I make $6.50 an hour. Am I poor?

[ckramer]

As a single professional woman, for years I sat securely among the lower rungs of the middle class.

Now I've fallen off the ladder.

In a matter of months, I went from a comfortable life with decent pay and health insurance to a $6.50-an-hour job with no insurance, no furniture and just enough resources to keep the wolf from the door.

I no longer buy anything unless it's absolutely essential. I spend $40 at the supermarket and make it last for more than two weeks. I never turn down a free meal. I've learned to graciously accept money, furniture, elk meat and encouragement from worried friends.

I am no longer proud.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/IMake650AnHourAmIPoor.aspx

[orpupilofnature57]

Baby you're a Rich man too.

Soccer moms fu-ked you and me over for decades ,voting for shrub is the difference between strong Women like yourself and the Plasticine cowards that helped cause this mess.Thank You and hang on, Al's coming.

[Clark2008]

6. I'm not sure that this is the OP's story

Unless she's Karen Datko (see link).

[Sapphire Blue]

10. It would have helped if the OP had credited the author when he posted the excerpt from the article..

... clearly indicating that he was posting an article, rather than his own story.

(It appears that not everyone pays attention to a link in an OP.)

[NMDemDist2]

1. K&N

her story is the same as hundreds of thousands across the country

I am grateful that I lived my whole life on the edge of poverty and when my circumstances change it's easy for me to slide back into "broke" mode

right now I'm OK but the last few months got tight. but you do what you have to do to survive

I bet she (like I) is grateful she doesn't have a child in the mix. Those are the folks who I feel for. It's one thing for an adult to make the mental and lifestyle adjustments, much harder all around when children are involved

[EST]

2. Sounds like you are becoming rich.

Once, back when gasoline was forty cents a gallon, I went broke and ended up with no business, no job, no house, and my self esteem shattered into a thousand pieces.

I considered suicide, but didn't have the guts to pull it off, so I traded up some junk and sold it, managing to get enough cash together to buy a 1960 Ford Falcon station wagon for ninety bucks and a motor from a junked forklift for ten and made a usable, though junky, car out of it.
I then took a job three hundred miles away, went to work and paid off the eighty thousand dollars I still owed my creditors.

I am not relating this story to shine my rind, but to illustrate a lesson that helped me.
After going through several subsequent rather horrific and depressing experiences, I was mentally equipped to abandon all security for a while and try one of those "I want to do this before I die" type things.

I learned to be fairly competent on guitar and went on the road, playing music, singing and doing stand up for a few years, proving that I really could become a good enough entertainer so that people would actually pay money to come see me.

Although I am now disabled and living on a rather meager fixed income, I know that taking risks and swinging for the fences is not just some sort of false bravado that my brain makes up excuses for, but that I could really be depended on to keep my word and go for it.

Perhaps the unfortunate circumstance of reality's dealing you such a cruel blow is actually a blessing in disguise. Before you dive back in and become rich again, maybe you might like to take the opportunity to join the peace corps, become a beach bum or whatever it is that you have always idly dreamed of taking a whack at.

After all, if you haven't much to lose, it may not be so hard to risk it and really make choices that you were kept from for so long.

You'll be wealthy again before you know it and then the chance will be gone.

Wow! How lucky can a person get? Good fortune to you and I am very proud of you!

[rucky]

5. Your story really strikes a chord (npi) with me...

in my current (about-to-be-laid-off) situation.

Thanks for the lift!

[cleveramerican]

3. back in '89

I lost my job, my home, my credit, everything. Guess what? It didn't kill me. I'm still here older and wiser, more thankful and kind than the old me. I found a good job after enduring some crappy ones.


Keep in touch with your old co- workers, keep reading those trade journals, and keep looking for an opportunity, one will come along, so be ready when it does.

chin up now, no one ever said it was going to be easy,
When the going gets tough.......

[sendero]

4. Your experience...

... is going to be shared by more and more Americans. All you can really do is adapt,in terms of your dealings with money, your resourcefulness, but most importantly your spirit.

There are literally millions of Americans sitting at the edge of the cliff you have fallen off of. As a country, we are all going to have to deal with this.

[mtnsnake]

15. It's not the OP'ers experience, but good post. nt

[CJCRANE]

7. I think there's a balance.

We can all be more self-sufficient in the long-term if we learn to live on less...

however I wouldn't volunteer to try and live on that income any time soon.

[MGD]

8. It sounds like she allowed herself to fall into this position for her pets.

"But finding a rental seemed nearly impossible because I have three dogs, and after two weeks of campground living, my boss fired me, telling me my living situation was "bad for business."

That's why I only have one dog. I had to move across the country recently too and know how difficult it is to find a place to rent when you have one dog. I sympathize with her of course. It sounds like she is going to pull herself out of the rut though with her pet sitting business. That's a really excellent idea with lots of potential IMO.

[fasttense]

11. Wow, the poor woman gave up everything and she has to give up her dogs too?

To some people that is like living without water. After I got out of college, ended up divorced, without a cent but with large college loans. I had a unique cat with no tail. I loved that cat and did all I could to keep it with me. When it got feline leukemia (before the vaccine) and died, I almost died myself. It was the only creature that didn't care how much money I made. There were times the cat got fed and I didn't. I can understand why she tries so hard to hang on to the pets she loves.

[Sapphire Blue]

12. She didn't give up everything; she has a house & several savings accounts.

[MGD]

16. I probably would have done the same thing. I couldn't abandon my dog.

I wuldn't have three of them though and for that reason.

[Sapphire Blue]

9. Is Ms Datko, the author of the article, poor? Her answer in the article:

I make $6.50 an hour. Am I poor?
By Karen Datko

And in reality, I'm not really poor. The official poverty line for a one-person household is an income of $9,800 a year, and I'm still above that. And can I really be considered poor if I still have some savings, or still have my house?

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/IMake650AnHourAmIPoor.aspx

I'd have to agree. A $310 mortgage would probably give her quite a bit of equity in her house, and she also has, according to the article, several savings/401k/retirement accounts.

She says she doesn't want to sell her house, but also says that she's "one minor medical emergency away from welfare." She might have a bit of a wake up call if that medical emergency ever happens... her assets would make her ineligible for assistance. Welfare is for people w/o assets.

And this comment in the article floored me: "The cost of good hand lotion? Three hours of labor." Just where does Ms. Datko shop?!?!?

[fasttense]

13. Well, that's true. Hand lotion can cost a lot less if you buy

the generic stuff. The stuff without fragrances and alcohol can be had for very little if you get the generic brand. I think they make it better without the fragrances etc.. because there is nothing to hide the lotion. Anyway, I do think of her as poor. I heard on Air America the other day that if you can survive without pay for three or four months then you are not poor. That would put a whole lot of people in the poor house.

The government estimate for poverty level is ridiculous. As is typical of this administration, their numbers are rigged, faked or outdated.

[Sapphire Blue]

17. Being poor...

Being Poor: http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/003704.html

[WhiteTara]

23. that was gut wrenching

some of it seems familiar and then some of it seems even more desperate than I've ever been.
Dring the financial ups and downs of my life, I've always been a proponent of the idea, "if you're going to fail, do it quickly and get on with re inventing yourself". The one thing you can't re invent yourself from is old age. But then, being in the Peace Corp at the age of 80 isn't unique, Jimmy Carter's Mother did it.

I wonder if institutions such as convents, monastaries, Peace Corp will gain population with more and more people being really poor and older.

[JNelson6563]

26. Very enlightening

I hope everyone reads this. Sorry to report I could relate to more than one of these things.

Julie--who's known wealth and poverty

[kineneb]

30. we live far too close to that description

being poor is...
-being really happy that there are lots of ramen noodles in your cupboard.
-getting a free bag of food each month.
-trying to figure out how to use all the mashed potato powder that came with the free food giveaway. (I now have 4 bags.)
-never turning a friend down when they offer to buy lunch.
-hoping the cracked windshield will hold another season, even if it does leak in heavy rain.
-crying when the doctor tells you that you need a perscription, because you can't afford it. And being so grateful when he gives you samples, and then does not charge you for the visit.
-signing up for all of the low-income discounts available.
-feeling guilty when you actually buy something "fun", like chocolate.
-feeling excited when you find something at the thrift store that fits, and discover that it is "1/2 off all clothing" day.

[sandnsea]

34. You have to live it

You can never understand poor as long as you have resources, either savings or something of value to sell. There is simply nothing like having kids to care for and having either no money because you've lost a job, or a job that covers the basics and not a cent more, not even a sibling who will help even if they are well-off. The woman in the OP is far from poor, she's just hit a rough patch and has many resources to get more education or whatever she wants to make more money.

[Sapphire Blue]

36. Indeed. Could be why some in this thread don't get it.

[cleveramerican]

21. mayonnaise makes a good substitute for hand lotion.

[Clark2008]

14. Sounds like someone was a bit spoiled.

I have been both solidly middle class and poor. I'm solidly middle class now, but I still opt to purchase hand lotion that doesn't cost $25.

Geesch.

And, on a personal note: I'm currently pregnant. I can get generic cocoa butter for my tummy for 99 cents rather than pay $15 for the Avon stuff. It all works as good as the other. But, the best "lotion" is a mixture I make myself using generic Oil of Olay, vasoline and vitamin E.

[Mabus]

20. She's taking home $660 a month from the restaurant

She's taking home about $160 a week. If she's working 40 hours a week and her take home pay is approximately $4 bucks an hour. That's not a lot to live on. I bought a large bottle of moderately priced lotion a couple of weeks ago (neutrogena) for almost $10 and it came with a "free" smaller size attached. If her hands are pretty roughed up from gloves that restaurant employees wear and bleach water I really don't blame her with wanting to purchase a lotion that helps her hands rather than just slathering them up with oils. I'm not going to condemn her.

[Sapphire Blue]

33. If her take-home is $660/mo, it doesn't sound like she's working 40 hrs/wk.

$6.60/hr x 40hrs/wk = $264. She wouldn't be taxed @ 60%. The article doesn't state how many hours she works, though, just that before she quit her second job, she was working 13 hrs/day.

Regarding the lotion, I really would like to know where she shops, as I don't think I've ever seen a bottle of lotion that cost $20. 'Good' lotions can be found for lot less, and generics work just as well.

Whether she chooses to buy ridiculousy high priced lotions is her business... she can always dip into one of her numerous savings accounts when her fall off the ladder gets too uncomfortable... something that many people don't have the good fortune to do.

In any case, according to the article, she's "put in my <her> notice at the restaurant in favor of a much better paying job", so her discomfort from falling off the ladder won't last much longer.

[Divine Discontent]

43. exactly...

everything must be understood with the person's reasoning behind it!



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[BuelahWitch]

44. She's also unlikely to get welfare if she has no kids

[Zodiak]

18. So let me get this straight

since she buys nice hand lotion, she is not poor? Or is it she buys nice hand lotion therefore it is her fault she is poor?

When someone shows up at the door saying they are poor, we go through their stuff to find fault with their choices?

I find it disturbing that when someone declares they are poor, others bloviate on how they wouldn't be so poor in same situation and then blame the victim. That "welfare queen" urban myth seem to have crept across the aisle.

[badgerpup]

24. 'Nice' hand lotion does not necessarily equal a 'good' one.

Years back saw on cable that the really important ingredient you want to look for in a hand lotion is...ready for this?

Urea. Yep, THAT stuff.
:wow:
This is the ingredient that allows the emollients to actually soak INTO the skin and do what it's advertised to do instead of just sitting on the surface and feeling greasy.

There's also something called Hoofmaker, and yes, it WAS originally used to help horses have healthy hooves. It's great if you have weak brittle fingernails though, and is good for dry or cracked skin.
Ain't really cheap, but a little dab'll do ya and it goes a long way.

[hippiechick]

19. Unless you work 100 hours a week, afraid so ...

I make $16.00 an hour, live a no-frills life and I can barely keep the electricity on. :(

[NMMNG]

42. What is this $16/hr of which you speak?

:shrug: I've never made anything close to that. That would explain why I've always had to work tons of overtime or multiple jobs to stay afloat.

[Joey Liberal]

22. It could happen to a lot of people

If I were to get canned tomorrow, I'd be working for $7.00 bucks an hour someplace.

[OneBlueSky]

25. it HAS happened -- and IS happening -- to a lot of people . . .

the number of working poor in this country continues to grow as good American jobs are outsourced, workforces are downsized, and very few new well-paying jobs are being created . . . and the problem is compounded many fold for returning Iraq and Afghanistan vets who are physically and/or psychologically damaged from the wars . . .

in a country that can spend billions of dollars every week on an unwinable "war" and where retiring CEOs get multi-million dollar severence packages, everyone who wants to work should have a job that pays enough to live on, and health insurance that won't bankrupt them . . . this used to be the case for most, until corporations (and the government) made putting profits before people the standard operating mode . . .

it's all a matter of priorities, and right now ours are FUBAR . . .

[kineneb]

31. it has happened to us

We get by, but that is after going through Chapter 7. If we had to pay market rate rents, we would be going hungry. The only advantage we have is we owned a house in the SF Bay Area and were able to make enough on the sale to buy a place almost outright.

Welcome to Amerika: don't lose your job and then your health. If you do, you are disposable.

[Joey Liberal]

39. Republicans don't understand or care

That's what makes me sick about republicans.

[Joey Liberal]

38. Well put onebluesky! n/t

[BuelahWitch]

45. Wages going down; housing costs, utilites up

That's not even counting transportation costs, food and clothing. We were talking about this at our Gore meetup last night: business wants to give us third world wages, but we're not paying third world cost of living.

[Zhade]

27. By all standards of equity and fairness, YES.

NT!

[MasonJar]

28. You are about to get a raise. And, no, money does not make one

rich or poor.

[leftofthedial]

29. my boat too

except I don't have a job at all

[PresidentObama]

32. I feel for you.

I worked a $6.85 for a year, not because I wanted to. But because I had to. I had an apartment to pay for, and as crappy as that apartment was...it was all I had.

I worked 45-50 hours a week, and still had trouble most of the day making due. Even with a roommate paying for half of everything.

Do what you have to, to bring yourself back up on your feet. And hope and pray for the future. Better days are yet to come!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

40. yeah right

I don't have a job. Gave up looking. Didn't have a job for several years and had some nearly intolerable shitty jobs that had psychotic bosses. Fell out of the middle class. I have a bachelor's degree in science and a law degree (Doctor of Jurisprudence) that have done NOTHING to help me find a job. I have no idea why 12 years of college can't help my employability, except for the mortal sin I committed: I grew older. I passed forty. I passed fifty years of age, so I'm thrown on the junkheap.

If the lawyers of america don't appreciate my experience (years of working at the courthouse, drafting pleadings, wills, deeds, etc.) and skills, then they can just go to hell. I fell out of the middle class back in the 1990s when Clinton was president. His economy didn't do anything for me. I went begging to churches for a job, got nowhere, etc.

[DuaneBidoux]

35. Sorry,materially yes. But perhaps you are rich in spirit.

[manic expression]

37. Why are you no longer proud?

You're a victim of an unjust system. It's not your fault, no matter what the bourgeois lies say.

[antiimperialist]

41. I make $9/hour and can't move out of mom's house

I'm not even saying how old I am.
We're poor.

[qwlauren35]

46. There is a LOT more she could be doing.

#1 - I think the dogs need to go. Sorry...

#2 - She NEEDS a roommate. That goes so far beyond common sense, I have no words. Don't know why she hasn't thought of it yet.