How to be poor.

[ratikala]

dear alceste ,

I've pretty much been poor for my entire adult life. I observe that being poor is a major source of stress for many people, whereas I'm fairly satisfied with my life, so I thought I'd share some tips. I'd love to hear the tips of others.

here there are a lot of people that realy beleive in recycling , we recycle everything !

personaly I pride my self in how much you can get away with without having to get sucked in to the big consumer cycle ,........ I shop therefore I am !:no:



I dont even think that most of the 'well off' here are all that happy because they are allways looking at what others have , so even the comfortably well off are poor by comparison to some one above them , and they 'NEED' to' APPEAR' to be as hich up the social scale as they can !, and from what I can observe this causes them as much stress as actualy being truely poor .

1. Do what you love.

being resorcefull , if I can acheive something , fix something or make something from nothing, , ....grow our own veg , ...pick hedgerow fruit , make jam ....and you can do it , grow it , make it , better than the rubbish stuff that comes from shops , ....Yey , ...that makes me happy

2. Be flexible.

Be on the lookout for any opportunity to a) make a bit of extra money to help make ends meet, and b) reduce your cost of living.

make things that others need , swap or sell

it might mean starting a vegetable garden on your balcony.

herbs and leticue on the window shelf

If you're going to be poor (hopefully because you're doing what you love),

or just plain cant agree and be a part of the big consumerist nightmare :no:


3. Learn to let go.

live in the moment , do what you can and be happy with the result ,

things are what they are there is no point hankering after jobs that dont exist , hollidays you cant afford , and come on all you parents , what about teaching your kids to be their own designers , teach them some pride in individuality , and its great fun !

then when they grow up they are equiped to be a little more self sufficient , even start their own business'es:yes:

and on the subject of holidays , pack a picknic basket and head for the nearest green and open space , go hedgerow forraging , and have A bit of fun .

watching bags go round on a carosell , cueing for hours siting in a germ filled plane to go some where sunny for a few days is not exactly my idea of a break !


one poor but happy realist signing off

 

[Kerr]

What do you consider "poor?"

Seems to me if you have regular access to the internet, you can't possibly be that poor? >_>

(unless you're the homeless bum who strategically camps out near the local public library which has computer terminals)

You can if you use other peoples Internet .

 

[Koldo]

I mean I haven't got any money.

What do people usually mean by "poor" in your part of the world?

No money at all?
Do you mean to say you have just enough to fulfill basic needs, or that you don't even have this much?

 

[Rakhel]

I've never heard of a mifi!

Mifi-

It works the same as the little thumb-drive types, just allows for more users. My dad sends us netooks he finds at fire/flood sale stores.

That's another good tip - charity shops! I can't begin to tell you how liberating it is not to own any clothes that cost more than five bucks. Doesn't matter if you spill coffee on it, snag it, if it shrinks or pills... just pack it off back to the charity shop and get a new one.

I haven't bought anything but thrift shop clothes for years. Dishes too. Doesn't matter if you break a 50 cent wine glass - even if it is hand blown.

This video has been making the circuit. I'm sure you've heard it.
[youtube]QK8mJJJvaes[/youtube]
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - THRIFT SHOP FEAT. WANZ (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

 

[MysticSang'ha]

1) Eliminate distractions. They tend to suck people into needless expenses.

2) Take a walk. Sit and listen to nature. IOW, engage in the much more simple things in life. I didn't have a television for much of the time when I lived around the country as a performance artist. In fact, I only had one landline phone and a small clock radio for my electronic connection to the outside world. I could pack them up easily and take them with me wherever I roamed, and nobody seemed to want to steal them.

3) Get a library card. And use it. Free education and entertainment right there.

4) Never lose connection with people. Sitting at a picnic table at the park, or on a blanket with some homemade popcorn and a bottle of water tended to be a meeting of choice much of the time. And conversations can lead to business opportunities, philosophical "eureka" moments, romance, or emotional solace.

5) Never underestimate resources available from the local waste stream. My entire apartment in NYC was furnished from people's dumpsters. And I'm not talking furniture that was falling apart (maybe a little rusty or muddy, but still functional and needed just a little clean up). But solid furniture that was old and outdated but entirely useful.

6) On that note, dismiss, scoff, and look down on anything and everything "trendy". Clothing, shoes, sunglasses, hairstyles....anything that is simple and elegant will always remain in style. For example, one can get away with a simple black cocktail dress, so just have one in your closet with a single pair of black pumps for any event that asks for that dress code. Otherwise, maintaining a neat and tidy appearance is a matter of good grooming and tasteful piecing together simple neutral toned second-hand clothing will keep you under the radar from the "fashion police".

As a dancer, we never wore expensive leotards and tights. Never. It has always been second-hand sweats, cut-off shirts, and just layering these things on before and after class. We'd show up to rehearsal with our $1.00 tank tops and cut-off yoga pants. Nobody cared, either.

 

[Vinayaka]

Because I've travelled to third world countries, my definition of poor is malnutrition. Anything beyond that isn't poor, imho.

Here in the west, if you have less money, there are lots of strategies. We raised 5 kids on one salary, although it was a half-decent salary.

Buy beater cars and fix them yourself, as much a s possible.
No quick food or quick coffee
no booze, no cigarettes
Walking is a great recreation, so is flying kites, etc.
Explore kid sport activities that are cheaper.
Buy bulk, be aware of prices.
Wear stuff out.

... and the list gores on.

 

[Alceste]

No money at all?
Do you mean to say you have just enough to fulfill basic needs, or that you don't even have this much?

We can't afford housing. Our situation in that respect is very insecure. If my 94 year old grandmother kicks the bucket, we might be living in a tent for a while.

I volunteered for a women's resource centre and was surprised to discover we are technically counted as homeless already.

 

[Alceste]

Mifi-

It works the same as the little thumb-drive types, just allows for more users. My dad sends us netooks he finds at fire/flood sale stores.



This video has been making the circuit. I'm sure you've heard it.
[youtube]QK8mJJJvaes[/youtube]
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - THRIFT SHOP FEAT. WANZ (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

I love that song! I totally relate.

 

[Alceste]

Because I've travelled to third world countries, my definition of poor is malnutrition. Anything beyond that isn't poor, imho.

Here in the west, if you have less money, there are lots of strategies. We raised 5 kids on one salary, although it was a half-decent salary.

Buy beater cars and fix them yourself, as much a s possible.
No quick food or quick coffee
no booze, no cigarettes
Walking is a great recreation, so is flying kites, etc.
Explore kid sport activities that are cheaper.
Buy bulk, be aware of prices.
Wear stuff out.

... and the list gores on.

I've traveled too. This is a thread about how to be satisfied with very little income in an extremely materialistic society that tends to judge your worth by your income. If you don't want to call that "poor", it's fine by me.

Good tips. My car has 330,000 km on it. Yesterday my cousin and I totally MacGyvered the busted driver door lock with a Bobby pin and a piece of irrigation tubing I found in the garage.

 

[Koldo]

Because I've travelled to third world countries, my definition of poor is malnutrition. Anything beyond that isn't poor, imho.

That's a strange definition. You probably mean malnutrition in a very specific way because even overeating counts as malnutrition.

 

[sandandfoam]

To be poor means to lack. I do not believe one could or should be comfortable with poverty.
One can be comfortable without wealth but that is not the same as being poor.

 

[Alceste]

To be poor means to lack. I do not believe one could or should be comfortable with poverty.
One can be comfortable without wealth but that is not the same as being poor.

I think people should try to be comfortable regardless of their economic circumstances.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I grew up in abject poverty. I had my fill of it then.

I'm not rich by any means, but I'm far from poor now. Having lived both sides, having the safety and freedom that money provides is way better than having to scrape by.

 

[Caladan]

I think people should try to be comfortable regardless of their economic circumstances.

I think that both my Polish grandfather, and my North African grandparents knew poverty, I don't think they had a comfortable life. My grandfather successfully rose above it by beginning a new life in Israel, a new family and a reasonable career.
But all my childhood I heard stories of what it is to scrape food from garbage and to face the freezing cold.
While I agree that some people are strong enough to find content in the simple things in life, I don't think that they should accept their condition. I don't think most of us here aim for unreasonable wealth, but a reasonable living standards and the ability to give to the next generation what they need.

 

[sandandfoam]

I think people should try to be comfortable regardless of their economic circumstances.

Sure, but my point is that to be poor is to lack. To be poor is to not have enough to be comfortable.
People who go to bed hungry and cold cannot be comfortable. People whose kids are doing badly at school because the books are too expensive cannot be comfortable.

 

[Vinayaka]

That's a strange definition. You probably mean malnutrition in a very specific way because even overeating counts as malnutrition.

Yes, indeed. I meant starving, basically. But you are totally correct. Half of America is undernourished and don't know it.

But basically the west's definition of 'poor' is different than Africa's, or South America's. There is poverty and abject poverty.

 

[Alceste]

I think that both my Polish grandfather, and my North African grandparents knew poverty, I don't think they had a comfortable life. My grandfather successfully rose above it by beginning a new life in Israel, a new family and a reasonable career.
But all my childhood I heard stories of what it is to scrape food from garbage and to face the freezing cold.
While I agree that some people are strong enough to find content in the simple things in life, I don't think that they should accept their condition. I don't think most of us here aim for unreasonable wealth, but a reasonable living standards and the ability to give to the next generation what they need.

I agree. Nobody should be having to sleep on the streets or eat garbage (although if you can get into a bin behind a grocery store you might be pleasantly surprised.)

On the other hand, nobody who has attained an acceptable, basic standard of living has to feel like they deserve, need, want require more in order to be happy.

Research has shown that more wealth does not correlate to greater happiness past a certain point - basically, it's secure access to housing, food, water and education.

 

[Vinayaka]

Research has shown that more wealth does not correlate to greater happiness past a certain point - basically, it's secure access to housing, food, water and education.

I think in certain cases a good argument can be made for wealth decreasing one's happiness. but it probably would have several personality ideas worked into it.

 

[Caladan]

On the other hand, nobody who has attained an acceptable, basic standard of living has to feel like they deserve, need, want require more in order to be happy.

Research has shown that more wealth does not correlate to greater happiness past a certain point - basically, it's secure access to housing, food, water and education.

I tend to agree. I think that a person who has the means to feed themselves properly, has proper living, and the means to answer their basic needs and a bit of an extra for leisure, can find contentment and probably fulfilling life.

 

[Alceste]

Sure, but my point is that to be poor is to lack. To be poor is to not have enough to be comfortable.
People who go to bed hungry and cold cannot be comfortable. People whose kids are doing badly at school because the books are too expensive cannot be comfortable.

OK. But if people in such a situation hope to improve it, it's is much easier to do so if they look for ways to minimize their expenses and increase their income opportunities rather than giving in to despair.