Do You Live In Poverty?

[Guest]

Enter your family size (relatives in the house included) and your monthly income to determine if by US standards you live in poverty.

Any number BELOW 100 means you are living below the  poverty level by US standards.

http://www.safetyweb.org/fpl.php

By the way,  American poverty just ain’t what it used to be. A new report from the Census Bureau found that 80.9% of households considered poverty stricken have cell phones along with their landline phones, and 58.2% have computers. 96.1% of those in “poverty†have televisions, and 83% have some sort of DVR!

The percentage owning refrigerators? 97.8%
Gas or electric stoves? 96.6%.
Microwaves? 93.2%
Air conditioning? Over 83%.
Washer? 68.7%
Dryer? 65.3%
People still don’t mind washing dishes, apparently; only 44.9% surveyed had a dishwasher.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

Hey Ariana, every time I see your icon my arm twitches about to try to brush that bug off my screen.

What people today think of as poverty is not poverty, it's poor life and money management skills. Sure I have run out of money by the end of the month but that's not poverty, that's because I spent too much.

My opinion is many of the people think they are in poverty because they don't have what others or TV characters have. We didn't even have a flat screen tv in our house until two years ago and have never purchased a cell phone, just use my work ones I get.

And though I grew up in what I though was a fine middle class family, by today's standards many would consider us to have been in poverty. One black and white TV, and old VW for a family car, one parent working only and almost never a new toy except at Xmas or a birthday. Hot dogs and beans was a familiar meal that I really liked, years later my mom has expressed how bad she felt that we didn't have enough for better. I never saw that and liked what we had and it was a lot less then many who claim poverty now.

But my parents didn't smoke or hang out in bars and give all their money away, they did the best they could and although we didn't have all we wanted we were happy and fed and not in a poverty situation from my view.

I do not deny there are people who need help, but overweight stupid people with two cell phones, newer large gas guzzeling suv's, drawing welfare and unemployment and food stamps while saying they are staunch republicans who think everyone should help themselves and not look to the govt for help ( being to dumb to realize they are looking to the govt for their welfare, food stamps, and UE) all the while pretending to try to get work or being so abrasive in an interview no one would want to hire them anyway. Like grown up children. This was on an hour long show profiling two families from opposite ends. And while the rich family made me sick, the supposed poor family was just fuked up and their 10 year old was more intelligent then the parents.

Just my opinion on poverty these days. I too would be in poverty if I fucked around all day and didn't apply myself to learn anything or to work. I never liked putting up insulation in houses, that crap is itchy and it gets in all you clothes and it's a dirty hot or cold job but I did it so I wouldn't be a fat stupid poor slug, that option seemed worse to me then just going to work. As I understand it now contracting companies can't find enough people these days because no one wants to work hard. That's wrong, can't find white people who will work hard, plenty of Indians and Hispanics do these jobs in the area we live.

 

[Heisenberg / HNB]

Hey Ariana, every time I see your icon my arm twitches about to try to brush that bug off my screen.

Haha, I do the same thing every time I see her avatar when I'm on the mobile version!

 

[Guest]

Hey Ariana, every time I see your icon my arm twitches about to try to brush that bug off my screen.

What people today think of as poverty is not poverty, it's poor life and money management skills. Sure I have run out of money by the end of the month but that's not poverty, that's because I spent too much.

My opinion is many of the people think they are in poverty because they don't have what others or TV characters have. We didn't even have a flat screen tv in our house until two years ago and have never purchased a cell phone, just use my work ones I get.

And though I grew up in what I though was a fine middle class family, by today's standards many would consider us to have been in poverty. One black and white TV, and old VW for a family car, one parent working only and almost never a new toy except at Xmas or a birthday. Hot dogs and beans was a familiar meal that I really liked, years later my mom has expressed how bad she felt that we didn't have enough for better. I never saw that and liked what we had and it was a lot less then many who claim poverty now.

But my parents didn't smoke or hang out in bars and give all their money away, they did the best they could and although we didn't have all we wanted we were happy and fed and not in a poverty situation from my view.

I do not deny there are people who need help, but overweight stupid people with two cell phones, newer large gas guzzeling suv's, drawing welfare and unemployment and food stamps while saying they are staunch republicans who think everyone should help themselves and not look to the govt for help ( being to dumb to realize they are looking to the govt for their welfare, food stamps, and UE) all the while pretending to try to get work or being so abrasive in an interview no one would want to hire them anyway. Like grown up children. This was on an hour long show profiling two families from opposite ends. And while the rich family made me sick, the supposed poor family was just fuked up and their 10 year old was more intelligent then the parents.

Just my opinion on poverty these days. I too would be in poverty if I fucked around all day and didn't apply myself to learn anything or to work. I never liked putting up insulation in houses, that crap is itchy and it gets in all you clothes and it's a dirty hot or cold job but I did it so I wouldn't be a fat stupid poor slug, that option seemed worse to me then just going to work. As I understand it now contracting companies can't find enough people these days because no one wants to work hard. That's wrong, can't find white people who will work hard, plenty of Indians and Hispanics do these jobs in the area we live.

Very well said Sneazel

 

[Pkslangin10]

Yes

 

[unknown1212]

I created my own prison.

unknown1212

 

[Guest]

Unknown!

 

[unknown1212]

Unknown!

CatintheHat,

If I caculated my pay per hour it would be way below minium wage so I am kind of in poverty.

unknown1212

 

[Not Yapy]

I like to think I don't. lol.

 

[bbqman32]

What's sad is a lot of people make just below the qualifying limit on some assistance programs. And make just either too much money or when they don't make enough they can't support themselves it's so hard to be in the middle. I'm now and have been in that spot. When your health limits your income, its an eye opener! Compared to not ever being in that middle spot I like to call "no mans land". I don't have what I use to make. But I'm very happy to have what I got.

 

[holymoly]

I do live in poverty.  I am one of the lucky poor people in that I own my home and have pretty much everything I need.  I was working full time making $50 thou per year and then was laid off due to health issues.  I wasn't approved for disability so I had to take early retirement (825 per month).  I'm darn lucky I have that and when I start taking social sec. I will still be poor, just not as.  I do have some savings that I use to subsidize my income and that saves my butt big time.  I'm luckier than most poverty stricken folks because my son is grown and I do have savings.  What people do without the savings is beyond me.  I couldn't make it myself.

 

[Gyre]

190. Love student life.

 

[Def_Starr]

i live out in the boondocks with a pet alligator , got a proB?

 

[A.C.]

probably but i've never known it much different even when i had a well paid job,they still screw us for anything or everything they can get their greedy hands on.

Livin on SSI, ya that's poverty, I once had a semi charmed kinda life so to say... being able to see the Dead 77x's.. ALL the musicians I know.. famous/semi famous people(Like VP's of the LA Kings, and Mark Cuban... ect.. Now I know even more, but hell life blows, I've become a minimalist.. The ONLY thing I can't minimalism.. is my pain.. strangely enough I'ma better more empathetic person due to it.. My car(by law) can not blue book at $5K hahaha!!!??!?!?! And if it was I couldn't have a bank acct.. "But I'm a lil bit older now and I know my stuff" I've never been satisfied.. so I hustle.. from auto's to Jordans.. it all get sacked away so I can get to a warm dry place..

 

[Suzie]

I hear ya A.C., I live on SSI too and if I get any extra money they take it away from me, lol... but being an old hippie I can be happy without a lot of material things.  It's funny you should mention Mark Cuban, never heard of him before but getting to know him on that show Shark Tank... he's a cool guy.

 

[NoName]

I hear ya A.C., I live on SSI too and if I get any extra money they take it away from me, lol... but being an old hippie I can be happy without a lot of material things.  

Hey, Suzie, old hippie/Boomer here, too. If ya think SSI is bad, wait till ya see your first SS check, if there is anything left in the pot. I am fortunate,  though, because I lived like a rat as a student, and loved it. Never quite left that mind-set, even after 50 years.

 

[Suzie]

Hey, Suzie, old hippie/Boomer here, too. If ya think SSI is bad, wait till ya see your first SS check, if there is anything left in the pot. I am fortunate,  though, because I lived like a rat as a student, and loved it. Never quite left that mind-set, even after 50 years.

I do get a SS check and it is small because I've been disabled most of my life and as soon as I got the first one SSI deducted that amount from what I get.  My saving grace is that I don't pay rent as I bought a house back in 1978 for 26,000 with 30 year contract and that is paid off.  The only way I was able to get it was because the owner carried the contract and no bank was involved.  My house is super tiny with 7' ceiling about 700 sq.ft. but I like tiny houses so that's ok.  I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that as rent has changed so much over the years. 

 

[NoName]

 I bought a house back in 1978 for 26,000 with 30 year contract and that is paid off.  The only way I was able to get it was because the owner carried the contract and no bank was involved.  My house is super tiny with 7' ceiling about 700 sq.ft. but I like tiny houses so that's ok.  I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that as rent has changed so much over the years. 

Almost the same situation, only an old MH on an acre, where MHs were outlawed in the 80s...mine is grand-fathered in, much to the dismay of the rich people that populate this scape now. I'm in one of the top-10 wealthiest counties in the US...thumbing my nose...haha...blue tarps and all!

I am moving into the old, fixed-up chicken coop, and renting out my room to some 'artist' type, trust-baby, who wants to 'rough it' for the summer. Almost doubles my income...

 

[Suzie]

good for you NoName but what is MH?