The more I speak out about being poor, the more I realize that other people fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be poor versus bankrupt. The advice people give will come from a good place. However, I would like to give some examples to help everyone understand that most of the advice from non-poor people is not helpful.
Everyone has experienced a breakup. Being broke sucks. You’re looking at every dollar spent, looking for ways to reduce or extend things until the next payday. The difference is that when you’re broke you have some moneyYou can put gas in your car, but not enough to get it repaired, Money is tight, but you can get the basics at the grocery store, You can’t afford to go see a movie, but will stay home and watch what’s new on Netflix, Being broke sucks, You’re looking at every dollar spent, looking for ways to reduce or extend things until the next payday,
When you are poor the next payday brings no relief. It’s like an endless runner game. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how high you jump, you can never see the finish line. No matter how tired you are, the ground keeps moving. There is no room for mistakes because the punishment for mistakes is huge. When you hit an obstacle you don’t restart from the last checkpoint, you go back to the beginning.
People have this mentality that poor people should not be smart. I mean, you’re smart and you’re not poor! The problem must be a skills issue! Learn the skill to do it yourself and you will be able to pull yourself up.
The second mentality is that poor people are lazy. Stop complaining and do it yourself! Just get a better job! Get another job! The money is there, you just have to go get it.
The last thing these people think is that they understand what it means to be poor. Hey, I was a broke college student and I grew up poor! I had a tough phase, it will pass.
Let’s start from the top.
I have a van that’s breaking down. It requires a lot of work that we can’t afford. With this mentality that poor people are unskilled, it seems like I should watch some YouTube videos, get the part, and do it myself. The misconception is that being poor means you have a lot of skills. You have to fix everything yourself. There is never, I mean never, a time when you can pay someone to fix it for you.
In this example people think, “If the repair costs $1,000 at the shop, but the parts cost $300, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.” You are absolutely right. Even so, I still need to be able to afford $300 in parts.
Do you see the misunderstanding? I can’t blow $300 away. I have the skills, I have to fix all my cars myself. I’ve done a complete engine rebuild, I’ve replaced the transmission, I do all my own routine maintenance. The problem is not the skill, it’s the problem WealthWhen you go bankrupt, spending $300 instead of $1,000 feels like a win because you couldn’t afford $1,000, $300 may be $1,000 or even $10,000 when you are poor, you will never be able to afford it,
It’s not even a matter of time. I can’t keep money aside every month and then not get it. There is never any money to keep aside. I can’t put it on a credit card because I know I’ll never be able to pay it off. There would be a $300 debt looming over me, increasing with interest every month, and mocking what a loser I was.
Second mindset: being lazy.
How will I have time to multitask when I’m working so much extra? How will I have time when I’m fixing cars, appliances, roofing and cooking every meal from scratch in my spare time?
Should I take another job and never meet my wife? my children? Should I never have any personal time? Should my entire life revolve around money? Should I kill myself for capitalism?
People who say such things have only experienced brokenness. This is a temporary situation and a few months of additional income will solve the problem. Being poor doesn’t mean losing $1,000 or $10,000 in the short term. That’s $40,000 missing every year, forever. There is no short-term relief. This is not a difficult patch. This is The Pit in The Dark Knight Rises.
“There’s a reason this prison is the worst hell on earth… Hope. Every man who has languished here for centuries has looked toward the light and imagined rising to freedom. So easy… so simple… And like shipwrecked men turning to the sea water with uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I’ve learned here that there can be no true despair without hope.”
Yes, survival is possible. Hey, two people did it! Why can’t you do that! But you are completely ignoring the fact that how many people have died in this attempt.
All the general guidance on how to avoid being poor is actually advice on how to escape poverty.
- cancel netflix
- cook at home
- stop going to starbucks
- fix it yourself
- Don’t upgrade your phone
These are all things that will help you temporarilyThis will help you recover from bankruptcy in a short period of time, Or it will help you get control over your expenses, You have enough money, but you don’t spend it wisely,
Being poor means that you have already done all these things. You canceled all your streaming services years ago. You make all your food from scratch all the time. You never go to Starbucks to fuck. You fix everything yourself. You already push everything to the limit. This is how you have to live every day of your life for eternity, without any respite.
The final example is relevant to our time in America. Due to government incompetence, many poor people have to stand in lines for hours to get food at the food bank. Mere advice on cooking at home does not imply that there is no cooking at home.
Do you honestly think that people waiting in line at the food bank would be better off if they stopped getting DoorDash? Going to Starbucks? Go to hell. They weren’t already doing this.
How will they get another job or put in extra hours if they have to stand in line for 3 hours to get food? Should they remain without food until they get that job and salary?
You need to step aside and think about the difference between being bankrupt and being poor.
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Thank you for reading! If you want to comment on this post you can start a conversation on Fediverse. message me on mastodon @cinimodev@masto.ctms.meOr, you can email me at blog.discourse904@8alias.comThis is a deliberately hidden email address that will be sent to the correct inbox,