“There’s food at home.”
The universal poor-kid anthem 😂 You could be staring at a fast food place like it’s heaven and still hear that line echo in your soul.
Only poor people really understand what it’s like to turn down McDonald’s like it’s a luxury restaurant
Going to unclaimed freight warehouse and canned goods. Looking for the best discount discount with least dented cans, purchasing cans without a label and being excited they were fresh canned peaches when you opened them. Happy you bought so many of them and hoping they were all the same since you could use them as a special dessert treat once a week.
Having your grandmothers famous pasta for the 5th day in a row for the third week in a row. How could you complain, people came from all over Sicily to get a taste of it! My dad making up stories about how wonderful, singing, doing a happy dance while preparing it to prevent me from realizing how poor we were. He even had me wash my hands so he could lift me up to put special ingredients into the pot. Teaching me the magical, safely guarded family secrets with a wink and a smile. My poor parents tried very hard to distract us from the poverty.
Unfun fact: “money can’t buy happiness” originated as a phrase used by poor people toward the wealthy as a criticism of materialism and frivolous spending. More recently it has been flipped back on the poor and is now used by the ruling class to justify not paying fair or livable wages.
Upon finding out that my summer tires are starting to go bald I asked the mechanic if I could just leave the winters on and buy new winters in November because that might give me enough to time to save up for half a set of tires
Toast and cream of wheat soup for dinner just to “try something different”, then reflecting later in life that it’s all you had in the house at the time.
This post reminded me of all of the extended periods as a kid when the cable was cut off. My dad would go on this righteous tirade about how it was a sacrifice we needed to make and it was just a distraction and we needed to get our noses in our books and everything. While he was right, he still got his cigarettes and booze 😆
How hard it can be not going from poor to homeless.
How stressful the first of the month can really be.
One of the big kick in the cajones I had after I lost my place to live, was when I was in a McDonald’s after scraping up enough extra money to buy a coke, and realizing that the kid that rang me up was probably going home for dinner.
I was going back to my car to eat a plain cheese sandwich and watch videos on my cellphone all night with my jacket wrapped around me.
Once I got my driver’s license, I got tasked with bringing bills to the water department, the electric company, etc.
I asked my mom why we didn’t just mail them in and she said when you mail the check in, the check gets cashed earlier, but if you bring it in person, you can wait until the very last day it is due.
Sometimes the money would be in the account on the very last day something was due but not a few days earlier.
Comments
We got food at home
Just add water
So basically the plot of this question is to fish out the poor comrades of Reddit through the comment section.
Can I pay on the 28th
Calling around to dentist offices and seeing which ones will let you pay in installments and the dread of hearing no every time.
Doing anything that doesn’t cost money
My vision has only deteriorated “slightly”?! Excellent! I can get a new pair of glasses next year.
That’s my favourite brand, Free
Guess I’m having sleep for dinner.
Is it absolutely necessary to get that done? (Dentist, Home Repair, Auto Repair.. take your pick)
I need to walk
Naps are a free vacation
I’m on diet
The term “wish dinner”.
Going to the thrift store on discount day… my mom was the queen of discounts.
I can’t afford to be broke
Sleeping in your school clothes for the next day because your house was never heated and it was too cold to get dressed from pajamas.
This block cheese is just as good as Kraft. (No lie tho it was better)
Got it at the Bins.
Ramen has gotten expensive!
Gas is $3.50. Eggs are $5 a dozen.
Old school poor.
Money can’t buy you happiness
I’m skint until pay day
“There’s food at home.”
The universal poor-kid anthem 😂 You could be staring at a fast food place like it’s heaven and still hear that line echo in your soul.
Only poor people really understand what it’s like to turn down McDonald’s like it’s a luxury restaurant
Bologna and mayo sandwiches are good
Just a pine float for me thanks.
1st and the 15th
Every girlfriend who breaks up with them is a gold digger.
“We’ll celebrate next month”
“I’m not hungry, you kids eat”
“I’ll just have tap water”
“No you can’t have popcorn at the cinema”
“Don’t throw it out, we can use it”
“I can make this last another week”
“I’ll pay you back when I get paid”
“Don’t get hurt, we can’t afford it”
I appreciated Eddie Murphy’s line:
“We were so poor we had hamburger helper helper”
I could totally relate
Im between paydays, it’s rent week,
Can you give me a ride, I’ll give you $5 for gas?
That was back when I was super poor like 10 years ago when $5 was good enough for gas to get a ride somewhere.
I work 2 jobs and still can’t afford to pay my utilities and rent.
“Let’s put a big old leather couch meant for indoors out in the yard and sit on it while drinking every night as our main entertainment” –
I’ve been watching a lot of Ozark.
Going to unclaimed freight warehouse and canned goods. Looking for the best discount discount with least dented cans, purchasing cans without a label and being excited they were fresh canned peaches when you opened them. Happy you bought so many of them and hoping they were all the same since you could use them as a special dessert treat once a week.
Having your grandmothers famous pasta for the 5th day in a row for the third week in a row. How could you complain, people came from all over Sicily to get a taste of it! My dad making up stories about how wonderful, singing, doing a happy dance while preparing it to prevent me from realizing how poor we were. He even had me wash my hands so he could lift me up to put special ingredients into the pot. Teaching me the magical, safely guarded family secrets with a wink and a smile. My poor parents tried very hard to distract us from the poverty.
“If you’re throwing that out, can I have it?”
I put down $20.00 on lottery numbers every week.
We can walk – it’s only 3 miles.
I am broke!
“Ooh manager’s special hell yeah!!”
I like payday lenders.
I can’t afford to pay both/all bills right now. Which one has the cheaper late fees?
“You know how it is.”
Do y’all have layaway?
“Hand me down”.
“I have (exact dollar and cents amount) in my bank account until Friday”
Going to the discount rack at the grocery store for bruised fruit and stale bread. And the classic “see if you can find any dented cans”
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
One slice of meat on the sandwich.
Whoa moneybags over here going with brand-name ramen…
If it is not at the thrift store, we can’t afford it
I am having a pack of smokes for dinner the rest of the week
Never met a rich person who called cigarettes “sigrits”
Sorry honey, we can’t afford new shoes this month.
Sending electric bill check to the propane company and vice versa. Oops.
Being on government cheese
“Money isn’t everything” 🤦♂️
If you’re gonna overdraft take out more at once to avoid extra fees.
“We’ll see.”–Poor parents when their kids ask to do something that costs money. You know they are dying inside to have to respond like this. I did.
Which bill should we pay this month?
If you can’t duct it, fuck it!
I got a coupon for that…
If it gets worse after a couple days, i’ll go to the ER
Should I pay for the bus or just walk?
Rob Peter to pay Paul
“Do you offer payment holidays?”
What if we just did nothing? (Healthcare context)
Asking if there is an ATM that gives $10 instead of $20
Water is better for you.
If you have it, spend it. I didn’t learn about saving money until I was solidly middle class.
Poverty is expensive.
That’s how they get ya.
“They’re new poor, we’re old poor.”. – always sunny
Unfun fact: “money can’t buy happiness” originated as a phrase used by poor people toward the wealthy as a criticism of materialism and frivolous spending. More recently it has been flipped back on the poor and is now used by the ruling class to justify not paying fair or livable wages.
Upon finding out that my summer tires are starting to go bald I asked the mechanic if I could just leave the winters on and buy new winters in November because that might give me enough to time to save up for half a set of tires
“I’m too poor to buy cheap things”
Toast and cream of wheat soup for dinner just to “try something different”, then reflecting later in life that it’s all you had in the house at the time.
“making” rent.
My mom: Just get the store-brand, it’s the same shit
As a kid, having all generic store-brand food made me feel self-conscious; as an adult, I fully understand.
“ can you not cash that check till Thursday?”
Rent or food?
“tap water is fine” LOLLL u/no_oneluna
I can afford it, but I can’t afford it.
Being very selective about how far you drive.
I’d rather die or take my chances than pay an ambulance or ER fee.
Leave the the oven door open, it’s cold in here.
Hey, you wanna split this plum with me?
“I got one on layaway.”
Tang-wiches.
“I made rent today!”
Can I use this coupon with this other coupon?
This post reminded me of all of the extended periods as a kid when the cable was cut off. My dad would go on this righteous tirade about how it was a sacrifice we needed to make and it was just a distraction and we needed to get our noses in our books and everything. While he was right, he still got his cigarettes and booze 😆
That you can’t take time off for a doctors appointment for fear that you will lose your job and become homeless.
Being poor is costing me money.
When people talk about “staying” somewhere instead of “living” somewhere.
How hard it can be not going from poor to homeless.
How stressful the first of the month can really be.
One of the big kick in the cajones I had after I lost my place to live, was when I was in a McDonald’s after scraping up enough extra money to buy a coke, and realizing that the kid that rang me up was probably going home for dinner.
I was going back to my car to eat a plain cheese sandwich and watch videos on my cellphone all night with my jacket wrapped around me.
Wish or air sandwiches
“I’m broke.” If you have a savings account, no, you do not understand what this actually means.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Once I got my driver’s license, I got tasked with bringing bills to the water department, the electric company, etc.
I asked my mom why we didn’t just mail them in and she said when you mail the check in, the check gets cashed earlier, but if you bring it in person, you can wait until the very last day it is due.
Sometimes the money would be in the account on the very last day something was due but not a few days earlier.
My car has that 250 air conditioning = 2 windows down going 50 mph.