Let the Good Times Roll: 1 Million More Americans in Poverty in 2004

[DanS]

The next question that comes to mind is "why?"

We went over this earlier in the thread. Didn't you read it? The reason it happens is because at this point in the business cycle, our economy doesn't bring people out of poverty at a high rate. This is no different than what was happening at this point in the last business cycle (during Clinton's tenure).

[Patroklos]

$600.00

I live in a two bedroom downtown apartment in one of the best places in Norfolk (Freemason) for $800 a month. I could be renting a 4 bedroom house with a garage and huge yard in VA Beach in a reasonable neighboorhood (excellent schools for $450 a month. Of course we are basing this off a family of three, so I only need two or three bedrooms, even less. You either live in an expensive place, in which the poverty line doesn't accuratly represent you, or you have expensive tastes.

$170 on food is ridiculously high a month, my mother fed her family of four on $250 a month and we ate well. Buy the bag cereal instead of the boxed. I as a single twenty something who eats out two/three times a week spends maybe $100 a month on food. I would spend far less if I could buy/prepare food in bulk. As it is half my food goes bad before I get too it.

$100.00 electricity

Again depending on where you live. I spend $40 a month to power a two bedroom apartment with myraid electronics. I don't use air conditioning by choice, and not having air conditioning hardly makes you poor.

$90.00 gas minimum

If you use it for heating, us Southerners don't need it much. average gase bill $18! But assuming you mean gasoline, then together $90

$91.00 car insurance

Don't forget car payments. But the payment on my 85 Cutless Supreme may run be a total (insurance together) $150.

$1051.00 for $937.50 take home. I still haven't paid my telephone, cable or had any entertainment. I haven't even drank a beer.

Not having cable or being able to drink beer does not make you poor. Actually, it is probobly what might push you over the edge to poor, and a case of it being your fault.

Telephone bill, $25 for the basic cell phone plan with free phone.

So me, as a twenty something living the high life, assuming I lived in a three bedroom suburban rental house and had a servicable if not attractive care, runs me $800 a month. All my basic services. I am sure there are plenty of other bills that some people have to pay, primarily heathcare for the old or those with young children.

But in any case it shows it matters where you live.

And I do this for a job. So many young stupid sailors come to me because they are being hounded by debters and I sit down with them and go over their finances. There are so many things alot of people do that just throws money out the window. Clothing, CABLE, and cars are the worst culprits.

[Patroklos]

That's nice, but we aren't talking about the military.

Thanks

Hanging your head in defeat, excellent.

Those are the governments estimations of the cost of living. Do you deny that your dollar goes twice as far in Jacksonville than in Norfolk?

Thought not. You just got rocked. Your poverty line is crap.

[MosesPresley]

Originally posted by Patroklos


I live in a two bedroom downtown apartment in one of the best places in Norfolk (Freemason) for $800 a month. I could be renting a 4 bedroom house with a garage and huge yard in VA Beach in a reasonable neighboorhood (excellent schools for $450 a month. Of course we are basing this off a family of three, so I only need two or three bedrooms, even less. You either live in an expensive place, in which the poverty line doesn't accuratly represent you, or you have expensive tastes.

$170 on food is ridiculously high a month, my mother fed her family of four on $250 a month and we ate well. Buy the bag cereal instead of the boxed. I as a single twenty something who eats out two/three times a week spends maybe $100 a month on food. I would spend far less if I could buy/prepare food in bulk. As it is half my food goes bad before I get too it.

Again depending on where you live. I spend $40 a month to power a two bedroom apartment with myraid electronics. I don't use air conditioning by choice, and not having air conditioning hardly makes you poor.

If you use it for heating, us Southerners don't need it much. average gase bill $18! But assuming you mean gasoline, then together $90

Don't forget car payments. But the payment on my 85 Cutless Supreme may run be a total (insurance together) $150.

Not having cable or being able to drink beer does not make you poor. Actually, it is probobly what might push you over the edge to poor, and a case of it being your fault.

Telephone bill, $25 for the basic cell phone plan with free phone.

So me, as a twenty something living the high life, assuming I lived in a three bedroom suburban rental house and had a servicable if not attractive care, runs me $800 a month. All my basic services. I am sure there are plenty of other bills that some people have to pay, primarily heathcare for the old or those with young children.

But in any case it shows it matters where you live.

And I do this for a job. So many young stupid sailors come to me because they are being hounded by debters and I sit down with them and go over their finances. There are so many things alot of people do that just throws money out the window. Clothing, CABLE, and cars are the worst culprits.

Expensive tastes! Beans and chicken. No steak or cereal allowed in that figure. Cereal is expensive. $170.00 is not ridiculously high. I included in that figure the various sundries, toiletries, cleaners, soap and things of that nature.

I know the south has a cheaper cost of living. In Tennessee for instance, electricity is ridiculously cheap. A quick question do you do most of your food shopping at the commisary? That will save you a bundle. Shopping at the PX or exchange will save you a bunch on clothes too. Civilians don't have that luxury.

I forgot clothing costs too. I know in the military, your clothing costs are restricted to cleaning bills mostly, but in the civilian world, if you don't dress appropriately at your job, including regular haircuts, you don't get good reviews. Again that doesn't mean Ralph Lauren outfits, but clothes are expensive.

I just checked the paper and the lowest rent available was $665.00. Renting a good place will cost you a minimum of $800 per month.

I was talking about gasoline, but I forgot about the natural gas bill. That's another $30. Much more in the winter. Heating oil can run $200.00 a month or more lately.

$100.00 electricity was without AC. With AC we are talking $190.00 to $220.00.

I even forgot to mention health insurance. That's another $125.00 per month or so.

I forgot the telephone too. I hate it, but that's another $25.00. That's without any long distance calls. I don't have a cell phone, but that's another $50.00.

I forgot car payments. My car is paid off. That's a another $100.00 to $400.00 depending on the car and down payment.

I am sure that I forgot a major bill or two and a bunch of other nickel and dime items and those add up too.

I mentioned cable and beer, because a US citizen is not supposed to live like a prisoner on parole. I don't know how you live your life, but I don't live like a monk or a puritan. Even prisoners get their TV privileges.

(These figures are for one person in the Wilmington, DE area.)

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Moses

You in Wilimington?

What part, near Trolley square?

[MosesPresley]

No, I'm in New Castle actually, just outside of Wilmington. You are from Wilmington originally aren't you? How's Georgia? Is it expensive there? I used to have to live like what I posted above, but now I have a wife and a house.

We are just scraping by as it takes two incomes and there is only one right now. I recently lost my last job. That's why I am posting so much, I need to find a new job and fast.

In fact I'm getting ready to go to the county building to drop off an application and resume.

Trolley Square is a little too expensive for me.

[MosesPresley]

Trolley Square 1BR, hardwood floors, deck, d/w, w/d, ht/w incl no pets $900

[MosesPresley]

Rents are actually going down a bit due to the housing boom.

[Patroklos]

Cancel your internet, a luxury, and save another $30 dollars a month.

Not having cable does not equal living like a monk. There are a good 10 channels you can get free depending on where you live.

If you consider beer a vital component of your happiness, you have other problems besides thinking your poor because of it.

These are all things people waste their money on and then come to me because they can't get their kids eyeglasses.

[MosesPresley]

The financial listing I portrayed was not about me. I have a different set of payments and obligations and they are currently being met.

There is nothing wrong with having a beer now and then. I rarely drink, but the poor people that I hang with, and they are living in poverty, like some beer to help their situation go down a little easier.

[MosesPresley]

Originally posted by Patroklos
Cancel your internet, a luxury, and save another $30 dollars a month.

Internet is no longer a luxury. It is almost impossible to find a job without it anymore. Most of the potential employers I go to don't accept applications any longer. Their human resources department always say "you need to go to our website."

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Patroklos


Hanging your head in defeat, excellent.

Those are the governments estimations of the cost of living. Do you deny that your dollar goes twice as far in Jacksonville than in Norfolk?

Thought not. You just got rocked. Your poverty line is crap.

That is absolutley irrelevent, it's similar to the law of diminishing returns. Once you've reached a rock bottom level, the variations in dollars are pretty much pointless.

1 million people have less dollars, across the board.

The cost of living adjustments only make a minor impact in the overall trend. Since 15K can't take care of ANYONE, regardless of their location, that just tells me that people in those expensive places are hurting even more.

You can throw ice cubes into water that's 180 degrees, or 200 degrees, but it's still gonna melt. Once you reach a certain point, the exact temperature doesn't really matter.

15K doesn't buy anyone sh1t, unless you're a single college student, and that's really about it.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
No, I'm in New Castle actually, just outside of Wilmington. You are from Wilmington originally aren't you? How's Georgia? Is it expensive there? I used to have to live like what I posted above, but now I have a wife and a house.

We are just scraping by as it takes two incomes and there is only one right now. I recently lost my last job. That's why I am posting so much, I need to find a new job and fast.

In fact I'm getting ready to go to the county building to drop off an application and resume.

Trolley Square is a little too expensive for me.

I used to live in Newark initially. Rent was about $450 for a roach infested 2 bedroom.

Saved up cashed in my 401k and bought a 2BR townhouse near Goldie Beacom college in Pike Creek area. Got married bought a 3 bedroom cape cod house in Pike creek.

Georgia is a bit strange anything near Atlanta and the perimeter gets pricey real quick. Further out it gets more reasonable fairly quickly. Similar to Delaware IIRC as i was leaving south of the canal was reasonable while anything north was in relatively high demand. I tend to look for older (16 + yr) houses as my perception is you get ripped off real quickly when buying new construction. We chose our area primarily for school systems ( the best of the worst in the nation ) and settled for an older home.

By the way, good luck finding a job. Is Astra Zeneca still posting jobs?

[MosesPresley]

Below the canal is much cheaper as long as you stay away from Middletown, but there are still some deals there too.

Pike Creek is such a nice area. That's where my parents live. I tried to find a place there, but I couldn't afford it. Maybe if I can find a decent job.

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe

By the way, good luck finding a job. Is Astra Zeneca still posting jobs?

Thank you.

Astra Zeneca, good call. I forgot about them. I better hit them today. Gotta run. I've wasted too much time already.

[Patroklos]

That is absolutley irrelevent, it's similar to the law of diminishing returns. Once you've reached a rock bottom level, the variations in dollars are pretty much pointless.

Then prove it, so far all you can say is "15,000 is poor because I said so," Even though 15,000 in San Fansico is 30,000-60,000 in Cimarron NM. It is simple math Ted, and you have failed to understand it.

Your callous disregard for peoples actual situation is sick.