Posts Tagged ‘needs’
Written on November 4th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
In a Nut Shell
Employment in America is increasingly challenging. Although there are reports of unemployment decreasing, this only accounts for those that are still eligible for unemployment benefits. A lot of Americans are no longer receiving benefits and are not necessarily getting work as a result. So what is happening to them? These are the people that are becoming, and by effect increasing, the nations poor.
The unemployment rate is being noted as approximately 9 percent, currently. However, another survey that concentrates on a wider scope of people that are not working, or are working only part-time in lieu of full-time work, brings the number to over 16 percent—this is a huge difference.
Some out of work job seekers feel they have exhausted all reasonable avenues, and have stopped looking for work. It becomes such a job, looking for a job, they become exhausted at what seems to be a matter of running in circles. According to some experts, the government really has to step it up to understand the full scope of who is unemployed and reach out with services to them all. This is the only way that a difference may be seen anytime soon.
Public jobs are decreasing while the private sector continues to increase. This is no doubt by an increasing amount of professional or expert services being offered by smaller companies. For a few lucky ones, this has been a catalyst for starting up a new business. However a problematic situation may occur if there is a lack of an ability to control costs, and maintain customers in such a cooling economy. Those that would tread those waters should do so with extreme care.
For others, there is the reality of seeking out public assistance. A lot of those that are able to utilize food stamps are still working—they have become the working poor. Demographics are shifting at an alarming rate as a direct result.
Metropolitan areas are a foreground for a growing number of poverty stricken families. Although food stamps are a non-monetary aid for families, this staple is considered to have decreased the official child poverty rate. However, the poverty rate of the elderly has recently “doubled,” according to a recent report released by the Associated Press.
One city town in Michigan has found it necessary to take a drastic and extreme turn by taking off the entire city’s funded street lamps. Not only did they cut off the electric current to public lampposts as a result to their indebtedness of over $55 million dollars, city officials have removed the lamps from the ground. The shutting off of a basic service that may sacrifice public safety is a sure sign of the drowning state of things for some communities that have more “people than they do jobs.”
The gap between the rich and the poor or the ‘haves and the haves not’ has increased tremendously. As a matter of fact, while the average American has been brought down to their knees, the nation’s rich have only gotten richer over the last thirty years. According to reports (AP), the nation’s wealthy have increased their wealth by almost 300 percent.
Resources:
Associate Press: http://www.ap.org
Contrary Indicator: http://finance.yahoo.com
Written on September 15th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
It May Get Even Higher
Going into your local grocery store has already become difficult, lately. Now reports are being posted that prices may get even higher. Interestingly enough, this is related to damaged corn crops. Just as we were hoping for the best.
The Associated Press has released a report noting that, due to weather damaged corn crops; a large amount will have to go to waste. The wrong weather elements have been continuously affecting the crop, and at the wrong time. The weather was either too hot at one time, too wet another time, too dry, too warm, too cold – it just went on like that, according to Jason Ward, an analyst recorded within the report. Because of the unseasonable weather fluctuations, “we just didn’t have a good growing year,” he stated. To make matters even more interesting, this is the “second-largest” crop planted in over 80 years.
Price
The price of corn is up approximately 100% since 2010, at “$7.33 a bushel,” currently. This was the price on Monday.
Why Does This Affect You?
The larger picture here is that corn is in everything. Corn is a main ingredient of the majority of all food products being produced for human consumption. Corn is an ingredient in beverages, cereals, breads, sweeteners, cooking oil products, and “animal feed” such as the animal feed made for chicken. This is going to definitely increase the cost of chicken in the supermarket. And some of our pets like corn fortified foods too. It would be truly difficult to not have corn situated somewhere on our food table.
On top of all of that, it takes about 180 days for corn to be made into or within the products I have mentioned. It takes that long for us to even get it to our table.
The report further reveals that most people don’t do without food during a time of food price increase. Instead we will do without other things that we do not consider to be a part of the main essentials of our daily existence – so that we may eat. We continue on to eat to live.
Some experts have noted that a “grain shortage” may continue on into the next year – 2012 – because of weather damage to these same crops. According to the same report, there is currently a worldwide decrease in food surpluses. This aspect is considered to be related to, a “vital food supply.” Currently, farmers have predicted that they will harvest a little bit less than a four-week supply of corn this fall. However, further predictions for fall of 2012, put the number at around a bit more than a two-week supply of corn – a full four-week supply is considered a “healthy” measure for a corn.
This may also cause strong fluctuations within the market. According to the same report, when the supply for grain is very low, the prices jump up at an increasingly rapid rate. This is definitely food for thought – dig in.
Resources:
Associated Press: http://www.ap.org
Yahoo! News: http://www.finance.yahoo.com
Written on August 26th, 2011 by credit2meno shouts
Teenagers seem to have an endless need for money. Many of them also have a hard time distinguishing between needs and wants. When my son got a summer job at a local fast food restaurant, I thought it was great. I figured he would have some spending money and gas money.
Yet it seemed his was spending his paycheck faster than he earned it. He was borrowing money from me for gas. I also found out he was asking his younger brother for money to get him from one payday to the next. I found this very hard to understand for a teenager with no bills – making $450 every two weeks!
I figured it was time to sit him down and teach him the value of money. I certainly didn’t want to think about him out there on his own in a year or two with the same passive thoughts about money. I chose a time when we were both able to focus on the issue, and explained my concerns.
I had my son explain to me what he thought were wants and needs. To him, needs were new sunglasses, taking his girlfriend to the movie, etc. I quickly explained to him those were all wants and not needs or necessities.
I explained to my son that when he got his next paycheck, he would pay me back for the money he borrowed and his brother. I told him it was no longer going to be an option to borrow money to get by.
When he got paid, I had him take 10% of it and put it into an envelope for savings. He wasn’t happy with it, but I wanted him to get into that habit. I had the thought he should save more than that, but baby steps is what we were doing right now.
I also gave him an envelope to put $40 in it for gas money to last him for two weeks. He said that he usually spends more than that, going back and forth here and there. So I made him put another $20 in that envelope.
We then talked about what he had planned for the month. For each item, we put money into an envelope. For example dinner and a movie with his girlfriend that following weekend. He was also going camping with friends for a few days and needed to buy a couple of things.
What he saw before him was how much money he had left to work with. It was about $70 which isn’t bad for things for a teenager for 2 weeks. We also went over what he often spends his money on. We identified the $8 or so he was spending a day on fast food to eat with friends was a waste of money.
Now he has money to get from one payday to the next. He understands that he doesn’t have to rush out and spend every cent as soon as he earns it. We still have a long way to go, but it is a step in the right direction!