One of the joys of my adult life is never going hungry and having food in the pantry and fridge.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

I still have nightmares about my mother not having enough money to pay for the items in the grocery cart and me having to put stuff back on the store’s shelves.

When I learned to add, I would calculate the running total as my mom put goods in the cart so we wouldn’t be embarrassed at the checkout.

[58Sunliner]

1. Poverty can scar you. I worry about food alot since I went hungry and stole food as a kid.

Unfortunately it was hohos, twinkies, candybars and cupcakes. Probably explains the root canals I've had done over the years.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

4. As a frequent visitor to the cloak room to ponder my transgressions, I occasionally liberated a

snack from one of the lunchboxes residing there. I never ate all of the cupcakes or cookies or whatever.

Mea culpa!

[bhikkhu]

21. I grew up in a family of four, raised by a single mom

back in the 70's. We had a great family really and never actually went hungry, but we definitely didn't get to pick whatever we wanted at the grocery store. Most of our clothes growing up were hand-me-downs; I had bigger cousings who'd outgrow things, which then came to my brother and then to me. We learned not to ask for new things, as it just made my mom look sad.

It definitely leaves a mark. I took an early retirement 6 months ago, have money in the bank and two houses, but I still don't spend anything without a lot of thought. One of my old flannel shirts that I'd gotten from Goodwill a long while back started falling apart the other day, and I spent weeks thinking about options, then finally bought a new shirt. And I was trying to remember the last time I bought a new shirt...I really have no idea, maybe 15 years. It's a nice flannel shirt though, it fits well, kind of makes me feel like a rich guy when I wear it.

[housecat]

23. Take it back to Goodwill

[Joinfortmill]

31. You are a rich guy

[58Sunliner]

46. LOL. I was the youngest of three sisters, I know hand me downs well.

It's funny, I don't have a problem spending money on clothes. Maybe I should. Buy yourself some new shirts. You only live once.

[Eko]

2. I hear ya.

My Mom raised three boys by herself. I remember one Christmas she was on the phone crying to my grandfather that she didn't have any money to buy things for the stockings. I must of been like 8 so I went and shoveled snow off of sidewalks for the weekend and gave her all the money I made. Life was rough back then. Most dinners were soup and a grilled cheese, but the government cheese was awesome ha ha.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

5. Remember well commodity food. Cheese, butter, spam in a can.😋

[Eko]

7. Powdered milk was horrible though.

Couldn't stand it.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

8. Oh! And the powdered eggs! 😬

[Eko]

11. Never had those.

[Mblaze]

15. The most expensive (relatively) breakfast

I ever had was in the Yukon Territories off of the Alcan Highway. Powdered milk, powdered eggs, potatoes and coffee. I wuz gouged. 😀

[Joinfortmill]

33. Another good child - worth so much more than money.

[Tetrachloride]

3. I am in an area where 30 percent are below the poverty line

and another 30 are near.

Some foods are cheaper than the rest: potatoes, carrots, cukes, zukes.

[Unwind Your Mind]

44. When I was in college

My go to cheap meal was a big baked russet potato with salsa. Tasty and filling

[Bayard]

6. I remember those times...

Also the time we were driving down to visit my grandparents in SC. Early morning, and my Dad pulled into a little greasy spoon so he could sleep, and Mom and kids could get breakfast. He handed my Mom $2 to do that. She ordered pancakes and cut them in half to feed 4 hungry kids.

[Duppers]

19. Your Dad was a great person!

It would've been the other way around in my household - my father always put himself first. But we seldom stopped at restaurants - mother brought groceries & we cooked on grills at roadside parks.

I remember once eating at a counter in a restaurant when my brother ordered OJ that was 75c. Father told waitress to take it back.

Once stopped at an old hotel on our way to Michigan to visit relatives; it was a very hot upstairs room with 2 beds - there was 6 of us. I remember being miserable.

[SouthernDem4ever]

9. Lately, those totals add up fast after just a few items

Anyone else notice prices jumping a dollar at a time on items less than 5 dollars?

[AnotherMother4Peace]

10. I'd get up early to pop popcorn for our lunch bags. I'd often trade for bags of Fritos, etc.

I remember big pots of Tomato Soup, and sometimes chili - Always oatmeal, sometimes apples. - big family not a lot of money.

I too, now enjoy apples & oranges on the table & food in the pantry/frig.

[erronis]

12. Not to forget those that might have had a good life

and are now forced into much worse circumstances.

Illness/medical debt
Loss of jobs
Loss of a spouse/income
Depletion of savings
Theft (both personal and corporate)
Eviction and homelessness

As the world continues to heap wealth on the wealthy it is continuing to rob the middle-class and the poor.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. I spent many adult years going a day or two without food.

Thankfully those seem to be far behind today but it has given me a world view and an empathy that would be very different without such experiences.

[hay rick]

17. I agree.

I think those who have experienced poverty firsthand are more easily able to put themselves in the shoes of those who are currently poor. You understand the importance of a good break here or a bad break there if you have experienced both. Living without reliable access to food, shelter, or transportation changes your perspective. I'm sure that is even more true of lack of access to medical care- an experience I avoided through the fortunate circumstance of consistently good health during my poor years.

[housecat]

28. Yes empathy for others and opportunities for ourselves. Some, perhaps many, people with wealth and

luxury can be poor. People who appear to have very little may not be or feel poor at all. Some of the examples of what DUers have done to deal with less were creative and admirable, far from being poor.

[Joinfortmill]

34. Glad it's over...

[barbtries]

14. been there done that.

been shamed by the cashier with the line growing longer...ugh

I am happy that we're comfortable and relatively financially secure now, but i don't seem to lose the mentality of being poor. It all seems so fragile to me.

[58Sunliner]

47. I have never lost that fear. I am trying to put it into perspective.

[nuxvomica]

16. I remember my mom had this small plastic adding machine

It had three plungers, one each for dollars, dimes and cents. She'd use that to keep track of her running total while grocery shopping. I recall her constantly complaining about the price of bread or milk going up. I helped her out on the milk part because I only liked skim milk so I was happy with the far less expensive powdered milk.

[SWBTATTReg]

18. A horrible thing and I'm sorry that you had to suffer this. It should never happen.

In this land of plenty, No one should ever go hungry.

I do, and have, when I see someone in line ahead of me at the checkout counter not quite have enough, for what they had up there (and it's food), I will make up the difference for them on the spot. I consider it my good deed for the day.

These kinds of good deeds though, as I said, in this land of plenty (that's what they call the US), should not have to happen.

Be well all.

[Tetrachloride]

20. I'm on on my way to the center of my city in a distant land.

i keep some change in my pocket. I only give to women as their employment rate here is under 20 %

Several know me by sight.

[Canoe52]

22. My wife had the same experience as you did growing up, still cringes about it.

[thatcrowwoman]

24. Stamp out hunger, Saturday, May 13 (National Association of Letter Carriers)

Your mom raised a fine man, Floyd R. Turbo.

This coming Saturday is National Stamp Out Hunger day.
Sound to me like many people here on DU may want to participate.

Mail Carriers will collect cans and boxes of food to be distributed to food banks in your local community. Just leave your donation by your mailbox and your mail carriers will do the rest.

https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive

I’m making extra donations to my food box in honor of your mother, Floyd, and all of the parents who have struggled to feed their families in this land of plenty.
🕊thatcrowwoman

[Floyd R. Turbo]

40. My thanks!

[Earth-shine]

25. My mother grew up in poverty. It turned her into a hoarder and foodaholic.

There was never enough to eat. There was hardly any furniture.

Then, over the years, she acquired some wealth.

She bought much crap over time and stuffed it into drawers, closets, and corner spaces. So much stuff, that stuff blocks access to other stuff. She doesn't know what she has, so she buys it again.

If Dollar Tree has it, she owns it, but she can't get to it, so she buys it again.

So much packaged food, most of it expires before she gets to it. The food is years old, but she won't throw it away.

Overflowing from the closets are blankets, linens, clothing, shoes, toiletries, and more. It all gets so dirty and grimy, one doesn't want to touch it.

As the dementia set in, the hoarding only got worse.

Recently, we had to move her to assisted living because she can no longer care for herself. She is keeping her house so she can keep all her stuff.

Historically speaking, she's an angry person and difficult to get along with.

To paraphrase what the Buddha said, "It's our attachments to material possessions that make us miserable." I feel that every day when I have to clean stuff, organize stuff, move stuff, put away stuff, and of course, trip over stuff.

[Grins]

26. I was 1 of 5 orphaned at age 8...

Supplemental Social Security gave a FEW dollars every month to my widowed mother.

One day, 40-some years later, after college, after the Army, and after a TERRIFIC year financially, I remembered those small payments. I swear, for every dollar I got from the government in support - I returned it 100-fold in taxes back to the government. And that’s just one year! God knows about all the other years.

And not just me; my 4 siblings all got bachelors, Masters, and Doctorates degrees - and also did very well!

I also thought, if I knew what I was given then, I’D PAY IT BACK! Happily.

The Reich-wingers look at that as welfare giveaways for the “takers.” We should look at those payments as investments.

[dembotoz]

27. don't know what it was but this month lots of friends were really broke

for me it was an unexpected car repair and depleted reserves from a family wedding and a new baby in the family.
person who i kinda subsidize ran out of food and they hit the food pantry for the first time in a long time...thank god for the pantry.
folks juggling payments or being late on stuff they are never late on....

The immediate crisis seems somewhat over or perhaps they just are not telling me.

guess what i am saying is the posts above are about things we grew up with. These are still the way things are for a lot of people.

fighting for poor folks is kinda the core reason i am a dem......while trying not to be one myself

[Joinfortmill]

29. you were a good son.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

41. Thank you.

[moniss]

30. I remember very well

when I was a kid there were no "shut-off prohibitions" for utilities in the winter. Got awful cold many times. Later on had no money many times. When I was homeless for a good spell of time you get that fear and memory of hunger that stays with you for the rest of your life. If, hopefully, things get better for you it will not be something you just forget having happened.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

42. My brother and I would collect coal from the rail yard for our furnace in our wagon. It took a lot

of trips but it was a life saver in the dead of winter.

[Niagara]

32. I donate regularly to a food bank.

As I've been hungry and broke in a previous life.

[onecaliberal]

35. It gets worse every year for us. EVERYTHING is way more expensive than it is worth.

[Tree Lady]

36. I wonder if my kids think like this

I went through 15 years from 25-40 where I bought food but never any extras or a pantry full. Few of those years real tough. My kids were always fed but the abundance I have now. Both my girls in 40's make good money and have great jobs. I always had the impression they we're determined never to depend on a man for money nor not have plenty for their kids.

[debm55]

37. Oh Floyd, you are a great person. I look forward to your posts everyday. You are talented, kind and

kind. Best of luck in all you do..

[Floyd R. Turbo]

43. You are so kind. Thank you.

[IbogaProject]

38. I've never experienced any of this

But somehow I've developed compassion and I care about this issue deeply. It might be that I'm insulin dependent so I've faced many challenges in relation to that and I can see how we've gotten much worse as a nation in 40 years.

I think we need to do a grassroots get out the vote and organically pursue a '50 state strategy'. I fear the big money donors even affect our party negatively. They abandoned the 50 state thing after we almost got to 60 Senators in 2009. Grassroots so the big money can't veto us with backroom deals.

[Tetrachloride]

45. Seriously, I'd like to know who decided to abandon the 50

state strategy.

[beemerphill]

39. Anybody

who has enough food and a place to cook and eat is BLESSED.
We often take essential facts like this for granted.