It's not so simple as to just "move to a cheaper area." This requires means to move, a new job to fund yourself, etc. Moving isn't just something you can snap your fingers and do.
I moved once by just getting in the car and driving to another town two hours away. I didn't have a job lined up. When I got there, I looked around and saw a help wanted sign. I went in, told them I could do the job, and they hired me immediately. I started working the very next day. There are millions of job openings.
So yes, I just snapped my fingers and moved. I didn't have a million dollars worth of possessions to move with me. I actually didn't move much of anything. I just kept renting the house I already had and just came back to visit it once in a while.
I agree that there are obvious issues with the system (many such cases) but at the same time people all over the place manage to survive while wasting an insane proportion of their income on trash like new phones, cigarettes, alcohol, a car beyond their means, pets they shouldn't have taken responsibility for and then on top of that the unfortunate burdens many place on themselves such as having children out of wedlock etc.
I only say all that to ask, don't you think u/Aspie scenario is plausible when you remove all of those generally self imposed burdens?
Do you mean disregard inflation and live today on $2.00 an hour? Really?
I know I could live on today's minimum wage. Many people are actually doing just that. A lot of people on social security are doing that, as the average check is just above minimum wage. Mine is a good bit below that. Luckily I'm in better circumstances than back in the 70s. I don't have any vices, and I don't have a lot of the bills average people have, such as cell phone, tv, etc.
What I mean is, if you were in the same circumstances as you were in the 70s, do you think you could do the same things today to just pick up, move, find a car and a cheap house, and find work?
It's not so simple as to just "move to a cheaper area." This requires means to move, a new job to fund yourself, etc. Moving isn't just something you can snap your fingers and do.
I moved once by just getting in the car and driving to another town two hours away. I didn't have a job lined up. When I got there, I looked around and saw a help wanted sign. I went in, told them I could do the job, and they hired me immediately. I started working the very next day. There are millions of job openings.
So yes, I just snapped my fingers and moved. I didn't have a million dollars worth of possessions to move with me. I actually didn't move much of anything. I just kept renting the house I already had and just came back to visit it once in a while.
You have to think outside the box.
Right, which would require the car, the gas, etc.
I'm happy for you that you were able to do this 40 years ago, but I think you need to realize that it cannot work that way in 2020.
I agree that there are obvious issues with the system (many such cases) but at the same time people all over the place manage to survive while wasting an insane proportion of their income on trash like new phones, cigarettes, alcohol, a car beyond their means, pets they shouldn't have taken responsibility for and then on top of that the unfortunate burdens many place on themselves such as having children out of wedlock etc.
I only say all that to ask, don't you think u/Aspie scenario is plausible when you remove all of those generally self imposed burdens?
This comes with an assumption that all people who are going through hard times have poor spending habits/bad vices, which isn't always the case.
So no, I don't think it's always going to be plausible.
Anyone can buy a used car and a tank of gas.
Not anyone
Honest answer: do you think you could do the same thing today as you did back in 1980, same exact amount of money?
Do you mean disregard inflation and live today on $2.00 an hour? Really?
I know I could live on today's minimum wage. Many people are actually doing just that. A lot of people on social security are doing that, as the average check is just above minimum wage. Mine is a good bit below that. Luckily I'm in better circumstances than back in the 70s. I don't have any vices, and I don't have a lot of the bills average people have, such as cell phone, tv, etc.
What I mean is, if you were in the same circumstances as you were in the 70s, do you think you could do the same things today to just pick up, move, find a car and a cheap house, and find work?