For those who doubt the economic apocalypse...

[jhetley]

Item in the fishwrapper this morning, about how our electric utility views the local economy:

Choosing between food, gas, and the electric bill

And you thought I was exaggerating with my fictional Maine residents just scraping by...

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

In the UK, fuel poverty is defined as having to spend more than 10% of your income on household fuel (gas/electricity/heating oil). We spend about 25% of our income on it.
Bummer!

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

And you thought I was exaggerating with my fictional Maine residents just scraping by...

Not at all. These days, a LOT of people are just scraping by.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Oh no Jim, I know you're not exaggerating a bit when it comes to the dire financial straits those people are in.

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

I knew you weren't joking. I remember the old Maine resident joke: if the state license plates illustrated what the locals eat every night instead of what the rich carpetbaggers eat, the state symbol would be a bowl of Mac and cheese.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

That joke's long out of date. We now have chickadees on the standard-price licenses, instead of those stupid crawdads.

[glinda-w.livejournal.com]

Not even remotely exaggerating. I'm living on fixed income (disability), and I think the only reason I'm not having to make that choice is the blessed luck I had finding a low-income apartment with utilities (electricity, heat!) included in the rent, and rent - Section 8 - capped at 30% of income.

As for fuel, I'm now trying to get by on half a tank a month - about 120 miles total driving. It isn't easy.