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Thanks for the clarification. I think it was mostly this statement : Assuming a lifespan of 3 years, the cost difference between a $600 phone and a $300 phon

Thanks for the clarification. I think it was mostly this statement : Assuming a lifespan of 3 years, the cost difference between a $600 phone and a $300 phone is barely more than $0.25 per day that triggered my response. Rereading it: you're right. I'm still glad to have posted the link :) What really riles me up is that a lot of people have no clue how expensive it actually is to be poor and how hard is it to break the vicious circle. That's in addition that a lot of poor people work equally hard as the rest of us.

JohnBooty 11y ago
I see what you mean. And you're right: not everybody has an extra $0.25/day or $1.75/week for a nicer phone. $1.75/week for some people is the difference between having oatmeal for breakfast and not having breakfast. That is an excellent, excellent link. And this: > What really riles me up is that a lot of people have no clue how expensive it actually is to be poor Yes! This is the one thing I wish everybody could understand about being poor. Not only do you have less money, almost everything is more expensive. "Simple" things like buying food when it's on sale and freezing it for later aren't possible if you don't have a second freezer, or even a first freezer, or if you're in danger of having your power turned off, or if you live in a terrible apartment where the power goes off for reasons not even in your control. Heck, a lot of people can't even clip supermarket coupons because they don't have access to a supermarket. (For anybody scratching their heads at this, Google "food desert") Or another great example: Cost of a $150,000 home if you're rich and don't need a mortgage: $150,000 (or $0 in the long run, because you can get that money back when you sell it) Cost of a $150,000 home if you need a mortgage: $500,000+ (Not that the truly poor can even obtain mortgages, but it's a good illustration of how much cheaper things can get as you go further and further up the income scale)
mirimir 11y ago
That's a heart-wrenching list. I love Scalzi's SF, but didn't know that side of him. My parents were poor by any US standard. But basically, I was trained for the Cold War, so hey. I do recall, however, a friend who was raising two kids on her own. With some horrible history of migration etc. She did indeed know the cost of everything. And budgeted carefully, down to the penny.
- CaptainZapp 11y ago
  It's nice that Scalzi "made it" and turned his writing into a successful career. I really like his blog (sorry John, I guess I'm one of your freeloaders; that's because I'm just not that much into SF) He seems to be a really decent guy and shows an ability, which is sorely missed nowadays: Comon Sense.

JohnBooty 11y ago

I see what you mean. And you're right: not everybody has an extra $0.25/day or $1.75/week for a nicer phone. $1.75/week for some people is the difference between having oatmeal for breakfast and not having breakfast. That is an excellent, excellent link. And this: > What really riles me up is that a lot of people have no clue how expensive it actually is to be poor Yes! This is the one thing I wish everybody could understand about being poor. Not only do you have less money, almost everything is more expensive. "Simple" things like buying food when it's on sale and freezing it for later aren't possible if you don't have a second freezer, or even a first freezer, or if you're in danger of having your power turned off, or if you live in a terrible apartment where the power goes off for reasons not even in your control. Heck, a lot of people can't even clip supermarket coupons because they don't have access to a supermarket. (For anybody scratching their heads at this, Google "food desert") Or another great example: Cost of a $150,000 home if you're rich and don't need a mortgage: $150,000 (or $0 in the long run, because you can get that money back when you sell it) Cost of a $150,000 home if you need a mortgage: $500,000+ (Not that the truly poor can even obtain mortgages, but it's a good illustration of how much cheaper things can get as you go further and further up the income scale)

mirimir 11y ago

That's a heart-wrenching list. I love Scalzi's SF, but didn't know that side of him. My parents were poor by any US standard. But basically, I was trained for the Cold War, so hey. I do recall, however, a friend who was raising two kids on her own. With some horrible history of migration etc. She did indeed know the cost of everything. And budgeted carefully, down to the penny.

CaptainZapp 11y ago
It's nice that Scalzi "made it" and turned his writing into a successful career. I really like his blog (sorry John, I guess I'm one of your freeloaders; that's because I'm just not that much into SF) He seems to be a really decent guy and shows an ability, which is sorely missed nowadays: Comon Sense.