I'm curious: is anyone on this forum actually poor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're a military family and I'm a SAHM, so probably. My husband is enlisted. Granted, the benefits (housing, health care, etc) equate to more income, but still probably "poor" by NoVA standards. We do all right. I had a job making a little over 80/year but had to quit because of the difficulty of finding daycare for our SN son.

& we don't mind paying for the Internet, but we also don't have a home phone or any sort of television, if that makes 2348 feel better.

Magic Jack is a good home phone, not Verizon, but pretty good and cheap at about $60.00/year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're dirt poor for the area. DH and I are both PhD students living on stipends. I spend a lot of time on the internet because I need it for school. Our kid goes to Arlington Science Focus (it's a wonderful public school... I highly recommend it!). We live in a tiny, tiny apartment and cook every night. We never go out to eat.

We schedule our school stuff around her class schedule so that we don't have to pay for after-school care.

12:30 here - ok, you're poor, I guess - but people that I think of as poor aren't PhD students. They're lucky if they graduated from high school. Does anyone else see what I mean here?

But that's stereotyping. Poverty is $11,600 for a single person, $21,000 for family. That being said, in DC I would argue the poverty level is much higher than that probably (median income is $58,000 in DC compared to national $40,000). Poverty in rural Kansas is different than poverty in NYC or DC. Not everyone in poverty is uneducated.

Of course not everyone in poverty is uneducated. That's not what I meant. But when I think of true poverty, I think of people working three jobs to keep food on the table and keep their family warm, etc, not studying for a PhD. Not that I think the PhD poster isn't struggling with money. Not sure why no one is seeing what I mean by that.

Maybe because you out and out said *Poor People are lucky to have graduated from HS*. I found your meaning to be pretty clear.

Forget it, you don't see what I mean. I don't think of people studying for PhD's as poor. Currently low income, sure. When I think poor I think begging on the street, sleeping in a shelter, etc. Semantics to some, I guess.

[Anonymous]

begging on the street, sleeping in a shelter, etc
those are destitute

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:begging on the street, sleeping in a shelter, etc
those are destitute

Not on a Mom forum on the internet.

[Anonymous]

To be poor, you live in the suburbs, do not make enough money to pay your bills, even though you live very very frugally. And this lasts for years and years.
Your home needs repairs that are just delayed and delayed.

I know some families like this.
What I do not have patience for are those dcum-poor who make $250K and claim poverty.

And if anyone asks about the internet. You can surf for free at the library. So desparate and destitute people reading the forum - happens

[Anonymous]

Are you looking for advice on how to live cheap OP? If so, do a search on here on frugal. There was one poster who had many tips on how to use every bit of food she ate (it was amazing). And I've seen other posts on how people get by on very very little.

But - since this is something you can actually plan for - I'd try to go into it with a healthy savings account. Our income has gone up, then down.....down...down...and then back up. At the downs, we could live off what we made - but it was the emergency / unforeseen expenses that get you. The car breaks down. The furnace breaks. Don't just plan to live week by week. You have to have a good reserve to plan for the unexpected.

[Anonymous]

We are poor.

We didn't used to be. We are both educated, from educated families, etc. Three years ago we had a hhi of 160K. Not a ton in this area, but with three kids and a reasonable mortgage, we were doing fine. Saving, living within our means, enjoying the occasional date night. Fast forward three years and DH is out of work and can't get in the door anywhere (pricey MBA and 15+ years experience doesn't seem to matter when companies aren't hiring). I was laid off and am now making $10 per hour at a retail shop while trying to run a business from home. Food stamps are on the table, we have no health insurance (still looking for something reasonable for a family of 5 when our monthly income is 1600 per month), and we are desperately trying to get assistance with our mortgage so we don't loose the house.

Never thought I'd be here. But here we are. And FYI to those who will ask why we have internet access - we don't have cells or TV, but it's pretty hard conduct a job search without email and internet. So please don't bust my chops on that.

If you aren't in same boat - hug your kids and count your blessings.

[Anonymous]

I've been poor in this area but without a child. Now I am not poor and have children.

Given public school, I think you can do it but as you already know it will be tight while you are back in grad school. If you have healthcare, you can skip paying for lots of things for the few years of school. You won't buy a new car then or take much in travel. You won't buy new clothes you don't absolutely need. You won't eat out much if at all.

You'll go to the zoo and other free places for fun. If you can explain to your daughter that this is just for X number of years, it might make it easier for her when she sees some friends getting more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're dirt poor for the area. DH and I are both PhD students living on stipends. I spend a lot of time on the internet because I need it for school. Our kid goes to Arlington Science Focus (it's a wonderful public school... I highly recommend it!). We live in a tiny, tiny apartment and cook every night. We never go out to eat.

We schedule our school stuff around her class schedule so that we don't have to pay for after-school care.

12:30 here - ok, you're poor, I guess - but people that I think of as poor aren't PhD students. They're lucky if they graduated from high school. Does anyone else see what I mean here?

But that's stereotyping. Poverty is $11,600 for a single person, $21,000 for family. That being said, in DC I would argue the poverty level is much higher than that probably (median income is $58,000 in DC compared to national $40,000). Poverty in rural Kansas is different than poverty in NYC or DC. Not everyone in povety is uneducated.

Of course not everyone in poverty is uneducated. That's not what I meant. But when I think of true poverty, I think of people working three jobs to keep food on the table and keep their family warm, etc, not studying for a PhD. Not that I think the PhD poster isn't struggling with money. Not sure why no one is seeing what I mean by that.

Maybe because you out and out said *Poor People are lucky to have graduated from HS*. I found your meaning to be pretty clear.

Forget it, you don't see what I mean. I don't think of people studying for PhD's as poor. Currently low income, sure. When I think poor I think begging on the street, sleeping in a shelter, etc. Semantics to some, I guess.

I know what you mean, PP. I teach ESOL and most of my students and their families are poor - i.e. sharing a house with 2-3 families, not having a home phone, working at McDonald's. Hard workers, yes, but mostly uneducated and it will be hard for them to ever be anything other than poor. The PhD poster is probably "temporarily" poor - I assume that after she and her husband get their PhDs, they will make more money and will someday by a house or condo and will be able to go out to eat. That said, i don't think any of my students are on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Forget it, you don't see what I mean. I don't think of people studying for PhD's as poor. Currently low income, sure. When I think poor I think begging on the street, sleeping in a shelter, etc. Semantics to some, I guess.

I know what you mean, PP. I teach ESOL and most of my students and their families are poor - i.e. sharing a house with 2-3 families, not having a home phone, working at McDonald's. Hard workers, yes, but mostly uneducated and it will be hard for them to ever be anything other than poor. The PhD poster is probably "temporarily" poor - I assume that after she and her husband get their PhDs, they will make more money and will someday by a house or condo and will be able to go out to eat. That said, i don't think any of my students are on DCUM.

I get what you mean, as a former "poor" PhD student herself, and now a professor. You are talking about the difference between economic class and social class. The PhDs may have the same income as a blue-collar, hourly paid service employee and therefore, in a strict sense, in the same economic class; however, the PhD is by no means in the same social class. Also, as the PP pointed out, the PhD will not always be living on a $20K annual stipend. The time in graduate school is "optional" poverty, she presumably has the educational level and skills to hold a job that will pay more that the graduate fellowship, but chooses to pursue the PhD for other reasons.

[Anonymous]

The problem is, PP, social class won't pay your grocery bill. I have a PhD and am on the brink of financial devastation, mostly due to the decades-long restructuring of the academic job market that has resulted in a shrinking number of decent professorial jobs. (News flash for those outside academia: your DCs are largely being taught by contingent faculty with zero job security.) In fact, I am poor because I sought a PhD; all those years out of the job market, etc.) I am now attempting to return to an earlier career path, but it is tough going competing with recent grads.

[Anonymous]

Graduate students are different from the "poor" in several ways. First, it is very rare for a graduate student to have a kid. It is extremely rare for them to have more than one. Most people would not like their kid to go to school in a bad neighborhood. Graduate students often live either on campus or in bad neighborhoods. Most people would not like their kid to live without a coat. Many graduate students survive without coats. Most kids need to go to the doctor at some point. Graduate students often do without even necessary health care and often have subsidized health care through the University. Graduate students have subsidize (through housing health care) not available to families. They can also make live style sacrifices that people with kids strive to avoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are poor.

We didn't used to be. We are both educated, from educated families, etc. Three years ago we had a hhi of 160K. Not a ton in this area, but with three kids and a reasonable mortgage, we were doing fine. Saving, living within our means, enjoying the occasional date night. Fast forward three years and DH is out of work and can't get in the door anywhere (pricey MBA and 15+ years experience doesn't seem to matter when companies aren't hiring). I was laid off and am now making $10 per hour at a retail shop while trying to run a business from home. Food stamps are on the table, we have no health insurance (still looking for something reasonable for a family of 5 when our monthly income is 1600 per month), and we are desperately trying to get assistance with our mortgage so we don't loose the house.

Never thought I'd be here. But here we are. And FYI to those who will ask why we have internet access - we don't have cells or TV, but it's pretty hard conduct a job search without email and internet. So please don't bust my chops on that.

If you aren't in same boat - hug your kids and count your blessings.

Where are you living at? I know that in MoCo, if you're on food stamps then your kids will definitely qualify for medicaid, you and your DH most likely will too. There's also programs through Health and Human Services that may be able to help you with your mortgage and utility bills. The bad thing is that it takes forever to process the application so you'll want to look into it asap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are poor.

We didn't used to be. We are both educated, from educated families, etc. Three years ago we had a hhi of 160K. Not a ton in this area, but with three kids and a reasonable mortgage, we were doing fine. Saving, living within our means, enjoying the occasional date night. Fast forward three years and DH is out of work and can't get in the door anywhere (pricey MBA and 15+ years experience doesn't seem to matter when companies aren't hiring). I was laid off and am now making $10 per hour at a retail shop while trying to run a business from home. Food stamps are on the table, we have no health insurance (still looking for something reasonable for a family of 5 when our monthly income is 1600 per month), and we are desperately trying to get assistance with our mortgage so we don't loose the house.

Never thought I'd be here. But here we are. And FYI to those who will ask why we have internet access - we don't have cells or TV, but it's pretty hard conduct a job search without email and internet. So please don't bust my chops on that.

If you aren't in same boat - hug your kids and count your blessings.

Where are you living at? I know that in MoCo, if you're on food stamps then your kids will definitely qualify for medicaid, you and your DH most likely will too. There's also programs through Health and Human Services that may be able to help you with your mortgage and utility bills. The bad thing is that it takes forever to process the application so you'll want to look into it asap.

We live in Silver Spring. Thank you for your post. I have the applications in front of me and they are so daunting. Emotionally daunting. But yes, I will complete them asap and get the process rolling.

[Anonymous]

Good luck PP. I have no children and make almost $24k under the table. You have helped me be grateful, it could be worse.