Like My Friend Paula, Most Americans Today Are Considered Poor and No Longer Middle Class

Growing up, I knew my family was lower middle class. My dad always had a job but we lived hand to mouth at times.

Some of the memories from the 80s/early 90s, I have blocked out, but some came to the surface recently:

• Holes in shoes. Using duct tape to repair them
• Empty fridge. I got in a strange habit of rearranging the existing food (usually mustard, milk, apples) to make it look like there was more food than there was. I did this the other day. My husband asked what I was doing. Then I realized I had gone back to that time when food was scarce.
• We couldn’t get new school clothes. If we did, it was from Salvation Army or Kmart.
• My father washing plastic wrap, after using it so he could reuse it
• Staying home when classmates were going on summer vacation. The school I went to did a lot of field trips, so I was able to travel a little like to Boston, NYC, etc.
• Getting made fun of in school for not having the right clothes
• Because we couldn’t afford a computer or word processor, I used an old typewriter to type my school papers.
• Taking hand me downs from neighbors and family. One year we got some old tennis rackets from my rich uncle. Another year, we got clothing from my cousin who was a few years older than me.
• No cable, homemade rabbit ears on our old tv. And when we finally got a VCR, it was like this marvel of modern technology.
• My mom working home health care aide, Walmart, etc. I remember driving back with her in the Blizzard of 93 trying to get home.
• Feeling less respect from other people who could tell we didn’t have a lot of money.
• Getting a job as soon as I could. I was a babysitter, McDonald’s, any kind of job I could get.
• Receiving the food basket at Thanksgiving from the local charity. Trying to be grateful for it, while being embarrassed.
• Having to walk everywhere. My parents had used cars. My dad was good at fixing cars but they tended to…