Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about poverty: what is it really?
When the statements started rolling in for Rose's tonsillectomy and Jay's broken arm, one of the bigger bills included a phone number to call about a low-income discount for medical expenses. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask, so I called in. The lady listed the things I had to do to apply for the charitable assistance program. One of the steps was to apply for health insurance through the state to eliminate/identify that as a payment possibility. So I went through the arduous complicated online application and was surprised to find at the end that our kids DID qualify for Washington state medical coverage. Say what? I was under the impression that anyone who had access to employer-provided medical insurance wasn't eligible for state insurance. It turns out that there is also a sliding income scale, and according to the government, we are below the national poverty line?
I've been mulling over the idea of a poverty line ever since. On one hand I feel somewhat betrayed that the government pays teachers so low that a teacher with any kind of family is below the poverty line. On the other hand, I look at our house and situation and feel incredibly blessed that THIS is considered poverty in our country!
I mean, wow: a big air conditioned house with comfy beds and furniture, TV and computers, sinks and toilets, internet and books, not to mention a stocked pantry and full fridge. THIS is below the poverty line?
Last year Jay's school sent home a questionnaire so they could determine who qualified for free school lunches. Every child gets free lunch in our school district regardless, but they still like to collect the official data. We were surprised to discover that Jay qualified for free school lunch!
Ambushed again by that sneaky poverty line!
When I think of poverty, I think of mud, cardboard, hunger, and Africa. Not my comfortable home with health, hygiene, and security!
I don't feel poor. By so many standards we are nowhere near poor. I don't think I've ever really felt the true sting of poverty. Yes we have a wonderful supporting family that has helped us time and again. Yes, we have had some lean mean times, living on substitute teaching and WIC. It took some seriously clever budgeting to squeak by back then. Actually, what am I saying? It still takes some seriously clever budgeting today! But we aren't living in POVERTY! We have always had a roof over our heads and enough food to eat. Oh, and plenty of clothing.
Maybe what this all boils down to is semantics and word connotations. To me, the word poverty means having difficulty providing the necessities of life (like food, clothes, shelter, and medical services). But our government uses the word "poverty" much more casually. I'm not saying that there aren't truly impoverished people in this country; I'm just saying that it seems that almost out of respect for the truly impoverished (aka the starving and homeless) we should think up a different word for those who live comfortably on a small income. Provident living? Budget-ninja? Hmm.
We count it as an enormous blessing that we have always been able to live off of one modest income and I have always been able to stay home with our kids.
To conclude the insurance saga (for now, that is--when it comes to insurance, there's always something I don't know), as of last month we now have the kids on state health insurance, which is 100% coverage, and we don't have to pay any of those big bills from the tonsils and cast. HUGE BLESSING? YES!
Since I'm on the topic, here are my top five tried-and-true methods to living well on a small income:
1. Always pay tithing. The Lord ALWAYS does his part and more. This is why we've always had enough, even in lean times. I know it.
2. Make it work with what you've got. There's almost always a solution or fix that doesn't cost money! Patch it, build it, rig it, and then save up for something better if needed.
3. Save all nonessential purchases for the end of the month. This is my favorite budgeting trick. I try my best to keep a running list of every nonessential item we're tempted to buy throughout the month. By the end of the month, it's amazing how many of those things get crossed off the list! We buy what we can off the list with the money that's still left in the budget. Of course we have to bend this rule to fit various situations, but we try to follow it mostly.
4. I don't do impulse buys. I keep a list of "long term" items to purchase someday , so that if I happen to come across the perfect thing on sale, I know that it was already in the plan to get it. It's all about self control! I'm not perfect, but I do my best to stick to these ideals.
5. Make a meal plan. It works and saves so much. I do a monthly meal plan spreadsheet with a list of everything we need for all the meals. Then I estimate the cost of our food for the month and adjust the meals as necessary to stay within the budget.
Two months ago, I finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Jay and Rose. Just this past week, Jay was asking me probing questions about why Charlie Bucket's family didn't have any food or money. In the book, they ate cabbage soup twice a day and they were starving. I explained it in at least 10 different ways, but Jay simply didn't understand why they didn't "just save their money" to buy more food. I don't know if this means we're doing a bad job or a good job of teaching our kids about money--ha ha.
Jeff and I always laugh when we are labeled by yet another form/questionnaire as "poor." We don't feel POOR! We feel RICHLY blessed.
