I don't know what to think

I was just wondering something here.
There are a lot of people on here that say that they cannot afford to get this or that...and they say they are wanting to get something but cannot afford it...like a shotgun worth $180. and some buckshot...or a 22 rifle with $20 of ammo.
I am just wondering how many here are that poor?
The reason I ask is because I work and have a good job and can pay my bills but am not loaded with $$. I go to the store to get groceries and people are on welfare and food stamps and wic but yet they are buying name brand things and eating better than me...with steaks and a lot of the expensive cuts with only name brand things. I have made preps for me with survival situations and have what I want for the most part.
What puzzles me is, are there just a bunch of people full of BS on this site or what?
Do people really need to eat that good every night? what about a burger and mac and cheese?
If you have the $$ or should I say if the gov't gives you the money, they take from me and many others that are working, why not use your head and prepair alittle.
I know some cannot because of the amount they get but some of these people have to be using the system and getting away with a lot that they shouldn't be getting!!

Again I am not saying you all on here are but WTF is going on and why is it so hard for some of you to be able to buy some things that are realitively cheap. I am just curious as to this problem.

I know a lot of benifits are running out soon for a lot of people and I just hope that you all here have been able to make some preps for your future...since this economy is just booming and all...lol

reply to post by saltdog


Damn those champagne sipping caviar gulping poor people.

I don't know where you live, but I've never seen someone who is on welfare doing that. I do see however, people with relatively good jobs spending hundreds on cartons of smokes and very little food before a weekend.

I guess bad spending habits are really not cash based....

The people that have relied on the government housing, food stamps, free medical care and a monthly check will not plan for a disaster.

These are the people that the fema camps are built for. These people depend on the government to take care of them.

reply to post by badw0lf


I live in the USA and I see that all the time...it gets me upset sometimes because they buy all this stuff and then say here and swipe there welfare card and then pull out a fistfull of cash to buy smokes, alcohol and other things not covered or allowed for the welfare card...it chaps my ass to see that...cheating the system and not being a productive member of society...these will be the first ones to come to your house and want your stuff.

I know a couple friends from high school who work in liquor stores, and I know for a fact, from what they have told me, that the store is packed on the first Wednesday of the month (welfare Weds in Canada). It is sad to know that people who take hand outs from the gov't don't use it for things they need, such as clothes for their kids or furthering their education. It is what it is though.

Personally, I work in a fast food restaurant earning slightly more than minimum wage. Although I could probably get food stamps, the process is just too degrading and depressing.
I'm really good at being poor, though.
I have a couple months food stored, am in the process of building a solar water purifier, and intend to invest in some heirloom seeds.
I'm trying to save enough to buy a solar charging system to run my water pump in case power becomes unavailable.
Aside from that, I can't afford guns or ammo, but I have neighbors who are also trying to prepare for the inevitable who have lots of guns and ammo.
Nobody knows what's going to happpen.
Maybe being poor now will be an advantage later when we have to get used to doing without a lot of the things most people have now.

I think a lot of folks that are now on assistance of one form or another never were before, are used to certain things in their lives, and it hasn't sunk into their thick skulls yet just how things have really changed. Most of them will never again enjoy the standard of living that they had pre-crash 2008. The same can be said for a lot of people who are still working, and doing OK, but refuse to look through the broad view lens that shows just how much they have lost in the last decade as far as rights, freedom of information and speech, privacy, etc. My guess is that at least 80% of the population thinks that we will get out of our current economic funk and political transformation within a few years. Like somehow the late 90's are just around the corner again, and all we have to worry about is which tech stock to pick, and who is performing fellatio on our Chief Executive. They are wrong.

At his rally this weekend, Jon Stewart said "These are hard times, but not end times." I think it's actually somewhere in the middle of those two options, and there will be many millions who will get one or the other. People just aren't getting it yet. They will soon enough I'm afraid.

i have seen this i used to work in a supermarket chain as a bag boy then i worked in the meat market/seafood. I have seen people buy lobster and steak with food stamps. I actually got suspended for giving a lady a dirty look after she did it because she asked to have me help her with her bags and i acted like i had to do something else i was offended that i made 240 and got taxed like 30 bucks a week and that money went to her and her lobster and steak then she would have the gall to spit in my face once more by seeing my disapproval written on my face and forcing me to load her car for her.Like this bitch was somehow better then me.

reply to post by pcrobotwolf



Honestly? Good for her! You worked in customer service, its your job to pretend to be friendly even when you think some one is a complete idiot.

It seems like I have said this a lot recently but if you see someone on welfare buying name brand stuff or driving anything other than a car valued at more than $2000 blue book REPORT THEM! because they are scamming the system. a family of for gets about $500 cash per month to live on.
Remeber you can only buy FOOD with food stamps.

The people that have relied on the government housing, food stamps, free medical care and a monthly check will not plan for a disaster. These are the people that the fema camps are built for. These people depend on the government to take care of them.

Wow! Any one remember the ATS motto? Anyone? The ratio of people on welfare concerned about preparing for TSHTF compared to the amount who aren't is only slightly lower than then people who aren't on welfare.

Now if you have a problem with people using their excess food stamps to stock pile food, which many do, then that's your problem.

If you have a problem with what kinds of food people buy, then complain to the government about the amount they are being given not the fact that they are getting them. Most people on foodstamps would be able to eat at all if it wasn't for foodstamps, its not their fault the government gives out more than they need.

Yes, I used to be on foodstamps, yes I am a survivalist, so I know first hand. I also that things happen in life leaving you no choice and that it is not a matter of being lazy. Thats like saying all survivalists are crazy people.

I am so sick of broad sweeping generalizations due to a handful of people who abuse the system.

I honestly see this alot!! I have two "friends" that are all caught up in the system and they talk about it as if they are entitled to these benefits. It makes me sick and I won't lie and pretend that I've never been on welfare, I have both as a child growing up (I guess that was my mom though) and as an adult with children. When I was growing up I didn't know any better, we were just the poor family in my mom's group of friends. Later, as an adult, I was on medical assistance during my first pregnancy because I didn't have access to insurance and my boyfriend (later husband) was just a boyfriend so I couldn't be on his. I also got food stamps when we lived in Arizona (2nd husband and 3 kids by this time) and money was extremely tight, the kids had to eat! BUT, the amount they gave me was outrageous $650/mo. I never spent that much on food before. As one poster stated, I'm pretty good at being poor.

Seeing how much the government gave me in food stamps alone, I can see how so many people get used to the "hand-out" and start taking advantage of it. The two friends I speak of would most surely be the first at my door should a SHTF scenario happen. In fact, the one is a single mother of two, her ex has her son almost all the time and her daughter is 14 and running around getting herself in trouble. This woman is seriously, honest to god, sitting around waiting for a "Sugar Daddy" to come and sweep her off to a life more lavish LMAO !!

As it stands, my family is living very much hand to mouth and the money barely makes it to the next paycheck (and more often then not, doesn't make it). However, you will never catch me in a welfare line again!! At this point in my life I have seen too much and am aware of a lot more than I was even a few years ago, which is one of the reasons I am on here now replying to this post hehe !! Together my husband and I bring home approx. $2,200 per month, we both have older cars we own outright, we have only two real "luxuries" and that is Dishnet (sports, cartoons and my Shotime shows lol) and the internet! We both smoke, but we buy tobacco and tubes then make our own, only costing around $25 - $30 a month total. We eat fairly balanced meals that do include burgers and mac-n-cheese along with lots of pasta, chicken and frozen veggies. Red meat is a once a week thing and seafood almost never happens in this house!

So far we have only really stocked up on water and some dry goods like rice, flour and sugar. I own three chickens, but they are at a friend's house, so we have eggs on hand almost always as well. This spring I will be planting a garden outside, but right now I am attempting to grow potatoes and beans in old buckets and trash cans (saw hot to do this in another thread here. We also have basic survival kits for each of the kids and ourselves, but that really is all we can do for the moment.

I know this is a long reply, but I want the OP to know that yes, there are "poor" people out there who abuse the system in every way, but there are also poor people out there/here who want nothing to do with the system and still try to be prepared! Let FEMA build the camps, I know who will be living in them, certainly not me

Perhaps many people are trying to do so much with so little, that they find it hard to yet justify buying a shotgun or a shortwave radio or a spare camp stove or whatever.

If you take a family of four...mom,dad, a couple of kids... after paying bills, groceries, school supplies, an unexpected trip to the dentist or doctor...if you have kids- you know what I mean, then gas, maybe eat out on Sat night, then a car repair or a house repair...pretty soon, any extra money is gone.

Let's say they are frugal or budget minded...throw in a savings account for the kids education/college...maybe a decent retirement plan at work where they are matched dolar for dollar..so they do as much as can. Now, any extra is gone. Make them a good community active family... volunteer a couple of times a month, a few charitable donations... now any extra really is gone.

Suddenly, that cheap shotgun is a major purchase. A shortwave radio or really good hunting knife is pushed back to Christmas or a B-Day.. Food... they already are buying specials and putting some back in the pantry...just in case.

That's how even people that make a decent living struggle to buy all of this "relatively cheap" stuff.

Solutions...start a garden...learn to preserve food... install a wood stove and heat with wood..and cut your own wood...believe it or not...you get a tax credit right now for buying a wood stove. You can buy a used chansaw Craigslist for 50-75 bucks. I'm getting ready to split wood for a person from Craigslist and they will pay me with half the wood.

If possible, get some small livestock...chickens...some towns and cities even allow up to 12 chickens( no roosters) in the limits. If out of town...maybe a few goats. Try to do your own repairs, make things instead of buying them...latches for doors, hinges, fencing, tables, benches, use discarded materials...refuse...why buy 5 gallon buckets when you can drive buy work sites with no one around on weekends and get them from the trash pile free?

It's all about skills and changing the way you see things. Some would see a stack of packing crates waiting to be hauled to the dump...I see free OSB board and lumber and maybe a shed waiting to be built...or dog houses I could build and sell.... perception...skills....after a storm, many people will await the city to haul off storm debris. You could offer to clean up the limbs and debris for free in exchange for the free fire wood...then turn around and sell it or burn it yourself...then use the money saved to buy that cheap shotgun.

Skills...that is the key.

Skills and knowledge

reply to post by IrishCream

My husband was asked to help move an elderly friend from her farm to an apartment yesterday, and to haul away everything that did not fit in the apartment (FARM = Multitudes of awesome items!!) So, for a few dollars worth of gas and some elbow grease amongst many other things he got:

An 80 year old butchers kettle in excellent condition and still in use until he got it.
A couple of tall file cabinets - useful for canned food storage, a poor man's safe, etc.
All of her cast iron cookware - no room for it and her light weight set.
A brand new still in the crate shower/tub unit with plumbing already attached.
A solid steel air tight wood stove with a cook top and room for a baking box.

We live with a limited budget but we do a lot of bartering and labor trading. We spend our cash on bills, food, whatever we need/want and can't barter for.

Well the one thing ive learned since ive been on benefits through sickness. Is those who are on benefits for a long time usualy have two or three ways to make some extra cash, while remaining under the radar. Theres the obvious illegal ways like drugs and theft, but also a lot of clever ways like running a neigbourhood lotto scheme.

This alows for cash from the gov and more in the pocket that the gov dont get to know about. You've probably just seen some of the more enterprising ones.

Let's say they are frugal or budget minded...throw in a savings account for the kids education/college...maybe a decent retirement plan at work where they are matched dolar for dollar..so they do as much as can. Now, any extra is gone. Make them a good community active family... volunteer a couple of times a month, a few charitable donations... now any extra really is gone.

OK...what good is $$ for college if you cannot pay the bills and take care of the HERE and NOW?
There are student loans, grants and several other ways to take care of that...Good intentions don't feed the family or protect them.

I am just a single guy busting his butt to pay my bills, divorce, attorney's fee's(over 300 an hr), child support and rent plus a house aka mortgage(yeah 2 payments for houses...1 for her and kids and 1 for me it ain't cheap), I spend a lot... before i have any for me at the end of the month...yet I still am able to prepair for stuff. Yeah i have a good job, I worked hard to get it and work hard now, It is all what you make of it and if people only wanna sit on there butts and have a hand out well...I have no simpathy for them...there are others that are tring to better themselves and can't for whatever reason...sorry for your luck...atleast your doing the right thing and it will pay off, at sometime and place, it is worth it.

reply to post by saltdog


I dont know about America, but here in the U.K for the past decade. You were'nt that much better off getting a job in most cases. Once you had to pay full rent. Pay for your own prescriptions, dental work, child care. All the things that our Gov helps you with when your out of work, so there were some who could actually make more money from child benefits and income support that you could getting a job.

It sounds to me like you have a pretty decent job, with a good wage. Most people would'nt be able to get that. They'd have to get a min wage job, which wont give them that much more than for doing nothing. I know this sounds wrong and its certainly immoral, but who in their right mind is going to work for the same amount they could get doing nothing.

So here in the U.K the system has definatley got something to do with it. The conservatives are trying to do something about it right now by lowering state benefits, but to be honest. I think some have gotten used to this way of life.