being poor in america

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:55 PM, Aserinsky said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:53 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:36 PM, Deer said:

The problem with richie bees is that he is 3 year too late, unfunny internet characters are not funny anymore, people want to be real now, nobody has time for his type.

*fart*

fixed

fitx

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:27 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:22 PM, auxien said:

so, how do you block/ignore people again?

 

Don't mind Richie, I don't think he was trying to be a dick to you. He just loves to get his goof on.

 

 

Btw, what is your sig a reference to?

he wasn't being a dick to me, he's just not funny or interesting or anything. see Deer's post below. if they're not gonna ban him, that's fine, i figured out the ignore prefs. sad, since i've never had to ignore anyone in the years i've been using this forum. it was bound to happen eventually though. lol

my sig is a quote from an Autechre interview. i've no clue which at this point, it's been there for years.

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:36 PM, Deer said:

The problem with richie bees is that he is 3 year too late, unfunny internet characters are not funny anymore, people want to be real now, nobody has time for his type.

exactly. i mean, i can appreciate some internet-style humor all day, taking the piss is commonplace and expected, sometimes enjoyable...but it needs to be done with a little wit and restraint.

Wow this thread got really shitty there..

So back to being poor. Anyone here not use credit cards?
I don't know whether I want to use one or not.. I make the occasional purchase with mine only to drive home and transfer money from my debt account and pay it off. I absolutely hate the idea of paying money to use money I earned myself..

Not sure if this is a bad idea or not.. heard so many mixed opinions. Some people say "Oh, that's fine. You'll just slowly accumulate credit" and then others say it's a terrible idea and I should pay minimums.. The latter makes absolutely zero sense, but maybe someone here knows better.

I spent months paying back about 700-800 dollars in credit. Since then, I only use it for the EZ Pass for the toll booths and for buying orange juice or something once a month and immediately paying it off. My credit score is sexy. It's easier than I thought.

  On 3/25/2013 at 2:36 AM, Candiru said:

I spent months paying back about 700-800 dollars in credit. Since then, I only use it for the EZ Pass for the toll booths and for buying orange juice or something once a month and immediately paying it off. My credit score is sexy. It's easier than I thought.

Ah, so it does work?

Why would anyone pay minimums!?

No one should ever pay minimums if you have the resources to pay off your card. It makes no sense.

Also, if you're in debt, here are some tips: http://www.strikedebt.org scroll down to the Debt Resistor's Operations Manual

I'm currently, with my wife, paying off my debt one account at a time. We pay minimums on all of them except one which we pay off as quickly as possible, then once it's paid off we close it/cut up the card/whatever. Anyway, it's called "snowballing" and it's part of some finance book my parents gave me for xmas. Seems to be working alright. Also stashed away a lot of cash though I'm afraid a lot of it is going to the IRS this year (first and last time I filed with more deductibles)

It's really sad that the debt problem isn't a bipartisan issue - the left blames it soley on corporations whereas the right blames it on mistakes by individuals. The problems is both - people are sucked in by predatory lending and credit has become such a "standard" in how people spend and buy everything from daily goods to homes. I remember my dad telling me in the early 80s when he was just a enlisted airman without any credit history, he could literally only get credit at a department store in order to buy a washing machine. Even with a steady income with a government job he could't open a credit card. In a few decades it went from one extreme to another. Now companies still mail credit cards to the public. That industry needs to be regulated at every level.

  On 3/24/2013 at 10:16 PM, auxien said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:27 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:22 PM, auxien said:

so, how do you block/ignore people again?

 

Don't mind Richie, I don't think he was trying to be a dick to you. He just loves to get his goof on.

 

 

Btw, what is your sig a reference to?

 

he wasn't being a dick to me, he's just not funny or interesting or anything. see Deer's post below. if they're not gonna ban him, that's fine, i figured out the ignore prefs. sad, since i've never had to ignore anyone in the years i've been using this forum. it was bound to happen eventually though. lol

 

my sig is a quote from an Autechre interview. i've no clue which at this point, it's been there for years.

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:36 PM, Deer said:

>The problem with richie bees is that he is 3 year too late, unfunny internet characters are not funny anymore, people want to be real now, nobody has time for his type.

 

exactly. i mean, i can appreciate some internet-style humor all day, taking the piss is commonplace and expected, sometimes enjoyable...but it needs to be done with a little wit and restraint.

 

Get over yourself "OOOH i've never had to block anybody but look what you've FORCED ME TO DO."

Richie is in the top 3 posters here, easily.

  On 3/28/2013 at 4:32 AM, xxx said:

 

  On 3/25/2013 at 4:47 PM, joshuatx said:

I'm currently, with my wife, paying off my debt one account at a time. We pay minimums on all of them except one which we pay off as quickly as possible, then once it's paid off we close it/cut up the card/whatever. Anyway, it's called "snowballing" and it's part of some finance book my parents gave me for xmas. Seems to be working alright. Also stashed away a lot of cash though I'm afraid a lot of it is going to the IRS this year (first and last time I filed with more deductibles)

 

It's really sad that the debt problem isn't a bipartisan issue - the left blames it soley on corporations whereas the right blames it on mistakes by individuals. The problems is both - people are sucked in by predatory lending and credit has become such a "standard" in how people spend and buy everything from daily goods to homes. I remember my dad telling me in the early 80s when he was just a enlisted airman without any credit history, he could literally only get credit at a department store in order to buy a washing machine. Even with a steady income with a government job he could't open a credit card. In a few decades it went from one extreme to another. Now companies still mail credit cards to the public. That industry needs to be regulated at every level.

Don't close the accounts once they're paid off. That fucks with the mysterious Holy Trinity behind credit scores as well. It appears that they want you to have the Devil in your lap to see how well you manage it or, if you can't, if you can bounce back from another profitable high-interest binge like you did before. Just leave them at a zero balance and check your credit report to make sure there's no funny business. Then, watch with glee after 6 months how they'll do anything to get you back on the teat. Discover offered to cut the interest rate in half if only we would load up a balance. "FUCK YOU" I hissed maniacally at the mailbox before promptly shredding the envelope. I am death before credit cards. Literally. If I was threatened with credit card or loss of life or limb, I'd choose the latter without hesitation.

Good to know! I really just said that for brevity, wrong choice of words. I plan to keep my credit lines open, just want to get my debt paid off.

  On 3/25/2013 at 4:57 PM, Iain C said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 10:16 PM, auxien said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:27 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 3/24/2013 at 7:22 PM, auxien said:

so, how do you block/ignore people again?

 

Don't mind Richie, I don't think he was trying to be a dick to you. He just loves to get his goof on.

 

 

Btw, what is your sig a reference to?

 

he wasn't being a dick to me, he's just not funny or interesting or anything. see Deer's post below. if they're not gonna ban him, that's fine, i figured out the ignore prefs. sad, since i've never had to ignore anyone in the years i've been using this forum. it was bound to happen eventually though. lol

 

my sig is a quote from an Autechre interview. i've no clue which at this point, it's been there for years.

 

  Deer said:

>The problem with richie bees is that he is 3 year too late, unfunny internet characters are not funny anymore, people want to be real now, nobody has time for his

type.

 

exactly. i mean, i can appreciate some internet-style humor all day, taking the piss is commonplace and expected, sometimes enjoyable...but it needs to be done with a little wit and restraint.

 

Get over yourself "OOOH i've never had to block anybody but look what you've FORCED ME TO DO."

 

Richie is in the top 3 posters here, easily.

 

i wasn't getting on myself about it. i laughed about it even, as i said, it was bound to happen at some point. not a big deal, i hadn't given it any thought since i did that day; there's certainly nothing to be gained by discussing it further. back to the topic.

hoo-ra (is that the right one)

by the sounds of it theyre ognna start bringing in food stamps for poors in the uk which is good cus they just spend any money they get on sky tv and fags and alcohol (dont mind the 3 bottles of wine i drink a night after i get home from my job)

nah man thats fine also u have like 5 yrs military experience thats good imo (are vets still treated like shit when they get back to civvy life like in vietnam times and shit)

People who aren't poor but are dumb are still poor.

ok life plan u become a chicago cop for 10 years then become security ona talk show, they start letting u host shows then u get ur own show?

don't treat credit cards like free money and you won't have to deal with getting fucked by them. you have to know how they work

i have mine just for the cash back. it's not much (1% back on all purchases, 2% for gas), but it's nice to get $50 or so every few months just for buying shit i need anyway. if you aren't as lazy as me, you can just keep getting credit cards with sweet introductory cash back incentives, then just cancel them once the introductory rates expire and shop for a new card with good incentives. when i first got my card it was like 5% cash back on gas and 2-3% on other stuff.

i get "points" that I can spend on stuff at their shop....except the shop sucks balls.

never really wanted points or airline miles, i only do cash back. if you travel a lot i can see how the miles would be sweet.

weird, i wonder why they give you twice as much cash back when you buy gasoline.

I just watched a documentary on Netflix called 'We're Not Broke' which explains how corporations get away with paying no taxes to the United States government every year. It's quite maddening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVAYtwX7QM

As far as the subject of wealth distribution goes, I don't think we need to go as far as redistributing it [ie, physically taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor], I think that large corporations and other companies should be more accountable to provide proper wages, health care, etc. They should be held accountable to pay taxes so the money goes back into the country.

How rich does someone need to be? I think that a lot of companies don't pay their employees adequately so the people at the top can become richer to hold it over those on the bottom as a status symbol. The more the people at the top have, the more authority they appear to have. They're quite un-evolved. It's as if they're cavemen in business suits.

im on food stamps. 200 a month. its never enough and they make the card extra orange (i think) to shame you in public. Ive never been on assistance, but i live in a depressed rural area and they take pride in forcing companies out of the area. Nice and pretty, but no work. So, i dont really care. Also, im just a little burnt out on working my nuts off for very little monetary reward, so Im on vacation.

  On 3/20/2013 at 3:35 PM, Joyrex said:

Honestly, America is probably the easiest place in the world to be poor - so many opportunities to be had, but as Hoodie said, you can't have all the modern American conveniences like pay television, brand-name clothes, and eating at restaurants. What complicates things even more is having children - they are by far the biggest financial drain on anyone (poor or otherwise) - that's not a slight against children, just the reality reflecting the costs of raising a child.

 

I think the reason most people who make decent money but still struggle to get by is living beyond their means - they really don't take into account the impact seemingly minor expenditures have, especially over time.

what opportunities? Unless you spend the 100k education entrance fee to even be considered for a job. Even if it doesnt pay that well. (no matter what your major) My advice, if you have poor parents dont be stupid. Pay attention in school. Figure out what talent you have to maybe get you out of poverty. Middle class and well off parents can keep throwing shit against the wall until their kid finds their niche.

I agree America has a system that can easily recover. The economy can change fast in a good way and lives can improve rapidly if you play the game right.

education is a major problem, but if you're smart about it you won't be totally fucked. whether you know what you want to do for 20-30 years or whether you have no clue, go to a local (community) college and get your gen eds for cheap. then try to explore possibilities for major/career.

if nothing found, just take a general associates degree and work some menial job until you get some idea about careers. even if you fail everything/drop out, you won't have huge piles of debt like you'd have if you go to a "good" 4-year college. i went to a middle of the road 4-year college right out of high school, and while the experience was good, I probably should have attended a community college for 2 years if i wanted to save some money. as it stands, i'm about 2 years out of college (got BS), with about 20k in student loan debt. it doesn't sound great but i'm doing pretty good compared to peers.

**college/university is basically synonymous here

many kids see college/university as the "next step" after high school. higher ed is an investment (ignoring the social aspect). you need to know wtf you're investing in though you can't just throw money at a wall and expect you'll find your life's work