If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year will have about $40 less to spend or save with each paycheck. Over the year, that adds up to about $1,000. (The White House)A bill temporarily extending a payroll tax-cut for two months was passed by Congress and immediately signed into law by President Obama just before the Christmas break. The extension was done to allow legislators the opportunity to properly deliberate the issue in January together with two other measures, (1) the emergency federal unemployment benefits and; (2) the payment reductions to doctors who treat Medicare patients, also called “Doc Fix.”
The White House mounted a campaign that included graphics on Twitter and other media outlets seeking public support. The ad asked the question, “What does $40 mean to you?” That is the amount wage earners will lose on their paychecks if the tax reduction law was not extended. Obviously, because I am not a regular wage earner, I wouldn’t benefit from that law whatsoever. For the exception of using the library and other public facilities, I do not receive any benefits from the government at this time. Nevertheless, I could not resist sharing my experiences and weigh-in on how $40 can help an indigent such as myself.
The items below represent my usual combination of food when low on finances. Ideally, a balanced meal can be had for under $5.00. I am usually able to do that after I’ve concluded a writing project or delivered a blog/web site to a client. But on most days, I am usually looking for food and have had to develop particular skills to acquire resources . Admittedly, I could not have gone this far had I not taken donations or assistance from friends, acquaintances and strangers. I make for a terrible beggar and haven’t succeeded in the few attempts that I have begged - like that one time I ran low on gasoline when I still had a car. I asked a stranger for money and he said no. The humiliation has stuck with me since and have caused me to inhibit myself even during some very dire moments of hunger or need.
An interesting thing happened to me a few days ago, however. There were days this holiday season when the streets and parking lots were empty early in the morning. The closure for the holidays of my favorite hang-out spots meant I had to spend the day outdoors. I was walking by the row of closed shops nearby and out of nowhere, a car veered towards my side of the side-walk, on the wrong side of the road, with arms outstretched a man yelled out - ‘here you go, dude, Merry Christmas”. I was so surprised. All I could say was, “what’s this?”. “Buy a drink or something. Merry Christmas”, he replied. They were two folded singles - $2.00. It left me both perplexed and amused. They say the best salespeople in the world get the sale without even asking for the order. In this case, it wasn’t my impeccably delivered sales pitch or my flawless demo of the product’s features and benefits. Rather, it was most assuredly my attire. I had a bad hair day and I looked like a bum.
ONE DAY'S MEAL (average $1.85 /meal)
- Coffee $1.90 (free refills - The Cup)
- Grapefruit $0.49 (Produce Market)
- 1/2 lbs Burrito $0.99 (Del Taco)
- Chef Boyardee Spag $0.99 (Ralph's Grocery)
- Nissin Ramen $0.20 (Ralph's Grocery)
- Bread Rolls (12pcs) $0.99 (Ralphs - Manager's Special)
- TOTAL $5.56 +tax
At this point, coffee is an absolute must for me. It’s an addiction by now, quite necessary as I rarely get a full complement of sleep. As a practical matter, I can’t just camp out anywhere and take a nap. It’s either too noisy or not permitted at all. Also, I’ve added a grapefruit to my diet so I can get a good amount of Vitamin C. It may or may not counteract the vitamin depletion that occurs because of the massive amounts of coffee I consume.
There was a week in November when I was only able to raise $20 that whole week. That isn’t typical, but I have actually slept on a number evenings on an empty stomach. So, I’ve had to devise other ways to sustain myself. Fortunately, I have a network around the city whom I could call upon, if required, who could provide me with friendly deals, coupons and sometimes free food. For instance, this Christmas, one of the assistant managers at El Pollo Loco gave me a free three-piece chicken meal for dinner. Everyone knows me there, because whenever I have enough money, that is where I eat - it’s healthy food that literally makes me feel better. I also have acquaintances whom from time to time would share their sandwich with me at the Neighborhood Cup. But as a fallback, I purchased a tub of oatmeal from CVS on sale for $2.99, which I recently finished. It requires nothing more than a cup of hot water.
On the most desperate of days, I’ve gotten crackers from salad bars at the local grocery stores. I’ve also asked restaurants and stores that I have purchased from at the end of the evening if they had any bread or food that they might throw away. They’ve rarely turned me down. One of my proudest achievements while living in this way is knowing that I am welcome to just about any establishment in the city. I am very careful about the way I speak, about using foul language, or placing myself in a position where I could be accused of shoplifting or any other improprieties. I decided against donating my time to the “Friends of the Library” after I discovered they had a cash-box.
So, what does $40 mean? For a person such as myself, it means 7 days worth of food.
There was a week in November when I was only able to raise $20 that whole week. That isn’t typical, but I have actually slept on a number evenings on an empty stomach. So, I’ve had to devise other ways to sustain myself. Fortunately, I have a network around the city whom I could call upon, if required, who could provide me with friendly deals, coupons and sometimes free food. For instance, this Christmas, one of the assistant managers at El Pollo Loco gave me a free three-piece chicken meal for dinner. Everyone knows me there, because whenever I have enough money, that is where I eat - it’s healthy food that literally makes me feel better. I also have acquaintances whom from time to time would share their sandwich with me at the Neighborhood Cup. But as a fallback, I purchased a tub of oatmeal from CVS on sale for $2.99, which I recently finished. It requires nothing more than a cup of hot water.
On the most desperate of days, I’ve gotten crackers from salad bars at the local grocery stores. I’ve also asked restaurants and stores that I have purchased from at the end of the evening if they had any bread or food that they might throw away. They’ve rarely turned me down. One of my proudest achievements while living in this way is knowing that I am welcome to just about any establishment in the city. I am very careful about the way I speak, about using foul language, or placing myself in a position where I could be accused of shoplifting or any other improprieties. I decided against donating my time to the “Friends of the Library” after I discovered they had a cash-box.
So, what does $40 mean? For a person such as myself, it means 7 days worth of food.
