Poverty

[HipKat]

Write off everything.
If she uses the kitchen table to do her books, claim that as a haome office.
Gas for the vehicle to get to and from job sites, everything.
And if it's under 25.00, you don't even need receoipts to back it up, although it's best to keep them anyhow.
Meals and per diem if she's working out of town.
Every area has a different rate for per diem. Motels, everything.

Wanna know where to find deductions? Ask a guy that owned a trucking business!!

Grr, that was $75.00, not $25.00...

[HipKat]

I have a few friends who have quite a bit of money - huge new houses, huge luxury SUV's, nannies, every new toy for the kids, etc. None of them were given this money, they all worked hard for it. So, they're free to spend it as they want, I suppose.

I also know people who barely have a pot to piss in.

The funny thing is that the people with plenty of money are no happier than those without it.

Well, no, but they also don't have the late notices, cut off notices and phone calls from the utility they chose not to pay this month, due to the financial restraints.

[steven]

My comments where not meant to degenerate single parents (note the word parent not mom, some men are single parents as well ).

I was trying to make the observation that a lot of times whats considered poor is subjective. Obviously if your deciding wether to buy food or medicine your in bad shape. However as I said a lot of people that think of themselves as poor have tons of toys.

I could even go further and say that as long as you are young, able bodied and have a high school education you could enter the military. If you rule that out as an option for whatever reason then again IMHO your "poor" by choice not circumstance.

[Enough]

Enough:
I agree with you education is key..We are by no means well off..My kids didnt get video games until they got jobs and bought them on their own.We use coupons,stock up on sale items,always look at the clearance racks first and only dry jeans and towels in the dryer..everything else gets hung on the lines in the basement.when each of my kids turned 16 they got part time jobs..Our luxury is the computer & the internet( which is needed for the work I do also)
My kids were always involved in school activites,sports,music etc.. We went to the park, swimming at public pools,Wendt beach and had picnics...The only vacations we have ever taken were weekend RV rentals at Darien Lake where we brought all of our own food. We always had fun and the kids enjoyed themselves.

You sound a lot like our house! We do many of the same things.

In our house my wife and I don't buy extravagant gifts for Christmas. We decide on something that we may want or need for the house and save to buy that. Something like Furniture, a fence, carpeting, etc.

We are so boring, I know!

[granpabob]

are you saying you actually bought a fence for Christmas. the ultimate Scrooge gift you can hide behind it and keep the neighbors away at the same time .not exactly the Christmas spirit

[Enough]

are you saying you actually bought a fence for Christmas. the ultimate Scrooge gift you can hide behind it and keep the neighbors away at the same time .not exactly the Christmas spirit

For us it was the practical gift. This year it's a stand-by generator.

Oh yeah, no neighbors... Just to keep the dog from getting eaten by the coyote's!