This isn't really a defense but in todays time when you can purchase a car for 99 a month with all the promotional options blah blah it's pretty easy to get stuck in that hole.

Groceries for a family of three cost us about 100 a week.

Granted that isn't eating ramen every night, but we do a lot of potatoes! =D (but I also buy organic milk as opposed to store brand milk)

To keep my own comments attached to the general theme of the thread:

It's harder to make a living wage these days. The cost of living has far out stripped the increase in wages. Groceries cost more, taxes, gas, insurance is insane, all those little things that families USEd to be able to live with is almost impossible for your average family to obtain. Owning a house of all things, some people may never see that. THAT in my opinion is one of the fearfactor things that we need to look into.

I think the new rebates they are passing out are of course nice, but to be honest 1k is a months allowance and that's it. So it certainly isn't some big TAX relief. (Average housing costs here run about 900-1600. We are in the middle of that)

Interestingly enough (or not) my grandmother has worked in the Georgia migrant education field and teaching Spanish at various Georgia High schools for the past 30 years. Her house and car are paid for, she has three daughters that live very close to her and help as often as they can but things like medication that she needs as a senior (with very few complications) run her into the ground more than she would care to admit. She found that wonderful doughnut hole and will be stuck there for a few months until it kicks back in to help cover the cost of medications that run more than 400 out of pocket. Like so many seniors out there she has to decide between medication or food that month.

Should the educators of today have that to look forward to? I'm sure it makes a great incentive plan for teaching our children. She's just an example of what is happening. Just an example of what we all have to look forward to ourselves.

I sure don't fancy sitting in a soup kitchen line after having raised my children and working for the government. Believe me, the world needs to keep me medicated for as long as it can. =D (okay fine I'm not on anything but I'm also pretty sure we all know I should be! Stop stop!! DONT YOU KNOW WHO I AM!!?? I PLAYED A SECIAN!!! STOPPPPPP)

I won't even get into how super fantastic the schools here in Georgia are or how much a college education is going to cost my son. We do seem to have a pretty good DMV now though! W00t AND voting took me all of 10 minutes from the time I stepped outside of my car to the time I walked back through their doors. So I guess as long as we can get through the lines at the DMV and the voting lines we shouldn't have to worry about things like education, insurance, immigration, or where we are going to get the money to pay for food next month.


Even damned soup is expensive now. A crappy can is like 1 dollar... wth?

April