Independently Poor: A Twist on FU Money – a.k.a. “FU, Money”
&gt;&gt; At one time while I was homeless, relatives helped me deal with some of my financial drama<p>&gt;&gt; I was able to resist such pressures and make decisions for myself, including moving my bank account at a later date on terms that made more sense for me, because I had some maneuvering room in the form of food stamps and knowing where I could get a free meal or free clothes. Food stamps didn&#x27;t cover some essential nonfood items that we needed and couldn&#x27;t get from a homeless services center, specifically peroxide and plastic cups, but we made more of an effort to get better at finding change on the street and we used that to buy those essentials at some local &quot;dollar&quot; store.<p>This article is a good example of a &quot;First World Problem&quot;. Before jumping to conclusions, let me explain. There is <i>world of a difference</i> between being homeless in a first world country and a third world country. This article completely discounts that. Food stamps, bank accounts are something &#x27;poor&#x27; can only find in first world countries.<p>&gt;&gt; Join reward programs, clip coupons, etc.<p>&gt;&gt; Check Reddit for pertinent subreddits for meeting your needs cheaply.<p>To access Reddit you first need a <i>device</i> AND an <i>internet</i> connection AND you need to be <i>literate</i>.<p>&gt;&gt; Ultimately, I concluded that being able to choose wasn&#x27;t really about money per se but was about maneuvering room. Yes, having sufficient resources helps, but making choices in life and exercising free will is not directly related to how much or how little money a person has. It helps if you have some confidence you won&#x27;t starve or otherwise experience catastrophe, but that isn&#x27;t about money per se.<p>It completely discounts any <i>family</i> members that may be disabled and maybe <i>completely reliant</i> on you for making ends meet. Have you <i>ever</i> seen a slum?(if not, then you probably won&#x27;t get the point). This doesn&#x27;t even touch the surface of what <i>real problems</i> most of the world in poor countries face. I don&#x27;t blame the author for she has probably not been to a third world country but I do not agree with the above points.