RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] speaking of apocalyptic horsemen...

["Matthew Ross" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> YDRC. :-)
> 
> http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/threshld/thresh02.html
> 
> For One person living alone, you're talking about $9359 per year.  For
> a couple with no kids, it's $12,047.  For a couple with one kid, it's
> $12,400.  For a family of four, it's $18,244 (which I'm 
> guessing is what 
> you were really thinking of?)

That sounds about right, that would be the classic "nuclear family".

> > What is the poverty level for the rest of those countries? Their
> > poor can't afford food for their children, our poor can't afford the
> > latest Pokemon game for their children.
> 
> $18K for a family of four would be pretty brutal, especially 
> since you can
> bet that they are also uninsured.  Running the numbers for life in
> Columbia, I think I can see how it would be done, but you'd be missing
> more than just Pokemon...although you should have to starve or freeze
> unless there were people in the household who had drug habits.

that's 1,500 a month before taxes, and if they're below poverty level, I think its probably after taxes also. $300 for med insurance, $400 for a low-rent appartment big enough for four, $180 for food if you never eat out, $100 for utilities, leaving $520 for other things, like car insurance, gasoline, clothing, consumables. (by the way, my parents family of 5 spends less than $500 on consumables a month, and spends rather frivolously by comparison)

Its not a beverly hills mansion, but its livable. 

I have 1500/mo left over after taxes, insurance, etc. I pay $150/mo in tithes, and spend about $100/mo on food, fast or otherwise. I pay 1,000/mo toward college loans, and I'm in the black every month. Were I paying rent, I could just lower my monthly payments and be paid off in December instead of April. The US poverty level is a joke.

The only number which might be a little low is the $180/mo for food. My mother decided to cut back on food expenses for October and November of last year to pay for carpeting. She cooked rather than buying fast food. Look at canned vegitables, the price of meat, etc. It doesn't take much to make a meal for a family. We calculated it out to 10 cents per person for common canned vegitables (carrots, green beens, corn) or 20 cents if we got less common (spinach, lima beans), 50 cents to $2 for meat per person, depending on if you made hamburgers or steak, and about 2 cents per person for koolaid. Averaged out, thats $1.42 per meal, 2 meals like that a day, plus about $.50 per person breakfast is 3.34 per person per day, for thirty days, so we should have spent $500 that month. Due to sales, leftovers, etc, it wound up being about $400 for both months. If you stuck to the cheap meats, left out the koolaid, and ignore all sales, you're down to $180 per month for a family of four.

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