Lawmakers Find $21 a Week Doesn't Buy a Lot of Groceries

[AGDee]

Actually, that brings up a good point. Are there truly enough jobs for every adult in this country? Jobs that people can really support themselves on? We're experiencing a serious crisis in Michigan and there are not jobs that people are qualified to do. They aren't there. They don't exist and we don't have a huge immigrant population up here doing jobs that "Americans won't do". The number of foreclosures is unreal. The number of houses for sale right now is astounding.

I read some things on here that just aren't consistent with my experiences and reality. For instance "Sports are free" because I have never found a free sport for my kids to play. AYSO soccer is $155 a season. Parks and Rec baseball is $50 for a 6 week season. Oh yeah, and they need $45 shoes to play, and shin guards, gloves, bats, balls, etc. Find me a free sport and my kids will be signed up. Scouts, an all American healthy kid activity are costing me at least $600 a year between the two kids. And now we've added marching band to the mix.. at $500 a year plus equipment, uniform parts, instruments, etc. I would love to find a free sport, club, ANY activity for my kids.

I work so incredibly hard as a single mom and I have a decent job which I hope and pray is secure. It's very difficult for me to keep my head above water and keep my kids involved in good healthy activities and in a good school district and safe neighborhood.

I keep reading that there is Social Security disability available but there seems to be a lack of realization that if you haven't put anything into the system, you can't get anything back out. Everybody gets those annual statements from Social Security now telling what you'd get if you were disabled, retired at certain ages, etc. If you haven't made much money and put much into the system, you don't get much back.

I looked into apartments when I got divorced so I wouldn't have to put myself on such a tight budget by buying a house. The only 3 bedroom apartments in our current school district were "moderate income only". To get an apartment for $875 a month, I had to make less than $35,000 a year, gross. Supporting two kids on that income with that level rent isn't very realistic.

There are people who are working 2 and 3 minimum wage jobs trying to make ends meet. You think if they had a real opportunity to work only one job at a decent rate, they wouldn't jump on it?

Susan: I have become the queen of maximizing the grocery shopping since my divorce and I spend about half what you do each month! I work the sales for sure, buy generics a lot (because I've found that 90% of the time, they are just as good as the brand name items), store hop to get the best deals. It is definitely more time consuming. However, when I go to the fruit market, I can get 10 times the amount of produce for half the price than if I buy produce at the grocery store. It's an art, but I've become good at it.