family profile

My family's background consisted of living in an apartment in a large metropolitan area. One adult worked as a teacher in the public school and the other was a stay at home mom. There were two children, an 18 year old and a 6 month old. The teacher and the 6 month old were covered under her employer's insurance program. There was also a bus service available to them. Our income was $25,000 and we had a cash savings of $250. When adding up the costs of all the bills we had, it became very stressful. We had to cut back on many things that we usually would take for granted. We couldn't afford a car, so we had to get a bus pass instead. We also had to take away our internet and cable. We had to decide if we wanted the 18 year old to move out and be on his own, or continue to live with us. We got a two bedroom apartment which concluded in him sharing a room with his 6 month old brother. Even though it wasn't our real life, it was stressful going through the different costs and having to make sacrafices in order to survive. We had to reduce the cost of our personal items and even insurance for one adult and the 18  year old. In my opinion, this family had the opportunity to increase their income by maybe getting a better job, or the other adult could have worked. That way, they could make enough money to afford day care for the baby.