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01-06-2015, 05:47 PM
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Poverty

Reading another thread made me think of how we all think of poverty in different ways.

What does poverty mean to YOU?

To me it means having no roof over your head, or a damp, leaking roof, little food for your children, nothing in your purse but coppers. Being POOR to me means scraping by, but you cannot afford to buy any luxuries whatsoever. I'm even talking toiletries. A half decent shower gel. Having to buy Basic brands. Anything else might be considered luxury compared to poverty and being "poor".

That's my opinion of course.

I count myself as exceptionally comfortable and I appreciate it so much.

Nothing worse than someone saying theyre skint when they don't even know the meaning of the word.
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01-06-2015, 06:00 PM
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Re: Poverty

A good portion of the population are one "Non Payday" away from financial catastrophe, so at this moment in time are not in poverty, but are a blink away. There seems to be more family help nowadays when a crisis rears it's head, maybe people these days are less ashamed to ask for assistance.
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01-06-2015, 06:07 PM
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Re: Poverty

Originally Posted by Myra ->
Reading another thread made me think of how we all think of poverty in different ways.

What does poverty mean to YOU?

To me it means having no roof over your head, or a damp, leaking roof, little food for your children, nothing in your purse but coppers. Being POOR to me means scraping by, but you cannot afford to buy any luxuries whatsoever. I'm even talking toiletries. A half decent shower gel. Having to buy Basic brands. Anything else might be considered luxury compared to poverty and being "poor".

That's my opinion of course.

I count myself as exceptionally comfortable and I appreciate it so much.

Nothing worse than someone saying theyre skint when they don't even know the meaning of the word.
Think I agree with your definition - being poor is NOT about the latest IPhone or Ipad or not having a holiday abroad!
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01-06-2015, 06:41 PM
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Re: Poverty

If I really wanted a takeaway meal these days then I could afford it. It's only about me. I don't have children to feed. If I want to have a glass of wine, then I can have it. If I smoked then I could probably afford a pack of fags.

I've been there when I was skint on a Thursday and you were desperate for a Friday. My sons had a roof over their head and got some of the treats they wanted. Not all. I've been there, even a couple of years ago, when I would meet my friend for lunch on a Sunday. She was better off than me. We'd buy lunch at a local garden centre. She started off taking turns to buy lunch, but I told her I'd prefer to buy my own as I couldn't afford to return the favour. Then we'd walk around the centre and she'd pick up nice treats for herself. I wondered how nice it would be to be able to treat yourself. I was still very fortunate though. I had a job, lived in a homeless unit, but I had money to pay my bills and a roof over my head, which doesn't come cheap from the housing deparrment. so I felt so much better off than most. Far from the poverty line.

Poverty means different things to different people. My heart goes out to families on the poverty line. It must be hellish.
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01-06-2015, 06:59 PM
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Re: Poverty

Being cold.

Going to bed cold , not being able to sleep for the cold and waking up cold,, dreading bath night because of the cold..

I swore I would never be old and cold.. Bad enough as a child darned if Im going to do it as an adult.

Apart from that for me it was wanting a vest with lace like the other girls had, but they were expensive and I had plain white vests so they could be handed down.. Getting clothes that were 'new to me' (second hand) and never having a birthday party..
I still dont have birthday parties but now its by choice not from being poor .

The ultimate..being made to sell our dog because being poor meant you couldnt afford having another mouth to feed.
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01-06-2015, 07:09 PM
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Re: Poverty

Originally Posted by Cass ->
Being cold.

Going to bed cold , not being able to sleep for the cold and waking up cold,, dreading bath night because of the cold..

I swore I would never be old and cold.. Bad enough as a child darned if Im going to do it as an adult.

Apart from that for me it was wanting a vest with lace like the other girls had, but they were expensive and I had plain white vests so they could be handed down.. Getting clothes that were 'new to me' (second hand) and never having a birthday party..
I still dont have birthday parties but now its by choice not from being poor .

The ultimate..being made to sell our dog because being poor meant you couldnt afford having another mouth to feed.
You've definitely been there Cass. Even the luxury of central heating these days makes a huge difference to our lives.

It's changed days and there is poverty, but on a different scale. People view poverty different these days. Some want their alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, huge tv, car and still plead poverty. Those type of people don't have a clue. Others really do live in poverty and it's grim by today's standards.
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01-06-2015, 07:12 PM
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Re: Poverty

As stated in an earlier thread and not wishing to repeat myself.

I do think though that many people who claim to be poor don't know what real poverty is, to me it is not 'I haven't got what that person has got so I must be poor', it is being cold and hungry and owning nothing. I have been in that situation so think I am in a position to comment. I am not saying people should be reduced to that situation to qualify as poor it is just an observation


http://www.over50sforum.com/showthre...858#post659858
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01-06-2015, 07:18 PM
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Re: Poverty

Originally Posted by Meg ->
As stated in an earlier thread and not wishing to repeat myself.
I totally agree with you Meg.
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01-06-2015, 07:29 PM
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Re: Poverty

I've already posted it on here on another thread, but poverty to me was a wee boy who got himself up for school in the morning and put his school uniform over his pyjamas, whilst his parents lay in a drug induced stupor. Only got a meal at lunchtime because of free school dinners. Was found drowned in the clyde after walking to school and then.......... Was lucky to get a tin of cold custard when he was hungry. Now that to me is poverty. It does still exist, but not to some who maintain it is happening to them.
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01-06-2015, 07:32 PM
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Re: Poverty

We were very poor but we got by without any of the family dying, thank God, so we were lucky I suppose.
What we knew as poverty in our day would appear to be intolerable to this generation, especially in the City, filthy living conditions in rat invested tenements, poor diet, hand-me-down-and down again clothes, no meat and all the rest of it. Poverty today takes on many forms, but generally speaking never life threatening, there are plenty of organisations to ensure that if you seek help you will get medical care and never actually starve to death, you may be poor but you’ll be healthily poor, strange as that may seem.
At the top of the scale, if someone is worth 50 million quid and drops down to 10 million for some reason or other, he will now consider himself poor in the circles he’s used to mixing with.
 
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