Every once in a while a cranky person or a troll rolls through here and leaves a comment that refers to me as being poor, and it’s usually used in a pejorative way (“Well, you poor people just always need to xyz….”), but sometimes in a passing way (“Kristen is poor, so she has to cook at home/shop at Goodwill/use freecycle.”)
While I’m not generally offended by these comments (trolls and cranky people do tend to say cranky things and I don’t take them seriously), it does always make me raise my eyebrows and the wheels start turning in my brain, mulling over what it means to be poor and whether I think I’ve ever actually been poor.
So, I’m just going to share my rambly thoughts on the topic and then I’m really curious to hear what you guys think too.
Whenever I’m referred to as poor, my initial thought is, “Goodness, that’s ridiculous! I have so much more than what I need that one couldn’t possibly think of me as being poor.”
And it is true that at this point in my life, a sane person couldn’t look at my bank statement and categorize me as poor. I am in the privileged place where I can choose to live frugally not just to survive, but to maximize our income’s potential. I could spend more than I do, and I choose not to.
But even in the bare-bones days of our early marriage, I still never thought of myself as being poor. I think that’s because even in our leanest days, our necessities were taken care of.
We lived in a one-bedroom basement apartment, but we always had a roof over our heads.
We may not have been able to eat out, but we never had to wonder if we could afford groceries.
Our cars may not have been fancy, but they were safe and reliable.
Plus, we had clothes, car insurance, health insurance, homeowner’s insurance, and a small savings account.
By typical American standards, we weren’t exactly living the high life, but I just still don’t think we were poor. Much of the world’s population would have thought our lifestyle was positively luxurious, actually.
I think in my mind, being poor means being unsure of whether your needs will be met. And I am privileged to have never been there.
(I must add parenthetically that when I maintain that I’ve never been poor, it’s not because I look down on people who actually are. It’s just that realistically speaking, I don’t think I’ve ever been at that point, and I think categorizing my life as one of poverty would be insulting to those who do actually live in poverty every day.)
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So, talk to me! How do you define poverty for yourself? And do you think you’ve ever been poor?
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Joshua’s 365 post: Wildlife Wednesday
Carey
Sunday 11th of February 2018
I don't think that I have ever been truly poor. I have always been blessed to have had the proverbial Boot Straps needed to get by in life. To me, being poor means to live in poverty, and to be impoverished means that you are in a situation of not being able to take care of basic necessities (housing, food, clothing, transportation, etc.). This could be because of debt, no access to education or employment that pays more than minimum wage. But I think that debt is a major factor for most people who might be considered poor.
OfMonklyLiving
Tuesday 24th of June 2014
People seem to neglect the fact that we live in a world that allows us to be vastly resourceful, this allows the creative mind to require less money.
One does not need to buy groceries when one can spend an hour a day or so tending their vegetables, and someone doesn't need to throw out their dinner table if a leg breaks when they know how to replace it. These are time honored traditions that most of the people in society who look down on others who are less financially dependent's grandfathers cherished and took pride in.
Let us also give an example for the money driven individuals out there with a simple series of questions.
Q: What do you have when you possess the means to maintain and procure the required materials you need to live healthy, clean, and full while spending little or no money?
A: You have more money.
Q:When you have more money, while healthy, clean, and full what do you have?
A: More freedom.
Now let's look at it from a commercial, and political standpoint; We live in a world of overall price inflation. The price of living is gaining in rates. Alongside this we live in a spender's world. Without money flowing our country stands still. This may seem like frugality and poverty is then bad right? Not at all. In fact it keeps the pecking order that those who wish to be wealthy absolutely adore does it not? I mean, if someone is happy, and healthy, and has the means to have fun and get out there and enjoy life they will not care so much if they're working at that restaurant serving you the food that you wanted prepared.
From a philosophic and spiritual standpoint it builds character, expands the mind, and creates a stronger and more dependable person. It teaches humility and self worth, as well as respect for others. Again, ideal's we as a species adore right?
These are all valid points one could use to reply to such attempted tarnishes. But sometimes you may even run into someone who dislikes in blind ignorance alone. For those I have a simple reply.; You can fight to help your country provide its workers a true living wage, you can take money from your own pocket and share with others to spread the wealth, or you can encourage something that still spreads money through the economy, allows people to be strong and healthy, while providing those services you desire.
And for those with open minds; You could do as the frugal and crafty do, while doing all of the actions above. Thus creating a stronger and better world.
Happy living.
Floofy
Monday 3rd of June 2013
Thank you for touching this topic and I apologize that I'm late to the discussion.
I will agree with many others and say that if you have shelter, food and can afford healthcare, you're not poor. For a time in my life, I was poor. I worked 12-14 hours a day for a shady boss who never paid us on time because it was a small landscape company. When he didn't pay us on time? We drank cheap coffee at Starbucks for heat and shelter until they closed for the night, then we slept at a rest stop. It was tough getting ahead when we didn't have money. I know very well how it feels to be afraid to sleep at night, because you don't feel safe. I also know what raw hunger feels like. It's been years, and we're still VERY nervous if the pantry gets a little low. I'm happy to say that my family is no longer poor. We live frugal by choice, because we're happy that way.
You may not be living like a king, but you have a good life. A beautiful home, delicious food(I saved a ton of your recipes), good health and even extra money for the little stuff that we treat ourselves to. You're doing fine. :) Don't let people bring you down or goodness, PITY you for not having a sports car or other unnecessary fluff.
sate
Sunday 2nd of June 2013
Yes, I grew up poor. And by poor I mean I only ate at school (weekends were horrible), I wore the same cheap low-quality clothes for years, I attended schools that had bars on the windows and metal detectors at the entrance and never saw a doctor because I did not have health insurance. I'm not that poor anymore but I understand what being poor is. To me it's not having the things you need and not having a way to get them/move up. Obviously homeless people but even ones who have more than that. For instance, people who have a minimum wage full time job that pays their bills but does not give them time to go to college or anything else....spending all their time working to barely get by.
Chrissy
Friday 12th of April 2013
I think people think you MUST BE POOR if you are not invested in having all new things and a bigger house and a nicer car and a smartphone etc., etc. it is common "American-think" to see excessive possessions as normal and expected....not as luxuries. We have never had a fantastic income...in fact, with the birth of our second (of three) son, we randomly discovered we were considered wellllll below the poverty level and qualified for many benefits. Bahahaha! It was hilarious to me...I sacrificed and pinched my pennies til they screamed and stayed home with my children (something I wanted so much I was willing to go without new shoes for two years and didn't think twice....until I had to go to a wedding...lol!) but poor? No. We were broke...we considered it temporary and normal, since at that time we were 27, had only been in our house for four years, and only married for five years....OF COURSE WE WERE BROKE. We were young and just starting. Now we have been frugal for so long we have no debt, lots of savings, a growing retirement and all because we still live similarly to how we did then...except I have bought a pair of shoes in the past year...three, I think, actually. I think "poor" is sort of a state of mind, "broke" is a circumstance you can work with. If I had really embraced our "poverty" I believe it would have been so much harder...it was how it was and we felt so blessed to have the few things we had! So, no, you aren't poor and apparently no longer broke either. Lovely! Those that are still in that circumstance...it isn't who they are, it is just numbers and it means only that life is more complicated in some ways and you have to make decisions very carefully...unless they define themselves that way, as poor and maybe somehow less. I know people that do...