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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think that one thing that many "rich" people don't know about being poor is how hard it can be to do some basic things. For most financially stable people, it is pretty easy to make a payment on the phone bill or the electric bill because the financially stable people can use a credit card over the phone if they discover that the bill is overdue and they are about to be shut off.  But a poor person usually doesn't have that option -- either the poor person doesn't have a credit card or the limit is so low that the credit card basically is unusable or the credit has been maxed out because the limit is so low.

The first time I ever realized any of this was about 25 years ago when my secretary needed to take a half day off of work.  It came as a huge surprise because we were very busy that day preparing for a big presentation.  But she was adamant to the point of tears from embarrassment and stress when I asked her if she could take the half day on the following day after the big meeting was over.  It all came out that she needed to go get a money order and then take 2 busses to get to the water company offices so that the water wasn't turned off at her home where she lived with her son.  She was paid a very good competitive salary and it isn't like she was a spend-thrift or frivolous or anything like that but she did live close to the wire because of her circumstances of supporting herself and her son on only her salary.  (And, yes, of course, if you're wondering, I did give her the half day off as well as let her borrow my car so she could save a couple of hours and the hassle while getting her water bill paid.)  But the experience was a huge eye-opener to me.

These days I volunteer with an organization at my church that helps people with emergency financial assistance.  Even though it is 25 years later after my first experience, I am still stunned by how little access that members of the "working poor" and just plain poor people have to resources like credit cards or checking accounts or things that can be such simple time savers.[/quote]

Thanks for the thoughtful post. Your volunteering project is a good idea.[/quote]

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