Fixed Income 101

"Class: Fixed Income 101. 3 credits. Register soon, baby boomers filling class rapidly.
Social Security Lab Book, priceless.
Text: out of print. Updated textbook available prior to next election."

I think we should get college credits for dealing with the complexities of everyday living on a fixed income.

Fixed income is just that. Fixed. No additions, adjustments, amendments or extras.

What you get is all you get. After working all your life, that Social Security number is your bottom line regardless what happens in the ebb and flow of the world around you.

When social security was first initiated, there was considerable controversy. But if you were one of those too aged or infirm to work, it meant being able to buy a pair of reading glasses or bag of coal to keep going.

There are millions of elderly Americans whose only source of income is social security. I was fortunate enough to also qualify for some benefits based on my deceased husband's record. In spite of this, I am living at a poverty level. I appreciate the plight of those who have gone before me and acknowlege the problems that face us in the future.

That said, Congress fixed the amount of social security benefits in 2008. I am trying to budget and stretch my funds to pay for ever increasing rent, food, utility bills and still keep my mind active.

A budget is essential.

Look over the basic costs, rent, utility, phone and compare the increases to last year. The difference is what you have to cut back in other areas because social security has not kept up.

Food is next. Analyze your purchases and see what can be modified. If you eat meat frequently, change your cuts to ground or chopped and buy in large quantities. Freeze in sandwich bags so you can count out how many servings or meals it will make. Look for the manager mark-downs but be careful about damaged produce. Sometimes it makes more sense to buy sealed veggies so you are not exposed to something that could make you sick.

Hey Gov Christie, how about those peanut butter and jelly Thursdays? If I have to, why don't you?

And then there is insurance and gas for the car. Most cars run on regular. Fed Ex plans its deliveries so they only make right hand turns and we can follow their example if we want to save gas. At least combine shopping trips and errands for maximum efficiency.

Next is personal stuff such as haircuts and shampoo, detergents and Bounce sheets, even some really personal hygiene stuff that I won't mention here. I even kept my kitty expenses last year to see if my cat was worth it, just because he caught mice. (He was. I had over 30 mice before he came to live with me. And he gives me hugs.) Look for senior discounts on haircuts. I cut back to once every two months.

And my cable bill? Zilch. I used to have Comcast for my internet but had a stomach ache every time I got their bill because they required basic TV before they would let me have internet, and could not explain how that basic fee was charged twice. Service got slower and slower. When I complained I was advised that my usage was too light and I was at the bottom of a queue.

Now I use our house antenna for broadcast service. Some senior sites do not have antenna and residents must subscribe to cable. That would take another $70 out of my budget. Not acceptable.

Many seniors are incapacitated. That means that stuff does not work. Stuff like arms and legs, sometimes sight and hearing. Four walls of an apartment or bedroom are the total option for a 24 hour day. The rooms are dark to save on electricity and to keep furniture from fading. The only connection to the outside world and its culture and vibrancy is that picture window known as television.

So this Governor doesn't care about this last link with life. This governor would rather jet around at taxpayer expense while many of us who spent our lives building roads, delivering fuel, cooking in school cafeterias, teaching children, even managing businesses, must now sit around in the dark and wait to expire.

All because he does not think we can vote.

Think again.

Seniors rock.