How to define "Poor"?

[HundredK]

I've seen mentions on this board about poor people vs rich, and those comments are almost always aligned with low income vs high income people. So, I'm just wondering, how do you all define poor? I have a high income, and I am most assuredly poor due to bad prior choices.

If you had to define what "Poor" means, how would you describe it? Or "Rich", for that matter?

[Outdoorsygal]

Imho, "poor" means you cannot provide for your own basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, clothing and basic medical/dental care.

[feh]

Imho, "poor" means you cannot provide for your own basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, clothing and basic medical/dental care.

+1

It's not possible to have a high income and be poor, IMO.

[97guns]

I know someone who's sole source of income comes from state disability for $800 and he rents a room for $500. He went to a pot luck BBQ and took peanut butter sandwiches, I'll hook him up with a $50 gift card for a restaurant in his city every few months

[HundredK]

Sounds to me like you guys are defining poor as impoverished then.

[disneysteve]

Sounds to me like you guys are defining poor as impoverished then.

There is a distinct difference between poor and broke.

[disneysteve]

Imho, "poor" means you cannot provide for your own basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, clothing and basic medical/dental care.

I think this is a good definition.

I work in a very poor area. Solely based on appearances, people seem to be doing okay - they have a place to live, decent clothing, food on the table, health insurance, etc. But if you look beneath the surface, the housing is subsidized, the clothing may come from the church donation bin, the food was bought with food stamps, and the health care is government-provided. They aren't paying for these things with their own resources.

Clearly "poor" looks different in this country than it does in many other parts of the world because we don't allow our poor to languish in the streets, but they are still poor.

[HundredK]

I guess the thing that rubs me the wrong way, is that the words "poor" and "low income" are used interchangeably. I don't think that's always true. One doesn't necessarily equal the other. Probably my ego too, as I work through the emotions of paying now for my past indiscretions.

In my mind, Poor refers to someone who has very limited resources, regardless of income. But they do have resources.

In my travels, I've seen some pretty heartbreaking scenarios in places like India where people literally have no resources, nothing. I remember watching a woman filling a jug with muddy water coming out of a rusty pipe that was jutting out of the side of the road in Delhi. People live in houses literally made of cow poop. That type of thing, I think, is outside the realm of poor and into something else entirely.

[disneysteve]

In my mind, Poor refers to someone who has very limited resources, regardless of income.

But income is the biggest resource. How can someone be poor if they've got a great income? That's an oxymoron. If you're making $100,000/year, you don't have "limited resources". I mean money is finite, so there is a limit in that sense, but not in the sense that you mean when you say "limited resources".

[james.hendrickson]

According to the Bureau of the Census, here are the official 2015 Poverty levels.



here is the official verbiage from the Bureau of the Census.

Following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

So pretty much, according to the Feds, being poor depends on the number of people and number kids in the household.

[disneysteve]

According to the Bureau of the Census, here are the official 2015 Poverty levels.

Your link isn't showing.

Here it is:

http://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html

[james.hendrickson]

Your link isn't showing.

Here it is:
http://www.census.gov/data/tables/ti...hresholds.html

Thanks DisneySteve, photobucket was acting up on me.

[HundredK]

But income is the biggest resource. How can someone be poor if they've got a great income? That's an oxymoron. If you're making $100,000/year, you don't have "limited resources". I mean money is finite, so there is a limit in that sense, but not in the sense that you mean when you say "limited resources".

Yeah, I am not describing well what I'm trying to get at, am I? I feel like a high income poor person. I guess I'm not poor, just stupid and irresponsible and now serving a prison sentence of sorts until it all gets sorted out.

[disneysteve]

Yeah, I am not describing well what I'm trying to get at, am I? I feel like a high income poor person. I guess I'm not poor, just stupid and irresponsible and now serving a prison sentence of sorts until it all gets sorted out.

I understand what you're saying. But as I said, there is a difference between poor and broke. You may be broke but you are not poor because you have the resources to fix the situation. Once you clean things up, you will be sitting pretty. Just look at tomhole and what he has accomplished since he started posting here.

You are definitely not poor. And for the record, you're not stupid either. You may have done some stupid things but that doesn't mean you are stupid. Otherwise you wouldn't be here getting help and support to fix it all .

[scfr]

HundredK, would it be fair to describe your situation as income statement affluent, but balance sheet poor? If so, then you may be both rich & poor at the same time ... in a way ... if that makes any sense.

I suspect that the reason people are more likely to discuss other people in terms "rich" or "poor" and make it only about their income is because it is possible to make a rough guess about someone's income based on their occupation. On the other hand, there is no way at all to know someone's net worth (balance sheet) just by looking at them or knowing their occupation.

Also, I think many equate income with wealth because they are in the habit of spending all of their earnings. So in their minds high income = high spending = rich, and low income = low spending = poor. It is hard for some to grasp the concept of a middle income earner being rich because they have saved and invested a respectable portion of their earnings for decades.