re: The moment you realized you were poor growing up

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7th grade got Members Only jackets and I got one that was labeled something like "Only Members."

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I think mine was "Associates Only".

We didn’t have a lot of money growing up but we had a tight knit family that was always there for each other. My dad and his two brothers went in together and bought a old school bus they turned into a camper.

On the weekends and summers we kids would dig worms, seine minnows and crawfish for bait and head to the lake or river. We grew up running yo-yos and trot lines while our moms and dads were drinking beer and frying fish on the bank next to that old bus. I don’t know about you rich kids but this poor boy couldn’t imagine a better childhood.

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All my friends were wearing Nike, while I was wearing Cheetahs.

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mayonnaise sandwiches

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A staple in my household growing up.

When I look back on how I lived in New Orleans East in the 1980s and upgraded to the Bywater in 1991.

Grew up in a firmly upper middle class home. But, my folks were raised by Depression survivors, and we skimped and saved on all kinds of things, including those listed. Wife grew up lower middle class, and we often compare the things our respective parents would do to save money.

One thing that stands out to me is realizing all the veggies we grew on the farm could be obtained in cans at the grocery store.

I remember that my mom buying a can of Rotel was a major deal. She took that can and some government cheese from my grandmother and made one heckuva spicy cheese dip.

I was raised by my grandmother. When I was young we were well off. After my Grandmother died and I was sent to live with relatives in my father’s side (none of which I knew before my grandmother’s death) I found out what being poor was like. They were trash. And that’s a word I don’t use lightly. I remember they would all gather at the grandparents house for Christmas. All the parents would bring their kids presents to open. There had to be at least 10-12 kids opening presents. That first Christmas with these people (I still don’t call them family) I saw kids opening game consoles, stereos, and all sorts of cool toys. Meanwhile I and my brother had exactly two presents to open each. Those were two packs of Walmart tube socks.

What’s worse is a good portion of the cool presents they bought their own kids came from them taking the Social Security checks my brother and I received each month as minor orphans. They bought their kids presents with our money and all they gave us was two fricking packs of tube socks.

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I wish I still had that bike.

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mine got stole