Could you afford to be poor?

[jeffrey]

There are people, concentrated in Manhattan's Upper East Side and Beverly Hills, who still confuse poverty with the simple life. No cable TV, no altercations with the maid, no summer home maintenance issues—just the basics, like family, sunsets, and walks in the park. What they don't know is that it's expensive to be poor. In fact, you, the reader of middling income, could probably not afford it.

'This Land is Their Land' - WSJ.com

[PrincessPerky]

Are 'free' accounts really that hard to find? I have two and I often get offers from other banks telling me I should open one there for a 'free' account, and special gift. (a bag or a phone, or other silly things) Is that only in Charlotte NC or do 'po fo' just not know to look?

As to the rest I have lots of ideas on how to get around the problems eventually if not right away (Chinese soup take out comes in a perfectly good reusable container) but I think the biggest problem is that I have plenty of time to think of it, someone working two jobs doesn't.

The real problem IMO is that social welfare doesn't spend any effort in brainstorming, just in handing out fish......

[JanH]

It has been quite a while since I read Nickel and Dimed. There was one thing that I remember, but not very well so I might be wrong. Seemed to me that the author ate fast food a lot. A loaf of bread and some peanut butter would have lasted a lot more meals for less money. Eating out didn't make sense to me. I guess the author was trying to follow the lifestyle of average person at that level. But, the costs of injury/illness was very informative. One time to the doc and you are in deep. DIL had this happen with a surgery and no insurance.

[zakity]

It sounds like the author of the article just doesn't have very many frugal skills.

[Marcymox]

well lets examine the food thing a bit closer.

Ok so she ( he? ) went to k-mart to price some items to start a kitchen. 40 bucks? ever hear of a thrift store? goodwill has it's "plasticware" for 29 cents on up. 1.99 for a basic cheapo pan or pot.

How much is a hotplate? or a used microwave? I know I donated a perfectly good micorwave that worked fine to a thrift store because I invested in an over the stove model to free up counter space. Why not get one there?

Fast food- such a cop-out . Okay you can't afford expensive spices. How expensive is salt, pepper, and some white beans? how about generic cans of veggie soup? Generic bread, PB, a few bananas. Potatoes, a bit of hamburger, some frozen generic chaap mixed veggies some pasta. Could have made a goulash, a soup, ect. a foam cooler and hotel ice ( or a bag for a buck a day) goes farther than buying fast food for 2 meals a day.

The writer failed to see that if they would have just invested in a cooking METHOD- either microwave or hotplate, that the rest would have fallen into place. THe food could have come from food banks, angel food ministry, food stamps, wic, ect, ect.

[rob62521]

I think the author was trying to live the way these people lived...please realize that many of the poor are not well educated and don't know a lot of the things we take for granted. Plus, many don't have vehicles to go to some of the thrift stores or bargain places that are scattered around their city. They stay in their neighborhood.

[penny-pinchers-usa]

Originally Posted by Marcymox

The writer failed to see that if they would have just invested in a cooking METHOD- either microwave or hotplate, that the rest would have fallen into place. THe food could have come from food banks, angel food ministry, food stamps, wic, ect, ect.

There's also "Great Food For All," another free food organization found through local churches.