I was extremely frustrated with our performance, but after talking through things with my psychologist, I think we've come to understand that the spirit of the exercise of living in poverty is what we're really trying to experience. We also realized that we are challenging ourselves and didn't take a vow or oath, so the obligation is to try to live up to the challenge. That being said, we are still living in the spirit of the exercise by not dining out as frequently as we did in 2012, not shopping, and only focusing on our basic needs not wants.
I think the most important part of the challenge is learning to focus on our basic needs. It's the self-denial and discipline of living well below our means that is important. The goal is to raise awareness about the issues of poverty, and I think one of the issues we became aware of last month is the tension between wanting to do something and not having the funds to do it. For a lot of people, using a credit card or payday loan to obtain these things is the easiest way to go about it. If you're short $200 for the month, you can finance that on credit or a short term loan and pay it off over time. Unfortunately this strategy is what perpetuates the poverty cycle- debts pile up and income levels don't rise enough to pay them. It becomes necessary to take on new debt to pay off old debt or just go into default on the debt altogether.
| Month: | ||||
| March | Budget | Actual | Difference | |
| 1st-14th | ||||
| Income: | $630.42 | $630.42 | $0.00 | |
| Expenses: | ||||
| Rent | $511.00 | $511.95 | -$0.95 | |
| Gas (Auto) | $40.00 | $128.75 | -$88.75 | |
| Sprint | $165.00 | $159.78 | $5.22 | |
| Progressive | $80.00 | $80.17 | -$0.17 | |
| Hulu | $7.99 | $7.99 | $0.00 | |
| Misc. | $50.00 | $27.29 | $22.71 | |
| Total | $853.99 | $915.93 | $61.94 | |
| Difference | -$223.57 | -$285.51 | $61.94 | |
| 15th-31st | ||||
| Income: | $630.42 | $630.42 | $0.00 | |
| Expenses: | ||||
| Electric | $90.00 | $68.63 | $21.37 | |
| Gas (Auto) | $40.00 | $73.75 | -$33.75 | |
| Car Payment | $189.00 | $185.86 | $3.14 | |
| Internet | $55.00 | $55.99 | -$0.99 | |
| Misc. | $25.00 | $92.17 | -$67.17 | |
| Total | $399.00 | $476.40 | -$77.40 | |
| Difference | $231.42 | $154.02 | $216.40 | |
| Income: | $1,260.84 | $1,260.84 | $0.00 | |
| Monthly Total: | Expenses: | $1,252.99 | $1,392.33 | -$139.34 |
| Difference: | $7.85 | -$131.49 | -$139.34 |
Unforeseen Circumstances:
Back in 2012 when we came up with this plan, we were not prepared to receive extremely bad news regarding my dad's health. He has been diagnosed with FTD, a rare and terminal disease. In light of that diagnosis, we have planned a trip in the summer to be able to spend time with our family. We feel that being able to have some quality time with family is more important in the long term than the monetary savings of "sticking to the plan."
Amen family is important!!! Love you guys and your family Tim my prayers are with you and all the family. If you need anything let us know. Give that baby girl of mine a hug :)
ReplyDeleteWhat you have shared is such a familiar tension of those who live in poverty. The decisions one must make reflects the values of the one making the decision. Even those in poverty live by a value system. Thanks for making your family and friends' significant events a value of yours.
ReplyDeleteWhen you were growing up I know you often heard- we don't have money for that, yet we would spend money on other things. It was where our priorities were and what our value system was that held us to the decisions we made.
I love you and love what you are doing to raise awareness of those around you who live in poverty.