On Monday and Wednesday day this week I decided to go by the Bishops Storehouse in Magna. I wanted to see if there was any truth of suspicion that in fact those who went to get there food from the Bishops Storehouse were not conserving there bank accounts. Let me give you an example.(all of my examples include vehicles so get use to it) Say a couple gets married both get jobs husband buys a full size truck and wife buys a car. Both vehicles are near new and our put on car payments. Wife gets pregnant but doesn't receive maternity leave. She has the baby and they are down one income so they go to the Bishop for help because they don't have the funds to pay their rent or food . Now let's see why it is they don't have any money left. First lets estimate the 2 cars. Let's say the truck is estimated at 18000 and the car is around 14000 for the original loan amounts. We will say there credit is satisfactory so The loan on the truck is 324 dollars a month insurance for both vehicles is probably around 1000 every 6 month because both are under 25 and they need full coverage because it's on a loan it could be up to 1200 but we will be conservative. So that adds an additional 83.34 to the auto payment. Registration will be estimated at about 300 for the first year so that adds another 25 and let's say that they put 8000 miles on it. Typically the average is 12k but they're probably not going to use it to go on a road trip. I'll estimate gas at 3.50 a gallon and the truck probably gets around 15 mpg. So that adds an average of another 155.56. Even if the truck had warranty you would probably need to at least do oil changes so that adds another 12 dollars. So that truck you've been telling everyone that it only cost 324 dollars a month actually cost 600 dollars a month. Now let's figure out the car. The car payment is 266 a month. Insurance is estimated and sits at 83.34 registration is the same at 25 gas will be estimated at 30 mpg with 12000. That's considering they did most of their driving on the car. That adds another 116.67 and then oil is the 12 dollars average a month with a grand total 503.11 a month. So on vehicles alone they're probably paying more than rent. That's 1103.11 a month on running the cars. More than likely they are either going to school have part time jobs or not going to school and have full time jobs. If they had full time jobs I'm estimating that they will probably make around 50-55 k year. With a take home average after taxes of about 3000 to 3300 a month. We will estimate that they spend about 850 a month in rent and if they are full tithe payers they would pay about 330 a month if they based it off net pay. That leaves 750 to 1020 dollars left for their utilities food credit cards medical fun. That only averages out to 255 dollars a week. Imagine if that was the week you had to pay your phone bill. Groceries and a phone bill would wipe your bank account clean. Now let's imagine another couple who get married and need vehicles. Husband and wife our conservitive and purchase 2 cars one for 2000 and the other for 500. They pay cash and we will estimate their zero interest loans. Husband has mechanical skills and puts both get running for about 3000 dollars. Because both cars average the same gas mileage and registration I am going to do this estimate together. So to add to the yearly amount, insurance would be estimated at 700 a year. Both cars have liability only because they are paid for. Gas would be 2333 dollars at 20000 miles. Registration would be about 200 because they are older and oil changes at about 160. We will even add another 600 for unexpected repairs. The grand total is 6993 dollars the first year keep in mind that this is only for the first year. The next year it drops by 3000 dollars. So that puts our monthly payment at 582. That's an extra 412 dollars a month over the top example. The next year it's an extra 662 dollars a month.When The top example loses one income they would not be able to cover rent and vehichle expenses. So here is the question who deserves help more. They both have the same situation but the top example has larger expenses not due to circumstances but due to choices.
So I stop by the Bishops Storehouse house just to browse the parking lot and it's pretty close to my description. I only focused on the ones that were loading up groceries and I practically just passed by. One that surprised me was a chrysler 300 or a dodge charger with aftermarket rims. I'm not kidding I'm fasting and donating so some person or family can keep their rims? The other one that surprised me was a newer truck with a really nice camper shell. My question on that is you can't sell that and downgrade to a car that cost 60 dollars less to fill up? Where is your justification. How do you look at your car and your situation and justify asking for help. That's only in two trips with short drive by. In part 2 I will explain a couple of stories of where now I wish I would have asked for help but couldn't justify it. I had a job and a nice car. How could I ask. I knew there was things I could cut out of my budget but thinking back now I was doing everything I could and barely getting by. Maybe I should of.
P.S. I am putting my white flag on this subject I just want to get my story and frustration out. 2 more posts that's it.
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