This Black Smoke is a Risin'!

This cathartic outlet is never needed more than on Thursdays. Didn't I say a few weeks ago that Thursday should be my days off??!! My stress level is sky rocketing. To make matters worse, today was picture day. I HATE picture day. Knowing that these pictures are going to be viewed by everyone in the family for a lifetime and even be viewed by the subject in the photo as said subject grows up, is just too much pressure for this non-conformist. I really just want the kids to be happy with what they wear, how they look and how they feel. But their hair! And the weather... I'm simply not a miracle worker. Chances are, we will send them underdressed into cold weather or overdressed into warm, the wind will blow the braids out or the rain will flatten the spike. I GIVE UP! Next year, I'm laying out cute clothes as a suggestion and the rest is fate!

I yelled at Ben this morning. He wanted his hair to look "normal." His hair never looks normal. I told him, in order for it to look "normal" he would have to let me cut it every so often, but that made him sulk. So I combed it for him, but then he wanted a mohawk, so I did a mohawk and I gotta say, it looked pretty good, but then he wanted it normal again... I gave up, yelled and stormed from the bathroom. The good news is that he did his own hair and did a better job than I could have dreamed of doing. But by that time our mutual prides were scarred. I tried to apologize on the way to school but he wasn't having it.

I spent a good portion of brain power last night trying to come up with easy, cheap and well rounded meals to make with my newly tightened budget beginning tomorrow. I'm thinking about listing the things we need and then listing what they cost and what I was, or was not, able to purchase. I guess, what I'm saying is I want this to be authentic.

Yesterday I established that there is no way our family of four could eat and have two parents in school. So, my limited spending will actually reflect more of the working class to the low end of the lower middle class. It would also be impossible for me to have all the things that I have, like a car, nice clothes and a cell phone, but we'll pretend that I just lost a job and now have to somehow feed my kids, gas tank and savings account on $22,350/year. (US department of Health and Human Services established poverty threshold). My Budget is $200 a week (50% of that income before taxes, completely inaccurate and I must continue to remind my readers that a family of four would see much less after paying actual bills)

The benefit to my doing this is that we have more than $200 to spend on any given week and in order to not feel tempted to spend any of it, I am taking the balance and throwing at some debt. So, I will do this experiment and pay off debt, leading me to yet ANOTHER THING that the working class in our country cannot achieve, which is debt pay off. I think I will continue to keep a list.

Everyday I will list new things that I am finding impossible for the working class to achieve, BUT not without discussing it first. I will always provide evidence.

Now for your assignment!

I've decided to do this for a month. I anticipate it getting a little hairy and I plan to work pretty damn hard to achieve my goal of authenticity. I promise to be honest about all of my findings, but I need your help.

I have exactly 7 subscribers. If you believe in what I'm doing, share my blog with others who might pass it on. BUT ESPECIALLY share this blog with someone who thinks the poor are a bunch of freeloaders! The working class American doesn't have time to sit on her/his ass and read a blog post. I'm writing this for those who do.

Things the American Working Class Family of Four Can't afford:

College Education