Making Ends Meet
There was a time when most families subsisted on the full-time work of one wage-earner. Other family members might also do paying work, but it generally was part-time -- the lady of the house selling Tupperware, sons mowing lawns or delivering newspapers, daughters babysitting -- and were for spending money rather than actually paying the bills that supported the household.
Now we're finding that in many places the cost of living has risen to the point one job isn't enough, and often even two full-time jobs can't make ends meet. It's easy to say that a lot of this is just people living larger, in bigger, fancier houses with things that our ancestors never even imagined.
But a lot of these people are living very modest lives, often one step away from homelessness. Some live in motel rooms or double up with relatives. Others are living slightly less precarious lives in month-to-month rentals, where they could go in to pay the rent one month and be told they need to be out by the next. There's no avocado toast and lattes here, just people struggling to scrape by, often running from job to job to the point that they have no time for their families, or even basic self-care.
Now we're finding that in many places the cost of living has risen to the point one job isn't enough, and often even two full-time jobs can't make ends meet. It's easy to say that a lot of this is just people living larger, in bigger, fancier houses with things that our ancestors never even imagined.
But a lot of these people are living very modest lives, often one step away from homelessness. Some live in motel rooms or double up with relatives. Others are living slightly less precarious lives in month-to-month rentals, where they could go in to pay the rent one month and be told they need to be out by the next. There's no avocado toast and lattes here, just people struggling to scrape by, often running from job to job to the point that they have no time for their families, or even basic self-care.