Unpopular Opinion

I've always said there are two types of poverty: budget poverty, and systematic poverty.

Budget poverty is, I'm guessing, what you're talking about. People purchasing luxuries and neglecting necessities. Those with the means to live comfortably, who spend far beyond that and get into trouble.

Systematic poverty is an issue that can't be fixed with budgeting. It's a complicated mess of socioeconomic factors, and here in the US, it seems to often stem from medical bills.

It's fine to be frustrated with the former, but there are some people who don't think the latter exist--that everyone in poverty is only there because they spend beyond their means and therefore poverty is a moral failure of the poor.

Don't be those people.

I agree generally if the things they can't afford are luxuries like $70 video game pre-releases or the finest cheeses and wine.

But I'm not gonna blame someone who doesn't want to eat hot dogs and beans everyday. I don't either.

This is about as unpopular as a sentiment can get on Lemmy but Im old and dont give a fuck about imaginary internet points.

Fact is you are right broadly speaking the problem is that our means keeps buying us less and less every year, that problem is systemic. On a personal level if I had a dollar for every time Ive seen someone whine about their financial situation on social media from their new release top of the line flagship smartphone I wouldnt be commenting this from a clearance sale Samsung A13.

Nothing is affordable and wages are too low.

There are countless full-time jobs that pay so little that it is practically impossible to "live within your means", at least unless you have multiple jobs or still live with your parents.

This page is always downvotes, so I'm not sure if people pay attention to where it's posted.

You sure are right though, don't buy what you can't afford. However shits damn expensive at the moment.

Kinda depends on what your means are though. Some budgets are impossible to balance. It's easy to have a full time job here that doesn't support a minimal lifestyle, like even if you put 3 minimum wage earners in an apartment here it would not work now.

Also most people in the US at least are one medical emergency away from financial ruin.

But if you are putting things like food and healthcare in your bucket of things people can't afford but are buying, sure, dead people presumably don't worry.

Unpopular opinion, the people who downvoted this comment are contributing to the problem.