http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...-or-low-income
Has the economy bottomed out,or have we not reached bottom yet?
What would be your advice to poor people? I just found out yesterday that my nephew and his mom and sister are homeless,thats why I asked the last question.
"Its time to start calling what the current situation is:a depression."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/op...rssnyt&emc=rss
I just discovered givemethesimplelife's thread.I would have posted this under his/her thread if I had noticed it sooner.
Advice to poor people is something I feel able to address. I'm sort of poor myself, have friends who live on income below the poverty level, and attend a church that has many low income members.
1. People aren't logical. If they see a fancy cell phone or gold jewelry, or even a car, there is always going to be someone that says, they must not REALLY need help, because they have X. Never mind that it would be dumb to sell the car when it's something you can sleep in, and get to work or job interviews in. Never mind that you already had that phone before your income dropped. This is an excellent time to sell gold jewelry, at or very near the top of what it will ever be worth in our lifetimes. Think of what you can use the cash for that will have long term benefits - moving to a place where you have people or prospects, job interview clothes, shoes, work tools, permanent alternatives to disposables such as cloth napkins/cleaning rags/handerchiefs. These things save cash in the long run.
My main point there is that with a low income we depend a lot on the good will of others, and those others form their ideas from appearances more than facts.
2. Along the same lines, stay clean and groomed. Cut each other's hair, trim the beard, take a sponge bath in the handicapped stall at McDonald's if you have to. The number one turn-off among my associates who go to church with or help the homeless is when a person smells bad. This reaction is just human nature - roll with it. For the homed, when asking for help, wear clean clothes that don't look like they were expensive. People don't stop and think you could have had those nice clothes for years before the current problem set in. Leave the designer bag and shoes at home and use the ordinary *-mart version. Leave most of the jewelry at home too.
3. Start cutting costs now. Just because you still have a job today is no guarantee of tomorrow. Use library books and internet resources to find less expensive alternatives to things you currently spend money on. I've noticed I use perhaps 1/5th as much dish detergent using a dish brush as with a dishcloth. Their are tons of sources for that kind of money saving idea. see also www.frugalliving.about.com
4. Open your mind to sharing living space. At poverty level, living alone is very hard to afford. Likewise transportation and household tools. Lately I see far, far more of those little scooters than I did even two years ago. People still want to be able to go places, but the scooters are far less expensive to buy and to run than a car is.
5. Be nice to people. Join things, build social networks. The less money you have, the more you depend on the kindness of your personal 'village'.
Oh, and I forgot mention "Don't get sick".
I just don't understand how there are so many agencies that send food overseas to help starving people there. Seems similar to having a starving family, yet feeding your neighbors first. Let's fix our own country first.
the article mentions an 18 year old who has a baby. What do you expect? Mistakes can happen of course but now women had a great deal of control over their reproductive health. Keep your pants on. Contact planned parenthood and figure out how not to become pregnant until you can afford to support and feed a child (and advocate funding for birth control - already they cannot use federal money for abortions).
reader99, great advice. Shared living space is one thing I think will become more common. Cleanliness is another big factor as you have pointed out.
Another one is learn how to cook with inexpensive foods when you have a place to stay. Like lentils, oatmeal, flour for biscuits and bread, carrots etc. Don't buy fast food or packaged food.
Change your attitude. No cable TV, no home internet, phones besides a basic cell or homeline for job contacts, basic transportation (shoe leather express, biking, scooters) etc. will all go a long way towards preserving the funds you can get your hands on and keep you in living space.
Look into all possibilities in your area. Is there a soup kitchen? then go to it. Job finding programs at your library or works programs? attend, be on time and attentive. If you can find a relative to take you in do everything you can to pitch in, keep your area neat and tidy, be as unobtrusive as possible and contribute sweat equity to the home, especially if people who own the home go off to work. Do everything you can to have the owners of the home walk into a clean and neat space, and be respectful of their privacy when they are in the home. Retreat to the library or go for a walk, or to your own room if you have one, anything to make yourself more welcome as you get back on your feet.
Cathy A, Ditto your post. I wonder is that wrong of me to feel that way sometimes. I don't know. We went to a new church a few weeks ago and the first offering was for someplace in Africa for the starving. I felt bad that your post was my exact thought.
Reader99 I am guilty of the seeing a cell phone and question " How poor are they?". I have a hard time getting over that one. Only from personal experience I suppose. I went a long time back in the day of the cavemen with out a phone cable for that matter too, it just was not in the ability to afford category. I used the neighbor's phone and they took messages for work. 6 years ago we made some big changes (for us) with no income coming in, but not a crisis situation, so we downsized, cut to one cell no land of course, parked the extra cars and insured one. We did this till things stabilized again. I would do it in a heart beat again too if needed.
I think I heard 1 in 45 children are homeless.
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