Living with less than basic

2023-10-03 07:01:00

According to INEC, the National Basic Basket for a family of four is $797.93. However, many families generate lower incomes, so they have to live on less than the basic monthly amount.

The price of the basic basket increases year after year.

Basic basket

According to the Institute of Statistics and Censuses INEC, the National Basic Basket for a family of four members is $797.93. In this calculation, the entity takes into account the monthly income of two basic salaries and four types of expenses: food and beverages, housing, clothing and miscellaneous items.

However, this number has generated different points of view, especially from those who struggle to make ends meet or live on less than the basics by not having a stable job or living off daily income.

Living with less than basic

Isabel Cornejo, a citizen who owns a beauty and hairdressing establishment, mentions that it is difficult to understand how the government can say that a family can live on $797 a month, when she, who lives alone, has difficulties “making it a month.” Isabel works full time in her business and, like many people in Ecuador, she struggles with rising food prices and the cost of living in general.

His business in a “good month” does not generate more than $400 and his rent and living expenses sometimes exceed that value. “Foods like rice, sugar, butter, eggs, even tuna go up all the time. But not income, so we have to look for other jobs or ways to generate extra income.”

He also points out that he spends between 300 dollars a month on rent alone. Therefore, his other areas are limited and he has not been able to meet his goals of traveling or visiting his family regularly.

The challenge of meeting basic needs often forces people to look for multiple jobs to make ends meet. In the case of Arturo Vaca, a traveling merchant, the situation is more difficult, since he depends on the daily income he generates to support his household of four members.

“In my case, my family lives with much less. Our expenses are very small and we think a lot when it comes to spending,” she mentions. In their subsistence, food is limited, so they often “stop eating” or eat two or once a day. This reality is that of hundreds of families who do not have stable income but are equally affected by economic inflation.

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