Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lot of people choose to take on incomes that are not enough to raise families, provide proper education, cover medical bills and eat healthy. Many times it's their choice of making less than required that makes/keeps them poor.
A lot of people choose to take on incomes that are not enough to raise families, provide proper education, cover medical bills and eat healthy. Many times it's their choice of making less than required that makes/keeps them poor.
There's that. But I think it's more a case of spending more than you make. For many people they are maxed out in salary based on their education level (or lack thereof), skill set, work ethic (ridiculously hard to change in many.... so sad really), motivation, etc. So, many are making about what their worth! BUT they continue to take on expense after expense that they can't afford and so they are poor. I just can't understand this way of living....
I don't think there is a thought process involved. I think there is a disconnect with what a middle class existance is and what they feel a middle class existance should be. And there is a expectation as to what their lives contain.
As in -- when I lived at home my mom and I went for mani pedis every two weeks. Now I go for mani pedis every two weeks, because that's what I do. That's just part of my lifestyle -- there's no question that I will be able to afford this.
Add that to cable cell phones eating out....
There's no thought to the fact that when you lived at home and your parents paid for this, your parents had worked for 20+ years and were earning higher salaries. You don't start out making top dollar -- but your spending lifestyle is a top dollar lifestyle.... and no one has ever said hey, look at what you're doing.
Mindless spending. So, in my opinion it's not a choice.
And the media doesn't help -- I mean -- there's no reality there. Just watched a House Hunters where the young married couple were living in her parents 900K house while it was on the market in Minnesota and were looking for their own home....
And they could afford 250K.... and all they did was complain. It's not this it's not that (and yes -- granite and stainless steel were mentioned).... and the realtor said -- they want a 900K house on a budget of 250K and those things simply do not exist.
Someone a long time ago told me the difference between the rich and the poor is that the poor plan for the weekend and the rich plan for the next generation. And its sooo true.
^^^This says it all^^^. I might add that everything in our society encourages this kind of short term mindset. It's done deliberately to keep people dependent on their jobs, dependent on the government, etc. Anything and everything is done to encourage people to stay in "survival" mode so that they won't step back and take a look at what's really going on in the world.
I don't think there is a thought process involved. I think there is a disconnect with what a middle class existance is and what they feel a middle class existance should be. And there is a expectation as to what their lives contain.
As in -- when I lived at home my mom and I went for mani pedis every two weeks. Now I go for mani pedis every two weeks, because that's what I do. That's just part of my lifestyle -- there's no question that I will be able to afford this.
Add that to cable cell phones eating out....
There's no thought to the fact that when you lived at home and your parents paid for this, your parents had worked for 20+ years and were earning higher salaries. You don't start out making top dollar -- but your spending lifestyle is a top dollar lifestyle.... and no one has ever said hey, look at what you're doing.
Mindless spending. So, in my opinion it's not a choice.
And the media doesn't help -- I mean -- there's no reality there. Just watched a House Hunters where the young married couple were living in her parents 900K house while it was on the market in Minnesota and were looking for their own home....
And they could afford 250K.... and all they did was complain. It's not this it's not that (and yes -- granite and stainless steel were mentioned).... and the realtor said -- they want a 900K house on a budget of 250K and those things simply do not exist.
They had to hit reality there.... and they did.
I agree with all you said except the bolded statement. I think that to do something without thinking is still a choice. Unless a person is acutely psychotic, or has a severe cognitive dysfunction, they are making a choice to spend money on something instead of doing something different with the money.
They might dismiss thoughts like "I should be saving this money" or "I should pay my phone bill instead of blowing my money on this purchase." But they're choosing to dismiss those things. I think that also there's a lot of thinking "I deserve this." "I deserve this new outfit." "I deserve the newest iphone." There is also a lot of choosing to spend on something that shows rather than using money for something that others can't see. "Hmm, I know I need a new hot water heater, as this one is 20 years old and leaking, but I'd rather spend this tax return on a flat-screen TV, because my friends will be able to SEE it (and I deserve it)." Then the next month when the water heater breaks down and floods the basement, they are borrowing money from someone to get a new one, because that nice flatscreen TV can't provide them with a hot shower.
I get what you are saying about being used to what you had at mom & dad's house, but a lot of these people who I see wasting money are many years removed from living with their parents. Yes, I'm also annoyed by the Househunters couples who can't seem to understand that they are looking for a starter home and not the kind of house mom & dad couldn't afford until their 50s.
I choose to spend money like I'm impoverished because I don't derive any satisfaction from trying to appear wealthy. In fact, if I had to depend on Unemployment or had to take a minimum wage job, I could still continue to pay the bills without tapping into my savings.
I wouldn't say I'm satisfied with my current pay but I've not had much success in increasing my income in the conventional ways (looking for a new job, trying to get a raise, starting a business, etc) but I've had consistent success investing my money wisely.
So in order to increase income, I need to save money to invest.
I used to live in Russia. There, this is extremely common behavior. A person will have a big Land Cruiser, but live in a dumpy, 200sq/ft apartment. Why? Because it's poor, ghetto mentality. If you have the means, or even if you don't, you try to show off what you have. Also, the ends justify the means: "Oh, the money for that Mercedes was stolen?" No biggie: They have the Mercedes. Compare that with selling drugs here in poorer areas of the cities. It's the same.
Russians have by-and-large always been poor. So have the people in American ghettos. Or Brazilian ones. Or French ones. This type of thing is usual in poor areas of the entire world: Material possessions appear to be the only meaningful goals in life, therefore people will do whatever it takes to attain said possessions, whether it be by doing something illegal or by ruining their credit lines.
This is not an American trait. Nor is it an entitlement trait. It is a poor trait.
You mean you don't invest in commemorative Nascar plates?
Nope, I invest in stocks, gold, and bonds.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
