Living at the Poverty Line

One of the hardest lessons I am trying to learn right now is budgeting post college - granted I have a pretty unique situation. As you know, I am working for Americorps VISTA. The "VISTA" aspect makes this occupation very interesting....

First of all, Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is geared toward elevating poverty. All of our assignments are in someway to address the HUGE problem of poverty, and in my case poverty and how it effects public health. Now VISTA believes that in order for the volunteers to identify with the population they are serving, they must also live on a salary right at the poverty line and are not allowed to have another job. I truly respect this aspect of my job and it has really opened my eyes to what so many people living in poverty go through everyday.

But, I do have some exceptions in my situation. My amazing parents are helping me out, probably more than I should let them, and I have Matthew making things much easier. Also, unlike most people living in poverty, I don't have a family to take care of or loans or medical expenses, etc. to payoff. But I am experiencing the life of just barely making it paycheck to paycheck and its stressful. I know this experience will only make me stronger and smarter with my financial decisions and also very thankful for the love and support I have in my life...so I want to make this situation the best learning experience possible. 

The best place I know to start is budgeting! I have begun tracking my income and expenses, even setting goals for the end of every month. For example, one of my goals for September was to cook 5 out of 7 meals a week, so Matthew and I sit down every Sunday and plan out everything we'll eat for the week before going to the grocery store. So many little steps like this will hopefully keep me with my head above water this year. But I already have an advantage over others living in poverty, I am college educated and from a strong family background - I understand the importance of tracking my finances, budgeting, and avoiding credit.

I know this post is all over the place, but I think the most important thing I want you to understand when reading this is that 46.2 million people in the United States were living in poverty in 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau) and that's probably an underestimate. It could be anyone, 15.1% of the population or about one out of every seven people you meet, I am one of those seven. So open your eyes and yours hearts and your time to these people. Its easy to turn your head and pretend its not a problem, it is much harder to look it straight in the eye and try to understand. The more we talk about problems like this, the easier it will be to find a solution.