30 People Respond To ‘In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?’

the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness!

Aka. Sam Vimes boots theory

Try thrift shopping if possible in your area (and I don't mean fashion outlets). You can find vintage quality leather shoes and clothes made of quality materials with better cuts. Now there are also a lot of online tutorials on how to modify thrifty clothes for an updated look, but granted not everyone is handy enough to do that. In my part of Eastern Europe though we have more thrift shops than regular fashion stores.

This goes for much more than just shoes. This goes from anywhere to cars to clothes to medicine even.

Being poor humbles you. Hard work always gets you out of poverty. The government has never knocked on my door saying "we are here to help you our of poverty". Some governments enable the poor to stay poor!!!

Not to mention the cost and availability of therapy. I'm in the Caribbean and it's somewhat available (only in the cities) but also quite expensive. To put it in perspective, one weekly therapy session costs just under the same amount of my weekly food/gas bill.

You don't sleep well because you're stressed about rent payments, phone bills, how you're going to afford to eat until your next payday. Looking back at myself when my financial situation was dire, I'm astonished that I managed to study at all, I was terrified all the time. I'd get minor panic attacks if my phone rang, I was terrified to check the mail box, or open the door if someone rang the bell. Being that poor takes up most of your mental space and it really f***s you up.

Financial stress is so damaging. Individually and relationship-wise. The closest my wife of 23 years and I have come to divorce was due to financial issues.

Even if you were poor but aren’t anymore. The PTSD from being poor stays with you for life.

This. I need therapy, but even with insurance the copays for each visit are $45 each time. That adds up and it makes it not worth it. I am not sure what changed, but it use to be free.

I saw this UTube once. A kid about 14 hrs had fall off his skateboard but the skateboard had swung back on him , hitting him in the privates literally cutting him from bottom to top . Poor kid was screaming in pain , and someone shouted “Quick call an ambulance “ as blood was all over him .... Through his screams he shouted back “No my mum will kill me don’t call an ambulance “ Wow that really hit me, as if that were my son , the first thing I’d want him to do is to take care and call for help. But this kid knew better and had it drummed into him to never call for help. America needs to do better , much bloody better .

I was in the ER after a suicide attempt the security guard told me the guy in the next bay had been waiting for a bed in a psych ward for 3 days he didn't have insurance. I had insurance and was transferred the same day I arrived. It's a messed up system. Why should he have to wait for help for his issues. When it comes to mental health issues it should be first come first served.

I lived this for about 17 years I'm type 1 diabetic and we were/are poor. I rarely had insurance and when I did, because it is a preexisting condition there was a waiting period for insurance to cover it. My county has a program for indigent and low income people that I did use for a while but the doctor I was assigned at one point was a terrible bully. I was diagnosed with T1D in 1996 and 1999 I had my first serious complication diagnosed. I definitely used the ER as my primary care up until 2012 when I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease and put on dialysis. Before I even left the hospital after diagnosis I had Medicare and a few weeks later I was approved for Social security disability. I know without a doubt that if I had proper care all along I wouldn't have needed a kidney transplant before I turned 40. We have so many expensive medical Bill's its ridiculous.

I was 12 years old in 1966. My Dad was always a hard worker but did not get a job "with benefits" until 1967. In '66 I had a severe cold turned into double pneumonia. As my fever rose I remember my parents worrying about cost od Dr.'s house call. 2 days later I was hospitalized and nearly died. 2 WEEKs later I was released from ICU. Being poor sure cost my folks and to this day I believe influenced my career choices. ie never took a job without benefits even if it was better for me

yes very tru :(

I know people need credit for various reasons, but stepping away from the buy on credit consumerist mind set would benefit many. The buy now, pay later is a terrible deal for things like house appliances, cars, holidays, clothes etc.

Or getting better interest on savings because you are rich and have lots of money.

Yeah this bit is just one of a million ways how the banks profit off the poor. Sick.

Interest rate should not matter. You should pay your credit card in full each month, never carry balance!

aw dude, thats just not good

This may draw some flak. I grew up poor with some really old fashioned folks that really look down on owing anything. In that sense, frugality was drilled into me. But I am relatively debt-free besides mortgages. Any extra cash goes into investments since the interest from the mortgages are lower than my returns from the investments. It took 4 decades to start from dirt poor to relatively comfortable. I would like to say it is hard work and great insight but it isn't. It's plain old fashioned frugality for me.

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Then work hard, get a good job and you don't have to or be poor and make communist posts like this

100% true.

And break down causing you to miss work compounding the problem.

Ford is your example pic. Henry Ford developed assembly line and over paid his workers so cars would be affordable to all.

Absolutely. I couldn't believe how different it was the first time I was able to buy a decent car. The only times I've had it in the shop were for routine maintenance. It's so nice to be able to take it for an inspection without panicking about how much it's going to cost to fix stuff so it'll pass.

Glad I get cheap parts and can fix my own car.

The horrible thing about this is that the rest is usually the same amount you'd be paying for your mortgage, but you are denied because you are poor...basically

Once a renter, always a renter .... My parents have been renting for over 40 years. They have ALWAYS dreamt of owning a house, but it just has never happened. The amount they need for a deposit increases just a little bit faster than the rate at which they can save up. And now their children are living the same story.

Buying a house isn't the panacea that some thing it is. A house *can* be a good investment and a stead place to live. But it has drawbacks. A house has associated expenses, like I pay $1500/year for insurance that would be $200/year if I was a renter, property taxes can cost thousands (and in most places, taxes go up every year as home values appreciate), normal upkeep can be expensive, and there can be unexpected expenses (my parents paid nearly $10K for a collapsed sewer lateral). While a house *can* be a good investment, that's not always the case, home prices can go down. And owning a house makes relocation more difficult, you have to sell (or rent) the house.... if you can, if you're moving due to a regional or national economic downturn, you may not be able to sell or rent your house. If you have limited economic means, renting could be the better deal even if you're paying more in rent than you would in mortgage, since the mortgage doesn't reflect all costs of home ownership.

Sometimes I like renting. When something goes wrong, I do'n't have to pay for it. my hot water heater when out, called my landlord, My AC not working well, called the Landlord. I mean I take care of the little things, but the big ones, I don't have to worry about it.

If you are disabled you are stuck where you are. Even if you can find somewhere to rent privately you need to pay deposit plus a month in advance and then (obviously) a month later your next payment. It takes two months for Housing Benefit to kick in, they won't pay in advance and they won't pay deposit. This ensures landlords can block you despite this having been made illegal last year. Thanks Westminster!!

Payday loan lender should just be lined up and shot! The rates of interest they charge is pure GREED, and that much greed is a deadly sin.

Legalised loan sharks