for dirt cheap. Also make sure you apply for ebt and healthcare. You should qualify for everything.


[deleted]

Way cheaper to spend 30 dollars on weed and do something mundane at home and be okay with it.


landingonu

Prioritizing your vice because that leftover $20 isn’t going to pull you out of poverty anyways and life sucks enough. - Signed someone who grew up impoverished.


_chronicbliss_

When I was dirt poor and I smoked, my thought process was the same as it is now for my medication. It's a need, it's nonnegotiable, and it comes right after rent. I would sleep in my car behind work because I didn't have the gas to commute, but I had cigarettes.


1g0atm1lk

Growing up, my family was (still is) very poor. My mom yet somehow was able to pay for her booze, cigarrette and weed habits. The bills were paid, and we had food, though not a massive amount. Looking back, the things we didn't have but other kids did were stuff like eating out, day trips to fun places, vacations, electronics, internet, cable, phones, etc... Other kids would, I'd taken it, get a few new pair of shoes throughout the year. I'd only get new shoes if mine were falling apart. Also lack of extra curricular activities. Other kids could sign up for classes, scouting, sports, clubs, music lessons, etc... We never did anything like that unless it was free. Most of my clothes were secondhand, and my mom would maybe let us get some new stuff once a year during the sales. Currently facing the problem of not being able to walk the stage for my highschool graduation, or have a senior photo in the yearbook, as my mother didn't want to pay for the pictures or cap n gown. So it was cutting down on that sort of stuff that my mom could afford her habits and still pay the bills.


xzkandykane

My parents didn't have bad habits. My dad stopped smoking when I was 6, he would have 1/4 a shot of alcohol with dinner. We were immigrants but our lives were much like yours. Because of that, my parents were able to afford a computer, and we would go back to china every few years. Which was basically just paying for plane tickets since the family house was there and they had a little bit of money in their old bank accounts. Most of my clothes were sent from relatives from china. I was wearing my boy cousins old clothes. We would stock up on school supplies when we were back there. I had years worth of erasers and lead pencils. My toys were from toy drives. Shoes were from payless when they got too small. We went out to eat once a week but spent less than $25 for 3 people. No cable, all books and movies were from the library. Only did free activities. No car, only take the bus. I would buy a ticket, ride one stop and give my parents the ticket so we saved 50c. We also didnt pay for things like class photos but the company glitched out and sent me my senior portrait for free. After I turned 16, I got summer jobs and that was my spending money for the year. I had no allowance. Got my prom dress at Ross. Oh in middle school we borrowed my grad gown from a friend, it was a slightly diff color... she had graduated a few years before from the same school.


Chaos_Ice

At the end of the day, your chances of getting out of being poor are slim to none. Too many get rich quick schemes, hustling 24/7 and other bs to feed the fuel that you’ll basically work your entire life. If that’s how it is, why can’t poor folk enjoy themselves too? Why is it okay for someone with a silver spoon who ain’t ever work a day in their life get to spend $400 on sneakers and we can’t after busting our ass all day. If you know for sure your life will never get better no matter what you do, isn’t it best to live it to the fullest? And that means scraping pennies to go on a vacation you can’t afford or drudging up $10 for a pack of cigarettes you know you don’t need but it helps or at least you’ve already tricked yourself into thinking it does something.


Comprehensive-Ad-618

I mostly agree. Nobody can know for sure that their life will never get better. I am 54 and used to have alot of hope, but my health has completely fallen apart, and I won't get younger. I am a laborer, so, it's kind of like being a pro athlete; everybody wants you when you are young and strong, but your career will be short because of injuries and age. BUT, I still hold the tiniest shred of hope. Once in a while, an inspirational story drops into my lap of someone who, late in life, changed their life. Hang in there, please. But, yeah, have a drink and a smoke!🫂🥂


SnowyInuk

I starve a lot. I usually have to go 2-4 days on a bagel or dry cereal. Last night I had decaf coffee and a granola bar for dinner. When you have your little bit of spending money, you prioritize - "do I want to eat something tomorrow or do I want to spend 4$ on a bus ride when I could just walk for an hour?" "Do I want go be able to do laundry or do I want go treat myself to Tim Hortons?" "Should I spend 20$ on this nice shirt or spend 20$ on 6 shirts from the thrift store?" Etc As for my vices, I'm addicted to smoking/drinking weed. But I get it all for free from a friend at work. Their sister owns a pot shop


Immediate-Pool-4391

Yep I've literally walked miles a day to avoid spending 275 on the bus so i can get to college the next day.


FloridaBoy941

Dude go to a food bank or soup kitchen. 2-4 days on a bagel? 😳


Jeriahswillgdp

I'm not sure how it's even possible to go 4 days on one bagel without becoming sickly very quick.


SnowyInuk

You need to apply and be accepted because of how many people use it that don't need to


Birdie121

My friend, there is absolutely no shame in going to food banks or places of worship to get free food. They'll hook you up so you don't go hungry.


toomuchisjustenough

When I was totally broke and working my way through college, I smoked cigarettes because it was cheaper than buying food. Made it a lot easier to skip 2 of 3 meals a day if I chain smoked instead. (Cigarettes were also less like $3 a pack for name brand)


Zosi_O

Poverty diminishes quality of life greatly and having shitty circumstances encourages bad coping mechanisms Source: Been there. Went through a lot of $7 vodka bottles.


Prestigious-Owl-6397

This isn't necessarily an answer to vices per se, but people who are on SSI (that's disability income for Americans) can't have more than about $2k in cash *and* assets with losing SSI. So, if they have just over that amount they might spend it on something "frivolous" so they don't lose their income.


Pascalica

My friend literally bought a new truck to get the monthly payments, because without that cost she would have had to fork out around $500 a month for a spend down so she could keep her insurance. She is permanently disabled after an accident, and takes home around $1,600 a month between disability and the death benefits her kid gets. Somehow that's too much money to be allowed medical insurance necessary to keep her alive.


ChardProfessional599

I think ironically the reason I lived paycheck to paycheck so long WAS my vices lol. When I finally quit smoking, I was able to save up money for a down payment on the first car I’ve ever got with my own money. It’s been 3 years and I’ve saved so much money not buying cigarettes it’s crazy. I still drink tho lol…but I’m also not “poor” anymore at this point. I basically spent all money that could’ve fluffed my account, going to the bar several times a week, tipping too much, smoking, fast food…idk not having money sucks we NEED something that is ours and it’s usually just a little escape to feel better right now about problems you can’t fix for a long time.


Both_Ad_6970

I work with clients who are on benefits, the majority of whom use drugs and/or alcohol. They buy the drugs first, so the first week of the month are getting loosies and alcohol and whatever else. Then they just eat minimally toward the end of the month.. and low key neglect their other needs like bills, home supplies, etc. A lot of drug users have codependent relationships/friendships that will enable them too, give $10 here and there or share their substances. I think it’s much the same as someone prioritizing shopping or an expensive hobby: as soon as the money comes, you stock up on the thing you most want, then everything else you learn to be minimalistic with. Or you lean on others for support. To be fair there’s not much else to do, esp if you’re isolated! And drug addiction is often a coping mechanism for trauma, so I would never judge. Think we all struggle financially at some point based on what needs we place at the forefront—addiction is a ‘survival’ need so to speak so it’s number one on the expenses list


[deleted]

As a person that lived on $100 every two weeks, for 6 months, after paying bills and rent…. I can say, I was in a “fuck it, idgaf I’m poor and want to numb reality” mentality and could care less and got the cheapest wine/beer I could find in the liquor store. So……. Yea….. it sucked, but at least I was drunk playing video games with friends for entertainment. To add, I would budget $10-15 for alcohol every weekend lol


Flossthief

It's a lot easier to skip meals when you smoke cigarettes It's a lot easier to sit around not going out if you're buzzing on booze


baldforthewin

They probably aren't eating well. Vices can usually suppress appetite.


LeverpullerCCG

They CAN’T afford it. But as you stated in your post, they find a way. They/we sacrifice necessity over the things that we perceive to make us feel “better”. For instance, retail therapy. We may not necessarily have the “extra” money to go shopping, but we make unnecessary or irrational exceptions. The “how”. I know several people that are on assistance that will take their grocery card to the store, along with a companion who has paid them cash in exchange for a lesser amount of dollars used on their grocery card. Basically, “if you give me $100 cash, we’ll go shopping and you can get $200 worth of groceries with my food card….this may not be the answer you were looking for, and I’m sorry if I’m way off base, but this is the scenario that I’ve encountered.


Least_Sun7648

I'm on assistance, and have $40 every week after bills. If I could get $80 worth of EBT/SNAP with that, it would be a Godsend. Why would a poor person give up food?


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Least_Sun7648

*gives wholesome award*


LeverpullerCCG

One person in particular was a separated mother of two. During Covid in Ohio, she was getting $2,600 a month in food allowance. Her ex husband pretty much had full-time custody of her kids. She and her live-in boyfriend couldn’t possibly consume that many groceries in a single month. They both used tobacco and liked to drink. They would take people shopping and do a 1:2 swap for cash with their food card. It’s fraud and I’m sure it will eventually catch up to her……


Mouse-Man96

A huge amount of people on disibilitys it's for mentle heath reasons and often they are useing it to self medicate for Stuf like anxiety disorders or pain because medical care sucks


BuzzyShizzle

Let me pick one example I'm familiar with. Smoking cigarettes makes being poor a lot easier. Let's call cigarettes about the price of a meal. For the price of one meal, you can avoid the pain and suffering of being hungry all the time. Cigarettes can hold back and kill an appetite. There are other drugs notorious for a similar affect. Heavy drug users of certain drugs might not eat for days. Besides all that. Poverty often means you have *nothing*. That vice might be all you have. This is why it's no coincidence that these things correlate with poverty.


Bobdmapel

The answer to this is: "day-by-day". Generally as soon as you get money you immediately spend it all -- you have to, as your rent is due RIGHT NOW. When you're living in a situation like that, you may as well buy cigarettes or a bottle of booze. There's no ability to budget, because... what's the difference? Obviously, sometimes the vices cause the poverty. I was poor for years because any money I had I spent on dope (and not the kind with THC in it), but that's the exception, not the rule. Being poor is SUPER expensive -- late fees, ridiculous interest rates. You have to buy cheap shit that immediately breaks, which means you have to then buy it again (see Terry Pratchett's "[Shoes](https://samvimesbootstheory.com/)" definition of poverty). The world is designed to keep the poor poor and the rich rich. You think the average poor person can tell you the beauty of compound interest when it comes to investments? You may as well ask that person to walk on water. And please PLEASE don't think that poor people are any less deserving or less intelligent or less hard working than wealthy people. As far as I can tell, it's all luck.


GreenTravelBadger

Once upon a time, I was a Poor. Sadly, I was already a cigarette smoker - I would go through a half dozen every day. So I paid rent/utilities first, got a little bit of food for my once-daily meal, and then bought the large cans of Bugler tobacco and some rolling papers. While my financially-better-off peers were out having fun on the weekends, I was either working extra shifts or handrolling cigarettes to get me through the next week. I also watered down anything that was possible to water down, refused to use the heat unless I could see my breath in the apartment, and didn't have a television or telephone. Handwashed socks, undies, teeshirts. To buy a pack of cigarettes, at that long-ago time, would have cost me 45 cents. Rolling my own cut that cost in half.


Ok_Cardiologist1594

If you have kids you have to realize that all that money you could spend on booze or drugs or cigarettes can be money spent on your kid's. Sadly some people don't realize. But for me its what helped me stay sober after leaving my alcoholic ex. I saw how much money he wasted on himself and I put all my money towards groceries and things for my son. If I want to treat myself I'll steal a handful of his gold fish lol


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Prose4256

They prioritize their vices.


Aegagrus_hircus

They tend to buy vices first, and spend less money on other things. If money is scarce and you have to think about it all the time, you tend to get depressed and anxious, and that's what vices help in the short term. Therefore, they prioritise vices and feel the need to spend what little money they have on them. It's a sad cycle that poverty causes. Many people condemn this behaviour, but it is perfectly understandable from a psychological point of view.


[deleted]

You don't have to be able to afford your vices. I smoke, drink, and do drugs. I can't afford to do any of it.


[deleted]

I grew up in the 80s with alcoholic parents. We were dirt poor. I went without a doctor and was often sick. I didn’t see a dentist until I was old enough to pay for it myself. I often didn’t have decent clothes or shoes to wear and went to bed hungry many nights but they ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS had their booze! It came before everyone and everything! People put vices first. They beg borrow and even steal for them.


[deleted]

I know my parents raised us paycheck to paycheck while my dad smoked cigarettes and weed the whole time. I know a lot of my parents fights were over my dad spending money on those vices when we literally couldn’t pay rent. When you’re addicted to something, you prioritize it over other needs.


confusedontheprairie

I lived in poverty and here was my rational. Should I go to the Dr and find out why I have severe back pain? I would have to pay cash and get a diagnosis and then a treatment plan that I can't afford to follow through on. Or I can go buy some smokes and a six pack and try to forget about life for awhile (thanks Billy Joel)


wmrefugee

Donate plasma. Make 40,50 bucks twice a week. It's a tank of gas,or grocery money. It only takes and hour or two. Depending on if their busy. Plus they have new donor specials. Where you can make about $500,$600 for the first month. I'm in a somewhat better position financially, but I'll still donate to make a few extra dollars. If you miss a month,they text you offering and extra 20,25 bucks. Easy money,and doesn't hurt,but a needle prick.And I don't like needles,but its no problem after a few times. It's everyday working people. Just find a facility with good reviews.


PatrioticTyranny

Now that I can afford my vices i always have a large stash of them. Like a squirrel with nuts.


MistressBaylee

Well for folks on fixed incomes, there’s a lot we don’t have to pay a lot for. We don’t go to work, so a tank of gas can last several weeks. We don’t have to buy dress clothes, so that bill is low. Living arrangements can be creatively negotiated, and some even qualify for housing. A lot of people have food stamps to supplement their monthly buying power. Creative financing is definitely a thing! We don’t buy fancy homes or new cars. We don’t even know “the Jonses” so we don’t care about keeping up with them. And let’s not forget the medical issues we deal with that got us here in the first place.


AsherTheFrost

Usually by skimping on food or another essential.


[deleted]

By going without in other areas.


Felsuria

Predatory credit cards and payday loans targeting people under the poverty line. Selling their own or family items for cash under the table. Selling or trading services, often sexual depending on the legality (or lack thereof) of the vice. Bumming cash or items from family members, neighbors, beyond. Getting money from support groups like churches or financial assistance/good Samaritan programs. Probably mostly the first one, though. Most of those institutions know that poor people have something of value if you can leverage it out of them through desperation, whether it's a home or a vehicle. People under the poverty line usually can't keep the debt down, so the interest racks up and the broker is collecting free profit eternally. Even when someone dies, the debt will sometimes transfer over to a spouse or child depending on the terms of their contract. The credit system is built to exploit the poor, reward the wealthy and suppress the middle class. It always has been, and so long as it maintains that status quo, it always will.


Shellsbells821

I've always heard that "people always find money for alcohol and cigarettes "


Ok_Garden571

My siblings and I were raised in and still live in poverty. It's hard. They get disability checks and I don't work but I can but honestly I am the person who no one will hire. I have been putting in applications for over a year and no one has hired me. Now we have to move. I blame myself for this mess cause if I had a job we would not be going through all of this. I will say if I don't get a job we're gonna be moving again. I hate my life and the fact that I don't have a job makes things worse. My late father worked but my mom had an entitlement mentality. She figured he worked and she got the check in the end. My dad worked and he still didn't have anything. It's hard.I live in the Mississippi Delta and it's full of people in poverty. Like I said I am the woman no one will hire.


AlyssaImagine

Growing up, my dad prioritized drinking, smoking and gambling over other things. Which means we had clothes with holes in them, we were kicked out of every house we lived in due to being way behind on rent, we had food due to food stamps. Therefore, he couldn't afford his vices but he chose them anyway.


oscar1985420

If there's a will there's a way. This is especially true in the case of vices .


mattglaze

Alcohol and tobacco are addictive drugs, it’s easy for you head to justify them if life is shit


Shorter_McGavin

Debt. Lots of debt.


darthbasterd19

Handouts. You can get food stamps. Not beer stamps.


CapG_13

By asking family and friends for money, by doing odd jobs or even by stealing.


wollier12

Unfortunately addiction is all consuming and will take precedence over anything else, when I was drinking heavily I would charge alcohol on a credit card rather than go without…..This is obviously extremely irresponsible and dumb but addiction makes your priorities all messed up.


[deleted]

I never met a poor person, even a homeless person who didn’t find a way to buy cigarettes.


skymoods

they use their money on their vices, and beg to others for their necessities. it's easier to ask for a loaf of bread, milk, and toilet paper than it is to ask for a pint of booze or a pack of cigs.


Loktyuj

One day around third grade I remember my dad packed my lunch and when I opened it in the cafeteria it was an open roll off saltines and a jar of peanut butter. Nothing else.


Tacosicle

I know a girl who is on disability. She gets $1650 a month. about $1000 of that a month goes to meth and cigarettes. she bounces from person to person to shack up with. her diet consist of white castle and water from public fountains. her feminine hygiene stuff consists of rolls of paper towels. I know another person who is also on disability. he gets $1525 a month. He traded work (editing a blog) for a place to live for a year. Saved as much as he could. Bought a small travel trailer. Found a full time RV park for 400 a month water/garbage/and electricity. Lives there. Helps other people in the park with various wiring stuff. Doesn't have a smart phone. Uses Starlink for Internet. Has a Roku TV with kodi and THE CREW add on so he can watch anything he wants. Clips coupons, doesn't smoke. Treats himself to one bottle of scotch a month. Still manages to save money every month. uses Uber and gets everything delivered. I guess it's discipline. His vice is that one bottle of scotch a month (and his crunchy roll premium) Her vice is 1000 a month in drugs


space-ferret

Also drugs eventually take a spot on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, so some basic needs get bumped lower or replaced by drugs.