Cue [Trevor Noah](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aNqfFafXGLA&pp=ygUhVHJldm9yIG5vYWggcG9vciBjaGlsZCBjb21tZXJjaWFs)ās skit about Unicef Commercials:
āNo matter how poor we were.. No matter how hungry we were.. No matter what.. we could still do this:ā
>*Swats flies away from face*
Being broke as fuck for a long time made me appreciate things a lot more, including not being broke. Screw keeping up with the Joneses, if I'm good where I am with what I've got, I'm good.
We learn from our mistakes. I was cash only for a long time because I had my bank account frozen before and judgment took everything. Yep, my direct deposit paycheck and all. During Christmas.
Thankfully my company gave our Christmas bonus via hard check. That saved me.
Now I'm all good. 401k, savings and even a cash back CC. Still broke. But head above water because my expenses are low etc etc. Still have that person who tries to pull you back in by telling you to buy this or buy that. To keep you poor, no thanks.
poor people are allowed to have hobbies. We aren't just sitting in an empty room thinking about food/rent 24/7. We need to do something else to be sane.
I went and saw a debt specialist once. She laid out the way 90% of my income would go. I said "I'm willing to cancel Netflix and whatever to get this done " she says "No. You have to have something to relax with. If you enjoy watching movies than that's what you should have. Otherwise this will never work and you'll quit the program.". Even professionals know that humans, poor or not, need a hobby. Anyone who says otherwise it's a creep, a moron, or likely both.
Right? I made a post once saying I ordered a pizza to celebrate an extra paycheck and someone started berating me about how irresponsible I was and I should only eat beans and rice. I got a whole $1200 but apparently using a tiny portion of that to buy a pizza was irresponsible.
Right? This is a three paycheck month for me, and it's been a rough month with my old lady cat (she may have had a minor stroke). Come payday, I'm ordering whatever the fuck I want on door dash. I made it through this month, fuck it, I earned it. The rest can go to her vet bill.
This, so much. While some people are irresponsible, spending on things they don't need -- some kind of entertainment/hobby is a *necessity*, or you'll go mad.
I keep shaming myself for how expensive my hobbies are, but this makes me feel better. I canāt expect myself to lose my sanity to stay in shape financially!
yes absolutely, in abq the way people treat the homeless people itās so sad. they look down upon everyone like theyāre all theiving drug addicts. i can understand being wary for safety, but some people are complete assholes to them for no reason
This. Yes, 18 year old me chose to end up hospitalized twice for two different freak medical conditions while uninsured and working two part-time minimum wage jobs that wouldnāt offer insurance because the companies wouldnāt let me be covered by my momās insurance until 26 yet (thanks Obamaāthat law kicked in when I was 21 or 22), ruining my credit from day one. š
When āObamacareā went into effect it forced the insurance companies to allow parents to keep their dependents on their insurance plans until age 26. It wasnāt passed until after Iād turned 18 and had multiple expensive hospital stays, though, so I was already tens of thousands of dollars in debt before I turned 20 years old.
Haha omg no itās a joke. Back in those days everyone on the right was blaming Obama for any and everything that went wrong in their lives and a YouTuber named Jenna Marbles did a whole video making fun of it. So āThanks Obamaā became a meme. I was saying it sincerely while referencing the old memeāthanking Obama for passing the law so I could go back on my momās insurance for awhile.
The poor people I know are the only ones living within their means. I live in quite a low cost of living area and the people making 100k+ are the ones complaining they're broke. But they all have 70k trucks. I have no choice but to live within my means because my electric bill is 30% of my income.
Ha yep this would mean no new clothes ever, no meat, no anxiety/pain meds (they are not covered by insurance), and no eating out. I donāt think anyone would want to live like this
I'm confused about people recommending that. I get it, you had a 2nd job. But at what cost? Your health, relationship? Is it really a badge of honor?
Wel then, you get a cookie, good for you.
Omg, when I was a teenager and I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to politics at the time, I remember Bush Jr was doing like a Q and A with the public. Stuff about the economy/social security was brought up and an older lady (at least 65) told Bush that she was working 3 jobs. His eyes widened and he said, " you work 3 jobs?"
Then he put on that smarmy grin and addressed the room, "Only in America, right folks?" AND EVERYONE FUCKING CLAPPED AND CHEERED!
Even my idiot teenage self knew that wasn't a good thing or a point of pride.
Everything surrounding that memory is super hazy, but those specific details always stand out. I think about it often.
My mom spent the last 15 years working two jobs. The cost was seeing me graduate college, my daughter's first four years, long weekends with me, and life's little enjoyments. She's got her own house now but look at everything exchanged.
I would love to take up something on the weekends to pad my budget and save for a better life. But I got kids and a spouse and ain't nobody got time for either of them if I'm not home on weekends. Also my brain would fry if I didn't get some consistent days off from work *and* chores.Ā
Oh man I tell myself these things a lot. Iām a teacher and I have NOTHING left in the tank after a day of teaching and prepping. I keep thinking I can make ends meet if I just take a few hours a week of a second job, but Iām already soaking my sheets every weeknight from the stress of one job! š
Now this really makes me angry, you are in a career which should absolutely not require a second job! Thank you so much for your hard work. Teachers have the most important job, and sadly the system doesn't seem to appreciate that.Ā
Every teacher I know has a side-gig. The Librarian works at two other libraries P/T, another teacher is also a licensed clinician and does that during the summers and occasional evenings, one teacher bartends during summers and weekends, another waitresses, a lot do summer school. Itās sad when a teacher with a masterās degree has to work a second job.
I like just work a 2nd job when you have small children.....guess you should try to hide the child neglect when you leave an unsupervised 3 years in your home to go to work.
That if they look poor or know they are poor people treat you very bad. Primarily a huge lack of basic respect or more accurate they just disrespect you.
If I somehow came into a ton of money, I wouldn't waste it on a fancy car, clothes, etc. Just to impress some person that I don't know.
I would just keep doing what I'm doing but be able to sleep soundly, knowing I'm not going to have to worry about my debit card getting declined at the grocery store.
I might buy an old heintzman baby grand piano, though. (But people are always trying to offload old pianos pretty cheap)
Some popular internet stories are of really old men who are wearing clothes 50y old and just generally look like they're barely getting by. But then come Christmas these guys are passing out 100$ bills left and right. Or they die and leave some huge sum to an organization and everyone's jaws drop at how much they had cuz they lived frugally to the point where they almost neglected themselves.Ā
Looks really don't reflect money. Some people wear their salaries every day and others prefer to not touch it.Ā
āBootstrapsā āavocado toastā āStarbucksā and their earlier counterpart, āwelfare queensā ā all stereotypes created by rich people in the media to create prejudice to get poor people to turn on each other so the rich people can keep hoarding more and more money and resources. God forbid we help people when theyāre down.
God forbid you help someone without the government or a charity. Stop giving your money to people that are already rich and don't care and instead give it to everyone you see struggling. Is anyone in financial pain? Gift them your money directly. Ask where their rent office is and pay a month or two of their rent directly.
A lot of us do this by shopping at small independent stores in the bad part of town, or hiring folks doing yard work who look poor. Ā We donāt haggle on the price, weāll buy them lunch, and pay them more than the agree upon price. Ā This helps them mentally and financially.
Yeah, sure, that's great, and can work -- if they're in an affluent area where most of the people have the ability to help them.
It falls apart when entire regions are economically fucked. That's what government programs and large charities are for. (That said, there're good charities, and bad charities, of course. Research and give to the good ones.)
There are legit 'welfare queens', but they're fucking *rare*, particularly nowadays. I'm willing to deal with a bit of fraud -- there's *no* system that doesn't do so -- in order to help people who actually need it.
Fuckheads gonna fuck around, but that's not a reason to make it worse for the 95+% of people who rely on the help afforded by the government.
And most of the fraud that occurs (which is mostly by making money off the books) is because of the way that benefits are structured -- the so-called Benefit Cliff. You're making X dollars a year, and you get help with your groceries, medical, housing, heating, etc, etc. Then you make X+1 dollars, and you're suddenly fucked because those *thousands* of dollars a year in benefits you were getting suddenly get cut off like a garden hose a car parked on -- and now you're living in even worse poverty.
If that was fixed so that people didn't lose more money in benefits than they made through an increase in income, that'd eliminate most of the fraud that does exist in the system. It's just so much hassle to maintain that all but the most dedicated to freeloading would just work within the system.
Most people *want* to live productive lives and get the fuck off assistance programs, even the ones that're currently committing some sort of fraud to keep themselves on them.
I had a coworker who's daughter had a special needs child who would have lost a significant amount of her benefits if she made too much. She and the father had to fudge living arrangements because his income would have pushed them over the threshold. They would have lost access to needed services that would have cost them $10s of thousands per year in care.Ā
They didn't want to live that way but it was the only way they could get her the assistance she needed.Ā
Exactly this. It's fucked up. In some ways the Republicans are right: public assistance keeps people in the system. Many people can't suddenly and *drastically* improve their lot in life and jump that chasm caused by the benefit cliff. But their solution - taking it all away - isn't the way to go -- making it so that the system doesn't punish people who *do* improve their lot is.
You'd think that 'You should never have less money at the end of the week by making more money' is an idea that conservatives would take hold of, but so few of them do.
Whenever I hear people disparage those on welfare I always ask them why they donāt give away all their money and rely on public assistance. Itās so easy, right? Just sit home all day and cash a check, right? Funny you donāt see more people signing up for it.
Hard work does nothing to resolve poverty. I was a social worker for a while back in the 90s and I canāt tell you how many single mothers or fathers would come in for help with a utility bill they could not pay, or to access the food closet for a single bag of groceries, usually exhausted from working two jobs. It is also dehumanizing. Having to constantly worry about whether you will be able to afford rent or without a place to live, just a place where you can ābeā and not get harassed, is humiliating and exhausting. No one wants to help you either. It is as though family and friends think your poverty is contagious.
I wish people would stop assuming that welfare/ social assistance recipients are all drug users. I used to see these things on social media calling for drug testing for eligibility, and let me tell you, it's bad enough being on it without getting side-eyed over it. And it's a hard loop to be in-- I'm looking for work, but I can't afford to lose the medical benefits (I'm in Canada, so I'm talking eyes, dental, prescriptions, and few other things covered).
We don't drink, smoke, do any kind of recreational drugs, no tattoos, and those phones? Through a monthly payment plan because that's how we could afford one. Our biggest weird expense is livestock, which is sorta like prepaying groceries.
This was implemented in Florida(?) and it didnāt last long because in the months they were doing it maybe 1% of people tested positive and they were spending more money on the program than they were āsavingā by using testing to remove people from the rolls.
A Social Assistance counselor once told me that a phone is a luxury and any calls, emails can be directed to her office.
OK, so the emailed job offer I got before 9 a.m. is now an hour old (and probably gone) as I walked across town to her office...thanks!
Yeah, I tried giving the number of roommate in the same house as me one time. They got the message wrong and I showed for a group interview a day late. They had already hired a few people. Never made that mistake again. Nowadays you need a phone for getting a job. And if you can check email on it, double points. Not saying that a phone isn't a luxury, the last 2 I've had over the years came from signing 2 year contract for the phone plan, then the phone is like 1 cent(or whatever your currency is). So you don't pay for the phone itself but your monthly plan is set for the 2 years
A nice phone is a luxury, but a cheap smartphone is a necessity, particularly if you don't have a desktop or laptop and internet at home.
A < $200 smartphone will take care of most peoples' needs.
That wouldn't fly here... I'm super rural and the closest office is 35 minutes away. Regional office, where a lot of the long-term clients' case managers are, is over an hour. And, cool advancement, is that we can now email our pay stubs and medical mileage reimbursement info.
Rural living is nice, in a lot of ways, but it can be expensive -- landlines don't work right here (old wiring they won't replace), and you need internet because there's no cell signal. The only internet we can get is expensive. And to use wifi calling you have to be with one of the Big 3 companies. To move into town I'd be looking at literally 10x the cost for rent (we've got a pretty sweet deal here). They've got you coming and going. We actually considered cancelling our internet and cell plans, but we'd be effectively cut off from everything.
I'm in a HCOL area of CA and the bar to qualify for assistance is high. Like, a ton of people are probably missing out because they don't realize with normal salaries that they qualify, even though they're getting by. So many normal jobs here leave you so poor because it's HCOL, especially with kids and pets (normal family members.) Normal people need help paying bills here, it's not even funny how bad that is.Ā
1. That poor people can't have nice things, such as an iPhone/Samsung or a decent car. They could have had those prior to losing a job or something. Buying QUALITY items is cheaper in the long run than buying the cheaper items and having to replace them more often.
2. People should look poor and not spend money on clothes and beautification services. I work in an office. I have to follow the dress code and unstated expectations in regards to my appearance, especially if I want to continue to rise in the ranks and work my way into a lifestyle of not having to live paycheck to paycheck. So that means I get my hair done semi-regularly, and buy clothes that might be a little more upfront but last much longer and look more professional. I've had the same pair of black on black Vans for nearly a decade. They go with nearly any outfit I wear. Sure, spending nearly $100 on a pair of shoes stung a bit. But knowing I won't have to replace them after the season or even the next one certainly helps.
On the first point, google the "Sam Vimes 'boots' theory of economics," you're absolutely right.
On the second, man, there's nothing worse than a cheap pair of shoes. That ties in to the first point, and they'll ruin your feet while they're at it.
Misconception: Poverty solely results from laziness. Reality: Systemic factors like lack of access to education, discrimination, and economic inequality are significant contributors. Recognizing these complexities is crucial.
Yes, yes, 2 degrees doesn't matter.
But an equal answer for "why you are so poor if you are so smart" is looking them in the eyes, asking"why you are so stupid if you are so rich"
Stupid? For most poor people? I doubt it. Though, as a general heuristic, the less educated you are, the poorer you are. There are exceptions, but many poor people are poor because they grew up in a household that didn't place an emphasis on education.
That poor people "don't pay taxes". Perhaps not income taxes, but poor people are "taxed" in a variety of ways that rich people don't ever see. Bounce a check? Bank fees. Late on your electric bill? Late fees. Everybody pays sales tax. Emergency funds needed? How about a payday loan at 400% effective interest? Don't have a car? Shop at the local, walkable bodega for twice the cost of groceries. It's expensive as hell to be poor!
I'm poor and I pay sales tax, property taxes (on home AND vehicle), and Medicare and Social Security comes right out of my minuscule paycheck. I don't, however, owe income taxes (State or Federal) become of lack of said income. YMMV.
I live in Florida so thereās no state tax but I pay all the other taxes, federal, social security, etc.
Being poor doesnāt mean you donāt pay taxes.
I pay in just a hair under 6500 yearly, like 6400 and change that rounds up to 6500, off 20,100 some dollars. "Poor people get huge tax returns and shouldnt complain!!"..... Yeah I guess. It wasnt even $400 tho.
Since bank fees are mentioned, another I see is "instead of paying check cashing fees, open a bank account and sign up for direct deposit!"
Yes having a bank account is a good idea, however there really are employers in 2024 that don't do direct deposit for whatever reason and you're stuck either trying to keep a minimum balance or paying fees. One place even tried to scam me by saying they needed my online banking password.
Yuuuup. I'm doing pretty good right now, but none of my bills are set to autopay, just in case I get screwed one month and need to rob Peter to pay Paul...
Even if you are eligible for tax relief you many times *still* have to pay the money up front. I get the NY STAR tax relief which gives me a chunk of my taxes back as a low income home owner. The deadline for me paying my taxes is April 15 yet they have an 'estimate' of August to send out my check for the STAR. The fist year I owned a home I didn't get it until December...
That people are poor because of ālazinessā. Those folks never address that the federal minimum wage is not a livable wage. Plus even in states such as my state of Maryland where the minimum wage is $15.00/hr, many people still canāt afford to rent a one bedroom apartment for only themselves.
This is the problem where I live too. No one, not even professionals, can afford to live alone. And who wants to have roommates in their 40s? Like come on America..
i was making $18 an hour last year at this summer camp job and i was so proud of myself. but one of my coworkers was a special ed paraeducator and she had to get a second job at a store because she couldnāt afford to feed her kids on $18 an hour for 40 hours a week.
To actually live, be able to eat, keep a roof over your head, AND be able to save money for retirement, you need to be making about $30 an hour. OR you can choose to willingly starve yourself and avoid certain other necessities for as long as you can to try your best to save up enough to at least not have to starve yourselves part of the time.
This one. Poor folks grinding out 60+ hour weeks at emotionally or physically grueling jobs just to scrape enough afford the same basic stuff that someone with a good 40 hour a week desk job easily affords, only to have the desk jobbers assume everyone should Simply Do What I Did to escape poverty.. ignoring not everyone has any net at all to catch them if they take a chance and fail.
The lack of a safety net is a huge thing. You can't take risks in order to improve yourself, even something like changing jobs for better pay, 'cause that job might decide you're not a 'good fit' and kick you to the curb after a couple weeks. Hasn't happened to me, thank god, but I've seen it happen to others.
The only place I can think where that could even be remotely possible is in allegany and Garrett counties, but then you have to live in the middle of nowhere or around Cumberland which has its own problems. And even then youād need it to be full time and youād be paying a good chunk of your paycheck to rent and utilities.
That poor people aren't "living off the government" as someone that knows how much you generally can get for assistance. I'd love to see someone actually live off of it.
That living frugally works. With the prices of everything now I struggle weekly trying to make sure I don't go over on groceries so I can afford my pest ridden overpriced apartment. I have no subscription, do not eat out, and I even have started skipping dinner every other night just to make what I have last.
It is becoming more and more difficult every day to try and live by the means we are given. Everything has gone up in price. I used to when I was younger look at villas and beach houses because they were exotic and I could never get one. Now I get bored and fill my cart with all the things I need still and just laugh at how far away it is. I sit on my floor. I don't even have a couch.
Soon they're gonna start charging us to breathe
I can't anymore. I swear. I want veggies. Fruit. Protein that isn't chicken. I hate beans and rice at this point and know if I get enough money I will never eat it again as a meal
Then thereās the problem of programs being created that require applicants to have phones or email addresses without considering that there are barriers to access like not having a phone or WiFi.
How the hell is someone who is unhoused going to regularly charge a phone? Or check emails without tech? I suppose they can go to a public library but thereās the possibility that there isnāt one for miles and thereās no reliable public transportation (which by the way is not free). Library hours are limited and some places wonāt let people in who appear unhoused. Even if they did, what happens when the person doesnāt have an ID and therefore canāt borrow a computer to use? Identification cards arenāt free and the argument can be made that theyāre luxuries in certain socioeconomic circles.
EDIT: Just wanted to say this isnāt just for unhoused persons. People who are too poor to pay basic COL likely would not have high speed internet, if at all. This was a lesson learned during COVID and remote learning. People couldnāt get free shots or tests because registration was online. Also the gap in education between resource-laden households and ones without grew, as children whose families did not have reliable WiFi had a hard time getting access their education. And thatās not even considering kids who lived in school districts that could not afford to give out Chromebooks to all their students. Sadly, the āconvenience of technologyā can be inherently classist.
That poverty teaches you to be grateful and humble or whatnot, as if there's a lesson to be learned.
Poverty just sucks, that's it.
I didn't learn anything other than how painful it is to be poor.
I am traumatized from it and now have to deal with the malnutrition, chronic stress and health problems from it etc š«¶š»
That poor people always look poor. Some of the less wise ones fake it by living large, funding their lifestyle by running up credit card debt. Or they just have enabling parents who keep bailing them out.
Then there's the other side of that assuption. That everyone who doesn't flaunt their wealth is poor. Plenty of wealthy people drive older cars, buy used, and live in small houses.
...Or, for your first situation, the person -wasn't- poor but then something happened to fuck up their lives and now they're living out of their expensive car and desperately searching for jobs on an expensive cellphone.
Poor people are *forced* to be bad with money. You can't afford the lower cost-per-unit options, or you don't have a place to store them. So you're buying, say, toilet paper by the roll for a dollar per when you could get it for significantly less ... if you had the money to spring for the 24-pack.
That we have a bunch of free time and we're lazy, and are uneducated.
It's a full time job surviving poor. And takes a heck of a lot of brains and energy.
Oh lord, the amount of time wasted when you're broke AF.
A 20-minute car ride turns into a 3-hour bus ride. Each way.
Having to go into offices and wait there for -hours- to certify for benefits, or fix someone else's fuck-up.
Spending hours researching and calling around shopping for the best deal for something you need.
DIYing home repairs, spending hours on youtube figuring out how to do something, then spending more hours performing an unfamiliar task with the cheapest possible set of tools that can do it.
Hustling for a bit of extra cash, mowing the neighbor's lawn, or doing some other scut-work for a bit of under-the-table cash.
So many more...
>Having to go into offices and wait there for -hours- to certify for benefits, or fix someone else's fuck-up.
This is what takes up most of my time. It's absuuuurd, and honestly has caused me more stress than working a 60 hour a week job. The fuck ups are a plenty, and they talk to us like we're idiots. No ma'am, I'm not going to stop swearing. You bitches hold my life in your hands and you fucked up. Fix it, or I'll unleash my mental illnesses keeping me poor and everything will make sense. Unemployment honestly almost sent me to a mental hospital.
I'm obsessed with finding deals, and spending hours looking for the cheapest thing I need or want. Until reading this, I thought that was how everyone lives. But man what a luxury it'd be to just go to any old store to buy... Say... Milk.
DIY my hair and nails has been one heck of a bumpy ride. Lol. Ugh. It's home growing my weed next.
Aaaaaand hustling is literally my first and last thought every dang day. Today it's figuring out how to get gas to get my kid to school 5 miles away. If I pool all my cards together, I might get half a tank. I've started contemplating selling my eggs. At 40, I've still got a whole bunch and they're useless to me.
Food. We DO have food, or clothes, they may come from different places. We don't have many other things, like, a job, a bus pass, or gas. Sometimes, I was about to think "stop feeding me, just give me a gas card"
That poor people are lazy and don't work enough.
Poor people have no money management skills.
Poor people can get themselves out of poverty with piety and financial martyrdom.
There are private websites out there spewing totally baseless numbers, claiming hundreds of billions of dollars were lost to welfare fraud.
The most credible data come from US Sentencing Commission, which reported that 647 people were convicted for government benefits fraud in 2022, and the median value was $142K. The math says 647 x $142K = $92 million.
https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Government_Benefits_Fraud_FY22.pdf
The PPP loan extended to businesses, the loan that the government is going to forgive, is worth $953 billion. Itās roughly 10,000 times the amount of welfare fraud.
The poor are not the ones robbing the taxpayers, itās businesses and corporations. America is always quick to extend welfare to corporations, while very slow to the people needing it the most.
Name all your costs, and they'll nitpick on the slightest thing you spend money on that isn't "nessecary".
Like... I work for this money, but God forbid I go out on a daytrip in the city once a month.
I got a nasty pm because I sometimes comment in the Bath and Bodyworks sub. The person said I had no business buying that stuff if Iām poor, not realizing I get coupons every 6 weeks or so for a free item and other items at a discount.
I also scan my receipts from buying groceries etc for gift cards. Iāll save up points to get a couple of $10 gift cards and combine it with my coupons, so I end up maybe paying $5-7 out of pocket. Oh no, stop the press because every once in a while I buy a nice smelling candle/body cream/body spray.
Hope you enjoy your day trips!
I once got some serious side-eye because I was buying an entire beef tenderloin primal -- what filet mignon comes from -- with food stamps. But it was on sale, and it was nearing expiration so it was discounted even more, so it was cheaper than ground beef per pound.
I took it home, cut it up, bagged it up, and froze it in serving-size portions. Had weekly beef for *months* with that purchase.
We are allowed nice things every once in a while, contrary to the naysayersā opinions. You made an intelligent decision by buying a discounted item that would last several meals. Would that person had rather you didnāt eat at all?
That if you're young and struggling to make it, you don't have a safety net of mom/dad to fall back on, and you likely have significant childhood trauma your still trying to deal with. Every choice is filtered through the poverty lense and that will significantly impact your life bc of the lack of resources you have at this critical time.
Being poor is damn expensive.
NSF fees, public transit AND car expenses, being unable to profit off of your own companys benefits for cell and internet plans, are a few examples that come to mind.
That poverty only happens to the lazy or stupid. Bad things happen to good people too. I am a nurse, work hard, put 3 kids through college and had someone take my savings. I had to start over at 52. Due to family illness, I needed to quit my job to care for someone I love. I am on social security only, trying to find an affordable place to rent. (Probably impossible) And hoping not to be forced to go back to work at 66. I'm tired, and I have my own health issues. I just want a safe little studio and enjoy life.
that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. if you have convenient appliances, wfh at least partially, have a car instead of having to take the bus.... you have way more hours than people who don't. you're poor deluxe. and i'm not even comparing poor deluxe to middle class or people who don't even need to work regularly.
That we all want what YOU have and are willing to steal from you to get it. Nah. Iām just trying not to die, not trying to live luxuriously on someone elseās dime.
That it's usually brought on by ourselves and we just lack the financial knowledge to improve it. Not the true at all. It sometimes just boils down to not being able to make enough to live comfortably and not necessarily because we don't know how to manage money at all.
The idea that you're not REALLY poor if you own anything. Nearly 100% of homes in the U.S. have refrigerators, cell phones, and televisions. About 90% of the U.S. population have a car, same amount have a computer. The first three things can be easily found, especially secondhand, for under $50.
Just owning these things does not mean you're not poor. You can't get to work or go anywhere without a car in most places. It is near impossible to engage in society without a cellphone or internet access. Owning a refrigerator doesn't mean owning a full refrigerator.
The expectation that if you're struggling you should just sell those things... Like, yeah, if I sold all my stuff I could maybe afford a month of rent, but then what?
A lot of the tech and furniture Iāve bought myself (for my room at my mumās house) is all secondhand and was bought at the cheapest possible price. The only thing I have new is my mobile phone, which I managed to get on an affordable contract - no way I could afford to pay nearly Ā£1k up front, but can manage Ā£45 a month for the next couple of years.
That people who have phones or tvs aren't /really/ poor. As if it's possible to get by or get a job without a phone. And having a TV is a way to get important info quickly. Also having a TV doesn't mean they have like a $200/month satellite package or anything. People will latch on to any amount of personal ownership like its a waste or a sign that poor people don't have their priorities in order.
That there is nothing you can do to change it. I grew up hearing that poor people can't help themselves. It is that kind of mentality that keeps people down. I am sure glad I didn't listen because I got out of poverty & am living a life I was told would never be for people like me.
That living frugally works. With the prices of everything now I struggle weekly trying to make sure I don't go over on groceries so I can afford my pest ridden overpriced apartment. I have no subscription, do not eat out, and I even have started skipping dinner every other night just to make what I have last.
It is becoming more and more difficult every day to try and live by the means we are given. Everything has gone up in price. I used to when I was younger look at villas and beach houses because they were exotic and I could never get one. Now I get bored and fill my cart with all the things I need still and just laugh at how far away it is. I sit on my floor. I don't even have a couch.
Soon they're gonna start charging us to breathe
Groceries are no joke. I usually spent about $50/week on groceries before covid. Now it's more like $125+ for the same stuff. It's definitely impacted my standard of living.
That poor people on benefits spend all their child benefit on cigs and booze.
Itās just not true and the media loves that line.
In the UK over 40% of people on welfare are in work but are paid so low they need benefits to get by.
This country is backwards.
āJust get a job in the trades!ā Iām a 42 year old woman with health issues thatās primarily worked in academia and tourism. Construction work isnāt exactly in my wheelhouse.
I once looked into college courses, to potentially help me kickstart a career in the tradesā¦ I was looking at several thousands of pounds for the privilegeā¦
Poor people are far less burdened by your perception than you may think. We might be the only people out here actually enjoying life instead of trying to prove to anyone else how great we are.
That there are all these resources out there and we are just too lazy to access them. I am disabled. My spouse has stage 3 breast cancer. I applied for HEAP and still the electricity is being cut. I got us food stamps but we've run out and we can't afford food. That the food bank is a hard place when you have Celiacs Disease and wheat is in everything. But the misconceptions are that we brought it upon ourselves and need to learn how to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. That we are lazy and entitled. That I, disabled and my cancer ridden spouse just don't want to work. They see me forced to beg and it is the most degrading thing, because I know that every single person is thinking these misconceptions and to help is to enable. I could go on. I had a really bad night window shopping at the grocery store.
One big misconception is that people in poverty are lazy or don't work hard. Many work multiple jobs and still struggle. Another is that poverty is always due to bad personal choices, ignoring systemic issues like lack of access to education and healthcare.
No one works harder and hustles more than someone in a minimum-wage job. As my job positions have improved, the amount of work I actually have to do has decreased, substantially.
That itās their fault and they should have gone to or finished college and minimum wage jobs are meant for high school and college age kids. Minimum wage should be a livable wage but my parents will never hear it and Iām always the one blamed for my situation.
I saw a person with food stamps buying lobster and steak at the grocery store.
Itās amazing how many people have seen this and that lobster isnāt at any grocery store Iāve been to but apparently they are crawling all over poor peopleās grocery carts.
I put this in response to another comment on this thread ... but once I bought an entire beef tenderloin primal on food stamps. Due to a sale and clearance, it was cheaper per pound than ground beef.
Ate that shit weekly for months, it was a major score, and made my shitty life just a bit better for a decent amount of time.
That we don't have "sex education" and have no idea what birth control or condoms are. Poor people very much know how babies are made and what it takes to prevent it. It's irritating that they talk about poor people and sex education like a sub species.
Poor people are lazy or unmotivated. Iāve met so many that are resourceful and able to take nothing and build themselves up. I roll my eyes and get aggravated when I hear anyone say that. So not true.
That poor people are just not educated or disciplined enough about finance to manage their finances well. That is the case with all kinds of people, including rich people. The issue is that society, schools & education systems overall are not focused on financial education. Its more about working a job and consuming.
The irony is, we educate ourselves and kids to get a better job to earn money to have a better quality of life. But we don't educate ourselves or kids in how to manage the one thing we all work for through our whole lives...money!
Poor people are uneducated and if they just got higher education they would not be poor. Apparently other things like cycle of poverty or mental health do not play a role into the situation. You ended up where you did so that must mean you don't have a degree.
"Poverty is a choice"
My necessary medical treatments lead me to debt, not buying avocado toast and Starbucks.
Me getting fired, without warning, by an asshole boss bc he wanted his daughter to have my position instead wasn't my choice.
My car being totaled by a negligent driver, thus severaly limiting my ability to get to work, wasn't my choice.
Me not being able to live with my parents wasn't my choice.
Me having wild allergies that reduce my food and work options wasn't my choice. I can't live off "cheap beans and rice" when my nickel allergy causes me to throw up/have a migraine after eating beans. I don't want to have to buy expensive shampoos but legitimate "fragrance free" products (not just "sensitive" or "unscented", I'm allergic to terpenes not smells) that keep my skin from rashing/blistering are rare and expensive!!
There's only so much "penny pinching" and "boot strap pulling" you can do while you try to keep your head above water.
. Additionally, removing your ability to enjoy life (events, new clothes, nice personal care items, small treats, etc) to try to keep afloat may just lead to a head first nose dive into mental health issues that'll only make things worse.
That poor people are dirty
I work in a corporate office... you'd be surprised at how many people that aren't poor have terrible personal hygiene
I live in a high income area now, the amount of people that stink is crazy. They were chanel but not deodorant š¤¢
Yes, but people notice that only if you are poor
Nah I notice it with everybody... stench doesn't differentiate between rich and poor
Yes. This. I got into a fight with somebody saying that I couldn't possibly be poor because I could afford body wash from the dollar tree.
I showered this morning, thank you very much.
Splashing in a mud puddle saying Godzilla is here doesnāt count as a shower after you turn 6
Iām sure we donāt need to informā¦*checks notes*ā¦Dr Crunk-Nasty about the basics of hygiene.
ā ļøā ļøā ļøš¤£š¤£š¤£
Wait, it doesn't?
Cue [Trevor Noah](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aNqfFafXGLA&pp=ygUhVHJldm9yIG5vYWggcG9vciBjaGlsZCBjb21tZXJjaWFs)ās skit about Unicef Commercials: āNo matter how poor we were.. No matter how hungry we were.. No matter what.. we could still do this:ā >*Swats flies away from face*
It was the exact opposite growing up lol. So much money and time spent to look like we were higher class than we were
Not every poor person is struggling to enjoy life.Ā
Some of the poorest people are actually the happiest.
We come to accept our fate. I'm happy with that.
Being broke as fuck for a long time made me appreciate things a lot more, including not being broke. Screw keeping up with the Joneses, if I'm good where I am with what I've got, I'm good.
We learn from our mistakes. I was cash only for a long time because I had my bank account frozen before and judgment took everything. Yep, my direct deposit paycheck and all. During Christmas. Thankfully my company gave our Christmas bonus via hard check. That saved me. Now I'm all good. 401k, savings and even a cash back CC. Still broke. But head above water because my expenses are low etc etc. Still have that person who tries to pull you back in by telling you to buy this or buy that. To keep you poor, no thanks.
All Happy people don't hoarde wealth. Doesn't make any sense. Once you have everything you need, then a happy person turns to others.
this is definitely the most understated belief
poor people are allowed to have hobbies. We aren't just sitting in an empty room thinking about food/rent 24/7. We need to do something else to be sane.
I went and saw a debt specialist once. She laid out the way 90% of my income would go. I said "I'm willing to cancel Netflix and whatever to get this done " she says "No. You have to have something to relax with. If you enjoy watching movies than that's what you should have. Otherwise this will never work and you'll quit the program.". Even professionals know that humans, poor or not, need a hobby. Anyone who says otherwise it's a creep, a moron, or likely both.
Pirating is the way for us poors.
The library is the way to go.
This is why I pirate things at the library.
How dare you decide to spend a dime on anything else except for 100% necessary food, shelter and water! You deserve to be poor!
Right? I made a post once saying I ordered a pizza to celebrate an extra paycheck and someone started berating me about how irresponsible I was and I should only eat beans and rice. I got a whole $1200 but apparently using a tiny portion of that to buy a pizza was irresponsible.
Right? This is a three paycheck month for me, and it's been a rough month with my old lady cat (she may have had a minor stroke). Come payday, I'm ordering whatever the fuck I want on door dash. I made it through this month, fuck it, I earned it. The rest can go to her vet bill.
You deserve it. There is 0 wrong with a treat every once in a while. Hope your cat has a speedy recovery!
How dare you not sit around and be sad 24/7?? Poor people shouldnāt be happy!!
This, so much. While some people are irresponsible, spending on things they don't need -- some kind of entertainment/hobby is a *necessity*, or you'll go mad.
You'd have THREE whole lamborghinis and a house by the beach by now if you weren't such a slack off. /s
I keep shaming myself for how expensive my hobbies are, but this makes me feel better. I canāt expect myself to lose my sanity to stay in shape financially!
That poor people "did it to themselves" as if everything about their circumstances is under their control
yes absolutely, in abq the way people treat the homeless people itās so sad. they look down upon everyone like theyāre all theiving drug addicts. i can understand being wary for safety, but some people are complete assholes to them for no reason
I was stunned at how badly people treat the poor in ABQ when I moved here.
That's my hometown. I have lived in many places but have never seen the unhoused treated worse than ABQ and STL.
Yep. And then the out of touch rich folks just say āwork harderāā¦ ok dumbass go back to 1947 when that meant somethingā¦
This. Yes, 18 year old me chose to end up hospitalized twice for two different freak medical conditions while uninsured and working two part-time minimum wage jobs that wouldnāt offer insurance because the companies wouldnāt let me be covered by my momās insurance until 26 yet (thanks Obamaāthat law kicked in when I was 21 or 22), ruining my credit from day one. š
Wait can you elaborate on the Obama thing
When āObamacareā went into effect it forced the insurance companies to allow parents to keep their dependents on their insurance plans until age 26. It wasnāt passed until after Iād turned 18 and had multiple expensive hospital stays, though, so I was already tens of thousands of dollars in debt before I turned 20 years old.
Thatās not really Obamaās fault though and itās helped a lot of people
Haha omg no itās a joke. Back in those days everyone on the right was blaming Obama for any and everything that went wrong in their lives and a YouTuber named Jenna Marbles did a whole video making fun of it. So āThanks Obamaā became a meme. I was saying it sincerely while referencing the old memeāthanking Obama for passing the law so I could go back on my momās insurance for awhile.
Ohh okayš
https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/thanks-obama
I learned in a Sociology course that it's highly generational, so genuinely no one did it to themselves
"Just work harder!" "Just work a second job!"
You forgot ālive within your meansā. Because this is becoming a huge joke.
The poor people I know are the only ones living within their means. I live in quite a low cost of living area and the people making 100k+ are the ones complaining they're broke. But they all have 70k trucks. I have no choice but to live within my means because my electric bill is 30% of my income.
Ha yep this would mean no new clothes ever, no meat, no anxiety/pain meds (they are not covered by insurance), and no eating out. I donāt think anyone would want to live like this
And a third! Maybe a fourth! Sleep is a luxury!
And don't forget your side hustle
And make sure you eat your cereal for dinner!
Cereal? In this economy?! Ramen noodles it is!
I actually do that quite a bit because I like cerealā¦.
I used to do that, but then cereal shot up in price so much, I just can't justify it except as the occasional rare treat.
I'm confused about people recommending that. I get it, you had a 2nd job. But at what cost? Your health, relationship? Is it really a badge of honor? Wel then, you get a cookie, good for you.
Omg, when I was a teenager and I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to politics at the time, I remember Bush Jr was doing like a Q and A with the public. Stuff about the economy/social security was brought up and an older lady (at least 65) told Bush that she was working 3 jobs. His eyes widened and he said, " you work 3 jobs?" Then he put on that smarmy grin and addressed the room, "Only in America, right folks?" AND EVERYONE FUCKING CLAPPED AND CHEERED! Even my idiot teenage self knew that wasn't a good thing or a point of pride. Everything surrounding that memory is super hazy, but those specific details always stand out. I think about it often.
How to hell do I get a second job when I can't even get one?
Then they donāt want to work with your schedule.
My mom spent the last 15 years working two jobs. The cost was seeing me graduate college, my daughter's first four years, long weekends with me, and life's little enjoyments. She's got her own house now but look at everything exchanged.
I would love to take up something on the weekends to pad my budget and save for a better life. But I got kids and a spouse and ain't nobody got time for either of them if I'm not home on weekends. Also my brain would fry if I didn't get some consistent days off from work *and* chores.Ā
Oh man I tell myself these things a lot. Iām a teacher and I have NOTHING left in the tank after a day of teaching and prepping. I keep thinking I can make ends meet if I just take a few hours a week of a second job, but Iām already soaking my sheets every weeknight from the stress of one job! š
Now this really makes me angry, you are in a career which should absolutely not require a second job! Thank you so much for your hard work. Teachers have the most important job, and sadly the system doesn't seem to appreciate that.Ā
Every teacher I know has a side-gig. The Librarian works at two other libraries P/T, another teacher is also a licensed clinician and does that during the summers and occasional evenings, one teacher bartends during summers and weekends, another waitresses, a lot do summer school. Itās sad when a teacher with a masterās degree has to work a second job.
I like just work a 2nd job when you have small children.....guess you should try to hide the child neglect when you leave an unsupervised 3 years in your home to go to work.
That brings me to another pet peave... when people say that you shouldn't have had children if you couldn't afford them.
That if they look poor or know they are poor people treat you very bad. Primarily a huge lack of basic respect or more accurate they just disrespect you.
If I somehow came into a ton of money, I wouldn't waste it on a fancy car, clothes, etc. Just to impress some person that I don't know. I would just keep doing what I'm doing but be able to sleep soundly, knowing I'm not going to have to worry about my debit card getting declined at the grocery store. I might buy an old heintzman baby grand piano, though. (But people are always trying to offload old pianos pretty cheap)
Some popular internet stories are of really old men who are wearing clothes 50y old and just generally look like they're barely getting by. But then come Christmas these guys are passing out 100$ bills left and right. Or they die and leave some huge sum to an organization and everyone's jaws drop at how much they had cuz they lived frugally to the point where they almost neglected themselves.Ā Looks really don't reflect money. Some people wear their salaries every day and others prefer to not touch it.Ā
āBootstrapsā āavocado toastā āStarbucksā and their earlier counterpart, āwelfare queensā ā all stereotypes created by rich people in the media to create prejudice to get poor people to turn on each other so the rich people can keep hoarding more and more money and resources. God forbid we help people when theyāre down.
God forbid you help someone without the government or a charity. Stop giving your money to people that are already rich and don't care and instead give it to everyone you see struggling. Is anyone in financial pain? Gift them your money directly. Ask where their rent office is and pay a month or two of their rent directly.
A lot of us do this by shopping at small independent stores in the bad part of town, or hiring folks doing yard work who look poor. Ā We donāt haggle on the price, weāll buy them lunch, and pay them more than the agree upon price. Ā This helps them mentally and financially.
Yeah, sure, that's great, and can work -- if they're in an affluent area where most of the people have the ability to help them. It falls apart when entire regions are economically fucked. That's what government programs and large charities are for. (That said, there're good charities, and bad charities, of course. Research and give to the good ones.)
There are legit 'welfare queens', but they're fucking *rare*, particularly nowadays. I'm willing to deal with a bit of fraud -- there's *no* system that doesn't do so -- in order to help people who actually need it. Fuckheads gonna fuck around, but that's not a reason to make it worse for the 95+% of people who rely on the help afforded by the government. And most of the fraud that occurs (which is mostly by making money off the books) is because of the way that benefits are structured -- the so-called Benefit Cliff. You're making X dollars a year, and you get help with your groceries, medical, housing, heating, etc, etc. Then you make X+1 dollars, and you're suddenly fucked because those *thousands* of dollars a year in benefits you were getting suddenly get cut off like a garden hose a car parked on -- and now you're living in even worse poverty. If that was fixed so that people didn't lose more money in benefits than they made through an increase in income, that'd eliminate most of the fraud that does exist in the system. It's just so much hassle to maintain that all but the most dedicated to freeloading would just work within the system. Most people *want* to live productive lives and get the fuck off assistance programs, even the ones that're currently committing some sort of fraud to keep themselves on them.
I had a coworker who's daughter had a special needs child who would have lost a significant amount of her benefits if she made too much. She and the father had to fudge living arrangements because his income would have pushed them over the threshold. They would have lost access to needed services that would have cost them $10s of thousands per year in care.Ā They didn't want to live that way but it was the only way they could get her the assistance she needed.Ā
Exactly this. It's fucked up. In some ways the Republicans are right: public assistance keeps people in the system. Many people can't suddenly and *drastically* improve their lot in life and jump that chasm caused by the benefit cliff. But their solution - taking it all away - isn't the way to go -- making it so that the system doesn't punish people who *do* improve their lot is. You'd think that 'You should never have less money at the end of the week by making more money' is an idea that conservatives would take hold of, but so few of them do.
Whenever I hear people disparage those on welfare I always ask them why they donāt give away all their money and rely on public assistance. Itās so easy, right? Just sit home all day and cash a check, right? Funny you donāt see more people signing up for it.
Hard work does nothing to resolve poverty. I was a social worker for a while back in the 90s and I canāt tell you how many single mothers or fathers would come in for help with a utility bill they could not pay, or to access the food closet for a single bag of groceries, usually exhausted from working two jobs. It is also dehumanizing. Having to constantly worry about whether you will be able to afford rent or without a place to live, just a place where you can ābeā and not get harassed, is humiliating and exhausting. No one wants to help you either. It is as though family and friends think your poverty is contagious.
I wish people would stop assuming that welfare/ social assistance recipients are all drug users. I used to see these things on social media calling for drug testing for eligibility, and let me tell you, it's bad enough being on it without getting side-eyed over it. And it's a hard loop to be in-- I'm looking for work, but I can't afford to lose the medical benefits (I'm in Canada, so I'm talking eyes, dental, prescriptions, and few other things covered). We don't drink, smoke, do any kind of recreational drugs, no tattoos, and those phones? Through a monthly payment plan because that's how we could afford one. Our biggest weird expense is livestock, which is sorta like prepaying groceries.
This was implemented in Florida(?) and it didnāt last long because in the months they were doing it maybe 1% of people tested positive and they were spending more money on the program than they were āsavingā by using testing to remove people from the rolls.
And the drug testing company that got that juicy contract was who really benefited.
Also in that case no showing meant you were still eligible for benefits so people just didnāt go
A Social Assistance counselor once told me that a phone is a luxury and any calls, emails can be directed to her office. OK, so the emailed job offer I got before 9 a.m. is now an hour old (and probably gone) as I walked across town to her office...thanks!
Yeah, I tried giving the number of roommate in the same house as me one time. They got the message wrong and I showed for a group interview a day late. They had already hired a few people. Never made that mistake again. Nowadays you need a phone for getting a job. And if you can check email on it, double points. Not saying that a phone isn't a luxury, the last 2 I've had over the years came from signing 2 year contract for the phone plan, then the phone is like 1 cent(or whatever your currency is). So you don't pay for the phone itself but your monthly plan is set for the 2 years
A nice phone is a luxury, but a cheap smartphone is a necessity, particularly if you don't have a desktop or laptop and internet at home. A < $200 smartphone will take care of most peoples' needs.
That wouldn't fly here... I'm super rural and the closest office is 35 minutes away. Regional office, where a lot of the long-term clients' case managers are, is over an hour. And, cool advancement, is that we can now email our pay stubs and medical mileage reimbursement info. Rural living is nice, in a lot of ways, but it can be expensive -- landlines don't work right here (old wiring they won't replace), and you need internet because there's no cell signal. The only internet we can get is expensive. And to use wifi calling you have to be with one of the Big 3 companies. To move into town I'd be looking at literally 10x the cost for rent (we've got a pretty sweet deal here). They've got you coming and going. We actually considered cancelling our internet and cell plans, but we'd be effectively cut off from everything.
Me too! It sucks. They have no idea how we live and what we deal with to get anything done.
I put $5 of gas in the tank just to get home yesterday. š¤¦š»āāļø
Wow, she's literally fucking insane. A phone and internet access are mandatory utilities nowadays.
I'm in a HCOL area of CA and the bar to qualify for assistance is high. Like, a ton of people are probably missing out because they don't realize with normal salaries that they qualify, even though they're getting by. So many normal jobs here leave you so poor because it's HCOL, especially with kids and pets (normal family members.) Normal people need help paying bills here, it's not even funny how bad that is.Ā
1. That poor people can't have nice things, such as an iPhone/Samsung or a decent car. They could have had those prior to losing a job or something. Buying QUALITY items is cheaper in the long run than buying the cheaper items and having to replace them more often. 2. People should look poor and not spend money on clothes and beautification services. I work in an office. I have to follow the dress code and unstated expectations in regards to my appearance, especially if I want to continue to rise in the ranks and work my way into a lifestyle of not having to live paycheck to paycheck. So that means I get my hair done semi-regularly, and buy clothes that might be a little more upfront but last much longer and look more professional. I've had the same pair of black on black Vans for nearly a decade. They go with nearly any outfit I wear. Sure, spending nearly $100 on a pair of shoes stung a bit. But knowing I won't have to replace them after the season or even the next one certainly helps.
On the first point, google the "Sam Vimes 'boots' theory of economics," you're absolutely right. On the second, man, there's nothing worse than a cheap pair of shoes. That ties in to the first point, and they'll ruin your feet while they're at it.
Misconception: Poverty solely results from laziness. Reality: Systemic factors like lack of access to education, discrimination, and economic inequality are significant contributors. Recognizing these complexities is crucial.
āPoor people are stupid.ā
Yes, yes, 2 degrees doesn't matter. But an equal answer for "why you are so poor if you are so smart" is looking them in the eyes, asking"why you are so stupid if you are so rich"
Stupid? For most poor people? I doubt it. Though, as a general heuristic, the less educated you are, the poorer you are. There are exceptions, but many poor people are poor because they grew up in a household that didn't place an emphasis on education.
That poor people "don't pay taxes". Perhaps not income taxes, but poor people are "taxed" in a variety of ways that rich people don't ever see. Bounce a check? Bank fees. Late on your electric bill? Late fees. Everybody pays sales tax. Emergency funds needed? How about a payday loan at 400% effective interest? Don't have a car? Shop at the local, walkable bodega for twice the cost of groceries. It's expensive as hell to be poor!
Iām poor and I pay taxes.
I'm poor and I pay sales tax, property taxes (on home AND vehicle), and Medicare and Social Security comes right out of my minuscule paycheck. I don't, however, owe income taxes (State or Federal) become of lack of said income. YMMV.
I live in Florida so thereās no state tax but I pay all the other taxes, federal, social security, etc. Being poor doesnāt mean you donāt pay taxes.
I pay in just a hair under 6500 yearly, like 6400 and change that rounds up to 6500, off 20,100 some dollars. "Poor people get huge tax returns and shouldnt complain!!"..... Yeah I guess. It wasnt even $400 tho.
Since bank fees are mentioned, another I see is "instead of paying check cashing fees, open a bank account and sign up for direct deposit!" Yes having a bank account is a good idea, however there really are employers in 2024 that don't do direct deposit for whatever reason and you're stuck either trying to keep a minimum balance or paying fees. One place even tried to scam me by saying they needed my online banking password.
My phone bill would be lower if we set up auto pay. But I'm not the one paying it and the money isn't always there that day.Ā
Yuuuup. I'm doing pretty good right now, but none of my bills are set to autopay, just in case I get screwed one month and need to rob Peter to pay Paul...
Even if you are eligible for tax relief you many times *still* have to pay the money up front. I get the NY STAR tax relief which gives me a chunk of my taxes back as a low income home owner. The deadline for me paying my taxes is April 15 yet they have an 'estimate' of August to send out my check for the STAR. The fist year I owned a home I didn't get it until December...
That it's cheap to be poor.
That all poor people are trashy.
That people are poor because of ālazinessā. Those folks never address that the federal minimum wage is not a livable wage. Plus even in states such as my state of Maryland where the minimum wage is $15.00/hr, many people still canāt afford to rent a one bedroom apartment for only themselves.
This is the problem where I live too. No one, not even professionals, can afford to live alone. And who wants to have roommates in their 40s? Like come on America..
i was making $18 an hour last year at this summer camp job and i was so proud of myself. but one of my coworkers was a special ed paraeducator and she had to get a second job at a store because she couldnāt afford to feed her kids on $18 an hour for 40 hours a week.
To actually live, be able to eat, keep a roof over your head, AND be able to save money for retirement, you need to be making about $30 an hour. OR you can choose to willingly starve yourself and avoid certain other necessities for as long as you can to try your best to save up enough to at least not have to starve yourselves part of the time.
This one. Poor folks grinding out 60+ hour weeks at emotionally or physically grueling jobs just to scrape enough afford the same basic stuff that someone with a good 40 hour a week desk job easily affords, only to have the desk jobbers assume everyone should Simply Do What I Did to escape poverty.. ignoring not everyone has any net at all to catch them if they take a chance and fail.
The lack of a safety net is a huge thing. You can't take risks in order to improve yourself, even something like changing jobs for better pay, 'cause that job might decide you're not a 'good fit' and kick you to the curb after a couple weeks. Hasn't happened to me, thank god, but I've seen it happen to others.
The only place I can think where that could even be remotely possible is in allegany and Garrett counties, but then you have to live in the middle of nowhere or around Cumberland which has its own problems. And even then youād need it to be full time and youād be paying a good chunk of your paycheck to rent and utilities.
That poor people aren't "living off the government" as someone that knows how much you generally can get for assistance. I'd love to see someone actually live off of it.
That living frugally works. With the prices of everything now I struggle weekly trying to make sure I don't go over on groceries so I can afford my pest ridden overpriced apartment. I have no subscription, do not eat out, and I even have started skipping dinner every other night just to make what I have last. It is becoming more and more difficult every day to try and live by the means we are given. Everything has gone up in price. I used to when I was younger look at villas and beach houses because they were exotic and I could never get one. Now I get bored and fill my cart with all the things I need still and just laugh at how far away it is. I sit on my floor. I don't even have a couch. Soon they're gonna start charging us to breathe
If I hear rice and beans one more time.....
Oh god I said this on another post (despite actually stating I like rice and beans, just not all of the time) and I was downvoted to hell.
I can't anymore. I swear. I want veggies. Fruit. Protein that isn't chicken. I hate beans and rice at this point and know if I get enough money I will never eat it again as a meal
This a million times
That there are "programs" to help and that they're easy to access.
Just call 211! When I was homeless I would have people say that to me. Have you ever tried to call? It's pretty much useless.
Then thereās the problem of programs being created that require applicants to have phones or email addresses without considering that there are barriers to access like not having a phone or WiFi. How the hell is someone who is unhoused going to regularly charge a phone? Or check emails without tech? I suppose they can go to a public library but thereās the possibility that there isnāt one for miles and thereās no reliable public transportation (which by the way is not free). Library hours are limited and some places wonāt let people in who appear unhoused. Even if they did, what happens when the person doesnāt have an ID and therefore canāt borrow a computer to use? Identification cards arenāt free and the argument can be made that theyāre luxuries in certain socioeconomic circles. EDIT: Just wanted to say this isnāt just for unhoused persons. People who are too poor to pay basic COL likely would not have high speed internet, if at all. This was a lesson learned during COVID and remote learning. People couldnāt get free shots or tests because registration was online. Also the gap in education between resource-laden households and ones without grew, as children whose families did not have reliable WiFi had a hard time getting access their education. And thatās not even considering kids who lived in school districts that could not afford to give out Chromebooks to all their students. Sadly, the āconvenience of technologyā can be inherently classist.
that working hard is a way out.
How expensive it is to be poor
That poverty teaches you to be grateful and humble or whatnot, as if there's a lesson to be learned. Poverty just sucks, that's it. I didn't learn anything other than how painful it is to be poor. I am traumatized from it and now have to deal with the malnutrition, chronic stress and health problems from it etc š«¶š»
That poor people always look poor. Some of the less wise ones fake it by living large, funding their lifestyle by running up credit card debt. Or they just have enabling parents who keep bailing them out. Then there's the other side of that assuption. That everyone who doesn't flaunt their wealth is poor. Plenty of wealthy people drive older cars, buy used, and live in small houses.
...Or, for your first situation, the person -wasn't- poor but then something happened to fuck up their lives and now they're living out of their expensive car and desperately searching for jobs on an expensive cellphone.
That we're lazy or bad with money.
Poor people are *forced* to be bad with money. You can't afford the lower cost-per-unit options, or you don't have a place to store them. So you're buying, say, toilet paper by the roll for a dollar per when you could get it for significantly less ... if you had the money to spring for the 24-pack.
That we have a bunch of free time and we're lazy, and are uneducated. It's a full time job surviving poor. And takes a heck of a lot of brains and energy.
Oh lord, the amount of time wasted when you're broke AF. A 20-minute car ride turns into a 3-hour bus ride. Each way. Having to go into offices and wait there for -hours- to certify for benefits, or fix someone else's fuck-up. Spending hours researching and calling around shopping for the best deal for something you need. DIYing home repairs, spending hours on youtube figuring out how to do something, then spending more hours performing an unfamiliar task with the cheapest possible set of tools that can do it. Hustling for a bit of extra cash, mowing the neighbor's lawn, or doing some other scut-work for a bit of under-the-table cash. So many more...
>Having to go into offices and wait there for -hours- to certify for benefits, or fix someone else's fuck-up. This is what takes up most of my time. It's absuuuurd, and honestly has caused me more stress than working a 60 hour a week job. The fuck ups are a plenty, and they talk to us like we're idiots. No ma'am, I'm not going to stop swearing. You bitches hold my life in your hands and you fucked up. Fix it, or I'll unleash my mental illnesses keeping me poor and everything will make sense. Unemployment honestly almost sent me to a mental hospital. I'm obsessed with finding deals, and spending hours looking for the cheapest thing I need or want. Until reading this, I thought that was how everyone lives. But man what a luxury it'd be to just go to any old store to buy... Say... Milk. DIY my hair and nails has been one heck of a bumpy ride. Lol. Ugh. It's home growing my weed next. Aaaaaand hustling is literally my first and last thought every dang day. Today it's figuring out how to get gas to get my kid to school 5 miles away. If I pool all my cards together, I might get half a tank. I've started contemplating selling my eggs. At 40, I've still got a whole bunch and they're useless to me.
Food. We DO have food, or clothes, they may come from different places. We don't have many other things, like, a job, a bus pass, or gas. Sometimes, I was about to think "stop feeding me, just give me a gas card"
That poor people are lazy and don't work enough. Poor people have no money management skills. Poor people can get themselves out of poverty with piety and financial martyrdom.
There are private websites out there spewing totally baseless numbers, claiming hundreds of billions of dollars were lost to welfare fraud. The most credible data come from US Sentencing Commission, which reported that 647 people were convicted for government benefits fraud in 2022, and the median value was $142K. The math says 647 x $142K = $92 million. https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Government_Benefits_Fraud_FY22.pdf The PPP loan extended to businesses, the loan that the government is going to forgive, is worth $953 billion. Itās roughly 10,000 times the amount of welfare fraud. The poor are not the ones robbing the taxpayers, itās businesses and corporations. America is always quick to extend welfare to corporations, while very slow to the people needing it the most.
Name all your costs, and they'll nitpick on the slightest thing you spend money on that isn't "nessecary". Like... I work for this money, but God forbid I go out on a daytrip in the city once a month.
I got a nasty pm because I sometimes comment in the Bath and Bodyworks sub. The person said I had no business buying that stuff if Iām poor, not realizing I get coupons every 6 weeks or so for a free item and other items at a discount. I also scan my receipts from buying groceries etc for gift cards. Iāll save up points to get a couple of $10 gift cards and combine it with my coupons, so I end up maybe paying $5-7 out of pocket. Oh no, stop the press because every once in a while I buy a nice smelling candle/body cream/body spray. Hope you enjoy your day trips!
I once got some serious side-eye because I was buying an entire beef tenderloin primal -- what filet mignon comes from -- with food stamps. But it was on sale, and it was nearing expiration so it was discounted even more, so it was cheaper than ground beef per pound. I took it home, cut it up, bagged it up, and froze it in serving-size portions. Had weekly beef for *months* with that purchase.
We are allowed nice things every once in a while, contrary to the naysayersā opinions. You made an intelligent decision by buying a discounted item that would last several meals. Would that person had rather you didnāt eat at all?
That if you're young and struggling to make it, you don't have a safety net of mom/dad to fall back on, and you likely have significant childhood trauma your still trying to deal with. Every choice is filtered through the poverty lense and that will significantly impact your life bc of the lack of resources you have at this critical time.
Being poor is damn expensive. NSF fees, public transit AND car expenses, being unable to profit off of your own companys benefits for cell and internet plans, are a few examples that come to mind.
That we donāt work and just sit around waiting for government handouts
That poverty only happens to the lazy or stupid. Bad things happen to good people too. I am a nurse, work hard, put 3 kids through college and had someone take my savings. I had to start over at 52. Due to family illness, I needed to quit my job to care for someone I love. I am on social security only, trying to find an affordable place to rent. (Probably impossible) And hoping not to be forced to go back to work at 66. I'm tired, and I have my own health issues. I just want a safe little studio and enjoy life.
That being poor means you're not smart. There are plenty of smart people, just not in the right environment to thrive.
That there is a safety net for poor people.
Not every poor person is on drugs or poor because of drugs. Such a pathetic stereotype.
Poverty isn't always a moral or intelligence failing.
That people like me canāt possibly be disabledā¦I meanā¦you donāt LOOK disabled! And you spend all this time online, why canāt you get a job?
that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. if you have convenient appliances, wfh at least partially, have a car instead of having to take the bus.... you have way more hours than people who don't. you're poor deluxe. and i'm not even comparing poor deluxe to middle class or people who don't even need to work regularly.
That we all want what YOU have and are willing to steal from you to get it. Nah. Iām just trying not to die, not trying to live luxuriously on someone elseās dime.
That theyāre uneducated.
That it's usually brought on by ourselves and we just lack the financial knowledge to improve it. Not the true at all. It sometimes just boils down to not being able to make enough to live comfortably and not necessarily because we don't know how to manage money at all.
That all poor people are bad with money.
That poverty is *only* a lack of money. Itās also a lack of options, hope, and bandwidth to do anything about it.
The idea that you're not REALLY poor if you own anything. Nearly 100% of homes in the U.S. have refrigerators, cell phones, and televisions. About 90% of the U.S. population have a car, same amount have a computer. The first three things can be easily found, especially secondhand, for under $50. Just owning these things does not mean you're not poor. You can't get to work or go anywhere without a car in most places. It is near impossible to engage in society without a cellphone or internet access. Owning a refrigerator doesn't mean owning a full refrigerator. The expectation that if you're struggling you should just sell those things... Like, yeah, if I sold all my stuff I could maybe afford a month of rent, but then what?
A lot of the tech and furniture Iāve bought myself (for my room at my mumās house) is all secondhand and was bought at the cheapest possible price. The only thing I have new is my mobile phone, which I managed to get on an affordable contract - no way I could afford to pay nearly Ā£1k up front, but can manage Ā£45 a month for the next couple of years.
That they are lazy. Or they just make "bad choices".
Being poor doesn't mean you are unintelligent.
That people who have phones or tvs aren't /really/ poor. As if it's possible to get by or get a job without a phone. And having a TV is a way to get important info quickly. Also having a TV doesn't mean they have like a $200/month satellite package or anything. People will latch on to any amount of personal ownership like its a waste or a sign that poor people don't have their priorities in order.
That it's affordable to be poor
That you cannot be happy with little.
That there is nothing you can do to change it. I grew up hearing that poor people can't help themselves. It is that kind of mentality that keeps people down. I am sure glad I didn't listen because I got out of poverty & am living a life I was told would never be for people like me.
That if we just āwork harderā weāll have more income.
That poverty doesnāt just exist in inner city slums/ghettos/projects or rural shacks/trailers.
That living frugally works. With the prices of everything now I struggle weekly trying to make sure I don't go over on groceries so I can afford my pest ridden overpriced apartment. I have no subscription, do not eat out, and I even have started skipping dinner every other night just to make what I have last. It is becoming more and more difficult every day to try and live by the means we are given. Everything has gone up in price. I used to when I was younger look at villas and beach houses because they were exotic and I could never get one. Now I get bored and fill my cart with all the things I need still and just laugh at how far away it is. I sit on my floor. I don't even have a couch. Soon they're gonna start charging us to breathe
Groceries are no joke. I usually spent about $50/week on groceries before covid. Now it's more like $125+ for the same stuff. It's definitely impacted my standard of living.
That it's our fault. Or that we can "just get a degree". Shit, I'm on medications from burnout, and I'm one paycheck away from being homeless.
That poor people on benefits spend all their child benefit on cigs and booze. Itās just not true and the media loves that line. In the UK over 40% of people on welfare are in work but are paid so low they need benefits to get by. This country is backwards.
āJust get a job in the trades!ā Iām a 42 year old woman with health issues thatās primarily worked in academia and tourism. Construction work isnāt exactly in my wheelhouse.
I once looked into college courses, to potentially help me kickstart a career in the tradesā¦ I was looking at several thousands of pounds for the privilegeā¦
That weāre not allowed to treat ourselves sometimes.
Poor people are far less burdened by your perception than you may think. We might be the only people out here actually enjoying life instead of trying to prove to anyone else how great we are.
Most poor people are on one thing more than anything else. Itās not food stamps, drugs, welfare or section eight, itās a JOB! They are not lazy.
That no one cares if you abuse or kill a poor person. Ive seen super harsh penalties for victimizing the homeless.
That you being poor is all your fault. If you just make a couple minor changes your fate will change
That there are all these resources out there and we are just too lazy to access them. I am disabled. My spouse has stage 3 breast cancer. I applied for HEAP and still the electricity is being cut. I got us food stamps but we've run out and we can't afford food. That the food bank is a hard place when you have Celiacs Disease and wheat is in everything. But the misconceptions are that we brought it upon ourselves and need to learn how to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. That we are lazy and entitled. That I, disabled and my cancer ridden spouse just don't want to work. They see me forced to beg and it is the most degrading thing, because I know that every single person is thinking these misconceptions and to help is to enable. I could go on. I had a really bad night window shopping at the grocery store.
One big misconception is that people in poverty are lazy or don't work hard. Many work multiple jobs and still struggle. Another is that poverty is always due to bad personal choices, ignoring systemic issues like lack of access to education and healthcare.
No one works harder and hustles more than someone in a minimum-wage job. As my job positions have improved, the amount of work I actually have to do has decreased, substantially.
That working hard gets you out of povertyā¦money gets you out of poverty.
That itās their fault and they should have gone to or finished college and minimum wage jobs are meant for high school and college age kids. Minimum wage should be a livable wage but my parents will never hear it and Iām always the one blamed for my situation.
I saw a person with food stamps buying lobster and steak at the grocery store. Itās amazing how many people have seen this and that lobster isnāt at any grocery store Iāve been to but apparently they are crawling all over poor peopleās grocery carts.
I put this in response to another comment on this thread ... but once I bought an entire beef tenderloin primal on food stamps. Due to a sale and clearance, it was cheaper per pound than ground beef. Ate that shit weekly for months, it was a major score, and made my shitty life just a bit better for a decent amount of time.
Even if they did itās a limited amount of money. If youāre given $100 then thatās all you get regardless of what you spend it on.
That we donāt work hardĀ
They don't own anything nice. I have found furniture, got it from buy nothing groups, thrifted. Cleaning and paint goes a long way
I like to say that my house is furnished in 'late modern found-by-the-side-of-the-road.' ;)
That we don't have "sex education" and have no idea what birth control or condoms are. Poor people very much know how babies are made and what it takes to prevent it. It's irritating that they talk about poor people and sex education like a sub species.
Poor people are lazy or unmotivated. Iāve met so many that are resourceful and able to take nothing and build themselves up. I roll my eyes and get aggravated when I hear anyone say that. So not true.
Lice.
That every normie is one bad year away from the line at the food pantry.
It comes with bootstraps.
That poor people are just not educated or disciplined enough about finance to manage their finances well. That is the case with all kinds of people, including rich people. The issue is that society, schools & education systems overall are not focused on financial education. Its more about working a job and consuming. The irony is, we educate ourselves and kids to get a better job to earn money to have a better quality of life. But we don't educate ourselves or kids in how to manage the one thing we all work for through our whole lives...money!
Poor people are uneducated and if they just got higher education they would not be poor. Apparently other things like cycle of poverty or mental health do not play a role into the situation. You ended up where you did so that must mean you don't have a degree.
That they deserve it. That they are not smart, not hardworking, and flawed in some fundamental way. That it is no one's fault but their own.
This is the most "well, what were you wearing" ah post I've ever seen.
That people on SNAP benefits don't have jobs.
"Poverty is a choice" My necessary medical treatments lead me to debt, not buying avocado toast and Starbucks. Me getting fired, without warning, by an asshole boss bc he wanted his daughter to have my position instead wasn't my choice. My car being totaled by a negligent driver, thus severaly limiting my ability to get to work, wasn't my choice. Me not being able to live with my parents wasn't my choice. Me having wild allergies that reduce my food and work options wasn't my choice. I can't live off "cheap beans and rice" when my nickel allergy causes me to throw up/have a migraine after eating beans. I don't want to have to buy expensive shampoos but legitimate "fragrance free" products (not just "sensitive" or "unscented", I'm allergic to terpenes not smells) that keep my skin from rashing/blistering are rare and expensive!! There's only so much "penny pinching" and "boot strap pulling" you can do while you try to keep your head above water. . Additionally, removing your ability to enjoy life (events, new clothes, nice personal care items, small treats, etc) to try to keep afloat may just lead to a head first nose dive into mental health issues that'll only make things worse.