HOW TO DEAL
WITH POVERTY
OR HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM POVERTY
I am poor for I
believe I am; you may assume I am rich for I may be earning a bit more than
you. You have a car and I have a motorbike; my ‘milk man’ has a cycle so he
believes he is actually poor and we are both ‘rich’ in his eyes. Poverty is a
relative term for many but as far as an economist is concerned any person
living below the average income line of the nation may be classified as poor.
Since my concern here is not to indulge in a debate as to who is poor and who
is not; but address poverty as an issue and suggest some possible ways to deal
with poverty.
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| System Admin working as part time Photo credits: Pragmagraphr |
For simplicity's sake
let us assume that an average man who holds no tangible or intangible assets
and earns a daily wage that can barely make ends meet is poor and he needs to
know how to deal with ‘Poverty’. If I was writing a research paper to present
in the parliament I would have been using all the big ‘mumbo jumbo’ that each
finance minister presents during the budget session in India. But I am
concerned about an average person who is not interested in the technical lingo
but only her or his own concerns. A sarcastic friend of mine once remarked;
‘the easiest way to deal with poverty is to actually have no poor living’. This
is of course is an unacceptable solution but take a look at the suicide rates
around the world and you will find poverty being one of the prime causes of
these incidents.
Back to my base;
dealing with poverty is not an easy issue, it has got a lot to do with what are
your conditions, commitments, earnings, spending and even the Government's
role. Since I am ‘unfortunately’ not the Prime minister of India I can hardly
play a role in the overall economic policy making but I can definitely voice my
own thoughts which may help an average person to an extent. Just keep in mind
before you continue reading; these are not magic tricks that if implemented can
give you a 200 USD daily in your pocket but for a sizeable majority they may
work. So read on if you dare:
·
The first and most important things to
do is to increase your income in some ways; perhaps look for a part time job if
you already have a regular one or work overtime. May be setting up a small ‘shop’
or even driving a cab for a couple of hours every day can help. If you know
something about online world try freelancing work a little; but do something
extra.
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| Roadside affordable watch shop Photo credits: pangalactic gargleblaster and the heart of gold |
·
Cut down your expenditures; if you take
two buses to reach to your destination take one only and walk for the rest of
the way. If you can skip the afternoon lunch do it. Reduce your utility bills
by compromising a bit of your comfort though I am sure if you are already
earning below the average your comforts would be quite few in number
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| Part time Home Office Photo credits:JeremyOK |
·
Both the above measures may save some
amount; so keep on saving as much as you can until it can reach a level where
it can be used to reinvest and generate an extra income for you other than your
regular job or part time work. Invest these savings wisely; go for secure bonds
or Government backed monthly payment plans. In India Governments are rarely
poor; though people are often
If
you find what I wrote above funny then have a hearty laugh and forget what I
wrote. If you can't do anything then I am afraid you will have to suffer the
wrath of titans only in this case it will be the wrath of poverty!
Poverty is nothing to laugh at. Thousands of Americans are homeless. The average age is 11. That means that thousands of children have no place to lay their head at night. Not everyone is poor and homeless, some are poor in mind. poor in spirit and poor in gumption. IF you have to work 2 or 3 jobs cut out the things that are not necessary, we think this is common sense but some lack that as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat info and I appreciate your articles.
Dawn,
DeleteYou are so right. In my town there are families that both parents work. The father works more than one job and they still can't make ends meet. They have cut back as far as they can.
Then there are always those that work, but spend way beyond their means. Those are the ones that lack common sense.
Great tips to reduce poverty, but sometimes.. you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
ReplyDeleteLOL I really had to laugh at that last paragraph about the wrath of poverty. There really is a difference between poor and poverty. I'm poor but I'm not in poverty. I know if I take your advice though I'll have a bit more money in my pocket at the end of the month. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that an individual's perception of what their socioeconomic situation is plays a big role in the personal and professional decisions that they make. Additionally, it's all relative to the individual and what they define as being poor or rich. In my opinion, everyone should be realistic and not live above their means in order to keep up with the status quo.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, the one with the bus could also be viewed as a perfect way to stay in shape! Why take a car or bus to places if you can walk! Time, money your health all at once! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's all too realistic . Greatly written :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there are many ways to get out of poverty. Even if it means living a less comfortable life for a while, it is worth it!
ReplyDeletePoverty is a sad reality of the world. And you are right that every person sees themself in a different situation than other people may see them. I love the tip to only take of your buses. Where I live the fare is flat no matter where you are going or transferring, but if you have to pay for each bus, this is a great way to save money and get some exercise, too.
ReplyDeletePoverty is a BIG BIG deal for large families too. Until their kids grow up and all start earning. Part time job helps a lot, like whenever I'm out of pocket money, my online job fills my wallet up! :D
ReplyDeletePoverty is a serious situation. I have been there and I worked hard to get out of it. However, that is not to say that my family and I don't live paycheck to paycheck because we do. I cut out a lot of extras and we manage. It is extremely depressing. I understand what you are saying about getting a part time job and walking etc. It just depends on where you live. There is no bus that comes anywhere near where I live and jobs are very scarce in my town. I think the most important thing to do is to keep things in perspective.
ReplyDeleteI think many people don't want to give up the things they love. They'd rather go bankrupt more so than give up cable.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post. I am so grateful for all that I have.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting point of view and post. It is something different to all of us and depends on how we were raised and our environment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I am also very thankful for what I have and at this point in time no longer worry about finances. I do know what it is like to not have money and how hard you have to work and the corners you need to cut to survive and hopefully prosper.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to stress about finding work is that you take what you can get - no holding out for the better job when you can't make ends meet. Do what comes your way until you have some breathing room with the finances. Always keep your eyes open for the better opportunity.
ReplyDeletePoverty is a sad state. Being poor sometimes is due to choices. Spend less, use it up, wear it out, repair it and don't buy unless you NEED it.
ReplyDeleteI was born in a country with a high level of poverty. I learned to deal with it and as some say: If lives gives you Lemons, make lemonade"....or better yet: "If lives gives you lemons, TAKE THEM, cause they are free"
ReplyDeleteLuckily I had very hard working and ambitious parents who pulled us out of it. Very interesting post!
What's sad is that poverty is a cycle. While it's definitely possible, it's so hard to get out of it once you're in it. I just read The Pursuit of Happyness, which inspired the movie with Will Smith, and that is such a prime example of the fact that there are many people out there who have to work for years and years before they can get out of it.
ReplyDeleteI don't look at it as poverty. I see it as "simple living". I'm broke as hell. I'm lucky I have internet. My sister is worse off then I am but I try and help her when I can (which isn't often). Being poor sucks...
ReplyDeleteAs stated, a person's view of poverty is relative. For me, there's a huge difference between struggling to make ends meet and living in poverty. I sometimes have to find ways to make it from week to week and I've lived below the National Average for extended periods. But I never thought I was poor.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad - some people just cannot budget (been there and done it) what scares me is that more people live below the line than above it as the rich just have so much more money.
ReplyDeletePoverty is very sad. I hope that we can break that pattern some day!
ReplyDeleteHaving been poor myself when my husband's salary got cut 70% due to the economy and we had some emergency medical bills to pay, I don't think poverty is a laughing matter at all. We slashed out all unnecessary purchases and I got a part time job. You do what you have to do to make ends meet.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. Poverty is certainly not a laughing matter but those who are in poverty would probably not have much to cut back from in the first place and are probably working two jobs to live and eat.
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad that amount of people that are in poverty.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some great points about being realistic about what your socioeconomic condition is and living within your means while, at the same time, aspiring to improve that condition. Great discussion.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Poverty is definitely a relative issue. Being here in the US I have so much that I would consider normal but elsewhere these are great privileges, like my own car, and air conditioning. Sometimes we need to be grateful for what we have and cut out some of the unnecessary when times get rough. I don't see the economy looking any better anytime soon and I fear for the truly needy people of the world. Good advice in your article.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. There is no small solution to this problem but these are great suggestions. I hope the economy can improve and alleviate some of the pressures.
ReplyDeletePoverty in india is real bad problem and as per dollar rate going high indian economy is also getting down continuosusly.A real bad time this is for us I must say :/
ReplyDelete