30 People From Low-Income Homes Explain The Things That Rich Kids Would Never Understand
Interview
While the United States is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world, it has a huge wealth gap—more than 34M of its residents live in poverty. Many of them are facing financial struggles every single day and can easily see the privileges others are lucky to have.
So when a couple of users asked people who grew up in low-income families to share things that the rich would never understand, it sparked quite a conversation on the r/AskReddit sub. Whether it’s talking about household items, chores, or food on the table, commenters quickly started telling the unwritten rules they had to live by.
Take a look below at some of the most illuminating answers we collected from the thread. And after you’re done, don’t forget to check out our previous posts about the subtle signs that show a person is rich here and right here.
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That it never goes away. I want from homeless growing up to having a very comfy six figure job. I still find myself acting as if I am always living on the edge of homelessness again. Thinking I can't try new foods because it I don't like it then I won't get dinner. That I'm a bad person for throwing out things instead of trying to reuse them. I get serious panic attacks I think I did bad at work because my brain still tells me I'm one paycheck from the street.
Oh this needs to be number 1. I went through pretty bad poverty years ago- dumpster diving for food, stealing from neighbour's veggie patches and fruit trees, begging for $$ on the street just to keep a roof over our head. Recently the main earner in my household lost their job and I've already found myself eating one meal a day to make things stretch, looking at what I own that I can sell, taking notice of who nearby grows fruit and veggies. I dont feel the hunger pangs anymore and I've lost 10kg in the last 2mths. We're not even desperate for food or money yet but I'm already in poverty mode.
True hunger. I don't mean that casual "I guess I should eat..." feeling, I mean that hollow, cramping pain deep in your stomach, the hunger that feels like your own body is eating itself from the inside out and that drives you crazy to the point you'll eat anything you can chew through just to try and keep the pain away.
Nobody should have to feel that, poor or not, especially a child.
Bored Panda reached out to the Redditor Leroy_Spankinz whose question “What’s something you’d find in a lower class home that rich people wouldn’t understand?” amassed more than 15.5K upvotes and 9.6K comments. The user was kind enough to discuss the idea behind this thread and the conversation that it sparked.
Leroy_Spankinz told us that they post on r/AskReddit a lot and are always interested to hear others’ thoughts and experiences. “I think a lot of people, the majority even, grow up in financially strained households,” they said.
“I wanted to hear about all of the different ways poorer families learned to adapt, and what they have in common with each other. Wealthier households just don’t have that same kind of creativity, and that was the basis for the question.”
It’s expensive being poor.
Yep. I’ve paid way more in bank fees this year than friends who make twice as much as I do. Not to mention having to buy smaller quantities of things (4 rolls of TP instead of 24) so paying more per item. If I’m short on a bill payment they charge me more so now I’m even more behind. I wish I knew how much extra fees I’ve paid over my lifetime for being broke.
A lifetime of clutter because it's so hard to throw anything away even when you're no longer poor.
They shared with us that one of their parents was very poor while they were growing up, and the other was financially secure. “I asked that question just because I’ve seen the differences between those households myself and I wanted to understand how other people viewed those differences as well,” Leroy_Spankinz explained.
The user also mentioned some examples that come to mind when discussing the differences between low and high-income households. In the former ones, you could find “a drawer full of condiment packets, a pile of old napkins from various fast food restaurants, old Slurpee/BigGulp cups used as normal kitchen cups, stuff like that.”
Meanwhile, wealthier households just buy the “proper” version of such items “and are even disgusted when they see other people living with these.”
Seeing your mother wear 20+ year old worn out clothing and what amount to rags she collected from hospital visits, all so her child could have the best. Then the sadness of not being able to spoil her when you finally have your own money because she passed away too young.
Well... I just made myself sad lol
“You didn’t make good choices, you HAD good choices.”
They seemingly always try to downplay the headstart they get, and how it boosts them throughout their life, versus someone who didn’t have that.
I've got one: not having vacations.
I'm in my thirties now. Work in tech. Work thing they had some trivia game and one of the questions was both "(senior leaders) A and B went to this same ski lodge last so and so".
Had been functioning as the team 'ace' with the more brainy questions- for that I just leaned back and went "Welp, no help to us here; I don't know any ski lodges"
My whole team, baffled prodded me going "wait, you don't know any? Just guess the one you went to as a kid with your family"
So . . . explained to like 3 other adults that poor families don't do that. I had never had a family vacation. Winter meant hauling firewood.
Leroy_Spankinz was truly impressed by how respectful and constructive the comments were: “It was so cool to provide a space for people to learn and laugh together over all the little things they didn’t know they had in common.”
We also contacted the author of another thread, Bobtheglob71, who was curious to ask people from low-income homes about things “that ‘rich kids’ will never understand.” They told Bored Panda that they came up with this post after spending a lot of time browsing the r/AntiWork subreddit, a community dedicated to discussing job-related struggles.
This actually is painful to type, but, here goes.
Sometimes, only being able to see your mother for fifteen minutes a day when she picks you up or drops you off at school, because she has to work 18 hours a day just to support you. Having to wear shoes from Pay-Less because your mom can't afford anything better. Having to borrow food from other kids at school because your mom can't afford food, and the school lunches aren't free. Having to sometimes go a day or two without eating at all because you lost your food stamp card. Only having 12 channels of TV, and that TV is 30 years old, and only 14 inches. Having to watch other kids get everything they wanted for their birthdays, just so you can kind of pretend its your birthday party.
Some mothers having to work abroad and not seeing their children for months at a time.
Watching your mom have to put items back as there is it not enough money to pay for everything.
And really hoping your mom didn’t put back the hominy (I like hominy)
Having dinner and knowing that your Mum isn't eating, not because she isn't hungry, but because she's making sure her kids have food first.
My dad did this all his life. Mum would make enough to feed an army every night just so dad would eat at all. He even wanted us to have plenty of leftovers in case we got the munchies, he was the one with the munchies cos he never ate enough dinner just in case and then ate properly once we were sleeping.
Bobtheglob71 noticed that there were quite a few posts expressing hatred towards people who were born into wealth and “was curious to see what everyone else thought.”
The user disclosed that they didn’t grow up poor: “This question was also partly made so that I could see others’ views on life based on what family they were born into. I’ve learned that the ‘rich kid’ doesn’t experience just about any of those things that people answered.”
A lot of poor addicts are addicts because they need the escapism of it. Lifting people out of poverty is the biggest mental help you can give someone
When I went to school (in the '70s). At lunch time we had to stand in line in the hall before going into the cafeteria. they made those of us on 'free lunches' stand in the back of the line. It was quite humiliating.
My ex was wealthy and never understood why I don’t answer phone numbers I don’t recognize. We just never did that at my house, and now I understand it was probably to avoid debt collectors.
Even though I am years beyond it and have a good job. I have gotten past most of it except for 2 things.
Guilt over spending anything on myself even if I need it (work clothes for example)
Food waste. I am more like,y to eat the oldest leftovers in the fridge so the don’t go bad or overeat if there is just a bit left than to throw it out. I know this is detrimental to my health but haven’t stopped because throwing something out makes me stressed.
Clothes. You wear what you have, and you wear it out. Yes, this is the same bathing suit as last year, you judgemental b****.
I have a steady job, savings, and a closet full of clothes. I still wear everything like I did when I was 7. You wear it until it is visibly stained, or noticeably smells. And you don't ever throw anything away, because you might need it again.
Or if you do give clothes away, you give them to another neighborhood child. Every single one of your neighbors is as bad off as you, they will not turn away clothes that fit.
I learned to sew on an ancient machine when I was 12 because the hand me downs that I got from a family friend were all the wrong colors (pale pastels) and stodgy styles (think preppy type stuff when everyone was wearing peasant tops and bell bottoms)
The first sewing machine I saw (I can't remember if it was my grandmother's or my mother's) was operated by a cast iron treadle on the floor under the machine. My mom was a seamstress and would buy cheap clothes and add accents to them.
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Hold on hold on, rewind, did someone actually comment on you wearing a bathing suit two years in a row? Is that not something everyone does, wear bathing suits until they just don't fit any more??
Right now I'm wearing my outside work clothes. That's clothing that's ripped, burned, and probably at least 10 years old, also stretched out or wrong size. Can afford clothes now but don't wanna wear nice things for outdoor chores. The mentality that throwing away clothes is insane is still there. I have a nice clothes section in my closet and a raggidy clothes section. Just literally realized this right now because it's so automatic.
I hear ya. Nowadays, I can afford better clothes, but most of the time since I retired I am wearing my working clothes... covered with bleach, worn out in the seat and knees, stretched out, stained and generally raggedy. Also, since I've gotten old and no longer am required to "dress", my good clothes are what most would consider work clothes... jeans without holes and long sleeved tee shirts, mostly. If it's a seriously fancy affair, I wear black jeans.
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I can afford good clothes now but still buy with an eye to longevity and usefulness. And all my torn or stained clothes become my "wearable rags" to be used when painting, doing yard work or anything else that might damage my clothes. Which reminds me. Who exactly was the idiot who made wearing a bib when you're eating a bad thing?
I'm glad I live in a city where no one cares nor notices how old your clothes are nor cares to keep track what season they're from. It's a notoriously cheap city (and I mean that by a lot of people here are lower to middle class, salt of the Earth, and have a mindset to save money), there's often clearance sales throughout the year and there is no shame to check out the clearance racks. We have a ton of used clothing and thrift shops professionals go to. Why the heck not?!
you have clothing you can't wear any more , 10 years old, in a box in the storeroom . Just because
My girlfriend wanted to do the Marie Kondo thing with my clothes, and I had to explain to her that I don't worry about whether my clothes spark joy because I need something to cover my body.
I just donated 6 bags of clothes I no longer fit or like. Most are work clothes but I'm retired and left my office behind so I don't need them
I have clothes older than my children.. they are 35 and 40 years old
When I had 3 little ones in the UK, I lived across from a church, and every week there was a free "well baby clinic" where doctors and nurses checked that your babies were thriving. All us mom's used to bring all the clothes our kids had grown out of and lay them out on a big table, and charged 10-15 pence for each outfit. None of us were too proud to switch and swap clothes for our little ones, as they grew out of them so quickly anyway. None of us asked, nor did we care, who was poor and who wasn't. We were a "village" and we all looked after each other.
Lucky I did not have a big sister otherwise I sure I'd have dressed differently. One pair of every thing. Thought mom would go ballistic when she found I need gym clothing.
90+% of my wardrobe comes from thrift shops. That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that I can't get past the "hand-me-down" mentality because it's all I've ever known. I'm only responsible for myself now and I actually make good money but there is a HUGE chunk of my mentality that feels guilty for buying anything new, other than underwear.
Or having to wear "boy" fit jeans and tshirts because you're the little sister.
I was the youngest from many Cousins so I often got there used clothings to wear and didn't think about it twice. We still give cloths around in the family and I still appreciate it. Also it stresses me to buy fast fashion clothing (not for the money alone, those clothings break so easily, the horror!)
Anyone who cares if you're wearing the same swimsuit as the year before can go burn in hell
I didn't gow up poor but still wear things until they wear out then use them as a shop rag.
And when they cannot be repaired or the stain cannot be removed you make rags out of them. There is always a use.
That is continued conditioned attitude not recognition you are not poor now. Donating clean and not torn old clothing is not a crime or a sympathy decision, it is valued as life still exists for those things. Sadly many the Charities today are more selective that the people are tossing things into their dumps ( I have seen this to my utmost horror) due to lack of storage space they say..Try to give them your leather lounge suite a top quality brand and in excellent condition, old, yes, but now deciding on an upgrade, the old suite with obvious years of wear but still not broken, damaged or worn beyond a good leather polish, is not accepted and was taken to the DUMP..Thye also took the same brand in strong fabric to the same demise only as it would not fit in my new small granny flat. I have no trust in charities of today , and everyone wants new things and they are cheap to buy even own Social Security payments today. I also sewed my own clothing, domestic uses curtains my children's
Holy shirt, I never realized this but that's me. I always had hand-me- downs and thrift store stuff, but never anything even remotely fashionable. Now I collect clothing and when they are too ridiculous to wear I try and reuse them. Sock has a hole? Put in a bar of soap and sew that thing shut. Old shirts and pants can make surprisingly good quilts, although super heavy.
I still give all of my kids clothes to the neighborhood kids. It seems insane to me to not wear hand me downs. Im 53, now make a good living but still thrift shop regularly for my clothes. growing up poor with a single mom never, ever leaves you.
I learned how To sew because I could make more clothes than our money could buy.
As many of the other posts here have, this really stood out for me - I grew up the same way but now have a good job and am able to afford extra luxuries like new clothes/shoes but I don't and won't...I very much still do this and likely always will and I'm ok with it
and then getting beat up at school because your clothes were old, out of style, highwater pants, off brand shoes with holes in them, etc..
Back in the Dominican Republic, my mom would lean a chair against each exit door at night and put metal cups on top of the chairs. If someone tried forcing the door open, the metal cups would fall — alarming us of the danger. That was our 'security' system for years.
What a luxury laundry is. Those kids i went to.school with will never understand I was so poor my family couldn't afford to use the laundry machines in our building, so often times my dad would just get a big cheap bottle of dish soap or some bars of Irish Spring, and that soap was for laundry, dishes and bathing. Also that those tv dinners were a god send. Getting 20 banquet tv dinners for 10 bucks meant eating good for a few days.
for my experience, a cheap and better version of one soap for all is marseille soap. works splendidly for washing anything, and it's gentle on our body.
All my gifts for Christmas and Birthdays were something I needed or would need and had to be bought anyway. Like clothes, shoes, or school supplies. Never, never anything fun or just because I wanted it. I also had to steal my first real bra because I'd outgrown my training bra. I'd even snipped the elastic all around to provide more stretch but it wasn't working anymore and people were commenting on it.
A lot of people are mentioning being deprived of food and clothes, so I'll mention other things. People who grew up umm not poor often don't understand how come I've never been ice skating. Or roller skating. I don't know how to swim, because I didn't have any means to pay for swimming classes or pool entry (no swimming pool at my school). I could never participate in any after school activities, because even if they were funded by a nearby town, I had no way to get there. My hobbies were writing awful poems and drawing with s**tty crayons, because it was free. I didn't have any video games, except of pirated The Sims. We've never been on vacation as a family. I never went to a summer camp. If you are rich, these things are a given. They are normal. Also, so many knock offs. Knock off toys, knock off cereal, Tesco Value everything. Also, toilet paper was a luxury.
Cold hot dog on piece of bread. Turning off every light in the house except the room you're in. Window unit ACs. Space heaters. Little storage space. Little freezer/fridge space. Microwave as only way to cook food. Saving all extra napkins/utensils/condiments. No working bath/shower in home. No washer/dryer. Leaky roof. Makeshift insulation made of bubble wrap and tin foil for windows. Blankets over windows instead of curtains. Sprinkler on roof to keep it cooler in the summer. Dirty laundry because you have to wait to get quarters. Rationing quarters, rationing food, rationing everything. Always have a mental list of things you can sell to get quick cash in an emergency. Torn/worn clothes/bedding. Wearing the one good bra constantly. Laundry day outfit. Spaghetti. All. The. Time. Foods with long shelf life. Chips in dishes. That one thing (or few things) that's just literally held together with duct tape. Stuffing down the trash to make sure you get full use out of each trash bag. The sack of other sacks. The car that you'll drive until it can't go anymore, if you have a car. Moving a "spare" lightbulb from one room to the other so you can delay buying more. Holding on to food past it's expiration date even though you won't eat it in the foreseeable future but what if you NEED it? Squeezing the s**t out of the toothpaste. Adding water to the drop of shampoo in the bottle. Delaying medical care. Having to put down pets yourself because you can't afford the vet doing it. Baking soda as carpet freshener. Febreezing everything if you don't have money for the wash. Using paper towels as toilet paper. Using paper towels as tissues. Using paper towels as plates. Negotiating with the electric/water company so that they don't turn off your utilities before you get paid. Lots of blankets in winter. Hanging clothes to dry. Washing clothes by hand. Washing dishes by hand. Taking a "rag bath." F**ked up teeth, can't afford dentist. Some long term ailment that you put off seeing a medical professional about because it's not an emergency, just an inconvenience. Reusing ziploc bags. Buying paper folders vs. plastic ones. Cinnamon, sugar, butter tortillas for desert. Hand-me-downs.
'There's a trick to it' is a phrase to indicate something is messed up, but not enough to fix it. See also: 'Ya gotta jiggle the handle.'
I remember coming back from summer vacation and dreading going back to school for the mere fact I had nothing interesting to share about the summer. All my classmates would talk about their vacations and I would make something up so I wouldn’t sound boring.
I dreaded our drama classes because of this. After the long summer holiday we had to stand up in drama class and speak about what we had done during our summer break. I had nothing. Lived in the middle of nowhere and only had my sister to spend time with - we'd cycle for miles but that doesn't make for an interesting speech.
Why your parents are incredibly strict and won't let you go anywhere or do anything.
My mom never allowed me to go with friends because she knew I wouldn't be able to afford hanging out with them. I always thought she was just really strict, but really she just wanted to spare me the embarrassment.
i remember my mom having to explain to a classmate's mom that she couldn't spot my mom money for me to go out with her and her daughter because she had no idea if she could pay it back. classmate's mom was all class and never let her daughter bring it up again, but would occasionally buy stuff for all the girls in class to make sure i got toys or hair ties and such
Amount of time feeling powerless.
Self blame, blaming your parents for even having you, defeat, feeling trapped, feeling like the only poor person in a world where everyone is just casually going to the dentist and doctor and having a new shirt or jacket every so often. Feeling suicidal, wanting to give up. It’s very very difficult.
Yogurt and other grocery containers used as Tupperware. A bunch of basins for hand-washing clothes in the bathtub.
I think Western poor houses would tend to be more cluttered. You can't rebuy things easily, so you end up keeping around doubles of things you already have, or extra things you aren't using but might need sometime. You don't know if you'll be able to afford it in the future.
My mom grew up in the depression. Her phrase was "Don't throw that away, you never know when we might need it." We never did, but it was always there just in case.
Diluted dishwashing soap that doubles as hand-washing soap.
Diluted shampoo for handsoap is less harsh on hands. Diluted dish soap is good for washing clothes.
When it's really hot in the South, it can be hard to sleep. I keep a mister water bottle by the bed and mist the sheet before I go to sleep, and periodically cool off through the night.
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I grew up very poor, but the most puzzling thing for me was that the rich kids at school were continuously trying to pick on me (unsuccessfully). I thought back then they were jealous because I was good at maths and was clearly going to do better in life than them. Now I realise they simply were dumb, and likely didn't understand how education works.
That’s because they almost certainly weren’t rich, but rather just the “richest” people in a poor community, and they don’t realize they aren’t rich. Middle school in a rural town was like that for me too. Those kids going around wearing Abercrombie and living in $150,000 houses, driving Grand Cherokees, thinking they’re better than everyone when their parents are only a couple of paychecks away from losing it all, and have massive credit card debt. They’re hardly rich. They’re actually just poor too, but they have one more crumb then the next person and they want you to feel bad about it! Rich kids tend to not even go to school with poor kids, because of how districts are defined by real estate taxes. Or the rich just opt for private education.
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This post made me cry. It's so hard to live when there's not enough money. To see where my kids, nephews and nieces have to go trough. I hope they will get out of poverty someday.
I grew up dirt poor. We learned to handle things differently. We rarely used the heater in our home, too expensive. So we wore our hoodies and jackets in the house or brought our sleeping bags (too poor to afford sheets and blankets) to cozy up on the couch. Libraries were a life saver, warm and toasty on rainy days snd full of entertainment. The times when our dryer broke and we needed to dry clothes in the winter, we turned on the oven and brought the blow dryer into the kitchen. I never begged for food, assholes would just throw food at me, eventually I stopped hanging out where everyone else was eating, it was just too torturous. I was a reluctant shop lifter of food, not proud of it at all. I empathize strongly with those who find themselves homeless now. That struggle is brutally devastating
I feel that. No heat. No dryer. No no no no no.... When you're that poor, life is one long "NO!" and it sucks.
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And that you dont just take something from the fridge or the kitchen and eat it without asking first.
As a child, I had no idea my parents struggled financially. When I became a parent myself, I began to understand. "Breakfast for dinner" REALLY meant there was no money left at the end of the week, so cereal and milk was by necessity, not for fun. My brother and I never knew. Building furniture from scrap wood Dad picked up on Trash Day wasn't because he was creative (tho he was), it was because there was no money to buy new furniture nor buy wood from a lumber yard. But we grew up feeling loved & knew that education & moral behavior were the gold our family valued. I believe we grew up with greater wealth than Donald Trump's kids did, absolutely!
𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟏𝟗𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟐 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈'𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓𝐤 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 💰 💰 💰 💰 HERE ➤➤ 𝐖𝐰𝐰.𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐚𝐫.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Load More Replies... My BFF was in an orphanage until she was 8. She didn't have much of anything and whatever you had you'd better keep it with you or it will disappear. In high school she had a large purse with everything in it but the kitchen sink. But then no one ever asked her for that, so maybe she had one!😆 Even as an adult into her 50's she always carried an extra bag with her with her important "stuff" in it just in case. She still has sweaters from high school. She's getting better at understanding its going to be ok. She's in a much better financial situation. But I think it will always be a challenge. But she gives money to friends in tough situations like she has been. Insists it is not a loan. If you get to a spot where you can and want to pay it back, fine. But it's not a loan. It's because you're her dear friend who needs it. I will love her til the day I die. The best person I have ever known.
What a lovely and inspiring story, Miss Frankfurter! Blessings to you and your friend.
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If i was lucky enough to go into the city centre with my mum, were all the shops where, the first thing she would say to me was "don't ask for anything".
Very mixed experiences here. Grew up in an area with a lot of rich kids but never had what they had. They'd talk about their double storey houses and porsches and I was always confused as to what was interesting about that. Eventually ended up in a poor suburb where my mom had to choose between meat or bread or cereal (OR). Some weeks only ate cereal with sauce on it to pretend it was meat. Fortunately got out of that to middle class. I now remind my kids of privlege all the time. Show them shanty towns, etc., how people live literally on rubbish dumps. Tell them to appreciate everything, all the time.
Growing up on a Native American reservation, we were poor. An outhouse on the side of a hill made from reused wood. We had flour so grandma made gravy and tortillas, all from flour. It didnt seem unusual because there were other familiea even worse off than we were. At least we had a wood burning stove.
Growing up poor is tough enough, I can only imagine how it must be growing up poor in a rich country. It's one thing when you're poor, but the whole country is struggling and trying to reach a better economy, another thing is when you're poor in a country that's amongst the leaders of the world economy, and the standards around you are too high, you can't even dream about it.
I think growing up poor IN a poor country would be worse. In a poor country you can look around and see that children dont have schools to go. NGO's are providing basic healthcare. etc etc. Americans for all their issues dont emigrate for a better life do they?
Load More Replies... We lost power five days ago. We got it back this morning. We now have heat (with a low of too-da*n-cold tonight). We have lights. My hubby burst into a sort of mania of rejoicing, and I was like, "dude, I grew up using only wood stove heat, and this fireplace sucked, what a step down, but we had light and heat enough to not die or have our pipes freeze, so chill", and that's when we both realized.... wow, we really did not grow up on the same planet. Thirty years, and we still get that reminder.
Growing up where the weather is hot, I can't imagine being cold like that, but the last time I lost power for two weeks after a hurricane, I was wondering how I managed to sleep without AC as a child. When I was a kid, air conditioning was a rarity, but we managed; of course we had little fans that kept the air moving around. Without power, there is none of that. Now, with global warming, I'm afraid a lot more people are going to have to deal with dangerous heat as well as dangerous cold.
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A dear friend put me in my place; I said "I grew up poor too" He said "Ah, but you were poor in a rich country, I was poor in a poor country"
Honestly, I think it's much worse to be poor in a rich country, but then I remind myself that "rich" and "poor" are arbitrary terms, after all. Because it depends on "how rich" and "how poor". When you're poor in a country that's poor, but there's hope kind of poor, then you can still meet at least part of the standards, and can work your way around the difficulties. Besides that, known poor countries get some aid from abroad. When you're in that same kind of poverty, but in a community with way higher standards, then chances are high you are screwed. However, when your whole country is super poor, and the standards are so low that nobody even knows any better, and, consequently, crime is high.... and then you live even below these standards..... now, that's tragic.
Load More Replies... I just realized after this list that we were more poor than I knew growing up. I knew we weren't as well off as the people around me at school, but I din't realize we were so desperate. Thanks for making childhood gracious anyway, Mom and Dad. We did have "vacations". We often went hiking or to the beach (when we lived near one.) I think I'll go make a peanut butter sandwich in memorium.
You shouldn’t have children if you can’t afford to look after them properly. It’s the ultimate act of selfishness.
There are things in life you can't predict. I had my kids when I was in good health and my husband too. After a few years he became sick, his parents became sick and with all those problems and work I had a burn-out and depression. Even we don't have a lot of money, we do everything for our kids and we are caring for them. I see a lot of kids with rich parents who are spoiled financly but they aren't sharing time with their parents, everyone has their own life and scedule.
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I think that everyone should be getting decent pay to live and be happy. At the same time, if people aren't making very much money, then why would they want to bring children into the world that they then have to try to care for? Do they not understand that their kids will not be able to eat well? Will not have great Christmases? I remember stories my grandmother told me about living through the Depression. There are people doing the same thing today that her family had to do during that time. Yet those people are still having kids. And not just one kid, but several. I just don't understand. I feel like people like this are really selfish. How many people in poor areas (India comes to mind) just keep having kid after kid after kid, merely because they want to have a big family. And then those kids suffer because the parents can't support as well as they should.
I have no idea how the headline “ 89 People Share What Rules They Abided By While Growing Up And It’s Important To Read To Be Aware Of It” appears to any of these
My dad found a good job when I was about ten, but previous to that we weren't doing so well. My mum always made it seem like an adventure and I didn't realize how poor we were until I looked back in my teens. The diluted soap, condiments, reusing single use items, buying stuff too big and second hand, hotdog on a single slice of white bread, "saving up" laundry and never separating colors(didn't know this was a thing until my roommate told me in college), etc.
I was abandoned by my business man father at 4 who bought luxury cars and multiple properties while we lived in the projects to a single mother on welfare addicted to Crack. We never had food, lights, toothpaste, clothes, etc., my last Christmas was at 8 years old and it was 1 pack of socks (I desperately needed them) my 3 outfits I was bought every few years came from the goodwill. My mother died when I was a teenager and my father only came back a few years later when he was broke and destitute thanks to bad financial decisions then he immediately complained about having to pay $100 a month in child support for 2 kids (I was paying $2500 a month for 1). I left for the military, got my education and now I'm making more money then most the rich kids I work around and own more property and have more in stocks and bonds than them but it took me until 40 before I ever bought more than 3 outfits and felt like I could splurge on "luxuries" like full cabinets and clothes.
Grew up with more downs than ups financially. Mid-to-late 90's was a tough time in Bulgaria. There was a time of hyperinflation, my mom's monthly qage was enough to buy a kilogram of olives. We lasted 2 weeks on a local type of pasta (called iufka) which my grandma would make out of flour and water and dry on old bedsheets in her flat. Cheapest possible clothes and shoes from the flea market was what I wore from ages 9 to 16. My toes would hurt and curl, and my heels would bleed because of the terrible shoe quality. My parents had cases where they didn't eat just so we would be able to. Winter was a nightmare, with the high electricity bills. We all huddled in the kitchen, as the living room was too large to heat up, so it was locked down. My father would go around unplugging appliances every evening, so that the little red stand-by light on the TV wouldn't consume electricity. The water heater would be on only after 10 pm, as the night tariff was cheaper
I can relate to the part about shoes. I think I embarrassed my father when he took me to the shoe store. I didn't go up one size, I went up 4 sizes. The shoe clerk gave my father "the look". Looking back now, I hope he was embarrassed. That's no way to treat a child, keeping them in shoes that are literally 4 sizes too small.
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Didn't grow up real poor, but my parents didn't exactly believe in spending money on things like dental care. Only went when a tooth got abscessed. Yeah. I now have dentures. And not filling a prescription for antibiotics when I was deathly ill and my neck was swollen up like a basketball from infection. Just borrowed a Percodan from a friend.
I lived all that in Cuba my birth country, I'm so glad I came to live I capitalist USA, even though by American standards I may still be poor , at leat I'm not hungry ,I got clothes and a job , and don't need authorization from the government to get a ticket to get shoes ,or a special card to buy eggs only allow to buy 6 eggs a month if you can afford them, If you guys think being poor in a capitalism country is bad ,trie to be poor in a comunits one. Lol , over there everyone is equally poor only elite government dirty rich ,and those hand me down clothes and cheap shoes or spire food yall talking about here is a luxury over there.
Making orange juice with four cans of water rather than two, so there will be enough. Doing clothes shopping at thrift stores on their sale day.
Growing up poor has made me decide to never have kids. The world is very unkind especially when you're poor. I wouldn't bring kids into that. That would be a very selfish thing to do. And having kids only ensures that you're gonna stay poor. They drag you down even further. So if you're poor, just be poor on your own. Don't bring kids into your life to be poor with you
Technically camping in a house. Having no running water, sewer/septic tank and no electricity. You cooked on a bbg pit and buried your own c@#p. You knew about Santa at a very young age because mom had to explain that "mommy was Santa and mommy is to broke to afford anything". You knew better than to invite anyone over.
Here's one: Fat, poor people aren't "well-fed." Low quality, high-calorie food is way cheaper than quality food. Compare the cost per calorie of a Little Debbie's snack and something healthy. And poor people eat at places like McDonald's and 7-11 often because they work too many hours to get home and cook something decent between shifts. Did you ever wonder why burger chains put mayonnaise on hamburgers (or mayo-based "special sauce") despite the fact it more that doubles the amount of fat in their burger? My entire life, I have never met someone who puts mayonnaise on hamburgers they make at home. Burger chains do that because a fair amount of their customers are just buying full bellies.
I think the worst thing about this is you know that a lot of the posters are living in the so called richest country in the world, and yet there is revolting poverty. I am so grateful now that I am able to live comfortably and help my immediate and extended family, many of whom have also lived in poverty most of their lives. People don't understand how poverty controls your entire life. I have an academically brilliant niece and nephew. Their options would have been next to nothing in terms of further education because of the cost. Just because I was able to help financially, one will graduate as a doctor next year and one with master's degrees in two completely different sciences. Both of them are committed to helping others and making the world a better place. Neither would have been able to do any of that, just because of poverty. It's shameful that anyone in the western world still has to deal with this.
Grew up poor. I still freak out when my fridge or pantry "looks" empty. I have been solidly middle class with some savings and no longer have to worry if we have enough money for things for years now, but I still have to fight the panic of an empty kitchen. And my kids' pickiness about food grates on me, but I can afford it. I know so many people can't.
Wasn't allowed to eat anything without asking first, everything I wore was free hand me downs, often I would be wearing boys clothes (I'm a girl) Christmas was getting essentials instead of gifts. Wearing hand me down shoes that were so painful to wear causing infections. Nearly dieing from blood poisoning because my mom didn't want to spend the money on antibiotics
Door bell goes... Constantly hiding. Hiding from the milkman, the man from the Pru, and even the Parish Priest, because mum didn't have any money for the poor of the parish or the overseas needy, because we were the poor and needy ones ourselves!
Feeling sick reading lists like this because you still have PTSD from being raised like this. Also feeling jealous of the people on this list complaining about how they were treated getting free school lunches because that's not a thing in your country and came very close to dying from starvation as a child.
I'm also very happy my mom always did the laundry once a week and never had to hand wash cloths.... didn't have fabreze. Also never went hungry. And we always had a car.
I hate the adding water to soaps or milk to dressing bottles. I only turn them upside down. Water in a shampoo bottle is the worst... cold and not enough soap. So even though I was only a little better off than my parents & my husbands parents I put an end to that.
I grew up very poor, but the most puzzling thing for me was that the rich kids at school were continuously trying to pick on me (unsuccessfully). I thought back then they were jealous because I was good at maths and was clearly going to do better in life than them. Now I realise they simply were dumb, and likely didn't understand how education works.
That’s because they almost certainly weren’t rich, but rather just the “richest” people in a poor community, and they don’t realize they aren’t rich. Middle school in a rural town was like that for me too. Those kids going around wearing Abercrombie and living in $150,000 houses, driving Grand Cherokees, thinking they’re better than everyone when their parents are only a couple of paychecks away from losing it all, and have massive credit card debt. They’re hardly rich. They’re actually just poor too, but they have one more crumb then the next person and they want you to feel bad about it! Rich kids tend to not even go to school with poor kids, because of how districts are defined by real estate taxes. Or the rich just opt for private education.
Load More Replies... This post made me cry. It's so hard to live when there's not enough money. To see where my kids, nephews and nieces have to go trough. I hope they will get out of poverty someday.
I grew up dirt poor. We learned to handle things differently. We rarely used the heater in our home, too expensive. So we wore our hoodies and jackets in the house or brought our sleeping bags (too poor to afford sheets and blankets) to cozy up on the couch. Libraries were a life saver, warm and toasty on rainy days snd full of entertainment. The times when our dryer broke and we needed to dry clothes in the winter, we turned on the oven and brought the blow dryer into the kitchen. I never begged for food, assholes would just throw food at me, eventually I stopped hanging out where everyone else was eating, it was just too torturous. I was a reluctant shop lifter of food, not proud of it at all. I empathize strongly with those who find themselves homeless now. That struggle is brutally devastating
I feel that. No heat. No dryer. No no no no no.... When you're that poor, life is one long "NO!" and it sucks.
Load More Replies... And that you dont just take something from the fridge or the kitchen and eat it without asking first.
As a child, I had no idea my parents struggled financially. When I became a parent myself, I began to understand. "Breakfast for dinner" REALLY meant there was no money left at the end of the week, so cereal and milk was by necessity, not for fun. My brother and I never knew. Building furniture from scrap wood Dad picked up on Trash Day wasn't because he was creative (tho he was), it was because there was no money to buy new furniture nor buy wood from a lumber yard. But we grew up feeling loved & knew that education & moral behavior were the gold our family valued. I believe we grew up with greater wealth than Donald Trump's kids did, absolutely!
𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟏𝟗𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟐 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈'𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓𝐤 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 💰 💰 💰 💰 HERE ➤➤ 𝐖𝐰𝐰.𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐚𝐫.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Load More Replies... My BFF was in an orphanage until she was 8. She didn't have much of anything and whatever you had you'd better keep it with you or it will disappear. In high school she had a large purse with everything in it but the kitchen sink. But then no one ever asked her for that, so maybe she had one!😆 Even as an adult into her 50's she always carried an extra bag with her with her important "stuff" in it just in case. She still has sweaters from high school. She's getting better at understanding its going to be ok. She's in a much better financial situation. But I think it will always be a challenge. But she gives money to friends in tough situations like she has been. Insists it is not a loan. If you get to a spot where you can and want to pay it back, fine. But it's not a loan. It's because you're her dear friend who needs it. I will love her til the day I die. The best person I have ever known.
What a lovely and inspiring story, Miss Frankfurter! Blessings to you and your friend.
Load More Replies... If i was lucky enough to go into the city centre with my mum, were all the shops where, the first thing she would say to me was "don't ask for anything".
Very mixed experiences here. Grew up in an area with a lot of rich kids but never had what they had. They'd talk about their double storey houses and porsches and I was always confused as to what was interesting about that. Eventually ended up in a poor suburb where my mom had to choose between meat or bread or cereal (OR). Some weeks only ate cereal with sauce on it to pretend it was meat. Fortunately got out of that to middle class. I now remind my kids of privlege all the time. Show them shanty towns, etc., how people live literally on rubbish dumps. Tell them to appreciate everything, all the time.
Growing up on a Native American reservation, we were poor. An outhouse on the side of a hill made from reused wood. We had flour so grandma made gravy and tortillas, all from flour. It didnt seem unusual because there were other familiea even worse off than we were. At least we had a wood burning stove.
Growing up poor is tough enough, I can only imagine how it must be growing up poor in a rich country. It's one thing when you're poor, but the whole country is struggling and trying to reach a better economy, another thing is when you're poor in a country that's amongst the leaders of the world economy, and the standards around you are too high, you can't even dream about it.
I think growing up poor IN a poor country would be worse. In a poor country you can look around and see that children dont have schools to go. NGO's are providing basic healthcare. etc etc. Americans for all their issues dont emigrate for a better life do they?
Load More Replies... We lost power five days ago. We got it back this morning. We now have heat (with a low of too-da*n-cold tonight). We have lights. My hubby burst into a sort of mania of rejoicing, and I was like, "dude, I grew up using only wood stove heat, and this fireplace sucked, what a step down, but we had light and heat enough to not die or have our pipes freeze, so chill", and that's when we both realized.... wow, we really did not grow up on the same planet. Thirty years, and we still get that reminder.
Growing up where the weather is hot, I can't imagine being cold like that, but the last time I lost power for two weeks after a hurricane, I was wondering how I managed to sleep without AC as a child. When I was a kid, air conditioning was a rarity, but we managed; of course we had little fans that kept the air moving around. Without power, there is none of that. Now, with global warming, I'm afraid a lot more people are going to have to deal with dangerous heat as well as dangerous cold.
Load More Replies... A dear friend put me in my place; I said "I grew up poor too" He said "Ah, but you were poor in a rich country, I was poor in a poor country"
Honestly, I think it's much worse to be poor in a rich country, but then I remind myself that "rich" and "poor" are arbitrary terms, after all. Because it depends on "how rich" and "how poor". When you're poor in a country that's poor, but there's hope kind of poor, then you can still meet at least part of the standards, and can work your way around the difficulties. Besides that, known poor countries get some aid from abroad. When you're in that same kind of poverty, but in a community with way higher standards, then chances are high you are screwed. However, when your whole country is super poor, and the standards are so low that nobody even knows any better, and, consequently, crime is high.... and then you live even below these standards..... now, that's tragic.
Load More Replies... I just realized after this list that we were more poor than I knew growing up. I knew we weren't as well off as the people around me at school, but I din't realize we were so desperate. Thanks for making childhood gracious anyway, Mom and Dad. We did have "vacations". We often went hiking or to the beach (when we lived near one.) I think I'll go make a peanut butter sandwich in memorium.
You shouldn’t have children if you can’t afford to look after them properly. It’s the ultimate act of selfishness.
There are things in life you can't predict. I had my kids when I was in good health and my husband too. After a few years he became sick, his parents became sick and with all those problems and work I had a burn-out and depression. Even we don't have a lot of money, we do everything for our kids and we are caring for them. I see a lot of kids with rich parents who are spoiled financly but they aren't sharing time with their parents, everyone has their own life and scedule.
Load More Replies... I think that everyone should be getting decent pay to live and be happy. At the same time, if people aren't making very much money, then why would they want to bring children into the world that they then have to try to care for? Do they not understand that their kids will not be able to eat well? Will not have great Christmases? I remember stories my grandmother told me about living through the Depression. There are people doing the same thing today that her family had to do during that time. Yet those people are still having kids. And not just one kid, but several. I just don't understand. I feel like people like this are really selfish. How many people in poor areas (India comes to mind) just keep having kid after kid after kid, merely because they want to have a big family. And then those kids suffer because the parents can't support as well as they should.
I have no idea how the headline “ 89 People Share What Rules They Abided By While Growing Up And It’s Important To Read To Be Aware Of It” appears to any of these
My dad found a good job when I was about ten, but previous to that we weren't doing so well. My mum always made it seem like an adventure and I didn't realize how poor we were until I looked back in my teens. The diluted soap, condiments, reusing single use items, buying stuff too big and second hand, hotdog on a single slice of white bread, "saving up" laundry and never separating colors(didn't know this was a thing until my roommate told me in college), etc.
I was abandoned by my business man father at 4 who bought luxury cars and multiple properties while we lived in the projects to a single mother on welfare addicted to Crack. We never had food, lights, toothpaste, clothes, etc., my last Christmas was at 8 years old and it was 1 pack of socks (I desperately needed them) my 3 outfits I was bought every few years came from the goodwill. My mother died when I was a teenager and my father only came back a few years later when he was broke and destitute thanks to bad financial decisions then he immediately complained about having to pay $100 a month in child support for 2 kids (I was paying $2500 a month for 1). I left for the military, got my education and now I'm making more money then most the rich kids I work around and own more property and have more in stocks and bonds than them but it took me until 40 before I ever bought more than 3 outfits and felt like I could splurge on "luxuries" like full cabinets and clothes.
Grew up with more downs than ups financially. Mid-to-late 90's was a tough time in Bulgaria. There was a time of hyperinflation, my mom's monthly qage was enough to buy a kilogram of olives. We lasted 2 weeks on a local type of pasta (called iufka) which my grandma would make out of flour and water and dry on old bedsheets in her flat. Cheapest possible clothes and shoes from the flea market was what I wore from ages 9 to 16. My toes would hurt and curl, and my heels would bleed because of the terrible shoe quality. My parents had cases where they didn't eat just so we would be able to. Winter was a nightmare, with the high electricity bills. We all huddled in the kitchen, as the living room was too large to heat up, so it was locked down. My father would go around unplugging appliances every evening, so that the little red stand-by light on the TV wouldn't consume electricity. The water heater would be on only after 10 pm, as the night tariff was cheaper
I can relate to the part about shoes. I think I embarrassed my father when he took me to the shoe store. I didn't go up one size, I went up 4 sizes. The shoe clerk gave my father "the look". Looking back now, I hope he was embarrassed. That's no way to treat a child, keeping them in shoes that are literally 4 sizes too small.
Load More Replies... Didn't grow up real poor, but my parents didn't exactly believe in spending money on things like dental care. Only went when a tooth got abscessed. Yeah. I now have dentures. And not filling a prescription for antibiotics when I was deathly ill and my neck was swollen up like a basketball from infection. Just borrowed a Percodan from a friend.
I lived all that in Cuba my birth country, I'm so glad I came to live I capitalist USA, even though by American standards I may still be poor , at leat I'm not hungry ,I got clothes and a job , and don't need authorization from the government to get a ticket to get shoes ,or a special card to buy eggs only allow to buy 6 eggs a month if you can afford them, If you guys think being poor in a capitalism country is bad ,trie to be poor in a comunits one. Lol , over there everyone is equally poor only elite government dirty rich ,and those hand me down clothes and cheap shoes or spire food yall talking about here is a luxury over there.
Making orange juice with four cans of water rather than two, so there will be enough. Doing clothes shopping at thrift stores on their sale day.
Growing up poor has made me decide to never have kids. The world is very unkind especially when you're poor. I wouldn't bring kids into that. That would be a very selfish thing to do. And having kids only ensures that you're gonna stay poor. They drag you down even further. So if you're poor, just be poor on your own. Don't bring kids into your life to be poor with you
Technically camping in a house. Having no running water, sewer/septic tank and no electricity. You cooked on a bbg pit and buried your own c@#p. You knew about Santa at a very young age because mom had to explain that "mommy was Santa and mommy is to broke to afford anything". You knew better than to invite anyone over.
Here's one: Fat, poor people aren't "well-fed." Low quality, high-calorie food is way cheaper than quality food. Compare the cost per calorie of a Little Debbie's snack and something healthy. And poor people eat at places like McDonald's and 7-11 often because they work too many hours to get home and cook something decent between shifts. Did you ever wonder why burger chains put mayonnaise on hamburgers (or mayo-based "special sauce") despite the fact it more that doubles the amount of fat in their burger? My entire life, I have never met someone who puts mayonnaise on hamburgers they make at home. Burger chains do that because a fair amount of their customers are just buying full bellies.
I think the worst thing about this is you know that a lot of the posters are living in the so called richest country in the world, and yet there is revolting poverty. I am so grateful now that I am able to live comfortably and help my immediate and extended family, many of whom have also lived in poverty most of their lives. People don't understand how poverty controls your entire life. I have an academically brilliant niece and nephew. Their options would have been next to nothing in terms of further education because of the cost. Just because I was able to help financially, one will graduate as a doctor next year and one with master's degrees in two completely different sciences. Both of them are committed to helping others and making the world a better place. Neither would have been able to do any of that, just because of poverty. It's shameful that anyone in the western world still has to deal with this.
Grew up poor. I still freak out when my fridge or pantry "looks" empty. I have been solidly middle class with some savings and no longer have to worry if we have enough money for things for years now, but I still have to fight the panic of an empty kitchen. And my kids' pickiness about food grates on me, but I can afford it. I know so many people can't.
Wasn't allowed to eat anything without asking first, everything I wore was free hand me downs, often I would be wearing boys clothes (I'm a girl) Christmas was getting essentials instead of gifts. Wearing hand me down shoes that were so painful to wear causing infections. Nearly dieing from blood poisoning because my mom didn't want to spend the money on antibiotics
Door bell goes... Constantly hiding. Hiding from the milkman, the man from the Pru, and even the Parish Priest, because mum didn't have any money for the poor of the parish or the overseas needy, because we were the poor and needy ones ourselves!
Feeling sick reading lists like this because you still have PTSD from being raised like this. Also feeling jealous of the people on this list complaining about how they were treated getting free school lunches because that's not a thing in your country and came very close to dying from starvation as a child.
I'm also very happy my mom always did the laundry once a week and never had to hand wash cloths.... didn't have fabreze. Also never went hungry. And we always had a car.
I hate the adding water to soaps or milk to dressing bottles. I only turn them upside down. Water in a shampoo bottle is the worst... cold and not enough soap. So even though I was only a little better off than my parents & my husbands parents I put an end to that.
