Scenario #1
WHO ARE YOU:
You and your spouse have 2 children, and you have taken in your sister’s child as she was no longer able to care properly for her daughter. The children are ages 3, 7 and 10. The youngest is your niece.
You work part time for $ 11/hour and your spouse works full time for $12.50/hour, and your combined monthly income is $3.240.
When working part time, you are able to care for your niece when not at work. If you were to work full time, you would have a total monthly income of $3.840, but the babysitter or full day care for the three-year old would be $550.
LOOK AT THE PICTURE
If you deduct the total of your expenses from your monthly income, how much money do you have left over to buy food?
What other things would your family need to buy every month? Consider everything that goes into keeping a house clean, washing clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies like paper towels etc. and shoes, clothes, school supplies for the children.
Are there things on your budget that you won’t be able to afford?
Would you choose to work more hours? Look above in “who are you” in order to see positive and negative results of working full time. Perhaps redo the budget calculations in order to see details of working more hours.
See Poverty Guidelines Chart. Is your family’s income above, at or below the poverty line?
Scenario #2
WHO ARE YOU:
You are a single parent raising one 8 yr old child.
You work part time 30 hours a week because you take classes at night school in order to be able to advance at work. You earn $11/hour. Your monthly income is $1.485.
LOOK AT THE PICTURE
If you deduct the total of your expenses from your monthly income, how much money do you have left over to buy food?
What other things would your family need to buy every month? Consider everything that goes into keeping a house clean, washing clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies like paper towels etc. and shoes, clothes, school supplies for the child.
Are there things on your budget that you won’t be able to afford?
Would you prioritize differently in your budget?
See Poverty Guidelines Chart - is your family’s income above, at or below the poverty line?
Scenario #3
WHO ARE YOU:
You are a 77 yr old senior citizen.
You live alone on a fixed Social Security monthly income of $1100.
LOOK AT THE PICTURE
If you deduct the total of your expenses from your monthly income, how much money do you have left over to buy food?
What other things would you need to buy every month? Consider everything that goes into keeping a house clean, washing clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies like paper towels etc.
Are there things on your budget that you won’t be able to afford?
Would you prioritize differently in your budget?
See Poverty Guidelines Chart - is your family’s income above, at or below the poverty line?
Scenario #4
WHO ARE YOU:
You are a couple raising 3 children aged 5, 9 and 14.
You work full time earning $11/hour, but your partner was recently laid off because of cutbacks in the restaurant business. Your partner receives welfare, but only 50% of the possible full amount because you work full time. You don’t have medical insurance as this was canceled when your spouse lost employment.
Your youngest child has asthma and needs medicine on a daily basis.
Your monthly income is $2.300, and along with welfare your total income in the household is $2900.
LOOK AT THE PICTURE
If you deduct the total of your expenses from your monthly income, how much money do you have left over to buy food?
What other things would you need to buy every month? Consider everything that goes into keeping a house clean, washing clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies like paper towels etc. and shoes, clothes, school supplies for the children.
Are there things on your budget that you won’t be able to afford?
Would you prioritize differently in your budget?
See Poverty Guidelines Chart - is your family’s income above, at or below the poverty line?
