In the aftermath of the disaster that knows no end (take your pick whether it's Katrina or the Bush Presidency) has come the news that natural gas prices will be 71% higher this coming winter. I honestly wonder how many of us this will sink. As it was, I couldn't keep up with my utility bills this past winter. In fact, it was the summer before I'd finally paid off the balance from my winter gas bills.
Statistically speaking, I'm nowhere near the poverty line. I have a good position and make a decent salary at a university in Richmond, VA. I should be able to cover my bills and maybe even make headway on paying down my debts. Instead, I rely on family help and freelance work to cover my shortfall month-to-month.
This would be an unfortunate, but manageable situation except for one fact: I am a single dad.
It's painful to think through the choices I have to make when it comes to caring for my daughter. We subsist, and I try not to let her in on how worried I am about money. I hope the raise I will get later this fall will take some of the pressure off. I take on teaching a class to bring in a few more dollars. I make decisions like cancelling our home phone service. As I make these decisions, I begin to see how my budget might begin to work.
Then what happens? Insurance costs go up just a bit. Gas goes up--taking with it all sorts of other day-to-day expenses. And the news comes through that the two hundred dollar monthly bills I saw last winter could be close to three-fifty.
It takes my breath away. I think about finding a job in the private sector, but the market's not that great in Richmond. I look around my apartment for things I can sell to pay a few extra bills. I try not to let on when I negotiate with Anna about which My Little Pony she can get. I try not to break down, and then I wonder how many more people like me are trying to make ends meet with salaries that even a few years ago seemed "good."