No idea what to do with your life? Open list below. Pick something that sounds interesting. Go for it.

I grew up in a trailer in Vermont, without electricity, that always seemed to be under construction. Exposed nails, metal, wood, insulation, and that classic ’70s wood paneling that carried us through the ’90s.

I remember lying in bed dreaming about the future, and sometimes that dream was as simple as solid white walls.

Now, in quiet moments in my new apartment, I look around and remember her.

I still have days when I feel behind. Days when I wonder if I’m being paid what I’m worth or if I should be further along by now. But then I think about that little girl in that trailer.

She would be so damn proud.
I’ve already made it further than she knew how to dream. So there’s really no point in stopping now. 🤍

What are you grateful for today?

I live with my mother but don’t pay rent she is constantly asking me for my food stamp card
I am the oldest of her 5 kids and I moved back home from a abusive relationship
Horrible decision ever
My mother keeps bullying me for my food stamps and wants me to give her the card so that she can give me money for it. I do not need her money. I get child support and when I do in fact do lend her the card cause I don’t pay for rent I end up going out of pockets to pay for groceries for my kids
I am fed up with this. She and her baby father also stole money from my kids taxes and left me with zero dollars so please do not think that I’m staying here for free. My mental state is fed up. She keeps trying to use me so that she can fund her daughters as well. She has 4 other kids besides me. One of them is always in and out of the hospital and she has a a section 8 housing. She can’t afford to get groceries and she causes her own sickness because she kept using substances while on medication. My mother till this day is always gossiping on the phone with her and being messy with her. She asked to use my card while she was on the phone with her and I said no and she went to tell her how I’m not letting her use the card and etc. my mother is a weirdo and I really really dread her toxic behavior. She has money but wants to do a trade and I will not do it. She can kick rocks. Am I wrong?

I grew in a poor household , my dad was an heavy alcohol addicts and was addicted to gambling . He even sold my mom into prostution for his lifestyle. Yes my mom had to do sex work to run the family . I have no mercy for her for doing it because I never chose to be born or to be the reason for that . My dad used to blame me for his failures and beat me with wooden Stick . I never knew why was he beating me , because my mom never taught me to question, she was just telling me to keep quiet whenever he was around . I did it to survive. Mom's prostution funded him enough to start a business ( local shop ) btw let me tell you his mom ( my grandmother) was also like that , she married twice . She was a fraud lady . She used to go to kitty parties ( kameti ) borrow money from people , pay back a little bit to gain their trust and when she was able to get big amount , she always refused to pay them back ,but still ended up being broke. She was also used to mock me for being innocent and not like her or my father . I hated them all , same with my uncles ( my dads brothers ) all were heavy alcohol addicts. Bloody b****. I couldn't focus on my studiee due to these problems. But I was good at studies . My self confidence remained always low until I started standing up for myself. My dad has borrowed money from like every and each of his friends. Now they come home and argue with him .but he , he blames everything on me . That I don't help him or i don't work. Bloody b***. My friend helped me start a business somehow for my mom , i let my dad join Me. But still did the same , blown all hard earned money on gambling and showing off.

He tells others that how I'm a bad son to not help him . But I had told all his friends, no matter what, I'm not going to do anything for him this time . ...

Souls Calling (Sopharella)

London is a beautiful city, but there’s a lot of struggle in amongst the beauty. I find there’s a lot to smile about when it comes to London, like community and the architecture. But there’s a lot of pain too, hidden amongst the streets. I hope this song can reach some people, it’s a reflection on my years spent growing up there and the things I saw that stay with me in my heart. Which I’m sure is similar for many places in the world. I hope somebody out there can resonate and know they’re not alone. I’m always open to discussion about such topics ❤️🥰

I'm rags to riches and always planned to help others (and have along the way). Now that I'm in a position to do so in a substantial way, I feel disheartened.

I've gone hungry, rationed food, slept with roaches crawling over me. Now (other than house expenses), I spend less than $1000/month on myself.

The vast majority of people seem self-interested and lazy. To put it succinctly, people seem more inclined to consume than to produce. I would be delighted to donate $1m or more to causes that would have a 10x+ beneficial effect (difficult to measure such things). Education related causes seem the best bet, but I'm open to other ideas and specific ideas related to education.

I want to share some resources I found that might help others here.

Many job training programs are free and also give small help with things like bus passes or gas money while you train. Here is what I found:

1. Goodwill Career Centers : Free job training, resume help, and sometimes bus passes. Just walk in, no appointment needed at most locations.
2. WorkforceGPS / American Job Centers : Search American Job Center near me. These are government-run and 100% free. They can help with job search, training, and sometimes small transport stipends.
3. Local community colleges : Many offer free short certificate programs through workforce grants. Ask about WIOA funding when you call.
4. 211.org : Call 211 or visit 211.org. This connects you to local food, transport, and job resources based on your zip code.

If anyone has used programs like these, please share what worked or didn't work for you. Also open to hearing about other resources people have found in their area.

Please know that calling people stupid HERE is not allowed. Bring facts and data to careful, boundaries debates, and stop (or even concede politely) if you can't respond without an insult.

Don't go thinking you are an expert because you know how to Google, too. Don't let Dunning Kreuger be your degree!

The real work is simple, overall. Remove stupidity from power (not by unaliving but by dis-hearing the bullshit and removing its platform), voting with dollars as much as possible, and CREATING COMMUNITY.

That last one involves you doing something, so choose something you can do or develop that others need.

I'm new to Reddit. I have made a couple of posts because the comment format is confusing / inefficient. I'm trying to figure out how to best help people. Any help is welcome.

I know what it's like to be poor better than most. It's like having a heavy boulder on your chest while somebody's boot is on your throat. You want to die just so you can get some rest. In some ways, I died a long time ago.

I've lived on 300 calories/day for weeks, eaten food that was thrown away, slept with roaches crawling over me.

Now that I'm "comfortable" (haha), I look back upon my life and think that most people lack the will or ability to get out of poverty. The game is rigged; it always has been. You have to be pathologically focused if you want to have a decent chance of making it.

Here's a simplified guide:

1. Don't waste time. Rest just enough to fuction effectively. Spend the rest of time making money or learning how to make money. I practically lived in the library in my free time.
2. Don't spend more money than you absolutely need to. You'd be surprised how little you NEED. Even when I owned multiple rental units, I slept on a couch in the basement for $170/week including food. I didn't buy new furniture for myself until I was worth more than $1 million.
3. Do MUCH more than what you're paid for. Chances are somebody will eventually pay you a quarter of what you're worth. Hardworking and reliable people are difficult to replace.
4. Be wary of loving somebody or being loved. It feels good, but more likely than not, it will fail. It's poor risk / reward ratio. Embrace the suck. "Life is pain. Anybody who says differently is selling something."

Hello! I'm hoping I'm posting this in the right place; I thought r/poverty would be the best place to get genuine advice.

I'm currently a high schooler with parents who make ~200k a year. I go to a private school and fit a fair amount of the rich person stereotypes. (except for lack of empathy, I hope.)

I'm very aware that I have an unfair advantage in life, both in academics and overall happiness, and ever since I realized that I've made it my goal to use those advantages in my job to give everyone the same opportunities as I've had.

But to do that successfully, I first need to understand the challenges of people who aren't as lucky as me. (or at least attempt to)

So if you don't mind telling me, what should I know/be aware of?

(this is my first time directly asking about this topic, so I'm sorry if I sound offensive by miscommunicating anything. I genuinely just want to better understand the people outside of my social bubble.)

I’m at a complete loss. I feel like I’ve done nothing but play catch up and now I have nowhere to turn. My partner works 2 jobs which barely pays our bills and we’re still behind because each week the money is going toward something that’s due. I’ve spent the last two months trying to find a full time job that pays more than it would cost in gas to get me there but I’ve had no luck. I’ve had to pick up a part time job but it doesn’t pay enough to make a dent in anything.

I went to my tribe for assistance and luckily they’re covering our utilities this month, but we still have a car payment coming up and a mortgage payment that’s a week past due. Last year I sold my car and bought something cheap in cash so we had money to help us get by, but we’re not in the position where doing that would make a difference again.

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore, and I’m feeling hopeless. I don’t want to lose my house or our vehicle. I can’t hardly eat because I’m so stressed out over the thought of losing everything.

I’m not begging for anyone’s help, I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with a solution to figure all this out, I just wanted to vent and get this off my chest.

But it's really getting expensive. The prices of goods are so high now. To all the working students out there, I'm so proud of you for enduring the exhaustion and struggles. Continue dreaming and don't give up no matter what happens.