Food, rent, transportation. How much does the average family need to spend? Fill in the boxes below or leave a comment to let us know what you think – there aren’t any right or wrong answers but we’ll show you some examples when you’re done!
We know that families come in many shapes and sizes – for the sake of consistency, please consider this family of four to be two adults and two school-aged children.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I am a single parent of two teenagers . We moved here from Alberta just over one year ago . We have found the people here to be very friendly , also it is the cheapest place we have lived . People from here should be proud and realize how lucky they are to live here .
March 6th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Wow…I guessed +$3,000 for a family of four. I am a family of two adults and monthly shelter costs us more than $700.00.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I am a senior and far removed from the days of raising my children so these figures are speculative and based more on observing my family.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
intersting data..
As you have indicated this does not include all costs. Think about the costs of medications should one or more family member(s) be dependant on meds… and then consider the ability (or lack of) to join sports teams and the equipment associated on top of the costs that have been outlined.
And we wonder why we have a high crime rate and drug issues…
March 6th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Utilities were not mentioned, school fees..did not even count gas or car payments/auto insurance ..was thinking bussing..Both adults must work..then child care goes even higher. God forbid we get a fee for service medical system ..dental care could not even be considered and with the dirty tactics of many employers offering so many term only, part time,casual or contract positions or termination just prior to probation ends….benefits are withheld or not even offered.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
As I filled out this survey I was thankful that I live in a two-income household. If I were still a single parent, as many of my friends and neighbours are, I couldn’t possibly come up with enough money to pay rent and utilities, let alone proper food, child care and recreational expenses. We need opportunities for education and training; affordable, accessible and appropriate child care; strong support and long-term funding for our community organizations; and last but not least, a political voice that is not automatically labled left wing and dismissed. Thanks for doing these surveys.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I am a single mom of three teenage boys (19, 15 & 14). I live in one of our not so nice areas of the city and even here $724/month for rent would be a steal to find – but most likely be the nastiest, run down place you can find, complete with extras like mice and bugs. But apparently this is “acceptable living”.
If I only spent $650 a month on food? OMG, I wish!! We have a strict budget and menu and rules about eating outside of mealtime, etc., just because I almost have to count the slices of bread and glasses of milk and still the monthly cost is $1000 – $1200 (if I say buy real meat instead of hamburger, or lean instead of regular, weiners and the like for 80% of the supper meals).
With the exception of transportation to be able to get to and from work, everything else on the list is EXTRA and comes after necessities not mentioned like heat and water.
I work with low income families and underprivileged children and I see the suffering that going without or making due can cause. To say that poverty and crime are directly related is most understated.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I am shocked at the numbers. My rent is 900.00 plus utilities and I’m a single parent with two children and I struggle to keep up. Living pay cheque to pay cheque just isn’t right and the higher ups wonder why there are so many suicides and bankruptcies. It goes to prove how try to life the commercial really is.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
As a father of three, I am very thankful that both me and my wife bring income in. The total that I came to didn’t include emergencies, utilities (which can vary, depending on how efficient your home is) or money to improve living conditions.
For all you single parents out there – I feel for you.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Thanks for your comments everyone. Many people have brought up that this is just a fraction of the expenses a family of 4 might incur – this is very important to keep in mind. The Acceptable Living Level Report includes a few more categories, but there are many other expenses that families can have on their plates depending on their circumstances. Nor does the report account for social exclusion that might accompany not being able to afford this living level.
Living expenses are always changing. Research is currently underway for an updated version of the Acceptable Living Level report.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I think the biggest benefit of this web poll is to get people engaged and talking about poverty and expenses so we can all see it’s everyone’s issue, and stop pretending it belongs to someone else…
March 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Just speaking for a family of 2, rent, gas and groceries run on the average of $1,500.00 per month.
That does not include clothing, entertainment or any other perks in life. But Winnipeg is one of the cheapest places in Canada to live, and the friendly mulity cultural people make it a wonder place to be.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
What a sad state of affairs!!! It is horrible that families have to live… I mean “exist” with such circumstances.
March 6th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I was a single Mom with 2 kids trying to make ends meet on Student Aid and no family supports. The fact that more often then I care to remember, I did not eat so my kids could, made me more determined then ever to get through school and make a better life for ourselves That was 18 years ago. I look back at how hard that was, and I sometimes wonder how we ever got by! With the price of something as vital as food constantly going up, I don’t know how single moms are making it. I think that it is about time that more people take notice of the dire situations out in the community. We need to support others to help them get ahead and make a better life out there.
March 6th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
We opted for one parent to stay at home with the children and one parent to work. As a result, we pay more tax than a 2 income household earning the same amount of money. In spite of that, we are contented with our lifestyle, and do not spend beyond what we can afford.
[edited by admin]
March 7th, 2009 at 11:02 am
I really found this survey hard to do-too vague. I found myself having to make too many assumptions here. Such as, I’m assuming here that a car in included in this survey as bus passes are much cheaper. If a car is assumed,is that car really necessary? If so, do you have to drive to work every day or could you use it only for pleasure purposes, there by reducing your autopac coverage etc? See another assumption,are these transportation costs including autopac? Why were not utilities included, as not everyone lives in apartments, and we do have an apartment shortage do we not? When you toss in a house for shelter, doesn’t that skew everything?
If you are not including the other necessary items, such as household operational items (such as laundry, dish soap, etc.) which every family needs, you really are not helping these families are you? These numbers should be included as it is only then than these family can do a better job taking care of themselves.These items are expensive, and they should be accounted for in all government wish lists. Here I am taking the view, that even though these numbers are not included in here,government officials will assume these articles are included, and will assume everyone can manage properly. I really think you should re-do these surveys if this is what the government works with. No wonder people go to food banks these days.
These days,every penny counts for everyone, and with the use of computers a better breakdown could be done. These numbers probably help governments determine what the provincial minimum wage should be, and how does it help if the proper data is not compiled?
I also think both parties are to share some responsibility here.
Cut backs can be made, and you just have to determine what your priorities are. Life is all about choice.
As a child growing up if it wasn’t for my grandmother and her ability on how to stretch the dollar when it came to meals, life would have been so much harder. We never did without, but it came down to wants versus needs. The needs always won out.
Now, having said all of this, I really do wonder how young families manage these days, as it is quite obvious that the gap is widening, and that is really unfortunate. After reviewing your figures, I will have to make the assumption, that your data is severely out-dated and the family of four today, struggles regardless of what numbers you toss out there.
March 8th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Clearly people need more money to live on, especially those who are the “working poor” and those on assistance. What is the UNITED WAY doing to advocate for this?? I would like to be part of that advocacy.
March 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Thanks for creating this poll. My partner and I run a household with three children (ages 4-8) and a pensioner (age 70). The extended family situation in our household saves money, no doubt, in terms of childcare and makes it less likely for us to have to consume fast food. The Social Planning/Wpg Harvest shelter and transportation estimates, however, are unrealistically low in my view.
March 8th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I have to say that I can not even begin to guess what the minimum requirements for the basics would be.
Our single parent daughter is living with us while she gets on her feet. When she first arrived – over 5 years ago she was quite sure this would be only a short-term stop on her way to self-sufficiency. She has a significant debt load from her previous relationship. She has always been a good money manager and this debt load is really hard for her to come to grips with. She has said frequently that on her wages, which are not bad, she could not find a “decent” place to live where she could pay the rent and feed and clothe them and so is staying put in our basement until the debts are cleared – another few years. Even then I think she will be hard pressed to make it without some assistance.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:15 am
My kids are now grown up but I remember struggling to get by when my kids were in school. With the sports activities and the regular daily expenses, We were living payday to payday even with both my husband and I working.
I also can’t beleive the increase in the cost of living!! It’s ridiculous! We will now have to make that effort (if even possible) to grow our own food and to start canning and freezing and hunting/fishing like our ancestors used to do to get by!
March 9th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I’m a new canadian; when we moved to Canada my only child was 15 years old already so I did the numbers based in other people’s experience. I understand in this survey we’re talking about BASIC needs, the minimun you can live with.
What I want to say is that I come from a third world country, I know what poverty looks like and how hard it is to overcome the lack of money.
Getting people together to talk about social problems is a great initiative form United Way; WE share the planet, individual well being is not an option. If WE have to start canning and freezin food to fullfill our needs, lets do it. Co-operation will make us stronger to face dificulties, lets put our skills in action for everybody’s benefit.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I can’t believe the minimum for this is so high!! When I was a University Student (only 3 years ago) my entire household (myself and 3 guys, aged 17-20) lived on less than $1400 a month TOTAL- and that included EVERYTHING. Mortgage, TV, Phone, Internet, 2 cars, FOOD, AND recreation! Why do people need to spend more?? The thing is though that we had a garden and froze our vegetables. My parents hunt and we got a deer each year. We bought groceries when things were on sale. I love fishing and made sure we had fresh fish whenever we wanted. Why can’t more people be a bit more resourceful and/or ambitious and do these things too?? Have a family garden, spend a day at the lake… All these things are great ways to teach children about how wonderful the outdoors are – we will have a better community in the end because of it. Maybe if we were all be a little more self-sustaining, the cost of living wouldn’t be so high because it would be a buyer’s market, rather than a seller’s market for our basic needs.
March 10th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Interesting comments about cooperation and resourcefulness. These have definitely gotten me thinking about my own practices.
I wanted to respond to Laura’s comment about what United Way is doing to address poverty. Here are some snippets of a couple initiatives…
United Way is part of an innovative AssetBuilders Partnership:
“Asset-building programs provide low-income individuals and families with an opportunity to save for small assets. Asset-building programs provide participants with knowledge, experience, confidence, and the incentive of matched savings to acquire assets and moving towards financial stability. United Way of Winnipeg has supported and invested in asset-building initiatives since 1998.”
And United Way was instrumental in the formation of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council. Check out their website: http://www.wprc.ca
There are many other ways that United Way is working to address poverty. If anyone is looking for ways to get involved I encourage you to check out United Way’s website (www.unitedwaywinnipeg.mb.ca) under the “participate” tab. Or contact us at (204)477-5360.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
When I hear the comment that people working in union jobs are making too much, I am left scratching my head. In reality, this last survey indicates that maybe non-union jobs and the minimum wage are too low, especially with family breakdowns and the need for independent shelter and living.
I would really like to see the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, the Winnipeg City Council, the Manitoba Legislators, and the Manitoba Members of Parliament, take this survey and see their position on what is reasonable.
Thank you for this opportunity to participate.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Well I am not surprsed by the results. There was a time I struggled some but always I found ways to make the dollar stretch. I made commitments with each change to address our finances and even though sacrifices had to be made my family was none the worse off.
We had 3 children, he worked days I worked evenings. Family picked up an hour or so of supervision so we moved close by family.We haggled for some household items. I thank my aunt for teaching me that skill. She was from a country where haggling for prices is a common skill.
I kept a running account of where every penny was spent so that we could afford treats every now and then.I bought healthy food and very little junk food. I walked with my kids or took the bus. We did a lot of family activities at home together and some things in the community for free. Kids love the park and picnics and exploring and with parents present it is very safe. The advent of movie videos was a godsend. What a great friday evening to make pizzas,eat popcorn and drink juice or soda for 4 for a quarter of the cost. And as it should be we spent more time together as a family.We are also very healthy as a result of not consuming a lot of junk and regular exercise.
I also became a great fan of reuse recycle when it came to clothing, trading with family and friends for kids stuff and visiting the second hand stores for my stuff.
Learning to become more resourceful can be seen as a challenge and something to be proud of with each success. Having less does not need to lead to feelings of bitterness or feeling less than. Learning to make something from what others no longer see as useful is a wonderful and creative skill. I also feel safer in myself and my resilience as an individual. I know that should my life circumstances change I could overcome pretty well anything.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I was’nt to far off the mark and I was just guesstimating the expenses. Over all I think Winnipeg is the cheapest place to live in Canada. I’ve heard that broom closet apartments in Toronto are $1000.00 to $1100.00 a month. Taxes for everything are a little higher than the ‘Peg. In Calgary, a one bedroom apartment is $2000.00 a month.