How hard is it to get out of poverty?

[Marc Paolella]

Originally Posted by Pixie1000

I am going to share something very personal on this forum.

At this present time, I am gainfully employed in a professional office job, have a small apartment in a great area, and have enough money left over for extra. Guess what? Two years ago, I was sleeping on a bench in a park with my boyfriend with a small backpack of clothes and not a penny (and I mean NOT ONE PENNY) to my name. While I was living on the street, no one ever guessed that I slept on a bench every night and waiting in lines for food once my food stamps ran out. I usually starved for approximately 5-7 days per month (weekends when there were no food lines). I kept my appearance as neat as I possibly could by sneaking into hotel restrooms to brush my teeth, wash my hair...etc. I showered at free facilities.

After an interminable time on a waiting list (6 months), I managed to get into a privately-run homeless shelter (not governement). They did NOT provide money, but they provided me with a public transport pass , a cheap cell phone and three professional outfits. Using just those tools and internet access from my public library, I managed to get a job... followed in one month by an apartment with my boyfriend...who was able to get a job once I could stablize our situation (women find shelter much easier than men) and now we are back on track.

Two things were my mantra during the darkest times - Never, ever think of myself as a victim and never, ever succumb to drinking/drugs.

Thanks for letting me share.

Congratulations. You are a role model by virtue of the achievements you have described. And the reason you have described them is you are proud of them. And rightly so. And that is why we need a free society and not a collectivist society. Only through individual accomplishment, however great or however modest, can someone expect to grow and move on the next level. Under freedom, such growth is unlimited. Under collectivism, there is no growth. Only constant demands for subsistence and sitting on a couch in a public cubicle with an Obamaphone waiting to die.

Keep working hard and the small achievements will build on themselves. Who knows where it will end? Your future is bright, because you will make it that way.

Attention welfare statists and welfare recipients: Learn from this story and make your own future bright, without being a victim, and without victimizing those around you with unjust demands and endless envy and whining about what others have. You deserve what you build, not what you take.

[malamute]

It's not so hard -- a lot of us have been poor.

First of all you have to define what poverty is -- in my opinion being in debt can be poverty because even though you have a new car, a big house, expensive clothes, a big television and new computer, you might owe more than your net worth. You're in the red ink but you have lots of stuff.

You can make little money but live within your means and be in the black. And there's a big difference between having $100 a month too little versus having $100 a month extra. If you have $100 too little, you can't pay your loans and credit cards and utility bills and will quickly get in trouble but if you have $100 extra, you can save $1200 a year.

If you get behind in your bills, the best thing to cut way back and scrimp on everything and also work two jobs for a while until you're caught up or get ahead.