Why Poor People Stay Poor

[Prism]

112. We need a "How to be poor" classes

Which is a statement in and of itself, but it's actually very expensive to be poor.

Funny but painfully true article about being poor:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-nobody-tells-you-about-being-poor/

Being poor in America is actually counterintuitive. A lot of decisions that seem like the right ones at the moment are actually terrible for you long-term. Take owning a car. If you're poor, you might buy a beater just to cope. But then, because it's a beater, you're fixing and replacing this, that, and the other thing. If you had saved or delayed or (have the ability) financed a better car, long term, you'd pay less.

Same with food. Costco? Go for it (if you have a fridge and freezer and the $55 for membership, and one actually near you).

Shitty shoes? No, buy the more expensive good shoes damnit.

And on. And on. And on. And on.

In the heat of the moment, in the immediacy of need, people make poor economic decision that ultimately cost them.

It's expensive to be poor in America. But if we taught people to make slightly better decisions, we could alleviate it a little bit. Just a little bit. It still sucks to be poor. (I was poor as recently as five years ago. I worked up bit by bit to middle class because I was once a financial advisor and knew how to avoid the exploitive nature of a lot of things poor people think of as simple aspects of their lives).