Could You Do It?

I've reached at least some equilibrium looking at the lives of my students.  I've had a rough time lately dealing with students who receive benefits who complain that they can't survive on what they receive...and that the government should give them more. There's this prevailing belief that they aren't getting enough from everybody, and that is causing them to fail.

Keep in mind I've been to places like India and Iraq where I have seen true poverty.  Poverty does not include On Demand TV or free groceries.  Except, maybe it does.  Maybe if you are living in our society, you've been trained to live like an industrial consumer.

I've never clearly calculated how much a person on benefits gets before, but it turns out that at least one student gets $478 per month.  In addition this student gets food stamps of $500 per month, and receives housing from the state. She has 2 children, both under the age of 4.


After this student said that she didn't have money to go to school (which is free of cost) I made her prove it to me.  Here's what she showed me...

$138 monthly rent (2 bedroom apartment in Boston housing)
$60  bus pass (which she doesn't get because she can't afford it)
$60  cell phone (MetroPCS with unlimited talk/text/data)
$56  On Demand cable
$90  Diapers
$30  Laundry
Remaining $44 for household items such as paper towels, soap, clothes, toys, etc.

She also said the $500 food stamps were not enough for her family (of 3-4, depending on whether or not her children's father is in the household), but that she'll occasionally trade her food stamps for additional money to cover bills (since she can't build up any savings).

I would argue that school comes before a big cell phone plan or cable, which would save nearly $120/month right away.  I will admit, however, that a phone is a necessity.  I wish I'd known earlier while speaking to her that there's something called Carelink that provides free 50, 100, and 250 minute phone plans to people who can't afford a regular plan.  Somehow I doubt she would have gone for it...smartphones are hard to give up...

And I got to thinking.  I would probably go with cloth diapers if I only had that much money, the cheap pin kind, and I'd try to use cloth towels instead of paper towels...I could make and sell crafts or food to earn some extra money...I'd get DVD's from the library instead of watching TV...I'd  make and freeze large portions of healthy foods...

But I've got a few things going for me.  First, I've been interested in sustainable, environmentally friendly living for a while, so I know ways to live on a budget (even if I don't always succeed in my budget).  Second, I'm older, and while I don't have my money balanced to a T, I've had enough experience to know how to use money.  And frankly, it's hard to change your way of being.  I doubt most under 21 year olds have truly developed a good sense of finance.

So the question isn't could YOU do it.  The question is, if you were a young, uneducated person without any positive role models to show you how to make stuff from scratch or help you find alternatives to a life of poverty, could you budget yourself so that you could survive?

I still hope that this student, and all the other students like her, figure out how to prioritize.  I think though, that the issue isn't easy to fix, especially considering that our current world isn't designed around cloth diapers or canned tomatoes.  To change this one student's priorities we would need to change the look of poverty in America. I'm guessing disposable diaper companies, cell phone companies, and food manufacturers (and their stockholders) don't want to see that happen.

So once again, I've reached an equilibrium.  I don't blame my students for becoming somewhat entitled, but I also don't know where I should place the blame.

Anyway, those are today's thoughts on poverty. I guess if it were an easy problem to solve it'd be fixed by now. Perhaps speaking about the problems, however, will help answers bubble to the top.  If not, at least I've had my say.

Happy Thanksgiving

Since we did Thanksgiving last weekend I'm spending this holiday relaxing and catching up on housework.  Well, I will be catching up on housework after I'm done relaxing :)  I have a to-do list that's huge, but I suspect that much of my list will remain undone.  I'm okay with that.

Later in the day I'll reheat the Thanksgiving leftovers so we'll have turkey on the real day too.  Gerd isn't really into football, so it's unlikely that we'll turn on the TV.  I thought it would be strange or sad to spend Thanksgiving with just the two of us, but so far I've really enjoyed having a day off.  I almost forgot that we have tomorrow off as well.  Perhaps tomorrow the house will get clean...

Saturday is the big move, so I'm enjoying the house to myself as a last hurrah.  Sunday I'll have eggs sucked out of my ovaries.  Apparently all is going well so far, so I remain hopeful that everything will work out this time.  The following Wednesday everything is stuck back in me and then I have to wait for two weeks to find out if it worked.  I'm looking forward to the end of daily shots, but it's the following 2 weeks that make life miserable, and moody. Prayers would not be amiss.

Meanwhile I'm trying to come up with my "daily thankful" that I post on Facebook.  There's really so much to be thankful for I don't know what to say.  It just seems like it should be a big one on the real day.  Anyway, hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful winter season full of food, love, and laughter.

 

Long Time No Blog

Well, I haven't had much to say online lately, but not because life's been all peaceful or anything.

Right now we're in the middle of a move.  An internal move, but a move nonetheless.  A friend from church mentioned a few months ago that she had 8 more wees of savings and then she'd have to move back to Montana. So I offered to house her.

At the time I was really feeling like our house was a bit empty and lonely.  We'd bought the house with children in mind, and well, it hasn't worked out yet.  I've been toying with the idea of foster children, but Gerd isn't completely sold on the idea.  Honestly, I'm not entirely sold on the idea, especially with me working full time.

I didn't know if H. would take me up on the offer, or what it would (will) be like if she DID take me up on the offer, so I didn't worry about making any changes.  A few weeks ago she confirmed that she needed a place to go.  I'm happy that we can offer a piece of our house up, and thankfully Gerd feels the same way.  I think he's just glad we can't have foster children if I invite a family to come live with us for the next 7 months.  Did I mention she has 2 children.  H.'s husband died 1 1/2 years ago and shes been struggling to keep afloat as a single mother. 

So we've moved down a floor.  We have a 3 floor house with a HUGE master room that will serve as their studio.  I naively thought it would be a quick move.  I mean, it's only one floor down.  Do you know, I have a lot...A LOT...of belongings.  The master bathroom itself took an entire weekend (but the guest bath is now beautifully organized with our belongings).  All of my clothes are now in the downstairs room, and most of my shoes.  Now all that's left is everything else!

And at the same time all of this is going on our insurance approved IVF.  Massachusetts requires health care to cover it for "medical necessity" which I fall under.  Soooo, we're doing that too.  The same weekend everyone is moving in a doctor will be harvesting my eggs.  That means that I'm currently trying to do everything that I can to ensure I'm as healthy as I can be by then.  That means I'm on a crazy gluten free, sugar free diet (that I somewhat frequently cheat on) and I'm trying to eat leafy greens, drink lots of water, avoid caffeine and alcohol, and get plenty of rest.  The rest thing has been a little difficult because this medicine seems to give me headaches and mess with my sleep. 

So changes galore at our house!  Hopefully all the changes work out the best way possible and everyone stays happy. I guess only time will tell how well it will all go!

An Enjoyable Distraction

I've spent the last, who knows long, trying to get my life a little greener.  I'm trying to grow more of my own food (with mixed results) and buy more food locally through the farmer's market, or through my biweekly organic box.  We've also, thankfully, had a new shop come in around the corner that sells local organic meets and staples.

But none of that talks about clothes.

I wouldn't say I'm the most fashionable person, but I would admit to liking clothes.  When shopping, I've long since given up on finding anything make in the states.  On a semi-recent shopping trip to Marshalls and Macy's I bought a whole bunch of new underthings, and overthings.  It's not that I love shopping...but I do love getting new clothes.

Which is why I felt a little gauche this past weekend in New York City.  Most of the people attending the birthday party we went to were pretty average people, for people who make a lot more money than we do (or at least than I do anyway).  They all talked about their purchases at this store, or that shop.  I tried not to drool.  A few of the party attendees were not your typical people.  They were into Mode, not fashion.  They had purses worth more than my entire wardrobe, and shoes that had names of designers.  I tried not to drool any more.

I walked away thinking out how much I would like some designer clothes, who I could budget some items in (like that amazing little coat, or a nice handbag, or a pair of designer shoes).  The whole experience in NYC was like a great movie filled with effective commercials.

I'm back, and I'm still trying not to think about clothes.  It's pretty interesting how I can try to justify spending money on a fancy outfit (maybe the expensive stuff is local?).  But in the end, I know that my priorities are pretty good.  I'd rather either invest the money, or give the money to charity before spending it on something that will fade out of "mode" in a year.  But I have to admit, a little piece of me wouldn't mind that lifestyle.  At least the whole thing was an enjoyable distraction (and maybe next month I will go shopping...for a few small things).  Ah well, you can see my little inner demons come out, lets see which priority wins.

Hashimoto's Disease

I don't think I've mentioned on here yet that I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.  It's not serious, that's what everyone at the doctor's office keeps saying anyway.  After all, all you have to do is take thyroid medicine for the rest of your life and you should be fine.

It does explain why I was so tired for a while, and why I was pretty blue.  It also likely explains the fertility issues (to a point).  I've done enough research now to know that thyroid medicine may not make my symptoms go away forever, but I've been lucky, the drugs have worked amazingly well for me.

Ever since the start of the school year, which is always exhausting and hectic (for students, parents and teachers alike) I've noticed that I've been able to keep up.  I have a clear mind, I'm not as stressed, less prone to panic, and more able to do more things.  That doesn't mean I don't come home and completely collapse some days.  I'm trying to figure out if the days that I don't want to do anything are just normal, or if I'm still getting over myself.  I mean, my body attacks my thyroid, the medicine replaces the missing thyroid juice, but I'm still fighting against myself.

I've followed a homesteading blog for a while, and the author has recently posted an article about her battle with Hashimotos.  She appears to be allergic to the medicine so she's gone the natural remedy route.  After we finish trying to conceive I might be tempted to try some of the same things (but perhaps while using the medicine too).  Right now I'm just enjoying being a bit more like myself again.

Right now I'm trying to catch up on my winter preparations.   I'm afraid I'm desperately behind.  I managed to can some marinara sauce last weekend on Saturday (on Sunday a friend and I went to Six Flags and giggled like teenagers as we waited for the front seat of each roller coaster).  I'll be away the next two weekends too, first to New York for a friend's birthday party and then to the Berkshires for my 3rd installment of Permaculture.

Hopefully I can keep my energy level up!  Anyway I'm trying to stay positive.  It is nice to know that there really was something wrong with me, I wasn't just crazy.  Now onto figuring out what that means for me for the future...

Goodbye Friend

It's really no surprise that one of the phases of grief is denial.  When someone is gone, we don't miss them if they're off to the supermarket or the movies.  We just wait for them to come home.  It's even easier to dwell in denial when someone lives further away.  I mean, I love my grandfather, but I didn't speak to him everyday when he was alive.  For months I kept having to remind myself that he really was gone.  I still forget sometimes.

So it doesn't seem real yet that Bettina isn't around anymore.  She was doing pretty good a few months ago.  Sure, she was on oxygen, and I did know how quickly a person can go when they just aren't getting enough air, but she was so sure she was going to get better.  And she was so young, too young, to have to deal with death.  Diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, a recurrence at 40, another recurrence at 42.  She lived the expected 5 years.  And that just sucks.

You have to understand that Bettina was not someone you would expect to fade quietly.  She was the clown, the crazy lady who drank beer while in hospice and had a going away snow tubing party.  Somehow she just GLOWED with life.  No really, her brother has a picture with the light shining behind her, and that's really what she was like all the time, shiny.

I'm not really sure how she would want to be remembered.  She didn't want to die, so it was hard to talk about honoring her life.  From knowing her, I would imagine she'd like something like a round a beer and a newly planted tree, or an annual naked run through the woods on her birthday (in winter).  She loved nature more than most people, and she could keep even the least resilient plants alive despite a pretty mobile lifestyle.


So cheers, Bettina.  This beer's for you.  Safe travels to your new home.  We love you.

Auto Pilot

Well, not much has been happening lately, but the world keeps spinning 

I love my Permaculture class.  We learned about making Food Forests this weekend, which got me to thinking about buying some vacation property on which to plant things, like PawPaw trees and American Currents, and groundnut plants... 

Financially though, not yet.  And really, not yet because we're still not sure where we want to be.  Here's some irony for you.  Gerd doesn't want to leave Boston for at least another year, likely two, but it'll take that amount of time to save enough money to put a down payment on a small piece of land (if we're careful) but by then we might not need a downpayment because we could be somewhere else.  He'd prefer Africa or Europe, I'd prefer Glens Falls or Albuquerque. 

I don't know, we're just kind of stuck right now.  Not quite sure yet what's going to unstick us.