In thisassignment, you will apply things youve learned about in thiscourse, particularly regarding work and the economy, to consider whatlife would be like to budget and live as a parent in a family belowthe poverty line. After you create a monthly budget with a breakdownof expenses, youll write a reflection paper about the experienceand its application to the course materials.

STEP1:Imagine you are a single parent with two kids, ages 1 and 6 (afirst-grader). You work a full-time minimum wage job. Make a bulletedlist with all of the categories below and write a paragraph for each,explaining how you would plan for monthly expenses.

• Family:Describeyour fictional family. Where specifically do you work? What are yourchildrens names and interests?

• Budget:What is your annual income at the current minimum wage rate? What isyour monthly income?

• Housing:Where will your family live? Look up actual apartments or housesusing websites like Zillow or Craigslist to find a good place foryour family to live. Where is it relation to the place you work?

• Childcareand Education:Look up your new address to find what school your children willattend. What is the schools rating? Next, you will need to findfull-time childcare for your youngest child. Look up prices andoptions in your area (having family or someone watch him or hervoluntarily is not an option in this case). How much will it cost?

• Food:write down everything your family will eat, in detail, for everymeal of one day. Estimate the expenses for each of those items. Usethis daily information to create a weekly grocery list. Look upprices and write down how much you will need to spend on groceriesper month.

• Utilitiesand phone:If not included in the rent, look up average utility costs in yourarea to pay for electricity, water, garbage, cable, internet, andphone bills.

• Transportation:How will you get around? Do you have a car payment? If you have acar, include an estimated monthly cost. What will you pay in gasexpenses? Or is public transportation a feasible option?

• Others:Youll need to reserve some funds for needs like diapers, wipes,clothes, toilet paper, toiletries, etc. Look up average needs andcosts and include that information here.

• Miscellaneous:What other monthly expenses do you anticipate needing for you oryour family?

STEP2:Write up an analysis paper between 1-2 pages, describing yourreactions to this exercise, as well as its micro/macro level humanservices/social work implications. Consider the following questions:

• Didanything surprise you about this exercise?

• Do youfeel that it is reasonable to live off the minimum wage in America?

• Whatexpenses seemed to be the most burdensome?

• Howdoes this exercise tie in with concepts you learned about in thismodule? Specifically tie in at least two specific terms or conceptsthat have been discussed in the course, thus far.

• Whatrecommendations would you make for government or economic programsto better aid those in poverty?

• In whatways did this assignment make you think about the current state ofthe economy and things like welfare programs?