Hello friends! I know it’s been a long time, but work and family keep me busy constantly. I’m still here though! We’re just finishing up spring break – it certainly flew by. We spent the first few days visiting my in-laws in Arizona, and then we’ve spent the last few days recovering from our vacation :-) This trip was the first time I had taken any days off from work (other than Christmas Day) since last summer when I took on a second job (I always work on weekends, since that’s when it’s easiest for us to juggle parenting duties, as my husband’s work follows a more routine M-F schedule). So it was nice to have a few days off. But it was also nice to get back to work when we returned home – I love feeling productive.
I was inspired to blog today because of an email conversation with a fellow healthcare writer. We were talking about the ACA and how it benefits a large majority of the country. She wrote “Did you know that 50% of American families with children earn less than $59,000? Can you imagine raising two kids on less than $59k a year?”
Over the last several years, our income has risen above that level, and we’re certainly grateful that it has. I know that luck always plays a role in success, but we’ve also worked very hard to create our own success.
Anyway, my first thought when I read her comment was “Of course I can imagine that! We spend FAR less than that amount on our family of four.”
Liz @ Economies of Kale says
Nice to see you back :) I definitely agree – the main reason I’m looking forward to finishing this PhD and working full time is so that I can save more of my income. I don’t expect my lifestyle to change very much.
Recently I mentioned to someone that my housemate and I pay $270 a week in rent. They kept asking if it was $270 each, and when I said it was combined, they assumed there must be something wrong with the apartment. The reality is we looked around for a while until we found something we can afford.
kellygroves13 says
I’ve been mulling this post over for a bit. I think the big take away is, as it always seems to be, that we are constantly told we need more. I know that advertising and marketing are huge industries, but I think sometimes it leads people to feeling inadequate if they don’t have the latest and greatest and it really is scary what those messages do on so many levels…personal dissatisfaction, financial stress, stress of always having to put up a front…I am trying very hard to teach my kids that we have so much, too much even, and that just because so and so has something or the commercial says you need something doesn’t mean we need anything more than we already have (new clothes aside…my 6 year old is growing like a week all of a sudden :) )
caitlingracie says
I’ve also been considering this post for awhile, and I think there are three major reasons people think life has to be so expensive: perspective, ease, and contentment. When you live in the US, in a middle class household, there are many, many things that you take for granted that you wouldn’t if you lived as most people in the world do. As I’ve graduated college and become an adult living on my own, dealing with a large amount of college debt, I’m seeing this more clearly. I’m lucky to have a great job with decent pay, but with my hefty loan payments it can feel like a struggle at times. I’m making choices that might seem really odd or harsh to some people in order to avoid taking on credit card debt or spend outside my means. It does mean going without sometimes, or making do, but for the most part it’s not nearly as difficult as people (including myself) think. It does mean I’ve had to be much more creative at times, but I feel so energized and happy when I come up with a great solution on my own rather than simply throwing money at a problem, and I feel great that I’ve saved money. Which is part of the second issue people have–it’s usually more difficult, time-consuming, and thought-consuming to come up with solutions to issues you used to solve just by spending money. Lastly, if people aren’t content with what they (above a living wage with the basics covered) have no amount of money is really going to change that.
Lila says
It depends on your idea of what a good life is.
To some people your choice of not having TV would be a huge detriment to their own life. We have a TV but not cable, but we do have a high speed internet connection. The choice to not have cable TV is not a sacrifice at all to us.
I think it helps that we live in the U.S. because the U.S. is such a wealthy country and businesses are eager for your business so they will have sales, discounts, match prices, etc. Sometimes if you ask for a discount many store managers will comply.
Americans tend to have more disposable incomes than in other highly taxed countries. Also because of the abundance of wealth there are many consignment shops, freecycle listings, thrift shops, flea markets, discount stores, dollar stores, etc.
I know people who have furnished entire homes and wardrobes with second hand items. Honestly I don’t judge them because there are many nice, quality items that end up at second hand stores.
Because America is such a wealthy country, many people regardless of social class have gotten used to this idea of disposable materialism. So if you are not the type who cares that you bought it first, then you can save a huge amount of money by buying used.