You misunderstand what it means to be poor

Summary

The more I speak about being poor, the more I realize how fundamentally other folks misunderstand what it means to be poor versus being broke. The advice folks will give comes from a good place. However, I would like to give some examples to help everyone understand most advice from non-poor folks isn’t helpful. Everyone has experienced being broke. Being broke sucks. You are watching every dollar spent, finding wayys to trim or make things stretch until the next payday. The difference is when you are broke you have some money. You can afford to put gas in your car, but not enough to do that repair. Money is tight, but you can get the basics at the grocery store. You can’t afford to go to the movies, but will stay home and watch what’s new on Netflix. Being broke sucks. You are watching every dollar spent, finding ways to trim or make things stretch until the next payday. When you are poor that next payday brings no relief. It is like an endless runner game. No matter how fast you run or how high you jump you can never see the finish line. No matter how tired you are the ground keeps moving. There is no room for errors as the punishment for mistakes is astronomical. When you hit an obstacle you don’t restart from the last checkpoint, you go back to the beginning. There is this mindset from folks that poor people must not be smart. I mean, you’re smart and you’re not poor! The problem must be a skill issue! Learn the skills to do it yourself and you’ll be able to pull yourself up. The other mindset is poor people are lazy. Quit complaining and do it yourself! Just get a better job! Get a second job! There’s money out there, you just have to go get it. The last is these folks think they understand what it is like to be poor. Hey, I was a broke college student and I get being poor! I had a rough patch, it will pass. Let’s start at the top. I have a van that is falling apart. It needs a lot of work that we cannot afford to do. In the mindset that poor people are unskill...