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Instead of worrying about money all the time, people should probably just be saving and investing their money. Even on minimum wage it's possible to save a litt
by mruts 7y ago
Instead of worrying about money all the time, people should probably just be saving and investing their money. Even on minimum wage it's possible to save a little bit every month provided you are willing to sacrifice other things for it.
When I was younger I had a lot of friends that were making minimum wage as cooks or whatever in Boston. They (and me) had plenty of money to spend on alcohol, weed, bars, pizza, etc. If anyone had wanted to, they could have made sacrifices and put away over $250 a month.
Of course, things are a little different when you have a family, but then again, in my opinion, you shouldn't have a family until you're financially stable.
I know live in Tanzania and the situation is so different that I find it ridiculous when people in America complain about income inequality or the lack of a "living wage."
Even the poorest employed people in America are far better off than most of the people here, and if you told them about how the so called "poorest" in America live, they would literally kill to switch places with them.
- diN0bot 7y agoyou can't compare your situation however many years ago to someone else's situation right now somewhere else. the job and housing markets are different, people have kids, family obligations (spouse, siblings, parents, relatives, ...), ongoing physical and mental health issues, and of course different levels of support and opportunity based on class, race, gender, papers, etc.
- ziddoap 7y agoUnique combination of "just try harder", "me and my friends were fine", "just dont have a family duh", and "dont complain other people have it worse". Any more insights? What's your take on depression? "Just get over it"?
- overthemoon 7y agoImmutable law of the internet--if you write a piece about financial hardship, you get out of touch scolds in the comments preaching frugality and self denial. Take one single second to consider that maybe virtue alone isn't enough. The world has changed since you were young. Take some time to learn about it, and develop some empathy.
- throwayEngineer 7y agoI have been teaching people how to save money and time, and I've yet to meet anyone to change my mind on this. You either accept that people choose to live outside their means, or people have no control over their bodies and therefore should not be punished for crimes. I don't expect people to share ideas about this topic, it's silly too. Most of us want to help people, but many hn voters would rather by publically empathetic than discuss.
- ziddoap 7y agoSo, being poor is a binary decision between spending too much, or some extreme autonomous-body conclusion? I reckon there is a middle ground, but what do I know.