Is being poor expensive?

cochineal

Is being poor expensive? Or is it only the middle classes who pay the full price for everything?

Random

Potatos are expensive.

dny123456

cochineal wrote: »

Is being poor expensive? Or is it only the middle classes who pay the full price for everything?

Pretty much

Hagar

How could it be expensive? You can starve for free.

AckwelFoley

Yer aul wan isnt expensive.

cochineal

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to buy the 9 pack of kittensoft rather then the 2 pack and having to go back to the shops more often.

Blisterman

cochineal wrote: »

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to buy the 9 pack of kittensoft rather then the 2 pack and having to go back to the shops more often.

Pay for toilet paper?

You've obviously never been poor before. Real poor people take the rolls from public toilets. They have the added bonus of being much much bigger requiring fewer replacements.

Steve

Blisterman wrote: »

Pay for toilet paper?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

towel401

being poor is not expensive, being rich is. real rich folk spend tons of money on maintainence and utilities. if you're really poor you might live in a squat and pay no rent or electricity and that sort of thing. rich people also have more to lose if they get caught breaking the law. but if you don't have anything of value robbing stuff will be more appealing

Steve

towel401 wrote: »

being poor is not expensive, being rich is. real rich folk spend tons of money on maintainence and utilities. if you're really poor you might live in a squat and pay no rent or electricity and that sort of thing. rich people also have more to lose if they get caught breaking the law. but if you don't have anything of value robbing stuff will be more appealing

People don't rob stuff because they're poor - they rob stuff because they are assholes.

Please don't anybody reply with "they're just victims of society", they're not. They're cretins.

There are plenty of people out there that are poor and don't have to resort to criminality.

towel401

SteveC wrote: »

People don't rob stuff because they're poor - they rob stuff because they are assholes.

Please don't anybody reply with "they're just victims of society", they're not. They're cretins.

There are plenty of people out there that are poor and don't have to resort to criminality.

what about poor assholes? there are also people that do have to resort to criminality to get by. although not as much in supposedly civilised countries like ireland

brianthebard

Blisterman wrote: »

Pay for toilet paper?

You've obviously never been poor before. Real poor people take the rolls from public toilets. They have the added bonus of being much much bigger requiring fewer replacements.

Oops that reminds me, must nick some loo roll.

Op, yes its expensive to be poor, because the necessities of life (rent, food, bills, etc) take up a far greater proportion of one's income than someone who is middle class.

Steve

towel401 wrote: »

what about poor assholes? there are also people that do have to resort to criminality to get by. although not as much in supposedly civilised countries like ireland

Why do they *have* to though?

Nobody *has* to be a criminal.

cochineal

No they're not they're as cheap as chips. Oh hang on a moment, chips aren't cheap no more.

cochineal

Ok, more examples.
More expensive to pay your car tax in 3 monthly installments than whole year at once.
Anyone else?

Course its expensive to be poor, have you not seen those ads with Linda Martin trying to convince you to sign away your soul on the telly?

cochineal

Or worse, Miley.

Sleepy

interest on hire purchase / loans
lack of credit card makes it harder to purchase on-line for savings
lack of savings or disposable income makes it hard to upskill and increase one's employability

brianthebard

Tbh I think the problem with credit cards is more often that poor people have them but then can't pay them back.

CiaranC

Ive got nothing, no money, no assets, no responsibilities, ive never felt richer.

cochineal

Ahem, I know i'm going to sound like judge Judy now, but who's paying for your internet usage? if you have no money, no assets, no possessions....?

phelixoflaherty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/13/ethicalliving-carbonfootprints.

Not so much for the hippy angle

brendansmith

cochineal wrote: »

Ahem, I know i'm going to sound like judge Judy now, but who's paying for your internet usage? if you have no money, no assets, no possessions....?

You may say im a dreamer.
But im not the only one.

Crumble Froo

it can cost more in the long run if you're quite poor. like the aforementioned examples of toilet paper, or just most things, the essentials, are cheaper to buy in bulk, but require more money up front, from washing powder to bog roll, to petrol, it will often cost less in the long run to buy everything up front, once. personally, i am quite poor, and if i want something, i do have to save up for a good while to afford it, i refuse to fall into the trap of hire purchasing or loans, as they do cost so much more in the long run, neither do i have a credit card, because i worry i would spend more than i can afford and end up in debt, with interest.

the first thing that struck my mind though, was health. cos healthcare/medicine etc isnt cheap, and so often, the less healthy things are cheaper. i try to eat a lot of fresh fruit as part of my diet, but it is getting more and more expensive, and the weeks i can't afford it, i tend to just live on bread/toast/pasta, cos it's just so dirt cheap. not to mention the fact that for 2l of milk (here, in nz), it costs about $3-5, while a decent sized scoop of chips from the fish'n'chip shop averages about $1.70-2.30. less healthy, but infinitely more filling. little things like this, build up to much bigger health issues.

as do, (another new zealand case in point), poor living conditions. here, it is not the normal thing to have properly insulated homes, or central heating. mould is a common problem, and the poorer half of the population are much much more likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses. this costs in days missed at work, medicine, seeing the doctor... not to mention the amount of elderly/weak who die in winter purely cos the house is too damp. yeah, being poor can cost a hell of an amount, really. /rant

AlmightyCushion

In conclusion, being poor sucks balls.

Crumble Froo

heh, pretty much. man, that was a bit of a ramble though

AlmightyCushion

Crumble Froo wrote: »

heh, pretty much. man, that was a bit of a ramble though

Ah there's nothing like a good rant to vent. Always makes you feel better.

brendansmith

Crumble Froo wrote: »

heh, pretty much. man, that was a bit of a ramble though

I luv u!

Mahatma coat

So in Conclusion Being Poor 'Sucks Donkey Balls' but being Wealthy aint that much beter in my experience, waaaaay more overheads - Rates, utilities, cartaxes, insurance, all nastily expensive.

AlmightyCushion

Mahatma coat wrote: »

So in Conclusion Being Poor 'Sucks Donkey Balls' but being Wealthy aint that much beter in my experience, waaaaay more overheads - Rates, utilities, cartaxes, insurance, all nastily expensive.

Not to mention the cost of the guy who polishes all my gold.

brendansmith

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Not to mention the cost of the guy who polishes all my gold.

Dont forget the guy who polishes your rocket!:pac::pac:

AlmightyCushion

brendansmith wrote: »

Dont forget the guy who polishes your rocket!:pac::pac:

Hey, that was one time and I was very drunk. He said he was just a massage, he said it was just a massage.

*cries*

brendansmith

*throws head back and laughs a hearty laugh, each powerful laugh cause the earth to shake and sea to boil*

Crumble Froo

feck it. points taken.

agree that being poor can be expensive, but people with money will tend to waste/throw away more.

*shrugs*

Xavi6

Tbh I'd rather have an appreciation for money than be throwing it away like some of the **** you see.

brendansmith

Crumble Froo wrote: »

well, tbh, i wouldnt mind having a couple quid more. enough to be able to buy the good food in the supermarket without having to worry if ill still be able to pay the rent. we do still have a car, so pay taxes, petrol, insurance, registration, warrant on that, as well as rates on the house, insurance on the house, rent, electricity, phone, internet.

granted, they're not all 'necessary', (it took me a looooooooong time to warm up to the idea of the car, and we use it minimally), but both mine nad my partner's best mates live overseas, so the internet and phone are very important to us. car is handy for my fella to see his family, and help them out, as well as for me to get to surfing every week.

at this point, i've had a bad cough since getting back from ireland, and packing and clearing a lot of the stuff out of this house has kicked up extra dust, and exposed a tonne of mould, and i have literally spent a couple of hours straight just coughing in the last 24hrs. not sure what it's from, but i am genuinely starting to worry about it now. but doctor's a bit expensive, particularly as a non-resident with no travel insurance. so im riding it out, and hope that works out for me.

ah, im not *that* poor, but money is a constant worry, even more so for my partner, who has a smaller income than me, and a child who seems to just guzzle the little income he does have.

buuuuuuuut anyway, moving in two weeks, should have a fair few quid more than usual floating around once we're there, fingers crossed

Make this into 5 sentences or im not going to bother reading it.

AlmightyCushion

brendansmith wrote: »

Make this into 5 sentences or im not going to bother reading it.

Just take the first sentence of each paragraph. Problem solved.

Black Swan

When you're a starving student, everything appears expensive!

brendansmith

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

When you're a starving student, everything appears expensive!

Not true!

Black Swan

brendansmith wrote: »

Not true!

DATABASE ERROR!

brianthebard

Crumble Froo wrote: »

the first thing that struck my mind though, was health. cos healthcare/medicine etc isnt cheap, and so often, the less healthy things are cheaper. i try to eat a lot of fresh fruit as part of my diet, but it is getting more and more expensive, and the weeks i can't afford it, i tend to just live on bread/toast/pasta, cos it's just so dirt cheap. not to mention the fact that for 2l of milk (here, in nz), it costs about $3-5, while a decent sized scoop of chips from the fish'n'chip shop averages about $1.70-2.30. less healthy, but infinitely more filling. little things like this, build up to much bigger health issues.

That's very true, I was living on weetabix and pasta bakes for the past two-three weeks, and while its not technically bad or value free food, I was definitely getting run down. Ended up going home and eating some veg(!) and feel much better this week.

Mahatma coat wrote: »

So in Conclusion Being Poor 'Sucks Donkey Balls' but being Wealthy aint that much beter in my experience, waaaaay more overheads - Rates, utilities, cartaxes, insurance, all nastily expensive.

Yea you're right having a disposable income is such a burden. And then governments ask you to support the economy-man you must have it tough. :rolleyes:

cochineal

Hey Crumble Froo,
You really need to do something about that mould - it's a biohazard and it will seriously affect your lungs in the long term. Take note it will, not it might. You have to kill it off first. Spray it with a mixture of half and half of alcohol and water (industrial methylated spirits etc.). Wear a mould-proof mask- 3M make one I think. Not any mask will do. For mould to grow it needs a sustained level of humidity of over 75%. If you can, buy a humidistat and attach it to a simple cheap heater such as an oil-filled heater. The humidistat will turn on the heater when the humidity gets over this level and turn off again once the humidity has dropped. It shouldn't cost much to run and will be cheaper than doctor's visits. Also make sure that you have good ventilation and air circulation - open the windows a little or make sure the vents are working. Try to position your bed against an interior wall and always leave gaps between furniture and mirrors, paintings etc and the wall they are against. You can just place a centimetre of cardboard tubing behind pictures for example. This facilitates air circulation. If you use a vacuum cleaner to take up all the bits of mould afterwards, beware that unless it has what is called a hepa filter, it will simply exhaust all the particles of mould out the back and into the air you breath. Don't want to scare you but hope this helps.

AnonoBoy

cochineal wrote: »

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to buy the 9 pack of kittensoft rather then the 2 pack and having to go back to the shops more often.

Kittensoft????

Ya posh git. Poor people get Valu-Brand Toilet Paper.

Rob_l

SteveC wrote: »

People don't rob stuff because they're poor - they rob stuff because they are assholes.

Please don't anybody reply with "they're just victims of society", they're not. They're cretins.

There are plenty of people out there that are poor and don't have to resort to criminality.

This true plenty of rich people resort to crime and its not for need

Rob_l

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Kittensoft????

Ya posh git. Poor people get Valu-Brand Toilet Paper.

Ah the good old sandpaper
style toilet roll

cochineal

You calling me a posh git? I consider buying kittensoft an investment in my country and my patriotic duty - it's the only toilet roll (excuse me for not saying bog roll) that I know of that's made in Ireland. You can stick to your super value brand.

AnonoBoy

cochineal wrote: »

You calling me a posh git? I consider buying kittensoft an investment in my country and my patriotic duty - it's the only toilet roll (excuse me for not saying bog roll) that I know of that's made in Ireland. You can stick to your super value brand.

Real poor people can't afford to invest in their country. They buy the cheapest available.

cochineal

Oh god anonoboy, now you're really being depressing. Did you type that with a straight face?

AnonoBoy

cochineal wrote: »

Oh god anonoboy, now you're really being depressing. Did you type that with a straight face?

I never type anything with a straight face. I type with the gayest face imaginable.

cochineal

I'm imagining it right now. That's got to be a strain to sustain! Ha ha ha!

Crumble Froo

no really. you have kittensoft, and for couple of quid cheaper, you have lidl/tesco brand... you buy the cheapest.

i have a few 'principle' purchases... wont buy meat/meat products, and only buy free range eggs. would love to be picky about milk too, but organic stuff is about $3 more expensive, and i simply can't afford it 99% of the time.

i know plenty of people in similar situations... lidl vs dunnes? not a question. lidl wins hands down nearly every time (and most of the rest goes to tescos).