2014, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Mimi Jacobs grabs hold of her seven-year-old son's hand

before he runs off through the aisles of their local family dollar store.

No, no toys today.

We're just getting a couple of things that we need.

Mimi checks the cash in her purse and grimaces at the few dollars that are left.

She's got to survive on this until her next paycheck.

They've run out of toilet paper and they've got nothing for dinner that night.

She heads to the freezers and searches for something filling in

cheap. Looks like it's frozen pizza again. She heads down the rest of the narrow aisles,

edging around the stock trolleys full of boxes that haven't yet been unpacked. She prefers Walmart.

It has wide aisles, bright lighting, and neatly stocked shelves.

But the nearest Walmart is 20 miles away.

She can't afford the gas to get there until she gets paid.

So she's grateful there's a store like this close to home.

Family Dollar sells items in smaller sizes too,

so she can get just enough to last until the next big

shop. She ends up spending more in the long run, but it's the only way she can make the money

last. She picks up a four pack of toilet paper. Price? Two dollars. As she puts it in her basket,

she spots a red tag indicating a further 50% off some bars of soap.

That should make it just a few cents. She sniffs at it and smiles at the thought that she might

be able to have some nice smelling soap in the bathroom for once. Mimi waits in a long

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