Living on $12,000 a year

Tindella_2

I've read through all these posts with interest - my daughter lives in America with her 2 children - she's a single mum and has had hard times, but, thankfully, is coming through them now. I've been over there when she was really poor, going to different "cheapo" stores for the cheapest bread, milk, basics etc. Their petrol is, of course, so much cheaper than ours - there was a riot when they suggest the price of a gallon would go up to $1 some years ago! Their health care is the real expense - but there is a system whereby the children get covered if you're really poor. You don't - you have to get a job with the medical benefits included - and then you have to have been working for the company for 6/12 months before you qualify! Just have to try not to be ill! When she had the children, it took her years to pay off the hospital bills! Contrary to popular belief, you can have the "treatment" on credit and pay it back over the months - giving birth on credit - not sure if it applies to operations, though!

If you are below the "breadline" -you do get food vouchers - when my daughter qualified, she was entitled to all the premium brands that she had never been able to afford! But she had her pride, and managed to get work that took her out of the "benefits", although she still got medical cover for the children.

Housing is cheaper - but most people where she is rent their accommodation anyway. There are many homeless people there who do not seem to be able to qualify for help - not like over here, where most people who need help seem to get it!

I'm so proud of the way she turned her life around - of course, I tried to help her out financially when I could, when I visited her. But she got lots of ideas from "frugal" websites, clipped out vouchers for food, clothes from "thrift stores" etc. - thankfully, she doesn't have to do it now.

Just to say, all you single mums out there - I know it's hard - I've witnessed it - but hang on in there - I know you're not all parasites - there will be a light at the end of the tunnel! good luck!

ceridwen

Crikey - Hard-up Hester. Your library sounds a bit exorbitant doesnt it - says she, with British understatement! Well Moany Moany - I've trundled into YouTube to see what I can find on Wal-mart - I googled for the Walmart film you mention ("The High Cost of Low Price" ?) and - being a cheapskate - couldnt see a way to view other than by buying it (wonder if one of those freeby DVD rental trials I keep meaning to investigate might have it?). Did find various consecutive episodes of a US Panorama-type programme on "Is Walmart Good for America" and have watched 1st installment so far - will go back for more. Walmart in US, Tesco in UK raise complex questions - poorer people being able to afford to eat v. workers rights to decent wages and everyones right not to live in "clone towns". I have been reading the Guardian's stuff recently re wages of people in places like India who make clothes for UK cheap chainstores/supermarkets - and fact that said UK cheap chainstores/supermarkets have basically halved already low wages of these workers to keep the clothes they sell dirt-cheap (literally throwaway prices) - my stomach duly turned at thought of wearing any clothes made by such poorly-paid people - and the 80 hour odd workweeks they are doing and I personally wont be buying these clothes. I know its not an easy situation - I can manage to "grit my teeth" and pay extra for fairtrade clothing should I require any more clothes (though with my huge stock of clothes - I doubt whether I can justify buying any more clothes for literally years!). Difficult choices for some people I do know. I can only speak for myself and what I will and wont tolerate - I am poorly-paid (by UK standards) - but do manage the extra cost normally of organic food and some fairtrade stuff - but I am aware this is not an easy issue all round. My personal choice is to put my money in these sort of directions - rather than own a car I can perfectly well manage without (at £180 per month I believe it is to run a car - and thats without counting depreciation - which I gather brings actual cost of running a car up to more like £400 per month).

moanymoany

Ceridwen, I know what you mean. At one point in the walmart film there is a clip from a satirical news show. A woman is being interviewed about the poor conditions of people who make stuff for and who work for walmart. The man who hosts the program replies to the clip ...That sweatshirt you just bought for 75 cents should have given you a clue!...

Your post is very pertinant, I am wearing a top from Tesco that cost £2.50. I have it so I will wear it, but you have galvanised me into not buying clothes that have been made at the expense of others. I wonder how much buying fair trade would add to my monthly shop? I'll have to find out.


http://www.lovethatstuff.co.uk/

This is a fairtrade site. It seems there is a market in Brighton and the next one is 18th August - we've arranged to go on a booze cruise that day so I'll go in Spetember and check it out. DD lives in Brighton so we can go together.
http://www.lovethatstuff.co.uk/

Tiger_greeneyes

ceridwen wrote: »

Re the bit about watching tv on line - is that possible for free and without any fancy additional bits I am unlikely to have on my very basic pc - would be glad if anyone can tell me. I have done a little research on online tv - but maybe I have been looking in wrong direction - so I havent found owt yet.

You'll need a tv card and install it - you can get them on ebay for about £15. It's very simple to install them, especially on a desktop. Take the back off, slot it in, connect it up, install software and off you go.

You could pop into pc world and get the advice tailored to your specific computer - but go away to 'think about it' - while you're considering it, buy it from ebay for about a quarter of the price :rotfl:

ceridwen

Hi to Moany Moany

Well we're all a work in progress - me included. I guess for many of us we know what we "should" do and then carry on doing otherwise for the time being whilst our conscience and our finances fight it out for supremacy! Now how many years was it whilst they fought it out regarding organic food - in the end conscience basically won (and wanting to do the best I can to protect my health basically) - but finances spent many years winning, as I found it so difficult to pay the organic "price premium". I am just starting in on thinking in terms of paying the "fair trade" price premium. I am pleased to find its easier to live with my conscience than it was - and I will be delighted when my finances get to the stage that my finances and my conscience are "happily married" !! That must be one of the plus sides of being on a decent income - not having all these "battles" with oneself. Todays "battle" between me and my finances was spotting a huge box of biological detergent in the supermarket at less than £2!!! Conscience won - I know I shouldnt buy biological detergent - as its a supreme environmental "baddy" and I walked home congratulating myself that I am going to stick to my guns and try soapnuts in my washing machine instead!

dolly_day_dream

For nearly four years I have refused to buy 'cheap' clothing because I will not let some one who is even less well off than me suffer so that I can afford to buy it. Instead I buy from charity shops. I simply cannot afford the premium charged by fair trade companies. Charity shops work on lots of levels because not only is the money not going to the big companies but to a charity, the goods have been saved from the landfill and new goods have not had to be made using precious resources or massive mileage to transport it. (I do not know that some charity shops move their goods around the country to different shops) By shopping carefully I am now better dressed than ever, have spent far less and don't feel guilty about it.

moanymoany

dolly day dream and ceridwen, I buy lots of clothes from charity shops. Last week I got a lovely M&S shirt. I think fairtrade is expensive, but they don't have economies of scale. I saw a website for a shop in Brighton and a simple white blouse is £25 - a lot of cash.

I also hate the 'jumping on the bandwagon' of green items. I saw in a card shop today, 'green' bags for sale. So, how are they green - because they are re-usable!

I am currently trying to get old fleeces because I am going to make a rag rug. So far, through freecycle, I have one child's fleece! I was going to use a fleece my DD gave me but I looked at it and washed it and put it with my 'lifetime' clothes.

I have to tell you ... at the moment DH and I are waiting for a foreign student. He is with us for 2 weeks. Somehow, missed his train in Paris yesterday, we got a phone call to say that his train arrived in Waterloo at 4.30pm and he would be at Crawley at about 6PM. His mobile is switched off and no-one has heard from him. He is 19, so not a baby, but I can imagine him wandering around somewhere ... all alone! It is now 8.20!!!!!

7_week_wonder

moanymoany wrote: »

I have to tell you ... at the moment DH and I are waiting for a foreign student. He is with us for 2 weeks. Somehow, missed his train in Paris yesterday, we got a phone call to say that his train arrived in Waterloo at 4.30pm and he would be at Crawley at about 6PM. His mobile is switched off and no-one has heard from him. He is 19, so not a baby, but I can imagine him wandering around somewhere ... all alone! It is now 8.20!!!!!

Apologies for jumping in - completely off-topic, but I've just listened to the news and apparently all hell has broken loose on Eurotunnel and everything is massively delayed. Something to do with an electricity failure.

Sorry if you knew that already, but just in case you hadn't heard...

7WW

dolly_day_dream

moanymoany wrote: »

dolly day dream and ceridwen, I buy lots of

I am currently trying to get old fleeces because I am going to make a rag rug. So far, through freecycle, I have one child's fleece! I was going to use a fleece my DD gave me but I looked at it and washed it and put it with my 'lifetime' clothes.


Snap! my school found some old stock of school t-shirts that were from the 70s and therefore out of date. I could not bear the thought of them being dumped and realistically no one would buy them from a charity shop. I am cutting them up to make a shaggy rug. Once people heard what I was doing they have bought me their old t shirts. I am sticking to cotton as I want to put this in the bathroom eventually.

ceridwen

HI Dolly Daydream

Got a "recipe" for how to make a shaggy rug that you can share with us? (and what sort of cloth/whatever one can use for it)