Are the poor fat?

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  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    In the UK, the last socialist government decided to brand "poverty" as meaning having an income less than 40% of the median income for the country as a whole.

    This means we have two effects:
    1. Downwards pressure on median income, and
    2. Benefits being targetted in small chunks at those a few quid below the "poverty line" so that polticians can claim to be "lifting children out of poverty".

    The whole thing is a nonsense.

    Although I really don't like them, celebrity chefs (notably Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith) have spent some considerable effort showing people how to construct nutritious meals for a family of 4 for less than a tenner, or £5 in some instances. It's quite eye opening to be able to do that.

    The education is there. But unfortunately, so is Iceland.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    There is a big difference between living in poverty (at a low socioeconomic status on the American scale) and being poor. There are many people who can't afford to have cable television, or a television, for that matter. There are many people who work minimum wage job many back-breaking hours to barely (or not) pay the bills they have.
    The problem with judging those people solely by their weight is this: some of them receive food assistance in the fom of EBT or food stamps. That program gives a large amount of money based on what it estimates the family needs to buy healthy fresh food for itself, but then it does not educate the family on how to shop or cook said healthy fresh food.
    And when you are poor, and cannot afford to reward yourself with high-dollar items like TVs or nice clothes, you reward yourself with some tasty food when you can. It's a broken system, where the only answer is education.

    Yes you can blame lack of education but when you are gorging on pizzas, burgers, ice cream and the lot every day and your weight is ballooning, does it really require education to notice where one is going wrong. This is fundamentally ignored.
  • scrittenden
    scrittenden Posts: 79 Member
    The cost of food is messed up.. (UK)

    Pack of 4 medium fresh chicken breasts = £5.99
    Pack of 4 frozen breaded processed chicken "breasts" - £1.20

    Bag of potatoes = £1.99
    Bag of frozen chips (fries) = £0.78

    Pack of 6 apples = £1.49
    Pack of Grapes = £1.99
    Pack of 6 crisps (potato chips) = £0.45
    Pack of chocolate biscuits = £0.29

    500g Block of "cheap" full fat cheddar = £2.99
    500g Block of half fat/lower fat cheddar - £4.99

    Im not saying its right to feed your family the rubbish option.. but for some of us on a very tight budget it is hard to justify spending 3 or 4 times more on the healthier option.


    That being said.. since my daughter was born i always make sure that she is fed correctly, i'm not saying she doesn't occasionally have fish fingers or chicken nuggets, but she has plenty of fresh fruit and veg and home cooked meals.
  • claudie08
    claudie08 Posts: 154 Member
    I just came across this post on a thread, "Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?"

    "This is why poor people are usually the fat ones. Takes discipline to cut down on unimportant living expenses and buy healthy food, which is much more expensive (MUCH, MUCH MORE - if the farmers weren't subsidized) to grow, produce. Also, the cost if you are determined to eat healthy (and exercise) is a very good reason to grow your own. Even if you only have a patio, I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., in pots on my sundeck."

    I agree in a lot of ways.

    Thoughts?

    How is someone supposed to "cut down on unimportant living expenses" when they do not have the resources, or enough resources to begin with?? You can't take away what is not there. Those who make statements such as in the quote above have no clue to the realities of the less fortunate.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Education, specifically health & wellness, is an elite form of knowledge. If you & your parents & their parents could never afford to own a computer & surf the internet or visit a nutritionist or train with a personal trainer or buy a cookbook or a work-out video - if these were all considered LUXURIES by your community who was exposed to a mass media frenzy touting fast food & soda & alcohol then you would most likely be unhealthy & overweight as well.

    Please explain then why obesity rates are higher than ever before, despite access to the internet in modern times. Am not buying the food desert excuse. Am not from America but have seen documentaries on TV. Las Vegas and Los Angeles are examples of built up cities where this does not apply and obesity rates are well above average.

    Oh, you've watched it on television? The boob tube? Then you must be well informed & have an accurate understanding of the socio-economic dynamic of many New Yorkers' nutrition.

    PLEASE open your mind up to the possibility that a person's environment (physical & social) greatly influences their lifestyle, yes - even yours.

    Once you've done so take a few deep breaths & go ahead & revisit my complete original post; you'll find answers there.

    Haha. You're funny. The boob tube?

    But.... despite the fact you think you know a lot more than me.. you must know a lot more than the Americans who open up on TV about the problems that happen with obesity. Doctors, dietary experts, school officials and governors, and of course the morbidly obese people themselves. Not one of them that I have seen have blamed prices of food and economics as the excuse.

    What they blame is people's fundamental lifestyle of comfortable living: -
    - going to pick a high calorie meal from a drive through because the people think it is cheaper and quicker to do so than cook at home (more like they are too lazy to discover otherwise)

    - the fact that supermarkets, restaurants and other food outlets serve up massive portions, ridiculous, unnecessary portions personified by eating challenges that incentivise the fair few to eat abnormally-sized portions in the hope of winning a t-shirt; chefs who have investigated schools

    - the fact that children only recognise a tomato in ketchup form (because the adults are too ignorant to realise that pizza for breakfast served up with a large chocolate milkshake is harming kids)

    - doctors in Las Vegas are recording record business for bespoke bariatric surgery because again... portion sizes in eateries are crazy.

    Not one of them mention lack of access to healthy food. Your theory does not support the fact that 1 in 3 people in your country are obese. Besides, who are you to say that the (probably small) section of people who dont have access to healthy food would voluntarily pick a healthy diet over their favourite daily burger anyway?
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    The cost of food is messed up.. (UK)

    Pack of 4 medium fresh chicken breasts = £5.99
    Pack of 4 frozen breaded processed chicken "breasts" - £1.20

    Not true (price of fresh, i bought 4 for £3 on Saturday) and so what if the processed is cheaper. Eat it in moderation and it's fine.
    Bag of potatoes = £1.99
    Bag of frozen chips (fries) = £0.78

    Bag of 5kg potatoes £2.50
    Bag of 1.5-2kg fries £1-1.50

    So yes, the healthier option is cheaper
    Pack of 6 apples = £1.49
    Pack of Grapes = £1.99
    Pack of 6 crisps (potato chips) = £0.45
    Pack of chocolate biscuits = £0.29
    Your point is? Fruit is naturally more expensive to produce and it is again about lifestyle choices. "Eat 7 packs of cheapo biccies for the same price as grapes". That's the consumer's fault. Grapes are hardly unaffordable.
    500g Block of "cheap" full fat cheddar = £2.99
    500g Block of half fat/lower fat cheddar - £4.99

    Where did you get this from?
    Im not saying its right to feed your family the rubbish option.. but for some of us on a very tight budget it is hard to justify spending 3 or 4 times more on the healthier option.

    We can also make other comparisons which are designed to be biased. A salad at McDonalds is a lot cheaper than a Double Whopper meal at Burger King. So what does that prove?
  • scrittenden
    scrittenden Posts: 79 Member
    The cost of food is messed up.. (UK)

    Pack of 4 medium fresh chicken breasts = £5.99
    Pack of 4 frozen breaded processed chicken "breasts" - £1.20

    Not true (price of fresh, i bought 4 for £3 on Saturday) and so what if the processed is cheaper. Eat it in moderation and it's fine.
    Bag of potatoes = £1.99
    Bag of frozen chips (fries) = £0.78

    Bag of 5kg potatoes £2.50
    Bag of 1.5-2kg fries £1-1.50

    So yes, the healthier option is cheaper
    Pack of 6 apples = £1.49
    Pack of Grapes = £1.99
    Pack of 6 crisps (potato chips) = £0.45
    Pack of chocolate biscuits = £0.29
    Your point is? Fruit is naturally more expensive to produce and it is again about lifestyle choices. "Eat 7 packs of cheapo biccies for the same price as grapes". That's the consumer's fault. Grapes are hardly unaffordable.
    500g Block of "cheap" full fat cheddar = £2.99
    500g Block of half fat/lower fat cheddar - £4.99

    Where did you get this from?
    Im not saying its right to feed your family the rubbish option.. but for some of us on a very tight budget it is hard to justify spending 3 or 4 times more on the healthier option.

    We can also make other comparisons which are designed to be biased. A salad at McDonalds is a lot cheaper than a Double Whopper meal at Burger King. So what does that prove?

    lol.. and you are so annoyed about my post because?

    I was just pointing out that it is a bit backwards that it costs less to feed your family rubbish. The supermarkets have a far higher percentage of unhealthy food than healthy options.

    I think they should get rid of the option to buy cheap nasty food with no nutritional value, if the option wasn't there then the price of normal food wouldn't seem so high.

    A pack of grapes being £1.99 only seems high in comparison to being able to buy a multipack of crisps for under a £1.

    Im glad you can buy a pack of 4 chicken breasts for £3, where from because i will go and stock up? I was in Morrisons yesterday and certainly couldn't buy a pack of 4 breasts for £3.

    And just to clear it up.. i don't blame being obese on the price of food.. that is purely down to food choices. My problem is the sheer volume of cheap rubbish that is on offer all over the supermarkets.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    The cost of food is messed up.. (UK)

    Pack of 4 medium fresh chicken breasts = £5.99
    Pack of 4 frozen breaded processed chicken "breasts" - £1.20

    Not true (price of fresh, i bought 4 for £3 on Saturday) and so what if the processed is cheaper. Eat it in moderation and it's fine.
    Bag of potatoes = £1.99
    Bag of frozen chips (fries) = £0.78

    Bag of 5kg potatoes £2.50
    Bag of 1.5-2kg fries £1-1.50

    So yes, the healthier option is cheaper
    Pack of 6 apples = £1.49
    Pack of Grapes = £1.99
    Pack of 6 crisps (potato chips) = £0.45
    Pack of chocolate biscuits = £0.29
    Your point is? Fruit is naturally more expensive to produce and it is again about lifestyle choices. "Eat 7 packs of cheapo biccies for the same price as grapes". That's the consumer's fault. Grapes are hardly unaffordable.
    500g Block of "cheap" full fat cheddar = £2.99
    500g Block of half fat/lower fat cheddar - £4.99

    Where did you get this from?
    Im not saying its right to feed your family the rubbish option.. but for some of us on a very tight budget it is hard to justify spending 3 or 4 times more on the healthier option.

    We can also make other comparisons which are designed to be biased. A salad at McDonalds is a lot cheaper than a Double Whopper meal at Burger King. So what does that prove?

    lol.. and you are so annoyed about my post because?

    I was just pointing out that it is a bit backwards that it costs less to feed your family rubbish. The supermarkets have a far higher percentage of unhealthy food than healthy options.

    I think they should get rid of the option to buy cheap nasty food with no nutritional value, if the option wasn't there then the price of normal food wouldn't seem so high.

    A pack of grapes being £1.99 only seems high in comparison to being able to buy a multipack of crisps for under a £1.

    Im glad you can buy a pack of 4 chicken breasts for £3, where from because i will go and stock up? I was in Morrisons yesterday and certainly couldn't buy a pack of 4 breasts for £3.

    And just to clear it up.. i don't blame being obese on the price of food.. that is purely down to food choices. My problem is the sheer volume of cheap rubbish that is on offer all over the supermarkets.

    Who said I was annoyed? :-)

    "The cost of food is messed up.. (UK) "

    I just argued that you made some unfair comparisons, and in context of the debate, the supermarkets sell cheap stuff but the myth being busted here is that eating healthy is particularly expensive which is to blame for obesity.
  • scrittenden
    scrittenden Posts: 79 Member
    I have to say that being poor does not = unhealthy eating. And i don't think anyone can ever say they are overweight because they are poor.

    I managed to loose weight just by cutting portion sizes of unhealthy frozen food - saving me more money! lol

    I think the key to eating healthy on a budget is being resourceful..

    I currently buy a whole chicken (for around £5).. and do 3 evening meals with it. (normally in the past i would have eaten way more than i needed and just chucked the rest)

    I go to the market to get fruit and veg, or look around in the evenings in the reduced section - failing that i buy frozen berries and veg!
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
    Seems to me the wrong question, should it not be "Are the fat poor?"

    Eating healthy may be expensive but so can eating unhealthily, bottles of Cola and Take aways I see many obese people wasting money on such rubbish, they are certainly not eating rubbish because of budget its either because of choice or ignorance!
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    The "truely" poor can not afford to buy food, plus they usually have very physical jobs like farmers and construction. They need high caloritic food to survive.

    There is very few "truely" poor people in the US.

    Go to a third world country, see real poverty.

    ^^QFT.

    My mom and dad grew up during the Depression. No one was fat back then.

    It would have been hard for them to get fat when they didn't eat. No one had money for food so no one ate. People literally starved to death. Just as they do in third-world countries, and in poverty-stricken areas of our own country.

    That was my point. In The Depression, people truly were poor and did not know where their next meal was coming from. They also didn't spend what little money they had on cigarettes, beer, iPhones, etc. Nor did they go to McDonalds and buy 5 hamburgers and 2 fries off of the dollar menu, just for one person. (Yes, I saw this just the other day)

    You get fat from eating more calories than your body needs. You do not have to have the money to buy Organic meats and veggies to eat within your calorie budget. It is all about choices, for ALL of us.

    Most people, no matter what their economic status is, tend to have eating habits that mirror those that are around them. This is what they consider 'normal'. But it doesn't take a PHD or a 6 figure income to understand that if you are fat, you need to eat less.

    So again, it comes down to choices. Using poverty as an excuse for being overweight, is a cop-out. There are many excuses that rich people use as well, that are also cop-outs. So no stereotyping or prejudices here, just the honest truth.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Seems to me the wrong question, should it not be "Are the fat poor?"

    Eating healthy may be expensive but so can eating unhealthily, bottles of Cola and Take aways I see many obese people wasting money on such rubbish, they are certainly not eating rubbish because of budget its either because of choice or ignorance!

    Eating UNhealthy is expensive. Eating on a budget just takes more time and effort than some people want.
  • WheezyFbb
    WheezyFbb Posts: 41 Member

    So again, it comes down to choices. Using poverty as an excuse for being overweight, is a cop-out. There are many excuses that rich people use as well, that are also cop-outs. So no stereotyping or prejudices here, just the honest truth.

    This, pretty much.

    I find it funny that the best way to lose weight is not to eat, which subsequently saves you a lot of money on meals that just end up as fat deposits anyway. Sounds like something handy to do if you're poor. Even if what you eat is crap, cutting down on the crap and reducing the caloric surplus WILL improve your life. Not everyone can afford the expensive organic stuff (I can't), but cutting down on the things you already eat is both healthier and cheaper than eating so much of it if you are already overweight.

    This is is also based on my experience by the way. As a broke college student, I find it much easier on the wallet to lose or maintain weight than to put on weight during my bulking cycles.

    It's cheaper to be thin than fat. Period.
  • Crowhorse
    Crowhorse Posts: 394 Member
    It is very American to hate on poor people.

    If it's bad let's label it "American". That's funny, it's very American to help your neighbor who is truly in need. That's been my experience at least.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    It is very American to hate on poor people.

    If it's bad let's label it "American". That's funny, it's very American to help your neighbor who is truly in need. That's been my experience at least.

    No kidding! It's "elitist" to hate on poor people, but it's quite American to give to the needy. We are probably the most giving nation in the world.

    We give to everyone, even dictators. (:grumble:)
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member

    The education is there. But unfortunately, so is Iceland.

    Hehe. Pretty funny quote. Like it.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member

    I just came across this post on a thread, "Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?"

    "This is why poor people are usually the fat ones. Takes discipline to cut down on unimportant living expenses and buy healthy food, which is much more expensive (MUCH, MUCH MORE - if the farmers weren't subsidized) to grow, produce. Also, the cost if you are determined to eat healthy (and exercise) is a very good reason to grow your own. Even if you only have a patio, I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., in pots on my sundeck."

    I agree in a lot of ways.

    Thoughts?
    What unnecessary living expenses should be cut back on?

    rent? food? utilities? car payment? assuming they don't have cable or internet?

    What would you deem unnecessary?

  • The education is there. But unfortunately, so is Iceland.

    Hehe. Pretty funny quote. Like it.

    The State of Kerry Katona is the single greatest reason why mums NEVER EVER go to Iceland lol! They go to wrestle the last bag of cut price 99p frozen turkey twizzlers from some other poor mum's cold greasy fingers :D
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
    Ok so from what I'm reading here, just like anyone else who puts on weight and isn't aware of caloric values of foods, so do the disadvantaged. I myself wasn't taught caloric values of anything I ate; not from my parents or the school. I was completely in the dark. And, like a previous poster stated, I too thought obesity was genetic but now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak (people speaking from the heart on myfitnesspal as to what they ate to get so big), we know better.

    Also looks like depression and comfort eating play a role but that's anyone else too, not only the disadvantaged.

    There are neighborhoods where I live that are pretty hip and you don't see any overweight people walking around there. Then you get to the more poverty stricken neighborhoods and the size of folks rises drastically. So yes, they are not so poor that they can't afford food. They can afford food (be it with government assistance) but they choose to eat the more fattening stuff. And true, if they didn't have someone showing them how to cook while growing up, it would have to be a conscience decision to turn it around. Like some posters here; they have to really desire it.

    Thanks for all of your replies. Very educational and eye opening. :wink: :flowerforyou: :smooched: :flowerforyou: :tongue: :drinker:
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member

    The education is there. But unfortunately, so is Iceland.

    Hehe. Pretty funny quote. Like it.

    The State of Kerry Katona is the single greatest reason why mums NEVER EVER go to Iceland lol! They go to wrestle the last bag of cut price 99p frozen turkey twizzlers from some other poor mum's cold greasy fingers :D

    I actually do go to Iceland a fair bit. I dont think it is all that bad. I have however, pretentiously looked at other people's trolleys to horrendous viewing.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    Let's see ... I can get 4 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken for $8 at the supermarket. For another $4 I can get a container of seasoned breadcrumbs and an 8-pack of whole wheat rolls. For $1.50 each I can have 8 sizeable, high-protein, low-fat chicken sandwiches (roughly 420 calories, 55g of protein, 7g fat, 30g carbs). Now the Spicy Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's apparently costs $1 in most of the country (I had to Google that) and gives me 380 calories, 15g protein, 17g fat, and 41g carbs (along with nearly half a day's worth of sodium). So for an extra 50 cents I can have nearly 4x the protein, less than half the fat, 3/4 of the carbs, and more net calories which all adds up to a meal that is going to leave me satiated for longer and thereby inclined to eat less. Tell me again how eating healthy has to be more expensive ... Bulls**t.

    Stop buying into the low fat, reduced sugar, less this, less that marketing gimmicks that actually require you to pay more for less (often smaller portions) and simply make better dietary choices.

    ^^This hands down. Stop giving into the hype of "lowfat" or "fatfree". I can put that on a bag of sugar and its the same thing. I eat canned vegies, buy things on sale, buy frozen vegies, make stuff in bulk, shop at the dollar store sometimes, It is more than not having the resources, it is having the time and the knowledge to find ways to be creative and tweak your recipes and stop buying prepackaged/processed/fast food stuff. Cook people. Google recipes and food ideas on a budget. You can eat good and low cal on a budget. Trust me I am the queen of saving money
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    What unnecessary living expenses should be cut back on?

    rent? food? utilities? car payment? assuming they don't have cable or internet?

    What would you deem unnecessary?
    [/quote]

    see that is a problem right there: living above your means like having car payments and cable and internet. Those are luxuries. First comes house payment or rent, then electric and heat/air, then food. All else falls into place only if you have the money. If you don't have the money then don't have these things.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    see that is a problem right there: living above your means like having car payments and cable and internet. Those are luxuries. First comes house payment or rent, then electric and heat/air, then food. All else falls into place only if you have the money. If you don't have the money then don't have these things.

    Exactly, though if you live rural you likely will have to consider a car a necessity as you will require it to get to work. if you live in a city though it's definitely a luxury.
    One of the biggest issues is the vast majority of people have very little cooking skills (it's been a long time since Home Economics was a school course that was mandatory) and they choose the takeaway and fast food and prepared options because they think it's cheaper. It's generally not cheaper (though the manufacturer gets lower prices on ingredients they are still in business to make a profit) Jamie Oliver has a great series covering this http://www.jamieoliver.com/savewithjamie/
    Part of it is controlling food waste (north america in particular is very bad at this we throw out enough to wipe out hunger) part of it is learning to cook, and if you are on a constrained budget a big part is learning to use off cuts and the parts people generally don't know how to cook (Off cuts have actually gone up in price because restaurants are using them more now). Learning to cook well has been a boon for me. I can eat for very little through careful purchasing.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    see that is a problem right there: living above your means like having car payments and cable and internet. Those are luxuries. First comes house payment or rent, then electric and heat/air, then food. All else falls into place only if you have the money. If you don't have the money then don't have these things.

    Exactly, though if you live rural you likely will have to consider a car a necessity as you will require it to get to work. if you live in a city though it's definitely a luxury.
    One of the biggest issues is the vast majority of people have very little cooking skills (it's been a long time since Home Economics was a school course that was mandatory) and they choose the takeaway and fast food and prepared options because they think it's cheaper. It's generally not cheaper (though the manufacturer gets lower prices on ingredients they are still in business to make a profit) Jamie Oliver has a great series covering this http://www.jamieoliver.com/savewithjamie/
    Part of it is controlling food waste (north america in particular is very bad at this we throw out enough to wipe out hunger) part of it is learning to cook, and if you are on a constrained budget a big part is learning to use off cuts and the parts people generally don't know how to cook (Off cuts have actually gone up in price because restaurants are using them more now). Learning to cook well has been a boon for me. I can eat for very little through careful purchasing.

    It's a little difficult to think of a car as a luxury when you live in a part of the country where the temperature are below freezing for more than half of the year, and if you work more than a couple of miles away from your home and don't have public transportation available to you you will be risking your life if you try to walk to work.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member

    It's a little difficult to think of a car as a luxury when you live in a part of the country where the temperature are below freezing for more than half of the year, and if you work more than a couple of miles away from your home and don't have public transportation available to you you will be risking your life if you try to walk to work.

    Agreed, I have public transport available, though I cycle most of the year, this winter has been too brutal for that, I do however walk home from work every day (and it has been very cold this winter i just dress for it - I've worked outdoors in brutally cold weather at points it's all about dressing for it ) that was why I mentioned a car was a necessity if you were rural (I'd consider where you are rural McCindy :smile:

    I'd be very surprised if there weren't some people making do without a vehicle out your way though, sometimes it's just not a choice. - In Toronto we have a much higher proportion of welfare level poverty because it is easier for people to survive in a larger city even with high rents
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member

    It's a little difficult to think of a car as a luxury when you live in a part of the country where the temperature are below freezing for more than half of the year, and if you work more than a couple of miles away from your home and don't have public transportation available to you you will be risking your life if you try to walk to work.

    Agreed, I have public transport available, though I cycle most of the year, this winter has been too brutal for that, I do however walk home from work every day (and it has been very cold this winter i just dress for it - I've worked outdoors in brutally cold weather at points it's all about dressing for it ) that was why I mentioned a car was a necessity if you were rural (I'd consider where you are rural McCindy :smile:

    I'd be very surprised if there weren't some people making do without a vehicle out your way though, sometimes it's just not a choice. - In Toronto we have a much higher proportion of welfare level poverty because it is easier for people to survive in a larger city even with high rents

    we recently had a gentleman whose car got stuck on the side of the road on a day when the wind chill was -35. He was only about a mile from home, so he tried to walk. They found his body a few hours later.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member

    It's a little difficult to think of a car as a luxury when you live in a part of the country where the temperature are below freezing for more than half of the year, and if you work more than a couple of miles away from your home and don't have public transportation available to you you will be risking your life if you try to walk to work.

    Agreed, I have public transport available, though I cycle most of the year, this winter has been too brutal for that, I do however walk home from work every day (and it has been very cold this winter i just dress for it - I've worked outdoors in brutally cold weather at points it's all about dressing for it ) that was why I mentioned a car was a necessity if you were rural (I'd consider where you are rural McCindy :smile:

    I'd be very surprised if there weren't some people making do without a vehicle out your way though, sometimes it's just not a choice. - In Toronto we have a much higher proportion of welfare level poverty because it is easier for people to survive in a larger city even with high rents

    we recently had a gentleman whose car got stuck on the side of the road on a day when the wind chill was -35. He was only about a mile from home, so he tried to walk. They found his body a few hours later.

    If you aren't dressed for it you don't leave your car in that weather - hopefully you have the car stocked for emergencies (blanket/flare/protein bar and a cell phone to call for help
    - OTOH I walked home at -35 the other week but i was well bundled up - but I had the option at any point to pop into a shop or a coffee shop or onto transit .
  • ab_1203
    ab_1203 Posts: 88 Member
    People get fat cause they overeat. Being poor isn't an excuse to eat a lot of food.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member

    It's a little difficult to think of a car as a luxury when you live in a part of the country where the temperature are below freezing for more than half of the year, and if you work more than a couple of miles away from your home and don't have public transportation available to you you will be risking your life if you try to walk to work.

    Agreed, I have public transport available, though I cycle most of the year, this winter has been too brutal for that, I do however walk home from work every day (and it has been very cold this winter i just dress for it - I've worked outdoors in brutally cold weather at points it's all about dressing for it ) that was why I mentioned a car was a necessity if you were rural (I'd consider where you are rural McCindy :smile:

    I'd be very surprised if there weren't some people making do without a vehicle out your way though, sometimes it's just not a choice. - In Toronto we have a much higher proportion of welfare level poverty because it is easier for people to survive in a larger city even with high rents

    we recently had a gentleman whose car got stuck on the side of the road on a day when the wind chill was -35. He was only about a mile from home, so he tried to walk. They found his body a few hours later.

    If you aren't dressed for it you don't leave your car in that weather - hopefully you have the car stocked for emergencies (blanket/flare/protein bar and a cell phone to call for help
    - OTOH I walked home at -35 the other week but i was well bundled up - but I had the option at any point to pop into a shop or a coffee shop or onto transit .

    Another point being the poor often can't afford the clothes needed to "bundle up" against the cold, or overeat and insulate with fat against it either.
  • We went through a spell after college where my family of 3 lived off LESS then 18k a year. Now when you have less than $5 left to feed your family for a cpl days to you A buy a head of lettuce n perhaps chicken breast and have 1 meal or spend 99cents per pack of 8 hotdogs and a bag of potatoes. What do you when you want to keep your family fed n sated. Its not always easy times actually get tough when there is no work, no money coming in. And yes there were times we were taking cans back to get money for that pack of hotdogs. Let me tell ya a diet of hotdogs n hamburger helper doenst bode well on the body lol

    For the last 10 years I have supported my family on less than 10,000 per year and we have done just fine. I think the greatest North American expense is the AUTOMOBILE. We have never had a car and I think that makes all the difference.