Here's one that I'm working on...need to update figures, etc Modify it as you like. I've mixed it up over the years...for certain types of families. Sometimes it's fun to give them a "working poor" life and a life as upper middle class to see the contrast. Or put "rich" familes next to "poor" ones in class. The rich have great fun, the poor get pissed! Not sure how I'll revise it this year but I am pondering....I actually do this as a graded small paper assignment now...and have made it harder. I let them do the budget in class on day one and I bring newspapers to class--job ads, car adds, real estate. I also clear out the lab so they can use the computers to look up bus costs, diaper costs, health insurance etc. You might explicitly note that rising heating costs will really squeeze the poor this year.
Students have a hard time with it...(part of the goal is to think about information literacy, navigating systems, cultural capital, etc)
It really surprises them in the end and most like it.
Let me know if you see glaring errors or ways to improve it.
In fact, does anyone else want to share their "favorite" assignments (for in or out of class)
Andi
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This activity is designed to help you understand how income influences the organization and quality of lives. You should complete Part 1 in class as a group. Part 2 can be done individually or as a group—your choice.
BEFORE YOU READ FURTHER GET GROUP CONCENSUS ON WHAT YOU THINK IT WOULD COST FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR TO:
1. Live for a year at a “basic” standard of living. Include food, health care, shelter, and whatever else you consider basic but necessary (e.g., phone service, gifts, transportation). Write your group’s estimate here: _______________________
2. Live for a year at a “comfortable” standard of living: Include food, health care, shelter, and whatever else you consider necessary for your comfort (e.g., cell phones, cable tv, high speed internet, vacations, clothing, entertainment, eating out). Write your group’s estimate here: _______________________
YOUR LIFE: For this section of the course, you will work out a budget for one of the following families to see how income influences life quality. Please complete a budget for (do what’s highlighted below):
• Two adults and a one-year old girl and six-year old boy living at the Official poverty level for 2004 of $19,157.
• A single parent household with three children ages 1 and 6 living at the official poverty level of $15,219.
(For more on the official rate see http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld/thresh04.html)
Part 1
As you work on your budget, be realistic. To complete this activity today, you should divide your labor. I suggest that you go to a computer lab. For example, you can’t move your family into the house of a parent, friend, or into a home that’s unfit two children (e.g., NO abandoned houses, please). Do not count on grandparents, etc for child care. You cannot already own a car or home. Be diligent and don’t over look “hidden” costs. For example, don't forget to include sales tax on all items that you buy such as clothing and food.
Part of this assignment is about cultural capital and the ability to find and use information. You may be eligible for certain kinds of aid, but it’s up to you to find it. What are the requirements? If you find aid, find out the average waiting period and note how easy it is to navigate the system/find information. Several people can get online at the Tennessean.com to find apartments/homes or use or Realtracs.com, etc to find homes. Use Google to find health insurance, car insurance, and estimates for your other expenses. You are information savvy so if you have difficulty, note that.
1. Calculate your disposable income. All earners also pay 6.7% of income towards social security so you should deduct this from your earnings off the top. Then use the chart at the bottom to calculate your federal income tax. Tennessee has no state income tax. Take the new total and divide it by 12. This is your monthly income. (If you like, go to IRS.GOV to learn about additional benefits you might be eligible for based on your income and marital status.)
2. Use the following categories to construct your monthly budget. Include items your group sees as necessary while being realistic in your choices and estimates.
a) Rent or mortgage. Find a place to live. What is it like? Where is it located? How far is it from your job? Do you have access to transportation if you need it? What schools is it near? How do good are they?
If you are renting, use the paper to get a more accurate estimate of what you can afford. If it’s an apartment, what is the deposit that you need? Do you have it? If not, what is your plan.
To purchase a home, use an online mortgage estimator such as http://www.mortgage-calc.com/. If you buy a home, you generally need to put a deposit down. If you put down less than 20%, you will need to pay PMI. Also, the amount you put down and your credit rating can affect your interest rate and points. Don’t know what any of this means? That’s part of the point—to learn how to navigate the financial waters. Don’t forget to include your yearly property tax. (However, you may also save money on taxes if you own a home and file an itemized return. You’ll need to look this up. Not everyone saves money. The annual cost of your interest may be less than the single tax deduction.) Lastly, you should also factor in about 5% of your home’s total cost for home repair expenses each year.
Don’t forget to include Renters or Home insurance if you can afford it.
How is their home furnished?
b) Food. Where do you shop? What kinds of food can you eat on your budget? What is the influence of this food on your body? What is the cost of baby food? Don’t forget to factor in 6% food tax.
c) Utilities. Estimate based on your apt./house size or call the Electric Company for an estimate using your address as the locator. If your house uses gas, find an estimate with the gas company. (Hint: My 1100 sq ft home with a fuel efficient pump, kept at 65 degrees all winter, cost about $80 a month during the winter months (Oct-March). Electric runs about $55 a month, every month.) What do you pay for water? (I pay about $10 a month.)
d) Clothing. Where can you shop? What can you buy? How often?
e) Sales tax on all items such as clothing and durable goods (factor in tax of 9.35%) and food (6% tax).
f) Child care. Does your job provide hours that allow you to care for your children? If not, what is your plan? (What time does your 6 year old get out of school?) Do the child care facility’s hours fit with your work schedule? What is it like? What are the student-teacher ratios? What is its sickness policy? What is the extra fee if you are late? (Keep in mind that it needs to be close to work or home.) What will you do with your children during the summer when school is out of session?
g) Transportation. Estimate the cost of a car payment or bus transportation around town, to and from work, to and from school, and so forth.) Include the cost of gasoline and related car expenses (e.g., oil changes, other maintenance). If you don't have a car, you need to be located near a bus line or find a job near your home. Do the hours fit your work schedule? How close are you to a stop? Factor in the “time cost” of waiting for the bus and traveling with stops.
h) Health insurance. Do you get health insurance with your job? If not, you need to find it. You might see ehealthinsurance.com. Regardless of whether it comes with your job or not: What kind can you afford? What services does it get you? Does it cover preventative care? What about dental care? Glasses? Mental health? If you don’t want (or can’t afford) more children, does your health care cover birth control? If so, what kinds--diaphragms and condoms are usually not covered. If you want to protect yourself from possible disease and abstinence isn’t for you, you’ll need to factor in the cost of condoms, too. (In the BU policy, birth control pills run $30 a month.)
Don't forget to factor in the cost of yearly deductibles (In the BU policy, singles pay $400, families pay $1,200). That means you *after* you pay the deductible, the plan covers 80% of your “in-network” costs and you pay the other 20%. Additionally, you need to include the cost of co-pays for doctor visits, usually around $20-30 each for each visit or medication. Lastly, what is the cost per month to “buy in” to the plan. (At Belmont, it’s $366 per month for a family, and $32 per month for a “single” employee.) Note that you need to pay the deductible before you can take advantage of the co-pay rates. What do you estimate your family’s total annual health care costs to be?
i) Auto insurance. What kind of coverage can you afford?
j) Phone/Communication. Estimate both local and long distance charges as well as special features you may want. For example, will you have a cell phone, beeper, or internet access? (Can you afford a computer?)
k) Entertainment (e.g., bars, movies, dinner out, concerts). What activities can you afford? How often? Don’t forget to include the cost of babysitters.
l) Vacations. How do they spend vacations?
m) General spending money (e.g., cleaning supplies, hair cuts, vitamins, durable goods, vitamins/OTC cold/allergy/pain medicine, toys, school books, supplies, or fees for your older child/children—such as band uniforms, birthday/holiday cards and presents).
n) If you are using plastic diapers (expect to use about 6-8 per day for the 1 year old). What do these cost? (HINT: Get online at an online grocery store or drugstore.com to see prices). What about cloth diapers? What does it cost in time or money to clean them?
o) Laundry – If you don’t have a car, is there a convenient laundry facility nearby? What does it cost? If you bought a washer/dryer, what did it cost-including taxes and any delivery or installation fees.
p) Credit card balances and interest.
q) Savings or stocks. Can you afford to save anything? How much? What kinds of investments can you make?
r) Tithing and donations to charitable organizations
s) Luxuries (e.g., gym memberships, vacations, massages, manicures, gifts for the holidays, throwing parties, having help with the yard or home care, SAT/tutoring for your kids, band/school field trips for kids, pets/pet care).
t) Private school tuition for your kids. College fund for your kids.
u) Other expenses.: Anything not covered above.
v) Emergency reserves. For example, I broke a crown a few years ago. Total cost $900…with insurance $450. Also, I ran over two nail and needed two new tires. Total cost = about $100.
Part 2
Your income reflects your class position and influences many of the decisions you will make about work, personal and family relationships, and community involvement. Use sociological concepts and your readings to analyze how your budget would shape your life and the choices you would make in each of the following areas.
1) Costs. What do you estimate it would cost your family to meet its basic needs (by totaling up basic expenses in your budget). What kind of wage/salary do you need to meet your family’s basic needs? What kind of job would you have? What kind of education, networks, skills, etc would it take to get a job that pays such a wage?
2) What is the difference between your original estimate for a family of 4 to “live comfortably” and your poverty budget? Looking at your original estimate, how would you change it, if at all, now that you’ve seen what things cost? Were there items in the budget that you hadn’t considered? Does anything about this surprise you? (Note: To answer this question you might need to work out the costs for things you couldn’t afford on your poverty budget. So, be sure to have factored in ALL items A-V above.)
3) Paid Work. What kind(s) of jobs do you currently have? Look at the local paper and see what kind of jobs pay a salary or wage that would give you your assigned yearly income (multiply the hourly wage by 2,000 -- assuming it is full-time work--to approximate yearly income). Be sure that you "fit" all the qualifications required in the want ad. Do both you and your spouse (if you have one) need to work? Do you work full or part-time? What do most of the ads say? Does your spouse work full or part-time? Do you need to work more than one job? Is it a "good" job? What makes it a “good” job? Does it have prospects for improving your occupational position (i.e. does it provide upward mobility - the chance to get promoted and "move up")? Does it provide further educational opportunities? What kind of emotional and intellectual rewards does it give you? Do you have freedom to determine how your work day is set up and what tasks to prioritize? Do you have any autonomy? Do you earn benefits? If so, what kind? In what ways might your race, gender, or age would affect the type of job you can get and the salary that you’ll be paid?
4) Relationships with your partner and/or child(ren). How much free time do you spend together? What kinds of things do you do (according to your budget)? How much do you see each other and when (for instance, are your work schedules compatible?)? How do you arrange for childcare and work (and don't rely on "grandma!")? How does having a child affect your monthly budget? What would you have to cut from your budget to allow for the cost of a child? Although it doesn’t take money to be happy, money does help raise families. What are the parents dreams for their kids? What do they worry about most these days? What do they hope to be doing 10 years from how?
5) Civic Involvement. How involved are you in community and civic organizations? What kinds of organizations and/or groups are you likely to become involved in? Why?
6) Money and Savings. How do you make decisions about how to use your money? What are the things that you want most to do with your money? Can you afford them? Will you be able to accumulate savings based on your income or does it take most, if not all, of your income to meet your monthly budget.
7) Other issues. To what degree can you build a better life and how will you do it? What are the primary struggles for you and the working poor? How are these struggles related to social forces, institutions, and culture? What kinds of things might you have to do to make ends meet? How might your health be affected by your class status? What emotional or psychological effects might there be to such a situation? Are you prepared for emergencies? Apply at least four concepts or theories in your analysis.
8) What policy suggestions do you have for government officials who are trying to deal with poverty? Is the government’s role to assist with poverty and to what degree? Why or Why not? Be specific and realistic. In other words, don’t tell me that you don’t know what would be good. Use the Internet to research ideas and policies that are currently in place to help working families.
8) What did this assignment help you learn?
Elizabeth Durden wrote:
hello all,
For my discussions on stratification in Intro, I am searching for directions on the "income game" (for lack of a better phrase). Some sort of activity exists where student groups are given different family incomes to figure out how much life costs, etc....
My details and descriptions are fuzzy, but I hope I am being clear. Any assignment or help would be much appreciated.
Thanks for the help, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Durden, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
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Andi
Andi
Every object, every being,
Is a jar of delight.
Be a connoisseur.
~Rumi~
Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into
something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.
~Cathy Better~
Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter
least.
~Johann von Goethe~
----------------
Dr. Andi Stepnick
Associate Professor of Sociology
314 Wheeler Humanities Building
Belmont University
Nashville TN 37212-3757
Direct Line: (615) 460-6249
Office Manager: (615) 460-5505
Sociology Fax: (615) 460-6997
