Last week, Reddit user PrestonRoad90 made a post on the platform, asking those who grew up poor to share the things they believe people with more money will never understand about them.
It quickly gained traction and sparked thousands of heartfelt responses about the lasting impact of financial hardship. Many described how their experiences shaped their views on money, security, and even relationships.
From small but meaningful sacrifices to constantly worrying about bills, the thread highlighted the challenges that the wealthier may never have to consider.
#21
That oftentimes poor people make the decision to buy the thing that makes them happy when they can, instead of constantly saving only for what they need.
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32points
#22
As a fellow poor kid, the stinky kid in class probably didn’t have deodorant/couldn’t afford the proper deodorant. It still could be true for the stinky poor adult in your life. Be mindful and considerate sometimes.
32points
#26
Maybe Obama care has helped. But healthcare wasn’t a thing. Need stitches the lady across the street did that for hamburger meat. Got jumped in the bathroom and have a big knot on your head lay down in the dark while your mom tells you not to fall asleep. I joined the Coast Guard when I turned 18 and boot camp was the first time I had been to a dentist.
My mom had mental health issues. She would get jobs and then lose them. She used me as a p**n in her games with my dad. I went to 21 schools from7th Grade to Graduation. You don’t get to go to college when you have been to 9 different high schools and have months long gaps between them.
People say it’s about making good choices. What if don’t know anyone who makes those like ever?
I joined the military and pulled myself up by my bootstraps so to speak. But it took its toll on my body for sure. But I would be dead or in prison if I hadn’t had a 10th grade teacher who wrote me a plan in detention that would be the best advice I ever got.
My mom had mental health issues. She would get jobs and then lose them. She used me as a p**n in her games with my dad. I went to 21 schools from7th Grade to Graduation. You don’t get to go to college when you have been to 9 different high schools and have months long gaps between them.
People say it’s about making good choices. What if don’t know anyone who makes those like ever?
I joined the military and pulled myself up by my bootstraps so to speak. But it took its toll on my body for sure. But I would be dead or in prison if I hadn’t had a 10th grade teacher who wrote me a plan in detention that would be the best advice I ever got.
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27points
#27
Being told:
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.".
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.".
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27points
#30
Hunger. That dull pain that eats you through to your backbone and you can’t escape, even through tears is something that can only be understood if you’ve experienced it.
The anxiety and shame associated with grocery shopping. The panic when the register total is higher than your mental calculations halfway through and the shame of putting groceries back but please get this one…panicked total check, and playing the game of how much can I get for my money during checkout.
Having to kill a pet so you can eat. Those bunnies and chickens we got were quickly turned into meat sources during the lean times. Hard for an 11 year old kid to understand that bun bun was not a pet and don’t get attached, I went vegan for a while as an adult because I was so traumatized but to this day I’ll eat a rooster as soon as it utters its first cockadoodle because f**k those mean bastards.
The poverty smell. There’s just a smell associated with poverty that can’t be described. I’ll be in public and pick up a whiff and I’m instantly transported back to my childhood/teen years. If you know, you know.
The anxiety and shame associated with grocery shopping. The panic when the register total is higher than your mental calculations halfway through and the shame of putting groceries back but please get this one…panicked total check, and playing the game of how much can I get for my money during checkout.
Having to kill a pet so you can eat. Those bunnies and chickens we got were quickly turned into meat sources during the lean times. Hard for an 11 year old kid to understand that bun bun was not a pet and don’t get attached, I went vegan for a while as an adult because I was so traumatized but to this day I’ll eat a rooster as soon as it utters its first cockadoodle because f**k those mean bastards.
The poverty smell. There’s just a smell associated with poverty that can’t be described. I’ll be in public and pick up a whiff and I’m instantly transported back to my childhood/teen years. If you know, you know.
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23points
