A 75-year-old woman revealed she was forced to move into a van using a small stove for heating because she couldn’t afford the rent despite working full-time.
Lindy is a senior living in Arizona struggling with the effects of soaring inflation and rising costs of living as she adjusts to life on wheels in her 2013 Chevy van.
The senior living in poverty, who has a son who doesn’t help her because she is “too independent”, has given an insight into her life in the car and explained why she has to work “to survive”.
In an interview with the unnamed host of The Glorious Life on Wheels YouTube account, Lindy opened up about not being eligible for Social Security and the detrimental effects of living in poverty on her.
Lindy is a 75-year-old from Arizona who revealed she was forced to move into a van because she couldn’t afford the rent despite working full-time
She struggles with the effects of soaring inflation and rising costs of living as she adjusts to life on wheels in her 2013 Chevy van
Lindy – who didn’t reveal where she works – showed off how her van was set up.
In the large black van, the 75-year-old had a small bed, a small stove and boxes for storage.
She shared that she cannot afford heating, so she uses a small stove to keep warm in the colder months, adding that she is lucky it doesn’t snow where she lives.
Lindy noted that it can be about “$400 a month for butane,” which she can’t afford.
And even though she has solar power in her van, she found it was too expensive and “unreliable” to keep up with.
Lindy revealed that she can’t even afford air conditioning and is therefore forced to endure terribly hot Arizona summers.
She said it was a whopping 140 degrees in her van on a summer day.
Lindy is on welfare, but found that even with the help, “very little is left for food.”
The senior living in poverty, who has a son who doesn’t help her because she is “too independent”, has given a glimpse into her life in the car
She shared that she cannot afford heating, so she uses a small stove to keep warm in the colder months, adding that she is lucky it doesn’t snow where she lives
The 75-year-old applied for food stamps “a few years ago” but revealed she was told she made “$8 a month too much.”
The 75-year-old applied for food stamps “a few years ago” but revealed she was told she made “$8 a month too much.”
She noted that she was grateful to receive food from the churches as they gave her a bag of vegetables every week.
She added that every time she has more money, she tries to “hoard her food.”
“I have at least six months’ worth of food in my van right now.” “I have about 40 pounds of rice and 20 to 30 pounds of beans,” she explained, before revealing that she buys as much as she can afford.
When it comes to housing, Lindy found that the state housing system could not help her in any way.
While she was working, a state employee told her that her rent would be higher in a low-income apartment because she had a job.
However, she had to be unemployed for six months to apply for cheaper housing, which meant she “couldn’t survive” for a year and a half.
“If I move into social housing now, my rent will not be reduced if I stop working. “You have to get out of the housing system and re-enroll to wait for another house,” she explained.
Lindy noted that she has tried to go through the housing system twice, adding that the last time she approached a state employee, he said, “You’re much better off in this van.”
While she was working, a state employee told her that her rent would be higher in a low-income apartment because she had a job
The 75-year-old, who has lived in the van for over a year and a half, lamented the rising cost of living, adding that “everything costs money”.
The 75-year-old, who has lived in the van for over a year and a half, lamented the rising cost of living, adding that “everything costs money”.
“You have to be a minimalist to live like that, and how do you do that?” Lindy said, before sharing that she was still trying to adapt to life in poverty.
Lindy has a son who she said would help her when it came to it. However, she noted that she was far too “independent.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, women are more likely to live in poverty as they age.
17 percent of women between the ages of 70 and 79 and 22 percent of women aged 80 and over live in poverty. The poverty rate for men is now 11 percent and 17 percent respectively.
Although inflation has fallen in recent months, it still remains high at 7.1 percent.
According to consumer data firm Dunnhumby, a third of households are skipping meals or reducing portion sizes to save money.
Researchers found that 18 percent of the 2,000 survey participants said they weren’t getting enough to eat.
Additionally, 31 percent of households have reduced their portion sizes due to empty pantries due to rising food prices.
In addition to the cost of food, millions of people across the country lack a financial safety net.
According to the researchers, 64 percent of participants admitted that they would not be able to come up with $400 in an emergency.
Many have suffered from inflation, which has sent prices of staple foods soaring – including meat and poultry by 10.4 percent, grains by 15.1 percent and fruits and vegetables by 8.1 percent.
Another pressure point for many people across the country are gasoline prices, which have risen nearly 60 percent in the past year, with the cost of flights rising more than 34 percent and used car prices rising more than 7 percent.
Clothing costs increased 5.2 percent, total accommodation costs increased 5.5 percent and delivery services increased 14.4 percent.
In Arizona, which ranks 37th among low cost of living states, you need $44,875 per year to live, according to SoFi.
Lindy continues to work full-time at her job to afford a better lifestyle.