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In the United States, the income gap between the rich and everyone else has been growing markedly, by every major statistical measure, for more than 30 years. According to the UC Berkeley economist Emmanuel Saez, the disparities between rich and poor are so pronounced that America’s top 10 percent now average more than nine times as much income as the bottom 90 percent.

Numbers are one thing, but when you put it in a particular perspective, it sheds a whole different light on the problem. So when one Redditor posted the question “In what way is it expensive to be poor?” on Ask Reddit, it was destined to hit close to the bone for many.

And when it feels like this may be a tricky question that’s deeply counterintuitive, in reality, it does make a whole lot of sense. Like, paying a times-ten fine for not having a parking ticket because you just can’t afford one. Let’s see what other fellow Americans had to share on the subject matter, and it’s more illuminating than you’d think.

#1

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' The quality of stuff you're able to buy. For example someone struggling for cash will may pair of shoes for £5 that last for a short period of time and need to be replaced every two months. And someone who is more well off can afford to buy a pair of shoes for £40 which last about two years. Therefore at the end of the two year period the poorer person has spent around £120

scrungobabungo , madmaxhasan Report

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Sharra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#2

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Mental health. Or more specifically stress. You will always have stress about future, always making decisions based on your poverty so that it won't affect your situation in bad way.

lawlietxx , jeshoots Report

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denzoren
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#3

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Biggest one that I always think of for all my fellow Americans is medical care. If you’re poor you put off medical care as long as possible, and it’s extremely expensive by the time it’s serious enough to address.

26point2PipeDream , olga_kononenko Report

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Samantha PandaNotBored
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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 .

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The idea that it’s expensive to be poor may sound counterintuitive. But life is pricey in itself, no doubt. And if you break down the average American’s monthly expenditure, most of it goes towards housing, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and food and clothing.

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In numerous ways, the system benefits individuals more the bigger their bank account is. According to Mallory Sanborn, a senior associate at Access Ventures, the concept of the overdraft fee is one of the examples.

“While many banks offer overdraft protection and market it as as a service, it can result in the accumulation of fines that make it more difficult to maintain a bank account. If you have insufficient funds in a linked savings account to cover the overdraft, this 'service' can cause more harm than good. Overdrafting by $5 results in a $35 overdraft fee.”

#4

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Being stuck with higher interest rates because you don't have enough credit to get low rates.

notjustanytwig , paxtechnology Report

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HelpdeskFrog
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#5

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' "The poor pay interest, and the rich collect it."

hindermore , naipo_de Report

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Random Anon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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#6

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' You have to buy a cheap, unreliable car, that will inevitably cost you more in repairs, poor fuel economy, higher insurance etc.

Outcasted_introvert , Charles Report

Sadly, the majority of the profit banks make through these fees comes from the accounts of the poorest of the banking population in the US. The numbers speak for themselves—Americans paid a staggering $15 billion of overdraft fees in 2016 alone.

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The payday loan is also something that many Americans find themselves grasping onto as a last resort when their financial situation is particularly difficult. When you have little or no savings and your car breaks down, which is the only way for you to get to your job, a payday loan becomes the only option.

But according to The Economist, in 2013, the average interest rate on a payday loan was 322% compared to the average credit card interest rate of 15%. This is cold evidence of how the system that feeds on the poorest of society is broken.

#7

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' You can't afford to buy a place and essentially throw the money away into rent instead of paying off a house and being able to sell it after.

Kuli24 , Erik Mclean Report

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Sum Guy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't save for a deposit coz we have essentials to pay for including rent. And as Sum Guy says, quite often the rent you pay is about the same as a mortgage. We will never own a home but I have decided that I am okay with that coz then we don't have to worry about paying council rates, any repairs and also when the kids move out we can travel around Australia without the hassle of what to do with the house.

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Mohsie Supposie
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Bill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one really depends on the person's situation. How many peoplehave 7-10k saved up for things like a new furnace in the dead of winter

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Johnny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Truth Monster
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok, so storytime. First time homebuyers can qualify for special loans in the US, and also there are agencies like the USDA who will back a loan if the property meets certain conditions. How do I know? I bought a house by myself making 20k a year before tax 8 years ago. I paid no cash down except for the inspection. If you are interested in getting a house, then start talking to banks before you start looking. Even if they turn you down, at least you know what to aim for.

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MelO
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the US, there are also a lot of non profits who will go over your finances for free, help determine if there is any way you can buy, and help you figure out the best path for you, without a vested interest in selling anything to you. I worked with one and it was really helpful. They also know about all the little programs in your state that might give a boost. For example: Arizona has a grant program for first time home buyers. I got 5% of my down payment as a grant (so, didn't have to pay it back).

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CincyReds
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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El Dee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!!

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Sean Harrison
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately Banks and Real Estate Owners have realized that it's more profitable to rent than to sell property. That way they get consistent revenue over a longer period of time, and they get to keep the property as an asset on their books.

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Daniel Marsh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

RENTERS: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE talk with a mortgage broker (NOT YOUR BANK!) about buying! I wasted years of rent thinking I needed to pay x% down. You will need to pay mortgage insurance, which sucks, but if you have a wife or kids, I guarantee you that you can save money getting a mortgage. If you have credit-card debt, find a non-profit credit managment company, refinance your debt, and maybe you have to wait five years. BUT FOR GOD SAKE, TALK TO A LENDER!!!

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ButterScot
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In some cases its better to rent. If an appliance goes out, you don't have to pay out of your pocket to fix or replace it. Now bad landlords are another story.

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Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But what do you do when you get old, your income dwindles and you are still having to pay rent?

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Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Problem is, most poor people can't get the loans to buy a house because they don't make enough.

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Zillyboy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For what it's worth, houses don't seem to appreciate very fast (mine has less than doubled in 20 years, so it's a small annual increase in value). Plus there's taxes. Plus you pay any association fees, insurance, maintenance, replace the roof, seal the drive and so forth. And buying and selling takes a decent bit of work, and you have your realtor percentages coming and going. As an investment, a house sucks, though I much prefer living in one vs. an apartment or condo.

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Lynn Morello
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The average rent for a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs is about $380 per week. To buy a first home on a plan, $249 per week. With Government grants to cover the cost of Taxes and rates. But you have to prove you Earn enough money and have saved enough money to be able to afford these things.

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Sarah Swenson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The problem is when you finally do everything you should, get the house, and find out that you're paying less than rent, but the cost to fix the surprises you find is more than you would've paid in rent and you have to find ways to make it work until you can afford it....and God knows when that's gonna be...

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Anna Repp
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually do not agree with this one. I've been a renter all my life and not for a moment I regret not being an owner. It is not money "thrown away" - it is money invested in my mental health, because I rent a nice apartment with an outdoor pool in a good neighborhood, so my kid goes to good schools, and on top of that I get all my appliances for free, my house repairs for free etc. etc. I would never able to buy a house like this in this neighborhood. It all depends on a mindset and one's goals. Nothing's inherently wrong with renting. What's wrong is spending more than 50% of your salary on living accommodations.

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Tim Haight
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mortgage is around $900 a month before the escrow for taxes and insurance. I am paying into something that appreciates in value. If you rent, often more than a mortgage, you are paying off someone else's mortgage

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Olly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! My rent is a lot more than my friends pay in mortgage. I would buy a place if I had the downpayment for it.

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Penny Fan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, poor people have to pay rich people in order to have a roof over their head.

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DogMom
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What’s crazy is when I see so called experts trying to convince people that renting is smarter than buying. I’m sure if you dig you’ll find those people are landlord

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Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m a realtor and I think renting is smarter than buying. If people want to pay me to find them a house to blow all their money on and put them in debt for 40 years, fine. I’m an expert in this and I agree with the other experts. Buying a house isn’t the best decision most of the time.

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Random Anon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This may be unpopular but it is always better to buy than rent. Sure, it is more expensive in the short term with the downpayment, title transfers, banks, utilities and renovations. But in the long run, you are setting up your own retirement. It is not easy first time around as you juggle work with banks, lawyers and contractors to set it up. But if you break out of this comfort zone, I assure you the world looks different now that you have a little spot in the world to call your own.

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#8

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' If you're ever desperate enough to take out a title/payday loan you'll discover you just stepped in financial quicksand.

New_Game_P1us , Alexander Mils Report

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Mohsie Supposie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#9

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' I saw a lady coming out of a laundromat, loading her baskets of clothes into a taxi (there is zero other public transport where I saw this happen and only a few taxis).

Not being able to put enough money together at one time to buy a car or a washing machine (she probably rented so this maybe wasn't even an option) was costing her a fortune. Just being nickeled and dimed to death.

shallow_ender27 , jeremysallee Report

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Daria B
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't doubt that woman might have been poor, but appearances can be deceiving. I am working/middle class and we do have our own laundry machine, although we're renting (which is pretty normal here in Korea anyway), but an appliance can betray you when you need it the most, so what do you do? Well, use a public laundromat first, then call your appliance service once you have time. OR Korean winters can be so freesing, laundry at home becomes forbidden due to the freezing of water pipes, causing property damage to the neighbours. In this case, we use the public laundromat as well.

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#10

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Not MONEY expensive, but TIME expensive. Everything takes longer, and you always have to wait. The bus, the laundromat, the store, the line for Money Orders or check cashing...

Before they installed the self-check registers, the Wal-Mart near my work was guaranteed to have a 10-minute wait in line, no matter when you went. Once, there were 42 people in each of the only 2 lines open, at 7P.M. on a Friday. I thought, "They can only get away with this because these people have no other choice."

There's no way the store in the nice neighborhood up the road would ever allow that, their customers would have a fit.

Jef_Wheaton , Lloyd Dirks Report

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A.M. Pierre
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, if you're rich you can pay other people to take care of time intensive daily tasks so you can spend your time on things like growing your business or making more money.

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#11

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' In every manner.

If you want healthy food, that costs. But eating cheap food, while sustaining, will inevitably lead to poorer health.

Bad health will cost you.

If you want to not be stressed-and stress is huge when it comes to health-then that means not having to worry is kind of an integral part of poverty.

Stress means less awesome interpersonal relationships, means less sleep, means overwork to try to make ends meet.

Good interpersonal relationships, getting enough sleep, and not working yourself to exhaustion are things that help you stay alive.

Mentally, you now have a running total of how much everything in your life costs. I guarantee you that every poor person knows exactly, precisely, how much milk costs or gasoline, or a bus pass, or the subscription to Netflix that brings them just a little joy and if they can afford it or not. There are no coins in their couches, $5 to discover in an old coat; they need that money and they know where it is.

And if not, now they have to spend time (another expense!) dealing with debt collectors, or people at utility agencies or banks or government offices, trying to negotiate and navigate systems that may or may not be willing to help them (regardless of that system's original intent).

Poverty is merely the accumulation of expenses that one cannot pay and once you are poor, there is a system in place to ensure that you never, ever run out of those expenses.

Gentleman_Villain , Dan Gold Report

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#12

Rent is more than a mortgage for my apartment would be, but I can't afford the down payment.

ysliaintgottaspellit Report

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Becca Gizmo the Squirrel
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was looking online for house a the other day because my daughter and her boyfriend are looking to buy. If you have great credit like they do, mortgages on some really nice houses with several acres were about $800. But to rent that same house was $2100. There were a few average houses for $450 mortgage, but rent was about $1400. I regret screwing my credit up when I first moved out 24 years ago st 18.

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#13

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' There are late fees for everything. Overdraft fees at the bank. Sh*tty jobs usually don't have good healthcare plans. If you're poor, you need credit cards just to survive, but interest rates are higher for those with low credit scores (see late fees above). Sh*tty cars are always breaking down, and that's expensive...

Turd_Ferguson009 , rupixen Report

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Lauren Caswell
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now they disguise late fees as "prompt payment discounts"....it's the same thing.

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#14

Time is also expensive. I use to spend 4 hours a day on a bus just to get to work. If my manager let us out 15 minutes late, I'd have to wait an hour downtown at night because I JUST missed the bus. The bus came evert hour after a certain time.

Lost_Physics_3871 Report

#15

Therapy is $400 PER SESSION even with the insurance from my job. My job doesn’t pay enough to live on my own. My spouse and I are slowly falling out of love and I’ll end up homeless and dead either way (working non stop and can’t afford living still or spouse passes and still end up homeless and dying). I’m on the autism spectrum and getting further insight costs more than what I can afford after my bills are paid. When everything is paid, I have $20 left. There’s no ladder for me to climb. I try my best to stay upbeat, because in the past I’ve already attempted suicide 3 times. That’s won’t help. But yea, poor sucks because your whole life is more expensive than it feels it’s worth many times. But somehow it’s still beautiful in tiny ways. Death won’t take me that easily; that f**ker has to fight to get my soul after the abyss of madness I’ve seen on Earth... and survived.

HellWasBusy Report

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#16

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' The justice system. If you can’t pay a fine, the state will make things more expensive by adding fees on top of fees on top of fees, then they will incarcerate you for not paying the inflated fees. Then you have to pay the parole officer who is keeping an eye on you while you care unable to get a job that pays enough to pay him.

MasterAqua2 , tingeyinjurylawfirm Report

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Ozacoter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You also cannot afford to sue people that did ilegal things. When I was in germany I worked for a university. My contrat was part time for 600 euros a month (less than half the minimum salary) but they made me work 50-75h a week 7days a week (our 'weekend' was to process the data). I informed the university and they say "we are sad that you dont like the job". I know that if I sued them I would have won because its super illegal. But I didnt have the savings to pay a lawyer and a translator and pay rent for the many months that it would last.

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#17

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Can't afford to buy bulk at Costco, so end up spending more and getting less in the long run...

SnooSprouts220 , querysprout Report

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Bill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Dollar store trap. You can pay 3x what a bigger box costs per unit

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#18

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Being unable to pay for education is the most expensive way of staying poor. And don’t come with scholarship and that stuff, it is expensive af and even more if you are like me from a poor third world country

pazul-ulzap , napr0tiv Report

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Ozacoter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sadly nowadays titles dont mean that you will even get a minimum wage job. Better to work and gain experience than to study.

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#19

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Low paying jobs can also be physically harmful ie factory work, and you can be treated like garbage because it's cheaper to pay out the occasional law suit and medical expenses rather than resign the factory and make it less efficient to be safer.

strengthinarches , rozetsky Report

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Ozacoter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you don't have rights. When I was still able to work I was working in a gardening centrum (we were all imigrants). Our contracts were daily so then we didnt have the right of sick leave or holidays.

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#20

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' There is the phrase, "buy nice or buy twice." It basically means that you should buy the nicer product because you'll need to replace it less often.

For those people who can't "buy nice" they are forced to buy an inferior product multiple times.

An example is work boots. A $100 pair of boots may last 5 years. A $20 pair of boots may last 6 months. If you can't afford $100 boots then by the time 5 years is up, you would have already spent $200 on cheap boots.

CaptainAwesome06 , LOGAN WEAVER Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Geez, would be great if my hubby's work Boots lasted 5 years. We are lucky if they last a year and they cost about $120-$150.

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#21

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Not having a kitchen and having to rely on fast food for all your meals.

unknown , amgee88 Report

#22

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' In certain parts of British Columbia, you have to pay a fine if you're caught panhandling. Homeless people literally have to pay money for asking for money.

wash-those-hands , Michal Matlon Report

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Bill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downtown Vancouver. The argument against safe injection sites

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#23

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' Renting to own anything is really bad. You pay 4X the value of whatever it is you're renting to own. And if you miss a payment they repossess it and someone else might start at the beginning of attempting to pay for it again. Not only that you very well might be paying 4X the new value for a used item. And only low quality items are sold rent to own. Ashley furniture, sh*tty used cars, the cheapest big screen tvs available at wholesale. Houses might be better, but rent a center, and JD Byrider are worse than loan sharks.

rhb4n8 , alexblock Report

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Olly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate to admit it, but most of my furniture I found in a dumpster.

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#24

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' I once had to pay money so I could set up a payment plan because I had no money. Because I was to broke I had a bunch of late fees so a 100 dollar ticket ended up being around 1500 when all was said and done

chiphchopchip , Eduardo Soares Report

#25

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' My car has a leaky seal on the transmission. It'd be about $250 to replace the seal and flush the transmission. I don't have $250, so I keep topping up the fluid and keep driving it because I'll never get $250 if I don't get to work. But, in time, that's going to destroy the transmission, which will be about $1200 to replace.

pokey1984 , Martin Cathrae Report

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Johnny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did you try a transmission stop-leak product? They don't always work, but could let you defer the work for a year or more.

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#26

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' When bank fees are waived if you keep more than $X amount in your account, but they start charging for the account when the amount drops under the minimum.

backwoodshippy , sharonmccutcheon Report

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Mohsie Supposie
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

... and that makes the amount fall more below the minimum, making it even harder to stay above the minimum the next month.

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#27

Not being able to afford preventative care can get expensive fast.

Be it cars, homes, bodies, or relationships.

Ghostbuster_119 Report

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#28

This has probably been said already, but good cooking.

For us, middle class now, it's easy to assemble a meal from what is in the pantry and freezer supplemented by what's in our garden or in the stores within three blocks of my house.

It feels thrifty, healthy, sensible.

But to get to this point took a lot of investment. We have pots and pans, spices, flour, oils, vinegars, bags and cans of staples, grills, steamer, measuring devices galore. We have the knowledge of cooking that comes from being able to afford to learn what we liked by going to restaurants, and having the spare time to watch cooking shows, and the energy to cook everyday because we don't have two jobs each with long commutes.

And if you don't have $500 to put together a basic kitchen, or secure private cooking space so that your investment won't immediately be soiled or stolen, you're likely going to be eating a lot of fast food. And that isn't the most nutritious foundation for the next day.

talesofkenji Report

#29

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' A filling is cheaper than a root canal.

VeeRook , carocaro1987 Report

#30

30 People Respond To 'In What Way Is It Expensive To Be Poor?' If you’re poor you already have no or very little money to invest in yourself, so you have to take on debt to do so. If you want to get technical certifications or degrees. Sometimes there’s financial assistance but a lot of the time taking on loans is necessary.

_TallulahShark , Dylan Gillis Report

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Grumble O'Pug
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WSJ on youtube did an article on the cost of education in the US for public colleges. It’s a viscous circle.

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