Obama: There are No Self-Made Men?

[bean]

that article was completely, 100 percent spot on.
Thanks for posting the link!

(07-22-2012 09:52 PM)Persnickety Polecat Wrote:  I think this article explained it best to me, and I know some people will probably discount it simply because of where it was published. But it's an eye-opening description. I knew someone who grew up poorer than poor, and I never understood her weirdness when it came to money and food, but once I read that article, I *got* it. I finally got it in a way I never got through sociology classes.

[Darrell]

Yeah, that article was pretty good. I've lived most of those.

[elfdream]

(07-22-2012 10:10 PM)bean Wrote:  that article was completely, 100 percent spot on.
Thanks for posting the link!

(07-22-2012 09:52 PM)Persnickety Polecat Wrote:  I think this article explained it best to me, and I know some people will probably discount it simply because of where it was published. But it's an eye-opening description. I knew someone who grew up poorer than poor, and I never understood her weirdness when it came to money and food, but once I read that article, I *got* it. I finally got it in a way I never got through sociology classes.

I was just going to recommend that article.

We (me and my two brothers) get 'casino' money twice a year. Not a huge sum....think of it as a couple of extra paychecks for a lower middle class family. Other people would save it but for a long time we could not. We had to use it to pay off medical bills or major house repairs (we live in a money pit) or buy clothes for the kids or whatever it was that we had been putting off getting. Looking back I think I can say we 'squandered' very little of it...but its only been recently that my husband and I have been able to keep some of mine. I am grateful that we do have that 'light at the end of the tunnel' when we are overwhelmed by something financial but its hard convincing creditors that the money IS coming...it will be here in a few months.

[bean]

I agree Elfdream. I don't think many of the poor "squander" their money but it is definitely spent quickly because the fear it won't be there soon. It's no fun. We were in poverty for probably the first ten years of our marriage. It was not a fun time especially considering that we were both teachers. We lived in a state that was insistent on paying it's teachers very poorly. Very poorly. Took us six years to figure out to move. We now live in a state where the pay is not making us wealthy, but we are at least lower middle class...

And the knowing how much money you have..that was a fond memory. I used to know to the penny. My son knows to the penny. (Once I asked him how much he had for ____ bill..did the mental math...it was like "I think I have 54.12." hahaha! ) Today I know within about a couple hundred bucks. I'd have to look it up. Not too concerned any more thank goodness! I think people that are very wealthy have no clue and it gets to the point where it's irrelevant.

When I was poor we would buy the 4 roll TP because it was the cheapest. No purchase above 5 dollars was beyond scrutiny.