25 Real-Life Examples That Show How Expensive It Is To Be Poor

"Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living. Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving" - Dolly Parton

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• December 12, 2021

For some reason, when you're poor, it's going to cost you more to survive. When you have negative dollars in your bank account, you will be charged for it.

We have no idea if rich people have a clue about this. They probably do since they make the policies and systems that cause and perpetuate these situations.

Anyway, we're not here to rag on rich people. We are here to highlight the unfair and seemingly innocent sanctions poor people get for being poor; a poverty tax if you will.

In Reddit's r/antiwork community, user Paratrooperkid posted and asked others to share examples of "Being poor is expensive." The redditor wanted to use real-life examples to open the eyes of his rich friends.

The topic was so interesting that more than 16,000 redditors shared their common experiences of being poor. These "hidden" charges of being poor are so ridiculous and inhuman, they boggle the mind.

Talk about kicking someone while they're down. There's an imaginary line in society that divides the poor from the rich.

The stories they shared are heartbreaking not only because they are unfair, it's infuriating to know that they still exist. Also, the rich get richer because of it.

Wealth really is built on the backs of the broken. Remember, you're one hospital bill away from being broke, so take a break from sympathizing with billionaires (they don't know you).

Reddit user Paratrooperkid posted this image below:

1. Dental care is not covered by most insurance companies. Dental tourism is a thing and a very interesting read.

2. Yes, laundry is expensive.

3. You can only afford the cheapest possible option which ends up costing you more money in the long run

In reply to the comment above, this user summarized how poverty causes poor health

4. A sad yet universal experience

5. Again, settling for less because that's the only thing you can afford or banks think it's the only thing you deserve because you're poor

6. OVERDRAFT FEES!!!

Seriously, this user had to pay $240 in overdraft fees alone

7. Poverty literally changes your brain

8. Sometimes, you end up owing them money

9. The list is endless

10. THIS

11. You end up buying more shoes (or tires) and because they're cheap, they break easily

12. The police will either ticket or arrest you for sleeping in your car

13. This heartbreaking experience that's way too common

14. Low credit scores end up costing you more money out of pocket

15. This hasn't made sense ever since and it never will

16. Say goodbye to those potential savings

17. A commenter shared about their struggle with keeping their home warm during cold winter nights and other Reddit users banded together to help. A little hope in all the darkness.

18. People postpone important check-ups because they can't afford it and they end up with serious undiagnosed illnesses

19. Even with a degree, finding a job with a livable wage is a struggle

20. The cycle of poverty

21. Eating healthy is a privilege

22. Public transportation is unreliable and inconvenient

23. No matter how many corners you cut, it doesn't seem to be enough

24. Universal healthcare is a right

25. Rise and grind people take notes...

... rich people, reality check, please!

We leave you with a snippet from the great Terry Pratchett's 'Boots' Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness from the book, "Men At Arms."

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money."

"Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars."

"But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars."

"Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles."

"But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

"This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness."

Chelsi