[sarabethv]

I believe some time ago we had a discussion on here regarding the fact that the poor pay more and have trouble with savings and such.


http://www.washingto...702053.html?g=0

[Lynx Cat]

So, have you been saying that poor people have difficulty paying for stuff? Wow :notworthy:

[lgm]

That article is as full with examples of how the poor are stupid which costs them money as well.

A man pays 10% for a check cashing place to pay his electric bill with the excuse that he doesn't have time while he sits in a laundromat (stupid). Another man complains about how much a check cashing place charges and he can't cash checks at his bank since he lost his license (stupid) and is completely unaware that simple identification licenses are readily available from states normally for less than the driver license fee typically. The story of the guy not having a "bonus card" at the grocery store is a great example of stupidity.

I agree that the premise is correct but I think it shows that poor education due to schools, parenting and collective social thinking is also a major factor that inhibits these people. It is almost as if the article, without missing a beat, started as a social liberal concern of the poor and changed into a mockery of their incapacity to learn and overcome obstacles.

[sarabethv]

I agree that the examples were not good. For whatever reason the author thought those would be moving stories, or maybe it was a mockery of their inability; however, the key points are that people in poor neighborhoods do pay more for food and services. I myself have noted that in certain areas, gas is more expensive - along with grocery and household items. I could actually have written a much better article. Poor people pay more for certain things.

IE: the laundry example - I recently bought a used washer and dryer. For both of them I paid $150. (not much right?) However, if I didn't have that extra 150, I would be stuck going to the laundry, where I would spend aproximately 10 a week. Problem is that with someone who stretches their budget for that 10-20 a week, they could make up that $150 in 15 weeks (can't go without clean clothes that long). Plus this assumes that they live somewhere they can have a washer and dryer. An old neighbor of mine lives in an apartment complex where they cannot have those in their residence, so they are forced to use the laundry facilities; thus, paying more over time.

P.S. lgm: I agree that schools, parenting and "social think" are major contributing factors.

This post has been edited by sarabethv: 21 May 2009 - 07:22 PM

[elliott20]

I always felt the problem lies less in the poor having less education in general and more in the fact that financial education has never been a part of an educational curriculum. The end result is that only the people whoever thought to want to learn how to manage their finances will, while everyone else just sort of sticks their heads in the sand.

[Shred masta Mike]

Amanda and I only make slightly above minimum wage (7.15) and her and i manage to get by just fine and have more then enough money for entertainment and other such things and no, we do not get help from mommy and daddy. It certainly can be done. Just have to be smart about your money.

[Second Talon]

Shred masta Mike, on 29 June 2009 - 12:37 AM, said:

Amanda and I only make slightly above minimum wage (7.15) and her and i manage to get by just fine and have more then enough money for entertainment and other such things and no, we do not get help from mommy and daddy. It certainly can be done. Just have to be smart about your money.

You personally also live in Erie PA (Metro Population of roughly 280,000). Things are cheaper there than in Chicago, for example. It's hard to get out of a cycle of debt when as soon as you start making enough money to get your life back on track, you no longer qualify for government assistance programs and such and *poof* goes your extra cash.

So, yeah.. the basic problem of it being more cost effective to remain in government housing and living off of government assistance than it is to attempt to get your own house/apartment/condo/whatever in a better part of town. The in-between steps will kick the shit out of you and throw you right back down where you started.