People Who Actually Read Terms And Conditions Share The Most Troublesome Things Hidden In The Fine Print
I always read the fine print and terms and conditions. It's one of those things about me that really annoys other people since it takes forever, but I always tell them they can take it up with Tyra Banks.
Younger me was very into America's Next Top Model for a hot minute and in one episode of season four, the girls get hoodwinked into signing a contract without really reading it.
Tyra Banks explaining to the girls that they had just signed away any rights to their rights "in perpetuity" (and then explaining perpetuity) and the girl's melodramatic responses will be burned into my mind forever. Also, the "told you so" face of the one girl who had tried to read it before signing.
One Reddit user asked:
People who always read the "Terms and Conditions", what is the most troublesome thing users agree to?
... and it's like Tyra taught us nothing.
Forced Arbitration
Forced arbitration.
Basically, if their product or service harms you in any way, you can't sue and have to settle it with an arbitrator who has much more motivation to side with the company rather than you so they can get hired more often.
Many, many employers have this clause too.
Also important to note that the clauses often include that the arbiter be from a firm of their choice aka a firm they have on retainer.
This shouldn't be legal without an option to opt out
Your Soul Is Mine
mortal kombat pointing GIFGiphyThe game-station.co.uk prank! I think Gamestop might have done it in the US as well. They changed the fine print on their online purchases to read:
"By placing an order via this web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul".
"Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions. We reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction."
(The link led to a site that explained it was an April Fool's prank and granted a £5 voucher on the purchase)
They also later send out E-Mails to everyone that agreed to inform them they would be immediately nullifying any claim they had on their customers' souls.
- Lynata
Who "Owns" The Art
An online songwriting class where they essentially claimed ownership of everything you turned it. The way it was written, the student technically "owned" the song, but university had the right to do anything they wanted with it, including sublicense it and profit off of it without your permission.
Most sites that allow you to submit content have a clause like this. YouTube or DeviantArt basically own whatever you upload to them, they can profit off it, reproduce it without your permission, all that fun stuff.
- Awsom0
How Powerful Is iTunes?
There's a line in the iTunes terms and conditions:
You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture, or production of nuclear, missile, or chemical or biological weapons.
Apple has it in their movie prop contracts that the bad guy can never use their items. If you start to suspect someone in a movie, and see them use an iPad, iphone, ect., Spoiler alert...
Free Stock Photos
I don't remember the exact details but, when you enter one of costco photography contests you are giving the right to what they want with your photo even if you don't win the contest.
So, basically, the contest are a way to get high quality (because you don't send bad pictures to a contest) stock photos for free.
- mvrk3
As a Canadian Photographer, I only submit to Canadian contests or publishers, as in our copyright law, the ownership always falls back to the artist, and its cannot be signed away. Companies still try it in Canada, and just hope people don't try to fight the fine print even though they have full legal right.
We May
"We may collect some extremely sensitive data, like your device's camera feed"
We may. No words on when they do, which immediately makes me think they're doing it as often as possible.
"and share it with our partners, like partner#1 and partner#2"
Are those the only partners? Are they just examples of a list? Where's the full list then? Who knows.
Even worse when it just stops at "partners."
DNA
space dna GIF by NASAGiphyAncestry and 23andme have a clause that says they own your dna sequence and can do whatever they want with it.
Yeah, this is really scary. Noone should do these tests.
There's been reasonable cases so far where murders have been solved because the killer left DNA traces at the murder site, the killer's second cousin had done a DNA test, and this was enough of a match to call the second cousin in for questioning, ascertain their family tree and boom, you now have 52 suspects to investigate and a high degree of confidence that one of them is the killer.
This, however, can very easily be misused.
Imagine the Hong Kong police getting DNA samples after an anti-regime protest and asking for matches, or the US military doing so to track down a whistleblower like Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning.
- sirgog
A Hidden Contract
This is an old one, but if you bought Windows 7 (Builder's License, reduced price version) and installed it on only your personal computer, you are technically breaking the law. The way the contract is worded basically means that the moment you install Windows, you certify that you are, in fact, a COMMERCIAL PC builder, and that you are building computers for a living, and for financial gain.
And if you don't follow these rules? Microsoft has the right to sue you for violating your contract.
Only problem was that the only COPY of that agreement was INSIDE of the packaging, and placed secretly in a spot behind the placard that tells you your product key.
It's hidden in the papers in the little tab in the jewel case, in case anyone wants to know.
So, in other words, you automatically agreed to a contract that you might even never know about.
Oh, and Microsoft can tell how many times you have used that product key. And they sued people for not using it for it's intended use. Google it.
We Don't Own What We Own
Technology these days - we basically don't own anything that we... Well, own. Nintendo and PlayStation own the rights to revoke your license of your digital Games. It's a small reason why I way prefer physical copies. I don't have any reason to believe they will revoke my license, but I hate that they have the ability to.
Not Without A Treaty
A common one:
"This contract is governed by the law of (insert nation or smaller jurisdiction HERE) and any disputes arising under this contract must be filed in (jurisdiction)."
This clause flat out doesn't matter in Australia. It's invalid and the contract applies as though it wasn't written - but it does apply in some countries without stronger consumer protection laws.
It puts you at a huge disadvantage if you need to sue the company, as you need a solicitor in California or Nevada or Turkmenistan or wherever it might be.
- sirgog
I review contracts for the government occasionally.
I always find it funny when we have to tell a company that we can't agree to put our nation under the Jurisdiction of another nation without a treaty, and that we don't plan on asking for a treaty to buy some off-the-shelf software from one of many resellers.
- fadnn6
More Than A Little Uncomfortable
Last spring I took the AP exams digitally, and there was a clause buried deep in the terms and conditions that said they could record you taking the test using your computer mic and webcam without notifying you (it would override the request to use your cam/mic and your webcam light) and that they could use the footage however they wanted.
I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me more than a little uncomfortable.
All Your Devices
alison brie everything GIFGiphyAt least twice, I've run into a clause that stated that if you used the software, you agreed that the company could send people to inspect all of your devices, and not just the one where the software was installed. This was on software for PC/MAC.
One was a third-party renderer for SketchUp, I forgot what the other one was.
A Year Of Email Reminders
If you sign up to use the Instagram API they send you a contract to sign. The contract has you agree to hand over your books and all server logs to Facebook any time they ask so they can check you're not violating the API terms (it said nothing about them needing a reason to ask).
Also if you choose to not sign, they will email you every 3 days indefinitely, reminding you to sign the contract, with no way to unsubscribe. I've been getting the emails for a year now lol.
A Care Worker
The missus' work contract says that if she invents or creates anything (intellectual properties or inventions), that the company she works for automatically own the rights to it.
She's a care worker. So if she invents a new device or creates a new treatment to help people, the company owns it and can charge/profit however they want.
- Alcopath
Winnebago
There are kind of two sides to this. Yes, some of the terms in contracts are disturbing, wrong etc. but by putting it in contract or as a clear warning label on a product/service the business protects itself from problems.
Like Winnebago now have to specifically declare that cruise control is not autopilot, because someone assumed it was, crashed their RV whilst making a drink in the kitchen thinking that the RV was self-driving, and was injured.
- fpotenza
Know Your Company Policy
Not really terms and conditions, but similar. I worked in HR for several years. I am amazed at how many people do not even skim over company policy or compliance.
I read - in depth - both of them at every company I work for.
Some companies will try their best not to even provide a copy to you, much less direct you to what you are looking for. If you email HR they will give you general "Oh you can find it here on the company portal."
Not only have I saved a few friends jobs by doing this, but also my own. Having at least a vague familiarity with company policy and compliance could one day save you.
Example: Worked for a company where the manager started dating an employees ex. Over night, the employee (also someone I consider a good friend) became the managers enemy.
The environment was getting pretty hostile, and then layoffs came. Guess who was first on managers list to let go? Yep, friend.
I was the supervisor at the time, so he called me and the friend into his office (without any HR rep present; strike one) and told my friend that he was going to have to let him go.
Me, being the overly paranoid type and having read the company policy, was able to dive right in on this @rsehole. I let him know that:
1. In the event of a firing or layoff, a person from HR/Compliance had to be present.
2. In the event of a layoff, (which is what this was) company policy stated that student workers followed by part time associates would be laid off before full time were laid off. I hadn't been in any layoff meetings with either of our two student workers or our one part time worker.
My manager was floored. I advised my friend to go to HR.
Ultimately, the manager was on his last leg anyway and ended up being let go for, you guessed it, none other than violation of company policy.
I would like to say the story had a super happy ending and I got promoted, but this isn't the movies, so I did not. I ended up leaving the company 8 months later for another opportunity.
Historically Inaccurate Movies That Everyone Gives A Pass
Reddit user Agreeable-Beach-3009 asked: 'What's a historically inaccurate movie that gets a pass because of how good it is?'
Generally speaking, we watch movies to escape our current realities and be transported to other worlds.
As a result, we don't always walk into movie theaters hoping for a truly authentic or genuine experience.
After all, how many people in real life actually met the love of their life at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day, after hearing them on the radio?
When it comes to historical fiction and dramas, however, some might say the facts and historical accuracy are a bit more important.
Indeed, part of the ongoing grudge over Shakespeare In Love's surprise Oscar victory over Saving Private Ryan was the latter was applauded for its accuracy, while the victor was anything but.
However, what probably helped in Shakespeare In Love's upset despite its many historical inaccuracies was that when push came to shove, it was a very good movie.
Redditor Agreeable-Beach-3009 was curious to hear what other films people thought were so good, that their anachronisms and inaccuracies should be overlooked, leading them to ask:
"What's a historically inaccurate movie that gets a pass because of how good it is?"
You Mean, Rasputin WASN'T A Demonic Sorcerer?
"'Anastasia'."
"Can you imagine getting murdered, then a movie gets made implying the woman who claimed your identity was the real deal and had to fight a freaky wizard's curse, and there were two knockoff movies made in the same year?"
"Songs were boppin tho."- vworpstageleft
"CRETACEOUS Park" Just Doesn't Have The Same Ring To It...
"Most of the dinosaurs you see in 'Jurassic Park' are actually from the Cretaceous Period."- 3loodwolf117
First Hand Accounts Were Probably A Bit Hard To Come By...
"Gladiator."- chewie8291
"Almost nothing about the movie 'Gladiator' is historically accurate, but it doesn't matter."
"S tier historical drama."- Pixelated_Penguin808
Russell Crowe Gladiator GIF by MOODMANGiphyThose Costumes Though!
"Amadeus."- Sgtp3ppers
"I feel like 'Amadeus' gets a pass because it's an adaptation of a stage play and as an adaptation, it's not trying to be historically accurate but to instead tell a great story, which it does phenomenally."- LadicusRex
Making His Lies Even More Far Fetched...
"Catch Me If You Can."- Bender_Wiggin
"While it all being bullsh*t does take some of the magic out of it, it’s still an entertaining story."
"And the soundtrack absolutely slaps."- rnilbog
It's Safe To Assume The Spanish Inquisition Had A Lot Less Singing And Dancing...
"History of the world part I."- whopper68
"Rome didn't have bullsh*t artists collecting unemployment?"
"Did Mel Brooks lie to me?"- CrunchyDonut42
GiphyGood Delivery Can Disguise Almost Anything...
"Tombstone."
"But I really do love it."- Iwouldntifiwereme
"Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"
"The Life of Brian."- Visible_Claim_388
"'He’s not the messiah he’s just a naughty boy'."- dcrico20
For One Thing, Dogs Can't Talk...
"Balto?"- rmr236
"I love how the premise is that the little girl is telling the story as an old woman, but she was unconscious the whole time."
"She’s definitely pulling that shi* out of her a**."- TheFufe10
sad shame GIFGiphyThere Is, Indeed, A Sucker Born Every Minute. Including Many Who Thought This Movie Told The Truth...
"'The Greatest Showman' makes PT Barnum look like a better person than he was in real life."- viridianvenus
He Was A Man Of Many Talents... This Wasn't One Of Them...
"Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer."- nogoat23
"That movie crosses the absurd into awesome, and I love it."- FactoryOfBradness
Stretching It...
"A Knights Tale."- SoCalRc
"I always wondered how Queen never admitted to stealing such a banger from hundreds of years ago."- londoner4life
heath ledger love GIFGiphySome Of The Irish Accents Were Less Than Authentic As Well...
"'Gangs of New York'."
"Historically accurate setting, costumes and some characters/gangs, but the plot and the events supporting it are largely fictional."
"Damn good movie though."- Lieutenant_Skittles
Tom Cruise Swinging A Sword Is More Than Enough For Some People...
"The Last Samurai."- The Last Samurai
"I was surprised at how good this movie was when I saw it this year for the first time."
"The costumes, action, and acting were all quite good."- OutlawQuill
More Memorable Than The Truth?
"The 1970 production 'Tora, Tora, Tora' pulled off one of the great cons of modern cinematography."
"It convinced an entire generation of Americans that after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto had said 'I fear that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve'."
"There is no evidence that the quote was ever spoken by Yamamoto."
"But it was so perfect and convincing that subsequent Hollywood movies released in 2001 (Pearl Harbor) and 2019 (Midway) unquestioningly passed it off as legitimate."- InstrumentRated
Movies are, first and foremost, a source of entertainment.
As a result, most viewers pay no mind at all to all the complaints historians and scholars may have about them.
If you're looking for speedy answers for a history test or essay, it's best to stick to the textbooks and not rely on Spielberg or Scorcese.
Mischievous military recruits in the process of basic training may not always be seriously punished unless they commit a serious crime like stealing.
Instructors punish those in training with an assortment of disciplinary tactics, which can include yelling and "getting dropped"–or being ordered to do push-ups.
Some instructors, however, like to get creative.
Curious to hear about some unique forms of military punishment, Redditor Defiant_Concert_9542t_9542 asked:
"What's the most hilarious punishment you've ever heard of someone receiving in the military, and how did they end up in that absurd situation?"
These recruits were made to be the laughing stock.
"Forgetting The Hat"
"A couple of guys hated wearing their cover (hat), so they kept 'forgetting' to put it on when going outside."
"Sgt made them each 'wear' the other guy's hand as cover for a few days. They looked so ridiculous/miserable walking around holding another man's bald head."
– Scaphismus
Bad Hat
"Had a guy forget to put on his hat when coming outside during basic training. Instructor told him that it wasn't his fault but that it was the hats fault. He made the guy spank the hat and yell 'Bad Hat' over and over. After that he said even though the hat was bad he still needed to let the hat know that he loved him. He then made him caress the hat and tell him that he loves him."
– Kmo78
Importance Of Being On Time
"So this guy was constantly late to everything. Never out of bed on time, never in formation when he was supposed to be, etc."
"The Sargents pulled a clock off the wall, attached a bike chain to it, and make it look like a big a** necklace. (If you were a rap fan back in the day you may know where this is going)"
"They made the dude wear it like a Flava Flav clock chain. They would constantly scream at him 'Flava Flav what time is it?!?'"
"He learned to be on time real quick."
– LeluWater
Things get more creative.
Perfect For The Gullible
"We would tell every new person in our squadron that they had to set up an appointment with 'Captain Dees.' We'd give the person the local number of the Captain D's restaurant. They'd call the number and ask to speak with Captain Dees. It was hilarious every time."
– Kmo78
Ladybug Story
"I once had a ladybug land on my desk during morning inspection. When staff found it. I had to write a 500 word biography of who the bug was etc. and then had to make sure he was there for the rest of the week in good health for every morning inspection that week. Lol"
– withoutwarningwood
How Touching
"Newly promoted to Sergeant me and my buddy got the task of pre barracks inspection prior to our new CSM barracks inspection which was to be after our 1SG barracks inspection. Ya... anyway, the new CSM wanted troops to actually have their rooms decorated and lived in looking which whatever right? So everything is going fine we're still in good with the E4 Mafia so we're given heads up on whose rooms actually need inspected and which we could just skip cause they were squared away. Last room of the evening and it's bare as a prison cell. Troop was using his woobie (poncho liner) as a blanket, no pillows and literally nothing in this room that wasn't issued not a thing in his fridge etc. Come to find out he has been sending all like seriously ALL his money home to his mom to help raise his 4 siblings. Me and the other Sergeant ordered him to come with us to the PX, we got on the horn to our 1SG explained the situation and he met us at the PX with our entire upper NCO chain and the Commander. We forced this kid to buy over 1000 dollars of items/food/tv/etc for his room and all the money was donated by the NCO chain and the Commander. That was a great leadership was very sad to leave that unit. Sorry long winded lol"
– geriatric-sanatore
Free Concert
"We had a guy who could just not get his sh*t together. We all know that troop. Even the easy things were hard, etc etc."
"The cadre found out he was a former opera singer and also fluent in German. So they made him write and sing opera songs about his f**k ups. This was the only thing he was good at."
"Now here’s where this gets hilarious, beyond one dude singing self-deprecating songs in a marching formation. The cadre would bark 'German style!' and he’d seamlessly switch his lyrics to German. They’d yell 'underwater style!' and he’d take his index finger and flip it up and down on his lips as he sang, making the song sound bubbly."
"Not only could the cadre not hold it together, the guys in his company would absolutely lose it. Complete breakdown in military bearing, and no one cared. Other cadre and instructors would come just to listen and they would be in tears laughing."
"I don’t know where you are now homeboy, but thanks for the laughs."
– vmikey
Environmentally Conscious
"Having to carry a plant to make up for the oxygen he was wasting."
– International_Set522
"I remember one of the others on my intake being sent over to the nearest tree to deeply apologise for wasting the good oxygen this tree produced and explain to said tree why he was such an utter t*t...."
– The_Burning_Wizard
Lesson to be learned: don't lose or forget things that are essential.
What's The Big ID-a?
"Guy kept losing his ID/leaving it sitting in the computer. Chief 'borrowed' it, took it to one of those one hour print job places, had it blown up to like 3 feet across, cut the picture out, and made the idiot walk around all day holding his enormous ID up with his face in the cut out hole. He stopped misplacing his ID after that."
– HakunaYouTaTas
Don't Lose The Rock
"We had a tradition when you were new to the unit and went on our first summer exercise (National Guard) that you would need to carry a rock around with you. It was an inspectable item so it needed to be with you at all times. You were not to let anyone else have this rock. The trick was if you lost the rock, you'd get another rock chosen by the platoon sergeant."
"One guy had a hard time with the 'Don't give this to anyone else' and kept losing his rock. After the 4th or 5th time, the platoon sergeant gave him what I can only describe as a small Boulder. This kid had to lug that rock around for the next week but he made damn sure not to lose it."
– Lawson470189
The Long Road March
"1995 - At mile 4 of an 12 mile hump (quick water break), my assistant gunner forgot the tripod for the M60. The platoon sergeant made him hug and apologize to every tree along his side of the road for wasting oxygen for the rest of the road march. 8 miles of this and no one could go past him. A road march that should've taken three hours ended up taking 12. There's a lot of trees at Ft. Campbell"
– MrL1970
The road from being a recruit to soldier is a tough but rewarding one in the end.
While some of the punishments and actual training tactics seem insurmountable, they build character, better physical endurance, and resilience.
It may be grueling, but it's all part of the military world.
Are you up for the challenge?
It feels like everything under the sun is expensive these days.
So maybe when we look at price tags, we're just having a little financial PTSD.
Some items and services that were once doable have turned into a years-long savings plan.
Like where do the cable and internet people get these price points?
Especially for their "services."
Please.
Redditor Jarvis_Strife wanted to hear about the times the price tag left people a little shook, so they asked:
"What turned out to be A LOT more expensive than you anticipated?"
Used cars.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD?!
How does a 20 year old car with 250,000 miles on it cost THOUSANDS of dollars?!
MADNESS!
Open Wide
Dentist GIFGiphy"Root canal with a crown. I understand now why a lot of people just get the tooth pulled."
Bitey_the_opossum
"Dental insurance barely covering anything is crazy to me. It’s extremely important to keep teeth healthy, being that an infection can kill you, so you think it would be covered under preventative care, but nope."
Jamie9712
The Usual
"Car repairs."
BlackLesbianTroll
"My usual shop tried to charge us $700 for a coolant flush, engine air filter, battery, and spark plugs. I did all of it but the spark plugs myself in an hour for about $120. I have started doing my own oil changes and it's about 50% cheaper. It's crazy how much places by me charge for cheap and easy stuff."
gaybatman75-6
"The fact that every service ends up being an extra $100+ is frustrating sometimes too 😮💨."
-Tired_Phoenix-
Flooring
"Rugs. Biggest shock when I got my own place."
spnginger3
"One of those things I can’t believe people pay full price for. Those things are like 85% margin if you buy them from retail. Find a local auction website and search through it to find a rug distribution center that usually does quarterly (or so) liquidations at auction. You can get thousands of dollars in rugs for a couple hundred bucks."
FairState612
Window Dressing
"When I bought my first house about 5 years ago it was a new build, as such it had no blinds or curtains etc. I’m a blinds guy so we got a company Dunelm Mill to make us measure blinds for the whole house. It was a couple thousand pounds but we had allowed for it when buying."
"The blinds ended up being a little delayed, not a crazy amount but a bit of a frustrating amount - maybe 2 months or so. They straight up gave them to us (and still fitted them for us) literally for free, and they had given us a temporary more basic blind for our bedroom in the meantime!"
jw205
Why so much?
Angry Organized Crime GIF by Law & OrderGiphy"Kitchen garbage can. Why are they $50+!?"
redheadscorp
"Man mine was double that! Options are apparently either a five-dollar plastic bin with no lid that is borderline useless or a $100+ Ferrari trash can. I just wanted one with a lid and a foot pedal to open it."
BellicosePost
Seriously garbage bag prices have gotten out of control.
There has to be a better way to sell this product.
Get Another Quote
Doors Doorways GIF by Joe MerrellGiphy"I had someone come out to the house and he quoted me almost $20k to replace four doors. I passed."
stoneman9284
"I'd get another quote. I spent $1,500 to have an exterior door replaced last year. I had quotes come in from $1,500 to $7,500 for the same scope of work."
Milehighcarson
In the dirt
"Landscaping. Even by yourself."
alwaysyardening
"There's that saying 'cheap as dirt' but soil/dirt is expensive AF."
notjanelane
"Getting quotes on having some landscaping done and wow... it is insane. Four quotes ranged from $1500 to $8500 for the same work. To the point where I called the $1500 and told them maybe I forgot to include stuff because their quote was so much lower. LOL!"
Miserable_Emu5191
"Landscaper quoted us $20k to re-rock flower beds that already had [some] rock in them. We were getting more of the same rock to just freshen it up. I laughed them out of my house. We did it ourselves... very. very. slowly. And very painfully. Still spent $12k after everything was done."
thatChickinBFE
Chronic
"Being sick/chronic illnesses/becoming disabled. Everyone thinks that having a chronic illness or becoming disabled is a great excuse to sit at home and watch TV all day. The constant doctor visits, surgeries, prescriptions, medical devices, and therapies add up to thousands a year."
"And the more you make the more you spend, when I could still manage to work I’d pay for or buy any type of treatment or device I could that promised some relief. $100 massages every week? Ok fancy chiropractor at $40 a visit, sure. $100 massager tool, ok. I’ve spent tens of thousands just because I got in a car accident that left me with chronic back pain and surgery that left me disabled."
"And these are just the monetary costs, there are plenty of costs that aren’t money. Want to enjoy a day out, well now you need to be on bed rest for a week. It’s constant and unrelenting, and unless a miracle happens it will be the rest of my life."
PinkPrincess1224
Every Week
"Seriously, groceries, it's insane how high the prices have risen on everything."
Ddowns5454
"The really shi**y thing is it keeps going up basically on a weekly basis. I work for a major national grocery store and I hang the sales tags for the grocery department. We apparently have this AI that will see how much money they can milk out of customers."
"It will set a price higher and I think based on how much we well over a specified amount of time the system will lower the price if the changed price cuts too much into their profits. I've seen crazy price jumps of like $2 or $3 because they are just trying to f**k with the prices until they hit that sweet spot."
jpaugh69
Every Breath
life GIFGiphy"Life. Even just sitting in my apartment doing nothing costs $2000 a month."
Eyfordsucks
"For real. I pay 1600 for half of a beat-up duplex. After everything, it's like I have my Xbox and that's it."
Lovetopuck37
Life. What a scam.
Even breathing feels expensive.
For many people, the difference between being housed and unhoused is a single paycheck.
For some it's a matter of money management, but for most it's the lack of a living wage for many jobs. Add a poor social safety net and poverty is always a footstep away.
Let's face it—many people have lived with a zero balance in their bank account and bills to pay and empty cupboards.
Reddit user Krisrunnintina asked:
"What’s the brokest you’ve ever been?"
Dumpster Dining
"Found four unopened packages of pasta while dumpster diving."
"Nearly cried."
~ WhimsicalError
"I found like 10 pounds of NAVY BEANS."
"The next week my EBT was approved."
~ LiveLaughTosterBath
Thou Shall Not Steal
"The lowest I’ve been is sneaking around looking for unlocked cars so I could take any change they had."
"I never stole any personal items or whatever. Just change and food if there was some."
"I had too much embarrassment to ask people for money."
"Now, over 15 years later, I still feel like sh*t for doing that. Stealing is stealing."
~ xithbaby
Portion Control
"My most vivid memory from college was eating half a hot dog and saving the other half for the next day."
"That probably cemented my decision not to ever have kids."
~ Sobriquet-acushla
Predatory Lenders
"I got caught up in the housing crisis back in 2006."
"It looked like I had enough to afford a cute little house nothing extravagant. I was surprised when they gave me the loan and as I didn't have much in the way of credit and I was in my early 20s."
"When I went to sign and saw the monthly note, my heart sank. I should have refused to sign and cut my losses but I was dumb and went ahead with it. I figured I could just budget like hell and make it work."
"It lasted about a year. Ant any given point I was either behind on my note or my electricity or gas was cut off. Sometimes all three. Got caught up in an endless cycle of payday loans."
"Came home to an empty house that was with dark or cold every day after 12 hour manual labor shifts, usually taking cold showers with the light from an old hurricane lantern."
"Don't even get me started on food. It usually consisted of rice and beans cooked over an old camp stove I rigged to a propane tank on my back porch."
"Eventually they foreclosed and I had to start everything from scratch. But I learned a lot during that period."
"Took me almost 15 years to get stable enough where I could finally buy a house again."
~ OkaySureBye
Making Do
"I worked as a bank teller for two years, and was able to collect many American silver coins, such as quarters dimes and nickels made during certain years. Had probably $75 worth of silver coins, worth much more to collectors."
"For those wondering, the bank didn't care if I took those coins as long as I replaced them for the same face value - it's all legal tender to them."
"But one day my gas tank was empty. I needed gas, had $0 in my account and no other money. I went to a pawn shop and barely got over face value for all my silver coins. Got 3/4 a tank of gas."
"It wasn't about the money though, it was about those 2 years searching and collecting and getting excited when I'd come across one... all to trade it away for something my car burned off in less than a week."
~ Redditor
It All Falls Apart
"My dad had a coin collection he started in the late 80s. He had probably saved 20lbs of every coin when I finally found his collection."
"His sketchy girlfriend sold it off along with my book collection (lots of first editions like Harry Potter), my n64 and games, along with all my Disney movies, entire first and second round Pokémon’s (most with regular and shiny), and beach cruiser bike."
"She sold the lot of movies for like $3, my Pokémon card collection for about $20, and all my books were basically <$1. I don’t know what she gave the n64 and bike away for."
"I think in total she managed to get about $300 or so for the entirety of my lifes collections up to that point."
"She did it while my dad was at work one day. They did indeed break up, but I’ve never been more broke in my life."
"My dad passed away shortly after, along with the rest of my family and a bunch of lawyers stole my inheritance. All in all I’d frequently have $4 in my account on a Tuesday that needed to last until Friday."
"I had roommates, slept on couches, rented cheap motels until I finally grasped some stability. Still hurts every time I think about what could have been. Completely altered my life."
"I’m in a wonderfully successful and happy place, but I absolutely 100% would look back to see what would have been had none of that happened."
~ otterpop21
Food Shortage
"Really didn't have enough money to eat regularly."
"My mother kept giving me articles about anorexia, couldn't get it into her head I was broke."
~ Sea_Firefighter_4598
Get Out
"An eviction. Watching all my stuff being carried to the curb at 20 years old."
"It definitely changed my perspective and priorities."
~ damnedspot
Hidden Treasures
"'Happy to find some forgotten rice and spinach in a cupboard so I had something to eat until my next paycheck' poor."
~ Hakar_Kerarmor
Counting It Out
"Giving change to a gas station attendant definitely doesn’t feel good."
~ anonomousername
"I did that once but buying packets of ramen. The man behind me in line had the audacity to try to lecture me about how unhealthy they were."
"If you are buying ramen with change, you are not caring about how healthy it is."
"Thankfully I’m in a better place but it certainly didn’t feel good."
~ Draginia
Collateral Damage
"Probably when I was a kid and my parents divorced. My father left us in debt and didn't contribute financially to helping my mother raise me."
"I've never been particularly well off but nowadays I have a job and can afford to do things."
"My mum did as best she could so I didn't go hungry."
"I remember when I got my first paycheck, I went and bought some £2 Ravioli and felt fancy as heck."
~ PKblaze
Starting Over
"I was a single mom of two after just leaving my children’s dad. He cleaned my bank account out from spite and stopped paying for the car that he was driving that was in my name."
"Worked some stuff out with the bank and they took the car without impacting my credit, but I still had to pay an $8500 loan off."
"My 2 year old son and I shared a futon for a year and we had no refrigerator, but we made things work."
"I broke down and cried that first Christmas alone because I barely had anything to give my kids."
"It took a few years, but I was able to rebuild financially and just bought my first home two years ago. My kids are thriving and they are my entire world. They drive me to be a better me every day."
"I learned a lot about how sh*tty people can be from that situation and time."
~ NoodleSpooner
United States Healthcare
"Rolling Pennies for insulin in college before Obama care. My single mom was poor and couldn’t help."
"Back then if you were not insured when you were diagnosed in childhood, insurance didn’t cover insulin because it was a pre-existing condition."
"One month I was so so broke from getting laid off that I applied for emergency Medicaid for my insulin but made 4 dollars over the poverty limit."
"I asked what I was supposed to do for insulin, and they told me to go to the emergency room, which would have put me further in debt."
"I called the local ADA in tears to ask if there was any way someone could get me some expired insulin. The lady gave me a number and told me I could only call it once."
"It turned out to be a man who owned a small private pharmacy that had been a family business. He gave me 4 months of insulin and others supplies that was enough to not only get me through but get me ahead in my rent and groceries."
"Back then over half my money went to insulin and test strips."
"Sir, if you are out there THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness restored my hope. I couldn’t pay you back but I do pay it forward."
~ Nova_Tango
While these stories are heartbreaking, the people came out the other side.
As the saying goes, when you're going through Hell, the best thing to do is keep going.