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10+ Telltale Signs Someone Grew Up Poor
I remember many years ago, my family received a charity food box for Thanksgiving. My sister and I were so excited as we unpacked the box. Then annoyance coursed through me as I pulled out canned foods my family would never eat. Smoked salmon? Caviar? And then shame that my mom couldn’t buy food. At the time, we only had Kool-aid and a small box of frozen fish in the freezer.
My sister and I were already too skinny, it was obvious we were food insecure.
Food was always a struggle for my family. We supplemented our budget with canned foods from my grandparents. We found ways to stretch a dollar.
So I vowed when I grew up, I would not go through that ever again. And I haven’t. For me, college was the way I got out of poverty. I don’t care what anyone says about not spending money on going to college. For me, college was a necessity to get to a better life.
That’s why I always encouraged my son to go to college. And he is thriving. He has a few years to go but he has grown up so much. Not just from academics, but getting and meeting people from different walks of life. He is learning how to expand his worldview. He will be more prepared for the future being out on his own for these four years, instead of living in the same town he grew up in.
Following Into Adulthood
The trauma of poverty follows people into their adulthood, whether they like it or not. Some signs of someone who had a poor childhood:
- They are cheap, on everything. Generic, clearance, sales. I shop for sales and use coupons constantly.
- They eat all the food on their plate.
- They are handy and fix things. They learned how because they watched their parents not being able to hire help. So they had to do it themselves. I have painted most of the rooms in my house.
- They save condiments from fast food restaurants. I am guilty of this. I have a bunch of sauces from Arby’s and a few other places.
- They hoard food. I am guilty of this.
