I feel so strange now...What should we do with our new life?

Question

Okay, I usually write about my probs & ask q's but now here's something good!!! I've been poor to somewhat poor all of my life. We were dirt poor for the last year b/c my mom couldn't work due to illness. My bro also couldn't work due to illness. Now, my bro is getting disability from the military & my mom is getting disability & she just retired so she should be getting a pention soon. I have a small part-time job. I just calculated it and we're now middle-class. OMG!!! Wow! The only thing is I feel weird now. For the last month, it's been carefree. We've eaten out, bought stuff, etc. We no longer have to struggle. Never again will I have to worry when will more money roll in for the necessities. The only thing is we still have that poor look. Will we always have that? You know how you can look at a person & tell their poor even if they have nice clothing on. Also, I've gained 10 pounds=(

Answer 1

Don't worry about the way you look to other people.  That poor look is all in your head.  But don't waste your money eating out, etc.  People who grow up poor rarely know how to manage money, and when they do get some, they waste it, taking out loans they can't afford, etc., and they end up right back where they started.  Open a savings account, and don't get sucked into the credit game.  Be careful with your money.

Answer 2

Nobody can tell if you're poor by your weight or lack of it, or even by your clothing.  

I know wealthy people who are skinny and I know wealthy people who d**n near wear rags for clothing.

Now the only danger you face is becoming addicted to the idea of being supported by the state.   Keep your job and try to focus on doing something interesting and productive with your future.    

Answer 3

Enjoy your new life, but try to never forget the old one. Take care of those who are less advantaged than you.

Answer 4

I hate to be the downer here but getting disability and you having a part-time job does not ease money woes.  It's government assistance and you still have a family of 3 and only one part time job.

Basically most people are poor b/c of poor money management.  This is your opportunity to try to not be poor your entire life.  Instead of living carefree, eating out and going on shopping sprees whenever you finally have $10 in your pocket, continue to budget.  Stop buying unnecessary items.  Talk to someone (or check some books out of the library) on how to manage money.  People who have money problems tend to have it their whole lives.  If you can learn somethings now while you are still young, you may eventually be able to save up to the point where you can afford life.  You should always have enough in savings for the Horror.  Your refrigerator dies tomorrow.  Can you afford to replace it?  Your car runs over something sharp and you need two new tires.  Someone rear ends you and have to pay your $1,000 deductable.  You should always have enough in savings to afford the worst case scenario.

The difference between a millionaire and the extremely poor is that the millionaire always knows where his money goes and always maintains the budget.  The poor have no idea where that $20 bill was spent and never have a realistic budget.

Answer 5

Chill out and enjoy your happiness.  Don't worry about looks, because you can't judge a book by it's cover.  I am very happy for your family.

Answer 6

Let me enlighten you with a very true story ~

I owned an art gallery and one day a gentlemen came in and one of my dealers saw a customer come in who was, what she said "shabbily" dressed.  She didn't want to wait on him and I was quite upset.  I went up to the gentlemen, introduced myself and he asked why the other dealer wouldn't wait on him.  I tried to make up an excuse but he knew exactly why.  He asked me to step outside and he had me walk him to his brand new Rolls Royce.  Before he left he pulled one of the biggest wads of money out of his pocket I have ever seen.  I apologized but there was nothing I could say, he left. I wasn't worried about losing a sale, I worried about the fact that I had a dealer who cared more about how a person looked than anything else.  I fired the dealer on the spot after I explained the situation because one of my policies is that we always treat "everyone" the same.

It doesn't matter what you look like, how much money you have, where you live....it is what is in your heart and soul.  The man felt belittled and small and I cannot blame him for leaving.  God has blessed you...be happy, enjoy life and enjoy the fact that you are now middle class.  You deserve everything good that has come to you.

Don't feel strange....continue to do you and be you...just be happier and less stressful.

Peace & Love  :)

Answer 7

Send me your money instead!  JUST KIDDING!!! Geesh!  Don't take that seriously!

Anyhow... I didn't know you could tell a person's wealth by their "look."  Obviously you never saw Howard Hughes in his later years!

Shouldn't being fat be a sign of wealth?  After all, if you cannot afford to feed yourself well, then you should be skinny, right?  We just LOVE making assumptions here, don't we?

The "HOW" of how you look is totally a personal choice.  If you would like to improve your image, there are image consultants available (for a fee!) who can help give you that "up-scale" look to match your "up-scale" income.

In the meantime, the last thing to do is to brag about it.  People HATE braggarts, and you'll never make friends (or even KEEP the ones you have already) if you start bragging.

Have a polite day.