I've been poor

I've never been rich. I've had more than enough money. That was back when I was first married. We both worked and had nice cars and money in the bank. Even after I had kids and was staying home with them, there was more than enough money. After my divorce, there has been just enough. I get tired of living like this. I am literally one paycheck away from financial disaster. I do have great credit, though. I could buy anything, including a car, on my credit cards. But, as for cash, not so much. Living like this affects your life in a lot of different ways. I believe that I would be a generous person, if I had more than enough. If I were wealthy, I would be a philanthropist. I know how I would use my money to benefit others. I wonder how many people there are like me, who would use their wealth to help others. And how many people there are who have wealth, but not generosity. I know one thing. If you are poor, really poor, the first thing you should do is sell your television (providing you have one, that is). Children who are poor don't need the constant bombardment of ads teasing them with things they can't have. It leads to frustration. I imagine children might feel that they are being punished for something. Of course, they will never figure out what that something is. But, the feelings of not having what it seems that everyone else has, must stay with a child for the rest of his life. They would be better off spending their time playing and reading anyway. My kids always had everything they needed and then some. By the time I sold my house (had to) I had accumulated quite a bit of debt. But, I didn't mind. My kids never knew we didn't have much money because they got to have everything the other kids had (within reason) and they had new clothes and shoes and backpacks for school. I always knew that the day would come that I would sell the house and pay off the debt and I did that. I wouldn't do anything differently. I do wonder what my life would have been like if I had more than enough money during those times.