Cost of Living - USA

[Carolyn]

As many of you may know, my husband is a sociologist and ADORES statistics. He's been doing a lot of reading and research here in the United States and called my attention to a new publication he found the other day. It's by the Economic Policy Institute entitled "How Much is Enough?" Just the first few pages stunned me and I thought I'd share with you.

This is the monthly cost of living for a family of four (2 adults, 2 children) living in Baltimore, Maryland. Costs have been averaged out and calculated to express a reasonable median, given incomes and differences in cost of items.

Food - $500/month MINIMUM, cooking at home.

Housing - $628/month for a 2-bedroom apartment, in a reasonable area, not too ritzy, not public housing.

Health Care - $267/month, given that not everybody has complete insurance paid by the employer, certainly not for spouse and 2 kids.

Transportation - $222/month, allowing for gas, wear and tear on the vehicle(s) and mileage (NOT car payments).

Child Care - $626/month, in a child care center.

Other Necessities - $338/month, including telephone, clothing, personal care, household items, bank fees, union dues, reading material, school supplies and TV.

Taxes - $313/month - Federal, State, Social Security and local income taxes and sales tax. This includes adjustments you can make for Earned Income Credit on your taxes.

Therefore, to meet these BASIC costs, the family would require a minimum income of $34,732.28 per month. This figure does NOT include any eating out, including fast food, vacations, movies, recreation of any kind or any savings towards education, retirement or any kind of emergency nest egg.

The Institute strongly recommends that the U.S. Government re-evaluate what they consider to be the poverty level for American families.

Obviously, Baltimore is an urban area and costs are going to be lower in other parts of the country, but then again, so will salaries.

[Dawn]

Maybe I am crazy, but that sounds pretty cheap compared to what we had for a budget in Chicago.

Sweden, on the other hand is a whole other ballgame.

Somedays I think back to the dual income days in Chicago, but I always realize that we are happier on the whole now, even though we have virtually no income. It is just strange make sacrifices like "do we really need juice this week?" while at the same time wearing a bracelet (bought in the good old days) that costs more than our current rent...

I think that these types of contrasting lifestyles are good for the soul!

[Carolyn]

Well, what I find appalling is the fact that you can earn $34,000+ and STILL not be able to go to movies, have a holiday, etc.

Back in about 1985, my apartment was broken into three times in about an 8-month period. The first time, they took my grandmother's bits and pieces that were the only bits that tied me to her (I'm her namesake) and my color TV, typewriter (pre-computer days) and pretty much everything of value. I had hysterics, police were called, etc. Two months later, somebody came back and kicked in my front door, splintering the frame and shooting plaster all the way back into the kitchen at the rear of the apartment. They couldn't get the TV that time, because my cousin had given me an old console model in an oak cabinet, which meant it weighed about 200 pounds, but they tried. I called the police again, no hysterics. The third time, they ripped my bedroom window off the frame, nothing much left to steal, (I was in the process of moving), but they did steal one of the covers off my sofa cushions to put in a dozen cans of cat food (how's that for being hard-up) and some videotapes of operas. No cops, no hysterics.

At some point during all this, my darling father also had a stroke. This kind of put things in perspective for me. I stopped having hysterics over anything anybody could buy with dollars. AND I stopped buying stuff for the sake of having stuff. The TV wasn't replaced, nor was the video player or the diamonds and gold jewelry that were taken the first time.

It sure has simplified life, and now I'm just grateful for a loving husband, good health for the both of us, enough money for a little treat now and then, and bike rides in the Swedish countryside.

[Sabeine]

I agree Carolyn. The material stuff isn't important.
Years ago my apt was also broken into. They later determined that it was someone that had lived there before or a friend of a former tenant that had a key copy. The landlord hadn't changed the locks between tenants! My tv, stereo, vcr, and jewlery were all taken. I came home after work to find this out. My jewlery was gifts over the years from my grandfather, and relatives etc... most of them had since passed so this was what I had left of them. I was so angry, and felt sick. The robber/s probably sold the stuff for drug money. I called the police, and they told me that it was slim to no chance they would find my things. I knew that already. I just felt that I should report it anyway. I never did replace my stuff with anything new either. I got an old tv, and vcr, and a portable (carry around) stereo. My jewlery is lost forever. I am thankful though that I wasn't home when it happened, because that could have been really dangerous. The police said that when robbers such as those break in they are often armed with something, and a lot of times strung out on drugs.

[LadyDuff]

I am very sorry to hear that you have been victims of robbery! I am sorry for the things you lost that were valuable to you as gifts from relatives/friends, but I am glad that you were not injured or present when the robbery took place. I myself have never had to experience this, which I am very grateful for, but my gran had the misfortune of having an unwanted visitor! Someone was around our little home in Spain ( which my parents set up for when they retire) and seized the opportunity when we had all come back from picking gran up from her and mum´s hometown...after six hours of sitting packed up in a car all you want to do is stretch your legs and pay a visit to a certain room ..which is what we all did! Not thinking that there could be others around in the oh so silent neighbourhood....
When we came back to the door to pick up our stuff and bring it all in, the bag gran had been carrying in her lap was gone! She had lost her purse! So, at first we all thought it was inside the house, in we go to look...not there, we went out again and looked all over the garden, not that big a garden, so definetly not there!
Finally we had to realise that the purse was gone! So, we called the police.

The jewellery was lost but the police later found her wallet, no money, bit most important of all, her pics of my grandfather and her kids and grandkids were all there.....

[Dawn]

Funny how cost of living turned into a robbery discussion! You never know what direction threads will take!

I didn't mean that material goods were important. I just meant that it is very strange how we can adapt to completely different lifestyles ;D

Plus, I admit to living an above average lifestyle in the US. Those prices are probably high to most. We would definitely never be able to afford that in our current situation. But luckily, in Sweden, we don't have to!