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re: The moment you realized you were poor growing up
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:04 pm to northshorebamaman
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:04 pm to northshorebamaman
quote:
My first bike was kind of umm... different looking. I didn't really think anything of it and had a blast on it like most kids. I didn't find out until years later that my stepdad had spent who-knows-how-long driving around town digging through dumpsters looking for bicycle parts. My mom said it took him weeks to find every part. He put it all together, painted it blue, and splurged on a new seat and streamers for the handlebars. He passed in 2013.
Wow!
0
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:09 pm to 40 Rouge
quote:hipsters call this tiny living
my family of five was in a one-bedroom. Bunk bed, queen bed, and crib in the bedroom
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:10 pm to olgoi khorkhoi
quote:
first day of 6th grade at Istrouma Middle Magnet. I understood that day that there were brands of jeans you wear and brands you don't wear.
Asked for Izod polos, got the Sears braggin dragon instead.
Asked for Levi's, got toughskins.
As for backyard pool, we had a gigantic metal bucket that I think was to provide water for livestock as our pool.
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 7:12 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:12 pm to Dick Leverage
quote:The look on my face when I opened that box set of Stetson for the fifth year in a row:
When my top dollar Christmas list wish was a bottle of Polo cologne when I was 13. The look on my face when I saw the box!
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:13 pm to The Torch
quote:fify
We weren't poor but not rich, I didn't know the difference or care until probably my sophomore year of high school when you start to realize the Dr's kid is pulling poon because he has a better car and nicer clothes than you.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:18 pm to YoubeHillin
When I found out everyone else didn’t make seafood gumbo using these:
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:22 pm to YoubeHillin
quote:
"pizza scissors"
Am I the only one that has never heard of these?
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:38 pm to YoubeHillin
(no message)
This post was edited on 12/17/21 at 10:12 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:41 pm to YoubeHillin
I looked forward to when the hand me down box from a neighbor's granddaughter would get dropped off and I'd get first choices. Most of my favorite dresses came from her.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:42 pm to YoubeHillin
A bender.
A bender is when you can't afford two slices of bread. Or meat. Or cheese.
You put a dollop of country crock on a piece of bread and eat it.
When I stayed with my grandparents, which was often, we ate grits and eggs 4-5 nights a week.
My mother instilled in me a sense of entitlement. The idea that I could get or buy whatever I wanted. Thankfully I grew out of that phase.
A bender is when you can't afford two slices of bread. Or meat. Or cheese.
You put a dollop of country crock on a piece of bread and eat it.
When I stayed with my grandparents, which was often, we ate grits and eggs 4-5 nights a week.
My mother instilled in me a sense of entitlement. The idea that I could get or buy whatever I wanted. Thankfully I grew out of that phase.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 7:50 pm to YoubeHillin
My single mom, raising 3 daughters and working 2 jobs, served a lot of breakfast for dinner. Sometimes it was just a plate of grits. Other nights it was pancakes or just cereal. Any kid would love this. But I realized also wearing hand me downs and going to thrift stores that we were not like other families. It’s okay. She did the best she could.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:04 pm to YoubeHillin
I'm not sure if we were poor or not, but we had a lot of financial difficulties due to being a large family and some unfortunate things happening to our family (my medical bills were something special). Hell, my parents couldn't even afford diapers, but used cloth diapers! I could never go on special school trips (like to New York, Paris, etc), and when I did go on field trips, I always had a brown bag lunch, and everyone else would order when we went to restaurants. It wasn't an issue until someone made a comment, then I instantly became embarrassed.
I always thought that things were what they were. Flying, surgeries, long hospital stays, not going out to eat.....ever, hand-me-down clothes, not having cable or ESPN growing up, listening to games on the radio, not knowing what a CD player was, etc. It wasn't until I was in middle school and high school until I realized these things were not normal. I rode the bus my senior year in high school (cue the laughter).
That said, my parents made a lot of sacrifices and we are all doing well. All but one of us own a house, and only two of us remain unmarried (by choice). We had it tough, but I remember seeing a kid without lunch alomost every day, and thought "damn". At one point, we were all pitching in to give him lunch once we realized it, and we would slip him a dollar bill or two when we could. I cannot imagine the embarrassment that this kid must have felt.
I always thought that things were what they were. Flying, surgeries, long hospital stays, not going out to eat.....ever, hand-me-down clothes, not having cable or ESPN growing up, listening to games on the radio, not knowing what a CD player was, etc. It wasn't until I was in middle school and high school until I realized these things were not normal. I rode the bus my senior year in high school (cue the laughter).
That said, my parents made a lot of sacrifices and we are all doing well. All but one of us own a house, and only two of us remain unmarried (by choice). We had it tough, but I remember seeing a kid without lunch alomost every day, and thought "damn". At one point, we were all pitching in to give him lunch once we realized it, and we would slip him a dollar bill or two when we could. I cannot imagine the embarrassment that this kid must have felt.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:19 pm to Eighteen
quote:
I thought only rich people had two story houses
Or even all brick.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:20 pm to YoubeHillin
My daddy was a teacher with a wife and five kids. Times were tough. He would dumpster dive for us and we were so excited when he pulled up. We had to start one school year with some scat tennis shoes he found that the store had slashed with a razor to prevent them being sold. My kids love to hear the “war stories”!
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:22 pm to littleavery1948
Well, to tell you what things cost when I was a kid, and yes, we were poor; about once a month my mother would give my oldest brother a $5 bill. We three boys would walk to town and first get a haircut. I always wondered why we had to get crew cuts but apparently they seemed to last longer!
After the haircut, the three of us went to a double feature movie at the local walk-in. We all got a drink and popcorn.
On the way home we'd stop and get a package of baseball cards each (10 in a pack for a nickel, and a slab of Bazooka gum).
When we got home my brother would hand my mother about $2 in change. Maybe a little more.
Show admission was a nickel. Drinks and popcorn a nickel each. Haircuts were like 75 cents.
Catsup, our favorite go-to extra, was five bottles for a dollar. Never got ice cream at home because our grandmother's ice box (yes, ice box) did not have a freezer on top or bottom. It did keep things fairly cold.
Might buy a loaf of bread on occasion but biscuits and cornbread were easily made, cheaper than buying since we bought meal and flour by the bulk.
No air conditioning. No TV until my grandmother bought one "on time" and paid it out somehow.
Gardening was a must.
In September, we each got two pairs of Levis, and you'd best prepare to wear them all year long without wearing a hole in the knees from playground activity.
One pair of Sunday shoes. One pair of Keds as Chuck Taylor's were too expensive.
If you were lucky, you got your older brother's hand-me-downs.
Now, you spoiled arse youngsters who talk about being poor have no idea (I know some of you do, honestly).
But for those of you who are spoiled arse rotten and don't realize what time of day it is, kiss my old tired worn out arse and stay the hell off my lawn.
We were poor but never knew it. Hell, all the other kids in our town with the exception of about four or five families were in the same boat.
Looking back, I would not change one bit of it. We were loved, taught the meaning of a dollar, taught to respect our elders and any adult.
Our daddy would beat our arse if we made fun of anyone.
One day we went by where they were issuing commodities (sure many of you young arse punks don't know what that is) and I asked my mother and grandmother what was going on there. They got onto me for looking in that direction. At home they explained to me that those folks were poor and the government handed out food to the poor and they were probably embarrassed having to accept charity. Hell, a lot of the folks in that line were better off than we were.
After the haircut, the three of us went to a double feature movie at the local walk-in. We all got a drink and popcorn.
On the way home we'd stop and get a package of baseball cards each (10 in a pack for a nickel, and a slab of Bazooka gum).
When we got home my brother would hand my mother about $2 in change. Maybe a little more.
Show admission was a nickel. Drinks and popcorn a nickel each. Haircuts were like 75 cents.
Catsup, our favorite go-to extra, was five bottles for a dollar. Never got ice cream at home because our grandmother's ice box (yes, ice box) did not have a freezer on top or bottom. It did keep things fairly cold.
Might buy a loaf of bread on occasion but biscuits and cornbread were easily made, cheaper than buying since we bought meal and flour by the bulk.
No air conditioning. No TV until my grandmother bought one "on time" and paid it out somehow.
Gardening was a must.
In September, we each got two pairs of Levis, and you'd best prepare to wear them all year long without wearing a hole in the knees from playground activity.
One pair of Sunday shoes. One pair of Keds as Chuck Taylor's were too expensive.
If you were lucky, you got your older brother's hand-me-downs.
Now, you spoiled arse youngsters who talk about being poor have no idea (I know some of you do, honestly).
But for those of you who are spoiled arse rotten and don't realize what time of day it is, kiss my old tired worn out arse and stay the hell off my lawn.
We were poor but never knew it. Hell, all the other kids in our town with the exception of about four or five families were in the same boat.
Looking back, I would not change one bit of it. We were loved, taught the meaning of a dollar, taught to respect our elders and any adult.
Our daddy would beat our arse if we made fun of anyone.
One day we went by where they were issuing commodities (sure many of you young arse punks don't know what that is) and I asked my mother and grandmother what was going on there. They got onto me for looking in that direction. At home they explained to me that those folks were poor and the government handed out food to the poor and they were probably embarrassed having to accept charity. Hell, a lot of the folks in that line were better off than we were.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:24 pm to FreeState
As my daddy once told me, he wasn't born in a log cabin but when his mother got on her feet they moved into one.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:34 pm to YoubeHillin
quote:
Totinos pizza.. they were a dollar and sucked. Tombstone and Tony's were way better
We didn't get any of Trump's stimulus money but I still buy Totinos. The kids actually like it more than Tony's
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:39 pm to YoubeHillin
When I was around 9 when mom started buying powdered milk because real milk was too expensive. Powdered milk sucks in cereal.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:45 pm to The Spleen
quote:
Powdered milk sucks in cereal.
So does water.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 8:54 pm to FreeState
quote:
Show admission was a nickel. Drinks and popcorn a nickel each. Haircuts were like 75 cents.
You go back a little further than me. For us, the movie tickets were something like 75 cents. Cokes I think were maybe 20 or 25 cents, but you could bring the bottle back for a couple of pennies.
I don't remember how much haircuts cost, but there was a mechanic shop next door to the barber which for some reason had a candy selection and we could buy a candy for a nickel or a dime. My favorite was Violets - a small pack of flat purple candy.
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