Individuals lacking a high school diploma have the highest rates of unemployment and are paid the least. If you don't have your diploma, an important step to escape from poverty will be getting your GED by passing the Test of General Education Development. This is the equivalent of a high school diploma. In some states, free classes are offered to help you prepare for the GED. The test itself also may or may not be free, depending on the state in which you live. You can find information about how to get a GED in your state here. The United States Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration provides funding for a range of different programs designed to make you a more qualified job applicant. To find out more about their programs, and to find links that will direct you toward opportunities in your area, visit their website. Participating in one of these programs may partially fulfill the requirements for TANF benefits. Any kind of college degree, even a two-year Associate's degree from a community college, can make a big difference in your prospects for employment and the wages you might earn once you do get a job. If it is at all feasible for you to do so, working toward a college degree can be very helpful in rising above a life of poverty. You may think you could never afford a college education, but the Department of Education may be able to offer you a student loan or grant that could put college within your reach. While funding has decreased some in recent years, federal aid can make a less-expensive options like community college a real possibility for many people. To see what options they might make available to you, visit their website and file a Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA).
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One-sentence summary -- Take care of the basics. Participate in a job training program. Go to college.


There is no need to slow down, speed up, or otherwise alter your speech patterns while you are not actively stuttering. Even if you only speak without interruption for a few words at a time, speak them at your normal rate instead of trying to alter your speech patterns to avoid a stutter. It's more effective to relax and focus on what you're saying, rather than tense up and focus on how you say it. A major source of anxiety, and a major reason some people who stutter, is the feeling that you need to push through a word immediately. In fact, slowing down or pausing when you reach a stuttering obstacle can train you to speak more smoothly and with less anxiety. When you get hung-up on a word, your initial reaction will be to hold your breath and try to force the word out. This only worsens the stuttering. You need to focus on your breathing when speaking. When stuck in a block, pause, take a breath, and try again to say the word while gently breathing out. When you breath, your vocal chords relax and open up, allowing you to speak. This is easier said than done, but may become easier with practice. Paradoxically, you can help yourself manage your stutter by intentionally repeating difficult sounds. If you're anxious about the times when you can't control your speech, make the sounds deliberately to regain that control. Saying "d. d. d. dog." feels different than stuttering "d-d-d-dog". You're not trying to force your way through to the full word. You simply say the sound, making it clear and slow, then continue on to the word when you are ready. If you stutter again, repeat the sound until you feel ready to try again. This can take a lot of practice to become comfortable with, especially if you are used to hiding your stutter instead of accepting it. Practice to yourself first if necessary, then work your way up to using this technique in public. A common experience among people who stutter is the feeling of a "wall" or obstacle that they know is coming up at a certain sound. Make this obstacle easier to surpass by leading up to it with a sound you have no problems with. For instance, making a nasal "mmmm" or "nnnnn" sound may help you "sneak past" a difficult hard consonant such as k or d. With enough practice, this may make you confident enough to say the difficult sounds normally, and just keep this trick in your bag in stressful situations. If you have trouble with m and n sounds, you might try an "ssss" or "aaa" sound instead. Hiring a speech therapist to assist you can greatly reduce the effect stuttering has on your life. As with the other techniques described here, the exercises and advice a speech therapist may develop for you are intended to help you control your stuttering and minimize its impact on your speech and emotions, not eliminate it entirely. It may take a lot of practice to use these therapy techniques in the real world, but with patience and realistic explanations, you could improve your speech greatly. If advice or exercise is not working for you, try to find another therapist. More old-fashioned therapists may advise slowing down your speech, or suggesting other exercises that many modern researchers and people who stutter find counter-productive. If your stuttering still causes you severe anxiety, you could purchase an electronic feedback device, a special device which allows you to hear yourself differently and with a delay. However, these devices can cost thousands of U.S. dollars, and are not a perfect solution. They can be tough to handle in loud environments, such as social gatherings or restaurants. Keep in mind that these devices are useful as an aid, not a cure, and it is still useful to practice anxiety reduction techniques and consult a speech therapist.
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One-sentence summary -- Speak at a comfortable pace when you are not stuttering. Take all the time you need to get through a stutter. Keep your breath flowing. Practice fake stuttering. Lead up to an obstacle with an easier sound. Consult a speech therapist. Consider an electronic speech aid.


Remove all fridges from the lot, and delete the phones so that the Sim can't call to get takeout. They'll complain about being hungry, but since they can't get food without a fridge, they'll die of starvation. Children and younger Sims can't die from starvation; the Social Worker will come and get them if their Hunger bar drops too low. If there are tombstones or urns of other Sims on the lot, it's possible for the ghosts to frighten your Sims. When a ghost frightens a Sim, the living Sim's motives will drop; if their motives drop too low, they will die of fright. Generally, the angrier a ghost is, the more likely they are to try and scare a Sim. Certain types of death result in angrier ghosts (such as a Sim killed by fire), and occurrences such as a kicked tombstone, selling the bed they slept in, or their partner marrying someone else will agitate ghosts. Elder Sims will eventually pass away on their own accord, though you can't control when it happens without using cheats. Once you have an Elder Sim, just continue playing them as normal; eventually, when their time is up, the Grim Reaper will come to collect them.  If a Sim dies of old age, other Sims cannot plead for the Sim's life. Sims who Grew Up Badly when aging from Adult to Elder will die sooner.
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One-sentence summary --
Let your Sim starve. Scare your Sim to death. Allow your Sim to die of old age.