Budget Cutbacks Leave Family Without Power/Heating

[William Gaatjes]

When I was 18 I was so poor that I literally sold my N64 and Dreamcast for food. I ate beans, rice, and cabbage until I could get on my feet again. My power was off for two months, so I worked extra hours since there was nothing to do at home. It sucked, but eventually I was able to get going again. I refused to borrow money from family.

It's possible to pull yourself up from situations like that, you just have to actually want to do it.

Respect for you. Selling your N64. That takes character.

 

[FDF12389]

$90 wifi adapter to boot

 

[Ichinisan]

When I was 18 I was so poor that I literally sold my N64 and Dreamcast for food. I ate beans, rice, and cabbage until I could get on my feet again. My power was off for two months, so I worked extra hours since there was nothing to do at home. It sucked, but eventually I was able to get going again. I refused to borrow money from family.

It's possible to pull yourself up from situations like that, you just have to actually want to do it.

I was just at my local Goodwill and there's a like-new clear-green ("Funtastic series") N64 with the memory expansion pak for $19. Interested?

 

[Cerb]

They're in Georgia, OMG. They'll freeze to death when it's 56!

A. We've already had nights in the high 20s.
B. We don't have houses or apartment buildings built or renovated with much cold in mind, since dangerous cold is generally only a problem for a few weeks a year, and not even continuously, then (IoW, cold is worse than you'd think, because we don't thoroughly prepare for it, much like how heat waves in the North can get extra nasty). A house that is cheaper to cool is considered better than a house that is cheaper to keep warm. Older houses tend to breathe.

My house is NOT heated, and we make it just fine with electric blankets and insulation here in Portland. (em added)

Georgia? You don't need heating there. Quite a bit warmer than Portland.

Warmer, yes. But, only the newest of houses have sufficient insulation to stay warm, and no meaningful openings. Most houses, w/o heat, will get very near the outdoor temp. In all likelihood, your house in Oregon will perform far superior to her house in GA. Such a comparison is not fair.

I also can't judge someone for having entertainment (I don't support, nor condemn). If you have more outgo than income, selling goods is a short-term solution, and the goods we can see would fetch very little. Meanwhile, except for the XB360, replacement costs will be much higher than what you'd get selling them (both TV and console, for a quick sale, she might get $300-400, and that assumes she's not renting). If you go by the assumption that you will replace them when able, it's not a good decision to sell them. That will get her, what, one month more...maybe not even that, depending on what kinds of agreements she's made to handle overdue bills. Remember: she's going without whole-house heating being subsidized, not going without any heat.

Meanwhile, she has a job, apparently, so might be able to gradually get in the black. But, that doesn't help right now. That said, I've bundled up near a space heater. Not the end of the world. Personally, I'd do that before getting rid of my computer equipment.

I'll give a big thumbs down for the management of the assistance, though: it should absolutely be done based on apparent need of applicants, rather than first-come first-serve, if the funds are so limited. IoW, she would have to wait a week, and then be told no for a better reason.

Stop begging. Sell your TV. Get a better job or A job.

RTFA. She got "A job," and, "a better job," would involve moving, possibly out of the country.

LOL, that TV. Is it like 50"?

I'm the sort of person who would probably sacrifice heating for internet, but I wouldn't complain about it because it would be something I decide to do (and it would be worth it). But I am in California, so I don't really know what cold is.

I would, too. Electric blankets and such are cheap to buy, and cheap to use. Combine with flannel, faux fleece, etc., and then play video games, and drink only hot stuff, to distract from the cold 🙂.

We need to subsidize big screen TV purchases.

Combined with that emoticon, I LOLed. Not her TV, though. The TV of somebody who was ahead of her in the line.

One thing i do not understand, why are the poor people in the USA always so fat ? Are the cheapest foods full of fat and tons of sugar ?

Specific combinations of salt, sugar, and fat, and mostly bad fats. Affluent neighborhoods will generally have better access to fresh foods, most people don't know how to cook, and the cost of fresh vegetables has steadily been rising (fresh meats, too, if you're not willing to move to next lowest quality meat). If you want to eat fresh fruits, it will definitely cost more than crap processed foods. Also, the last generation or two has lost the skills and tools for keeping food, which could offer long-term savings (but now require significant short-term losses). Many things that were kitchen stables decades ago are expensive, and/or hard to find, and/or used as decoration (canners, grain mills, meat grinders, etc.). You know that Jamie Oliver show? It's not much of an exaggeration. On the whole, our food culture is garbage, is literally killing us, and is dragging down the economy in multiple ways.

Friday I got 6 loafs of bread, a buttermilk cake and some hotdog buns for 10 bucks. Not shitty white bread either, whole grain or multi-grain, the good shit.

A loaf of bread with a label saying it contained whole wheat, or bread that actually has no white flour in it? If the latter, on Friday, there would only be two places you could buy it, one being a store most poorer folks don't set foot in, and one having a very limited weekly supply. At neither place could you get more than two loaves for $10. For that matter, the partially-whole-wheat supermarket breads are generally $1.75-3 (white bread $.80-1.20), so $10 still won't get all of that. In this area, it is comically uneconomical to get whole wheat bread by any other means than making it (which is what I do, and it is wonderful).

As I suggested earlier, a second job should not be ruled out, even if its waiting tables. I cannot believe there aren't ANY jobs that she could do to resolve her situation.

http://atlantarecruiter.com/job_browse.php?category_alpha=0

...and have a 90-120 mile commute, likely to take 2.5-3 hours, if she weren't to luck up on an oddball shift, and 1.5-2 hours if she did? :hmm: I think the commute costs alone would make up for any job paying <$20/hr, and then there'd be lack of sleep to deal with.

Atlanta != Macon (based on waiting where she did, I assume she lives in the city)

Wait, you can have a big TV, XBox 360 and whatever else and still be considered poor? I don't have any of those, can I r be poor too?

Nope. It's the other way around. The only people I know who aren't poor, and have such things, either (a) were high on the hog during the housing boom, or (b) lowballed somebody selling one lightly used. Most use 90s or early 00s CRTs, which keep on trucking--just bump the brightness up every year or two.

 

[ShawnD1]

A house that is cheaper to cool is considered better than a house that is cheaper to keep warm. Older houses tend to breathe.

???

This makes absolutely no sense. They are both the exact same house. A house with lots of insulation needs far less cooling than a house with no insulation and no windows. Without proper insulation, the air conditioner would be running full blast all day and night and it still would be too hot.

That's generally why refrigerators are heavily insulated. You don't want a shit load of heat seeping through the walls otherwise the compressor would be running nonstop 24/7

 

[Howard]

???

This makes absolutely no sense. They are both the exact same house. A house with lots of insulation needs far less cooling than a house with no insulation and no windows. Without proper insulation, the air conditioner would be running full blast all day and night and it still would be too hot.

That's generally why refrigerators are heavily insulated. You don't want a shit load of heat seeping through the walls otherwise the compressor would be running nonstop 24/7

Stuff like low-e windows actually makes a difference for heating and cooling. Insulation, though, is pretty equanimous.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Nope. It's the other way around. The only people I know who aren't poor, and have such things, either (a) were high on the hog during the housing boom, or (b) lowballed somebody selling one lightly used. Most use 90s or early 00s CRTs, which keep on trucking--just bump the brightness up every year or two.

Oooh, does this mean I am poor if I have a home theater room in my basement!
Do I qualify for getting somebody else to pay my electric or gas bills? That would be awesome!!!

I lost money during housing boom (bought first place in 2004, sold in 2008, bought new place late in 2007.)

I got rid of my CRT as soon as I got my projector and screen all mounted and hooked up.

I bought a small 27in LCD TV several a bunch of years ago (back when they first dropped below 1K.)

 

[Cerb]

???

This makes absolutely no sense. They are both the exact same house. A house with lots of insulation needs far less cooling than a house with no insulation and no windows. Without proper insulation, the air conditioner would be running full blast all day and night and it still would be too hot.

That's generally why refrigerators are heavily insulated. You don't want a shit load of heat seeping through the walls otherwise the compressor would be running nonstop 24/7

Small old houses suck at HVAC, but running ceiling fans and A/C will keep them acceptably cool. Many people also have gas that only gets turned on for heat, or a heat pump that isn't quite good enough for the house's heating needs. Or, they might just have an older A/C unit, that costs a bundle to keep it warm in the winter. A 90s or newer house will be ideal. It's not physics so much as poor planning, as most poorer neighborhoods have houses built from when energy was cheap. Not every house will be that way, either, even the older ones, but far too many are.

Oooh, does this mean I am poor if I have a home theater room in my basement!
Do I qualify for getting somebody else to pay my electric or gas bills? That would be awesome!!!

It would be awesome, but...no. It's more the amusement over the things people get that offer little/no long-term beenefits, while avoiding that which could offer significant long-term benefits, ensuring that even if their wages doubled, they would not be much better off, because of how they would spend it.

 

[IGBT]

priorities. Dump the cell phone/cable tv/nose bolts and ear washers/monthly visits to the tat parlor/drugs/booze/fast food/escalade. TAKE THE BUS!! It's going to get a hell of a lot worse when the eco-KOOKS start the cap/trade scam. Get ready to camp out in your house and eat out of cans.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Specific combinations of salt, sugar, and fat, and mostly bad fats. Affluent neighborhoods will generally have better access to fresh foods, most people don't know how to cook, and the cost of fresh vegetables has steadily been rising (fresh meats, too, if you're not willing to move to next lowest quality meat). If you want to eat fresh fruits, it will definitely cost more than crap processed foods. Also, the last generation or two has lost the skills and tools for keeping food, which could offer long-term savings (but now require significant short-term losses). Many things that were kitchen stables decades ago are expensive, and/or hard to find, and/or used as decoration (canners, grain mills, meat grinders, etc.). You know that Jamie Oliver show? It's not much of an exaggeration. On the whole, our food culture is garbage, is literally killing us, and is dragging down the economy in multiple ways.

Well, i see a market here. Educate groups of people for a very small fee how to cook. It will give self esteem to those who once again feel they have at least some control over their own lives.

And i personally find the western food garbage and dull in taste. No flavour and to much fat. However, some cultures have food with so much hot spices that all i taste is pepper. This i find a waste of my taste bud sense too.

When eating healthy, many people will discover that a good looking body is not just exposing it to muscle straining exercise. It is not strange that people from some cultures look more athletic when compared to some western cultures. Doing more sport and eating healthy since being young produces better muscle tissue and low fat. It is similar as comparing muscle tissue from cows in a stable and cows that can roam the land. There is a difference to be found.

 

[Cerb]

Well, i see a market here. Educate groups of people for a very small fee how to cook. It will give self esteem to those who once again feel they have at least some control over their own lives.

I think that's being done, in some places. I wonder how well it works to motivate people? I mean, between cable TV and the web, resources are out there. I don't know anyone well who was not preparing food from an early age, so I don't have a clue how much work it entails to learn from nothing.

And i personally find the western food garbage and dull in taste. No flavour and to much fat.

You're not an Indian in the UK, are you? If so, that would make perfect sense.

 

[Modelworks]

People today are seriously confused between wants and needs, they equate them as the same thing. Years ago I was homeless for a few months. I lived in an abandoned house. I pawned everything I had of value . I went to go get some food and came back to find someone had stolen all my clothes and everything I left behind. I collected wooden branches to burn in the homes fireplace for warmth and slept beside the fire. That is what you call needy. The people like this woman saying they need help are clueless as to what being in need is.

You only need 3 material things to live: food, shelter, clothing. everything else is a want.

 

[lxskllr]

People today are seriously confused between wants and needs, they equate them as the same thing. Years ago I was homeless for a few months. I lived in an abandoned house. I pawned everything I had of value . I went to go get some food and came back to find someone had stolen all my clothes and everything I left behind. I collected wooden branches to burn in the homes fireplace for warmth and slept beside the fire. That is what you call needy. The people like this woman saying they need help are clueless as to what being in need is.

You only need 3 material things to live: food, shelter, clothing. everything else is a want.

What did you do for money to get food?

 

[Vette73]

What did you do for money to get food?

 

[Modelworks]

What did you do for money to get food?

I lived off the 2 for $1 cans of vienna sausages and crackers mostly. I had about $60 in cash from the stuff I pawned. When that ran out I asked my parents, something I really hated to do, not because they will not help out if asked but because I knew they were short on cash too and would give me their last dollar if they knew I needed it even if it shorted them. They sent me $50 and that was enough to make it a few more weeks until I could work my way out of where i was.

 

[lxskllr]

I lived off the 2 for $1 cans of vienna sausages and crackers mostly.

Yuk!

For eating cheap, I'm a big fan of potatoes. 10# for less than $4 at Aldi, and they're pretty nutritious. There's a lot of good discount choices around now. Dollar Store, Aldi, BigLots... You can get quality food cheap. 20 years go there wasn't as much choice. The cheap food was garbage, even if you could find it.

 

[Modelworks]

Yuk!

For eating cheap, I'm a big fan of potatoes. 10# for less than $4 at Aldi, and they're pretty nutritious. There's a lot of good discount choices around now. Dollar Store, Aldi, BigLots... You can get quality food cheap. 20 years go there wasn't as much choice. The cheap food was garbage, even if you could find it.

You can get some good deals if you know where to look. Even now I shop the dollar store before the grocery store because items in the dollar store are the same but often 50 -75 cents cheaper which adds up quick. I also don't buy anything that is not on sale unless I really need it. Why pay $3 this week for something that is $2 next week.

 

[BurnItDwn]

It would be awesome, but...no. It's more the amusement over the things people get that offer little/no long-term beenefits, while avoiding that which could offer significant long-term benefits, ensuring that even if their wages doubled, they would not be much better off, because of how they would spend it.

Aww ok, I guess I will keep paying my bills then 🙁

 

[VirtualLarry]

One thing i do not understand, why are the poor people in the USA always so fat ? Are the cheapest foods full of fat and tons of sugar ?
Every time i see poor people in the USA they are huge. I expect people who are hungry and have nothing to eat. Was she bigger a year ago when she still had a job ?

Yes, many of the "food-like" substances sold today, are cheaper than real nutritious food, and do contain a lot of fat, sugars, calories, etc.

 

[shortylickens]

You bumped this why?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Folding is too much of a pain in the ass to turn off. To stop prime, I just click the icon and close it. To turn off Folding, I need to go into system management, then into services, then manually turn off up to 6 services. I suggested on their forum several times that they should get their shit together and make it simple like Prime95 is. 1 exe file --> 6 threads.

Uhm, it is? Tried the new 6.30 F@H console client, the SMP one? Don't run six seperate clients, that's a waste. All you need to stop it is a CTRL+C in the window.

One client, as many threads as you have cores. Easy to set up, no need to set a windows account password or anything anymore. But it helps to apply for a passcode, you get bonus points for SMP WUs after the first 10 complete successfully.