Thread by @NastyWomenofNPS

Ok, this is about to get super personal. How does the #TrumpShutdown affect me, one of those federal employees living paycheck to paycheck? Let's break it down. *all numbers have been rounded for the sake of this exercise
long thread ahead 👇👇👇

I get paid biweekly and the shutdown *shouldn't* impact my next paycheck, except that it won't include pay for today. Not knowing when I'll get paid after that makes life extremely difficult. 💸

I currently have $300 in the bank and live in a pretty remote village of about a dozen people. My closest grocery store is 2 hrs away by snowmobile, while my doctor is 2 hrs by snowmobile plus 2 hrs by car.

I gross about $3200/mo. Out of that, the following monthly deductions are made:
Federal taxes $500
State taxes $0
Health insurance $150
Retirement $150
Rent $600
Utilities $0

I'm lucky to live in a state with no income tax. My rent is extremely low & includes utilities. I rent a 60-year old single wide in a place where -40° is common. There are holes in the floor, insulation is falling out of the walls, no running hot water, and only 1 room is heated.

With a net income of $1800/mo, come the following monthly payments:
Car insurance $85
Car payment $100
Cell phone $70
Internet $65
Amazon Prime $15
Amazon Music $10
AAA $10
Student loans $200
Min payments on credit cards $450
Savings account $25

The savings acct auto-debit means I dont have to pay a monthly fee on my account. There is one internet provider in my area, so $65/mo gets me 10GB of data. My cell phone has unlimited data, but only works about half the year. We can't pick up radio stations.

This leaves me with $770/mo, which typically is spent:
Groceries $250
Car maintenance $100
Doctors visit $30
Gas $150

The remaining $240 goes to soap, toilet paper, laundry, the occasional meal out, saving for new hiking boots or a winter coat, and paying down my credit cards.

What's on my credit cards? My 20yo used car requires frequent maintenance. This year I spent over $3,000 on major repairs. I also moved from from a humid, subtropical climate to a semi-arid continental climate, requiring a significant wardrobe change in addition to moving costs.

I'm better off than many of my fellow rangers. There's a little bit of flexibility in my budget, but keep this in mind before you start blabbering about a "paid vacation."

Those of us who are furloughed are not guaranteed back pay. Even if we are, we somehow have to make it through the shutdown without being paid.

We can't go anywhere - or get another job - because we can be called back at any time. And depending on your state, it may take weeks to process unemployment and SNAP benefits.

Don't misunderstand, I absolutely do not support the wall. Just remember the millions of people a shutdown affects - not just those of us out of work. A review of the 16-day 2013 shutdown concluded that the loss of productivity cost $2 Billion.

For anyone who thinks a shutdown is proof that government employees don't do anything - 60% of the government is operating in hopes that most citizens don't suffer.

Final note. It is illegal for us to work for free. We could be fired if we use our park radios, check our government email, or tweet from an official account. We didn't make these decisions.

If you choose to visit a national park during shutdown, just remember the rangers coming to save your ass have been furloughed. #TrumpResign

If you're curious how cold it is inside my trailer, the olive oil I'm storing in my room has solidified, so below 37°F