From Prosperity to Poverty...and Back Again

To go from living a comfortable life of prosperity to "living well below the poverty line" hasn't been easy. Anyone who has been doing this one-month poverty experiment with me knows that there are times you just want to scream.

Our family moved to New York in 2004 for my husband to go to grad school. It was a financially tight time for our family. First, we were doing grad school without the burden of student loans. Second, we had saved up the first year of tuition before we moved to New York and worked through school to pay for the second year of tuition. Third, we had three small children. We weren't quite living under the poverty line, but we were sure close. We lived tight so that we could live without consumer debt (or "mommy and daddy debt"--we didn't want the strings that are attached to money that comes from parents.)

I remember going to ALDI, our favorite discount grocery store, and getting exactly what was on the grocery list. I scoured thrift stores to find darling clothes and house decor. We even drove the streets of Syracuse looking for fun and funky discarded furniture. (We still have one of the treasures that we found on the streets of the village of Camillus.) It was both empowering and exciting to know that our future freedom from debt was in my hands. My ability to control my spending, to be creative and to live well despite our lower income was a challenge and a blessing.

We were able to graduate without debt, without mommy and daddy strings attached and with a tremendous amount of dignity. Within a year of graduating we bought our first home and have been amazed at how much living with less has taught us.

Documentary on Poverty

I watched a documentary this week called "Waging a Living" by Roger Weisberg. If you want to see the perfect encapsulation of the poverty mentality, then watch this movie.

Poverty is not about money. It never is. Someone with a poverty mentality will be poor and stay poor, even if a million dollars landed in their lap. In America, I hesitate to even use the word poverty because we simply don't know what true poverty is.

"Waging a Living" follows four people (and their families) over a period of two years. Each of them talk about money issues, wage and income issues, welfare, and other government assistance. As you will see when you watch the movie, money is not the answer.

Question, if money isn't the answer, what is?

Hint: Pay close attention to Barbara Brooks, 36 year old woman from Freeport, NY.

Poverty Project

"Can a family of six live comfortably in poverty without government or family assistance?"

Our family of six is going to live below the poverty line for one month--without any kind of government or family assistance.

The catch?

We're going to try to live well below the poverty line while living well below the poverty line. We'll try to eat whole foods, have fun, purchase high quality clothing, save a little and spend a little. We budgeted for recreation and savings.

The rules for the Poverty Project:

1. We must live on $2416 a month ($29,000 a year, for a family of six)
2. We must pay mortgage, bills, debts and expenses from our "poverty budget"
3. We will post the receipts for any purchases we make
4. We will not put our children at risk in any way (We'll provide adequate clothing, food and health care)
   

Want to join us in this project?

Projected 2009 Poverty Guidelines

Persons in Family or Household	48 Contiguous States and D.C.
1	$10,730
2	14,450
3	18,170
4	21,890
5	25,610
6	29,330
7	33,050
8	36,770
For each additional person, add	3,720