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Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

inplainsight.nbcnews.com

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Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#21

Post by kome »

frozenport wrote: post #19
ctdonath wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A strong accusation with little to base it on. MacBook Air? Bottom end refurbished model costs $900. That's a dollar a day for 2.5 years; in NY you can recycle soda cans for $0.05/each, so 20 found cans a day keeps her tolerably up to date. There's enough free wifi around to manage connectivity. Extreme frugality is viable if you put your mind to it. Our advertising-driven culture is guilty of making most think it is…

Yes, but why is it good? I wouldn't call these people success stories.

>> I wouldn't call these people success stories.

https://static.pinboard.in/xoxo_talk_thoreau.htm

> Thoreau said about his two years at Walden:

> I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours

> Thoreau wrote this never having tasted any of traditional forms of success. He was thinking of a different, more fundamental kind of success, one that I wish for myself, and earnestly wish for all of you.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#22

Post by kiddz »

Money only gives you options, even if it's other peoples' money manifested in the resources of the State via taxation and public spending.

First world problems/opportunities . . . the underlying story here is that nearly none of this is possible without a well funded and run state. Riding 4500 miles across country, collecting sponsorships, going to a strangers house from CL for a fan. . . all speaks to road, police and the like allowing people to survive/thrive because there is general stability around them. These people experience none of the poverty problems that come from a lack of choices.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#23

Post by sz4kerto »

alphakappa wrote: post #9
sz4kerto wrote: post #8

I live in the EU and the median wage in my country is around $5000 a year after taxes.

What country is that? Edit: Looking at some EC website [1], these are the countries with median gross annual income Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania 1. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index....

Hungary. The monthly median is around $500 net.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#24

Post by jamesaguilar »

frozenport wrote: post #19
ctdonath wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A strong accusation with little to base it on. MacBook Air? Bottom end refurbished model costs $900. That's a dollar a day for 2.5 years; in NY you can recycle soda cans for $0.05/each, so 20 found cans a day keeps her tolerably up to date. There's enough free wifi around to manage connectivity. Extreme frugality is viable if you put your mind to it. Our advertising-driven culture is guilty of making most think it is…

Yes, but why is it good? I wouldn't call these people success stories.

The problem here is that you are mistaking your preferences for universal preferences. I wouldn't want to live like this either, and probably most wouldn't. But bully on these people for doing so, if they want to.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#25

Post by RougeFemme »

dlsx wrote: post #2

This article is full of fabrication. The girl claims to live on $1000 a month in NYC, and she only pays $135 a week for an extra room in a crap neighborhood. Leaving her, with $540 to live on... In NYC, for 30 days. Now, I'm sure this is possible, but she is sitting there on a macbook. Welp, there goes your budget for the entire year! And this article claims less is making these people happier. Not really, and they a…

I did read the article; I don't know you jump to the assumption that they are collecting welfare. If you know otherwise, please provide the citation.

It is possible to live quite frugally. Some of these people are, as the article states, getting help from other people; that doesn't mean they are getting help from the government. BTW, only one person mentioned OWS.

Regarding the Macbook. . .you assumed these people started with absolutely no possessions. I assumed they brought some possessions with them, including the Macbook. Nowhere does she state - or is it impled - that she bought it after beginning her voluntary poverty. Also, even poor people - whether the poverty is voluntary or involuntary - receive gifts. In case of voluntary poverty - where friends and family are most likely not poor - it is quite possible to receive a Macbook as a gift.

I've known people who've done this - and are still doing it. Just as the article stated, most, if not all, of them came from relatively privileged lives and always had the option of returning - or at least moving up from relative poverty.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#26

Post by cowsandmilk »

dlsx wrote: post #2

This article is full of fabrication. The girl claims to live on $1000 a month in NYC, and she only pays $135 a week for an extra room in a crap neighborhood. Leaving her, with $540 to live on... In NYC, for 30 days. Now, I'm sure this is possible, but she is sitting there on a macbook. Welp, there goes your budget for the entire year! And this article claims less is making these people happier. Not really, and they a…

I don't know about the OWS and NYC kids, but I highly doubt Dan Price (the guy at the top living in a hobbit hole) is on welfare.

When I formerly lived in a tent in West Virginia, I knew lots of people who lived in similar "intentional poverty". Many of these people had seasonal jobs. Where I worked as a whitewater rafting guide. None of us had to pay for housing beyond just having a tent because we set up on the land owned by the outfitter. At the end of the season, half the guys went off to become ski instructors, often at places that similarly put them up for the winter. Many of the guys who had been doing this for a decade or more had enough cash saved up each year to go to Belize where they had similar arrangements for free housing and would raft for fun with raft guide friends in Belize.

During the summers I lived there, I actually could eat and drink purely off tips from customers and didn't touch my meager salary which all went into the bank. I banked enough during the summer that I could easily have purchased skis and hit the slopes as a job for the winter if I chose or live in a tent in Belize. The simple life ain't that hard if you live in the outdoors.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#27

Post by dlsx »

alphakappa wrote: post #12
dlsx wrote: post #2

This article is full of fabrication. The girl claims to live on $1000 a month in NYC, and she only pays $135 a week for an extra room in a crap neighborhood. Leaving her, with $540 to live on... In NYC, for 30 days. Now, I'm sure this is possible, but she is sitting there on a macbook. Welp, there goes your budget for the entire year! And this article claims less is making these people happier. Not really, and they a…

I'm not sure why you would term this fabrication. She could've had that macbook from her days in Chicago (after all, as the article mentions - she only moved to NYC last year). Nowhere does it say that all her possessions were purchased with that $1000/month budget - just that her current living expenses are within that number.

This is exactly the logical fallacy the article is adopting. The fact she is using a $1000+ laptop, when she could buy a much cheaper non-apple laptop? It doesn't make sense with the frugality "lifestyle."

You have the absolute minimum income in a highly expensive city, so it only makes sense for you to have the best?

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#28

Post by dlsx »

Dewie wrote: post #20
ShirtlessRod wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming he is flying to Hawaii, that would set him back at least $600. That's 12% of his yearly budget. Not to mention the fact that actually living in Hawaii is not cheap, and the article said he does this all winter.

It's not too expensive for Mr. Money Moustache: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/12/15/high-cost-of-livin...

This literally requires that you know someone in Hawaii that will put you up FOR FREE.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#29

Post by KevinEldon »

cowsandmilk wrote: post #26
dlsx wrote: post #2

This article is full of fabrication. The girl claims to live on $1000 a month in NYC, and she only pays $135 a week for an extra room in a crap neighborhood. Leaving her, with $540 to live on... In NYC, for 30 days. Now, I'm sure this is possible, but she is sitting there on a macbook. Welp, there goes your budget for the entire year! And this article claims less is making these people happier. Not really, and they a…

I don't know about the OWS and NYC kids, but I highly doubt Dan Price (the guy at the top living in a hobbit hole) is on welfare. When I formerly lived in a tent in West Virginia, I knew lots of people who lived in similar "intentional poverty". Many of these people had seasonal jobs. Where I worked as a whitewater rafting guide. None of us had to pay for housing beyond just having a tent because we set up on the lan…

My wife's cousin lives this way, has for over a decade, and seems to have the kind of social network that enables this kind of living. I'm doing more than fine as a developer, and although I come from meager backgrounds came quite comfortably into having money as soon as I found employment, but do not have the kind of focus and spending discipline that living on a little requires. Perhaps everyone could cultivate an appreciation for income and really learn where they wanted to spend it. You can live on a little and have a lot, but it's very possible to have a lot and still have very little that actually matters.

Re: Living on $5,000 a year, on purpose: Meet America's 'intentional poor'

#30

Post by [deleted] »

kiddz wrote: post #22

Money only gives you options, even if it's other peoples' money manifested in the resources of the State via taxation and public spending. First world problems/opportunities . . . the underlying story here is that nearly none of this is possible without a well funded and run state. Riding 4500 miles across country, collecting sponsorships, going to a strangers house from CL for a fan. . . all speaks to road, police a…

[deleted]
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