How do low income people survive? (credit card, collect, payment, owner)

[killer2021]

I make 9.05/hr but I also go to school and I only work 20hrs/week right now. I live with my parents still but from what I see other people doing here is what you do.

a) Get roommates. Lots of people I know have 2-3 roommates sharing a one bedroom. You put two bunk beds in the bedroom. Most people are either out on the town, at school, or working so it actually works out decently.

b) Take public transportation

c) cook your own food

d) buy used.

That pretty much sums it up. Most people who are making it simply waste their money on stuff they don't need like a huge gas guzzling car or a gigantic house.

[Driller1]

When I had a low paying JOBS that is what I had. Three JOBS. I went from job to job. Don't tell me there not there to be found. It was also at a slow time in the economy. I even checked the obituaries for job openings. Yep, if they were employed I applied for their job.

[Fnix]

You can get free college books if you're low income so I dont understand why you had to pay. My mom makes $12,000 a year and they pay everything for her and she gets a check of $700 every 2 months to spend on whatever she needs.

[killer2021]

Originally Posted by Fnix

You can get free college books if you're low income so I dont understand why you had to pay. My mom makes $12,000 a year and they pay everything for her and she gets a check of $700 every 2 months to spend on whatever she needs.

For me since I live with my parents they factor in their income as well. So no money for me.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by Fnix

You can get free college books if you're low income so I dont understand why you had to pay. My mom makes $12,000 a year and they pay everything for her and she gets a check of $700 every 2 months to spend on whatever she needs.

Not sure if you're talking about some particular program? If so I'd like to know about it.

Otherwise, I have to buy my books out of my Pell Grant money after tuition is paid. Yes, it's coming from grant money so it is "free" money, but there's not a whole lot of that in the first place and whatever is left after tuition and books is sorta supposed to help with living expenses... so the cost of the books means I have to work that many more hours a week to pay the light bill vs. having that time for study.

[Jimrob1]

I have felt especially since I moved to Portland, Oregon 3 years ago, that some definition of low income needs to be defined in this country. I don't know if this is all over the country or is more prone here because of the huge amount of homelessness in this corner of the country. I have found here, even when someone has earned their penision or is employed at lower paying jobs. Well naturally many then will be at a lower income at that point. Here it seems they will be referred to in the same category as a homeless person or those that are receiving multiple subsidies thru social service agencies ,Such as help with their rent, food stamps, medical care. transit passes. Everyone in those scenarios I mentioned will all be grouped together as Low Income. The stigma here seems to be that someone in lower income is someone undesirable. Simply because that person earning their pension or that lower paying job is not in a higher income any longer, they will still be referred to in that low income stigma here. I find the term Low Income insulting and very discriminatory in many instances. I especially found it insulting when I looked into apts for people over age 55. In Portland one can pay between $650 and $968 for an apt in a low income bldg for 55 and over. If they have a pension or are working they pay the $650 thru $968 depending on apt size, however the person that does not have that gets the same apt thru rent subsidies for peanuts. Yet we are all referred to as low income, yes something is very disrespectful and unfair with this low income term. I survive the lower income that comes with retiring from my job thru my pension and working part time, I do just fine, if I didn't I would look for more options to increase my income. If that option meant I had to find more employment then that is what I would do, fortunately I do not.

[deep-blue-water]

live in a ghetto

before I went school i made very little at certain times in life, and I lived in pretty bad neighborhoods

[NEOhioBound]

Seriously.. if you can't afford to live on 15$ an hour, you have what I like to call priority and budgeting problems. 15.00/hr is good pay

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by NEOhioBound

Seriously.. if you can't afford to live on 15$ an hour, you have what I like to call priority and budgeting problems. 15.00/hr is good pay

Isn't that entirely dependent on where you live?

Sure, where *I* live it's excellent pay. Where I live, $10 an hour is quite do-able if you're not careless. I would imagine it doesn't go as far in CA or NY or Seattle.

[bostoner]

Originally Posted by Driller1

When I had a low paying JOBS that is what I had. Three JOBS. I went from job to job. Don't tell me there not there to be found. It was also at a slow time in the economy. I even checked the obituaries for job openings. Yep, if they were employed I applied for their job.