Poverty among children has received a great deal of attention in the media the past few years. The group in which poverty among children has increased most is among single parents; therefore we have chosen to examine this group in this study. The purpose of this study is to take part in single parents and their children’s experiences of living within a very tight budget and the strategies they use. We found it interesting to put this information in relationship to the consumer society we live in today. Single parents and some of their children have participated in this study.

Using focus groups in which the constellations were different group discussions were led that were based on different themes that are relevant to this study. A qualitative study has been done in which interest in the interviewed peoples own experiences and stories has been in focus. This has been done using an abductive approach. With the help of previous knowledge and literature studies we have found our preliminary theories. These theories were then applied to the interviewers; this led to the theories used in the study. The theoretical perspective used is from Bourdieus thoughts about the concept lifestyle along with Goffmans reasoning about the importance of rolls in the social scene where individuals act to reflect themselves. We have even found a perspective of stress theories to be interesting.

One conclusion in this study is that the choice of strategies can be reflected in the individual’s lifestyle.