Columns

Affluent people who've had money their whole lives lack understanding of what it is like to try living on nine hundred dollars a month. Although we have it cushy in comparison to people living in a third world country, or to living on the street with nothing, it is still a struggle to live as a low-income individual. To add insult to injury, we are insulted. Most affluent people believe that low-income people are scum. In a writer's group I briefly attended, the woman who led the group was complaining of low-income housing being built near her. I was in her writer's group and maybe she was unaware that I am of low income. Not unexpectedly, I didn't last in her group. 

Life circumstances of low-income people are deprived and difficult. Getting a car repair done becomes a major difficulty when a mechanic wants to have nine hundred dollars to do a brake job. Not all poor people know how to work on their own cars; and we don't all hang out in the crowd of those who do. Disabled people, even if we knew how to do simple repairs, may not be physically up to the task. 

As a prank, someone in my neighborhood let some of the air out of my tires. I went to a gas station and put the air back in. Doing this entailed physical exertion because you need to jam the air hose very tightly against the valve stem, and you have to do this while bending or kneeling since the tire is close to the ground. And, by the way, I'm physically in poor condition. There is no chance that I would've gone to a tire store for that purpose, be charged for the privilege, have more of my time spent, and be handed a fabrication of something being wrong with the car that isn't. 

What does the stimulus check mean? It means a lot. It means relief--from the continuous state of the edge of being broke. It means being able to afford a few things that we would otherwise have to do without. One hopes it means that the money can be used to create a lasting improvement in life conditions. For example, if you wanted to start a home-based business, the money could be used for business classes, licensing, insurance, and advertising. If you want to do conventional employment, the money could be used for work clothes. If you owe money on credit cards, this could be paid off, and you would, for a month or two, be without the burden of monthly minimum payments. If you wanted to go whole hogg, you could go on a spending spree at a dollar store. 

Additionally, if we need something, it is not prohibitive to buy it. When broke, you could be up against not being able to buy an item on short notice because of not having the money to pay for it. 

COVID affects our budgets because we must periodically buy masks and hand sanitizer and because we may be ordering a lot of our food and other necessities delivered to reduce chances of getting sick. 

The main point is that the stimulus check doesn't need to be just a handout; it can be a hand up. And when we receive the money, I advise using it in ways that will have lasting benefit.