Full Bottle

I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic* needs

I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs

I own my home or property OR I rent a higher-end property

I own or lease a car

I am employed or do not need ot work to meet my needs

I have regular access to health care

I have access to financial savings

I have an expendable** income

I can always buy new items

I can afford an annual vacation or take time off



Half-Bottle

I may stress about meeting my basic needs but till regularly achieve them

I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs

I own or lease a car

I am employed

I have access to health care

I might have access to financial savings

I have some expendable income

I am able to buy some new items & I thrift others

I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden

Near-Empty Bottle

I frequently stress about meeting basic needs & don’t always achieve them

I have debt and it sometimes prohibits me from meeting my basic needs

I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing

I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but am not always able to afford gas

I am unemployed or underemployed

I qualify for government assistance including food stamps & health care

I have no or very limited expendable income

I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them

I cannot afford a vacation or time off without financial burden

In this beautiful piece about sliding scale, Alexis J. Cunningfolk shares a distinction between hardship & sacrifice that I find helpful when considering what to pay on the sliding scale:

“Recently, someone shared with me the idea of sacrifice versus hardship when examining access. If paying for a class, product, or service would be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice. You might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying coffee, or a new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life. It is a sacred sacrifice in order to pursue something you are called to do. If, however, paying for a class, product, or service would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work, then you are dealing with hardship. Folks coming from a space of hardship typically qualify for the lower end of the sliding scale.”