Funny thing looking back growing up, I never knew we were poor. We would have fried salt pork and boiled potatoes, spam, Imperial margarine, pasta, and hamburger meat. My grandfather one pace a month would go to the north end of Boston and buy bird nests cakes ( sliced jelly roll with mocha frosting, raspberry jam on top and covered in coconut) still my favorite. Clothes were made by my grandmother who was a seamstress. My hair was always taken care of ( frosted at 12 years old) mom was a colorist. Never went on vacations except day trips every now and then. Went to the beach in the summer for the first time when I was 18. My grandfather and I would drive to the beach when it was storming.. I later learned that he didn't like sand in his toes. Lol he was a truck driver not making much money, my mother worked as a hairdresser and in a factory. We were very poor looking back in monetary standards but very rich that few people can appreciate.