How many hours do you (or your DH) work to provide the NECESSITIES?

[Early Bird]

BACKGROUND: It was Ash Wednesday. Our church does a moderate fast -- 1 meal and 2 small snacks allowed. At noon, I had dropped off the kids; and I was heading home. I was HUNGRY.

So, I got to thinking about other cultures. Cultures where food is scarce and people go hungry often.

QUESTION: How much of your labor goes to pay for the necessities -- food, warmth, clothing, shelter? Now I'm talking rice and beans, not steak and potatoes. A house heated to maybe 65. Your current shelter (that's hard to change). Current transportation. Water and sewage.

Don't count entertainment, tithing, mad money when you figure this out. Just the basics.

With this perspective, we are all pretty well off!

It takes about a half-day's labor -- 4 hours -- for DH to provide food for the family each week. So, say 16 hours/month for food.

I believe that in some cultures, it takes almost a half-day's labor EACH DAY to provide food.

[ And we eat quite well. If we were on a rice and beans diet, it would cost maybe 2 hours for a weeks' worth of groceries.]

Now, housing here is expensive. I'm estimating that it takes 10 work days (80 hours) for DH to provide housing & utilities for the month.

For us, transportation costs are minimal. DH conceivably could even ride a bike to work. So, just the cost of gas & insurance -- about 4 or 5 hours/month.

Right now we have good medical care. Maybe 5 hours/month out-of-pocket.

So, for us, it comes to about 105 hours/month. Allow 10 hours/month for necessities I forgot -- or estimated wrong.

There are about 160 work hours in a month. So, we should be doing extremely well -- with 45 work hours that are providing for luxuries/savings/tithing.

Where DOES it all go!?!

*********
Here's an easier breakdown:

Food ........................16 hours/month [This could go down if necessary]
Housing ...................80 hours/month
Transportation ..........5 hours/month
Medical ......................5 hours/month
Clothing .....................2 hours/month
Misc necess ................7 hours/month

Total .............. 115 hours/month

DH works (approx) 160 hours/month.

So, 45 hrs/month for 'extras'

[guest2]

This is a great topic! I'll have to sit down and do some figuring on this one and get back to you later with my stats.

Right now I am reading the book "Extending the Table" and it hits on some of these very things.

[homesteadmamma]

Great thought provoking question!!

Dh doesn't work, our home is paid for and he gets a couple small pensions. We live on that.

So its a very hard question to answer. But I look forward to hearing what everyone else has to say.