Food Stamps, Packing, & Grad School
27 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in resources Tags: government services, major research project (mrp), why am i doing this
So. Today is the day. I emailed in my MRP at 7 a.m. this morning. 60 pages, including bibliography, abstract, and table of contents. It still hasn’t hit me that I am done now, but perhaps tonight when I come home and have tons of packing to do, I will realize.
Which brings me to my next point: packing. I have successfully found an apartment. It is a remodeled garage. It has a living area, bathroom, kitchen, and upstairs bedroom loft. The cost per month is $500 which includes water and electricity (and it comes with a small A/C unit). It is very cozy, but it is going to work great for 1 human, 2 cats, and a beagle. At first glance, $500 seems very affordable, but it is still a large chunk of my income. 59% of my monthly living allowance, to be exact. Before taxes I will be making an estimated $840 a month.
Since we are talking finances finally, and that is a large part of what this blog is about, I might as well share my other financial happenings. While I am going to be living frugally, I have been told by other volunteers to apply for services such as food stamps. At first I was really hesitant, because I felt that there were individuals out there that needed that assistance far more than I will. However, I also know that $200 or even $100 extra a month to buy food is going to go a long way.
The program I am undertaking is going to be challenging for me, emotionally and financially, but there is no reason that I need to go into further credit card debt to help alleviate poverty. So, I started my application today on the Florida ACCESS website. I feel that these types of experiences will help me two-fold. First, I will be able to get a bit extra a month to help buy food. I’m already going to be home cooking and brown bagging lunch, so even $100 is going to go far. Second, having to go through “the system” is going to provide me with knowledge and experiences of the people I am trying to help.
How can I be truly empathetic when I don’t understand the hurdles that others have had to jump over? As well, how can I learn how certain policies or services can be improved if I don’t access them myself? As I mentioned in another post, I am on the list for public housing. However, it is my hope that the apartment I currently have will end up being my home for the next 12 months.
There is no guarantee that I will be approved for the food stamp program, but I know it is going to make a lot of difference if I am.
Since I don’t have pictures of my new apartment, here is one of 2/3 of my roommates: 
Eating Healthily, Locally.
12 Jul 2010 1 Comment
in resources, Uncategorized Tags: major research project (mrp), resources, tips
I came across another guide to eating cheaply, Eating Locally on a Budget . While some of the ideas I think we all are aware of like, “don’t go to the grocery store when hungry,” Ms. Bravo has also shared some other great tips that I thought are worth writing about here so I/you can reference them later.
A few of the key ones I need to take advantage of:
6. Walk around the farmers’ market before you buy anything to compare prices. I most definitely need to hit up the farmers’ market in my new town. I am lucky to be moving to a place that has a much longer growing season, so I am hoping that this will be reflected in the cost and availability of food. I shall be visiting roadside stands and farmer’s markets frequently. Hopefully I will be able to supplement my actual grocery shopping visits with these stops.
14. Embrace rice and beans! Luckily for me, I love rice and beans and cheese type dishes. Love them! So this will be less difficult for me to continue to adhere to. I am even going to try my hand at creating my own refried beans from dried beans.
Yum. All this talk of food has made me hungry.
In other news I have reached critical mass on my major research paper. I am in the final editing stages with the hope of completion within a week (it is due July 27th). Very excited, very nervous.
What is this?
24 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in introduction Tags: introduction, major research project (mrp), who am i, why am i doing this
Well. This is my first blog posting. The first of many, I hope. While I am not new to the internet, I am new to blogging so bear with me. I think I have finally managed to find a theme I like and I have filled in the about section, so far so good. Let me now get down to the details.
To rehash the About section in more detail:
This blog will be used to record my yearlong adventures as an AmeriCorps member working to alleviate poverty. I am set to begin my position in August 2010. However, parts of my adventure have already unofficially begun, so I decided it was time to get the blog up and running. Posts between now and August will likely be sparse. However, I hope that come August and during the duration of my AmeriCorps adventure I will be able to blog frequently. Perhaps daily, or in the very least a few times a week.
So what exactly is the point of this blog? Very good question. The point of this blog is to record and detail my experiences working to alleviate poverty but also to detail my experiences living under the “official” poverty threshold. For 2008-09 the threshold for a 1-person family was $10,830. As an AmeriCorps member I will be paid a living stipend (however the position is volunteer) that falls below this amount. I know that this financial constraint will be extremely challenging. I will have to make a lot of choices–some might call sacrifices–but I am ready.
In detailing my experiences–both professional and personal–I hope to provide a place for others to reference. I want to expose new ways of living under significant financial constraints, a place where individuals can come to discover ways to save money and live frugally (either through my own postings or postings of others); but also a place that discusses the social implications of those living in poverty. I know my situation is somewhat an anomaly. I have made this decision by choice, I have no children who depend on me, and have had time to prepare myself for these changes. Something that not all individuals living under the poverty line can claim. However these are merely my experiences documented.
Why poverty? My inquiry surrounding poverty began halfway through my Master’s program (of which I am nearly finished). My research turned to socially constructed ideas, implications, foundations, and understandings of poverty, which eventually lead me to my major research project and my desire to join AmeriCorps. It is my hope that by volunteering with AmeriCorps I will garner a better understanding about current social welfare programs and how programs can be improved to work better for the individuals who need them. As well, I feel that sharing my experiences will illuminate just a handful of the myriad of challenges those living under (or rather “straddling”) the poverty line will face.
