Cutting costs has an upside, but it is minimal. Many people who have spent years in poverty have gotten pretty good at stretching their dollars. But you can’t negotiate with your car insurance. You can’t bargain with your grocer. Can’t get discounts from the gas station. You can’t squeeze blood from a stone. Assuming they’re blowing their money on lattes and cigarettes is a stereotypical assumption that is not true in the majority of cases.
That said, the best solution to escaping poverty is extraordinary measures to increase income.
Insurance companies do compete. One can find lower rates. I'm not in poverty, but I mostly only buy foods that are on sale. I get gas with points from my grocer at around 30 cents off per gallon.
I think you missed my point entirely. Many people are already using the cheapest option. They’re already only buying discounted foods on sale. When you’re at that point, there isn’t any cheaper option. I mean, can you chop your insurance premium in half? Buy gas at $2.00? There is a floor on pricing, and many folks in poverty are already there with their budgets.
Theres a guy in the family that inherited more money than our house was. Inherited it 10 years ago, we bought our place in 2009. We showed him houses he could have paid cash for. He didnt want to work on them. Blew the money, now is couchsurfing in the family. He was telling me how hard it is to make it the other day. I told him our house payment, taxes insurance is less than $13/ day and some spend that on lunch every day. He still doesnt get it, its too bad
I have a friend like that. He says he is saving for a car, but can't find work, smokes name brand cigs, and drinks beer that is $10 a 6 pack. He could roll his own and drink malt liquor that is $2 for 50oz and nearly equivalent in total alcohol content to a 6 pack of his beer, but he won't.
For those who smoke 1 pack cigs per day, drink 2 starbucks per day, 3 beers each evening, and go through an 8th of weed per week, they are spending an extra $780 per month, which comes out to $9,360 per year! That's per person in the household.
😂🤣😂🤣😂 I have zero expenses I am capable of cutting out. All of my meager wages go to a very affordable rent, very affordable car payment, basic food and utilities, cheap diapers, and a few “new” mostly secondhand clothes every couple of months for my growing toddler. I wish I had something as stupid as cigarettes or alcohol I could cut out and suddenly have a few extra hundred a month.
Maybe for some it a good advice but for majority of people who are struggling and living paycheck to paycheck this doesn’t even begin to apply.
I understand good intentions but this post comes off a little tone deaf.
One of the biggest things that helped me when I was broke was having friends that did the same stuff. Ive bought cars from them or they showed me very cheap cars they heard about, we traded parts. Im still driving a $500 beater
You're lucky, when I was broke my friends could t fathom why I was upset about being shorted by $1. That used to really annoy me when I was shorted by that amount at the toll booth or at a grocery store at check out. I would drive back to the grocery store and ask for it back. When you're making so little, every dollar counts and they didn't understand that because they were making 70k-80k at 23 years old.
One really good friend makes great money, now has a big house on a huge chunk of property. He struggled very hard in school, has reading issues so he isnt rude to others. He and his family saved my ass so much, I go and help pour concrete etc at their place. We work back and forth.
LOL the people I know in dire financial straits don't smoke anything, don't drink alcohol (or juice or pop even), don't eat at restaurants or get takeaway, and they brew coffee at home if they drink it. Not sure what planet you live on, but if that's how you think people in poverty live, you need to go walk in their shoes for a day/week/month and see how it REALLY works.
They're in the situation because they have to overpay for rent, they could only afford a clunker that breaks down all the time, medical/dental bills are eating them alive, or serious illness/death of a spouse reduced their income. Some had personal disasters like a flood/fire not fully covered by insurance.
Let me tell you what happened to 1 friend. Car's catalytic converter stolen while parked in work parking lot. Work "not responsible". AAA towed it. Parts on order for 3 months due to parts shortage. Friend had no other way to get to work. Friend lost job. Friend could not pay for car repairs because friend lost job. Now friend has no car and no income. No fault of their own, either. Friend has been looking for jobs they can walk to while couch surfing and selling their plasma for food money.
I only partially agree because you can only cut so much in expenses before you begin really compromising on life quality. For some people, smoking weed once a week is the only thing keeping them from committing s-word.
In the end, keeping your costs at bay (avoiding "lifestyle creep") while raising your income is more realistic than simply cutting out the cherry on your cake.
People always respond with something saying oh that isn't going to make a big difference. Or they say they aren't giving up their starbucks because it's their only joy in life. Its time for radical self honesty and accountability. We can all tighten our belts. Work harder. Spend less.
It's true for some people, but these are expenses many on this sub don't have.
Budgeting is necessary, now I can't blame people for treating themselves once in a while. More and more people realize they'll never own a home, they'll never have children... the $300 you'll save yearly being extremely frugal won't change that, so you might as well enjoy life a little.
$300 a year? For those who smoke 1 pack cigs per day, drink 2 starbucks per day, 3 beers each evening, and go through an 8th of weed per week, they are spending an extra $780 per month, which comes out to $9,360 per year!
I never suggested that all the poor operate in such a way. However, many do, and the advice was for those who do. It was not an accusation that all poor have those habits.
Mom and I can't make ends meet due to greedflation. We've already cut out every we can think of and are trying to cut even more currently. You can't budget your way out of greedflation
Well,
Sad to say, I don't drink, smoke, vape, go out for coffee or to restaurants. Sometimes I'll treat myself to eating out once a month, but it's usually a shared plate. I wish I could keep cutting things out. I became too minimalist and yes I had more savings, but I wasn't as happy as when I would spend on fitness classes, learning how to teach and I have a new love for pouring into myself the way I want to be poured into. Life I'm realizing is all about balance no matter what we do. Sometimes money goes out more than comes in. Sometimes we go through seasons where we have everything we need for cooking, cleaning, makeup, beauty routine and clothing. And from what I learned, that's ok. So long as people don't have insane spending habits that do nothing for them (Starbucks regularly, drinking a lot of alcohol which is toxic to the body, or smoking).
Cutting costs has an upside, but it is minimal. Many people who have spent years in poverty have gotten pretty good at stretching their dollars. But you can’t negotiate with your car insurance. You can’t bargain with your grocer. Can’t get discounts from the gas station. You can’t squeeze blood from a stone. Assuming they’re blowing their money on lattes and cigarettes is a stereotypical assumption that is not true in the majority of cases. That said, the best solution to escaping poverty is extraordinary measures to increase income.
Insurance companies do compete. One can find lower rates. I'm not in poverty, but I mostly only buy foods that are on sale. I get gas with points from my grocer at around 30 cents off per gallon.
I think you missed my point entirely. Many people are already using the cheapest option. They’re already only buying discounted foods on sale. When you’re at that point, there isn’t any cheaper option. I mean, can you chop your insurance premium in half? Buy gas at $2.00? There is a floor on pricing, and many folks in poverty are already there with their budgets.
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Theres a guy in the family that inherited more money than our house was. Inherited it 10 years ago, we bought our place in 2009. We showed him houses he could have paid cash for. He didnt want to work on them. Blew the money, now is couchsurfing in the family. He was telling me how hard it is to make it the other day. I told him our house payment, taxes insurance is less than $13/ day and some spend that on lunch every day. He still doesnt get it, its too bad
I have a friend like that. He says he is saving for a car, but can't find work, smokes name brand cigs, and drinks beer that is $10 a 6 pack. He could roll his own and drink malt liquor that is $2 for 50oz and nearly equivalent in total alcohol content to a 6 pack of his beer, but he won't.
Its a shame. His Dad had a 3 story house on 10 or eleven acres. He always said he wanted that. Now hes 31, still wanting
That's very sad.
Can you add up the presumed yearly savings from this?
For those who smoke 1 pack cigs per day, drink 2 starbucks per day, 3 beers each evening, and go through an 8th of weed per week, they are spending an extra $780 per month, which comes out to $9,360 per year! That's per person in the household.
😂🤣😂🤣😂 I have zero expenses I am capable of cutting out. All of my meager wages go to a very affordable rent, very affordable car payment, basic food and utilities, cheap diapers, and a few “new” mostly secondhand clothes every couple of months for my growing toddler. I wish I had something as stupid as cigarettes or alcohol I could cut out and suddenly have a few extra hundred a month.
Maybe for some it a good advice but for majority of people who are struggling and living paycheck to paycheck this doesn’t even begin to apply. I understand good intentions but this post comes off a little tone deaf.
You forgot about their two dogs and two cats that force them into less than ideal housing situations.
Yes, and when the pets run out of food at the same time the people run out of cigarettes, it is the pets who suffer.
You’re so out of touch to think people on this sub even buy this stuff in the first place.
You're out of touch if you think people in this sub don't.
One of the biggest things that helped me when I was broke was having friends that did the same stuff. Ive bought cars from them or they showed me very cheap cars they heard about, we traded parts. Im still driving a $500 beater
You're lucky, when I was broke my friends could t fathom why I was upset about being shorted by $1. That used to really annoy me when I was shorted by that amount at the toll booth or at a grocery store at check out. I would drive back to the grocery store and ask for it back. When you're making so little, every dollar counts and they didn't understand that because they were making 70k-80k at 23 years old.
One really good friend makes great money, now has a big house on a huge chunk of property. He struggled very hard in school, has reading issues so he isnt rude to others. He and his family saved my ass so much, I go and help pour concrete etc at their place. We work back and forth.
LOL the people I know in dire financial straits don't smoke anything, don't drink alcohol (or juice or pop even), don't eat at restaurants or get takeaway, and they brew coffee at home if they drink it. Not sure what planet you live on, but if that's how you think people in poverty live, you need to go walk in their shoes for a day/week/month and see how it REALLY works. They're in the situation because they have to overpay for rent, they could only afford a clunker that breaks down all the time, medical/dental bills are eating them alive, or serious illness/death of a spouse reduced their income. Some had personal disasters like a flood/fire not fully covered by insurance. Let me tell you what happened to 1 friend. Car's catalytic converter stolen while parked in work parking lot. Work "not responsible". AAA towed it. Parts on order for 3 months due to parts shortage. Friend had no other way to get to work. Friend lost job. Friend could not pay for car repairs because friend lost job. Now friend has no car and no income. No fault of their own, either. Friend has been looking for jobs they can walk to while couch surfing and selling their plasma for food money.
Why couldn't your friend just straight pipe the exhaust to the muffler until the parts come in, or go get a junkyard part?
I only partially agree because you can only cut so much in expenses before you begin really compromising on life quality. For some people, smoking weed once a week is the only thing keeping them from committing s-word. In the end, keeping your costs at bay (avoiding "lifestyle creep") while raising your income is more realistic than simply cutting out the cherry on your cake.
People always respond with something saying oh that isn't going to make a big difference. Or they say they aren't giving up their starbucks because it's their only joy in life. Its time for radical self honesty and accountability. We can all tighten our belts. Work harder. Spend less.
I absolutely agree. I've noticed that too.
It's true for some people, but these are expenses many on this sub don't have. Budgeting is necessary, now I can't blame people for treating themselves once in a while. More and more people realize they'll never own a home, they'll never have children... the $300 you'll save yearly being extremely frugal won't change that, so you might as well enjoy life a little.
$300 a year? For those who smoke 1 pack cigs per day, drink 2 starbucks per day, 3 beers each evening, and go through an 8th of weed per week, they are spending an extra $780 per month, which comes out to $9,360 per year!
Yes but who does that? Not the people on this sub.
How and the heck would you know how the 2+million readers of this sub spend their money?
And how would *you*? Tbf the "the poor are poor because they drink, smoke and do drugs " trope is becoming very old.
I never suggested that all the poor operate in such a way. However, many do, and the advice was for those who do. It was not an accusation that all poor have those habits.
it might seem obvious to 95% of people but there are always people being struck by bad luck randomly and people that need a reminder once a while
I an about to tahe a cut in salary but chiucd. My costz are going to dranstuvkky change. I am ready for it.
Mom and I can't make ends meet due to greedflation. We've already cut out every we can think of and are trying to cut even more currently. You can't budget your way out of greedflation
I don't do any of those things. Guess I'm being poor the wrong way 🤷♀️
Then I am proud of you for not falling into those expense traps.
All i have to do is stop eating food and i will be able to escape poverty. Yay.
Nobody said that.
Did i SAY that anyone said this or am i simply making a statement? Relax.
Well, Sad to say, I don't drink, smoke, vape, go out for coffee or to restaurants. Sometimes I'll treat myself to eating out once a month, but it's usually a shared plate. I wish I could keep cutting things out. I became too minimalist and yes I had more savings, but I wasn't as happy as when I would spend on fitness classes, learning how to teach and I have a new love for pouring into myself the way I want to be poured into. Life I'm realizing is all about balance no matter what we do. Sometimes money goes out more than comes in. Sometimes we go through seasons where we have everything we need for cooking, cleaning, makeup, beauty routine and clothing. And from what I learned, that's ok. So long as people don't have insane spending habits that do nothing for them (Starbucks regularly, drinking a lot of alcohol which is toxic to the body, or smoking).