Last night my wife and I watched a classic movie -- Fiddler on the Roof -- that I had not seen before (though my wife had). The film is about Ukrainian peasant Jews in pre-revolutionary Russia. It reminded me that, while my wife and I certainly fall into the category of the working poor, circumstances are relative.
We get by month-to-month and paycheck-to-paycheck. Most of our furniture are hand-me-downs from my family or thrift store/garage sale treasures. We don't eat out very often and the idea of trips or vacations is out of the question. We lead a simple life constrained by our limited financial means.
But in terms of the poor in many other parts of the world, we live royally! We have a house (with a USDA subsidized mortgage). We have a newer car, courtesy of my dad and step-mother. We have cable TV and DSL. We don't know hunger and we have running water and electricity.
When I compare our $1500 per month finances (my wife's pay + my SSI) to others who make far less than $1500 per year, it helps to put life in perspective. By US standards, we probably land in the bottom 30%. By world standards, we probably live high on the hog.
We get by month-to-month and paycheck-to-paycheck. Most of our furniture are hand-me-downs from my family or thrift store/garage sale treasures. We don't eat out very often and the idea of trips or vacations is out of the question. We lead a simple life constrained by our limited financial means.
But in terms of the poor in many other parts of the world, we live royally! We have a house (with a USDA subsidized mortgage). We have a newer car, courtesy of my dad and step-mother. We have cable TV and DSL. We don't know hunger and we have running water and electricity.
When I compare our $1500 per month finances (my wife's pay + my SSI) to others who make far less than $1500 per year, it helps to put life in perspective. By US standards, we probably land in the bottom 30%. By world standards, we probably live high on the hog.
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