I’m a PhD student living on a stipend that puts my family well below poverty level, and I can easily buy shoes for my 7-year old whenever he wants. Spare me the unfalsifiable histrionics about how hard it is to be poor, please.
Shoes for my toddler are $30-$40, and while it’s not a burden for me, it certainly would be if I was only bringing home $1200/month.
As a PhD student I was considerably better off than I had been at any time before that.