Why were the Weasleys poor?

[bridge13219]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Wolfie!" <wuff at ...> wrote:
>
> This thought just struck me.
> 
> Their Dad had a top position in the "force",
> which surely must have paid reasonably well.
> 
> Yes, they were a large family, but then...
> No electricity or gas bills, and one seldom
> used car.
> 
> Interesting.
> 
> Wolfie!

bridge13219:

I think you hit on the answer:  LARGE family!  Plus it doesn't sound 
like the department Papa Weasley worked in was high priority so 
maybe it wasn't a high-paying job.  7 kids to outfit and
for school for 7 years!  For at least 3 of the years we read about 
they had 
FIVE kids in school (probably more when Bill & Charlie were in 
school).  The one piece of canon I can think of is in 
HBP when Harry & Ron get new potions books and it was something like 
9 or 11 Galleons FOR ONE BOOK!  No wonder they were broke!