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FIFAFanboy2023 t1_jeeo160 wrote

Reply to comment by Whole-Wishbone-7539 in New housing development for homeless in Worcester gets state aid by HRJafael

I guarantee you some of these people you are talking about might just need to re-evaluate their spending habits to stay where they are. Y'know, those people who make 35k a year who have a 50k car or go on multiple vacations every year. A lot of the people complaining about not being able to afford anything might need to consider their expectations are a little bit whack for their income.

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barry_abides t1_jef1agp wrote

Pretty sure the venn diagram of people making 35k and those going on multiple vacations a year has little to no overlap. If your income is that low you're not getting approved for a huge credit line to fund these hypothetical trips. Either way, your use of "some" and "a lot" seems to indicate a level of acknowledgement that some (if not many, or most) of the people struggling with a low paying job are doing so on a modest or highly constrained budget. Not everyone is able to find work that pays more or spend more time working to increase their income (or work period).

I want more programs and investment to help minimum wage earners, and everyone who can't or won't work, or is dealing with addiction, mental health issues, mobility issues, etc. - everybody deserves a safe place to live even if they aren't fulfilling people's capitalist ideals or "contributing to society". There are certainly those who spend beyond their means, but I highly doubt they're in the majority when it comes to the income bracket you're talking about.

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FIFAFanboy2023 t1_jef32i1 wrote

I work with people who are exactly like what I am talking about, and have interacted with their friends as well. So yeah, this is a little bit of an anecdotal personal bias. The same people who complain about how expensive everything is are actually spending way too much money on low cost "luxuries" they don't actually need. Yes, we should be making more than we make, but we also know that just means things are going to get more expensive. As a country we overconsume too much. I'm not above what I'm talking about either. I have always been overweight, but now that my personal budget is being tightened I have cut back on the types of food I buy at the grocery store and takeout/dineout. I have managed to lose a good amount of weight in a short period of time and have more money at the end of the month. People need to make lifestyle changes.

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barry_abides t1_jefg3ap wrote

I'm familiar with the type of people you're referring to, and it does sound like they could benefit from some spending restraint to reduce some of their financial issues. My comments were directed more towards all the other folks who may not have a choice in their economic circumstances. It sounds like you have been tightening the belt both literally and figuratively, and it's good that you're able to find some positives in your own situation. For many who are struggling, the choice may not be about eating out less or getting a cheaper car, but opting to skip critical medical care or dealing with unsafe living conditions because they can't afford better. Always dangerous to generalize or assume the worst in people who aren't living under the same circumstances.

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edoreinn t1_jegky5z wrote

I’m not trying to tell you how to do you, but just cutting out takeout and learning to cook is a massive part of expense cutting and diet regulation…

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