How Does the Other Half Live?

Yesterday I went grocery shopping. As a college junior it was not my first time grocery shopping, nor will it be the last. The one thing that was unique about yesterday was the price. It was $98.

Let me back up a bit. I literally been living off of granola bars and old cans of chili for the last two weeks due to the fact that I am: 

(A) Poor

(B) Lazy

(C) Terrified to leave the lot by my apartment out of fear of losing my precious parking spot

Because of this I waited far too long and had to buy way more food than normal. But that is not what this post is about.

I wanted to focus this post on the fact that I can barely afford to buy food even though I am working as much as humanly possible.

I work 20 hours a week and attend school full time. I can barely make ends meet. My question is how do others who do not have jobs that pay as well as mine, and tuition that is next to nothing survive?

How do the kids who have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt make ends meet? How do they function?

I know that people often roll their eyes when they hear politicians talk about how student loans should be easier to come by and that when they do come they should be offered at a far lower rate.

My dad always says, "I paid for my own school, why can't everyone else?" 

I get it. It's a valid question. But I guess I just think, "so what?" Just because you are or you were better off than someone does that mean that you get to write them off entirely without helping them?

I'm honestly not saying this for me. I'll be fine, I like beans, so living off them every couple of weeks isn't too bad.

But isn't it about time we decide to help others just because we can? I could be wrong though. I don't know. Think about it.