I was raised in the middle class but have raised my own children in poverty, albeit American style. Sometimes I'm convinced that the stigma of poverty is worse than the actual conditions. In this country it's assumed that if you're poor, you've somehow earned it/deserve it — That you're lazy, lacking intelligence or savvy,or simply doing something wrong. Or perhaps just "a loser," reaping what you've sown. Living in poverty has been and continues to be, an intense as well as an invaluable education. My life is rich and happy, for the most part. Despite having left the consumer class two decades ago.

— Lisa Anthony, Iowa City, Iowa

I had a good job but lost it in the crash of 2008. Since millions were losing their jobs and I was in a bad demographic (female, over 57) I never was able to get a good job again. I was an artist before I was a non-profit director, so if I can get a little money, I buy art supplies.

— Jeanine Mordon

I live on $12,432 per year and Social Security retirement. I live month to month, and I’m broke most of the time. If it weren’t for HUD housing, VA medical, Vets Assistance, in Lake County, IL, food pantries, Food Stamps, Catholic Charities and friends who live at my present poverty level — we mutually help each other to get by — I would not make it. Each of these programs or parts is essential in my survival. If only one piece were missing, I would be very hungry and homeless. My VA medical healthcare saved my life in 2013. I’m chronically ill from diabetes, hypertension, non-allergic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis and other problems, but I manage as long as I spend every dollar wisely.

— Brian McCarthy, North Chicago, Ill.

I have been surviving by eating cheap canned food, using a pre-pay phone for emergencies only, and only watching TV with an antenna. I communicate with only the internet and an old computer. Thankfully I’m finally employed at my skill level, and I’m now making more money. But before I was making $8.50/hr (up from minimum wage before), and have had to pay a minimum payment on multiple student loans for my bachelor degree and a credit card that I used for car repairs and food while I was in college. In Virginia, I made too much to qualify for food stamps. That made paying for food, rent, gas for the car (an old beater) and bills barely possible. I was living paycheck to paycheck, and essentially still am living that way, except since making more money with a job more tailored to my college degree, I’ve been using the extra income to pay off the credit card and start on the loans. It’s bittersweet, because I finally made it after working so hard through college and through a long drought of under-employment, and now that I’m here, I’m still living the same way, and will continue to do so for years until the loans are paid off.

— Ryan, Lynchburg, Va.

I am living at poverty level having been without a job for over a year. Firstly, I grow our own salad greens and a few herbs. In pots. I compost our kitchen waste to make good soil and do not buy bags of it. In winter I grow sprouted seeds. Farmers markets are too expensive here and the food miles to bring fresh produce to the city range from 50 to 300 miles. Urban foraging has given us jams and jellies that I make. I know how to stretch one chicken into 7 days of meals feeding four people. No pre-packaged food comes into our household. I shop the produce aisle and skip the rest. I am lucky because there are stores within 2 miles walking distance — we do not live in a food wasteland. I also stock up on tinned tomatoes, dried beans, et al. On sale. Learn to cook and take good advice from the grandmothers among us. They lived in depression-times and made do. We can learn these skills again.

— Robyn, Los Angeles

For seven years I lived on $500 a month. The cost of taxes on my small home was over $200 monthly. Volunteering was the only "recreation" I could afford. I feel rich when I have food.

— Sharon Dory, Mendocino County, Calif.