Nickel And Dimed
Dear William Hazlitt, The idea you have presented about money in an excerpt from “On the Want of Money” is quite relevant to the experiment I once conducted. Throughout my research, I came to the same conclusion as you did: Money causes one to undergo dreadful things such as embarrassment, harassment, and degrading. A person cannot simply get through life without money. There is a need for it whether it’s physically or mentally. It is necessary for survival in a world in which everything revolves around currency. Without it, you are viewed as insignificant and those who have more than you feel the right to degrade you in every way possible. 1On page 100 of my book, I explain how in Maine I was disregarded because of my maid uniform. In every place I entered, I received the look of shame and my uniform was like a label that could let the whole world know my shortage of money.
You mention the temptation a person feels to spend more than what is needed to please their needs; a feeling I had encountered a few times through my journey. 2On pages 86 through 89, I discuss a skin irritation which occurred to me during my time in Maine. I was faced with the decision of whether or not to spend additional money than what I could afford. Without a doubt though, I was not about to put my life on the line if it were to become a serious condition. On the contrary, true low-wage workers would most likely struggle with this decision and in the end would agree not to spend the extra money. 3In Minnesota, I encountered the worst hotel imaginable. The allurement to spend more for better housing was too much for me to bear (150-151). Good housing, although an indulgence, was something I desired as a human being. 4Working at Wal-Mart, an employee tried to persuade me into buying a shirt which was on clearance (181). I couldn’t allow myself to take that luxury knowing that every single dollar I saved was necessary in my survival.
5“There are no secret economies that nourish
You mention the temptation a person feels to spend more than what is needed to please their needs; a feeling I had encountered a few times through my journey. 2On pages 86 through 89, I discuss a skin irritation which occurred to me during my time in Maine. I was faced with the decision of whether or not to spend additional money than what I could afford. Without a doubt though, I was not about to put my life on the line if it were to become a serious condition. On the contrary, true low-wage workers would most likely struggle with this decision and in the end would agree not to spend the extra money. 3In Minnesota, I encountered the worst hotel imaginable. The allurement to spend more for better housing was too much for me to bear (150-151). Good housing, although an indulgence, was something I desired as a human being. 4Working at Wal-Mart, an employee tried to persuade me into buying a shirt which was on clearance (181). I couldn’t allow myself to take that luxury knowing that every single dollar I saved was necessary in my survival.
5“There are no secret economies that nourish