I don't see it mentioned and it may be a little dated by now, but Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickle and Dimed is a very good read on this topic. One thing that

I don't see it mentioned and it may be a little dated by now, but Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickle and Dimed is a very good read on this topic. One thing that I believe is on that list that may escape a lot of folks: "Being poor is knowing EXACTLY how much everything costs." Edit: Wups, didn't remember that that was how it starts