Some people take for granted things such as easy access to shelter, food, and water, but these necessities are things that many people in third world countries do not have. It’s heartbreaking that while some people waste food, people in other parts of the world are struggling to survive. I believe that poverty is the state of being extremely poor and is often an invisible problem, meaning people don’t realize it is as bad as it really is. In "Nickel and Dimed," author Barbara Ehrenreich experiences life as someone that earns poverty level wages. This story is a real eye opener to what someone can actually do for only seven dollars an hour. The theme of this book is, from my view, people will never realize what you have until it is gone. People all across the U.S. that live without some of the everyday "necessities" because they can't afford much more than shelter or food and are living in poverty. In this story, Ehrenreich expresses that living on minimum wage is possible, but just barely. Barbara Ehrenreich’s "Nickel and Dimed" summarizes the fact that millions of American workers get by working minimum wage jobs. Ehrenreich had the interest to see if just a solid “work ethic” is enough to provide necessities in life such as shelter, food, and transportation. Ehrenreich’s book is a journalistic version of life being lived on the minimum wages. Beyond issues of income Nickel and Dimed focuses our attention on the problems of everyday living that the working poor must overcome. Problems like personal health, safety, friendships, and personal dignity are all common issues for the working poor.  Working 10 or more hours a day takes an inevitable toll on one’s health, be it at a restaurant or at a cleaning service. People may have the things they need to survive such as shelter but coming home to an apartment or hotel room that is affordable does not mean it is safe simply because a lot of times those lower rent places are not the cleanest or safest places to be staying or have kids growing up in. According to Global Issues (a poverty facts and stats website), over fifteen million people living in poverty today in the United States.[Sha14] What does poverty mean to you? From my own research I’ve concluded that poverty means not having shelter, not being able to