r/poor

The first week of every month when I drive through the neighborhood, I see many homes where everyone's things are out next to the curb. Furniture, clothes, etc. 😢

Title said it all. 😮‍💨

I don't have a job and even I did had a job I still didn't have insurance because it was too expensive so that time I was fine thankfully. But health is so unpredictable, that I got to find out I have gallstones. Doctor said surgery is option or you can leave it as it is if you don't experience pain. But as months go by, I'm feeling a lot of discomfort and sometimes experience flank pain. At this point I don't even feel like even eating correctly is helping me. And I'm really tensed out. Thing is when I had pain prior I did go to ER and they send me a huge bill that I have ignored to pay and now I'm scared if I go ER again what if they don't admit me or ask for insurance since I heard surgeries are expensive.

Mine is soda crackers and peanut butter. 👌 maybe an apple along with it, if I’m feeling fancy.

I've lived in a super 8, extended stay , intown suites, and now I am living at my close friend's home with her 2 kids out in the boondocks, so to speak.

I've worked as a waiter, a warehouse associate, a waiter, and now a nanny (yet compensated although room & food is apart of my compensation - and this is of no fault of my friend's as she has recently ran into financial issues...) in that order.

All this to avoid living on the fucking street.

I have no car and no savings. I had to pull out a small 1k l0an to help pay for my last hotel stay. And it still ended up taking my paychecks.

Just when I thought things would be better, I ran into numerous apartment companies and landlords who told me I dont make enough to qualify despite paying 2k for hotel stays monthly up until recently. From weekly paychecks, mind you.

The private landlords on Facebook marketplace who want up front cash (2k or bust) only look at my messages and leave me on read or tell me that someone has beaten me to property closing for rental of a home (listing was just posted a day ago or day of). That's after I literally harass them for a reply.

On top of that? I had to quit my waiter job. My friend had a traffic violation and got shook about getting busted so to keep her from feeling scared and possibly getting her arrested, I quit my job. They paid me bullshit compared to what I knew my worth was anyway. Couldn't risk my friend getting booked either. She has kids. She works closer to her home than me.

Did I mention she is secretly in violation of her lease bc im there?

It feels like I'm trapped.

On top of all that, my own mom won't help me. Plus, my friend has such bad credit even though she thinks she'd be able to cosign with me on an apartment.... like bruh.... cmon...

On top of all of THAT, my storage unit is due this week. And my cell bill is due on the 20th.

And my bill of repayment to a friend (first ever l0an).

And the bill for my other l0an that I pulled out (2nd l0an)

I did not do anything to put myself in this predicament. No woman is pregnant. I have committed no crime. No immorality other than spam watching porn lmao. No ill malice toward friends. Nothing. I am a hard working man. I'm 25. Black.

Life isn't fair, I know. Save the lecture and the sermon.

I just want a place I can call my own. A studio. A one bed. Something of mine I have nothing to show for myself of major significance except debt, a couple of new jackets, a new suitcase, and more lore.

Fuck can I do?

I mean, the rich will stay rich, and the poor will likely just stay poor. The federal reserve monopoly just creates money, and gives it to their banks, which give it to their insider friends, and has the lowest interest rates, then they charge the poor the highest interest rates, making it harder to repay the loan, causing more stress, and keeping the poor poor. Unless the money supply is controlled by the people and not the federal reserve's monopoly, I don't see anything changing in the future.

I’m the poor one in the friend group. My friends aren’t wealthy/rich by any means but they have decent paying careers. We all just entered our 30s.

-He said: “I need you to lock in, we’re all supposed to be up by now”

At first I took it as a joke but i genuinely think he’s just out of touch.

Let me paint the scene.

We all went to high school together (public school, inner city), their parents were middle class. Mine were upper poor/lower middle. We weren’t struggling bad but there were also some things we didn’t have/do. By senior year, they all had cars, whether hand me down or bought. They all went to college (as did their parents, mine did not). Got into their careers right after.

Most live with their parents as of today (during college-dorms/roommates, after a few had their own apt for some years). So not only do they had good paying careers, they also don’t have house bills. My parents are divorced and both I would say on the poor side now. I can’t live with them, and if I did I would still be paying house bills.

I don’t use my past or things as an excuse, it’s just the truth & explains why I’m not “up” yet like they are. I also had a child 6 yrs ago & before that I was severely depressed/s*****l/very dissociated from life due to hating family home life, I couldn’t keep or job or focus on being an adult.

They’re all single men. (Me—a woman) So yeah.. I don’t have the same time you all have even with a partner lol. On top of that we don’t have a village, so it’s just us, making it work, working opposite schedules to avoid needing babysitters. I’m learning everything as I go, which is hard to do working full time, having a child, being poor. I have to be strategic. I can’t make mistakes. I don’t have a family home to fall back on if things don’t work out, it’s this or the streets. So sorry for living in survival mode a bit (especially in this economy!!). I am looking into online schooling, something to get me into a career. I’ll get there but it’s just gonna take me a little time. Idk it’s just the end part where he said “up BY NOW”.. like damn I guess I just been being lazy all these years sorry bro.

Sorry for the rant, thank you if you read it all. Have a great night 🤘🏼💕

Long story short, last few years since COVID have been financially very tight and I eventually fell behind on my self employment taxes for Medicare and Social Security. My debt isn't huge, I don't make enough for it to be so, but obviously I'd like to get caught up. After rent, utilities (which have increased 20-30% in my region since 2020), a few surprise health and car situations etc, the money I used to put back for those taxes has simply been forced to, uh... stretch further, the last few years. I have two jobs, a traditional full time service job and a freelance business on the side, but it has been incredibly hard as the COL continues to skyrocket. I've been working 7 days a week since 2022, but it just never seems to be enough anymore. Every time I get a raise or my income goes up, something else catches up to it, and I'm back where I started. As they say, shit happens.

The first few payment options offered to me on the phone were somewhat laughable - options like "Just a small monthly payment of $300-500 / month!" I finally got it down to something slightly more manageable, albeit it'll still mean a lot of skipped meals and cut corners. When I told her this lower amount I had to borderline beg for would still be somewhat difficult for me, she said "Well, have you considered just getting a better job?" in one of the most noxiously condescending tones I've ever had the misfortune to hear.

I couldn't help but laugh when she said this. I explained that for rural Appalachia, what I get paid is actually considered pretty good, that I have friends with degrees making only a little more than I do because wages here are quite low and severely out of pace with inflation and gentrification. She said "Well, I don't know if that's true, but even if it is, you should consider finding a way to make more money." Uh... does she not realize most of us are ALWAYS trying to come up with ways to increase our income? It's pretty rare for one to simply choose poverty for funsies.

I've had mostly positive experiences with the IRS in the past, so I'm not hating on them by any means! Last time I had to arrange a payment plan with them, they were super friendly and understanding, but this one was so snippy and borderline aggressive, I was somewhat shocked! I understand they have a hard, surely stressful and unpleasant job, so I get it... but that particular comment just made my head spin. So out of touch with the reality within which we currently live (and to be fair, she did sound elderly over the phone, so maybe she doesn't realize what it's like for younger generations). But, like... if better jobs with high pay were always possible and easy to get, I assume everyone would simply "get a better job", and poor people would cease to exist. Few, if any, are poor by choice.

Speaking of choices... I mostly make pretty responsible ones. I don't go out, I don't go to cafes, I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I have basically no hobbies because I work so much... when people with my lifestyle are still struggling just to keep the lights on, that means something in the system is broken, and "just get a better job" is a little easier said than done. You'd have to be unbelievably ignorant, especially these days, to think it's always that simple.

Everytime I scroll on TikTok or Instagram or even YouTube, I see videos of rich people bragging about what they spent their money on for that day. I hate to sound like a negative person but that’s how I feel. It feels surreal sometimes. To see 16 year olds in high school driving their own Lamborghinis and buying Cartier bracelets and racking up $4k in Sephora all in the same day. Meanwhile I’m struggling to find a job to stay housed. I hate being reminded of the things I don’t have. This doesn’t feel like real life sometimes.

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Living in a 3rd world country with parents that have no job, might be the worst possible thing a human has to go through, I did not want to be born I don't want to be here, my situation is so fucked, ik I'm young and I still got time but I can't afford shit, it's actually gut wrenching when I hear my parents complain about the smallest fucking things money related I get it we are poor but do something about it, my dad like a loser he is just slacks off and I don't know what the fuck he is surviving in so naturally all the burden falls on top of my mother, she obviously does not have a job and is self employed. It fucking ruins me whenever she tells other people how she barely was able to pay for my school fees, why I don't get it why the fuck did these two people have a child What for?? For society? Like can't you guys see you have no job no security we'll fall off. I can't even dream because of them because dreaming in the current world is expensive a good college would take tons of money that my parents would not be able to afford I'm sick and tired of this shit, of seeing how my friends all around me get into colleges and live their life not worrying about shit because they got money. How the fuck are my parents expecting me to get into a good college and secure great jobs if they don't invest in me first? I don't have the heart to sit down and tell them that it takes soo much more money than we possibly have to get something great in return.

This is stupid, i wish I could just vanish at least they would not have to pay for my shit afterwards, I feel like a leech , I could continue studying in a shitty ass college get a shitty ass degree and none of my dreams would be fulfilled and I'll die. I don't have anything and can't have anything everything is out of reach there's no point in working hard anyways

Hello all!

I have recently founded a pet supply pantry in the SGV of California. If you would benefit from this, what would you need the most/the most often? I am doing my best to evaluate the need.

I am not wealthy myself, quite the opposite, but I have always been able to provide for my pets and am asking for a better perspective. TIA!

I won a kind of insane vacation package. Cruises, hotels near Disney, the whole 9 yards. They want $400 in fees (included in the giveaway rules). I never win anything. I won this, and can't even have it because of the fees. I'm so sad. I've been trying to convince myself that it was probably a scam anyway (it actually probably isn't, the booth was at a reputable street festival), just to make myself feel better.

anyone else on a similar situation?

all i ever wished was not to worry about money and have a home w a small yard so that i could go outside w out all the people there.. but its literally never possible bcuz of my disablity.. (not like even working people have that chance nowdays but i cant even dream of working and mby one day having it)

ive been doing the same things everyday for years, cant afford hobbies or trips or even rly a livable apartment, distractions that ive used for a better decade arent interesting anymore so all this just kind of come to the surface of how awful life is when u cant afford anything..

I had an emergency room visit in May to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, an in network public hospital that’s in network of my insurance, I received a bill after my insurance paid out of $775. I am unable to afford that with my low income of $3000-$3500 a month and supporting myself. For two weeks I have been given the run around by the hospital billing company and I was given different phone numbers for the Financial Aid department of the hospital and never was able to get a hold of anyone. These numbers went to the same automated voicemail and no one ever called me back now today. When I called the billing office again I was told that there are no Financial Aid options for someone that has insurance (even if underinsured) only uninsured people which doesn’t make sense that I’d be given multiple numbers and then suddenly today I’d be told that there is no Financial Aid for me. The idiots on the phone also said there’s no reduction or hardship rates and “they don’t do settlements” and gave me a “main billing office” that I can call that’s above them. What can I do to reduce the rate? My insurance has already paid them thousands of dollars it doesn’t seem right that I should pay 700+ dollars. I can afford to pay maybe half of this if I scrounge up some cash. I can’t afford more than that even in a payment plan I can’t afford an $87 a month payment plan what should I do? I only make right now around $3000 a month which is very low for the high cost area I live in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit\_life\_syndrome

Here I am, southern european poor as fuck, 27 years old and having to live with my partner and his father in a tiny, three-room house, because none of us can afford better housing...

Wages are so low in my country, housing costs more than the average salary in my area... there's no way of getting out, even the majority of "higher earning people" aren't what I would consider comfortable, they are just doing a little better than US,

We don't even have kids and plan on having none.

Most of the young people I know are in the same situation: either they are wealthy by family, and were given/inherited a house from their parents, or are among the lucky few who can actually provide for themselves, or they are living with their parents and housemates well into their 30s and 40s, if they are not partnered up, including people with college degrees.

Not only do I feel like I'm not book smart but I'm also not street smart. I'm feeling like I'm lazy, unmotivated and feeling defeated by my own thoughts. Everyday I have the choice to get up and do something differently. If I really really focused and made my mind that I have to do it then maybe God knows I could end up becoming successful but I lack willpower, discipline, seeking help. I'm living in resistance, being scared and soft, not speaking up, not seeking opportunities. And therefore I'm continuing self sobotaging and having low self esteem in life. Many many people in my family have ended up becoming successful and financially secure. They worked hard and sacrificed. They put in the time and energy into their studies and work and always found ways to elevate opportunities or skills. And then there are people their entire life goes by just making excuses and feeling like life is unfair

As title says, my family has been normal, bit of struggles in terms buying power, but bit of privilege for not worrying about short term concerns. Now, my parents has finally been fully hit with health conditions, and I am super young still at 20yo.

My area has been wide range from middle class to super wealthy people. Due to this, there are friends of mine who are able to take me out to eat and let me join activities for free. The friends go on trips every season or month. They get to choose their college. I have noticed that I can not help but judge when I see them or talk with them these past few weeks.

How can I undo this thought? Or, how did you learn to be grateful of doing activities that do not cost anything besides working out, going outside, and being on devices.

to the user who blocked me and commented, and anyone else; this does not mean i use my friends.

I have been with my friends before being more poor. I just RECENTLY saw their life as benefits to themselves, and me. Example is like there's benefits to a job rather than just seeing them as a friend. 2nd, even if i was poor my entire life, my financial status should not lead you to change your biased comment.

please comment how you have developed. Let's not be hateful and judgemental. Thank you.

I am so sorry if I am coming off tone deaf. I also apologize if I am asking this in the wrong sub. But idk where to ask. However I am just trying to understand.

For the last year, I have been working as a counselor at a small, title one/ low income school. (We’re currently on summer break though). Something that I have noticed whenever working with my students is that literally 40% of the students do not live with their paternal parents. (Not Mom or dad). When working with all of my students, they all live with grandparents, auntie, and “boyfriends and girlfriends”.

Ever since I started working here, I have met so many teens that are living with their boyfriend/ girlfriend. Or moved out of their mom’s house to live with their grandmother etc. or some random person in their neighborhood.

I had mentioned this to my supervisor to make sure that I don’t have to make any reports since they’re not actively living with parents. They told me to take note of it but not to do anything else.

But is this normal? I have never ever in my life seen this happen so much until I started working at this school.