What is the difference between broke and poor

Dear Anna, girl, this is deeeeeppppp. Right there with my memories of being poor — in American standards, that is. Well when I read this piece I felt rich. From wearing shoes that would fall apart in 6 months 3 if it's rainy season to giving up wearing shoes before they give up on me, to have the sweet pleasure of not paying for shoes because someone sponsored me, Girl, my answer is it is entirely possible to be Poor and get to a better station in life.

You invest in your self, your Education rather than having "things". It's not just me, many of my friends, we came from the "Third World" Im from the Philippines had done truly well, because of education, skills, faith and tenacity.

Working and living overseas or even in our home country, things got better. And by the way, I personally love the American spirit of "bigger and better", I think the the world is a better place because of it.

So I think the way forward is to invest in education. Be bigger and better. Thanks much Ana. You and your posts are wonderful. I think that how we view money is directly associated with how our parents communicate to us about money, not necessarily how they act, but what they actively teach you. I remember being little, the first thing that I purchased with my own money. After I had picked out the toy and was getting ready to pay for it, my mom asked me if I really truly wanted it because if I spent the money on that toy, I wouldn't have money to buy anything else.

I think it's important to make kids realize how money works and really pause to think about their purchases. Yes, "I'm poor" often seems an offhand way of saying "I'm broke. I think you're right: our financial upbringing has ramifications that last for years and years. If we don't come to terms with it, we'll never be able to address our own destructive patterns. I can't wait to bust through some psychological barriers to a happy financial life.

I really enjoyed this post! My boyfriend's son was staying with us recently and one day we said that we didn't have enough money to buy something expensive that he wanted.

He said "Don't you have a credit card? I was shocked!! We take advantage of free museum passes from the library. Sometimes I splurge and make homemade hot cocoa.

When I reflect on our life now, I can see we are often broke, but not poor. And despite the fact that needing a new medication still forces me to cut corners, every week we give to the food bank — the nourishing foods that we needed at our lowest point and always hoped would be there. We need to question the stereotypes and judgments that allow Ontario-wide pharmacology and dental programs to remain low priorities.

And we need to make noise around the dearth of affordable housing solutions in Toronto and the GTA. You're not poor. You're broke. Illustration: Franziska Barczyk. Topics Life and style Food Poverty Inequality features. A poor person can be a broke person. That struggle seriously is real. Being too broke to get drinks with your co-workers sucks.

And being too broke to go to the concert you were excited to check out is the worst. Just let me ask you three questions. For the most part, their hardship is part of their way of life. But in reality, poverty is more common than ever — and the gulf between financial security and relative comfort is wider. Because poor people sometimes live paycheck-to-paycheck, without much money left in-between.

Sometimes, the biggest costs are the most important. But for broke people, financial hardship is temporary — and quick solutions make it possible to overcome that hardship. When I had just graduated college and my friends and I were all strapped for cash, we started cutting back.

We spent less when we went out, or skipped on going out at all. I cut back stringently on how much my groceries were costing me, and learned to make ten bucks last a week or more in the kitchen. Do Business With Good People. Also, sign up for our eNewsletter blog that includes timely financial matters, news, and planning strategies that you can implement today.

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