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The cost of hand-to-mouth living

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Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#31

Post by ownagefool »

daeken wrote: post #27
stdbrouw wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But how much long-term thinking can you really do when you have no money?

Very little -- that's the point. When you're in a position like this, you're not thinking long-term because 1) the short-term requires your immediate attention, and 2) even if you come up with long-term plans, it's going to be very difficult to execute them without money. This is by no means a value judgement -- been there, done that -- and more just a reality of the situation.

Actually you can do all the long term thinking you like, you'll just be unlikely to be able to implement any of it since you won't have the money.

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#32

Post by gburt »

Filligree wrote: post #17
danso wrote: post #4

I was hoping to see some data on how limited funds forced people to buy inefficiently...that is, buying cheaper quantities that are per-item more expensive than bulk buying because they can't afford the up front cost of buying bulk. My roommate will do this when buying dish soap for the household, always getting the smallest bottle than just paying for the large one at a 30% discount per ounce. Also, some cheap items…

Well, I imagine so. The calorie-per-dollar ratio for apples is negative .

How can it be negative? Do you mean less than 1?

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#33

Post by JDGM »

Filligree wrote: post #17
danso wrote: post #4

I was hoping to see some data on how limited funds forced people to buy inefficiently...that is, buying cheaper quantities that are per-item more expensive than bulk buying because they can't afford the up front cost of buying bulk. My roommate will do this when buying dish soap for the household, always getting the smallest bottle than just paying for the large one at a 30% discount per ounce. Also, some cheap items…

Well, I imagine so. The calorie-per-dollar ratio for apples is negative .

Erm...what? I don't understand. Calorie-per-dollar ratio = p/q for p calories and q dollars. What model are you using where p or q but not both is negative for the apples example but not the BigMac one?

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#34

Post by justin66 »

noonespecial wrote: post #14
ck2 wrote: post #3

My personal saying is "It's very expensive to be poor".

"The poor are poor because all of their choices in life suck." There are about 3 ways to interpret that statement. How people interpret it at first reading basically describes their political philosophies.

There are precisely 2 ways to interpret the linguistic meaning of the statement, depending on the whether you insert "decisions" or "options" for "choices".

With what you're thinking of, the actual reaction someone has to the statement, after deciding what is linguistically intended... I've got to believe there are a lot more than 3 possible reactions. One that you haven't mentioned is the tendency to immediate demand a differentiation between "good poor" and "bad poor". This was one of the less brilliant innovations of eighties political culture in the US.

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#35

Post by protomyth »

gruseom wrote: post #18
dopamean wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked at WalMart for 3 years. I worked overnight doing inventory management and I saw exactly what the CEO described. One thing I noticed that he didn't mention is that a large number of the people I worked with were part of that group of people waiting at midnight to buy their baby formula. I always felt like the wages at our store were subsidized by the government. All of the people I talking about worked full t…

That is why I like Costco better: the people who work there don't seem as downtrodden. Either I've been fooled by corporate propaganda or they really have figured out a way to make money, lower prices, and treat people relatively well. Walmarts feel like places of despair to me and Costcos like places of hope. I know how ludicrous that sounds, but the feeling is real. I often chat with workers at checkout counters to…

The membership is the too steep part for Costco.

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#36

Post by raverbashing »

JDGM wrote: post #33
Filligree wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I imagine so. The calorie-per-dollar ratio for apples is negative .

Erm...what? I don't understand. Calorie-per-dollar ratio = p/q for p calories and q dollars. What model are you using where p or q but not both is negative for the apples example but not the BigMac one?

To digest an apple it takes calories. Yes, an apple has around 100 calories (depends on size) but the net value can be negative.

Celery is the classical example of this.

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#37

Post by ISL »

JDGM wrote: post #33
Filligree wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I imagine so. The calorie-per-dollar ratio for apples is negative .

Erm...what? I don't understand. Calorie-per-dollar ratio = p/q for p calories and q dollars. What model are you using where p or q but not both is negative for the apples example but not the BigMac one?

Have you ever eaten a dollar? Those things just don't fill you up.

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#38

Post by JDGM »

ISL wrote: post #37
JDGM wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Erm...what? I don't understand. Calorie-per-dollar ratio = p/q for p calories and q dollars. What model are you using where p or q but not both is negative for the apples example but not the BigMac one?

Have you ever eaten a dollar? Those things just don't fill you up.

Hahaha, "for p calories [in the food] and q dollars [cost of the food]" is supposed to be implied but I like your quip!

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#39

Post by JDGM »

raverbashing wrote: post #36
JDGM wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Erm...what? I don't understand. Calorie-per-dollar ratio = p/q for p calories and q dollars. What model are you using where p or q but not both is negative for the apples example but not the BigMac one?

To digest an apple it takes calories. Yes, an apple has around 100 calories (depends on size) but the net value can be negative. Celery is the classical example of this.

I'm certain that apples do not fall into the negative calorie category of celery, cress, etc. but it's still a possible answer to the "what model" question, so thanks. I guess that's what "Filligree" was going for...

Re: The cost of hand-to-mouth living

#40

Post by Dylan16807 »

noonespecial wrote: post #29
stdbrouw wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The choices you're given, the choices you've taken... but what's #3?

I used to think there were only two as well but a third kept popping up. It might not be a strict interpretation per se, but it deserves its own category. It goes something like "You shouldn't say stuff like that, its prejudice against the poor, don't be so arrogant, hateful, etc." The quote is a call to action: We should help the poor make better choices; we should help the poor have better choices; and the third "w…

I don't understand how that maps to the original statement. Can you go word by word or something?

Unless I'm missing something it sounds like a reaction and not at all an interpretation.

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