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IMHO, there isn't any shame in taking a handup and some help if you need it. It takes a big person to get past their ego and put their families wellbeing first.
That said it's kind of pathetic for someone who can be self sufficient and independent to rely on a helping hand simply out of laziness or cheapness.
My coworker is from the middle east. he moved here and makes a decent wage, yet he has his family on free ilinois healthcare even though he could add his whole family to a great company plan for like $30 a month, he gets linkcard even though he has plenty of money to buy food.
he and all those in his church and cultural community all share with each other how to game the system. his kids have new clothes, ipods, laptops, iphones, his kids constantly break these electronics and he goes and buys them new ones.
he lives off the taxpayer dime even though he could afford these things himself but he'd rather be able to buy luxuruies with his money and use taxpayer money for his necessities.
at my income i qualify for subsidized heating and some food programs. i sometimes live check to checka nd have to budget at times but i dont NEED these program and i know there's probably others out there who do actually need them so i wouldn't take a resource i dont need because im taking it from someone who does.
i have no respect for this coworker of mine for this reason.
Wow, what an OP question?
Are those scenarios about FRUGALITY?
I'd say no.
Is government help really THAT much (that much money) that its worth staying below the poverty line to get it?
I think you'd end up with MORE money (to save or spend) just working -- not to mention not having the gov't in your business, and dictating certain requirements to receive the assistance.
When I was just out of college in the early 80s and unemployed, and really didn't know anything about welfare. I went to a welfare office to see about benefits -- the condition of the office (run down) -- (I know I'm judging a book by it's cover here) - the low level, poverty-stricken appearances of the people waiting, and WAITING and WAITING to be seem, only to be talked to in a condescending manner like some ignorant do-nothing -- let me know I NEVER want to come back there or be on public assistance. I never went back.
((I admit I can be snooty. So i admit, I took offense to how the case worker talked to me. I had a Master's degree, had lived and traveled in Europe more than once...and she was talking to me like I was some 2nd generation welfare single mom with three kids. It was just her tone.)
SO -- unless it's situation #1 above -- like the HEALTH issue -- I would even THINK of welfare as a frugality method.
I don't see anybody on ANY KIND OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE living the lifestyle I want.
Unless they're a total welfare cheat on a MILLION DOLLAR scale that could land you in a cell next to Bernie Madoff -- and then we're talking about CRIMES, not just the OP scenarios -- I don't see the appeal (to say the least)
you obviously dont understand the mentality of the welfare society and those in it because you say you could make way more money working than intentionally sitting on the sideline scraping by and letting others care for you and thats very true, however there are many people who are content just sitting back and letting the gov ie taxpayers pick up their day care costs, food costs, housing costs, cell phone cost, etc
Being frugal is not being a leach. One being frugal is responsible and accountable for his actions and does not abuse public funds .Being greedy and self serving is using public funds and abusing the system /taxpayers .
Heres the site..to find out all about your options, and starting Oct 1 you will be able to get quotes for what its going to cost you, although the site might be a bit crowded on the first day. https://www.healthcare.gov/
My wife's mother, in fact. Not even a drug issue! Obviously something wrong with her mentally but nothing obvious or diagnosed. Depression would be my only guess. Ok, she was a pothead but that's not where all her money went or anything. No health problems (just overweight) or disabilities.
Anyway, long story short as possible: she was in her 50's at the time. She'd worked for 7 years in the same dead end job, making $8 an hour at the end. Got fired when her transportation (family who was a co-worker) flaked out on her and she couldn't make it in for a week.
Didn't even try and apply for UI. Just kind of did nothing until she got evicted from her dirt-cheap apartment. Spent all her remaining money as if nothing had happened. At the very last possible minute she called us, asking for money (we didn't have it) then begging us to help sell off her furniture and appliances on Craigslist. We tried but she refused to budge on any of the prices! SO the landlady ended up getting all of that.
She came to us. Now, she and my wife never had a strong relationship and she was a horrible, neglectful mother. So there's that. We were already cramped and struggling to make ends meet for our kids, but we let her stay with us for a while. We could not stand her living there; she refused to help in any way, smoked in the house when we asked her not to, got food stamps but spent all of them on herself on individual meals, pre-made sandwiches, salads, etc, and just sat around reading mystery novels! We bought her a bus pass for job hunting but she pretty much refused to go!
We filed our taxes and had refunds coming and gave her $1000 of it and spent another $2500 on an efficiency apartment for her that my sister-in-law found, pre-paid her rent in advance with the money. So she had a place pre-paid for five months plus some cash to get started and we helped her get a bed, couch, etc. off Craigslist.
Guess who showed up at our door six, seven months later, homeless? And demanding more money! We told her no, we couldn't help her, but we offered to pay for a bus ticket for her to go live with family in another state. They were glad to have her. She wouldn't go, because it is a "cold state" and she doesn't like the cold.
For a long time she was staying at a shelter, we'd see her walking around and hanging around downtown with other homeless people.
I never understood it and don't to this day.
One thing I've learned is I have to stop thinking that just because I would never consider doing something doesn't mean someone else wouldn't.
I believe it is more of a moral issue than a frugal issue. If you take government assistance, when you could provide the essentials of life for yourself frugally, then it becomes a moral issue.
If you can't provide the necessary essentials without going hungry and sleeping under a bridge, it is a necessity and has nothing to do with being frugal
Being frugal means exercising your brain to save and get the very most out of the income you have. I don't consider accepting someone else's money as being frugal. If you could get your sister to pay for your living expenses, would you consider that being frugal?
Yes, there are many who scam the system. It is a problem that is very hard to deal with on such a large scale. You must set some monetary limit guidelines. How else do you set the criteria? If you could figure out a way to provide assistance to those truly in need, while weeding out those who are trying to scam the system, you need to make a trip to Washington and would get the support of both Conservatives and Liberals I would expect.
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