Alex Buscemi
Life can look very different depending on your financial situation, and people on Reddit are shining a light on some of the everyday realities of the less fortunate.
These are the kinds of things that might seem unremarkable to someone who’s lived it, but to the wealthy, they wouldn’t even cross their minds.
From waiting for the bus to calculating the cost of groceries before heading to the checkout line, these posts capture typical experiences of people navigating financial challenges.
Scroll through for some perspective on the shared experiences of poor people.
#1.
Wait. For everything. Wait for the bus to arrive, because it’s always late. Take longer to travel farther to the cheaper store. Wait at the laundromat for your clothes to finish. Not only that, but the frequency of these waits is also higher because you don’t have a car or money to buy things in bulk or transport large amounts of clothing. It is time-consuming.
#2.
Calculating the items in your cart before going to checkout.
#3.
Putting up with insanely horrible work conditions and harassment, knowing quitting is not an option.
#4.
People that don’t keep fast food napkins in the glove box to use as tissues are in a totally different tax bracket.
#5.
Make or turn down plans based around the cost of restaurants/activities/cover.
#6.
Don’t travel. The amount of people who are amazed when I say I haven’t flown on a plane blows my mind. People do not realize how much money/privilege it takes to travel at all, let alone on a yearly basis.
#7.
Adding potatoes to meals not because it belongs in a recipe, but because it’s very filling and can stretch the meal to more portions.
#8.
Being aware of the cost of milk, bread, and cheese.
#9.
Rich people seem to confuse not having money to do something with not wanting to waste money on something. No, it’s not that I don’t want to order pizza because I’m stingy, I literally don’t have the money.
#10.
Live with f****d up teeth because they have high copays and low annual maximums and can barely afford to even get cavities filled. Rich people get extremely competitive health, vision, and dental plans, so they don’t have to think twice. They need care? They get it.
#11.
Shop at different groceries for different items because they are cheaper at other places.
#12.
Choosing to put up with pain and not going to the doctor because you can’t afford the bill.
#13.
Save grocery store plastic bags to use as a trash can liner.
#14.
Skipping meals so their children can eat.
#15.
When buying anything or paying a bill I automatically convert to how many hours of work it took to pay for it.
#16.
Leaving the oven door open after using it.
#17.
Hoard non-perishables in times of plenty.
#18.
Lay awake at night worrying that things will get worse.
#19.
Say you already ate, just to join your friends out, to feel normal for a minute, without making things awkward.
#20.
Skipping on insulin to ration it. Mental health issues that go unchecked because therapy is expensive. Turning down the heaters to save on heating costs.
#21.
Decide which bill(s) to ignore because no money.
#22.
Having a bad month or pay period and having to sell off home appliances to make rent/mortgage.
#23.
It’s really difficult to get rid of clothes you don’t wear often or other stuff in a storeroom because if you don’t have much money you may need them in the future.
#24.
Ignoring random calls from numbers you don’t recognize knowing there’s a high chance they are debt collectors. Googling these numbers, confirming them then adding their whole range of numbers to your block list because you don’t have any money to offer and aren’t in the position to even lose $10 per week to pay them.
#25.
Adding water to the last bit of dish soap to make it last longer.
#26.
Put items back at the grocery store.
#27.
Drive with an engine light on.
#28.
The amount of time you’ll take to decide which expensive thing to buy, because you only get one chance at this, and it’ll only happen once in your life, most likely. The amount of stuff you’ll save (boxes, soap, bubble wrap, bags, freebie-whatevers) just because it’s easier to save it than buy it. You learn a lot about how to fix your own stuff when you can’t afford to pay someone to fix it for you.
#29.
Getting threats of eviction. Getting lights cut off. Worry about where their child will go to school. Shopping for themselves.
#30.
Sleep on an uncomfortable mattress or the floor.
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