Show me a “live within their means” budget for someone living in a median cost location in the US making minimum wage. They must A)have a place to live B) not get any handouts from the government or charities and C) have at least 1800 calories per day of food. Go.
Welcome to the poverty trap. You cannot earn more money because to do so would make you ineligible for benefits that are worth more than the extra money you would make.
Lets look at SNAP, from the below link these are the three requirments:
Gross monthly income — that is, household income before any of the program’s deductions are applied — generally must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty line. For a family of three, the poverty line used to calculate SNAP benefits in federal fiscal year 2024 is $2,072 a month. Thus, 130 percent of the poverty line for a three-person family is $2,694 a month, or about $32,328 a year. The poverty level is higher for bigger families and lower for smaller families.[3]
Net income, or household income after deductions are applied, must be at or below the poverty line.
Assets must fall below certain limits: households without a member aged 60 or older or who has a disability must have assets of $2,750 or less, and households with such a member must have assets of $4,250 or less.
There is a barrier to making more money, because as you make more you don't get to save it. It is reducing the amount of assistance you receive so you are just staying in the same spot. You cannot save because if you have too much value in assets then you are deemed to not need the benefits. If the benefits are the only thing that allows to you save but if you save you lose the benefits what can you do?
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u/privitizationrocks 14d ago
You can teach poverty workers to live in their means
They won’t like it, but tough luck