The Average American Family?
My mind has been preoccupied by the same thing that is on many peoples mind these days; our economy. I have been thinking about how our lifestyle has been affected and whether it is a negative impact or a positive one.
We have been a one income family for the past several years, out of desire verses imposed change. We decided we wanted a different lifestyle than the one we were ardently pursuing.
I consider our family to be "an Average American family". We live in a nice house(with a nice mortgage to prove it), in a decent neighborhood. We have two cars, a dog and 2.5 cats(our neighbors cat eats here several times a week). We also have two kids still at home. Anyway, I have always considered us Middle class, so I thought I would look into what that means income wise. What I discovered was not surprising really, but it has opened my eyes a bit.
I found a website by the US Census Bureau that lists Median family incomes by state. You can check out your state too.
For a family our size we should have an income of $59,808 (plus or minus) $1250 to meet median family income statistics. We don't meet that criteria, so I decided to start looking for information about poverty levels. This information is a bit more convoluted to find. Curious, could it be that it is better just not to know how poor we are. Actually the information is available but not as simple to locate.(at least for me, I don't claim great computer savvy)I was able to locate a figure of $20,614 US for a family of four as of 2007. Whew a relief for me because we are above that.
Now that I realize we are not middle class, I wonder, "what are we then?" We aren't poverty level either. Where do we fit in to "the Average American Family?" We must be the poor relatives, but not the poverty stricken ones. We are the lower middle class. Where does that put us for lifeboat status? Toward the top? or bottom?
The conclusion I have come to is that statistics don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. We don't need them to tell us how we live or where we fit in to the equation. We have modified our lifestyle to fit our income for the most part. There isn't as much disposable income as we once had. It has made us more creative, and I think has grown us as a family.
A typical family night for us now might include making homemade Pizza and a board game or rousing game of Dominoes etc.. Movie nights are easily planned with a quick trip to the video store, or better yet a re-watch of a movie already in our collection, and a bag of microwave popcorn. Or even a family fun night playing Wii golf or bowling at our daughters house. Dinners out are relatively scarce, as are frivolous shopping trips etc. Our shopping trips now include making the rounds at our local Goodwill and several other thrift stores. We have also started to read as a family. We are re-discovering the classics of our childhood, and sharing the adventures with our kids. I am the one who narrates the stories and my hubby and boys really enjoy being read to. Funny how that seems to be something you never get too big for.
We have friends that we get fresh eggs from. We now plant our own garden; that we increased in size this year. We have scouted out places to pick wild Blackberries, figs and grapes as well as pears.
My boys are learning to make jams and jellies, freeze fruits and veggies as well as helping to can foods too. They were a big help when we built our greenhouse this spring. They got to hunt this year with dad for the first time and are now talking about next year. They recently helped a friend of ours stack wood on a trailer after it was split, to be delivered to the widow ladies in our community who need wood. They are learning the value of hard work and a job well done. These are life lessons that are priceless.
I know that we are blessed to be where we are. My hubby has a fairly stable job, which provides us with access to medical insurance(for which we pay dearly) but what is the alternative. At this point gas is still affordable, as are our utilities. Whether that continues remains to be seen, but no amount of worry can fix it. I know too that there are many families that have not fared as well as ours has, my heart goes out to them.
Our life is far from glamorous, but it is pleasant. We have chosen to focus on the important things, rather than the pursuit of more stuff. So, even though I don't see any TV producers beating a path to our door to film the latest reality show, it is all good. While it may not be for everyone, I think our numbers are growing daily. So to all you other "Average American Families" out there, Hang in there, Life is good, especially when you slow down enough to enjoy it.
My mind has been preoccupied by the same thing that is on many peoples mind these days; our economy. I have been thinking about how our lifestyle has been affected and whether it is a negative impact or a positive one.
We have been a one income family for the past several years, out of desire verses imposed change. We decided we wanted a different lifestyle than the one we were ardently pursuing.
I consider our family to be "an Average American family". We live in a nice house(with a nice mortgage to prove it), in a decent neighborhood. We have two cars, a dog and 2.5 cats(our neighbors cat eats here several times a week). We also have two kids still at home. Anyway, I have always considered us Middle class, so I thought I would look into what that means income wise. What I discovered was not surprising really, but it has opened my eyes a bit.
I found a website by the US Census Bureau that lists Median family incomes by state. You can check out your state too.
For a family our size we should have an income of $59,808 (plus or minus) $1250 to meet median family income statistics. We don't meet that criteria, so I decided to start looking for information about poverty levels. This information is a bit more convoluted to find. Curious, could it be that it is better just not to know how poor we are. Actually the information is available but not as simple to locate.(at least for me, I don't claim great computer savvy)I was able to locate a figure of $20,614 US for a family of four as of 2007. Whew a relief for me because we are above that.
Now that I realize we are not middle class, I wonder, "what are we then?" We aren't poverty level either. Where do we fit in to "the Average American Family?" We must be the poor relatives, but not the poverty stricken ones. We are the lower middle class. Where does that put us for lifeboat status? Toward the top? or bottom?
The conclusion I have come to is that statistics don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. We don't need them to tell us how we live or where we fit in to the equation. We have modified our lifestyle to fit our income for the most part. There isn't as much disposable income as we once had. It has made us more creative, and I think has grown us as a family.
A typical family night for us now might include making homemade Pizza and a board game or rousing game of Dominoes etc.. Movie nights are easily planned with a quick trip to the video store, or better yet a re-watch of a movie already in our collection, and a bag of microwave popcorn. Or even a family fun night playing Wii golf or bowling at our daughters house. Dinners out are relatively scarce, as are frivolous shopping trips etc. Our shopping trips now include making the rounds at our local Goodwill and several other thrift stores. We have also started to read as a family. We are re-discovering the classics of our childhood, and sharing the adventures with our kids. I am the one who narrates the stories and my hubby and boys really enjoy being read to. Funny how that seems to be something you never get too big for.
We have friends that we get fresh eggs from. We now plant our own garden; that we increased in size this year. We have scouted out places to pick wild Blackberries, figs and grapes as well as pears.
My boys are learning to make jams and jellies, freeze fruits and veggies as well as helping to can foods too. They were a big help when we built our greenhouse this spring. They got to hunt this year with dad for the first time and are now talking about next year. They recently helped a friend of ours stack wood on a trailer after it was split, to be delivered to the widow ladies in our community who need wood. They are learning the value of hard work and a job well done. These are life lessons that are priceless.
I know that we are blessed to be where we are. My hubby has a fairly stable job, which provides us with access to medical insurance(for which we pay dearly) but what is the alternative. At this point gas is still affordable, as are our utilities. Whether that continues remains to be seen, but no amount of worry can fix it. I know too that there are many families that have not fared as well as ours has, my heart goes out to them.
Our life is far from glamorous, but it is pleasant. We have chosen to focus on the important things, rather than the pursuit of more stuff. So, even though I don't see any TV producers beating a path to our door to film the latest reality show, it is all good. While it may not be for everyone, I think our numbers are growing daily. So to all you other "Average American Families" out there, Hang in there, Life is good, especially when you slow down enough to enjoy it.
Theresa
ReplyDeleteGreat writing! Thanks for being so transparent. We made similar changes, in which I left a very good paying job 4 years ago, due to health problems. We too are living differently but still enjoying life. God bless you and great job with the kids. What you're teaching them is of great value and you're certainly not raising the average bear. Texas Tea (AKA Teresa)
TXTea, Thanks for your encouragement. I agree about the life lessons for our children. Many have lost sight of the really important things in life to go after the golden egg. I think in the end they may find it certainly isn't what it was cracked up to be. Blessings to you and yours! Theresa
ReplyDeleteJune 7, 2009 6:10 AM