3 ms·

Most of the things you listed here are not that expensive. Even a lower income person can afford it. The differentiating factor is family values.

• michaelt 9y ago
  Gotta disagree with you there. I'll agree that anyone can take their child to the library. And most families could do healthy home-cooked meals every night - unless the parents are working two jobs or unsociable hours. But that modem? About 100 hours at minimum wage (if my country had a minimum wage at the time which it didn't - I'm using the rate from 3 years later) The computer it was plugged into? More than three months at minimum wage - assuming you saved 100% of your income. But a luxury like a computer would come out of your disposable income, after you'd paid for food, housing, heating and travel to work. 90 minutes of tutoring a week? 11 hours at minimum wage. Did I mention that, for a time, I was being tutored in two subjects? And that's without mentioning the opportunity costs of my mother leaving the workforce until I reached school age.
• mcbruiser3 9y ago
  > The differentiating factor is family values. bingo, that's the thing no one wants to talk about.