[Husky]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Reading the article it doesn't sound like the guy was eligible for EI.



But still, to settle my curiosity, say you're about 25, rent a decent townhouse, and have a cheap older car that's completely paid off.

Max EI - $475/week ($950 every 2 weeks)

Monthly expenses:

Rent: $1500
Insurance: $50 (assuming no collision or comprehensive, perfect driving record)
Cell phone: $50
Gas: $100-$200
Cable/Internet: $30
Utilities: $100 - $150

Sure doesn't leave you much for food. Add a kid or two in there and that's a complete nightmare. If you're lucky you have a wife/girlfriend, say they are also on EI, but that also effectively doubles a lot of the bills. Then God forbid any extra expenses pop up (My basement flooded when I was EI. Not fun).

And that's assuming you have zero debt. I dunno, I don't see many options for that guy. Move to a cheaper place? If you're lucky your lease is coming up and that's an option. Find a roommate? Sure, if your lease even allows it (none of mine ever did when I was renting) Get rid of the car entirely? That'd free up some money for sure, plus make you some. Say public transit isn't an option though. Plus in my experience a lot of employers aren't too keen to hire someone relying on bus times to show up to work on time.

Definitely not sure I could do that. I was on EI for a little during the spring, luckily I have some savings, my wife works, and I could have easily sold/downsized some stuff like vehicles if it came to that.


So in my scenario above, people will still claim that guy was living beyond his means. "Where were his savings?" He's 25, what savings? Maybe he'd have $5000 in an account. Should he have had a crappy apartment in a crappy neighborhood with a ####ty roommate? Maybe. But if before losing his job he could afford to not have to life like that, why wouldn't he?



I do agree, it's pretty hard to feel bad for the people that claim they're broke, when in the last 4 years have bought a $500k house, a $50k RV, $120k in vehicles and another $20k in dirtbikes or snowmobiles or something. But that's the minority here. Not everyone struggling to make ends meet on EI was living beyond their means.

You are forgetting that lower income earners get a few hundred dollars per child from government as well.