Are you suggesting that the poor follow this "advice"? > With a bit of good financial planning How do you plan financially if your income (and your life in ge

Are you suggesting that the poor follow this "advice"? > With a bit of good financial planning How do you plan financially if your income (and your life in general) is uncertain? A major point in the article was that poverty leads to an inability to plan for the future, and increased stress as a result. > Corn, Oatmeal, apples, banannas, etc. So now you need bowls, utensils, hot water, a microwave, stove. You need safe and comfortable access to these things, you need a way to store food so that it won't be stolen. You might think that these are givens, but I lived in an illegal (but very cheap) apartment for a while with a communal kitchen where my food was regularly stolen / thrown out. The landlord would unplug the refrigerator almost every day to save on electricity costs, so a lot of wasted food and I stopped using the fridge. I was harassed and threatened in the kitchen, by residents who were on drugs/frustrated by life and taking it out on me. This made it very difficult to eat well on food stamps. > And who needs a super expensive cell phone plan? I make do with 9$/month using USMobile. You also probably have your own computer and Internet access. Without that, a smartphone could be your only way of accessing the Internet (something that's almost a necessity, especially for the poor) "Just go to a library" right? That's great if your town's taxes warrant a decent library with available computers and Internet access within walking distance (or convenient driving distance if you're fortunate enough to have a car). > my parents would clip every last coupon on the magazine, to get the best deals. My parents did the same thing. In their copious spare time, with ads delivered to the door of their home, and the ability to travel to multiple grocery stores, all vying for their grocery dollar, in pursuit of the best deal. Look at the trailer with the plywood extension in the article again. Do you think they're getting a stack of local grocery ads every Sunday morning from the neighborhood mailman? Do you think they peruse them over coffee in the morning saying "Wow honey, the single convenience store in town that survived the recession has eggs $1.09/dozen today!" "Oh? Sounds good! And the gas station is having a sale on milk!" > Driving insurance can be less than 25$/mo if you get metromile.com Great if you already have a car and can afford to maintain it and put gas in it. And that insurance probably isn't comprehensive, which leaves the poor more vulnerable to expensive emergency situations, especially if they require a car for work. A minor repair might be complete disaster if they don't have the cash, don't have access to credit, and then lose their job as a result.