4 ms·

A lot of people who have never been poor just think "oh, well, to stop being poor you just need to X, then Y, then Z." But they don't understand the implication

A lot of people who have never been poor just think "oh, well, to stop being poor you just need to X, then Y, then Z." But they don't understand the implications, or the difficulty. Not spending money on anything you absolutely don't need is psychologically crushing, especially when that includes everything from dental care to replacement shoes. Finding the energy to continue advancing your employment and to work at disheartening jobs is also brutal. Imagine working at a place that treats you poorly but if you quit you might end up homeless. That takes a toll. And somehow you have to both endure such things while also protecting and nourishing the hope of a better future that makes it possible to put in the tremendous effort to work towards that future. Meanwhile, the whole world is trying to take advantage of you in innumerable ways. Trying to force you to work off the clock for free (wage theft). Trying to charge you ridiculous interest rates on short term loans. And then you have to pay extra for things because you're poor. Some things you only buy when you're forced to in an emergency, so you can't buy them on sale or shop around. Other things you can't buy in bulk because you can't afford to. You can't buy stuff that lasts. Etc.

tekromancr 9y ago
Not to mention all of the financial tools you dont have access to because of no/poor credit. I remember what an incredible feeling it was when I finally worked my up to a rewards card. This magical thing that effectively makes everything I buy 1.5% cheeper. It felt like some sort of cheatcode for life. I remember then being so pissed off that I was able to have this as a rich person getting marginally richer, but not when I was poor.
- InclinedPlane 9y ago
  Indeed. Technically I have a lower net worth now than when I was poor because I have a significant amount of debt (I bought a new-ish car recently, for example). But going into debt to buy things just isn't an option when you're poor, other than taking a payday loan at usurious rates.
- Applejinx 9y ago
  Oddly, I hate rewards cards because I feel like it's one more thing to keep track of. I run a small business where I code stuff for a living, and have to continually be thinking up new stuff to survive. It's tough to weigh the value of a rewards card versus the mental bandwidth of managing a set of 'optimal buying locations' associated with rewards systems. That said, I completely understand your feelings on the matter. When you can't do a thing, and then you're allowed to and it's giving you a discount of some sort, it's a huge help. I have a car payment that's less than I was paying on repairs on the old car I had. There was a time when I wouldn't have been allowed to enter into such an agreement.

tekromancr 9y ago

Not to mention all of the financial tools you dont have access to because of no/poor credit. I remember what an incredible feeling it was when I finally worked my up to a rewards card. This magical thing that effectively makes everything I buy 1.5% cheeper. It felt like some sort of cheatcode for life. I remember then being so pissed off that I was able to have this as a rich person getting marginally richer, but not when I was poor.

InclinedPlane 9y ago
Indeed. Technically I have a lower net worth now than when I was poor because I have a significant amount of debt (I bought a new-ish car recently, for example). But going into debt to buy things just isn't an option when you're poor, other than taking a payday loan at usurious rates.
Applejinx 9y ago
Oddly, I hate rewards cards because I feel like it's one more thing to keep track of. I run a small business where I code stuff for a living, and have to continually be thinking up new stuff to survive. It's tough to weigh the value of a rewards card versus the mental bandwidth of managing a set of 'optimal buying locations' associated with rewards systems. That said, I completely understand your feelings on the matter. When you can't do a thing, and then you're allowed to and it's giving you a discount of some sort, it's a huge help. I have a car payment that's less than I was paying on repairs on the old car I had. There was a time when I wouldn't have been allowed to enter into such an agreement.