Sit down with some classmates and estimate what a family of four (two parents, two young children) in your area would have to pay annually for food, clothing, shelter, energy, and other necessities of life. What figure do you end up with? How does this sum of money compare with the official poverty line of $22,213 in 2010 for a family of four?
Living in the Portland and Vancouver area, I estimated that a family of four would spend around $6,450 a month on housing, food, transportation, childcare, and other basic needs. That's about $77,400 a year, which is $55,187 more than the poverty line of $22,213 in 2010. It really shows how expensive it is for families just to get by.