The shocking cost of … everything

By Matilda Charles Senior News Line 

I was recently asked to complete an anonymous survey about income.

The survey would be used to collect information about how many seniors in our area fall into the low-  and moderate-income ranges. Curious about what those dollar ranges are, I went on an internet hunt for incomes in our area. Color me shocked to discover how low “low income” really is. 

I then went on a hunt of other websites to compare and contrast this area with others across the country. 

MIT has developed what they’re calling the Living Wage Calculator, and it’s quite the eye-opener when it comes to what they claim are “livable” wages. 

Another site has costs of living for towns and cities across the United States. Mine is 5 percent higher than the national average.  

I found yet another site that calculates the maximum I should be paying for rent plus utilities based on my income. It’s a good thing I own my home and it’s paid for, because there is no way I could afford to rent anything in my town. And never mind trying to buy — Best Places calculates the cost of buying a home in my town as being 130 percent of the national average. 

My goodness.  

There really are people here in town who are paying those sky-high prices. And it casts a new light on the sheer volume of people who line up at the food bank each week. 

I’ve cut back this past year on donating to the food bank, but I need to start again. It might not be much, but I can help a little. When I buy something on sale at the grocery store, perhaps I can buy two. Or maybe three. Once I accumulate a full bag of canned and dry foods, I’ll run it to the food bank.  

How about you?  

© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.