Climbing the rungs of the ladder
Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who created Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It describes a set of needs where until you satisfy a base need, you typically will not have success satisfying the higher level needs.
To help people get to a level that they can afford to be charitable, we need to work through their hierarchy of needs. Because there are many organizations fulfilling these needs effectively, we chose to work with them as they have perfected the delivery of these services.
We will work from the bottom, we will get the first two layers satisfied before we begin our charitable works.
Those will be Physical and Safety needs.
Those will provide the stability in your life to begin the journey to making a better world.
Physiological (Physical) Needs
So here is where you start.
We will first assume, that you are about to leave home, although if you are starting from zero we will talk about that after establishing these goals
- Shelter
You need a place to stay. At this stage if you have a job that pays any kind of minimum wage you will need to find a place with room-mates to split the bills. Splitting an apartment with 2 or 3 room-mates is a good place to start. - Food
You might have been used to 3 meals a day, but honestly that is not going to happen for a while. Plan on getting one good sized meal a day and maybe a snack. Many people find that working at a fast food restaurant can get you fed at a pretty cheap price that is offered to employees while you get started. - Clothing
People will judge you by your appearance, and clothing can be an important part of that. Surprisingly, it is not important to have expensive clothing, but is is important to have clothing that is not worn and is clean.
Obviously air, water, sleep and reproduction are a part of this as well, but I think you can probably work that out for yourself!
SHELTER
Starting out you will end up with a low priced apartment shared with room-mates. It will not be luxurious, but you should be able to find something clean and safe if you can get a minimum wage job. You will get good room-mates and sometimes you will get bad ones. Try and use your best judgment. Realize you might have to move if you get a really bad room-mate.
First, look for a room-mate. Web sites like:
https://www.roomies.com/madison-wi
https://roomster.com/roommates/wisconsin/madison
https://madison.craigslist.org/search/roo#search=1~gallery~0~0
will get you in contact with potential room-mates. Don’t forget that you have friends! Go to the library and use Google to search for them with the criteria apartment roomates in madison, wi
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-lm&q=apartment+roomates+in+madison%2C+wi
Second look for apartments out of major metropolitan areas. The suburbs and rural areas will have rental rates that are sometimes half of what you find in the down-town. Get a list of them and go over them with your potential room-mate.
Use websites like these to search the suburbs:
https://www.zillow.com/madison-wi/apartments/
https://www.apartments.com/madison-wi/
https://www.madisonapartmentliving.com/search.j
https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/Madison,WI/
FOOD
Getting food is not always easy, but it has been well over a hundred years since anyone has starved to death in this country.
How to get food If you have money.
If you have any money at all, you can probably feed yourself. Dining out will be out of the question, so preparing your own foods will be the way to make you money last longest. This list is in order from least expensive to most expensive. Many will limit the number of times per week that you may take food from them.
Food Pantries
Food pantries are often available in metropolitan areas. Most have limited hours, so use a library computer to confirm the hours before traveling there. Some of the pantries will require pr-registration before you can access their resources. You can use a computer at the library to pre-register. They will want to know how many people are being fed.
Groceries
When you first start out, you won’t be eating steaks every night! To live on the cheapest foods, focus on pantry staples like rice, pasta, beans, and oats, which are often very affordable and versatile. Also, consider fruits and vegetables that are in season, as well as frozen vegetables, which can be cheaper than fresh. Plan your meals so that you can use leftovers for subsequent meals. Eggs are a good source of protein that can be cooked in various ways.
Frozen Breakfast Burritos are a quick and easy breakfast option. Peanut Butter is a protein-rich spread that can be added to sandwiches, fruits, or other dishes.
Convenience Store Prepared Meals
Sometimes a convenience store like KWIK Trip will sell prepackaged meals at a cheap price. The trick is to only eat ONE!.
Fast Food
Not the healthiest or the cheapest, but for the cheapest fast food options, Taco Bell stands out with its Cravings Box and Value Menu, and soft/crunchy meat tacos for cheap. Wendy’s also provides value with its Biggie Bag, including a sandwich, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. Sonic has a value menu with items like a junior burger and chicken tender wraps. Again, the trick with these is only eat ONE!
Restaurants
One word…..DON’T. If you are just starting out, this is a stupid way to eat. You pay premium money for ‘atmosphere’ which certainly is not filling your stomach. Just DON’T DO IT.
CLOTHING
You need basic clothing. Things you wear every day casually. This clothing should have the following characteristics so that you only throw them away when they wear out, and not when they go out of fashion.
Although you would not know it, people will judge you on your appearance and the clothing you wear. Start with these guidelines buy only…
- Clothing has Solid Colors. No patterns to mismatch or fall out of fashion.
- Clothing without advertising on it.
- Shirts must have a collar
- Working jeans are dark denim so stains don’t easily show.
- Heavy Coats can be bought that are made of denim.
- Shoes…. 1 pair of sneakers, brown boots
- Dress socks. All Black so you don’t have to match them.
- Sneaker Socks. All White for the same reason.
Mens Sample Casual Clothing List. - Focus on neutral colors, quality fabrics (wool, cotton, and blends)
- Tops: 2 Polo Shirts, 2 Oxford Button up shirts. White t-Shirts to wear beneath shirt to make Shirts last longer
- Bottoms: 2 Pair of Chino Trousers 2 Pair of Denim Trousers
- Outerwear: 1 Light Jacket (not a hoodie), 1 Heavy Jacket
- Shoes: 1 pair Polished Dress Oxfords, Work Boots. Slip on Loafers,
- Accessories:1 Plain mid-brown belt,
- Undergarments: 4 pairs of black socks, 4 pairs of white socks
Womens Sample Casual Clothing List (in progress)- Focus on neutral colors, quality fabrics (wool, silk, crisp cotton)
- Tops: 2 Blouses (silk, silky, or crisp), 2 button-down shirts, 2 fine-gauge knit sweaters, or cardigans in a few different shades like black, navy, and gray. A blazer, sweater jacket, or denim jacket
- Bottoms: 2 pair Tailored trousers (straight, wide-leg, slim), 2 well-fitting jeans (not skinny, or flared), 2 A-line midi skirts, or structured culottes.
- Dresses & Sets: 2 Shift, A-line, or wrap dresses (knee-length/midi), 1 Little Black Dress, for more formal events
- Outerwear: 1 Lightweight blazer, 1 trench coats, or structured jacket
- Shoes:1 pair Loafers or ballet flats,1 pair low block heels, or ankle boots. 1 pair work sneakers. Stay away from things like flip flops, sandals, and open-toe shoes. Absolutely no ‘Crocs’
- Accessories: 1 Structured handbag (a purse with a firm, architectural shape that holds its form even when empty) , simple jewelry, classic watches
- Undergarments: 2 Smooth Full Coverage Bra, 2 T-Shirt Bras: (Smooth, molded cups for invisible wear under shirts), 2 Seamless Thong/Brief: For invisibility under tight clothing, 4 Everyday Briefs.
WHERE TO SHOP
Keep in mind that shopping for clothes at Good Will, St Vincent DePaul, and other thrift stores can build these wardrobes for pretty low costs.
Safety Needs
The next level of the hierarchy after satisfying your ability to merely exist, is safety. Safety needs involve predictability, order, and control. These include job security, health, financial security, and freedom from harm.
Safety needs can be fulfilled by the family and societal structures. For example financial security (thru employment), law and order (thru law enforcement), social stability (thru stable government), property (thru renter/homeowner insurance), health (thru medical insurance), and well-being (e.g., safety against accidents and injury).
People want control and order in their lives. Some of the basic security and safety needs include:
- Personal Security: like stable housing,
- Employment:
- Resources: things to make your life more predicable.
- Health: Medical Care, Insurance, etc
- Property: Assets, financial and otherwise