Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.

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There's a big distinction between living below the poverty line and being homeless, and those terms mean different things depending where you are on the planet. From my observations of many people living below the US poverty line in my rural neighborhood are either fat, chain-smoking cigarettes, able to afford raising two or three kids AND buying tons of beer on a Friday night. That kind of poverty is not the real poverty in my opinion.

Let us all know when it's ready for our review!

It is possible to eat healthy and well for a dollar a day (more or less). I try to do it often. HOWEVER, it absolutely requires a kitchen/appliances, etc. and it involves lots and lots of lentils, rice, oatmeal, eggs, ramen, mixed veggies, canned fish, etc...

Fast food can be a necessity if homeless, but it is certainly a huge waste when you have a kitchen. On my cheat days I treat myself to a $2 pork chop or a $5 sirlion. Either is a damn sight better than a happy meal, but I do have a fully equiped kitchen and a freezer to store "reduced for quick sale" steaks.

No. But I am able to differentiate between those who choose to survive and those who see themselves as victims. Survivors are resourceful, accept a situation, seek to acquire coping strategies and are then able to move on with their lives. Whereas victims tend to make lots of noise, look for someone to blame and seem to revel in their misfortune in a negative way.

People in third world countries are well aware that no one gives a sh*t if they live or die and recognise that in order to survive thay must use every resource at their command. Often people in first world countries, when misfortune hits, see themselves as victims of cruel injustice, victims of the system, and have a sense of entitlement with an expectation that those in authority should do something. Which never happens. It is only when the hardness of reality strikes them that they either become resourceful survivors or become true victims, as in die from starvation.

For someone here to suggest that there is NO accessible waste ground in a big city where a fire could be lit to keep warm or cook a meal is disingeneous in the extreme. If a person cannot find somewhere to prepare a simple meal then perhaps they deserve to die, because the first world is no different to the third world in that "no one gives a sh*t" here either.

We have shops here that sell food that is close to or just past it's expiry date at a substantial discount. On pension days I have seen queues to get in. These people are resourceful and are coping. I have also seen people on park benches with "happy meals" in hand even though there are free public BBQ's available. I suspect these are people on their way even further down.

I think it is cruel to suggest that people should die because they are unwilling to risk arson charges. Many areas don't have free barbecues - certainly there's none in my city.

Good Lord. That's harsh. Sometimes people have executive functioning problems, etc. That's why there are community services.

Poverty is not more 'real' in third world countries it is just exists on a larger scale and higher concentrations of the lowest of the low when it comes to poverty. I mean what poverty is worse in some other places so the issue should be ignored and treated like a non-issue in this country?

Also it would make sense there isn't so much homeless level poverty around you if you live in a rural area, now if you lived in a city you'd see a lot more of that. Also poor people are not immune to nicotine addiction or cigarette smoking, though their ability to supply themselves with cigarettes would obviously be much more limited. I imagine most people of the U.S regardless of economic class would do well in a third world country especially one where you don't know the language.

Which in many places is illegal and they have designed dumpsters specifically to keep people from dumpster diving in them for scraps...

You seem to have the assumption a person at any given time regardless of financial situation is going to have a stock of resources to make it possible to survive in the manner you describe. lighters/matches cost money, that splash of oil would cost money...flour/ingredients costs money. Maybe in the third world it is easier to get those things without money?

Then why keep all that money laying around, does it help him sleep at night having that big pile of cash to sit on and refuse to spend, even for so much as tipping a waitress who provides good service, it is this sort of stinginess I never understand from the wealthy. So in effect your friend is helping to stagnate the economic system it appears.

Yeah no kidding, especially when you have a lot of people with mental or other disabilities in poverty who might lack the mental capacity to be as resourceful as some with less issues. To suggest they deserve to die is well just cruel...there isn't a place to cook everywhere especially if you're impoverished in an urban area. And as others have pointed out there are plenty of laws to make it difficult to do things that are needed to survive if you're homeless...camping in a park/open space is illegal, making a fire anywhere aside from a designated barbaque pit or whatever is illegal(so if you're not anywhere near a park with those you're out of luck unless you want to risk arrest/charges), its illegal to pee/poop outside even if you take care to go out of site its a 'sex offense' if you get caught and charged and there is a lack of availability of public restrooms so what options to people really have? I might be more sympathetic to the view of someone just dying if they cannot find somewhere to cook a simple meal if there where no laws that got in the way of that and if I was not well aware poverty and mental illness/problems much of the time go hand in hand and that could effect ones ability to be 'resourceful'. It's even illegal to sleep at a bus stop a lot of places here, or even stay at one 'too long'.

Wow. Cold, cruel, and insensitive.

Is your last name "Cornwall"? Did your ancestors organize the An Gorta Mor, as well?

Interestingly enough, the cost of the electricity to cook half a cup of rice cost just as much as the rice.

Nothing wrong with good non-emotional Aspie logic. Unlike the medical professions I don't hold some belief that everybody should live until their very last brain cell has died including being kept alive by technology, as long as someone is prepared to pay and the medic gets his share. Cynical - absolutely. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Someone described the late 20th century as the era of entitlement, obviously referring to the developed world. I have strong belief that that era has come to an end. Far too many countries and their citizens have been living on credit for far too long, with politicians propping up their economies by borrowing money from whomever is prepared to lend. Well the lenders are going to start foreclosing soon.

When reading posts on WP, I mentally categorise contributors as Survivors or Victims. Are they here for help in developing coping strategies that will enable them to move on, or do they see WP as somewhere where they can spread their own brand of negativism whilst looking for someone to blame. Somewhere where they can expand on their sense of entitlement with regard to what the authorities should be doing. They can jump up and down, and run around in circles as much as they wish, nothing is going to change so learn to live with it because it's going to get worse not better.

Nusub: BBQ's in public parks for group social meetings are very common in Australia. Whether for work, sports, extended family, even Aspies. Councils recognising the costs of cleaning up afterwards and potential for fires spreading started providing electric BBQ's in designated areas. Initially they had coin boxes, but councils realised that if people had to pay they would have to maintain them to a higher standard, so removed the coin boxes. Just about every large park where people congregate where I live has free electric BBQ's. Just press a button and they heat up quite quickly, staying on 20mins or so, if necessary you may need to press the button again.

Here in Belgium it is even illegal to sleep in your own car
Barbecue in the park would be a wash out for the majority of the year too.
And considering I am not even legally allowed to light a bonfire in my own garden without a permit I doubt you would be allowed to do it in a big city public space.

Exact opposite here. People dozing off whilst driving is a significant problem given the distances we need to travel, so all of our intercity roads have areas set aside for sleeping in your car. These areas are typically well back from the road, have public conveniences and washing facilities to freshen up, and even occasionally electric BBQ's for cooking. There are regular road signs suggesting that drivers should take a break and have a snooze. Back in October, drove over 3000km in the space of a week to visit my daughter and return. It's far to easy to just keep pushing on without taking a break.