Poor, but not in spirit

[Keroin]

I know a lot of folks are having a tough time financially, these days. Not to mention the students who are struggling to either make it through school or to find work post-grad.

Not long ago, I was with a group of friends and we were reminiscing about our “poor” days and had some good laughs. (And, having been to some truly impoverished parts of the world, I use the word “poor” loosely). One friend told a story about how broke she and her husband were – living out of their van, no food, etc – and how they managed to scrape up enough money to go to an all-you-can-eat restaurant where they filled their pockets and her purse with fried shrimp before leaving. They said they felt like millionaires when they drove the van out to a spot with a fabulous view and munched on their purloined shrimp by moonlight.

In my “poor” days, I used to have a friend who worked as a janitor at a movie theater and he would sneak me inside at night and we’d pig out on the popcorn left in the machine.

One of my roommates and I once canvassed our apartment building for bottles and cans so that we could make enough money to cover rent that month. Not having money to gas up her car, we then had to lug garbage bags of cans, up hill, in the middle of summer, to the bottle depot. I don’t know what hurt worse when we were done, our arms from carrying or our jaws from laughing.

We may not have had much money back then but we had no shortage of creativity and laughter.

So, feel free to share your stories of being poor. Good, bad, whatever you like. Or just feel free to vent, it's all good.

 

[Netzach]

Broke and poor are different.

I was fairly poor as a kid.

I am periodically *broke* now, which sucks, but it's different. Broke is hauling cans once for rent. Poor is hauling cans for a living.

 

[Keroin]

Broke and poor are different.

I was fairly poor as a kid.

I am periodically *broke* now, which sucks, but it's different. Broke is hauling cans once for rent. Poor is hauling cans for a living.

Which is why I said I used the word "poor" loosely.

 

[intothewoods]

Broke and poor are different.

I was fairly poor as a kid.

I am periodically *broke* now, which sucks, but it's different. Broke is hauling cans once for rent. Poor is hauling cans for a living.

Yes, that's exactly right.

But wow, I feel really bougie reading K's OP.

 

[Keroin]

Yes, that's exactly right.

But wow, I feel really bougie reading K's OP.

Bougie?

 

[Netzach]

Which is why I said I used the word "poor" loosely.

No sweat, I heard that distinction once and have liked it ever since for talking what you're talking about.

Every day, for me, is a creative exercise in weasling ahead of my rent. It's not that desperate, in reality, but that's how my brain works. Rent is king.

Did I make rent? Did I make rent in a day? Holy shit, I'm rich!

The work I do always *feels* like wining a prize or shooting a rabbit so I can eat. This may be a left over attitude from when I was a kid, but I've turned it into something advantageous and make more money than I ever did trying to be a normal working person.

 

[intothewoods]

Bougie?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bougie

bourgeois

 

[Netzach]

Yes, that's exactly right.

But wow, I feel really bougie reading K's OP.

Yeah, I'm like - I borrowed some money? I ditched my savings banked from the whole summer? I ate ramen and went to all the talks at school where there were cookies for a week?

No can hauling or blood donation - though I was very close to the latter, close!

 

[Keroin]

No sweat, I heard that distinction once and have liked it ever since for talking what you're talking about.

Every day, for me, is a creative exercise in weasling ahead of my rent. It's not that desperate, in reality, but that's how my brain works. Rent is king.

Did I make rent? Did I make rent in a day? Holy shit, I'm rich!

The work I do always *feels* like wining a prize or shooting a rabbit so I can eat. This may be a left over attitude from when I was a kid, but I've turned it into something advantageous and make more money than I ever did trying to be a normal working person.

Ah, gotcha.

Yes, I have seen real "poor", beyond hauling cans, and I know I've never been there and likely never will be.

And yeah, I know well the ups and downs of self employment.

L and I are in financial limbo at the moment. We're lucky that we have passive income, in the form of royalties, but it's basically survival money and likely to diminish more and more every year. Our Achilles heel is our wandering feet, (pun intended). We often talk about hunkering down, getting serious, blah, blah, blah, and then the next thing you know we're on the road again.

I think we might actually succeed in the hunkering down this time...but don't quote me on that.

 

[Keroin]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bougie

bourgeois

I see.

I would not describe you, what I know of you, as bougie, ITW.

 

[Keroin]

Yeah, I'm like - I borrowed some money? I ditched my savings banked from the whole summer? I ate ramen and went to all the talks at school where there were cookies for a week?

No can hauling or blood donation - though I was very close to the latter, close!

My buddy Ripster, the mountaineer, has stories that blow me away. Now, mind you, he was broke by choice. He came from a poor family to begin with but his dream was to climb mountains. So, every cent went towards funding his dream. He lived on the streets of Vancouver for about a year. If he could find a building under construction, he would simply climb up the side and sleep in there. If not, he would find a dumpster then flip the lid over to act as a rain shelter and sleep underneath that.

 

[satindesire]

I've been poor, I've lived the good life, and I've been broke. We pay our bills and have plenty of food, plus a little extra for entertainment and savings. So we're okay now, thank God. About two years ago, we were in financial straights hardcore and lost our apartment. Now we own a house. It's a big difference.

Really, the only thing better than having money is having money and being happy at the same time.

 

[Keroin]

Really, the only thing better than having money is having money and being happy at the same time.

Yep. I think it's easier to be happy when you have money, simply because money alleviates much of life's stress, but money is not a guarantee of happiness. L and me make far, far less now than we did at the beginning of our relationship but we're definitely happier.

 

[satindesire]

Yep. I think it's easier to be happy when you have money, simply because money alleviates much of life's stress, but money is not a guarantee of happiness. L and me make far, far less now than we did at the beginning of our relationship but we're definitely happier.

Oh, absolutely.

Trust, when I was with my ex, we had a lot more money. Not only was I working for 15 bucks an hour, (which for a 19 year old girl, is a LOT of money!) but he also made about 6 figures on his own.

Let's just say I had a fine selection of formal dresses with real diamonds to match.

He was an abusive, controlling, possessive and narcissistic asshole, though. Which goes to show you that money won't make a girl deal with abuse.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I thank my lucky stars that my parents had the good sense to raise me with total unconcern for positional goods.

I can't think of a quicker route to stress and misery than going through life ranking onesself relative to the Joneses.

Just the other day, getting out of the shower, I looked around my tidy little studio apartment and thought "I have hot and cold running, drinkable water, indoor plumbing,a refrigerator filled with groceries and fresh fruit, AC, cheap or free access to the world's culture via the Library, netflix and the internet. A rich man transported to my shoes would feel he'd lost everything, but I feel as if I'm living like a king."

 

[satindesire]

I thank my lucky stars that my parents had the good sense to raise me with total unconcern for positional goods.

I can't think of a quicker route to stress and misery than going through life ranking onesself relative to the Joneses.

Just the other day, getting out of the shower, I looked around my tidy little studio apartment and thought "I have hot and cold running, drinkable water, indoor plumbing,a refrigerator filled with groceries and fresh fruit, AC, cheap or free access to the world's culture via the Library, netflix and the internet. A rich man transported to my shoes would feel he'd lost everything, but I feel as if I'm living like a king."

Having what you need is a beautiful thing. Often people with money get poisoned into wanting more more more and are never satisfied no matter how much they have.

 

[Keroin]

Oh, absolutely.

Trust, when I was with my ex, we had a lot more money. Not only was I working for 15 bucks an hour, (which for a 19 year old girl, is a LOT of money!) but he also made about 6 figures on his own.

Let's just say I had a fine selection of formal dresses with real diamonds to match.

He was an abusive, controlling, possessive and narcissistic asshole, though. Which goes to show you that money won't make a girl deal with abuse.

Indeed.

It's interesting because L and I have some good friends who are really financially well off but are also not exactly "happy". To this day they can't understand why we walked away from the biz and "all that money" but I look at their lives - the stress of their jobs, the gigantic houses with only two people living in them, the seemingly never-ending race to keep up with the Joneses - and I'm quite content with our choice.

Having said that, one the happiest and most laid back people I ever met was a multi-millionaire in Florida. Dude was a riot. Used to show up on our doorstep every now and then at 10am, drinking mescal out of a jar, in his beat up shorts and nothing else, shouting, "Can Lance come fishing today?" LOL.

 

[Keroin]

"I have hot and cold running, drinkable water, indoor plumbing,a refrigerator filled with groceries and fresh fruit, AC, cheap or free access to the world's culture via the Library, netflix and the internet. A rich man transported to my shoes would feel he'd lost everything, but I feel as if I'm living like a king."

Yup, this is exactly what I feel on a fairly regular basis.

 

[satindesire]

Indeed.

It's interesting because L and I have some good friends who are really financially well off but are also not exactly "happy". To this day they can't understand why we walked away from the biz and "all that money" but I look at their lives - the stress of their jobs, the gigantic houses with only two people living in them, the seemingly never-ending race to keep up with the Joneses - and I'm quite content with our choice.

As Joseph Prince said: "Money is amoral. It's neither good, nor evil. If a good man has money, it turns into good money that does good things. If an evil man has money, it turns into evil money that does evil things."

It just goes to show you that money absolutely reflects on the personalities of the people who have it. It can make your life easier, but it can't make you a better person!

Having said that, one the happiest and most laid back people I ever met was a multi-millionaire in Florida. Dude was a riot. Used to show up on our doorstep every now and then at 10am, drinking mescal out of a jar, in his beat up shorts and nothing else, shouting, "Can Lance come fishing today?" LOL.

Aw, he sounds like a real sweetheart...

 

[Netzach]

I thank my lucky stars that my parents had the good sense to raise me with total unconcern for positional goods.

I can't think of a quicker route to stress and misery than going through life ranking onesself relative to the Joneses.

Just the other day, getting out of the shower, I looked around my tidy little studio apartment and thought "I have hot and cold running, drinkable water, indoor plumbing,a refrigerator filled with groceries and fresh fruit, AC, cheap or free access to the world's culture via the Library, netflix and the internet. A rich man transported to my shoes would feel he'd lost everything, but I feel as if I'm living like a king."

In NYC? You are living like a king.

My aspirations have always been pretty modest, but I watched my family pretty much killing themselves to send me to school so I could have modest aspirations at all. NYC is a motherfucker.

 

[Netzach]

My buddy Ripster, the mountaineer, has stories that blow me away. Now, mind you, he was broke by choice. He came from a poor family to begin with but his dream was to climb mountains. So, every cent went towards funding his dream. He lived on the streets of Vancouver for about a year. If he could find a building under construction, he would simply climb up the side and sleep in there. If not, he would find a dumpster then flip the lid over to act as a rain shelter and sleep underneath that.

Yeah, I have no interest in this. None. I love having time and space to be creative, but I also find no appeal in voluntary poverty of this degree.

 

[rosco rathbone]

In NYC? You are living like a king.

I knew it couldn't just be my imagination.

 

[satindesire]

In NYC? You are living like a king.

Lawl!

Also, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH message too short error box yadda yadda!

I knew it couldn't just be my imagination.

Forgive me if I'm totally off base, but you don't strike me as the kind of guy that has regular hallucinations.

 

[Netzach]

Indeed.

It's interesting because L and I have some good friends who are really financially well off but are also not exactly "happy". To this day they can't understand why we walked away from the biz and "all that money" but I look at their lives - the stress of their jobs, the gigantic houses with only two people living in them, the seemingly never-ending race to keep up with the Joneses - and I'm quite content with our choice.

Having said that, one the happiest and most laid back people I ever met was a multi-millionaire in Florida. Dude was a riot. Used to show up on our doorstep every now and then at 10am, drinking mescal out of a jar, in his beat up shorts and nothing else, shouting, "Can Lance come fishing today?" LOL.

I see this a lot. I've always been *around* people who have shitloads of money, but never seem to use it to alleviate stress, but create more.

I like to think that I could avoid this trap, but who knows.

 

[Netzach]

I knew it couldn't just be my imagination.

Part of me wishes that I could be living in a small clean studio with fresh veggies (which are actually a fukton cheaper there) and a library and netflix and an empanada place up the street once in a while - but I'd probably not have time for veggies, fatten up and keel over on empanadas and cheap gin, and see the inside of that apt. for sleeping only while answering phones for JUMP YOU FUCKERS.

I admire the degree to which you have made this a science, I really do!