Is anybody else on this forum poor besides me?

Don't confuse middle and upper-middle class with upper class. I think the historic definition of upper class in the US is those w/ a net worth of over $1M.

pjoasisrule wrote:

I am just frustrated as hell right now, not because I cant afford a bunch of nice material things but because I cant even get on with what should be just an average normal life for a 24 year old.

But that *is* an average normal life for a 24 yr old.

I know it feels frustrating right now, but it truly won't always be like that.

When I was 24, I shared a studio apartment with my boyfriend and I was bringing home around $280 - $300 a week. It was really hard. The only reason we could afford to buy or do anything extra was because he happened to luck into a really good job with the federal government right out of college...but everyone else we knew that was our age was struggling, living paycheck to paycheck and (sadly) on credit cards.

I'm a student.

I'm not down and out..but I don't have enough to live on my own..well maybe just enough but I would be eating crackers.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/06/24/winner-2/

Stuff White People Like
Appearing Empathetic with Personal Anecdotes of ”Poverty”
By: Kerri Scheer of Peterborough, Ontario.

Most responsible, socially-conscience white people are aware of the need for sympathy towards less fortunate groups. It is the pleasure, and the perceived duty, of white people to discuss the plights of others with sympathy. An advanced white person, however, recognizes that underlying condescension can pollute sympathy towards the oppressed and disenfranchised. This is because those engaged in a discussion of the issues may have no personal experience between them. For such advanced white people, appearing empathetic is thought to be far more effective in assuring that one is perceived as socially responsible and aware. Empathy is obtained by “walking a mile” in the shoes of the socially disadvantaged; for busy white people that have failed to come by this experience naturally, personal anecdotes from one’s past can be tailored to give the impression that a white person possesses this coveted empathy.

The best examples of these empathy-laden personal anecdotes can be observed during a white person’s recollection of their years as an undergraduate student. These anecdotes may recount occasions when the white person “seriously, LIVED on” instant noodles and no name cola for days, weeks or even months - depending upon the amount of conviction that the white person feels that the story needs to achieve the desired degree of perceived empathy. Other anecdotes may recall the times spent pulling nickels out of sofas and then making the difficult decision to either purchase cheap liquor (to ease the pain of being “seriously, SO broke”) or to do laundry (that had been neglected for, again, days, weeks or even months). When a white person is spinning empathetic tales, it is taboo for a fellow white person (especially a previous room-mate) to mention the possibility that the storyteller had ventured to his parents’ house for home-cooked meals and free laundry twice a week. It is also in poor taste to mention that Colt 45’s were purchased solely for “novelty drinking nights” spent playing “Edward Forty-Hands”. It is best to verify the white person’s tales as “profound experiences” rather than superficial elaborations, lest you risk the white person’s ability to project empathy, be offended and claim to know what’s best for poor people.

TrixieCat wrote:

Why in the world do you think that?
Remember that people are going to show you what they want to show you...it is not always sunnier on the other side of the street.

I agree... although I'm like Jeanie, I probably have less money than most people but I don't consider myself poor at ALL... that's cos I spend and I enjoy most of the money I get . I coulda gone to MSG but decided there were other things I wanted to do more... since yesterday I'm a bit unsure as to whether or not that was the right choice but I'll get over it.

I am definitely in the poor boat. :(

South of Seattle wrote:

I'm poor because I have expensive habits. I'm trying to fix this as we speak.

couldn't have said it better myself!

Well I'm not poor, like in the sense of not being able to have food, water, shelter etc.. but I am not putting money in savings, able to afford a down payment on a condo, or buying things without thinking hard if I need them.

But having to watch money, and make choices is a very healthy thing to me. I grew up in a family who's motto was "money is no object" and living like I do now keeps me way more grounded.