I would move to say that this isn't just a poor Black problem, but an urban poverty problem in general. I lived in one of the poorest towns in NJ for about a decade and saw it first hand with my latin American (those who had been here generations vs those who were newly migrated) and white neighbors also. The immigrants tended to scrimp and save and wear second hand clothes. My poor Latin and white American neighbors though, despite the fact that we lived in the ghetto and the average household income barely scratched above $30K for a family of 4, everyone wore name brands, had big screen TVs, latest DVDs and gaming consoles and games, but would consistently be late on the rent. Back then, I couldn't make sense how they had Calvin Klein bags (poor person's Louis Vuiton), Nike sneakers, and Applebottom jeans, but kept getting their lights shut off. Now I know and understand though, and in this way, these behaviors also keep the poor in poverty. It is the reason why when poor people win the lottery, most end up back in poverty within 5 years.