poverty

Here's What You Can (And Can't) Buy With SNAP

There's a lot of confusion about what government food assistance can — and cannot — buy. Here's a rundown.

7 Roadblocks to Retirement (And How to Clear Them)

Looking forward to the day when you can stop working and start living the easy life? If you're not careful with your money, that day may never come.

6 Ways to Feel Better About Your Financial Situation

When account balances are low, it's easy to get down about our finances. There's a better way.

How to Think Like a Billionaire When You’re Broke

If you’re struggling to make ends meet, take some advice from the wealthiest people alive. They got that way for a reason.

How Every Woman Can Take Control of Her Finances

Women, don't be another statistic. It's time to forge ahead on these critical money matters, or face retiring in poverty.

9 Ways Money Does Buy Happiness

Money can't buy happiness? Maybe you just don't know where to shop.

12 Surprising Things Women Should Know About Retirement Planning

Retirement planning makes everyone a little nervous, but for women, there's more at stake — a lot more. Are you saving enough?

The 5 Charitable Donations That Do the Most Good

If you've got some money to spare, why not consider a donation? These five charities are proven to put your generosity to the best possible use.

Poverty Makes You Stupid

Whether you're short money or time, the lack impairs your ability to think clearly and find abundance. A new way of looking at scarcity may offer a way out.

Avoiding the Poverty Tax

Simply being poor can add to a family's cost of living. But the solution isn't necessarily increasing wealth...it's improving skills.

Bohemians Then and Now

Whenever people try to support themselves through their art, the bohemian lifestyle appears out of the resulting poverty and freedom.

Health Care Reform: Good for People Like Me

A long time ago, I had an idea. I was working a regular job, but I realized that what I wanted to do was be a writer. I figured that I could make some money writing, but not necess

USDA Data Visualization Tool

The USDA has just released a cool new data visualization tool called Your Food Environment Atlas. If you're interested in poverty, food security, or the related public policy issue

Book review: Wabi Sabi Simple

I think so. To me, living large is about the breadth and width of my life, not about how high I can pile up stuff. If that is how you want to live large, you'll find a lot of

37 Ways You’d be Better Off as a Bum

First, apologies for the blatantly provocative title (although I do make good on it). But did you know that some people prefer to be homeless? I know, sounds crazy right? But I was

Not free to be poor

Nobody wants to be poor. It's a dangerous and constrained position to be in. But there are people out there (me, for instance) who are relatively happy to live at a fairly low st

A decent standard of living

A certain level of comfort above the minimum for survival has always been considered necessary for a "decent" standard of living. Just how much is a social construction.

The new face of poverty is fat

Twenty years ago, I parked at a supermarket, near where a poor family had just parked. I knew they were poor, because they looked like poor folks are supposed to look: Their clot

Being Poor Without Being Pitiful

I have spent a good portion of my young life being poor. Growing up on a small family farm during the agriculture crises in the 80’s gave me perspective on what poverty really mean

Voluntary simplicity versus poverty

The first person I met who practiced voluntary simplicity didn't call it that, and I didn't understand what she was doing until many years later. [more]