AmeriCorps Journals: Entry 3
Welcome back to AmeriCorps Journals! A lot has happened since I posted my last entry, and I’m excited to get you caught up. In the past few months, I’ve been spending some time taking care of an essential part of modern life—paying bills! Each month, money goes out of my bank account to cover cell phone, internet, rent, utilities, auto loan, auto insurance, federal student loan, private student loan, and credit card payments. What a way to spend the summer!
Okay, yes, I have been doing more with my time than just paying bills—thank goodness—but, as you might have guessed, I’m leading up to something. In my experience, personal finance issues are not popular or friendly topics, but budgeting is an important part of the AmeriCorps experience. Most full-time AmeriCorps positions that I have seen advertised in the West Michigan area offer an annual living stipend of somewhere around $11,000-$12,000. Regardless of how many bills are due, that income requires some seriously-frugal budgeting.
My intention in listing out my monthly bills is not to prove that housing costs and other expenses are kindof a bummer. I’m sure you’re probably well aware of that. Instead, my intention is to illustrate that I have actually been able to cover all of my bills with the income of an AmeriCorps living stipend, combined with a little bit of extra planning.
Although the living stipend offered for my AmeriCorps position was higher than the average I listed above, I still had to make some serious lifestyle adjustments to make ends meet. I decided right away to take advantage of some of the benefits that come along with AmeriCorps service, including eligibility for food assistance and forbearance of student loans. Other ways I found to stretch my money further have included requesting payment plans for services, taking advantage of the awesome thrift stores in the area, searching for discounted services and products, and attending events with “free” anything! Other cost-saving measures I could have opted for include using public transportation and applying for subsidized housing.
I’ve been told that there’s a stereotype held by some that AmeriCorps is a program that only “rich kids” can participate in because their living expenses are covered by family. I have yet to meet or see evidence of any of these elusive “rich kids.” Instead, the AmeriCorps members I know are all ages, of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and none that I know have a Daddy Warbucks paying their bills. The AmeriCorps members I know commit, serve, and budget. It might not be glamorous, but they make it work. And for the sake of our community, thank goodness they do!
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Liz, thank you for another insightful post on being an AmeriCorps worker. Your words should inspire many to think about AmeruCorps work differently -- maybe even consider doing it themselves.
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