Do you know "poor"?

[Ellyllions]

I got this idea from an MSN article I just read, and I know "poor". When I was born, in 1970, my dad was only making $3,000 a year and my mother stayed home with me until I was 6 months old. I have NO idea how they made that work. We only had cold running water in the house and no indoor toilet. Growing up, I was the "poor kid" in school and I caught a LOT of flack for it.

But looking back on it all now, I wouldn't change a thing. My parents refused to apply for any kind of social assistance what-so-ever. Yes it was a struggle we ate the deer that they killed and grew our own vegetables, but I had such a rich and smart childhood. It was smart to live within our means and be independent from the rest of the "keeping up with the Jone's" people.

Do you have a story of knowing "poor"?

[Hardrock69]

Yeah, but it involves being a starving rock musician on tour and living in L.A.....nothing truly unique about it.

My folks were middle class...both intellects....only found out recently my Dad had been offered full scholarships to both Harvard AND Yale back in the late 50s, but he liked the university he was at, and turned them both down.
He went on to get his Doctorate in Philosophy, and taught at several different universities during my life before getting out of that racket in the mid-70s...

So I was not THAT poor, but then we did not have piles of money...we did not own a color TV until the early 70s...up to that point I had no idea the Wizard Of Oz was even shot in color....

However, as wif you Elly, I had a solid upbringing, and thanks to my parents, I grew up to become the great, loveable yet perverse and silly wretch that I am today.

[Steve Savicki]

Congrats for being a survivor.

[Ellyllions]

Originally posted by Hardrock69
Yeah, but it involves being a starving rock musician on tour and living in L.A.....nothing truly unique about it.

Ya know, that's where all the good music comes from right?

[Jimmy Jingles]

I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and my thermos.

It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.








Oh wait...that wasn't me.

[Ellyllions]

Originally posted by Jimmy Jingles
I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and my thermos.

It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.








Oh wait...that wasn't me.

You "Jerk"!

[Jimmy Jingles]

Originally posted by Ellyllions
You "Jerk"!

He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!

[franksters]

Aren't we all ''poor'' or is't just everybody else that's rich?

[Terry]

Meh.

How much money do you really NEED, anyway?

Roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in your belly. Everything else is just gravy.

[Ellyllions]

Originally posted by Terry
Meh.

How much money do you really NEED, anyway?

Roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in your belly. Everything else is just gravy.

I completely agree with you.
I went on and sent myself through college while raising a child on my own and throwing newspapers every morning from 3am to 6pm. Got a great job with benefits and worked my way up to a nice 5-digit salary.

Now I'm almost 40 and the best memories I have came from a time when we couldn't even afford Fruit Loops to eat.

Everything from that time in my life just feels so pure.

[Ellyllions]

Know what I miss the most....?


Trout fishing.
Wearing my hip waders and traversing my way down Crooked Creek getting a hook wet.

[Coyote]

Originally posted by Terry
Meh.

How much money do you really NEED, anyway?

Roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in your belly. Everything else is just gravy.

Tell that to Bill Gates.

[Terry]

Originally posted by Ellyllions
I completely agree with you.
I went on and sent myself through college while raising a child on my own and throwing newspapers every morning from 3am to 6pm. Got a great job with benefits and worked my way up to a nice 5-digit salary.

Now I'm almost 40 and the best memories I have came from a time when we couldn't even afford Fruit Loops to eat.

Everything from that time in my life just feels so pure.

Possibly felt pure because when you don't have much, things tend to be simplified.

Shit, when I was a kid, we used to just go out and PLAY, you know? Didn't have video games (Pong had just come out on TelStar). Didn't have cable tv. Didn't have chaperoned, supervised 'playdates'. We just went outside and DID THINGS. Things that didn't cost anything to do. Like hucking rocks at each other, riding bikes, swimming in the creek, melting Army Men with a magnifying glass, building forts, beating the shit out of each other...you know, FUN STUFF!

First apartment I ever had, I could barely make rent, and all I could afford food-wise for a winter was Kraft Mac N' Cheese and Idaho Instant Mashed Potatoes...and actually cooking these with butter was a luxury. I had a piece of shit Zephyr that I had to jump-start the alternator with a screwdriver, had to swipe soap and toilet paper from work, didn't have a bedframe so the mattress was on the floor, phone was constantly getting shut off...but man, those were the days. Before everyone had the internet, before everyone was walking around with cell phones glued to their ear.

[Ellyllions]

Yeah, a dug a few holes in our front yard making swimming pools for my Family Dollar "pseudo-Barbies". Heck, I made a dollhouse out of cardboard boxes!

And when I was old enough to get a job, I worked in a grocery store so I could bring food home. But I didn't steal it. My parents taught me better than that. I'd spend my whole paychecks just on food to bring home to cook for mom and dad. It was an awesome feeling being able to do that for them. And that feeling was much better than any feeling I'd get today getting a new "this-or-that". Ya know? It was valuable.

[Dan]

My Mum raised three kids by herself and also having Bi-Polar was a tough time.Moved around a lot,renting houses a couple times a year.
Not too sure if Mum was going to have a break-down from the Bi-Polar as Mum's Sister would look after us kids while she was Sick,which was up to 5 to 6 weeks at a time.

I could go on longer but who wants to read my life story.