A $30,000 mercedes thats 5 years old, in great condition, would MAYBE get $15k. Then spend that $15k on a used car you know nothing about, but its a "cheaper" car… is a terrible decision to make. How do I know? cause I've been there before. its much better to be the sole owner of the car and know its history than to…

Just a heads up. You know that most poor people don't actually get any assistance right? I can't even afford to pay for ObamaCare, and my state says I don't qualify to get it for free because I am child free. Many of us who are poor and have a few nice things saved up for them and they're our ONLY nice things. Doesn't…

Nah if you extrapolate your experience with one poor person who overspent onto every poor person you see with "nice things" that makes you still a judgmental asshole.

Except that it was a 2003 Mercedes. With the worst engine you can get in them.

"there are a lot of people taking advantage of the system" - can you cite some statistics? I would guess that the number of people "taking advantage of the system" are a statistically miniscule percentage of all the people who receive food stamps or subsidized housing or some other benefit. It only feels like "a lot…

My spouse and I are pretty well off and were living in a nice rented house with a view in the very expensive Bay Area while also owning a rental property, two Honda Civics, and a BMW M3 Lightweight. My wife was pregnant with twins. About 2 weeks before they were due, our insurer dropped us on a technicality in our…

I just do not get the current "blame the poor for wanting to eat" mentality and I immediately dismiss anyone who thinks that way as being an asshat.

omg.. lol — I feel the same way using stamps when I have my tablet in my back pocket, and had my 2013 Dart. I won my Dart, so I didn't have payments to make, and both were 'paid for' before we were forced to go on stamps. Nobody LIKES being on stamps, it's embarrassing not being able to pay for your own well-being.

Pe…

The assumption in this country is that if you're poor, it's because you don't work hard enough or you did something wrong and you "deserve" to be poor. In a supposedly Christian country why is there so little charity and compassion?

A few years back my husband and I were both enjoying decent paying full time jobs for the first time in our lives. We treated ourselves to a few things, including a new TV. About a year after our daughter was born we felt our lives were WAY too hectic so we decided to scale way back on what we spent money on so I…

The biggest cause of bankruptcy in the US is a catastrophic injury or illness. Unless you think people choose to be ill, it's true more than it's false.

I guess every time the economy goes to hell in America, Americans feel it is their right to have ZERO sympathy for anything and anyone, the judgmental and nationalistic (us over them) type of behavior starts going OFF the charts...

My best friend passed away in a car accdent 2 weeks after we graduated high school (in 2002). I was driving an 83 Toyota at the time. I had just taken a job in a major city, and my dad though I shouldn't be driving the old Toyota in light of what happened to my friend. My dad had bought my grandmothers 84 Mercedes a…

This reminds me of when I worked in outreach for the food bank here in NC, I would mentor our partner agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, etc) that served clients that needed food. The FIRST thing I made clear to them is, "you do not turn anyone away regardless of what they are driving or wearing or what you…

Yes, let's use math!

Yes, let's use math!

a couple years back we were really broke. I took my engagement ring to a pawn shop and was offered about $1000 for it. We bought it for $5000. What is the point of selling assets for little to no money? I sobbed like a baby right in the shop and left with my ring. Things got better but I'll never, ever forget how…

This is another example of the smug "NOT ME!" attitude so many Americans seem to have. Unemployment and financial troubles can happen to just about anyone, no matter how well educated, skilled, or responsible a person is, but it seems that so many people love to act as though they - because of their special,…

wow, a post on Jezebel I can relate to...

Clearly, they had their priorities a little bit in line. They used all the resources that were available to people in their situation at the time, and ultimately, got the fuck off assistance.