Almost half of US families can't afford basics like rent and food
Source: CNN-Money
by Tami Luhby @Luhby
May 17, 2018: 10:44 AM ET
The economy may be chugging along, but many Americans are still struggling to afford a basic middle class life.
Nearly 51 million households don't earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday by the United Way ALICE Project. That's 43% of households in the United States.
The figure includes the 16.1 million households living in poverty, as well as the 34.7 million families that the United Way has dubbed ALICE -- Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This group makes less than what's needed "to survive in the modern economy."
"Despite seemingly positive economic signs, the ALICE data shows that financial hardship is still a pervasive problem," said Stephanie Hoopes, the project's director.
California, New Mexico and Hawaii have the largest share of struggling families, at 49% each. North Dakota has the lowest at 32%.
Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/17/news/economy/us-middle-class-basics-study/index.html
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Went to get groceries for a friend Wednesday, with tomatoes always on the list. I was worried 'cause I had been reading all the stories about American farmers not getting enough pickers for the crops due to tRump running off all the immigrants, and in fact saw photos of tons of tomatoes rotting in the fields in Florida.
The best ones at my Kroger store were imported from Canada for $2/lb, or around $1/each. I wonder how long even that will last with NAFTA negotiations falling apart. A lot of items look high to me, although some such as milk still seem OK. Grain products seem to have gone up considerably in the past months.
I've noticed a lot of produce coming from Mexico and Central America in the past, and I'm worried that tRump's economic and physical walls will put us all in the poor house.
.........
Food banks like my neighbor goes to have really helped, and I even take what he gets in excess to some other friends that are struggling. I do fear that scarcity may become the norm due to farmers and meat producers losing their labor supply. We may need to ask our large grocers and local corporations to cough up more to help, and it may be wise for us to build a little hoard in can goods for hard times.
Thank goodness tRump and his gang of thieves will be out soon, although not soon enough for us.
Best of luck to you.....
I used to live in a place that was a nightmare. Part of it was Section 8 and the other part was for anyone that cared to live there and pay "normal" rents.
Said place was an old WPA residence for workers, no insulation, a well that was not clean, etc. etc. ... aka a DUMP of the worst sorts.
Fortunately I managed to get out of this place and housed elsewhere.
I ran into the woman that was (is still?) the manager for these rentals and she informed me the rent was now $1100 a month and that there were two places left where the tenants were on Section 8, the left had left/relocated.
$1100/mo. for a place that would not even pass code? 
I feel sorry for anyone having to pay such an outrageous amount of money to live in such a place.
The rent was $400/mo. when I lived there! $400/mo. and NO, it was not worth $400 a mo. and is not worth $400/mo. today!
GREED KILLS.
& recommend!!
I understand there is a homeless problem and lack of adequate housing in Ireland.
I also understand that there have been many cuts to the healthcare system (long long waits) and also to the elderly that rely on services.
I also understand that some very greedy and corrupt politicians are running Ireland today.
Please tell me that none of this is true.
Welcome to the DU btw! 
Well there are almost 36 million Irish (and/or descendants) here in the U.S. vs almost 5 million there. 
My niece left as she couldn't find work. She is in Abu Dhabi now. She had to leave to find work as an R.N.
I have lots of family there that I hear from often.
I think it depends upon who I am speaking with but yes, you are quite right, there is a homeless problem in Dublin no doubt.
I hope you like it there. It has changed dramatically over the years, that is for sure!
Thanks for the reply!
... For economic reasons.
The unemployment rate is 6%. There's actually a lot of inward migration these days... And they expect another million people ro live here in the next 20 years or so!
The Irish love to moan like everyone, and the problems here Re made out to be extremely dramatic, but they're not.
with gas prices rising and in turn boosting prices on groceries and other necessities.
Quick! Somebody call Paul Ryan who can fix it with more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires! That's the ticket!
F'ing pathetic.
Depressing as all hell this reality is for so many people throughout the entire world.
So much for MAGA!!!
Dump tRump!
I know the people who own it. It is a well-kept and very clean store. The upside is you are kind of forced to explore some new foods and flavors since selection is often limited. (Like yogurt? Hope you like the Blueberry Apricot flavor, because that's all we've got.
) The downside is when you find something you really like that is a great deal they probably won't ever have it again because it was a discontinued product.
I see the whole Grocery Outlet experience as kind of an adventure, to be honest.
I'm drinking a glass of cranberry sangria right now.
The biggest selling item around here is ... YOGURT.
Seems they can't keep it in stock!
A new experience; that's a good way to view it! 
And many of them are very well off -- even millionaires are on Medicare!
As for the disabled, best we pretend that they do not exist! 
