Amazon lowers Prime membership cost for those on govt assist

Being poor takes a lot of work. Whether you're on government assistance or not. Being on assistance takes time and effort to make sure you're up with all the paperwork necessary to keep getting benefits and getting them on time. If not, you have to put effort and focus into following your budget very very carefully because one bounced check and you're absolutely fucked. And there are never enough benefits or paychecks to cover everything so you constantly have rob Peter to pay Paul and that is very mentally stressful and exhausting. 

If you can, you figure out a hustle. Or two, or three. There was a time when I worked two steady part time retail jobs (one early, one late), taught arts and crafts one night a week, always had a paid sewing project or mending/alterations going on, took occasional one shift jobs like doing inventory or setup/tear down of events, bought vintage items cheap at thrift shops and sold them at a markup on Ebay, made bead jewelry to sell through a friend who was on the craft fair circuit, and once every couple of months vended at craft fairs myself. Hustle, hustle, hustle. Some people babysit, sew, mow lawns, do handyman work, manual labor for cash payment, hair or nails out of their home, or whatever else they can do to earn money or barter with. Every week on my local Facebook buy/sell page there are at least a few people offering to do any kind of task for cash. Some are cooking out of their homes. Sometimes using food stamps to buy ingredients to turn around and sell finished food for a profit. So they can get a few dollars ahead. I have a disabled acquaintance in her early 60s who sells newspapers outside of supermarkets and I know she isn't reporting that income against her benefits. 

And then there's housing and transportation. If you don't have a car, your ass walks. At least to the bus/subway stop and back. Cheap housing is never where anybody wants to live, so it's always an inconvenient commute to where everybody wants to be. If you're using a health clinic, you probably don't get to pick your appointment time. I have sat at the Medicare/Medicaid hospital with friends for hours and hours while they waited to see a doctor. My college boyfriend was told to be there by 8:30. They saw him at 3. He almost lost his job over having to call in and flake on his afternoon shift, but he needed the medical care. It's exhausting dealing with the bullshit, the crowds, and the general atmosphere of stress. Mentally and physically and spiritually exhausting. 

Maybe you want to work, but you can only work a certain number of hours without going over your income limit. A lot of times the employers want to work you a little bit more than the cutoff, but much less than a living income. You want to get ahead but you can't get on your feet. The college boyfriend I mentioned earlier is stuck in that boat. He wants to work, his disability and other benefits isn't enough to lead a great quality of life. He finds a job he can physically manage and they initially agree to his income limitations. But then there is always somebody who flakes on a shift, or it starts to be a busy season, and they need him to work longer. But he can't because those extra hours are too much to keep his benefits but nowhere near enough to pay his bills and it'll get reported to the government. So he quits or gets fired for not coming in and jeopardizing his housing, food, and healthcare. But he found a hustle and sells items he makes at home. And doesn't report a penny of it. And good for him. Because that means he can see a movie every once in a while, eat at a restaurant, buy some books or a DVD, go to a social event or festival, and maybe buy a pair of shoes from Payless instead of Goodwill.

When you're broke, you feel like there is some kind of monster or animal chasing you and you're only a few steps ahead of it. Seriously, that is what it feels like. I don't know a single poor person, on government benefits or otherwise, who feels relaxed and content while they live it up with their meager means. Life may not suck 24/7 for them, but it isn't a leisurely carefree lifestyle. 

The trivial luxuries some poor people indulge in cannot begin to compare to the stress, hassle, and all around bullshit that comes with making do on a low or supplemental income.