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http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/17/news/economy/us-middle-class-basics-study/index.html
"Nearly 51 million households don't earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday by the United Way ALICE Project. That's 43% of households in the United States."
The figure includes the 16.1 million households living in poverty, as well as the 34.7 million families that the United Way has dubbed ALICE -- Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This group makes less than what's needed "to survive in the modern economy."
"Despite seemingly positive economic signs, the ALICE data shows that financial hardship is still a pervasive problem," said Stephanie Hoopes, the project's director.
California, New Mexico and Hawaii have the largest share of struggling families, at 49% each. North Dakota has the lowest at 32%.
Many of these folks are the nation's child care workers, home health aides, office assistants and store clerks, who work low-paying jobs and have little savings, the study noted. Some 66% of jobs in the US pay less than $20 an hour.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @05:58PM
Easy to say, "cut the cord" for land line. But we both work from home and live near the edge of the 'burbs where cell phone reception is crap. We have one smart phone and use it as a second line. The audio quality of the land line is much superior and, while expensive, it seems that we get what we pay for.
At least for now, the land line also works when power is out (we are in an area with ice storms) and the cell network doesn't stay up all that long...(assuming we keep the cell phone itself charged with a car adapter).