Life Planning 5

This is an extremely important area. It is realistic. In order for a person to live on their own they need to work this out or have someone work it out for them.
The following is just a sample for teaching purpose. They need to get actual figures for where the person will be living. There are some areas listed that might not pertain to them and some areas not listed that need to be for your specific needs.

To start with we will look at income.

A typical entry level job at a fast food restaurant is $5.75 - $6.00 an hour and for only 10 – 15 hours a week. At the most that comes out to $90.00 a week before taxes.

A typical entry level job at a department store is $6.00 an hour for 10-35 hours a week. After 4 years a person could make up to $8.20 an hour, and work 40 hours a week. That would be $328.00 a week times 52 weeks a year which is $17,000 a year, before taxes, $13,090 after taxes, or $1090 a month.

So let’s set up a sample budget and see if it is enough money for one person to live on without assistance.

Each month
Housing including utilities $500
Food $325
Clothes $40
Laundry $25
Transportation $40 (this would be for public transportation, owning a car is far more expensive)
Medical insurance $200
Recreation $50
$1180

That is $90 more than you make and you still do not have anything budgeted for Savings, Miscellaneous, or Giving.

Living in our area you almost have to have a car in order to get around. It is not uncommon to budget $400 a month for auto expenses and that does not even count the price of a vehicle. If your budget includes only $40 a month for transportation you will not be able to have a vehicle.

The reason to have savings is to cover the cost of emergencies. If you do not have any savings and if something happens which takes away your income then you may be forced to move back home. Miscellaneous could cover hair cuts, gifts, repairs, an unexpected trip, and many other things.

So let’s look at how much you would need to make an hour in order to cover the above budget.

Savings $100
Lets add Miscellaneous $50
Giving $20
$170
+ $1180
$1350 take home
$1660 a month before taxes are taken out. $19,920 a year
$9.60 an hour 40 hours a week (52 weeks a year)

This may seem like a lot of money, but in reality it’s really not.

One way to get more money into your budget is to get married and both of you work. But be aware if the wife gets pregnant this may cause the loss of her income and it will also create a lot of expenses. (diapers, formula, daycare, etc.)

Some people live off Social Security (SS) so let’s look at it.

If you receive SS you will receive approximately $540 month.

You will also receive a medical card so you can take off $200 a month for medical insurance (often times not all medical cost are covered, you will need to check what type of program you can get on.). You are allowed to work some but then that lowers your payment and if you make over a certain amount then you lose your SS payment and your medical card. If you live on SS you will have to lower your standard of living and you will have to cut things from your budget.
Anytime you take Public Assistance it comes with rules and regulations. That does not mean it is wrong to take assistance, but you must understand you must obey their rules.

Some people have Waivers or other programs, which will provide money for living expenses. These people still need to do something to keep themselves busy and they need to be around people. Being a hermit is unhealthy, people need people.

What does the government do with the tax money that is taken out of your check (at least 23%):

• Roads
• Library
• Fire Department
• The Government helps people

o Social Security
o DD Services
o Food Stamps

o Medical Cards
o Mental Health
o other

Many people with FASD will not be able to live on their own because of social (behavioral) or mental (functional IQ) challenges.