8. The Two Edies Survived on $300 a Month
After Big Edie was, in essence, disinherited from her father’s will, she and Little Edie had to rely on the child support from Phelan Beale to survive. The support amounted to around $300 per month, which would be almost $2,000 per month today. While this may seem like a decent amount, the upkeep on a mansion the size of Grey Gardens is immense. Imagine heating 23 rooms during winter in the northeast!
In addition to paying for the upkeep of a large mansion, the two women had to take care of themselves and their pets as well. Given that $24,000 per year is well under the poverty level for two people in a home, their small amount of income must have felt especially hollow for two women raised in wealth and privilege.
To get by on the meager support from Beale, the two Edies took to selling off family heirlooms for the extra money needed to take care of themselves and the mansion. Big Edie would invite guests to the Grey Gardens and allow them to purchase the very art of the walls. Some of the items sold included original paintings and Tiffany silver. Small valuable things would be hidden under Little Edie’s mattress for safekeeping until the time came to sell them.