You’re not a dick — that is a HARD situation you are describing. Nothing wrong with admitting that.

I love that story, though, because you already were able to appreciate the really little things — like prunes, for crying out loud (you must have been very regular as a kid!). :)

Why the hell was your teacher asking you that?

Not just kids — adults, too. Everyone.

Joshua Winstead?

Oh, seriously, she can just go fuck herself, then. She’s either completely out of touch or just downright stupid. Sorry.

Ha, ha, I mean, OK, you’ve got me — why would one shoot rats at the dump? For sport?

Living in San Fran or somewhere similar? Ever thought of changing locations?

One thing I’ll say is that it would still be best if you don’t COUNT on getting that money from your dad. He could live another two decades or more, have serious health issues that diminish his nest egg, etc. It’s better to live as if you’ll never get a dime, and then be happy if there is anything at all left when the…

No. “Poor” is an actual condition, not an opinion. There are poverty levels in this country for a reason. You can’t just decide you were poor because you feel like it.

$4,000 in 1975 would have the same buying power as almost $20,000 in 2017. Gotta keep that pesky old inflation in mind.

Read the post again. She says she was poor.

There is a huge difference between being “not well off” and “poor.” To use “poor” to describe an upbringing that is extremely comfortable (no worries about food, home, etc.) is kind of insulting.

It’s all the other stuff that kind of makes it absurd to use the word “poor.” Dad with a good job, plenty of food at home, international trips — this is not how the truly “poor” live.

The thing is, there is a HUGE span between rich and poor. This person may not have been RICH, but poor (Dad had good job, they had plenty of food, lived in comfort, etc.) they were not. Not even close.

It doesn’t sound like you were poor at all. Your dad had a good job (that means a decent salary, yes?), you had plenty to eat, you took trips to Europe, lived in total comfort. WTF? That is not poor, my friend. You don’t know from poor if you would even use that word to describe your upbringing.

What kind of a job did you have? This was just in the summer (I don’t see how you could work almost 40 hours a week during the school year)?

When I was 16, I did exactly that. I amassed a crazy amount of money real fast.

Good for your mom!

I have an aunt who once said something along the lines of, “We’re part of the 1% but we’re just middle class.”