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I've accidentally damaged things at work and never had to pay for the damage. I gave up after the piece rate question. It asked if you wanted to go piece rate instead of hourly and then after you chose it notified you ya just got a 25% pay cut.
It should not be easy to be poor. However, with a little ingenuity anyone can make it.
Even in the absence of government programs there is rent sharing and many other things you can do.
I've accidentally damaged things at work and never had to pay for the damage. I gave up after the piece rate question. It asked if you wanted to go piece rate instead of hourly and then after you chose it notified you ya just got a 25% pay cut.
It should not be easy to be poor. However, with a little ingenuity anyone can make it.
Even in the absence of government programs there is rent sharing and many other things you can do.
Yup. And my dad it WITHOUT all these government programs. When he was growing up, they had no food stamps, subsidized housing, free lunches, and Medicaid. They lived in a cheap tenement, rented out what little space they had to a "boarder" to bring in cash, bought off pushcarts, and had heat from 6 pm to 10 pm only. He even walked to bring back the ice (for the icebox) with his little wagon because it was 5 cents to pick it up and 6 cents to have it delivered to the tenement. He got to keep the extra penny so he could buy a candy.
Now, poor people have subsidized, air-conditioned apartments, washers, color TVs, microwaves, smartphones, free lunches for their kids, free health care, food stamps, etc.
Yup. And my dad it WITHOUT all these government programs. When he was growing up, they had no food stamps, subsidized housing, free lunches, and Medicaid. They lived in a cheap tenement, rented out what little space they had to a "boarder" to bring in cash, bought off pushcarts, and had heat from 6 pm to 10 pm only. He even walked to bring back the ice (for the icebox) with his little wagon because it was 5 cents to pick it up and 6 cents to have it delivered to the tenement. He got to keep the extra penny so he could buy a candy.
Now, poor people have subsidized, air-conditioned apartments, washers, color TVs, microwaves, smartphones, free lunches for their kids, free health care, food stamps, etc.
I was poor between the age of 18 and 22. It was not that difficult. Admittedly I was smart enough not to have a kid until I got a well paying job. There were times it was so tough I only had frozen pizza and beer in the fridge.lol
Wow I never realized how tough it was to be poor. Maybe I should rethink my position on raising taxes. Maybe I should support paying my fair share to help these people, and support importing more people who are even poorer so my tax dollars can go towards helping them as well.
Is that the sort of reaction you were hoping for, OP?
I remember when I first started out, my salary was so low that I deliberated whether to buy a tomato so I could add slices to my grilled cheese sandwiches. Also, I bought a "limited" phone plan that restricted me to 50 calls a month because it was cheaper than the limitless plan. That's the stuff we did when we were "poor."
At the same time I was deliberating whether to splurge on a tomato, the receptionist in my office, with a baby and no husband, was living in a subsidized townhouse for $87 a month. I was living in a crappy studio for $350 a month.
I lived poor in my late teens and early 20's. It was easy enough then. All I had to do was not spend my money. I saved by having a roommate and making my meals from scratch using basic ingredients. But as my income grew, so did my appetite for convenience and the finer things in life. Going back would not be as easy, but I could manage. I can keep a beater car working, and do the work myself. No drinking craft beer. Eat more basic foods like rice and vegetables, while reducing meat consumption.
In many respects, I was better off when I was poor. I ate better, didn't work myself to exhaustion, exercised more (because it's free). As I acquired more wealth, my lifestyle changed, and not necessarily for the better. It's no surprise to me that Americans are so unhealthy. It's the lifestyle we live.
Obviously not perfect, since it assumes you have kids and a car. But it goes to show how difficult it is for people to simply "pull themselves up by the bootstraps".
I made it through, but with only $332. Ouch. Child enrichment activities and paying down debt ain't cheap.
Poor people shouldnt be paying down debt, but hey, borrowing to live the dream is our way of life. Heres a suggestion, if you dont want to be poor, pay cash for things you can afford.
Obviously not perfect, since it assumes you have kids and a car. But it goes to show how difficult it is for people to simply "pull themselves up by the bootstraps".
I made it through, but with only $332. Ouch. Child enrichment activities and paying down debt ain't cheap.
The idea is not to be poor. It's about doing the things so you're not poor. Finish high school, work a full time job, and wait until you 21 to get married and have kids. Do those 3 things and you'll have a 75 percent chance of being middle class or higher and only a 5 percent chance of being permanently poor.
My first year in the military I earned (gross) $588/mo.
I was married at 18. We did just fine!
In 2007-8 I lost everything and had to start over...I don't need some stupid test with rigged drama to know how to dig my way out...I DID it for real I was in my 40's, working MULTIPLE 8-10/hr jobs because of my credit.
When you have open collections you are excluded from all government jobs, military and most larger companies won't touch you. It took me awhile to clear my credit and start earning more.
I literally did not buy anything I did not absolutely need...now, THAT took me awhile to figure out. I had been doing reeally well, so to adjust to having to look at what things cost and what was a need and want took a bit of effort.
I had to break purchases down to hours/minutes of work rather than price to really see the value of things.
I was a 40+ year old working the same jobs 20 nothings work and complain about not being paid a living wage for. I busted my hump over the course of years and dug my way back. Today I'm in the top 10%, own a house multiple cars, one brand new and have savings/investments.
Yes, I would survive as a poor person....but not for long...I would exit the poor level as fast as I could.
I have no empathy for those that refuse to pull themselves up. They are where they are because of choices they make...nothing more!
I don't need to take a nonsense test to know how to survive, poor. I did the real thing, for decades.
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I had been doing reeally well, so to adjust to having to look at what things cost and what was a need and want took a bit of effort.
