5 things they don't tell you about being poor...

[undergroundpanther]

Being poor is like a game of poker where if you lose, the other players get to fuck you. And if you win, the dealer fucks you. A bunch of you reading this are among the 45 million “working poor” in America, and if you’re not, you know somebody who is. Like me.

Or 60 percent of all retired NBA players, according to this site.

I’m not blaming anybody but myself for getting into this situation (I was drunk for two straight decades) and I’m not asking for anybody’s sympathy. What I am saying is that people are quick to tell you to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and just stop being poor. What they don’t understand is the series of intricate financial traps that makes that incredibly difficult.

If you’re not poor, that’s awesome. I’m not mad at you, or jealous. Hopefully you’ll never find out that …



http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=55931

[Populist_Prole]

1. A shitload of people who think they're middle class are in fact poor

Hell, I grew up poor but never knew it till later. I'm just a tick above poor now, as are my co-workers and peers; though the pundits will noisily disagree because we have indoor plumbing, refrigerators, TV's and computers. I'll clean my clothes by soaking them in a stream and bashing them against a rock to retain plausible validity.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. Thanks for this.

I know some people who should be held down and forced to read this article.

[handmade34]

6. maybe

but unless they've been there... most don't get it and are more than happy to critique and offer solutions that may sound good in theory but near impossible in reality...

[In_The_Wind]

3. There are many poor people who have worked all of their life.

One little thing can be the turning point from having money to buy a decent amount of food to being grateful for a bowl of ramen noodle soup.

[freedom fighter jh]

4. About bank fees:

#5 is bank fees.

You may be able to avoid punitive fees by moving your money to a credit union. I have not done a fee-by-fee comparison, but having recently moved my money from a bank to a credit union, I do know that while banks are always looking for a way to charge you more fees, credit unions are not. At my credit union, for example, you need to keep a balance of just $5 to avoid fees. I don't know what happens if you slip up there, but I'm guessing the fee won't be so bad as a bank's fee would.

[geckosfeet]

5. Absolutely. But all CU's are not created equal. That said they are still your best option.

Check around. Compare different CU's and their services.

My CU offers absolutely free checking. Online banking bill pay, check deposit etc. The number and quality of services amazes me. Plus there are branch offices with great hours which I have had to use on rare occasion.

[TransitJohn]

7. From Cracked

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-nobody-tells-you-about-being-poor/
http://www.cracked.com/funny-7963-five-most-wtf-poor-taxes/
http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-insane-laws-written-specifically-to-harass-poor-people/
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-politicians-will-never-understand-about-poor-people/

[Hydra]

8. The comments on the page are horrendous

Amazing how many people think it's easy to get out of the hole.

Even more amazing how many people think it's easy to scam the system for more money than you make working.

:shakes head: The 1% think we're a bunch of gullible idiots. I can't say they're wrong in most cases.