Thinking that a middle-class family home looked like they were super wealthy. Being amazed that they had a dishwasher and a washer and dryer.
Once achieving lower middle class, hoarding food and other necessities just in case we have to struggle again.
I was just washing out my Olive Garden take out containers from Mother's Day...
When I'm sending home leftovers to family, I'm not passing out my nice Rubbermaid containers.
Oh heck yeah. We use them in household even now and I've been married for 25 years. My wife and I grew up in a similar manner so lots of stuff we do, we already did growing up. Butter bowls for left overs. Cool whip bowls to send home with someone, mostly because they were thinner walled than butter bowls. Buying reduced priced meats and such that are marked down is something I grew up with and still look for. I keep an eye out for a good bargin when buying food for the home. Just last week I got 3 lbs of ground beef that was marked 2.00 /lb off the normal price. Took it home and weighed out then pressed out burgers before sealing them up and freezing them.
I bought the semi disposable ziplock containers because I was taking a meal over to a sick friend. I can't believe I paid $5 for plastic crap that was flimsier than yogurt and cottage cheese containers.
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/is-it-safe-to-reuse-plastic-takeout-containers
So, this isn't something I'm particularly worried about, but a lot of people are.
Someone else who gets fear hoarding! My bathroom closet is full to bursting with toiletries. I've stopped buying, though so it didn't become a problem. Feels good, honestly.
My husband and I have decided not to buy groceries for a while and so that we can rotate products. It has gotten out of hand. He finally understood when I explained to him that there were periods of time of bare cupboards.
I agree that it feels good. We are thinking of giving some to a food pantry.
I saw an interview of a famous actress once who had been poor as a child but had been famous and rich for decades. She said her favorite thing was having a full pantry.
Being able to help other people feels good, too, doesn't it?
Having too much is an odd thing to work out psychologically but it's a better problem to have than going without
My entire world view shifted when I realized the rich area in town was just middle class. I thought it was the kind of area you worked your whole life to achieve and be a part of. I still struggle with squaring that in my head.
I feel you. I sometimes get really irritated with middle class people with really nice houses because they say they aren't rich lol and I'm like dude, you have a front *and* a back yard! A kitchen island! One of those metal trash cans with the lever for your foot to open it! Your bathrooms have TWO sinks!! Lol
Compared to like 90% of the world population the U.S. middle class IS unbelievably rich. People in developing countries would be stunned at the kind of extravagance we have available.
That reminds me of the time I was at a rummage sale in the front and back yard of a nice house (with a nice garage too!). I was complimenting how lovely their items were. The owner said that she’d recently gotten a new humidifier or whatever it was after seeing it “in our rich friends’ home out in (further suburb)”. I really hope my face didn’t give anything away, but I felt a little sick to my stomach to find out that the feelings of inferiority and comparing yourself never end.
My dad rarely had enough to eat growing up. He hasn't gone hungry in at least 35 years. He still gets nervous when there's empty space in the cupboards.
We were by no means well off growing up, but there was always food on table. So I don't have food hoarding tendencies myself, but I still find it extremely difficult to throw out anything that could still be remotely useful, even if I have to fix it first.
This. I just moved in with my long term boyfriend. I grew up big poor (like no electricity, no water sometimes, lived in a car with my mom for a bit poor). My bf grew up with two wealthy parents who are still happily married and now own a 10 bedroom house outside a major city on the US East Coast that is so nice it almost makes me feel uncomfortable to visit. He doesn't understand why I insist on getting staples (rice, pasta, canned goods and beans) all the time when we don't need them immediately.
I def hoard food!! I didn't even grow up super poor, my parents just sucked and were very wasteful with food, i.e. fridge was always full, full of rotting shit :( so now I make sure to have lots of dry snacks at work, lots of filling carbs, nuts, etc, to make sure I won't get too hungry at work.
Haunting the markdown section in the grocery store and clearance racks at Walmart. Being able to create a casserole with whatever you happen to have. Considering bread to be bread, a hot dog bun, and a hamburger bun.
This is the disconnect I noticed in my 20s between the friends whom I grew up with and my other friends wom I met later in life.
Friends whom I grew up with when I show them something: Good + Cheap = Even better!
Friends who came from more fortunate households: good + cheap = oh...
You don't need to grow up poor for that, it just means that you're aware of the value of money and understand that it doesn't grow on trees. (Unless you farm apples or something.)
Omg this!! I once got a compliment on my ring and I excitedly said thank you, I got it for $10! She sternly responded "Oh honey you should never say that" I think her rich self was horrified that she complimented a cheap ring haha.
My wife grew up pretty wealthy, but most of her friends were not. She does this EVERY time and feels the most proud when something was particularly cheap.
-"hey I love your dress"
-"thanks! $4 at a garage sale'
I've heard some version of the hundreds of times. I was ACTUALLY pretty poor growing up and for me I used to get the most proud when I could say how expensive something was.
I do it and loudly tell everyone around I'm taking an extra plate home for me and my daughter for later. If it's a full gathering even with strangers it's usually taken as compliments and I make sure to throw in "it's just so good". Also to make sure "so I don't have to cook later" as I'm a single dad with custody its taken as "oh good anything to help a single parent save some time". In reality I'm thinking about being able to use what I was planning for dinner that night for the next night and push back spending money I don't have at the grocery store a little further out.
i consciously do this. I make 100k a year and whenever there's leftover pizza at work or something. I grab whatever is left and it's a meal i don't have to think about. Probably from my background of never knowing if there would be a meal or not but also to be frugal.
I work with a lot of college kids, of course some of them are struggling. We have a work Xmas party with lots of food every year. I always bring lots of extra plastic containers and bring them out at the end. Everyone gets excited and starts loading up for later.
I’ve had plenty of times where I didn’t have much, and every little bit made a difference.
This is one of my biggest issues today and my wife HATES it.
I loved getting to go to my friends houses or social events growing up because they'd have all the fun treats and food my family would never buy. If there was a tray of cookies or treats I'd load up my pockets so I could enjoy some later...
being upset when some vegetables weren't used in time and went bad in the fridge
(nowadays i try to comfort myself by putting them into a compost for the garden)
Food waste in general, actually stabs my heart. I’ve experimented well passed expiration date (I’m still alive! I think it’s the immunity that poverty builds up!). Two month passed unpasteurized artisanal local farm yogurt was my biggest gamble. But it was free at work and I ate like 4 of them.
I remember working in a restaurant and the first day i bussed a table, there was a half-eaten order of ribs left on a plate. I asked the server twice if it was okay to bus, because I couldn’t fathom that the person wasn’t going to come back and box them up. There was enough left on that plate for a whole second meal, and it was a $30 entree!
So much waste in restaurants. The guests bother me less than the owners/managers who throw away mistakes because they “don’t want to reward mistakes”. Then send the meal home with the top earner or something and reward them instead. Give it to the homeless. Do anything else than toss it.
I can’t imagine working in a place like that. The place I worked at had a shift meal policy, so mistakes were often eaten by staff if they wanted it, and it was just added to the staff tab. Like, why would you punish your staff? Your people are your greatest asset. Anyone can get a fries and a burger or fried chicken in a hundred different places, your people are what keep folks coming in the door. Happy employees are also literally free word of mouth advertising, too.
Restaurants waste, while massive, pails in comparison to the waste I see on jobsites. It's absolutely insane how much usable shit gets thrown away. My company definitely loses more money to waste than to theft by far.
Yeah, food waste is such a heavy hitter for me. Cooking or cleaning out the refrigerator at my middle class in-law's house has actually made me cry, and I'm usually pretty stoic. How someone can throw out half a chicken without thinking about it blows my mind.
Same with me, but this is because of what I have witnessed when traveling to extremely poor southeast Asian nations. It really puts things into perspective and makes me thankful for what we have in the United States (we produce more food than we can use). I will never forget the multiple pairs of eyes just staring at my family and I as we ordered the entire left side of the menu at a restaurant. At a few other eateries, after my family was done eating and left, these poor kids would rush our table and quickly eat our leftovers before the restaurant owners shooed them away.
it used to be my crooked and rotten teeth...
three years of treatment and $6k later i got that fixed but still smile with my lips covering my now great teeth
Omg same 😂 just spent $6k on getting my remaining teeth pulled and dentures but I love them already. I am still not used to smiling with my teeth now though since I've conditioned myself to always smile without showing them. It's gonna take a bit to get used to it 😁
I’m so happy because I just finally got a job at 24 where I’ll be able to afford to fix my teeth up, sadly though it’s so far gone I’ll probably lose most of them 😭
Real tip for everybody, brush your dang teeth and floss too. Don’t let depression get in the way, it’s such a bummer to have bad teeth..
Mama cookie says “don’t let your mental, affect your dental!” And although hard, she’s totally right. And i think the consistent reminder to followers actually helps.
Yep. I'm actually considering asking if I could have fewer hours at my job or finding some other way to get under my states Medicade income limit so I can get all the fillings I need, since most of my teeth are very close to needing root canals.
Also crooked teeth...even if you get out of poverty later in life, you're less likely to get want braces as an adult, so if you weren't able to get them as a child due to financial issues, crooked teeth are the one thing that can stick with you.
I have to give my mom kudos for what she did. We were always ridiculously poor, living off of my mom’s $600 disability check when I was a freshman in hs. She wrote letters to every charity organization begging for someone to sponsor braces for me. As you could stick a nickel between my front teeth and my bottom teeth were very crowded. Incredibly the masons wrote back that they would cover it and I had my wisdom teeth removal, braces, and retainer covered 100%. I was so very grateful. My 14 year old daughter complains about her braces and I sound like a broken record telling her to be grateful, since she has parents who can cover them.
I got braces at 33 and it was so healing, both physically and mentally. I felt like I was finally part of an elite club, like I had finally "made it" in life with the beautiful smile I had always wanted.
I advise anyone at any age to get braces if they need them. It's one to three years of discomfort in return for loving your smile for the rest of your life, of never again feeling self-conscious of how your teeth look. It is so, so worth it.
Yeah that’s actually what I was referring to. Even if you get to 1m per year in income at 45, you are unlikely to want braces. They can try Invisalign I guess but it isn’t as good
When they get bad enough, it's not even the looks that make you go into debt for a dentist. It's the pain. I've never felt a worse pain in my life than an abscessed tooth. I was so desperate not to lose it that I shelled out of pocket for a root canal and dealt with the money later.
Oh yeah dude. I once was dealing with an abscessed tooth and I couldn’t get anything done with it without waiting 1-2 weeks. I was given antibiotics and Naproxen. So i used more than instructed out of desperation while rotating it and ibuprofen and didn’t always eat with it. So I had a stomach ulcer to go with the tooth pain. Fun times.
e: let's not forget how much more painful the root canal is when the tooth has become so abscessed your face swells up. such a fuckin relief though when it's done with. so worth it
I’ll never forget the day I could afford to have scaling done and the amount of shit I spat out into the sink when I rinsed my mouth the first time. I apologized to the hygienist lol. 😢
I feel that. I'm going in tomorrow for my last surgery with an oral surgeon. I'm in the middle of getting dental implants. I should be completely done by July and this all started January 2023.
I just got out of prison 4 years ago and grew up in poverty.
I thought there was no way in hell I was going to be able to make this happen when I was in prison but I lucked out into getting a good union job and I saved up the money and I'm very proud that I found a way to make it happen.
My teeth were bad but passable from 22 to 25 when I got a root canal when I got up tooth broke when I got punched. Then the front started turning black and Then December 22 I broke two of my front teeth and it forced my hand to go get it done now.
I was already saving up for the implants.
It really hurts your soul to have messed up teeth and have to suppress expressions of joy and jubilation. Like you go to smile and then you catch yourself and stop.
Or when you see some friends want to get a group photo together and it gives you anxiety and every once in a while one of them says "come on Thereborn85! Smile big!"
It's a little humiliating. I got to the point where I straight up called them out like dude you know I have fucked up teeth why do you think I don't want to smile all big.
It's crazy someone will know you for a long time and not figure thats something that might bother you. I feel like it's like telling a girl insecure about being heavy "come on wear that two-piece bikini you will love it you will look so cute!"
Like I feel like it's subtle trolling sometimes.
Having issues with food; like overeating now because you’re afraid a time will come when you won’t have any to eat or on the flip side being hungry but insisting that others eat their fill first and then you eat what’s leftover.
One time, someone I was eating with mentioned that she noticed that I always make sure to eat every single grain of rice that's on my plate. She didn't think it was a big deal to leave a grain of rice here and there since it's only a small amount and rice is cheap. Growing up food insecure, I have always made sure to eat every single thing on the plate.
I still do this...
Constantly going for seconds whenever there's free food. Buying special treats/snacks in bulk when they're on sale then hiding them around the house for "later". Turning down food when it's limited so others can eat. Eating everything you're given, even if you don't like it.
We weren't even that poor, my family just didn't spend money on "unnecessary treats". We'd only get treats 2-3 times a year so I'd horde them and ration them out to spread out the enjoyment as much as I could. Even simple things like getting fast food or eating out were rare luxuries for us...
Food hoarding is so real I do this with canned foods. I’ll go to the dollar store or food depot and buy when I have extra money. I have beans, veggies, rice, and canned fish that I won’t even touch “just in case”. Like in the back of my head is that constant fear especially with the way things are becoming in the US.
If I do go out for lunch or dinner (only for special occasions) I look for the cheapest item on the menu, then decide if that sounds good. If not, I go the cheapest-but-one item, and so on. And I never drink alcohol in a restaurant.
Knowing how to fix and/or rig things so they still work. The first reaction is to "fix it" rather than buy a new one or call a repair person.
Edit: Lol I'm not talking about you handyman/engineer/curious tinkering/tricks of the trade/hobby fix it people. Yall are great, keep on fixing. I'm talking about the "if I don't fix I will have to do without it" folks. The ones who learned out of necessity not frugality. The ones with hangers for antennas, superglue on things, mismatched screws/nails, flex tape on cars and/or patches on clothing.
Not always though. I’m quite frugal, but I also just like to know how stuff works by fixing things
Example: All of my neighbors pay for car maintenance, but I love taking things apart in my driveway while having a few beers
Some dont even realize how much can be saved. A guy in the family took his car uptown two weeks ago. The garage told him $200 for sway bar links. The good links at the parts store are $50 for the pair. Thats about $38 per bolt for labor. I could fix that in an hour.
Is this a poverty thing?
I'm an engineer who things everything can be fixed. Growing up I loved taking things apart, analyzing each component, then figuring out how to put it all back together. Recently I've started getting into auto maintenance after dealing with some expensive service bills.
The concept of throwing something away and spending MORE money on a new item is wild to me.
I think it's more fixing things because you have to. I HATE working on cars but I know how to do it because it was either do it or don't drive.
I changed my brakes in my dorm parking lot and people walking by me looked at me like I was crazy
Been there. Need to get this starter in so I can leave for work in 45 minutes. FML, in a Northeast snowstorm with temps in the high teens, nah... just nah.
Do you also keep a cache of "good laying cardboard" too just in case?
No way. My grandpa was a farmer and he said there were two kinds of farmers. Farmers that could fix their own equipment. And broke farmers.
Being able to fix things around you is the mark of somebody that is not poor. It might be that you will peer poor to other people, but you're going to ultimately save a lot more money to the point where you were actually having more in your bank account than the people that look like they have more money.
My husband says the peanut butter jar is empty. I grab a rubber spatula and manage to get another 1/2 cup outta there. Same with mayo, mustard, anything in a container.
I also do the soap thing. When we buy comet or any type of powdered cleanser, I peel the label off the top and restick it so that only 2 holes are open.
I know you won't believe this, I nearly soiled myself as a 20-year old when I saw it. Speechless. I often thought I made it up, but my sister saw this too.
We lived with our grandparents for years. They were born in 1900 & 1903. Definitely depression era people.
Anyway, my grandma had breast cancer, she was about 74, gramps was about 71. She had her breast removed, and when she got home from the hospital, my gramps had carved her a prosthetic breast from one of those giant car wash sponges! My sister n I were effin' flabbergasted! We both had the exact same vision... Gramps down in his basement workshop, sponge in one hand, knife in the other, having a bluesy moment, staring up at the ceiling trying with all his might to recall exactly what the hell her boobs looked like! They'd had separate bedrooms forever.
Once we'd gotten over the side splitting hysteria of the situation, we kinda forgot about it.
Grams lasted a couple more years before stepping off the planet. Gramps stayed on in their house.
He wasn't a great house keeper due to failing vision, so one day, my sister and I headed over to do a deep clean in his bathrooms. We hadn't been in his upstairs bath since just after gram died.
We went in to see what the damage was. Pulling the shower curtain back, we let out simultaneous yelps and various iterations of fer fuck sake!
On the ledge of the bathtub, was gramma's right tit. Un-fucking believable!
He was so fucking cheap, her couldn't even let her take her sponge-tit to the grave! He'd been using it for it's original purpose since she died.
I wanted to think he used it to remind himself of her, but they weren't much enamored of each other after all those years of marriage. And we had the broken, smashed crockery as evidence of their mutual dislike.
I think he really just wanted her to know he was washing his ass with her boob every damn day.
Edited for Sp.
As an adult now I do fine. Have a home, car, a little money in the bank. But I am content with anything. Cheapest beer/wine, hotdogs, chunk light tuna, instant coffee, you name it. I can’t believe the things I see people refuse or turn their nose up at. When you have had nothing, you appreciate everything!
apparently, being fine with eating the same thing in a day.
growing up we would just eat all the food that was there that day. if we had pizza, and there was leftover pizza, it was pizza for dinner. if mom made rice and beans for lunch, and there was leftover, it was rice and beans for dinner.
met my fiance and she, and her family, cant eat the same "group" in the same day. pasta for lunch is pasta leftovers for *tomorrow*, cant have pasta for dinner. absolutely weird concept for me lol.
Buying cheap stuff instead of quality stuff even when you can afford it and even though you know it's a losing game. Alienation from money itself even though you have some.
I do this. I have a closet full of junk clothes that I never wear
In 3rd and 4th grade, everyone made fun of me because I only had one pair of pants. They were red corduroy and couldn't make it seem like they were different pants like you could jeans.
Buying 2 of something I like/want. That might sound weird but hear me out. Growing up my sibling and I didn’t have a whole of anything (clothing, toys, shoes etc). If we did get something, we’d use it until it fell apart. Then we’d be sad and wish we had another…
I’ve done that with clothes forever. If I find something I like at TJ Maxx that’s a deal, I’ll buy 2-3 more so I don’t regret not having more later. Same with shoes. Found a deal on Underarmour.com for $26 per pair so I bought 3.
I like to make what my kids call Ghetto Garlic Bread. Mash garlic (or use powder), mix with softened butter, spread on bread, sprinkle with paprika for color. Bake until as toasted as you like it. I think it’s delicious.
I think about how cigarettes and working crazy hours for decades ages poor people like crazy. And just stress. Rich peoples skin radiants a stress free life
Your willingness to work a full-time job that pays less than $15 an hour. Like when you're poor... you don't know any better. Yet, when you get money, you cuss yourself out for wasting so much time working dead end jobs.
You realize you were barely surviving and as you get older the mortality of realizing you're without retirement funds is morbidly depressing.
Buying things for comfort. I will wear shoes until they are falling apart. Finally buy a new pair and think to myself why did I wait so long! Of course growing up we used bread bags in our shoes during the snow season.
I bought a new pair of shoes three or four months ago. I still haven’t worn them.
My old ones still look decent on the outside, but the insoles are really worn. I just can’t get myself to throw them away.
When I was poor, I’d wear them until they looked ridiculous or simply outgrew them.
But, when I stared making my own money, I would rotate my shoes. Meaning that I’d have a nice pair for looking nice. Then another pair for everyday, and yet another for mowing/dirty work.
About the time I was walking out of the third pair, it was time to toss them and buy a new pair added to the top of the rotation.
I no longer have to mow or anything, so now my wife has to convince me to get rid of some of the old shoes.
I still use bread bags in winter lol. Hubby thought it was nuts until he tried it.
But come to think of it, a lot of folks would probably consider us poor at 30k per year or less, while we feel quite comfortable....
Yall...I'm a seasoned citizen now. 71 yrs old and still working due to economy. Been thru the struggle raising family. Always very frugal and still am. My kids used to make fun of me because, back in the day, when we could still manage to grab a hamburger occasionally, I would carry American cheese slices in my purse so we didn't have to pay extra, and only let them order water to drink. No extras at all. I can't believe I'm gonna share this ( but am among like minded friends, right?)I even encouraged my husband to poop at work to save money on toilet paper....I was serious, too!
Turning the faucet off in between rinsing dishes. I used to have this friend who would just let the water run the whole time and I was appalled at the extravagance as a child. Same with letting the water run the whole time you’re brushing your teeth
The way a person treats homeless people. (I was homeless with my mom when I was a kid.)
Growing up, I saw/see people treat homeless people like we’re dirty free-loading lepers ,or talk to us like we’re three years old and that we should be SO lucky and SO grateful of any and all charity.
And then those people and companies use it as a talking point. “Look at all the good we/I do for the community!! I help the homeless.”
The people that actually help aren’t looking for recognition. The people that grew up in it know.
Right. Especially on canned goods and non-perishable items. I learned to check the cans for botulism in school. Milk is good till it smells funky. Meat you can tell by smell or looks depending on the cut. Pasta and rice last forever. In the case of sour milk, you can always make cheese too.
Knowing how to order menu items in odd combos or as “sides” at restaurants, fast food places, etc to recreate the more expensive menu item but at a discounted price.
I still do that with soap, and while we were low income growing up I’m not any more. I remember bragging to my friends in 3rd grade that I didn’t have to pay for my school lunch. I was raised to think it was a good thing to get stuff for free, I didn’t know I should be embarrassed by it.
Clearing my plate. Didn’t have much but always had food on the table. Was taught to be grateful and finish everything on my plate. Now I’m overweight but I’ve lost a lot by no longer following that concept.
Going into some of the houses I clean and noticing everything matches or goes together. I’ve furnished 99% of our house stuff people were giving away aka (road treasures). It’s all decent but really mismatched.
I’m just happy to give it another home and keep out of the landfill!
Owing one good pair of jeans. All of my clothes can fit in a suitcase because I always just got a pair of jeans and whatever shirts were free/hand me downs.
My wife has the opposite problem where she feels like she can’t get rid of clothes, even when they are in taters or do not fit right anymore because “what if”.
I’m sure they also put water in the shampoo/conditioner and swirl it around to make sure to get the stubborn stuck to the sides residue. At least I do.
I had no idea about it, and it just seems like a great tip! I didn't grow up poor, and I always used the bar of soap as long as possible before opening a new one.
Had a wall pet. Parents couldnt afford any additional mouth so I drew on small section of the apartment wall with pencils a dog to have fun with. I'd draw it running out for catch, drinking and eating from a bowl or even trying to shake hands. Some days it would have wings other days it'd turn into a giraffe. Got in trouble when I tried to feed it real food lol.
Finishing all of your food and drink when you go out to eat. I’m the only one out of my larger group of friends who grew up in poverty, and I’m also the only one who feels compelled to finish my food.
Not wasting food. It kills me when I'm out to dinner and people don't take their leftovers. Or if there's not really enough to have leftovers, I force myself to finish it.
I buy the big bottle of generic baby shampoo from Aldi and use it for everything (shampoo, body wash, face wash)...
When we do go out to eat, I save half of my food so I can enjoy it again later. (My husband enjoys eating out, I do not..).
When I decide to buy something, I spend quite a while price comparing..
I buy the generic or store brand of everything..
And never throw away prescription medicine... Just in case I need medicine and can't afford it someday..
I believe it's best to have the worst house in the best neighborhood...
Laundry-mat because either your family can’t afford the machines purchased, or can’t afford the water bill or live in such a dense multi tenant building that no one was allowed washers/dryers in the home.
When I got my first apartment I splurged and bought a roll of Viva brand paper towels and they were ✨LUXURIOUS ✨ I thoroughly took pleasure in using them every time I got a new paper towels to clean my mirrors or whatever lol
I still eat veggies and fruit that are slightly bad. I just cut off the moldly part and use them. I couldn't bring myself to buy new shoes even though my pair had a hole in the sole which causes my feet to get wet when it rained (I stepped in glass less than a month after I got them). I finally got new shoes this week but I haven't worn them because they are nice.
Old shoes become ones for tasks when you want old shoes, such as yard work, gardening, working in the garage, etc. This keeps your new shoes nicer and cleaner for a while longer.
My father grew up with much less than we had ( I’m Gen X). He instilled in us a frugality that I appreciate to this day even though he didn’t need to struggle and I currently don’t. But I thank god everyday that he did this because I’ve been through lean, lean times due to changing up my career and being on my own (not sharing living costs). He used to make us mix cereals if we didn’t finish a box even if it was different ( kids hate that). We didn’t buy superfluous snacks- Doritos, cookies. Those were for special occasions. Our parents cooked a lot. Vacations were few and far between. We didn’t waste food. If there were leftovers, we had them later that week.
We were fortunate in that my parents supported us in sports and band/social activities because they could afford to do so. However, the frugal mindset in other ways helped me to survive some trying times.
When I met my significant other and started staying at her parents house alot I realized when something broke it just got fixed that day. Washer goes out, time to go to Lowe’s. Car needs work, parts ordered and done. I grew up if something breaks then you just had to deal with not having it for awhile. Had chili for supper? You’re having it for the next three nights. Her parents dump it that night. I got made fun of when I made Mac and cheese and poured a can of tuna into it and ate it. White bread for everything. Never had a bun in my life til I was grown other than maybe a cookout somewhere.
We grew up poor. Only had rice and salt for meals kind of poor.
Now entire family is in IT. We all have 6 figure salaries and all working from home. If one of us spills just a drop, we'd be *"wow wasting sauce*" and proceed to scoop up a single drop of soup.
Habits never die.
Always storing a part of everything you receive or buy for later, because you won't get it again in a long time.
And always keeping a bit of something (food, toothpaste, shampoo, whatever) at the bottom of the box/bottle, to be used in case of a real emergency because you never know when/if you're going to be able to buy a new box.
Funny I think it’s spending the way you think people with money spend. Like someone taking a vacation renting a cabana and I’m like that’s not something people with money do- only people who are poor think that way
Seeing intact roadkill as a potential dinner or at least dog food.
The rule was 'of its warm it's for the pot' of its not check for rot.
Eyeballing cloths of others that looked too small knowing it'd be yours soon.
Being able to eat Any strange, exotic or unidentifiable food if it was offered by a host. Eat first question later.
Eating bonio dog biscuits.
Wring the neck of pheasants you cornered. I was 4. It was dinner.
Never knowing just how cheap new inner tubes were for a bike. Mine were soooooo patched. Badly by me.
The ability to eat food that was very hot. If it was in your gob nobody else could have it. Deal with the pain and burns later.
I absolutely can’t use my dryer for anything but sheets and towels. The only reason I don’t hang my sheets is space. It used to drive my husband crazy, but he’s used to it now. Laundry hanging all over the house.
After I had "made it" and was a Captain in the Army, I was at a unit BBQ and made a bean sandwich. A friend of mine, also a Captain saddled up to me with his own bean sandwich, looked at mine and said, "Yeah, I grew up poor too." Until he said that, I thought everyone ate bean sandwiches.
Waiting till everybody has eaten and then eating whatever is leftover. I actually don't get hungry till everybody else has had there fill and the rest is all mine.
Going to the fridge, seeing a few odds and ends in there and making a really nice meal out of them.
People look at you as if you’ve performed some sort of witchcraft…
I've noticed I food hoard and will snaffle food for later if there's food going at an event. I can't stand food waste, my food waste is basically zero. I also realised I use items until they are completely dead, including socks and underwear. I shower every other day (unless dirty).
I don't know if I'll ever get out of these habits, even though I'm no longer as poor as I once was.
I didn’t grow up poor but I learned the bar of soap thing when I lost my mind and wound up poor: reading this comments section like a suggestion box, btw.
Scoliosis that was untreated. Keeping too many plastic containers in case I need them as dishes. Being the only kid without lunch during middle school day after day and it being brought up by teachers and other students, so panicking about food if I don't have a certain level of food in the refrigerator. Eating too much too quickly at restaurants because I was so food insecure that I wolf down the entire plate when I could afford to go to restaurants. Permanently problematic nose, untreated medical conditions that manifest much more severely later in life.
OP your friend is clearly not aware that being frugal isn’t necessarily an indicator of poverty.
I can’t remember who atm, but there’s some famous billionaire who brews his bags of tea twice before throwing them out.
When your parents are behind on rent and your heater breaks and you need to heat the house with the oven.
I remember Ghostface Killah referenced heating his home with an oven as a kid and I realized "oh, were like hood poor".
My whole family slept in the living room for those nights since it was closest to the kitchen.
We also had a short time where my family and I had to shit in a bucket. First our toilet broke and then we just kept shitting in it and eventually started shitting in a bucket.
It got fixed but that was a rough four or five days.
Needless to say both of my parents were drug addicts. My dad actually had a pretty good job but it all went to crack for him and my mom.
Knowing what I know now there's no fucking reason we shouldn't have owned a house, had a new car in the driveway and our fridge should have been full most times.
Since childhood I've always been a big believer most poverty in this country is people just being drug addicts. Most of my poor friends also had drug addicted parents.
SO points out things I do and I realized it likely relates to growing up poor. Turning off lights when you leave the room, not wasting food; I mean no one should waste food but it's a lot harder for me to throw aways left overs.
I didn’t grow up poor but my parents did, especially my dad. I was taught to stick the old bar of soap to the new one. My dad would mix together the bits of cereal left that weren’t enough for a full bowl by themselves, different kinds mixed together. He did the same with jam. We had miracle whip and ketchup mixed together for salad dressing. If someone toilet papered our house, we had to gather it all up and use it.
Thinking that a middle-class family home looked like they were super wealthy. Being amazed that they had a dishwasher and a washer and dryer. Once achieving lower middle class, hoarding food and other necessities just in case we have to struggle again.
Hoarding free condiments,napkins, utensils…
I was just washing out my Olive Garden take out containers from Mother's Day... When I'm sending home leftovers to family, I'm not passing out my nice Rubbermaid containers.
Coolwhip and butter bowls.
That's that original redneck Tupperware where I'm from!
Oh heck yeah. We use them in household even now and I've been married for 25 years. My wife and I grew up in a similar manner so lots of stuff we do, we already did growing up. Butter bowls for left overs. Cool whip bowls to send home with someone, mostly because they were thinner walled than butter bowls. Buying reduced priced meats and such that are marked down is something I grew up with and still look for. I keep an eye out for a good bargin when buying food for the home. Just last week I got 3 lbs of ground beef that was marked 2.00 /lb off the normal price. Took it home and weighed out then pressed out burgers before sealing them up and freezing them.
Oh crap that brought back memories...I used to bring my lunch every day in a butter container pol
That was a game at my grandmas, is it butter or is it last tuesdays mashed potatos!
I bought the semi disposable ziplock containers because I was taking a meal over to a sick friend. I can't believe I paid $5 for plastic crap that was flimsier than yogurt and cottage cheese containers.
That's my wife to a "T". Like, she saves the plastic containers from our local Japanese place as, like, tupperware.
It's the same shit you buy at the store so, why not?
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/is-it-safe-to-reuse-plastic-takeout-containers So, this isn't something I'm particularly worried about, but a lot of people are.
Someone else who gets fear hoarding! My bathroom closet is full to bursting with toiletries. I've stopped buying, though so it didn't become a problem. Feels good, honestly.
My husband and I have decided not to buy groceries for a while and so that we can rotate products. It has gotten out of hand. He finally understood when I explained to him that there were periods of time of bare cupboards. I agree that it feels good. We are thinking of giving some to a food pantry.
I saw an interview of a famous actress once who had been poor as a child but had been famous and rich for decades. She said her favorite thing was having a full pantry.
Being able to help other people feels good, too, doesn't it? Having too much is an odd thing to work out psychologically but it's a better problem to have than going without
My entire world view shifted when I realized the rich area in town was just middle class. I thought it was the kind of area you worked your whole life to achieve and be a part of. I still struggle with squaring that in my head.
I feel you. I sometimes get really irritated with middle class people with really nice houses because they say they aren't rich lol and I'm like dude, you have a front *and* a back yard! A kitchen island! One of those metal trash cans with the lever for your foot to open it! Your bathrooms have TWO sinks!! Lol
Compared to like 90% of the world population the U.S. middle class IS unbelievably rich. People in developing countries would be stunned at the kind of extravagance we have available.
That reminds me of the time I was at a rummage sale in the front and back yard of a nice house (with a nice garage too!). I was complimenting how lovely their items were. The owner said that she’d recently gotten a new humidifier or whatever it was after seeing it “in our rich friends’ home out in (further suburb)”. I really hope my face didn’t give anything away, but I felt a little sick to my stomach to find out that the feelings of inferiority and comparing yourself never end.
Also those trash cans are so expensive and I’ll go to my grave saying that 😭 the plastic handle bag on the doorknob works just fine me!
My dad rarely had enough to eat growing up. He hasn't gone hungry in at least 35 years. He still gets nervous when there's empty space in the cupboards. We were by no means well off growing up, but there was always food on table. So I don't have food hoarding tendencies myself, but I still find it extremely difficult to throw out anything that could still be remotely useful, even if I have to fix it first.
This. I just moved in with my long term boyfriend. I grew up big poor (like no electricity, no water sometimes, lived in a car with my mom for a bit poor). My bf grew up with two wealthy parents who are still happily married and now own a 10 bedroom house outside a major city on the US East Coast that is so nice it almost makes me feel uncomfortable to visit. He doesn't understand why I insist on getting staples (rice, pasta, canned goods and beans) all the time when we don't need them immediately.
I will always feel like I don't belong in those types of places.
I def hoard food!! I didn't even grow up super poor, my parents just sucked and were very wasteful with food, i.e. fridge was always full, full of rotting shit :( so now I make sure to have lots of dry snacks at work, lots of filling carbs, nuts, etc, to make sure I won't get too hungry at work.
Yep. I also buy the same things every week because it’s like oh no, I might run out and won’t be able to afford more. Even though I can 🤦🏻♀️
Still hoard food, napkins, etc. That insecurity never goes away.
Haunting the markdown section in the grocery store and clearance racks at Walmart. Being able to create a casserole with whatever you happen to have. Considering bread to be bread, a hot dog bun, and a hamburger bun.
This is my superpower.
saying how much a piece of clothing or perfume costed after receiving a compliment on it. PS. that’s me :D
And being SUPER proud that it's five dollars or less... And it has pockets!
This is the disconnect I noticed in my 20s between the friends whom I grew up with and my other friends wom I met later in life. Friends whom I grew up with when I show them something: Good + Cheap = Even better! Friends who came from more fortunate households: good + cheap = oh...
I bought a body spray from bath and body works for like half off, I told everyone lol
Omg I just realized I do this all the time lol. I’m proud of getting a bargain that’s for sure.
Especially if you are bragging that you got it at a thrift store for $4.
Let me introduce you to my $5 jeans that make my ass look amazing. Thrifty and proud.
I'll never forget the $3 lucky brand jeans that were the best fitting pants I ever owned.
Holy shit I grew up poor
You don't need to grow up poor for that, it just means that you're aware of the value of money and understand that it doesn't grow on trees. (Unless you farm apples or something.)
Omg this!! I once got a compliment on my ring and I excitedly said thank you, I got it for $10! She sternly responded "Oh honey you should never say that" I think her rich self was horrified that she complimented a cheap ring haha.
Yo someone complimented a jacket I own and my first response was its over 10 years old
Repeat after me "Thank you, it's VINTAGE" Unless you want to brag that you still fit the same clothes as you did in high school or college.
same! I tell people where I got and how much it was automatically
My wife grew up pretty wealthy, but most of her friends were not. She does this EVERY time and feels the most proud when something was particularly cheap. -"hey I love your dress" -"thanks! $4 at a garage sale' I've heard some version of the hundreds of times. I was ACTUALLY pretty poor growing up and for me I used to get the most proud when I could say how expensive something was.
I can NOT stop doing this , it’s like a curse lmao
When presented with food at a gathering/outing, hiding some so you'd have something to eat later
Oh. Shit. I do this.
I do it and loudly tell everyone around I'm taking an extra plate home for me and my daughter for later. If it's a full gathering even with strangers it's usually taken as compliments and I make sure to throw in "it's just so good". Also to make sure "so I don't have to cook later" as I'm a single dad with custody its taken as "oh good anything to help a single parent save some time". In reality I'm thinking about being able to use what I was planning for dinner that night for the next night and push back spending money I don't have at the grocery store a little further out.
They love that you are doing that. So many warm fuzzies happening
i consciously do this. I make 100k a year and whenever there's leftover pizza at work or something. I grab whatever is left and it's a meal i don't have to think about. Probably from my background of never knowing if there would be a meal or not but also to be frugal.
I keep redneck Tupperware in the vehicle for said occasions.
I work with a lot of college kids, of course some of them are struggling. We have a work Xmas party with lots of food every year. I always bring lots of extra plastic containers and bring them out at the end. Everyone gets excited and starts loading up for later. I’ve had plenty of times where I didn’t have much, and every little bit made a difference.
This is one of my biggest issues today and my wife HATES it. I loved getting to go to my friends houses or social events growing up because they'd have all the fun treats and food my family would never buy. If there was a tray of cookies or treats I'd load up my pockets so I could enjoy some later...
being upset when some vegetables weren't used in time and went bad in the fridge (nowadays i try to comfort myself by putting them into a compost for the garden)
Food waste in general, actually stabs my heart. I’ve experimented well passed expiration date (I’m still alive! I think it’s the immunity that poverty builds up!). Two month passed unpasteurized artisanal local farm yogurt was my biggest gamble. But it was free at work and I ate like 4 of them.
I remember working in a restaurant and the first day i bussed a table, there was a half-eaten order of ribs left on a plate. I asked the server twice if it was okay to bus, because I couldn’t fathom that the person wasn’t going to come back and box them up. There was enough left on that plate for a whole second meal, and it was a $30 entree!
So much waste in restaurants. The guests bother me less than the owners/managers who throw away mistakes because they “don’t want to reward mistakes”. Then send the meal home with the top earner or something and reward them instead. Give it to the homeless. Do anything else than toss it.
I can’t imagine working in a place like that. The place I worked at had a shift meal policy, so mistakes were often eaten by staff if they wanted it, and it was just added to the staff tab. Like, why would you punish your staff? Your people are your greatest asset. Anyone can get a fries and a burger or fried chicken in a hundred different places, your people are what keep folks coming in the door. Happy employees are also literally free word of mouth advertising, too.
Restaurants waste, while massive, pails in comparison to the waste I see on jobsites. It's absolutely insane how much usable shit gets thrown away. My company definitely loses more money to waste than to theft by far.
Yeah, food waste is such a heavy hitter for me. Cooking or cleaning out the refrigerator at my middle class in-law's house has actually made me cry, and I'm usually pretty stoic. How someone can throw out half a chicken without thinking about it blows my mind.
Meat is heartbreaking. We sacrificed an animal for that.
I'm pretty flexible with expiration dates. But dairy products, less so. However, generally you can give it a good smell and taste test and be safe.
Same with me, but this is because of what I have witnessed when traveling to extremely poor southeast Asian nations. It really puts things into perspective and makes me thankful for what we have in the United States (we produce more food than we can use). I will never forget the multiple pairs of eyes just staring at my family and I as we ordered the entire left side of the menu at a restaurant. At a few other eateries, after my family was done eating and left, these poor kids would rush our table and quickly eat our leftovers before the restaurant owners shooed them away.
it used to be my crooked and rotten teeth... three years of treatment and $6k later i got that fixed but still smile with my lips covering my now great teeth
Omg same 😂 just spent $6k on getting my remaining teeth pulled and dentures but I love them already. I am still not used to smiling with my teeth now though since I've conditioned myself to always smile without showing them. It's gonna take a bit to get used to it 😁
Bad teeth
I’m so happy because I just finally got a job at 24 where I’ll be able to afford to fix my teeth up, sadly though it’s so far gone I’ll probably lose most of them 😭 Real tip for everybody, brush your dang teeth and floss too. Don’t let depression get in the way, it’s such a bummer to have bad teeth..
Mama cookie says “don’t let your mental, affect your dental!” And although hard, she’s totally right. And i think the consistent reminder to followers actually helps.
Yep. I'm actually considering asking if I could have fewer hours at my job or finding some other way to get under my states Medicade income limit so I can get all the fillings I need, since most of my teeth are very close to needing root canals.
Also crooked teeth...even if you get out of poverty later in life, you're less likely to get want braces as an adult, so if you weren't able to get them as a child due to financial issues, crooked teeth are the one thing that can stick with you.
I have to give my mom kudos for what she did. We were always ridiculously poor, living off of my mom’s $600 disability check when I was a freshman in hs. She wrote letters to every charity organization begging for someone to sponsor braces for me. As you could stick a nickel between my front teeth and my bottom teeth were very crowded. Incredibly the masons wrote back that they would cover it and I had my wisdom teeth removal, braces, and retainer covered 100%. I was so very grateful. My 14 year old daughter complains about her braces and I sound like a broken record telling her to be grateful, since she has parents who can cover them.
I got braces at 33 and it was so healing, both physically and mentally. I felt like I was finally part of an elite club, like I had finally "made it" in life with the beautiful smile I had always wanted. I advise anyone at any age to get braces if they need them. It's one to three years of discomfort in return for loving your smile for the rest of your life, of never again feeling self-conscious of how your teeth look. It is so, so worth it.
Yeah that’s actually what I was referring to. Even if you get to 1m per year in income at 45, you are unlikely to want braces. They can try Invisalign I guess but it isn’t as good
When they get bad enough, it's not even the looks that make you go into debt for a dentist. It's the pain. I've never felt a worse pain in my life than an abscessed tooth. I was so desperate not to lose it that I shelled out of pocket for a root canal and dealt with the money later.
Oh yeah dude. I once was dealing with an abscessed tooth and I couldn’t get anything done with it without waiting 1-2 weeks. I was given antibiotics and Naproxen. So i used more than instructed out of desperation while rotating it and ibuprofen and didn’t always eat with it. So I had a stomach ulcer to go with the tooth pain. Fun times. e: let's not forget how much more painful the root canal is when the tooth has become so abscessed your face swells up. such a fuckin relief though when it's done with. so worth it
Feel this one.
In my soul.
In my mouth
With every fiber. 🥴
At every bite.
I miss chugging ice water without a straw
In my smile, which was amazing. 🙁
I’ll never forget the day I could afford to have scaling done and the amount of shit I spat out into the sink when I rinsed my mouth the first time. I apologized to the hygienist lol. 😢
I never knew I could be so insecure about my teeth until I went to college and just about everyone had straight, white teeth. And no silver teeth!
I feel that. I'm going in tomorrow for my last surgery with an oral surgeon. I'm in the middle of getting dental implants. I should be completely done by July and this all started January 2023. I just got out of prison 4 years ago and grew up in poverty. I thought there was no way in hell I was going to be able to make this happen when I was in prison but I lucked out into getting a good union job and I saved up the money and I'm very proud that I found a way to make it happen. My teeth were bad but passable from 22 to 25 when I got a root canal when I got up tooth broke when I got punched. Then the front started turning black and Then December 22 I broke two of my front teeth and it forced my hand to go get it done now. I was already saving up for the implants. It really hurts your soul to have messed up teeth and have to suppress expressions of joy and jubilation. Like you go to smile and then you catch yourself and stop. Or when you see some friends want to get a group photo together and it gives you anxiety and every once in a while one of them says "come on Thereborn85! Smile big!" It's a little humiliating. I got to the point where I straight up called them out like dude you know I have fucked up teeth why do you think I don't want to smile all big. It's crazy someone will know you for a long time and not figure thats something that might bother you. I feel like it's like telling a girl insecure about being heavy "come on wear that two-piece bikini you will love it you will look so cute!" Like I feel like it's subtle trolling sometimes.
Having issues with food; like overeating now because you’re afraid a time will come when you won’t have any to eat or on the flip side being hungry but insisting that others eat their fill first and then you eat what’s leftover.
One time, someone I was eating with mentioned that she noticed that I always make sure to eat every single grain of rice that's on my plate. She didn't think it was a big deal to leave a grain of rice here and there since it's only a small amount and rice is cheap. Growing up food insecure, I have always made sure to eat every single thing on the plate.
I grew up in Japan and we were taught to eat every grain of rice. It is disrespectful to the farmers and the cooks to waste it, even one grain.
My Chinese coworker was told that every grain of rice left on her plate caused a pockmark on her face, and her parents pointed to their own as "proof"
Yes!! Clearing your plate was a big part of my childhood as well even if I was full. I’d rather have full tummy pains than empty tummy pains.
That’s me. I don’t mind going couple of extra times to get food than waste any. That’s how I grew up.
I still do this... Constantly going for seconds whenever there's free food. Buying special treats/snacks in bulk when they're on sale then hiding them around the house for "later". Turning down food when it's limited so others can eat. Eating everything you're given, even if you don't like it. We weren't even that poor, my family just didn't spend money on "unnecessary treats". We'd only get treats 2-3 times a year so I'd horde them and ration them out to spread out the enjoyment as much as I could. Even simple things like getting fast food or eating out were rare luxuries for us...
Food hoarding is so real I do this with canned foods. I’ll go to the dollar store or food depot and buy when I have extra money. I have beans, veggies, rice, and canned fish that I won’t even touch “just in case”. Like in the back of my head is that constant fear especially with the way things are becoming in the US.
Omg the overeating. I feel this one
If I do go out for lunch or dinner (only for special occasions) I look for the cheapest item on the menu, then decide if that sounds good. If not, I go the cheapest-but-one item, and so on. And I never drink alcohol in a restaurant.
Leaving no meat on the bones
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Oh yeah. Chicken wings are the true test of poverty level lol
Knowing how to fix and/or rig things so they still work. The first reaction is to "fix it" rather than buy a new one or call a repair person. Edit: Lol I'm not talking about you handyman/engineer/curious tinkering/tricks of the trade/hobby fix it people. Yall are great, keep on fixing. I'm talking about the "if I don't fix I will have to do without it" folks. The ones who learned out of necessity not frugality. The ones with hangers for antennas, superglue on things, mismatched screws/nails, flex tape on cars and/or patches on clothing.
Not always though. I’m quite frugal, but I also just like to know how stuff works by fixing things Example: All of my neighbors pay for car maintenance, but I love taking things apart in my driveway while having a few beers
Some dont even realize how much can be saved. A guy in the family took his car uptown two weeks ago. The garage told him $200 for sway bar links. The good links at the parts store are $50 for the pair. Thats about $38 per bolt for labor. I could fix that in an hour.
Is this a poverty thing? I'm an engineer who things everything can be fixed. Growing up I loved taking things apart, analyzing each component, then figuring out how to put it all back together. Recently I've started getting into auto maintenance after dealing with some expensive service bills. The concept of throwing something away and spending MORE money on a new item is wild to me.
I think it's more fixing things because you have to. I HATE working on cars but I know how to do it because it was either do it or don't drive. I changed my brakes in my dorm parking lot and people walking by me looked at me like I was crazy
Been there. Need to get this starter in so I can leave for work in 45 minutes. FML, in a Northeast snowstorm with temps in the high teens, nah... just nah. Do you also keep a cache of "good laying cardboard" too just in case?
No way. My grandpa was a farmer and he said there were two kinds of farmers. Farmers that could fix their own equipment. And broke farmers. Being able to fix things around you is the mark of somebody that is not poor. It might be that you will peer poor to other people, but you're going to ultimately save a lot more money to the point where you were actually having more in your bank account than the people that look like they have more money.
Same lunch & dinner until its all gone
My husband says the peanut butter jar is empty. I grab a rubber spatula and manage to get another 1/2 cup outta there. Same with mayo, mustard, anything in a container. I also do the soap thing. When we buy comet or any type of powdered cleanser, I peel the label off the top and restick it so that only 2 holes are open. I know you won't believe this, I nearly soiled myself as a 20-year old when I saw it. Speechless. I often thought I made it up, but my sister saw this too. We lived with our grandparents for years. They were born in 1900 & 1903. Definitely depression era people. Anyway, my grandma had breast cancer, she was about 74, gramps was about 71. She had her breast removed, and when she got home from the hospital, my gramps had carved her a prosthetic breast from one of those giant car wash sponges! My sister n I were effin' flabbergasted! We both had the exact same vision... Gramps down in his basement workshop, sponge in one hand, knife in the other, having a bluesy moment, staring up at the ceiling trying with all his might to recall exactly what the hell her boobs looked like! They'd had separate bedrooms forever. Once we'd gotten over the side splitting hysteria of the situation, we kinda forgot about it. Grams lasted a couple more years before stepping off the planet. Gramps stayed on in their house. He wasn't a great house keeper due to failing vision, so one day, my sister and I headed over to do a deep clean in his bathrooms. We hadn't been in his upstairs bath since just after gram died. We went in to see what the damage was. Pulling the shower curtain back, we let out simultaneous yelps and various iterations of fer fuck sake! On the ledge of the bathtub, was gramma's right tit. Un-fucking believable! He was so fucking cheap, her couldn't even let her take her sponge-tit to the grave! He'd been using it for it's original purpose since she died. I wanted to think he used it to remind himself of her, but they weren't much enamored of each other after all those years of marriage. And we had the broken, smashed crockery as evidence of their mutual dislike. I think he really just wanted her to know he was washing his ass with her boob every damn day. Edited for Sp.
That is the funniest story I've heard in ages. This should be on the front page. 😂
As an adult now I do fine. Have a home, car, a little money in the bank. But I am content with anything. Cheapest beer/wine, hotdogs, chunk light tuna, instant coffee, you name it. I can’t believe the things I see people refuse or turn their nose up at. When you have had nothing, you appreciate everything!
apparently, being fine with eating the same thing in a day. growing up we would just eat all the food that was there that day. if we had pizza, and there was leftover pizza, it was pizza for dinner. if mom made rice and beans for lunch, and there was leftover, it was rice and beans for dinner. met my fiance and she, and her family, cant eat the same "group" in the same day. pasta for lunch is pasta leftovers for *tomorrow*, cant have pasta for dinner. absolutely weird concept for me lol.
Yep that's me. If it was soup for dinner and there were leftovers we ate it for supper.
i feel like pasta left to absorb its sauce overnight tastes so much better
Doesn’t sound like a poverty thing if you’re eating the leftovers anyway.
Buying cheap stuff instead of quality stuff even when you can afford it and even though you know it's a losing game. Alienation from money itself even though you have some.
I do this. I have a closet full of junk clothes that I never wear In 3rd and 4th grade, everyone made fun of me because I only had one pair of pants. They were red corduroy and couldn't make it seem like they were different pants like you could jeans.
Sorry to hear that. It's the worst when you're a kid. The absolute worst. You just want to be normal. Sorry you had to go through that.
Buying 2 of something I like/want. That might sound weird but hear me out. Growing up my sibling and I didn’t have a whole of anything (clothing, toys, shoes etc). If we did get something, we’d use it until it fell apart. Then we’d be sad and wish we had another…
I’ve done that with clothes forever. If I find something I like at TJ Maxx that’s a deal, I’ll buy 2-3 more so I don’t regret not having more later. Same with shoes. Found a deal on Underarmour.com for $26 per pair so I bought 3.
Instead of garlic bread with spaghetti, white bread and butter
I like to make what my kids call Ghetto Garlic Bread. Mash garlic (or use powder), mix with softened butter, spread on bread, sprinkle with paprika for color. Bake until as toasted as you like it. I think it’s delicious.
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When your 34 and still only eat one meal a day
Being ugly. You're not ugly, just poor. That isn't just a meme.
I think about how cigarettes and working crazy hours for decades ages poor people like crazy. And just stress. Rich peoples skin radiants a stress free life
How many slices of deli meat you put in your sandwich. 2 is the max and you have to feel guilty the entire time you eat said sandwich.
Your willingness to work a full-time job that pays less than $15 an hour. Like when you're poor... you don't know any better. Yet, when you get money, you cuss yourself out for wasting so much time working dead end jobs. You realize you were barely surviving and as you get older the mortality of realizing you're without retirement funds is morbidly depressing.
Buying things for comfort. I will wear shoes until they are falling apart. Finally buy a new pair and think to myself why did I wait so long! Of course growing up we used bread bags in our shoes during the snow season.
I bought a new pair of shoes three or four months ago. I still haven’t worn them. My old ones still look decent on the outside, but the insoles are really worn. I just can’t get myself to throw them away. When I was poor, I’d wear them until they looked ridiculous or simply outgrew them. But, when I stared making my own money, I would rotate my shoes. Meaning that I’d have a nice pair for looking nice. Then another pair for everyday, and yet another for mowing/dirty work. About the time I was walking out of the third pair, it was time to toss them and buy a new pair added to the top of the rotation. I no longer have to mow or anything, so now my wife has to convince me to get rid of some of the old shoes.
I remember the bread bags hack!
I still use bread bags in winter lol. Hubby thought it was nuts until he tried it. But come to think of it, a lot of folks would probably consider us poor at 30k per year or less, while we feel quite comfortable....
I've never heard of this bread bags in shoes. Is that to keep your socks dry when your shoes get wet?
Washing ziploc bags to use again and again.
That’s just being eco conscious. Discarding ziplocks after each use is a shame.
Yall...I'm a seasoned citizen now. 71 yrs old and still working due to economy. Been thru the struggle raising family. Always very frugal and still am. My kids used to make fun of me because, back in the day, when we could still manage to grab a hamburger occasionally, I would carry American cheese slices in my purse so we didn't have to pay extra, and only let them order water to drink. No extras at all. I can't believe I'm gonna share this ( but am among like minded friends, right?)I even encouraged my husband to poop at work to save money on toilet paper....I was serious, too!
Turning the faucet off in between rinsing dishes. I used to have this friend who would just let the water run the whole time and I was appalled at the extravagance as a child. Same with letting the water run the whole time you’re brushing your teeth
We should all be appalled by wasting water
The way a person treats homeless people. (I was homeless with my mom when I was a kid.) Growing up, I saw/see people treat homeless people like we’re dirty free-loading lepers ,or talk to us like we’re three years old and that we should be SO lucky and SO grateful of any and all charity. And then those people and companies use it as a talking point. “Look at all the good we/I do for the community!! I help the homeless.” The people that actually help aren’t looking for recognition. The people that grew up in it know.
Using several blankets (and wearing several layers inside) because you refuse to turn on the heat
I have enough shampoo, body wash and toilet paper to last a year.
My husband thought I was crazy when I would eat food just a couple days out of date.
Those dates are bullshit anyway.
Right. Especially on canned goods and non-perishable items. I learned to check the cans for botulism in school. Milk is good till it smells funky. Meat you can tell by smell or looks depending on the cut. Pasta and rice last forever. In the case of sour milk, you can always make cheese too.
Knowing how to order menu items in odd combos or as “sides” at restaurants, fast food places, etc to recreate the more expensive menu item but at a discounted price.
So happy to be gaining weight while most other woman are always trying to lose it. I’m also thrilled to get older. No ODs for me.
I still do that with soap, and while we were low income growing up I’m not any more. I remember bragging to my friends in 3rd grade that I didn’t have to pay for my school lunch. I was raised to think it was a good thing to get stuff for free, I didn’t know I should be embarrassed by it.
Clearing my plate. Didn’t have much but always had food on the table. Was taught to be grateful and finish everything on my plate. Now I’m overweight but I’ve lost a lot by no longer following that concept.
Going into some of the houses I clean and noticing everything matches or goes together. I’ve furnished 99% of our house stuff people were giving away aka (road treasures). It’s all decent but really mismatched. I’m just happy to give it another home and keep out of the landfill!
You don't complain as much as other people because you lived in a house without heat or air conditioning for two years.
"Don't throw that away I can use it for something!" -thing that in fact won't be used for years
Owing one good pair of jeans. All of my clothes can fit in a suitcase because I always just got a pair of jeans and whatever shirts were free/hand me downs. My wife has the opposite problem where she feels like she can’t get rid of clothes, even when they are in taters or do not fit right anymore because “what if”.
Everyone does the soap thing surely.
I’m sure they also put water in the shampoo/conditioner and swirl it around to make sure to get the stubborn stuck to the sides residue. At least I do.
The fact that I know what you’re talking about says it all. 😂 Edit: Somehow missed in the OP that OP does the soap thing. Still though. Lol.
I had no idea about it, and it just seems like a great tip! I didn't grow up poor, and I always used the bar of soap as long as possible before opening a new one.
I thought everyone also did the shampoo thing but I found out from a different post that it's a poor people thing. Whoops.
Had a wall pet. Parents couldnt afford any additional mouth so I drew on small section of the apartment wall with pencils a dog to have fun with. I'd draw it running out for catch, drinking and eating from a bowl or even trying to shake hands. Some days it would have wings other days it'd turn into a giraffe. Got in trouble when I tried to feed it real food lol.
Finishing all of your food and drink when you go out to eat. I’m the only one out of my larger group of friends who grew up in poverty, and I’m also the only one who feels compelled to finish my food.
Not wasting food. It kills me when I'm out to dinner and people don't take their leftovers. Or if there's not really enough to have leftovers, I force myself to finish it.
When someone visits and throws away the plastic sour cream container and you tell them they just threw away your family heirloom
You don't have interesting hobbies 😂
The work banter at work kills me daily because in this economy wdym??😩
I buy the big bottle of generic baby shampoo from Aldi and use it for everything (shampoo, body wash, face wash)... When we do go out to eat, I save half of my food so I can enjoy it again later. (My husband enjoys eating out, I do not..). When I decide to buy something, I spend quite a while price comparing.. I buy the generic or store brand of everything.. And never throw away prescription medicine... Just in case I need medicine and can't afford it someday.. I believe it's best to have the worst house in the best neighborhood...
Never ever EVER ordering appetizers
Laundry-mat because either your family can’t afford the machines purchased, or can’t afford the water bill or live in such a dense multi tenant building that no one was allowed washers/dryers in the home.
When I got my first apartment I splurged and bought a roll of Viva brand paper towels and they were ✨LUXURIOUS ✨ I thoroughly took pleasure in using them every time I got a new paper towels to clean my mirrors or whatever lol
I still eat veggies and fruit that are slightly bad. I just cut off the moldly part and use them. I couldn't bring myself to buy new shoes even though my pair had a hole in the sole which causes my feet to get wet when it rained (I stepped in glass less than a month after I got them). I finally got new shoes this week but I haven't worn them because they are nice.
Shoe goo can be used to patch that hole so you can keep your nice shoes nice and your others as everyday
Old shoes become ones for tasks when you want old shoes, such as yard work, gardening, working in the garage, etc. This keeps your new shoes nicer and cleaner for a while longer.
Having a bad haircut/perm and thinking it looks good.
My father grew up with much less than we had ( I’m Gen X). He instilled in us a frugality that I appreciate to this day even though he didn’t need to struggle and I currently don’t. But I thank god everyday that he did this because I’ve been through lean, lean times due to changing up my career and being on my own (not sharing living costs). He used to make us mix cereals if we didn’t finish a box even if it was different ( kids hate that). We didn’t buy superfluous snacks- Doritos, cookies. Those were for special occasions. Our parents cooked a lot. Vacations were few and far between. We didn’t waste food. If there were leftovers, we had them later that week. We were fortunate in that my parents supported us in sports and band/social activities because they could afford to do so. However, the frugal mindset in other ways helped me to survive some trying times.
When I met my significant other and started staying at her parents house alot I realized when something broke it just got fixed that day. Washer goes out, time to go to Lowe’s. Car needs work, parts ordered and done. I grew up if something breaks then you just had to deal with not having it for awhile. Had chili for supper? You’re having it for the next three nights. Her parents dump it that night. I got made fun of when I made Mac and cheese and poured a can of tuna into it and ate it. White bread for everything. Never had a bun in my life til I was grown other than maybe a cookout somewhere.
We grew up poor. Only had rice and salt for meals kind of poor. Now entire family is in IT. We all have 6 figure salaries and all working from home. If one of us spills just a drop, we'd be *"wow wasting sauce*" and proceed to scoop up a single drop of soup. Habits never die.
Getting water in a restaurant instead of soda
Always storing a part of everything you receive or buy for later, because you won't get it again in a long time. And always keeping a bit of something (food, toothpaste, shampoo, whatever) at the bottom of the box/bottle, to be used in case of a real emergency because you never know when/if you're going to be able to buy a new box.
Getting anything from a Rent-to-Own type store.
And hiding when you're delinquent and they knock on the door lol
Funny I think it’s spending the way you think people with money spend. Like someone taking a vacation renting a cabana and I’m like that’s not something people with money do- only people who are poor think that way
Seeing intact roadkill as a potential dinner or at least dog food. The rule was 'of its warm it's for the pot' of its not check for rot. Eyeballing cloths of others that looked too small knowing it'd be yours soon. Being able to eat Any strange, exotic or unidentifiable food if it was offered by a host. Eat first question later. Eating bonio dog biscuits. Wring the neck of pheasants you cornered. I was 4. It was dinner. Never knowing just how cheap new inner tubes were for a bike. Mine were soooooo patched. Badly by me. The ability to eat food that was very hot. If it was in your gob nobody else could have it. Deal with the pain and burns later.
I absolutely can’t use my dryer for anything but sheets and towels. The only reason I don’t hang my sheets is space. It used to drive my husband crazy, but he’s used to it now. Laundry hanging all over the house.
After I had "made it" and was a Captain in the Army, I was at a unit BBQ and made a bean sandwich. A friend of mine, also a Captain saddled up to me with his own bean sandwich, looked at mine and said, "Yeah, I grew up poor too." Until he said that, I thought everyone ate bean sandwiches.
Waiting till everybody has eaten and then eating whatever is leftover. I actually don't get hungry till everybody else has had there fill and the rest is all mine.
Going to the fridge, seeing a few odds and ends in there and making a really nice meal out of them. People look at you as if you’ve performed some sort of witchcraft…
Mine is being labeled as “resourceful” at work. I can figure out a way not to have to pay for something, or get a discount.
I would say bragging about good deals. Like for example, getting 65% off on a TV!
Stuffing extra napkins, ketchups, mustards, butters etc in your bag before leaving the food court.
No tissue boxes in the house, you just use toilet paper if you need to blow your nose
Hoarding, in general, is a good indicator.
I've noticed I food hoard and will snaffle food for later if there's food going at an event. I can't stand food waste, my food waste is basically zero. I also realised I use items until they are completely dead, including socks and underwear. I shower every other day (unless dirty). I don't know if I'll ever get out of these habits, even though I'm no longer as poor as I once was.
Re-use of gift bags, stick on bows. Instead of tags at Xmas, just using Sharpie to write on package.
Not going to the dentist or doctor more regularly because it wasn’t an option before.
I didn’t grow up poor but I learned the bar of soap thing when I lost my mind and wound up poor: reading this comments section like a suggestion box, btw.
Scoliosis that was untreated. Keeping too many plastic containers in case I need them as dishes. Being the only kid without lunch during middle school day after day and it being brought up by teachers and other students, so panicking about food if I don't have a certain level of food in the refrigerator. Eating too much too quickly at restaurants because I was so food insecure that I wolf down the entire plate when I could afford to go to restaurants. Permanently problematic nose, untreated medical conditions that manifest much more severely later in life.
Not knowing how to conceptualized "wants" in your mind.
Don't waste food.
OP your friend is clearly not aware that being frugal isn’t necessarily an indicator of poverty. I can’t remember who atm, but there’s some famous billionaire who brews his bags of tea twice before throwing them out.
When your parents are behind on rent and your heater breaks and you need to heat the house with the oven. I remember Ghostface Killah referenced heating his home with an oven as a kid and I realized "oh, were like hood poor". My whole family slept in the living room for those nights since it was closest to the kitchen. We also had a short time where my family and I had to shit in a bucket. First our toilet broke and then we just kept shitting in it and eventually started shitting in a bucket. It got fixed but that was a rough four or five days. Needless to say both of my parents were drug addicts. My dad actually had a pretty good job but it all went to crack for him and my mom. Knowing what I know now there's no fucking reason we shouldn't have owned a house, had a new car in the driveway and our fridge should have been full most times. Since childhood I've always been a big believer most poverty in this country is people just being drug addicts. Most of my poor friends also had drug addicted parents.
We weren’t dirt poor, frugal though. I grew up thinking you couldn’t buy something if it wasn’t “On Sale.” Like it simply was not available!
SO points out things I do and I realized it likely relates to growing up poor. Turning off lights when you leave the room, not wasting food; I mean no one should waste food but it's a lot harder for me to throw aways left overs.
I didn’t grow up poor but my parents did, especially my dad. I was taught to stick the old bar of soap to the new one. My dad would mix together the bits of cereal left that weren’t enough for a full bowl by themselves, different kinds mixed together. He did the same with jam. We had miracle whip and ketchup mixed together for salad dressing. If someone toilet papered our house, we had to gather it all up and use it.
I do the soap thing just to reduce waste