Re: Hunger and Crumbs

1

After the Food Stamp cuts done to pay for the tax cuts for the rich, this problem won't exist.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 1:14 PM
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I know I saw an article about this same study that came to a more reasonable policy recommendation (increasing funding for food stamps so people don't run out of food at the end of the month), but I can't find it now.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 1:41 PM
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NPR had something on this. There was an intriguing question about whether it was just hunger itself or, more broadly, the stress of extra financial insecurity. I don't know whether it matters when it comes to policy, but it's an interesting research question.


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 1:57 PM
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3 was me.

I do think there's a bit of an argument for both increasing the money and smoothing it out. I had a friend who got a job that paid monthly. I don't know whether she had been paid weekly or biweekly, but she found the budgeting challenging.

I also knew people with mental illness who blew everything within a week and would have benefited from a more frequent distribution of funds.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:01 PM
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5

What about providing free breakfast to students? Is that too radical a policy solution?


Posted by: Buttercup | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:05 PM
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3: I think that's what's linked in the OP.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:11 PM
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5: All students in Heebieville get free breakfast at all schools. Geeblets eat breakfast there depending on the day. And free breakfasts and lunches all summer long, if they show up to designated cafeterias. There's a certain poverty cut off according to...Title X I think? I feel like Thorn has also spoken of this and knows? where everyone just gets breakfast without means testing.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:13 PM
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8

I firmly believe that we're not going to end the scholastic achievement gap until we deal with social inequality more generally.


Posted by: Buttercup | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:18 PM
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9

I am of the opinion that the schools aren't even broken!


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:18 PM
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10

S6: Yeah, I realized that after I commented.


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:19 PM
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I'd bet the social harm from people being unable to scrape together deposit and first month's rent far outweighs the harm from people running out on rent or damaging apartments.

What if we socialized the risk so as to eliminate deposits? There would be some moral hazard, but I think we'd still be right side up. Or bad actors could get payouts on their behalf garnished over time.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 2:47 PM
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12

That might work for regular tenants, but what about graduate students?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-29-17 3:35 PM
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Until recently most UK social security benefits were paid out weekly. This wasn't, AFAIK, intended to deal with this but rather was a result of the system assuming everyone was an industrial worker who was paid on Fridays because this kind of was the case when it was built.

The Universal Credit program turns this into one monthly disbursement and there is a lot of half-sincere concern about "budgeting". Half-sincere; if it was sincere they'd care about the combination of the initial six week waiting period and the administration's total inability to pay on time.


Posted by: Alex | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 4:12 AM
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A long time ago, I had a job that paid bi-weekly. Which was strange for budgeting purposes because two month of the year, you go three checks instead of two.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 5:19 AM
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That was so long ago that health insurance cost a nickel.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 5:23 AM
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I get paid twice a month (regardless of whether any given day of the week occurs two times or three), my wife gets paid monthly. This occasionally causes problems for the joint account, but it's problems like, "oops, the mortgage and credit card bill lined up wrong and now we've used up one of our overdraft protections, guess I'd better log into the Web site and transfer money from the savings account, what a hassle," not problems like fucking going hungry.


Posted by: Cyrus | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 5:47 AM
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17

Overdraft protection is like a D&D wizard that needs time to recover before casting another spell?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 5:53 AM
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Being well off is knowing I can just have some money sit in the account to avoid precisely that kind of issue. It's not being productive, it's not being exchanged for goods or services, it's just smoothing over financial institutions' poorly interlocking rules. Definitely one of those things that seem little and easy to the privileged that are stressful hassles--or worse--for those without.

Something to make overdraft protection a bit less painful: I recently opened a credit card with the bank I have my checking account with. I haven't tried it, but supposedly if overdraft protection is engaged it just becomes a charge on the credit card (at the money-forwarding rate, alas). Since the credit card is then paid from said checking account, this gives me a credit card payment cycle to get my accounts in order, instead of immediately hitting me with a ~$30 fee per overdrafted transaction.


Posted by: dalriata | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 6:03 AM
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Years ago, when I did a semester abroad in the U.K., I ran up on overdraft on a British bank account and was deeply surprised that all I got out of it was very polite letter asking for an additional deposit. No fee, reasonable interest, debit card didn't get shut off. Even 25 years ago, American banks were not like that.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 6:24 AM
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I get paid biweekly. I put paydays into my calendar so I can track the three payday months and spend accordingly. I think with my student loans done I have just enough buffer to make the next credit card bill, after which I might start actually saving. I made a few purchases this credit card cycle that could have waited, but I'm trusting my math.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 6:36 AM
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21

I get paid monthly. It's never been a problem.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 6:42 AM
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When I was paid monthly it was pretty nice to have most things line up, but the first two months after the long job search were tough.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 7:02 AM
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23

Averaged over my lifetime, I am paid very seldom, but when I am it's monthly.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 7:02 AM
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I'm biweekly, which I like because I budget (in a vague kind of way) for two paychecks a month, and then I'm pleasantly surprised twice a year.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 7:33 AM
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25

Said the actress to the archbishop.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 2-17 7:36 AM
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26

I will now have a monthly child support payment arriving somehow, I assume through normal routes though Lee thinks just from cutting me a check. I also have full permanent custody of Nia, who was greatly relieved to hear that this part is resolved. I was not vindictive or punitive even though I really want to be and as a result Lee is feeling kinder and dropped her recent request to have more time with the younger girls. She says she'll want that in the summer when she's not teaching, but I don't have the energy to worry about anything that far into the future. For now I'm mostly relieved and kind of a mess.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 4:55 PM
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Yay! This is all great news, thorn. Congratulations to you and your girls!


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:05 PM
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Hooray.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:34 PM
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What a relief. I'm glad to hear this.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:41 PM
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We still have to do a lot more coparenting therapy to work out the details of how we share parenting of the younger two (or fail to do so to the extent that the therapist is willing to testify in court about what she thinks should happen) but this is a huge weight and fear removed for me.

If anyone knows if there's an Uber but for delivering a bottle of port, now's the time to let me know. Probably I'll just collapse and sleep instead.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:42 PM
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31

You can get beer delivered here now.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:46 PM
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Truly you are living in paradise. For people who like beer at least.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:53 PM
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Honestly, it seems way to expensive that way. I've never done it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 5:57 PM
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34

Congrats, Thorn!


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 6:09 PM
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35

Good news, Thorn. I admire your stamina.


Posted by: Penny | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 6:20 PM
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36

Yay Thorn! Having the kids daily is certainly a lot better than biweekly or monthly.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 10- 3-17 8:24 PM
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37

It is, and that's not changing at this point. Nia has been completely in my care since the beginning of 2016. The younger girls will continue going home from after school program with Lee every other Friday evening and then back to me at dinnertime Sunday. Lee would like to change so she has them every other week in the summer, she says, but even with vacations she's never done a week of parenting and I have no idea if she'd actually be able to manage it, but that's one of those things we will work out with the coparenting therapist.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 10- 4-17 1:35 AM
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38

That's wonderful, Thorn. Security and peace of mind for the kids is the bedrock of so much else.


Posted by: Ume | Link to this comment | 10- 4-17 1:39 AM
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39

Thanks, Ume. Exactly that. Nia in particular has felt the uncertainty for almost two years. Making things official liberates her from that and it was an emotional moment for her when she and I talked last night. I'm pretty emotional too and it will take time for all the stress I've been carrying to drain, but I'm hugely relieved.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 10- 4-17 1:47 AM
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40

Excellent news, Thorn.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 10- 4-17 2:30 AM
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