very interesting: middle class heat

**MelinaG** · 10-18-2005, 12:06 PM

Hello,

This is very interesting to me. I was talking about the incredible cost of living here in MA to the parents in our co-op pre-school. We are all middle to upper middle class and no one has turned on their heat yet because of the cost. I thought is was just me because I am super frugal and saving every penny to purchase a home....within the next 18 months. It is 60 outside and inside my house right now. I'm not cold..have a ski sweater and wool socks and doing chores which keeps warm but I was thinking that we can afford to turn on the heat but choose not to but what happens to the people who can't afford to heat? Also, is the middle class getting poorer do to cost of living. Everyone in my co-op has children and either one or both spouses have gainful employement yet no one is heating.

What do you guys think? Are we being squeezed beyond possibility?

Melina

**jlxian** · 10-18-2005, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by MelinaG
Also, is the middle class getting poorer do to cost of living. Everyone in my co-op has children and either one or both spouses have gamefu; employement yet no one is heating.

What do you guys think? Are we being squeezed beyond possibility?

Melina

Melina, I think the middle class is disappearing, or getting poorer as you point out.

**nodmicks** · 10-18-2005, 01:25 PM

I was joking with my boss a while back about finally being middle class now and now that the middle class is disapearing!
I seriously think middle class is and will disapear.

**Katybird** · 10-18-2005, 01:55 PM

I have to ask~what is "gamefu"?

I agree that the middle class is being squeezed out. The more money we make the more the government takes and the higher the cost of living gets. It seems like a raise at work anymore only goes to increase taxes, ~sigh~

.

**forestdale** · 10-18-2005, 02:11 PM

Kathy, I think Melinda means "gainful".

I thought America was supposed to be a classless society. Is this not so? Do you think of yourselves as being in a particular class?

**nodmicks** · 10-18-2005, 02:43 PM

I don't necessarily think of classes as segregating people. When americans break down income it is gererally listed at lower(less$$), middle, upper middle and upper. It's only a financial indicator I guess.

**sanderson76** · 10-18-2005, 03:04 PM

I agree that it will eventually disappear.

**MelinaG** · 10-18-2005, 03:53 PM

To answer your question about class. I have an unpopular answer.....oh yes, there is a class system. The difference in the USA as opposed to a more classic class systems such as in India is that if you are born into poverty and work very hard to educate and save pennies than you can move up in class. Sociology is my passion so I love topics like this.

**Jellybeanz** · 10-18-2005, 04:05 PM

ITA MelinaG.

And I think the recent events ( hurricane disaster) really brought attention to the issue in certain ways. Whether it will make any difference, I don't know.

Not trying to get off topic here, but Rhonda's question did make me think of it.

**Mamaw** · 10-18-2005, 05:00 PM

The so called middle class is rapidly disappearing. The more money we make, the more costs and taxes rise so we never really get ahead. Soon there will only be poor and rich. Just once I would like a raise that covers more than the cost of living increase LOL

**pkellyc** · 10-18-2005, 05:06 PM

I think we are all just fed up. I will not have a problem with my heat . But it is a fact is that we are making more money than ever but the cost of living is out distancing us.

Dh and I will be ok but what about my dd's?

Dd#1 will have an education at the cost of $75,000 and that is a low guess and excludes her scholarship money. Her starting pay will be $30,000 a year. Ct is the 2nd or 3rd state with the highest cost of living. She will not live very well on this.

Dd#2 is taking classes at a community college without a clue as to what she would like to do. So who knows where that will lead her.

I am tired of feeling like everyones hands are in our pockets. I will not spend foolishly to line someone else's. So if I am a chilly this winter I will not reach for my thermostat, I will be reaching for a sweater. The money saved will go to my children some day and the way things look to me they will need it.

**canadian gardener** · 10-18-2005, 05:09 PM

even better you are handing a lifetime tool kit called frugality, and that is like "teach a man to fish and he will fish for a lifetime."

Even if you can "afford" it, you are making a conscious choice to spend that money elsewhere which is intelligent spending.

That is a good message for the kids.

It's all about maintaining margins.

Margins give us wiggle room, room to flex.

Margins in the budget are made by scrimping on the heat or the groceries to allow some flexibility when it comes to coping with price increases in gasoline for example or price raises due to oil prices worldwide.

Margins are important.

**ironmaiden** · 10-19-2005, 09:15 AM

If the economy tanks big time or we have another depression, the "upper" middle class will be in just as much trouble as everybody else. They have so overextended themselves by buying more and more house, taking out equity and using credit cards to maintain their spending status.

**Jayne** · 10-19-2005, 09:53 AM

You are so right ironmaiden...dh and I are considered upper middle class, and we had fallen into the keeping up with the joneses trap...because of the higher prices and taxes , we are hurting badly...I see so many people in this area having to sell their big houses and downsize already....

**schellie69** · 10-19-2005, 10:44 AM

In my area the middle class are called the working poor, I live in a farming community and I know alot of farmers that farm and then work a full time job just to make end meet. I have learned to cut corners whre ever I can just to keep our heads above water and with the price of gas going up and the talk of naural gas for heating going up 70 percent or more I am worried I have to keep the house warmer because ds has astma and cold is a trigger for it, but thinking of getting electric hearter for his room so i can keep thermostate down this winter, every time my dh gets a raise the insurance goes up so we don't see any more money he works overtime they take more out in taxes, its a no win solution. I am not sure what is going to happen to families this winter.