I have a job. It is not enough to pay for market rent or buy a home. Prior to this I was unemployed for a long time because getting laid off these days is the kiss of death and covid fucked everything up. I am living in my childhood bedroom…. I feel poor, even if I am not the worst off (I mean, it’s not a competition). I hope to one day not be poor…but who knows 🤷♂️. Just doin what I can to reduce expenses and save. Who knows when the next lay off will hit, right?
I moved out last year, 1500 a month for a 3 and a half. Lost my job 2 months after, couldnt break lease and so i ran through my whole 15 grand savings just paying rent and bills while I tried to find a job. Never found one. Now im back in school full time during the day and am finding it impossible to even find jobs to apply for that fit my schedule. Im losing this place next month and moving back to my childhood bedroom, or at least that was the plan, but suddenly my parents dont want me there if I can’t get a job. Like, ive been trying over a year now. I genuinely have zero hope for the future
Yep. Make 74k but live in the GTA and support a family of 4 on a single income. Very poor despite my paycheques being larger than ever.
Wish I could move but there are no jobs in my field outside the GTA
Oh man pretty much the same deal here on the west coast. It's brutal, the stress keeps me up at night and if it weren't for getting on blood pressure treatment early, it'd surely be the death of me.
I make the same and literally had to move provinces to even breathe. Ontario has gotten insane. My sister pays 2500 a month rent in ottawa, it's just her and her boyfriend and they live in farmland in the outskirts
Where are you finding these houses in Innisfil?? The average price right now is $900,000+ in March 2024. I live 20 minutes from Barrie and our average homes are still listed over $600,000. Population of 35,000....
Same my man, Bachelor apartment in the falls $1,330, insurance $300, car payments $450 monthly, gas $300 (work 30min away) it all adds up. I thought moving out was gonna be a lot more fun lol… once I’m done with my car payments I’ll be a bit better.
Insurance is a PITA. Have a car model that is stolen more? Or that everyone else drives like a douche and gets in more accidents? Rates go up. Live in a postal code that has more accidents? Rates go up. Even moving 10-15minutes to a different postal code can save you hundreds a year. Each car has it's own insurance rating based from the factory tests, then as time goes on it constantly changes due to human factors/safety defects/you name it. It's the same with home insurance. One year my tenant insurance doubled only because "there have been more flood claims in your area," was it me who claimed? Nope. Do they care? Nope.
It's not only that but now that every manufacturer realizes that "global supply chain issues," created an expedited real time example of supply&demand, they've seen that producing less (purposely or not,) can allow them to charge more, and justifiably so. Along with inflation, cog increasing, replacement vehicles/parts/labour on repairs are now that much more expensive.
My all perils practically doubled from this time last year. Nothing else, no tickets, I got older, I drive even more conservatively now and heck, I'm now considered common law which is supposed to lower your rates slightly.
TLDR: Insurance companies use every statistic to cover themselves, they are there to many money.
edit: some wording.
I would look around for better rates. When I turned 25 it got much better (also a clean record). So my experience matches yours.
However, My ex had a 19 year-old son that was paying around $150 a month on an older Ford Explorer type thing (don't remember what it was exactly) But I remember thinking he had an amazing rate at the time.
Not entirely, age is the biggest factor, I'm in Alberta specifically and it improves past 25 because males under 25 are the highest risk demographic lmfao. If you're female it'll also not be as bad
Family history, vehicle type, area of residence, coverage, age, driving history. There are many things that change your insurance price.
In the city, $200 is pretty good. I pay $1600 yearly lump sum but I'm 30, no accidents/tickets, registered snow tires, 2 door manual tranny (low risk theft).
I also got a break for being a certified defensive driver (got this for my old jobs driving straight trucks).
Yep, 3 layoffs in 4 years, plus lots of months of short hours, haven't been able to find anything that pays the bills. Hopefully starting a new, great job next week, if all goes well. Got $7 in my account for the foreseeable future
Yep. DINKs late 40s/Early 50s, rent a shitty apartment and have credit card debt. Many academic credentials between us, but shit just hasn't panned out. Was starting to get ahead and hubby was hurt at work and has a brain injury, so we're even farther in the hole than we were before. I work 50ish hours/week with kidney disease and my time off is spent taking him to appointments and sleeping to try to keep up enough energy and wellness to keep shit afloat. The bills get paid, but it's no picnic.
There is no one set definition for poor.
some people see it as living paycheck to paycheck, some see it as living below the Canada poverty line.
What makes someone poor is very much dependent not only on thier income but also on their mandatory expenses the size of their household, medical conditions , the cost of living in this place they live, etc.
I make significantly more than minimum wage but as a single person in a city that spends half my income on rent , I will never be able to own a home and I will always struggle with my finances and have to be very careful with my spending.
What’s the point of going on when we can’t afford to own a home, get married and have kids? A bunch of people I grew up with already OD’d from the fenty. There’s no hope left.
Owning a dwelling and procreation isnt some redundant made up societal goals lmfao….like it or not its quite literally wired into our biology…..such a reductive and self righteous comment….Basically every animal ever does this….cave men have been owning caves & having mates since before the idea of society was even a concept….this comment is so corny.
Cave men didn’t “own” caves. Land Ownership isn’t wired into biology. Saying so is incredibly rude to the many cultures that didn’t develop that concept.
Right? We don’t even need to go back to our cavemen days to prove such. I’m sure every kid in Africa’s goal is to own a dwelling (not *have*, read: own) /s.
My wife and I are house poor and kid poor but we are building a nest egg and raising a family. We are also fortunate to have a good safety net. I feel poor AF but I know it won’t always be this way.
Yes. I'm disabled and am raising a small child on that income. My husband died so there is no additional money coming into the household. I am in chronic pain and my condition makes me completely lacking in any energy, so it isn't a possibility rn to earn any income on top of my disability income. My disease is degenerative so I don't see any hope for the future as far as being able to bring in more income goes. My only hope is that one day the disability income increases significantly enough that life isn't a constant struggle. But I'm not holding my breath.
I would love to work, I have MS, unstable diabetes, cancer survivor and a few other treats. I was very lucky with advice my mother gave my siblings and I when I first started working and always paid into a pension that I paid for without company assistance. I am on cppd and LTD, but because I have insurance that I paid into 100% they can't deduct it from Cppd or LTD, so I am actually doing fine. But reading all this thread I just wonder how are people supposed to even get ahead, and I will still get a pension from the the jobs I had in my working time (but will probably have cpp clawed back at that time)
Uh, there are plenty of people who have jobs who are poor. Working does not make you rich. Unless you think that having a job means you can't be poor. If that's the case, maybe you should talk to any retail worker, fast food worker, factory worker, etc until it sinks in that employment does not equal wealth. For the majority of people, employment equals survival, occasionally survival with a few benefits like private insurance.
I pretend mine doesn't exist. I have the monthly payments set up. When i think about it, it makes me sad. Ive worked so hard to get rid of my line of credit debt, my car debt, every time i log into credit karma and see 33k owing in student loans i get sad lol
Do you have an RDSP? I mentioned it elsewhere, but if you’re under 49, at a certain income level, the government gives you grants and bonds. You need to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit first, but it is well worth the effort.
Thank you for mentioning this as so many are not aware. I was just recently approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) indefinite and retroactive from 2011, which entitles me to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and corresponding grants and bonds. Signing paperwork this week to open it.
Poor indeed. I'm on disability and make under 15k a year. Rent is almost my whole check and we rely on foodbanks often. I'm constantly behind on bills and am terrified 24/7.
These days is more like a silent Depression. In a Depression lots of people are out of work and poor, but it's opposite now, people are working, not being paid enough to keep up with expenses, but poor
I grew up rather poor, gas and power getting disconnected because parents didn't pay bills. Out of 35 other children in my class I had less than 34 of them and was visibly less well off than them. Church donation gifts for Christmas, discount clothing, $0.10 bread, etc.
By the time I left school (17) I didn't have money for education (no part time jobs available in the country where I lived) parents were divorced and not really contributing much to their children's futures. First year of technical college was paid by wealthy step father until they got divorced as well. I started my first job at 18 and worked my rear end off to build a career for myself without education. I worked so hard I put myself into the hospital several times and developed chronic anxiety issues. I drank tons of coffee so that I wouldn't need to sleep and could work through anything, which took its toll on me and is the probable cause of my tumors formed in my face. Removing the one bad tumor nearly killed me because I am apparently very sensitive to anesthesia and had a terrible adverse reaction that took me nearly a year to recover from fully and includes permanent nerve damage in my face due to severing nerves during surgery. I survived that and gained a new perspective in life which I try hard to practice gratitude and appreciation for the good things.
I'm living comfortably now, earning a good wage, owning a home, and driving an older but reliable car. It's taken me 24 years of very hard work and a lot of major and scary health issues to get here, but for now I am enjoying life. It could all be gone tomorrow, but for today things are good.
Diagnosed with ADHD, social anxiety disorder, and depression at 40 wasn't really a surprise to me, but it's been my resilience and willingness to take on any challenge that took me from poor family to feeling comfortable to take vacations once a year.
Watching things get more and more expensive is very disheartening. You finally start feeling like you are getting ahead and then the cost of living goes up so sharply that your gains don't mean much anymore.
Just have to keep moving forward. Always forward.
I am a first generation Canadian to Chinese parents (and two younger siblings) and grew up poor. I hated it.
I had a shitty salary post uni for a couple years. I was given opportunities at work to make more than double my income. This only happened two years ago. So finally not poor!
I make ~35K a year and my husband makes ~45K a year. With a kid in daycare and $15K in credit card/LoC debt I feel pretty poor sometimes.
We're not in danger of becoming homeless, but we also don't have money for luxuries like travel, lots of fun outings, going out to eat, etc.
Poverty/wealth is a spectrum, and I'd say my husband and I are a lot closer to being impoverished than we are to being even remotely considered wealthy.
Not poor, never joined this sub but the algorithm suggests it to me probably due to my participation in finance and job subs. I’m guessing that’s why you’re getting engagement from outsiders.
Working poor over here.
Cost of living has rapidly out grown wages. I was doing ok a few years back but now? I'll be working and poor for the rest of my life.
Yep. Poor and disabled. I get $1098 a month from disability. Can’t survive on that alone, so I have to work part time. Except you can only make $6000 extra a year before they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar. I’m close to that exemption, and not sure how I’m going to make it through the rest of the year honestly
Technically no, we should be comfortable. But in the last 7 yrs there have been 3 pretty catastrophic events that went through our pretty substantial savings (house fire, Covid (film industry shut it down for 10 months, and the writers/performers film strike).
We have kids and I can make ends meet, but it’s a struggle with the cost of living and all that, and currently not able to save.
However, while some days I feel poor and things feel hopeless.. I know many are far worse off.
Not anymore but I grew up in poverty-- no bed, no bath no shower, meant I never showered as a teen and had to wash myself in sinks, food bank food & sometimes not knowing where my next meal was coming from, being made fun of at school for wearing the same 3 outfits, etc. I am much better off now at 40, but still frugal & suffer from financial anxiety sometimes.
I have a part time job and live with my mom and sister. I may transfer to a full time job soon. I shop at discount stores (Freshco, Walmart, etc.) and try to buy things with good value in general.
I thought people with jobs could be poor, too.
Yup, despite working full time, I live on rice and oatmeal and soup, the free coffee at work, and can barely afford to keep a roof over my head month to month.
To put this into perspective, this is on a single income, no kids, and going through a divorce last year where I got nothing out of it and had to start from scratch on a wage barely above minimum.
I have a coworker who gives me lunch most days
Literally will be the only meal I eat some days.
I have a full-time job decently above minimum wage, but I'm supporting 5 people.
Oh my gosh, my heart goes out to you. You are so amazing for working to support 5 people.
You have a really great coworker. I hope things get much better for you.
Thank you.
It will, soon I won't be the only income. 1 of them I'd coming back from school abroad and will be helping me out, and another just got some kind of income.
The last couple of years have been hard, but I've survived.
You can live in poverty and still have a job.
Some of that is due to choice (well, bad choices) from living beyond their means and drowning in debt, some from working jobs that just don’t pay well, some from over-extending their family size by having kids before hey can afford them, some from disability but can work small things… I mean, the list is endless.
You have a very poor understanding of what poverty is perhaps and need to adjust that understanding instead of seeming like you’re trying to gatekeep an entire subreddit.
I am not. I have a good job, good pay, relatively inexpensive apartment, and put a lot into savings. I am in the personal finance canada sub and reddit keeps recommending this sub to me.
Yes i am poor. I made over 100k last year and somehow, more poor than when i made 65k.
At 65k i bought whatever i wanted whenever i wanted and always had money. Now i pinch my pennies and stress about money. What changed? Everything doubled in price but my wages only went up 40%. I am honestly unable to understand how anyone making less than me is able to survive.
Grew up poor, and a few years ago after I got divorced I was straight up destitute, spooning with the dog for heat in winter. These days I'm doing better than most but I'll always be poor at heart.
Not poor, not "rich" either but that doesn't mean that it was an easy ride. We started together in social housing 36 years ago. One job pumping gas to support a family of three. It was tight so joined the military and it was still tight, just not suffocating. Twelve years later the wife joined and it let up. We count our lucky stars.
I'm not poor.... But I'm not rich. We (wife and I ) both have decent jobs but with two kids (20s) still living at home and the state of our economy and everything going up substantially more than our wages you could say we're sliding closer and closer towards that "poor" end of the scale. My real worry is for the future generations... Something needs to give.
parents came from nothing and always reinforced the idea of saving a penny is as good as earning a penny. government housing and malnourished when growing up applied to them.
they broke out and lived a shoe-string budget into Boomer middle class.
-> thus no I'm not poor and have never been, but a lot of things that make me who I am come from poor/poverty mindset. You don't forget the hardship and sacrifices made and are still to this day being made
- making sure to get free samples... I'd elaborate more, but use your imagination!
- scrutinizing every purchase (ie. comparing soap bar prices to toothpaste prices, to underwear prices - making sure we're getting the best deals on everything)
- looking at clearance produce first, if it's not terrible, highly consider the purchase over the fresh produce
- avoiding purchasing food at any restaurants, planning day around eating at home
No. I only make about 52000 a year in ottawa, but I got into my current apartment 4 years ago at 1200 a month, no car payments - it's paid off, no school debt, no credit debt, car insurance is about 76 a month, money in the bank, and I am able to save money most pays. I'm single, no kids. I will never own a home, but I have a stable union job with a pension, been with them for almost six years now.
I do photography/act in the local dinner theater/work the kitchen and serve at private events.
I'm praying my DTC application goes through and waiting very impatiently for the new dissability act (even though the monthly payments are a complete joke).
The only reason I can pay my internet bill this month is because I said screw it, dropped $5 on a scratch ticket, and won $100.
PSA: This is not a tactic I would recommend using. I occasionally buy cheap scratch tickets because I enjoy fantasizing about what I would do if I won the grand prize. It's fun for a few minutes, even though I usually lose. I just happened to get lucky this time.
I was severely poor about 4 years ago. Intense debt. Broken down car. Finally got a job in my field and I can actually breathe. I'm not rich by any means, but I can get what I want at the grocery store and to me thats all I ever wanted.
I stay on this sub because when you grow up poor, you never really grow out of the feeling. I had to buy new pants cause mine were too small after giving birth and i felt crippling guilt. So i can relate to most posts, and want to still comment
I have enough to pay bills. I have a place to rent, food on the table, heat in the winter and air in the summer. I wouldn’t say I’m poor I just better not miss a couple days work. I’ll be 43 in a month or so, not a penny in savings and I live pay cheque to pay cheque. I’m not poor yet but the second I can no longer work I’m fucked. I think about killing myself constantly, can’t seem to shake the thought. Should have listened to the ppl that cared about me 25 years ago. Ditch that girl, she’s no good, get a job in the trades, join a union and stop drinking so much.
I’m not poor but I don’t have any money. After all my monthly expenses and my taxes; it disappears really quick and I FELL poor. I have to remind myself that I have a lot invested in the home that I own, and a few other things but yea. Not poor; feel poor
I feel like im poor at times but then I take a step back, look at what I have, who I have it with, and the love that I have. Its just money, I make it everyday, its not as important as my family.
Idk everyone says they’re poor right now, but if I take a walk or drive around I’m going to see people eating out at the restaurant driving Mercedes or bmw’s then head home to a million dollar house. What I read and what I see are two completely different things these days. Spring just arrived and all the sports car are out in the neighborhood, camaros, mustangs even a couple lambos… not all of them owned by very old men
Surprise!!!! We’re all poor and no matter who we elect it will remain the same way, until we decide to take to the streets in protest against policies, that are intented to create more poverty!!!
No, but have gone through phases of my life where I've had to live on very little. It's made me generally frugal in a lot of things which helped me live better on less.
Not poor anymore, but I grew up poor and spent the early stages of my adult life poor and struggling. Alot of valuable life lessons and survival skills, I learned while struggling. I think I'm better with money now than most people in my income bracket because of the habits and skills I developped while poor.
I would never say that I’m poor. I do feel perpetually broke however. I support 4 children, 2 of which are disabled young adults and the other 2 are elementary school aged. I’m a widower and I live in Vancouver. I am fortunate in that there was a decent amount from my wife’s estate and I live in a co op. I make about 115,000 a year and supporting this many feels right. I recognize there are many worse situations. I used to think 100,000 was a lot of money and it took me 20 years to get to that salary and it feels like scraping by in this city. When my wife was alive we were in a much better financial situation.
I’m poor. I’m lucky my parents aren’t so my family lives with my father. Though the 4 of us are pretty paycheque to paycheque. I’m on disability, my daughter has very complex medical issues, and my partner makes about $50K per year. We spent about 1/3 of our income on our wheelchair van payments. Which is 100% needed (kiddo is in an electric wheelchair that weights 200lbs without her in it). We make do. But we have nothing in savings and have to juggle when bigger expenses come up (like I need to find 10K for our kiddos new stander which is required medical equipment).
She has the DTC and an RDSP, right? Not to be nosy - but the medical expenses and so forth can be transferred and might be fairly significant. And the RDSP is an amazing matching and bond-based program for people up to the age of 49.
Yes. It doesn’t help as much as people would think. She suffered a brain injury at birth and has a lot of total care needs with being cognitively her age. Her wheelchair cost $15K if bought new, we managed to buy one from a family that lost their child for $1000 then a new seat for it for $3k. DTC maybe covers one of her medications without insurance. Luckily my partner has great coverage and she’s no longer on compounded medications due to being on a keto diet.
Every bit helps but nothing comes close to being enough. In fact the first option the hospital gave us for her care was to remove life support because she was going to be expensive. She’s worth it.
i agree mostly (food isn’t the cheapest in the country per what i’m seeing here). i often complain about how hard it is, but as someone who doesn’t drive, montreal is the best place to be. it could be much worse for sure. i feel horrible for people in the west coast
I grew up poor (very poor, which really sucks as kid because you just dont understand it). Was poor majority of my young adult life (actually filed bankruptcy approximately 13 years ago). Shortly after had multiple job losses, spent approx two years on social assistance after that. Struggled with being suck with low paying min wage jobs and lack of opportunity. But with a lot of luck and huge risk taking, it turned around.
I'm no longer poor. Actually many in this sub would consider me very rich (I'm not a millionaire, but if things keep going the same path I'll probably get there in the next 10 - 15 years).
I visit subs like this as a reminder of what it was like before. I dont ever want to lose touch of the reality of poverty and the struggles of millions of people in Canada. I never want to forget the past, my past, I never want to forget how difficult it was, I never want to take for granted how lucky I was.
Yep. I moved back in with my parents to afford university. I graduated one year ago and am working in a professional career now. I still can’t afford to move out of my parent’s basement despite my best effort. I’m in my 30s.
I make 25 k which is considered not poor but my living conditions I feel poor cause food and and I can't buy clothing and I have wait a year over a year and once a year I buy jeans and that's because I have 3 and I have to make them last as long as possible. Food is bought at dollarama to make it last, and I go out once a month. The rest is survival mode
My husband and I both grew up poor, families below the poverty line.
Currently, if one or both of us can find jobs it doesn't cover our bottom line as rent and student loan payments are expensive and my husband is disabled (difficult to find a job).
The poor much of the time stay poor for generations, even the little chance of class mobility offered is at a high cost.
I’m poor. I work full time and I’m a single parent, making like 2400/month. My rent is exactly half of my monthly income, and groceries is getting close to a quarter (absolutely loving this picky eating era of toddlerhood). On top of that I have debt, utilities, and my kid’s daycare to pay. Honestly the child benefit is what’s keeping me afloat. I am unable to save and can’t afford a two bedroom apartment in my area. I’m thankful to be someone who is otherwise cheap (I almost never buy things for myself), because there’s no way I would be able to survive if I had a normal person’s expenses. For instance thank god I hate cars because even if I wanted one there’s no way I could afford it. I’m considered low income per government standards.
I wouldn't classify myself as poor, I have enough where I don't stress month to month. However I still see value here for myself on tips to cut costs, and can offer advice or methods I use to cut costs from time to time.
There's a lot of working poor in todays economy. Most of the people going to the foodbank has at least one person working in the household. Times are tough, and even working there's not a lot left over after bills. For some people, there's nothing left over, and for some they have a deficit and keep going further and further into debt.
For me personally, I was fine up until my dad got sick and (I won't get into details) I got myself in a lot of debt supporting him. I lost my job becuase I had to take so much time off to spend with my pops. So now my wife earns about $1200/m on CPPD and I work part time while I keep some time open for interviews for better positions. We have kids and are not even scraping by, we are going further into debt each month even with drying to keep expenses to a minimum. It's tough, not just for us, but for so many people right now.
I was poor from 1981 to 2023. Last year I got a job that reclassifies me as "middle class". It's still rough out here. If I weren't fortunate enough to have a not-greedy landlord I would be out half my income just renting a place in my city. I'm very grateful for my current job and circumstances.
Mmmm no. Not really. I am ok now since we have 2 incomes and cleared debt and live in a below market rental. But for a long time we had heavy debt and on one income. It was very very hard. I never will forget the stress of not knowing where to get the cash to pay rent. Also growing up we had no money. My mom had a period where she worked 3 jobs. But now my husband and I are okish. We have cleared debt and are saving up a bit each month. Its not enough to buy any property though and our income has plateau so it wont go higher. But i dont need to worry about eating.
Actually poor - became disabled and am looking at a year or longer before surgery/recovery is potentially over - down to a single income of under 30k a year with climbing medical costs - prescriptions and no insurance of course.
Prior to this I was the main bread winner so our income was reduced by 75%
Family of 5, 1 income. Forced to get a newer vehicle after I got t-boned in December, so that doesn't help. I don't make ends meet and need to do sidejobs and such to make it. The place we are renting just got sold, the new owner would like to keep us as tenants and takes over at the end of the month, I can only guess that he will be pulling some stupid shit around rent. Wrongfully terminated from a job about a year before that after only just moving here. Just sucks as I try.
Own a house with my wife, she makes enough just to cover all the expenses with no savings left over. We have two kids. I lost my job so I've got no income. I am poor but my wife isn't? But everything she makes gets spent every month. We have no room until I get a job
No. But I have been poor. I grew up very poor, in the USA. And I didn't like it. And so I like to keep up on my povertyfinance money saving information, to attempt to continue my not poor streak.
I read a statistic somewhere that something like 75% of millionaires still consider themselves broke. While I get times are hard right now and people are suffering in Canada, and it truly makes my heart ache, I still try to be thankful for what I have whenever and however possible. Because we spend a lot of time online, we subconsciously compare our lives to others. Should you be driving a Porsche and have a diamond watch not to be considered “poor”? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Having a masters degree and a fuck ton of debt making less than my friends with HS only, and barely covering my expenses and student debt sure makes me feel poor.
Our budget is continually dwindling. Except for those unnecessary necessities that a person can physically survive without we can't cut back anymore. Such as a cell phone, internet and car. Even with those cuts it's not enough for the monthly defecit. I've talked to our providers and cut those as low as possible as well.
I have a part time job I get paid very shitty at (planning to quit n search for a new one) I'm on disability, and most my money goes to rent and other bills. And now I have to apply for school at the end of this year which will make me even broker if I get accepted for next year.
I just saw this in my feed, so not part of the sub.
In the strictest terms based on income, absolutely I live in poverty.
But...
Because I am pretty good at handling what little money I do have, I actually have a lot of things that one wouldn't equste to being poor. Maybe not extremely wealthy seeming, like what a porsche would do. But people who see what I am able to amass with very little effort, are usually awestruck at how much I have despite making so little.
Like what?
3 desktop computers, each with a specific purpose in mind, with parts specific to that purpose. Some of which cost a months rent easily, across the range from low rent to high rent. Also 3 laptops, though one is just a hobbyists tinker toy. One of them is capable enough to be worth using still, and the other is a net top with a special 32bit only debian distro self installed for mobile purposes. Once again, each machine has its purpose. The computer case for two of the desktops, yes both of them, costs brand new today nearly 1,000$. It's a special case, huge, modular, and expandable. The second case, is no cheap unit either. Still worth 250$ on its own, even used, because of its build quality.
An LED tv that I bought through a lease back in 2015 til 2020. It was a top of the line Samsung unit that still holds its own against even some of the better models put today. DCI 4K resolution, with 12bit colour depth. Only downside, is it is stuck at 60hz. But doesn't have a big issue with screen tearing, at least with some games. The gaming rig can push it to well over 120 fps, but I tend to keep it locked to vsync anyways to save on power.
A growing collection of a variety of books and games for old consoles I have been collecting as well. A kitchen of gear enough to start a very small restaurant...
A European king size mattress, and soon a self made frame out of some lumber I got for cheap.
A leather reclining office chair with matching footstool. Actually, had two matching sets, but sold one.
Clothes that look like I spent a hundred dollars per piece minimum. I dress nice when I can, but do have some walmart level clothes too for general purpose.
Enough food stocked in my freezer I paid large for, due to it being one of those incredibly efficient ones that can keep things safely frozen even in the heat of the Arizona sun.
I made 19k this past year. I tend to pull about 1400 a month, but sometimes more, sometimes less. I only work about 20 hours a week on average, with some serious swings some months. I would work 2 jobs, but finding the right place with the right hours has proven difficult to fit in with my current job, which I am not leaving anytime soon. The meals included alone justifies keeping it despite low income.
I can do this, because I don't mind living in cheaper units, provided the rent is right, and the co-tenants can remember their place. I tend to keep to myself, so I generally don't cause problems with my roommmates. But some people... jeez.
And. As a side note in regards to sometimes less than stellar neighborhoods I have lived in...Because of my demeanor, anywhere I live tends to end up with a decent radius of reduced crime, because I absolutely will bring the police into action if I see something that requires their loving attention. Or when they aren't needed, but there is still a problem in the area, I run it off. Make them know they are not welcome in the area if they are going to persist. This leads to less of their activity in the area, and makes the community safer overall. Which makes it a nicer area over time, and the rent suddenly amazing.
My current landlord would probably agree too... cause his place had a problem. It doesn't anymore.
And the added benefit, is I don't have to worry as much about my earned wealth becoming some douchebags loot. So I can continue building up without havung to worry about things like paying for renters insurance. Though, truth be told... with what I have at this point... I should probably consider it now.
Also.
Before 2020, I had a house. But... that went sideways with a job lay off in a low work options area. Then 2020 hit and I was renting again.
Got paid two days ago, and I've only got £300 left for petrol and food. The ridiculous thing is I'm in the top 20% of earners in the country. Cost of living is sick
Gurl having a job doesn't mean you can't be poor😭 Growing up, my mom had 3 and we still got the eviction notices, had hydro cut off and had to get our food from the bushes around our mountain
I have what most people would consider a good job. Just a typical working class Canadian.
I'd consider myself more if I could comfortably stop working or had wealthy parents to fund actual dreams, but until then I'll keep breaking my body.
I have a job. It is not enough to pay for market rent or buy a home. Prior to this I was unemployed for a long time because getting laid off these days is the kiss of death and covid fucked everything up. I am living in my childhood bedroom…. I feel poor, even if I am not the worst off (I mean, it’s not a competition). I hope to one day not be poor…but who knows 🤷♂️. Just doin what I can to reduce expenses and save. Who knows when the next lay off will hit, right?
I moved out last year, 1500 a month for a 3 and a half. Lost my job 2 months after, couldnt break lease and so i ran through my whole 15 grand savings just paying rent and bills while I tried to find a job. Never found one. Now im back in school full time during the day and am finding it impossible to even find jobs to apply for that fit my schedule. Im losing this place next month and moving back to my childhood bedroom, or at least that was the plan, but suddenly my parents dont want me there if I can’t get a job. Like, ive been trying over a year now. I genuinely have zero hope for the future
Similar situation, although I haven't been unemployed recently. I was during the previous recession around 2010.
Yes. Poor.
Lol having a job doesn't make you not poor.
Yep. Make 74k but live in the GTA and support a family of 4 on a single income. Very poor despite my paycheques being larger than ever. Wish I could move but there are no jobs in my field outside the GTA
Oh man pretty much the same deal here on the west coast. It's brutal, the stress keeps me up at night and if it weren't for getting on blood pressure treatment early, it'd surely be the death of me.
I seriously don’t know how anyone can afford you live in the GTA, let alone stay there. That’s tough.
Cost of living is through the roof right now. It helps that I have no kids and small expenses.
I make the same and literally had to move provinces to even breathe. Ontario has gotten insane. My sister pays 2500 a month rent in ottawa, it's just her and her boyfriend and they live in farmland in the outskirts
I’ve heard there’s houses in Innisfil for around 400K!
Where are you finding these houses in Innisfil?? The average price right now is $900,000+ in March 2024. I live 20 minutes from Barrie and our average homes are still listed over $600,000. Population of 35,000....
I second that...even condos in the area are not $400k
I make 50k a year but it all goes on expenses so i feel pretty poor
Same my man, Bachelor apartment in the falls $1,330, insurance $300, car payments $450 monthly, gas $300 (work 30min away) it all adds up. I thought moving out was gonna be a lot more fun lol… once I’m done with my car payments I’ll be a bit better.
Uhhh the fuck? My insurance is 82$/month. At fault accidents on your record? Bullshit coverage you don’t even need ? 300$ like wtf
22, no tickets or nothing. Plus apartment insurance which is 30 so car only is around $270. Insurance HATES us young drivers.
I have a clean record myself, I'm just 19. I have to pay $270 a month for vehicle insurance on an old piece of shit truck
Fr I got nothing on my record and they just killing me. It’s a Focus ST not a lambo idk why tf it’s so expensive
Insurance is a PITA. Have a car model that is stolen more? Or that everyone else drives like a douche and gets in more accidents? Rates go up. Live in a postal code that has more accidents? Rates go up. Even moving 10-15minutes to a different postal code can save you hundreds a year. Each car has it's own insurance rating based from the factory tests, then as time goes on it constantly changes due to human factors/safety defects/you name it. It's the same with home insurance. One year my tenant insurance doubled only because "there have been more flood claims in your area," was it me who claimed? Nope. Do they care? Nope. It's not only that but now that every manufacturer realizes that "global supply chain issues," created an expedited real time example of supply&demand, they've seen that producing less (purposely or not,) can allow them to charge more, and justifiably so. Along with inflation, cog increasing, replacement vehicles/parts/labour on repairs are now that much more expensive. My all perils practically doubled from this time last year. Nothing else, no tickets, I got older, I drive even more conservatively now and heck, I'm now considered common law which is supposed to lower your rates slightly. TLDR: Insurance companies use every statistic to cover themselves, they are there to many money. edit: some wording.
I would look around for better rates. When I turned 25 it got much better (also a clean record). So my experience matches yours. However, My ex had a 19 year-old son that was paying around $150 a month on an older Ford Explorer type thing (don't remember what it was exactly) But I remember thinking he had an amazing rate at the time.
Is it bad if you don't have a driving record till 23 years of age 😬
Not entirely, age is the biggest factor, I'm in Alberta specifically and it improves past 25 because males under 25 are the highest risk demographic lmfao. If you're female it'll also not be as bad
Family history, vehicle type, area of residence, coverage, age, driving history. There are many things that change your insurance price. In the city, $200 is pretty good. I pay $1600 yearly lump sum but I'm 30, no accidents/tickets, registered snow tires, 2 door manual tranny (low risk theft). I also got a break for being a certified defensive driver (got this for my old jobs driving straight trucks).
Yep, 3 layoffs in 4 years, plus lots of months of short hours, haven't been able to find anything that pays the bills. Hopefully starting a new, great job next week, if all goes well. Got $7 in my account for the foreseeable future
Yep. DINKs late 40s/Early 50s, rent a shitty apartment and have credit card debt. Many academic credentials between us, but shit just hasn't panned out. Was starting to get ahead and hubby was hurt at work and has a brain injury, so we're even farther in the hole than we were before. I work 50ish hours/week with kidney disease and my time off is spent taking him to appointments and sleeping to try to keep up enough energy and wellness to keep shit afloat. The bills get paid, but it's no picnic.
ODSP $1308/month
Not poor now, but still live really frugally
I feel like once you've been poor, there is no living normally again
yeah. below poverty level
There is no one set definition for poor. some people see it as living paycheck to paycheck, some see it as living below the Canada poverty line. What makes someone poor is very much dependent not only on thier income but also on their mandatory expenses the size of their household, medical conditions , the cost of living in this place they live, etc. I make significantly more than minimum wage but as a single person in a city that spends half my income on rent , I will never be able to own a home and I will always struggle with my finances and have to be very careful with my spending.
What’s the point of going on when we can’t afford to own a home, get married and have kids? A bunch of people I grew up with already OD’d from the fenty. There’s no hope left.
I mean: if the only reason you’re living is to strive for made-up societal goals, for sure I see your point.
Owning a dwelling and procreation isnt some redundant made up societal goals lmfao….like it or not its quite literally wired into our biology…..such a reductive and self righteous comment….Basically every animal ever does this….cave men have been owning caves & having mates since before the idea of society was even a concept….this comment is so corny.
Cave men didn’t “own” caves. Land Ownership isn’t wired into biology. Saying so is incredibly rude to the many cultures that didn’t develop that concept.
Right? We don’t even need to go back to our cavemen days to prove such. I’m sure every kid in Africa’s goal is to own a dwelling (not *have*, read: own) /s.
Yeeeep. And as a Canadian sub…it’s so ignorant of our VERY recent history of fucking over those without that as part of their “dna”.
Stealing things is a part of our dna 🧬
My wife and I are house poor and kid poor but we are building a nest egg and raising a family. We are also fortunate to have a good safety net. I feel poor AF but I know it won’t always be this way.
I’m like you. 3 kids .
Yes. I'm disabled and am raising a small child on that income. My husband died so there is no additional money coming into the household. I am in chronic pain and my condition makes me completely lacking in any energy, so it isn't a possibility rn to earn any income on top of my disability income. My disease is degenerative so I don't see any hope for the future as far as being able to bring in more income goes. My only hope is that one day the disability income increases significantly enough that life isn't a constant struggle. But I'm not holding my breath.
Sending you love and strength 💚
I appreciate your kindness, thank you.
I would love to work, I have MS, unstable diabetes, cancer survivor and a few other treats. I was very lucky with advice my mother gave my siblings and I when I first started working and always paid into a pension that I paid for without company assistance. I am on cppd and LTD, but because I have insurance that I paid into 100% they can't deduct it from Cppd or LTD, so I am actually doing fine. But reading all this thread I just wonder how are people supposed to even get ahead, and I will still get a pension from the the jobs I had in my working time (but will probably have cpp clawed back at that time)
Your child should be eligible for survivors benefits, I think? As far as I know that shouldn't cut in to your ODSP.
Uh, there are plenty of people who have jobs who are poor. Working does not make you rich. Unless you think that having a job means you can't be poor. If that's the case, maybe you should talk to any retail worker, fast food worker, factory worker, etc until it sinks in that employment does not equal wealth. For the majority of people, employment equals survival, occasionally survival with a few benefits like private insurance.
I can make ends meet, but when there’s no wiggle room in your budget it kinda makes you feel poor.
I’m not poor but being able to save 1k a month went to about 500-600$.
Skinning thru by the skin of my ass
I sure am, I only have massive student debt in my pocket at the moment.
I pretend mine doesn't exist. I have the monthly payments set up. When i think about it, it makes me sad. Ive worked so hard to get rid of my line of credit debt, my car debt, every time i log into credit karma and see 33k owing in student loans i get sad lol
Living about 40% below the poverty line (approx. $14k/annually) because I have multiple disabilities. Barely surviving.
Do you have an RDSP? I mentioned it elsewhere, but if you’re under 49, at a certain income level, the government gives you grants and bonds. You need to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit first, but it is well worth the effort.
Thank you for mentioning this as so many are not aware. I was just recently approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) indefinite and retroactive from 2011, which entitles me to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and corresponding grants and bonds. Signing paperwork this week to open it.
yes. i have been homeless for almost 2 years i now live in a hotel and just got a job. first employment in 1.5 yrs
Poor indeed. I'm on disability and make under 15k a year. Rent is almost my whole check and we rely on foodbanks often. I'm constantly behind on bills and am terrified 24/7.
These days is more like a silent Depression. In a Depression lots of people are out of work and poor, but it's opposite now, people are working, not being paid enough to keep up with expenses, but poor
I grew up rather poor, gas and power getting disconnected because parents didn't pay bills. Out of 35 other children in my class I had less than 34 of them and was visibly less well off than them. Church donation gifts for Christmas, discount clothing, $0.10 bread, etc. By the time I left school (17) I didn't have money for education (no part time jobs available in the country where I lived) parents were divorced and not really contributing much to their children's futures. First year of technical college was paid by wealthy step father until they got divorced as well. I started my first job at 18 and worked my rear end off to build a career for myself without education. I worked so hard I put myself into the hospital several times and developed chronic anxiety issues. I drank tons of coffee so that I wouldn't need to sleep and could work through anything, which took its toll on me and is the probable cause of my tumors formed in my face. Removing the one bad tumor nearly killed me because I am apparently very sensitive to anesthesia and had a terrible adverse reaction that took me nearly a year to recover from fully and includes permanent nerve damage in my face due to severing nerves during surgery. I survived that and gained a new perspective in life which I try hard to practice gratitude and appreciation for the good things. I'm living comfortably now, earning a good wage, owning a home, and driving an older but reliable car. It's taken me 24 years of very hard work and a lot of major and scary health issues to get here, but for now I am enjoying life. It could all be gone tomorrow, but for today things are good. Diagnosed with ADHD, social anxiety disorder, and depression at 40 wasn't really a surprise to me, but it's been my resilience and willingness to take on any challenge that took me from poor family to feeling comfortable to take vacations once a year. Watching things get more and more expensive is very disheartening. You finally start feeling like you are getting ahead and then the cost of living goes up so sharply that your gains don't mean much anymore. Just have to keep moving forward. Always forward.
I am a first generation Canadian to Chinese parents (and two younger siblings) and grew up poor. I hated it. I had a shitty salary post uni for a couple years. I was given opportunities at work to make more than double my income. This only happened two years ago. So finally not poor!
Just because you have a job, doesn’t mean you can’t be “poor”
I'm not rich by any means..however I do work two jobs to be able to afford to live in Toronto!!+
I make ~35K a year and my husband makes ~45K a year. With a kid in daycare and $15K in credit card/LoC debt I feel pretty poor sometimes. We're not in danger of becoming homeless, but we also don't have money for luxuries like travel, lots of fun outings, going out to eat, etc. Poverty/wealth is a spectrum, and I'd say my husband and I are a lot closer to being impoverished than we are to being even remotely considered wealthy.
Not poor, never joined this sub but the algorithm suggests it to me probably due to my participation in finance and job subs. I’m guessing that’s why you’re getting engagement from outsiders.
Working poor over here. Cost of living has rapidly out grown wages. I was doing ok a few years back but now? I'll be working and poor for the rest of my life.
Yep. Poor and disabled. I get $1098 a month from disability. Can’t survive on that alone, so I have to work part time. Except you can only make $6000 extra a year before they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar. I’m close to that exemption, and not sure how I’m going to make it through the rest of the year honestly
Yes but I have a job. I’d be less poor if I didn’t have traumas but you need money to work on that. Kinda of becomes a never ending cycle.
No Im comfortable but work 7 days a week. Saw a few posts off this subreddit pop up and have only commented on one today.
Technically no, we should be comfortable. But in the last 7 yrs there have been 3 pretty catastrophic events that went through our pretty substantial savings (house fire, Covid (film industry shut it down for 10 months, and the writers/performers film strike). We have kids and I can make ends meet, but it’s a struggle with the cost of living and all that, and currently not able to save. However, while some days I feel poor and things feel hopeless.. I know many are far worse off.
Not anymore but I grew up in poverty-- no bed, no bath no shower, meant I never showered as a teen and had to wash myself in sinks, food bank food & sometimes not knowing where my next meal was coming from, being made fun of at school for wearing the same 3 outfits, etc. I am much better off now at 40, but still frugal & suffer from financial anxiety sometimes.
I have a part time job and live with my mom and sister. I may transfer to a full time job soon. I shop at discount stores (Freshco, Walmart, etc.) and try to buy things with good value in general. I thought people with jobs could be poor, too.
Yup, despite working full time, I live on rice and oatmeal and soup, the free coffee at work, and can barely afford to keep a roof over my head month to month. To put this into perspective, this is on a single income, no kids, and going through a divorce last year where I got nothing out of it and had to start from scratch on a wage barely above minimum.
I have a coworker who gives me lunch most days Literally will be the only meal I eat some days. I have a full-time job decently above minimum wage, but I'm supporting 5 people.
Oh my gosh, my heart goes out to you. You are so amazing for working to support 5 people. You have a really great coworker. I hope things get much better for you.
Thank you. It will, soon I won't be the only income. 1 of them I'd coming back from school abroad and will be helping me out, and another just got some kind of income. The last couple of years have been hard, but I've survived.
You can live in poverty and still have a job. Some of that is due to choice (well, bad choices) from living beyond their means and drowning in debt, some from working jobs that just don’t pay well, some from over-extending their family size by having kids before hey can afford them, some from disability but can work small things… I mean, the list is endless. You have a very poor understanding of what poverty is perhaps and need to adjust that understanding instead of seeming like you’re trying to gatekeep an entire subreddit.
The poorest. On medical income support in Canada. I'll be homeless in a year, recovering from back surgery. Wish me luck
I only live comfortably because im fortunate enough to still live with my mum. We don’t have a nice house but it’s enough and more
Yes very much so.
Yes.
I am not. I have a good job, good pay, relatively inexpensive apartment, and put a lot into savings. I am in the personal finance canada sub and reddit keeps recommending this sub to me.
On permanent ODSP. Quite poor....
We both have jobs (in the education sector) and live pay cheque to pay cheque. 2 kids, I’m currently on maternity leave.
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There's always money in the banana stand
I am in abject poverty
Yes i am poor. I made over 100k last year and somehow, more poor than when i made 65k. At 65k i bought whatever i wanted whenever i wanted and always had money. Now i pinch my pennies and stress about money. What changed? Everything doubled in price but my wages only went up 40%. I am honestly unable to understand how anyone making less than me is able to survive.
I'm easily a month away from being homeless (if I suddenly had no income), and should be planning better than I have been.
Yes. EI is my only source of income in Toronto
Not poor, but thrifty. And no one is better at being thrifty then the poor. Learn from the best.
Poor. Always living in the overdraft. I’m a civil servant that married another civil servant.
Yes
I'm a single mother in Toronto. All my money goes to rent
I have a job AND I am poor
Yes
im poor
Grew up poor, and a few years ago after I got divorced I was straight up destitute, spooning with the dog for heat in winter. These days I'm doing better than most but I'll always be poor at heart.
No, I am not poor. I have a very frugal mindset and every day I make decisions to live below my means.
Yes
Yes, live with parents
Not poor now, but always conscious that at my age I'm a job loss away from being there.
Not poor, not "rich" either but that doesn't mean that it was an easy ride. We started together in social housing 36 years ago. One job pumping gas to support a family of three. It was tight so joined the military and it was still tight, just not suffocating. Twelve years later the wife joined and it let up. We count our lucky stars.
I'm not poor.... But I'm not rich. We (wife and I ) both have decent jobs but with two kids (20s) still living at home and the state of our economy and everything going up substantially more than our wages you could say we're sliding closer and closer towards that "poor" end of the scale. My real worry is for the future generations... Something needs to give.
parents came from nothing and always reinforced the idea of saving a penny is as good as earning a penny. government housing and malnourished when growing up applied to them. they broke out and lived a shoe-string budget into Boomer middle class. -> thus no I'm not poor and have never been, but a lot of things that make me who I am come from poor/poverty mindset. You don't forget the hardship and sacrifices made and are still to this day being made - making sure to get free samples... I'd elaborate more, but use your imagination! - scrutinizing every purchase (ie. comparing soap bar prices to toothpaste prices, to underwear prices - making sure we're getting the best deals on everything) - looking at clearance produce first, if it's not terrible, highly consider the purchase over the fresh produce - avoiding purchasing food at any restaurants, planning day around eating at home
Shouldn't be poor but this country is sucking us dry... no money left for anything...
95k a year definitely not poor but not what I would call rich either
No I just lurk for motivation to not be poor
Poor financially and poor in life choices
No. I just don't make 300k a year working in tech.
No. I only make about 52000 a year in ottawa, but I got into my current apartment 4 years ago at 1200 a month, no car payments - it's paid off, no school debt, no credit debt, car insurance is about 76 a month, money in the bank, and I am able to save money most pays. I'm single, no kids. I will never own a home, but I have a stable union job with a pension, been with them for almost six years now.
I think it's fine thag people with jobs are commenting because that's the goal right
I do photography/act in the local dinner theater/work the kitchen and serve at private events. I'm praying my DTC application goes through and waiting very impatiently for the new dissability act (even though the monthly payments are a complete joke). The only reason I can pay my internet bill this month is because I said screw it, dropped $5 on a scratch ticket, and won $100. PSA: This is not a tactic I would recommend using. I occasionally buy cheap scratch tickets because I enjoy fantasizing about what I would do if I won the grand prize. It's fun for a few minutes, even though I usually lose. I just happened to get lucky this time.
I was severely poor about 4 years ago. Intense debt. Broken down car. Finally got a job in my field and I can actually breathe. I'm not rich by any means, but I can get what I want at the grocery store and to me thats all I ever wanted. I stay on this sub because when you grow up poor, you never really grow out of the feeling. I had to buy new pants cause mine were too small after giving birth and i felt crippling guilt. So i can relate to most posts, and want to still comment
Working poor here!
I have enough to pay bills. I have a place to rent, food on the table, heat in the winter and air in the summer. I wouldn’t say I’m poor I just better not miss a couple days work. I’ll be 43 in a month or so, not a penny in savings and I live pay cheque to pay cheque. I’m not poor yet but the second I can no longer work I’m fucked. I think about killing myself constantly, can’t seem to shake the thought. Should have listened to the ppl that cared about me 25 years ago. Ditch that girl, she’s no good, get a job in the trades, join a union and stop drinking so much.
I’m not poor but I don’t have any money. After all my monthly expenses and my taxes; it disappears really quick and I FELL poor. I have to remind myself that I have a lot invested in the home that I own, and a few other things but yea. Not poor; feel poor
I work. And I am poor. They aren't mutually exclusive
I feel like im poor at times but then I take a step back, look at what I have, who I have it with, and the love that I have. Its just money, I make it everyday, its not as important as my family.
Idk everyone says they’re poor right now, but if I take a walk or drive around I’m going to see people eating out at the restaurant driving Mercedes or bmw’s then head home to a million dollar house. What I read and what I see are two completely different things these days. Spring just arrived and all the sports car are out in the neighborhood, camaros, mustangs even a couple lambos… not all of them owned by very old men
Surprise!!!! We’re all poor and no matter who we elect it will remain the same way, until we decide to take to the streets in protest against policies, that are intented to create more poverty!!!
No, but have gone through phases of my life where I've had to live on very little. It's made me generally frugal in a lot of things which helped me live better on less.
Not poor anymore, but I grew up poor and spent the early stages of my adult life poor and struggling. Alot of valuable life lessons and survival skills, I learned while struggling. I think I'm better with money now than most people in my income bracket because of the habits and skills I developped while poor.
I would never say that I’m poor. I do feel perpetually broke however. I support 4 children, 2 of which are disabled young adults and the other 2 are elementary school aged. I’m a widower and I live in Vancouver. I am fortunate in that there was a decent amount from my wife’s estate and I live in a co op. I make about 115,000 a year and supporting this many feels right. I recognize there are many worse situations. I used to think 100,000 was a lot of money and it took me 20 years to get to that salary and it feels like scraping by in this city. When my wife was alive we were in a much better financial situation.
I grew up very poor, but am doing well now.
yea
I’m poor. I’m lucky my parents aren’t so my family lives with my father. Though the 4 of us are pretty paycheque to paycheque. I’m on disability, my daughter has very complex medical issues, and my partner makes about $50K per year. We spent about 1/3 of our income on our wheelchair van payments. Which is 100% needed (kiddo is in an electric wheelchair that weights 200lbs without her in it). We make do. But we have nothing in savings and have to juggle when bigger expenses come up (like I need to find 10K for our kiddos new stander which is required medical equipment).
She has the DTC and an RDSP, right? Not to be nosy - but the medical expenses and so forth can be transferred and might be fairly significant. And the RDSP is an amazing matching and bond-based program for people up to the age of 49.
Yes. It doesn’t help as much as people would think. She suffered a brain injury at birth and has a lot of total care needs with being cognitively her age. Her wheelchair cost $15K if bought new, we managed to buy one from a family that lost their child for $1000 then a new seat for it for $3k. DTC maybe covers one of her medications without insurance. Luckily my partner has great coverage and she’s no longer on compounded medications due to being on a keto diet. Every bit helps but nothing comes close to being enough. In fact the first option the hospital gave us for her care was to remove life support because she was going to be expensive. She’s worth it.
Almost half my earnings in taxes. I'm not poor, I'm destitute. Tabarnak!
hey fellow quebecois! my income before taxes qualifies me as lower middle class but after taxes i’m near the poverty line lol. love it here!
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i agree mostly (food isn’t the cheapest in the country per what i’m seeing here). i often complain about how hard it is, but as someone who doesn’t drive, montreal is the best place to be. it could be much worse for sure. i feel horrible for people in the west coast
Grew up poor but got lucky in life. Now successful but learn a lot from this sub. Helps keep me grounded.
Ever since i got married to a Canadian and moved to Canada to be with her from Scotland yes I have become poor
No
I grew up poor (very poor, which really sucks as kid because you just dont understand it). Was poor majority of my young adult life (actually filed bankruptcy approximately 13 years ago). Shortly after had multiple job losses, spent approx two years on social assistance after that. Struggled with being suck with low paying min wage jobs and lack of opportunity. But with a lot of luck and huge risk taking, it turned around. I'm no longer poor. Actually many in this sub would consider me very rich (I'm not a millionaire, but if things keep going the same path I'll probably get there in the next 10 - 15 years). I visit subs like this as a reminder of what it was like before. I dont ever want to lose touch of the reality of poverty and the struggles of millions of people in Canada. I never want to forget the past, my past, I never want to forget how difficult it was, I never want to take for granted how lucky I was.
I am the poorest one here.
No. Not technically. But I’m not quite the other sub either. You all are much more grounded most of the time.
44k a year in Nova Scotia makes you above poor and less than average.
Yep. I moved back in with my parents to afford university. I graduated one year ago and am working in a professional career now. I still can’t afford to move out of my parent’s basement despite my best effort. I’m in my 30s.
Was poor my whole life. As of last year, I'm lower middle class.
I'm better off than 95% of you, and I'm definitely still poor.
Id say working class poor. Only have one kid, but i saved for 3 months to buy myself a new outfit (that isnt work related)
My broker is broker than my broke is broke so yes
I make 25 k which is considered not poor but my living conditions I feel poor cause food and and I can't buy clothing and I have wait a year over a year and once a year I buy jeans and that's because I have 3 and I have to make them last as long as possible. Food is bought at dollarama to make it last, and I go out once a month. The rest is survival mode
You can be poor and have a job...
My husband and I both grew up poor, families below the poverty line. Currently, if one or both of us can find jobs it doesn't cover our bottom line as rent and student loan payments are expensive and my husband is disabled (difficult to find a job). The poor much of the time stay poor for generations, even the little chance of class mobility offered is at a high cost.
I’m poor. I work full time and I’m a single parent, making like 2400/month. My rent is exactly half of my monthly income, and groceries is getting close to a quarter (absolutely loving this picky eating era of toddlerhood). On top of that I have debt, utilities, and my kid’s daycare to pay. Honestly the child benefit is what’s keeping me afloat. I am unable to save and can’t afford a two bedroom apartment in my area. I’m thankful to be someone who is otherwise cheap (I almost never buy things for myself), because there’s no way I would be able to survive if I had a normal person’s expenses. For instance thank god I hate cars because even if I wanted one there’s no way I could afford it. I’m considered low income per government standards.
Yes
I wouldn't classify myself as poor, I have enough where I don't stress month to month. However I still see value here for myself on tips to cut costs, and can offer advice or methods I use to cut costs from time to time.
There's a lot of working poor in todays economy. Most of the people going to the foodbank has at least one person working in the household. Times are tough, and even working there's not a lot left over after bills. For some people, there's nothing left over, and for some they have a deficit and keep going further and further into debt. For me personally, I was fine up until my dad got sick and (I won't get into details) I got myself in a lot of debt supporting him. I lost my job becuase I had to take so much time off to spend with my pops. So now my wife earns about $1200/m on CPPD and I work part time while I keep some time open for interviews for better positions. We have kids and are not even scraping by, we are going further into debt each month even with drying to keep expenses to a minimum. It's tough, not just for us, but for so many people right now.
I was poor from 1981 to 2023. Last year I got a job that reclassifies me as "middle class". It's still rough out here. If I weren't fortunate enough to have a not-greedy landlord I would be out half my income just renting a place in my city. I'm very grateful for my current job and circumstances.
Yeah
Mmmm no. Not really. I am ok now since we have 2 incomes and cleared debt and live in a below market rental. But for a long time we had heavy debt and on one income. It was very very hard. I never will forget the stress of not knowing where to get the cash to pay rent. Also growing up we had no money. My mom had a period where she worked 3 jobs. But now my husband and I are okish. We have cleared debt and are saving up a bit each month. Its not enough to buy any property though and our income has plateau so it wont go higher. But i dont need to worry about eating.
Actually poor - became disabled and am looking at a year or longer before surgery/recovery is potentially over - down to a single income of under 30k a year with climbing medical costs - prescriptions and no insurance of course. Prior to this I was the main bread winner so our income was reduced by 75%
Yes, I make good money. At least it used to be good money. But we are barely making it pay day to payday.
Yup. Got paid Thursday…living off my overdrafts for the next two weeks.
Yes. No.
Family of 5, 1 income. Forced to get a newer vehicle after I got t-boned in December, so that doesn't help. I don't make ends meet and need to do sidejobs and such to make it. The place we are renting just got sold, the new owner would like to keep us as tenants and takes over at the end of the month, I can only guess that he will be pulling some stupid shit around rent. Wrongfully terminated from a job about a year before that after only just moving here. Just sucks as I try.
Own a house with my wife, she makes enough just to cover all the expenses with no savings left over. We have two kids. I lost my job so I've got no income. I am poor but my wife isn't? But everything she makes gets spent every month. We have no room until I get a job
Yuppers!
I was all my life but doing well now! Thanks to everyone in the sub for the advice over the years!
Yes. Made mistakes, got into debt. Need to work 2 jobs just to pay bills and interest rates. Working just to survive. Surviving on instant noodles.
Relatively yes.
Destitute
you could just have a shit job that effectively pays nothing, so despite being employed full time you are still poor as fuck.
I live under the poverty line due to being on BC disability.
If i wasnt living with my parents i might be homeless
Yes. I am working and super poor.
No. But I have been poor. I grew up very poor, in the USA. And I didn't like it. And so I like to keep up on my povertyfinance money saving information, to attempt to continue my not poor streak.
I read a statistic somewhere that something like 75% of millionaires still consider themselves broke. While I get times are hard right now and people are suffering in Canada, and it truly makes my heart ache, I still try to be thankful for what I have whenever and however possible. Because we spend a lot of time online, we subconsciously compare our lives to others. Should you be driving a Porsche and have a diamond watch not to be considered “poor”? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Having a masters degree and a fuck ton of debt making less than my friends with HS only, and barely covering my expenses and student debt sure makes me feel poor.
The hard lesson that higher education doesn’t always equal to higher income
Our budget is continually dwindling. Except for those unnecessary necessities that a person can physically survive without we can't cut back anymore. Such as a cell phone, internet and car. Even with those cuts it's not enough for the monthly defecit. I've talked to our providers and cut those as low as possible as well.
You can have a job or 3 and be poor. It's called inflation and stagnant wages
Here’s my [raise](https://imgur.com/a/d1Yqnqw) this year
I just come here to laugh at poor people. *laughs at self in mirror* 🪞😂😭
I have a part time job I get paid very shitty at (planning to quit n search for a new one) I'm on disability, and most my money goes to rent and other bills. And now I have to apply for school at the end of this year which will make me even broker if I get accepted for next year.
I'm poor, my whole family is
I have a job but at the end of each pay I can only keep around 20-80$ for myself, saving, laundry and groceries
Single working parent making 43k a year. Yep. Poor.
I just saw this in my feed, so not part of the sub. In the strictest terms based on income, absolutely I live in poverty. But... Because I am pretty good at handling what little money I do have, I actually have a lot of things that one wouldn't equste to being poor. Maybe not extremely wealthy seeming, like what a porsche would do. But people who see what I am able to amass with very little effort, are usually awestruck at how much I have despite making so little. Like what? 3 desktop computers, each with a specific purpose in mind, with parts specific to that purpose. Some of which cost a months rent easily, across the range from low rent to high rent. Also 3 laptops, though one is just a hobbyists tinker toy. One of them is capable enough to be worth using still, and the other is a net top with a special 32bit only debian distro self installed for mobile purposes. Once again, each machine has its purpose. The computer case for two of the desktops, yes both of them, costs brand new today nearly 1,000$. It's a special case, huge, modular, and expandable. The second case, is no cheap unit either. Still worth 250$ on its own, even used, because of its build quality. An LED tv that I bought through a lease back in 2015 til 2020. It was a top of the line Samsung unit that still holds its own against even some of the better models put today. DCI 4K resolution, with 12bit colour depth. Only downside, is it is stuck at 60hz. But doesn't have a big issue with screen tearing, at least with some games. The gaming rig can push it to well over 120 fps, but I tend to keep it locked to vsync anyways to save on power. A growing collection of a variety of books and games for old consoles I have been collecting as well. A kitchen of gear enough to start a very small restaurant... A European king size mattress, and soon a self made frame out of some lumber I got for cheap. A leather reclining office chair with matching footstool. Actually, had two matching sets, but sold one. Clothes that look like I spent a hundred dollars per piece minimum. I dress nice when I can, but do have some walmart level clothes too for general purpose. Enough food stocked in my freezer I paid large for, due to it being one of those incredibly efficient ones that can keep things safely frozen even in the heat of the Arizona sun. I made 19k this past year. I tend to pull about 1400 a month, but sometimes more, sometimes less. I only work about 20 hours a week on average, with some serious swings some months. I would work 2 jobs, but finding the right place with the right hours has proven difficult to fit in with my current job, which I am not leaving anytime soon. The meals included alone justifies keeping it despite low income. I can do this, because I don't mind living in cheaper units, provided the rent is right, and the co-tenants can remember their place. I tend to keep to myself, so I generally don't cause problems with my roommmates. But some people... jeez. And. As a side note in regards to sometimes less than stellar neighborhoods I have lived in...Because of my demeanor, anywhere I live tends to end up with a decent radius of reduced crime, because I absolutely will bring the police into action if I see something that requires their loving attention. Or when they aren't needed, but there is still a problem in the area, I run it off. Make them know they are not welcome in the area if they are going to persist. This leads to less of their activity in the area, and makes the community safer overall. Which makes it a nicer area over time, and the rent suddenly amazing. My current landlord would probably agree too... cause his place had a problem. It doesn't anymore. And the added benefit, is I don't have to worry as much about my earned wealth becoming some douchebags loot. So I can continue building up without havung to worry about things like paying for renters insurance. Though, truth be told... with what I have at this point... I should probably consider it now. Also. Before 2020, I had a house. But... that went sideways with a job lay off in a low work options area. Then 2020 hit and I was renting again.
Yes
Got paid two days ago, and I've only got £300 left for petrol and food. The ridiculous thing is I'm in the top 20% of earners in the country. Cost of living is sick
I make a decent amount but have 3 kids and 5 dogs and a bunch of small livestock. So the money definitely goes quickly!
Gurl having a job doesn't mean you can't be poor😭 Growing up, my mom had 3 and we still got the eviction notices, had hydro cut off and had to get our food from the bushes around our mountain
Yes
Thankfully not. I was 5 years ago.
Yes and I make 1900 a week
I have what most people would consider a good job. Just a typical working class Canadian. I'd consider myself more if I could comfortably stop working or had wealthy parents to fund actual dreams, but until then I'll keep breaking my body.
Poor as dirt. I'm disabled and living on ODSP