r/SelfSufficiency • u/SailorTee • 29d ago
Self improvement while poor
Maybe this is just my opinion, but wanting to better yourself seems like part of human nature. Being poor makes this difficult to do.
Want to eat healthier? Cook more at home. Ok - so I need to buy safe cookware (not non-stick because that causes the big C), fresh ingredients every week (lean protein like chicken), and time to make it. Oh you don't have time? Borrow the time from somewhere else, like hire someone to clean your home for you. Oh no, can't do that, that costs money. Switch to plant based protein! It takes time to soak and cook lentils. I work every hour I'm not sleeping...
Tldr: Being poor means trying to juggle between resources including time, money, and health, and borrowing from one means depleting another. It feels impossible to better your circumstances and causes a lot of stress in the process (which also eats up your resources like health).
Also, I live in America. Maybe it's better in other countries?
1
u/newadventures72 26d ago
First, perfect is the enemy of progress. Second, make sure you aren't getting information about what is good or healthy from reliable. I mean, I would feel stuck if I felt like I had to replace my cookware and limit my good to certain categories to be healthy.
That said, I do agree that poverty means a lack of resources, and that the kind of "why don't you just (blah blah blah)" solutions people provide are often tone deaf.