what it's like to be poor

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Job was the wealthiest man on earth at the time. thing was he lost his family, his wealth and his health and people wouldnt even talk to him, his few friends tried to comfort him but to no avial.

But through his trials he got to speak with God. He didnt quite undestand that riches dont come from us being good or even our diligence, It actually comes from God blessing us with the ability to live...from being redeeemed. he didnt quite get that at the time so he had to repent from his pride. interesting story...but a lot of people just think Job was being a whiner. lol
 
Most people I know live pay cheque to pay cheque... and these days don't even get a pay cheque for work due to COVID closures and layoffs.
yep its been hard for lots of people. Im thankful that I got paid during it. what you can do is apply for wage subsidy and if your employer is good they can annualise your pay, youll get less each week but at least in your holidays when there is no work you will have income coming in.

baby boomers have it easier if they can contine to work AND draw a pension. many choose to do so because they need the extra money because they just cant survive on the pension alone, it will be extremely tight. Its possible, but they would go without some things like heating in winter or less nurtious meals whoch is not good when you are old.
 
this is what its like to be poor...

you have people automatically judge you if you are out of a job and they will say 'you are just too lazy to work'. they dont know if youve been made redundant, or what your previous working conditions were like, or the business went under, or you have to help look after your family, or how long youve spent looking for work and unable to find anything, because there are no jobs to be had.

they dont know that its often better to accept charity than go begging or work illegaly. sure you could take any job, but there are some things you wont do, because even the poor have some self-respect. a woman could turn to prostitution, but she wont. a man could hustle and trade in stolen goods, and thats easy money, but he wont.

when you are poor you have limited options, the world isnt your oyster...its more like its your shark.
 
when you are poor and get turned away from jobs because you arent qualified to do them, training for something better often involves an expensive education so you may get a loan to pay for it. These loans can cost thousands of dollars and may have interest on top of that.

the deal is if you graduate then you are meant to automatically get a job in the field because you are trained right. But that doesnt always happen. there may be few jobs to go round and then theres other hurdles to overcome. If you dont belong to a wealthy old boys network you are just competing along with everyone else. If you look or sound foreign your CV often just goes in the circular file. Its often down to luck.

Ruth was poor and turned away from her famine stricken country for life with Naomi in a new land. she had literally nothing but the clothes on her back. She lost her husband and everything. she gleaned the fields. Because she was a woman, she was easy prey for male workers and needed protection. she could have been exploited, but God had a hand in her meeting Boaz. Did she continue to glean fields after marrying Boaz? Bible doesnt say but it does imply Boaz was wealthy as he had land. She had none, but upon marrying him she now belonged and her sons could inherit that land.

when you are poor you often have no land so you cant even feed yourself. dirt poor means you might actually have land but nothing can grow on it. it might not be any fault of your own, the land may have been poisoned beforehand, or polluted, or ravaged. there could have been a war. But you make the best of it cos thats ll youve got.
 
cute
being poor often means DIY. Sometimes it works, often it doesnt, but you can say you did it yourself.
Rich people can afford to pay others to do the hard work for them...all they need to do is supervise, which doesnt count as work really. lol.

When you are grinding your own spices, flour or whatever...it will take longer than if you paid someone else to do it. Or a robot.

When you are poor its often the jobs open to you are boring, repetitive and mindnumbing. But if you dont work, you dont eat. So you do them anyway. It might involve cleaning toilets and wiping tables. Too bad, you do them cos its food on the table.
 
amen spiritual riches are a gift that moths cant eat nor thieves steal.

some people are paranoid about leaving their car unlocked but if you are poor you dont have anything in it worth stealing anyway so it doesnt matter lol and if it doesnt go very far cos of no gas they would have to fill it up again anyway.

there are way more burglaries in richer suburbs than poorer areas, so you dont need to be as security concious.

what its like to be poor is to say to your dentist stop calling me cos I cant afford to pay your bill. then your dentist has to come up with even more creative ways of getting money from you, like creating a payment plan of paying them $10 each week for 3 years so you can get your teeth fixed.
 
Have you ever been poor?
Lets share what its REALLY like for those who've never known hardship. Maybe it will start some empathy.
I have been rich and i have been poor. I struggled to pay the rent and couldnt manage money. I came incredibly close to being evicted. If i were to be evicted i would be on the street. I work a job now and have been there for years, but in the beginning i could not keep a job for longer than 3 months. I have been on both sides of the rainbow.
 
I contrast being poor with being broke:
Broke comes with the ability of being fixable.
Poor is coachable to not be that, but the onus is on the coach who challenges it.
The poor in my life aren’t okay with it, yet they won’t look for personal growth.
When one isn’t okay with the are, it takes a lot of effort to get better.
That’s where poor is for me.
 
When I was a younger man I was so broke all I could afford was a cheap studio apartment in an old rundown hotel. The walls were solid concrete and in the summer they got so hot they radiated heat even into the night. I had to sleep with a fan blowing on me and with a spray bottle next to the bed to mist myself to cool down. When I wasn't working, I was at the public library or the swimming pool. Sometimes I wonder how I ever did it. The place was also roach infested.
 
He has allowed many of us to be in places where we need to turn to Him, and learn that He will always be there to lead us out to our best.
blessings:)(y)
 
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I contrast being poor with being broke:
Broke comes with the ability of being fixable.
Poor is coachable to not be that, but the onus is on the coach who challenges it.
The poor in my life aren’t okay with it, yet they won’t look for personal growth.
When one isn’t okay with the are, it takes a lot of effort to get better.
That’s where poor is for me.

Very true. Two average people can have zero net worth and even be in debt but one can be poor and the other one just broke. It has a lot to do with mentality and opportunity. We have to make our own opportunity which can be hard in many places.
 
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Very true. Two average people can have zero net worth and even be in debt but one can be poor and the other one just broke. It has a lot to do with mentality and opportunity. We have to make our own opportunity which can be hard in many places.

and, a person has to be motivated to make and take advantage of opportunities when they come...
 
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Have you ever been poor?
Lets share what its REALLY like for those who've never known hardship. Maybe it will start some empathy.

Here are a few things.

Made fun of because you wear secondhand clothes or handme downs. Not because its fashionable but because you just cant afford new ones.

Not ever being able to afford a place of your own. Landlords who threaten to evict you if you dont pay...aleays the threat of homelessness if you cant find anywhere cheap enougn to live.

Toys made of rags and scraps and bits you find in the rubbish. Lego, whats that, who can afford lego?! Santa Claus, who's he? Christmas is just for rich folks.

always being relegated to dead end jobs even if you are highly qualified, maybe cos of your looks ie. race.

Not having land. Or it is so poor there is no essential services like electicity or running water. Nowhere to go or place to call your own. Not being able to afford healthcare such as dentistry.

can only afford cheap goods on a limited weekly wage which break down sooner and are bad quality.

public or free schools are your only options, who can afford a higher education? or private tuition? If you get a scholarship, you just get shunned by richer kids who live in a completely different world than you and dont need to worry about making ends meet or looking after family.

Car, what car? You go everywhere by public transport. Or if there is a car, its second hand.

Being told theres no room for you at the inn. Well actually there IS but you cant afford it.
i never went thru any of the above. but once in 1982, for 1 week, all i had for money was a jar of pennies, which totaled about $27. the reason was our band spent a large sum on equipment. for about a month total, i was a bit lacking but okay.
 
Have you ever been poor?
Lets share what its REALLY like for those who've never known hardship. Maybe it will start some empathy.

Here are a few things.

Made fun of because you wear secondhand clothes or handme downs. Not because its fashionable but because you just cant afford new ones.

Not ever being able to afford a place of your own. Landlords who threaten to evict you if you dont pay...aleays the threat of homelessness if you cant find anywhere cheap enougn to live.

Toys made of rags and scraps and bits you find in the rubbish. Lego, whats that, who can afford lego?! Santa Claus, who's he? Christmas is just for rich folks.

always being relegated to dead end jobs even if you are highly qualified, maybe cos of your looks ie. race.

Not having land. Or it is so poor there is no essential services like electicity or running water. Nowhere to go or place to call your own. Not being able to afford healthcare such as dentistry.

can only afford cheap goods on a limited weekly wage which break down sooner and are bad quality.

public or free schools are your only options, who can afford a higher education? or private tuition? If you get a scholarship, you just get shunned by richer kids who live in a completely different world than you and dont need to worry about making ends meet or looking after family.

Car, what car? You go everywhere by public transport. Or if there is a car, its second hand.

Being told theres no room for you at the inn. Well actually there IS but you cant afford it.

Makes you wiser and considerare sooner / younger to what your parents economic circumstances are and what they can't afford. And what you don't/ won't ask for? I certainly remember disposing of letters from school meant to inform parent of school trips and in one instance a school soccer trip abroad to Belgium. Not worth unnecessarily bothering Mother with something you knew when hearing the cost (even with a price reduction was applied) just ain't gonna happen. 😑