I got a lovely call today from the Whitman County Public Health department, the kind lady called to let me know I was eligible for food stamps and could start in the program immediately.
Not gonna lie, I almost dropped the phone.
Me?
Food stamps?
She must have had the wrong number! But low and behold, no. She was talking to me.
Because I'm working for minimum wage this puts my below the poverty line- especially since I'm also a student so I cannot work full time (some can, I cannot) If I had a child- sure.
I thanked the nice lady on the phone and turned them down, telling her that I lived quite comfortably and I'm sure there was someone else out there who needed them more than I ever did. She in turn told me that if I ever needed them to give her a call- she knows sometimes its hard to accept.
Yes, I would agree with that. Being told the local government thinks I'm poor is a little unsettling.
I'm not completely sure how they got this information- I haven't filed taxes in like two years because I make such little amounts of money.
But now that I'm sitting here thinking about it... David and I live in a nice little apartment, have enough food, are warm (important since it's getting so cold suddenly!), and are for the most part happy. Sure, we limit the amount we go to the bar and eat out, we don't see movies, and we piggy back my parent's netflix account so we don't have to buy our own... but we aren't complaining. For the most part I feel pretty thankful for everything I have.
I mean, even my gliders, who aren't the cheapest, are cheaper than a dog and give me the companionship I need. And I can afford them. Yeah, it takes a few paychecks to put away the money for a new cage set, but its worth it and easy to do.
With the economic issues, the Occupy Wall Street, and everything else I've had to re-evaluate where I stand and how I feel.
Here's the math... If I work full time at minimum wage I'll make about $16,000 this year, on the other hand a CEO at Goldman-sachs will make that in about an hour. I'm all for paying according to skill- but I'm also all for a relatively balanced economy.
The 99% movement makes sense to me the more I look at it.
We, as the US, have one of the highest ratio differences of Executives to their factory workers (its something like 1:100, versus Japan which is like 1:17- don't quote me on that.) Today, while watching the browsing Reddit.com I found this:
Someone making "$200,000 is not a rich person," stated president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. "$500,000 is not a lot of money, particularly if there is no bonus," said director of a compensation consulting firm (source)
I'm going to be a teacher, I'm looking at a starting salary of $40,000 and an average salary of $60,000 after 5 years. $200,000 is not rich?! This is mind boggling to me.
I know I grew up ignorant to money purely for the reason that it was never an issue that I saw. Sure mom would say "we need to stop spending" and we would for a little while, but I never went without a meal, or a birthday gift.
As of recent I've been trying my best to figure out this crazy world of finances... including if I should move to a credit union because of Bank of America's new debt charge ($5 a month?! are you joking?!)
The call from the Dept. of Health has made me think... and I'm gonna keep thinking...
Not gonna lie, I almost dropped the phone.
Me?
Food stamps?
She must have had the wrong number! But low and behold, no. She was talking to me.
Because I'm working for minimum wage this puts my below the poverty line- especially since I'm also a student so I cannot work full time (some can, I cannot) If I had a child- sure.
I thanked the nice lady on the phone and turned them down, telling her that I lived quite comfortably and I'm sure there was someone else out there who needed them more than I ever did. She in turn told me that if I ever needed them to give her a call- she knows sometimes its hard to accept.
Yes, I would agree with that. Being told the local government thinks I'm poor is a little unsettling.
I'm not completely sure how they got this information- I haven't filed taxes in like two years because I make such little amounts of money.
But now that I'm sitting here thinking about it... David and I live in a nice little apartment, have enough food, are warm (important since it's getting so cold suddenly!), and are for the most part happy. Sure, we limit the amount we go to the bar and eat out, we don't see movies, and we piggy back my parent's netflix account so we don't have to buy our own... but we aren't complaining. For the most part I feel pretty thankful for everything I have.
I mean, even my gliders, who aren't the cheapest, are cheaper than a dog and give me the companionship I need. And I can afford them. Yeah, it takes a few paychecks to put away the money for a new cage set, but its worth it and easy to do.
With the economic issues, the Occupy Wall Street, and everything else I've had to re-evaluate where I stand and how I feel.
Here's the math... If I work full time at minimum wage I'll make about $16,000 this year, on the other hand a CEO at Goldman-sachs will make that in about an hour. I'm all for paying according to skill- but I'm also all for a relatively balanced economy.
The 99% movement makes sense to me the more I look at it.
We, as the US, have one of the highest ratio differences of Executives to their factory workers (its something like 1:100, versus Japan which is like 1:17- don't quote me on that.) Today, while watching the browsing Reddit.com I found this:
Someone making "$200,000 is not a rich person," stated president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. "$500,000 is not a lot of money, particularly if there is no bonus," said director of a compensation consulting firm (source)
I'm going to be a teacher, I'm looking at a starting salary of $40,000 and an average salary of $60,000 after 5 years. $200,000 is not rich?! This is mind boggling to me.
I know I grew up ignorant to money purely for the reason that it was never an issue that I saw. Sure mom would say "we need to stop spending" and we would for a little while, but I never went without a meal, or a birthday gift.
As of recent I've been trying my best to figure out this crazy world of finances... including if I should move to a credit union because of Bank of America's new debt charge ($5 a month?! are you joking?!)
The call from the Dept. of Health has made me think... and I'm gonna keep thinking...
This is Sarah, just creepin' on you.
ReplyDeleteI get 6% at BECU (I think it might go down after the first $500, but when do I have more than that? Still a competitive rate either way) and it has been really easy with them to transfer to having a joint account with Bern. There aren't any BECUs around here but there IS a WSECU ATM in the CUB as well as on South Grand (across from Dairy Queen, Papa Murphy's, etc) and it's surcharge free. Something to think about.
As far as the food stamps go...I know we already talked about this today and I agree with you. I am all about how I don't spend money on stuff, but then I think about how much I spend on things that are conveniences but I've convinced myself they are necessary (like my car, or my bike). I figure if I'm ever THAT poor I'll stop driving or pimping out my bike so I can eat. Or I'll lose weight. HAHA. Once that happens it's hard for me to justify food stamps, although every couple of weeks they would be reallllly nice...
I'm actually opening a WSECU account tomorrow :P
ReplyDeleteAnd sarah I love when you creep <3 You're my creeper!
Very perceptive, Kirsten. The income gap in the US is GOING to cause trouble down the road. I read a similar article about how even a million a year doesn't qualify you to be rich any more. Watch out, o rich ones.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for your thoughtfulness on this matter. A little sacrifice in life makes you appreciate what you have. Keep your perspective . . . money does not make you who you are it enables you to achieve some things necessary to life.
ReplyDelete