Reply #9: Being broke also means

[Warpy]

getting the mail after dark because you feel so much shame you really don't want to see any of your neighbors, even though they're all nice folks.

Being broke means keeping one good outfit and wearing it only long enough to apply for a job. The rest of the time you're in thrift shop stuff that was rags when they got it and two years hard use hasn't improved it. You just hope your weight doesn't change before you find a job in that one outfit.

Being broke means staying inside all the time because just a walk to the corner seems to cost money.

Being broke means going to the library on a Tuesday morning when the only other people there are homeless guys who are worse off than you are, just to catch up on the newspaper and magazines the library gets but you can't afford any more.

Being broke means getting down to that stuff in the back of the cupboard that you don't know how long ago you bought and hoping it won't poison you.

Being broke means reverting to that hairdo you thought you'd left behind in the 60s, that ponytail at the nape of your neck. You know it looks like hell, but cutting it yourself looked worse.

Being broke means getting sick and realizing you'll get better or you'll die but the one thing you won't get is help.

Worst of all, being broke means you see pity and contempt in everybody else's face even when it isn't there.