Learn about “The Real Cost of Living” at Eastern Branch Library

What is the real cost of living for residents of Monmouth County? The answer might surprise you.

Find out at a free program presented by the Poverty Research Institute of Legal Services of New Jersey at the Eastern Branch Library, 1001 Route 35 in Shrewsbury. The program will be held on Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m.

Poverty Research Institute speakers will outline what it takes financially for residents to meet basic needs and avoid deprivation.

“The Real Cost of Living” estimates include no provision for many expenses considered the staples of a decent middle-class existence in New Jersey. There are no savings for retirement or college for children, nothing for purchase of a car or other major items, no set aside for emergency expenses, and no luxuries of any kind-no cable, no restaurant means or take outs, no vacations.

Costs are assessed at the county level to better capture very significant regional differences. The studies confirm wide variations in essential living costs depending upon family composition, family size, and place of residence.

This program is sponsored by the Monmouth County Library’s Career Information Center. Call the Eastern Branch at 1-866-941-8188 for more information. For more information on programming at the Monmouth County Library, please visit our webpage at www.monmouthcountylib.org