From Rags to Riches: 10 Hardships Only the Poor Understand

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Living in poverty is one of the hardest experiences many people face.

It’s often an all-consuming condition, a constant presence in every aspect of life.

The struggles are often invisible and misunderstood by those who have never witnessed first hand what it really means to struggle financially day after day.

In this article we’ll dive into 10 hardships only the poor understand.

This is an important perspective worth exploring as countless individuals around the world continue to battle against both economic hardship and societal invisibility, making their voices heard despite the immense odds they’re up against.

So grab some coffee or tea (or whatever you’d like), open your heart, mind, and ears and let’s take a look at how financial woes can shape a person’s life experiences for years on end!

1. The Value of Leftover Food

Financially struggling households find it difficult to put food on the table. There’s no room to waste or throw away food, so eating leftover food until it’s gone is the norm.

One contributor on the thread expresses their disbelief that some people they know refuse to eat leftovers.

2. Everything Old is New

Replacing obsolete or broken items is a common occurrence many take for granted. People who can’t afford to spend money replacing broken objects make do with what they have.

Someone in the forum remembers their childhood: “If your toys broke, you glued them/taped them; if you found an old toy, you just got a new toy.” Buying new things is only sometimes an affordable option.

3. Constant State of Anxiety

Low-income people live in a constant state of anxiety because they know they’re one instance away from having nothing to eat, having their essential utilities shut off, or being homeless, says a user in the discussion.

The working poor are one or two paychecks away from financial disaster.

4. Extreme Hunger

It’s one thing to feel a slight hunger pang between regular meals. However, living with the type of hunger when your stomach is empty because you haven’t eaten anything all day is quite another thing. After all, there was no food in the house.

This is the type of hunger that a person can’t even sleep to escape from the feeling, a commenter discloses.

5. Housing Insecurity

The ability to comfortably make monthly rent or mortgage payments is something many people take for granted.

But for people experiencing poverty, paying rent each month can be a struggle, especially if there’s no one to turn to for help.

6. Wearing Hand-Me-Down Clothing

Everyone loves the feeling of getting and wearing brand-new clothes. When a family lives paycheck to paycheck, new clothing is an expense they can’t afford unless necessary.

One of the users on the forum admits to growing up wearing their cousin’s hand-me-down clothing because their parents couldn’t afford to buy them new clothes as they outgrew them.

7. No Proper Shoes

People growing up poor don’t have a sizable collection of shoes to pick and choose from. It’s common to wear the same shoes until they fall apart. A participant from the discussion recounts “putting grocery bags in your winter boots to ‘keep your feet dry’ when the boots have holes in them.”

Having a second pair of shoes is a luxury many impoverished families can’t afford.

8. Government Surplus Food

Families living below the poverty level frequently rely on government surplus food programs to have something to eat. Somebody vividly recalls “picking the peanut shells pieces out of the giant tub of government issue peanut butter, those blocks of cheese that turn into a brick if you don’t finish it within a day, and the taste of powdered milk.”

This may sound foreign to people who’ve never struggled financially. Still, the program remains a lifeline for many individuals and families.

9. Food Stamps

For people living in poverty, food stamps often make the difference between whether or not there’s food in the house.

Someone recollects the embarrassment and shame they felt using food stamps to pay for their groceries because they didn’t have any money.

10. Basic Utilities

Children growing up in disadvantaged homes are familiar with the feeling of coming home from school each day and not knowing if the electrical, gas, water, or cable service will still be on because their parents fell behind in making their monthly payments.

How To Get Free Food With No Money

If you are short on cash, not eating doesn’t have to be a reality.

There are options out there that allow you to get free food, even if you don’t have any cash. Here is what you need to do.

How To Get Free Food With No Money

How To Save Money When You’re Broke

When you have no money, the idea of saving sounds impossible. In fact, for many people, the idea never crosses their mind because they are only focused on getting money to survive.

But there are steps you can take to actually save money even when you are broke. Doing so will help you change your financial life faster than you thought possible.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY WHEN YOU’RE BROKE

How To Survive On $1,000 A Month

Do you find yourself in a situation when money is beyond tight? Are you not sure how you will make it to the end of the month with such limited income?

Fear no more. Here are the steps to take so you can survive on a small amount of money.

LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE ON $1,000 A MONTH

How To Get Free Money

The idea of free money sounds like it can’t be true. But it actually is.

There are many ways you can get free money, from playing games, to watching videos, and more.

Here are the best ways you can get free money without having to work for it.

HOW TO GET FREE MONEY

Legit Ways To Make $1,000 Fast

Are you in need of cash fast? There are many things you can do, but a lot of the ideas out there only allow for a limited income.

Here are over 25 great ways to make up to $1,000 in a short amount of time.

BEST WAYS TO MAKE $1,000 FAST

This thread inspired this post.