Advice: how to live on $7.70/hour

[CeltsGarlic]

In what sh!tty town do you live in where the $ sign comes after the amount?

and thats the important part?

I think a cheap insurance is a great business idea, but I would need some vary powerful backup.

[StocktonFan]

the rent may be for a single room. i'd be paying $166 per month for health insurance if it wasn't for my work....

[OhNoTimNoSho]

Just work 150 hour weeks and dont eat and its pretty easy.

[Jailblazers7]

the rent may be for a single room. i'd be paying $166 per month for health insurance if it wasn't for my work....

It depends where you live. You can get a 1 BR apartment in Pittsburgh for around $600. It won't be a very nice place but that price would give you acceptable living conditions just outside the city limits.

[CeltsGarlic]

Im working 30 h a day to make a living yo

[HarryCallahan]

OP is Canadian
Link is English
Everyone is discussing how it works in the US...

I don't really think any sensible conclusions will come of this.

[StocktonFan]

Canadian Federal tax rates for 2013
15% on the first $43,561 of taxable income, +
22% on the next $43,562 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over $43,561 up to $87,123), +
26% on the next $47,931 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over $87,123 up to $135,054), +
29% of taxable income over $135,054.

[GOBB]

This is really the only reasonable post in this thread. First off you can get cheaper housing than 600 $ a month almost anywhere in the US. Youd probably have to have room mates a lot of places but its easily possible and I know people who do it. You wouldnt even need 60 hours a week on 7.50 to live off of with government assistance. Youd probably get shit healthcare but the numbers there are really bullshit. People in the US as a whole really just feel entitled. The amount of people I know who complqin about not having enough money to get by but go out and spend frivolously constantly is pathetic.

Are you talkin about college students? Whats with the roomates and less than $600 a month talk.

You cant find that in my area. You'd have to move to the city in a bad area. Meaning high crime, violence, drugs. And the building you choose will be one that isnt appealing. Loud music, pests the unwelcome kind not because you are filthy but because there are tenants who are.

Maybe you're generally speaking of a certain age range or whatever. Show me places under $600 in NYC. You cant survive off minimum wage in certain places in this country. Just a fact of life.

[RidonKs]

Why dont you just live at home until youre making more than 7.70 per hour?

Not an option? What about taking out a loan and living in a dorm until you get a degree enabling you to make more than 7.70 an hour?

Have a child, cant live in a dorm? Why dont you move in with the person you had a child with and potentially double your household income?

You know two hundred years ago, the richest king on earth didnt have a a phone, a car, a microwave, a television, a hot water faucet. Why arnt you thankful for the fact that even as a los income person you probably have access to all of these?

there's a reason for the fast food strikes going on in your major cities. the backdrop for this is wealth inequality that's skyrocketed to inconceivable levels, paired with a minimum wage that hasn't just failed to keep up with inflation in terms of purchasing power but has actually decreased in real terms. it'd have to be well over $10/h to be on par with 30/40 years ago. this is going on at the same time the financial sector is devastating the world economy, traders are pulling in millions, and executives are making 10x that. if all you can derive from those facts is a bunch of crap about appreciating our cell phones and moving in with our exes, you're naive and/or salty as fk.

blaze summed it up nicely. of course you can survive on america's pitiful minimum wage. you can also survive without any income at all. and none of us could survive if we were tossed back into the stone age. none of that comes close to the point.

if you're forced to stretch yourself thin just to meet basic survival needs, you aren't developing, growing as a person, learning new skills, taking pride in your work, creating. you're just a worn out desperate consuming machine. you're essentially dehumanized and as a result, you're likely never to do anything worth shit.

now a $3 raise in the minimum wage wouldn't change that state of affairs. people are still renting out their time to survive. but it makes it easier and, just speaking in terms of probability, fewer people fall through the cracks (which takes weight off the social safety net). it's also just smart economic policy as a stimulant to demand. the short term repercussions might be hard to swallow, layoffs and such, but there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the cons and enhance the pros. they should be pursued for, in my mind anyway, pretty fking obvious like staring everybody in the face type reasons.

[tpols]

Are you talkin about college students? Whats with the roomates and less than $600 a month talk.

You cant find that in my area. You'd have to move to the city in a bad area. Meaning high crime, violence, drugs. And the building you choose will be one that isnt appealing. Loud music, pests the unwelcome kind not because you are filthy but because there are tenants who are.

Maybe you're generally speaking of a certain age range or whatever. Show me places under $600 in NYC. You cant survive off minimum wage in certain places in this country. Just a fact of life.

If you go to any town/small city in the tristate area you can find apartments for 600 dollar range. You can split up a house or half a house anyway you like and pay much less. Ive lived in NJ houses for 450ish a month that werent in the ghetto at all.

[GOBB]

Theres a reason I said almost anywhere, and even in NY you could split a place with 1 or 2 people and get down to at least 600 $. Of course its going to be a shit area though. If youre that poor you should be living in a shit area to save money.
You dont have to be a college student to have roommates obviously.

Stop putting the damn $ sign after the amount.

!!!Hi

^^^the equivalent of what you're doing.


I'm not for roommates unless its temporary. I need space. Privacy. Also you cant save that much living off $7.70 an hour. It'll take a long time before you have enough to move and upgrade. I just dont see how people do it honestly. It can be done but you really cant enjoy life outside of scratching and clawing to survive. You're one bad financial situation from being screwed. Something as simple as an apartment fire could really f*ck you in the ass. Check this poster out...

I live on $8.25 and it fvcking sucks. Just enough to survive and get my little smoke on

Granted he could save some money by cutting back his smoking habit. But how long do you think he maintain living off $8.25 before he jumps off the nearest bridge, jumps onto train tracks or cut his wheel into on coming traffic?

[GOBB]

there's a reason for the fast food strikes going on in your major cities. the backdrop for this is wealth inequality that's skyrocketed to inconceivable levels, paired with a minimum wage that hasn't just failed to keep up with inflation in terms of purchasing power but has actually decreased in real terms. it'd have to be well over $10/h to be on par with 30/40 years ago. this is going on at the same time the financial sector is devastating the world economy, traders are pulling in millions, and executives are making 10x that. if all you can derive from those facts is a bunch of crap about appreciating our cell phones and moving in with our exes, you're naive and/or salty as fk.

blaze summed it up nicely. of course you can survive on america's pitiful minimum wage. you can also survive without any income at all. and none of us could survive if we were tossed back into the stone age. none of that comes close to the point.

if you're forced to stretch yourself thin just to meet basic survival needs, you aren't developing, growing as a person, learning new skills, taking pride in your work, creating. you're just a worn out desperate consuming machine. you're essentially dehumanized and as a result, you're likely never to do anything worth shit.

now a $3 raise in the minimum wage wouldn't change that state of affairs. people are still renting out their time to survive. but it makes it easier and, just speaking in terms of probability, fewer people fall through the cracks (which takes weight off the social safety net). it's also just smart economic policy as a stimulant to demand. the short term repercussions might be hard to swallow, layoffs and such, but there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the cons and enhance the pros. they should be pursued for, in my mind anyway, pretty fking obvious like staring everybody in the face type reasons.

Great points. Totally agree.

[tpols]

if you're forced to stretch yourself thin just to meet basic survival needs, you aren't developing, growing as a person, learning new skills, taking pride in your work, creating.

Thats how 95% of the people on this planet live though.. just doing enough to survive. Thats how 100% of the animal kingdom lives.. just to survive. Were the lucky one percent of all life that gets to go outside those boundaries.

[iamgine]

i see that gasoline and food are completely absent from this budget

Electric car + working at McDonalds means you don't need gasoline and food money!

[OldSkoolball#52]

blaze summed it up nicely. of course you can survive on america's pitiful minimum wage. you can also survive without any income at all. and none of us could survive if we were tossed back into the stone age. none of that comes close to the point.

if you're forced to stretch yourself thin just to meet basic survival needs, you aren't developing, growing as a person, learning new skills, taking pride in your work, creating. you're just a worn out desperate consuming machine. you're essentially dehumanized and as a result, you're likely never to do anything worth shit.

now a $3 raise in the minimum wage wouldn't change that state of affairs. people are still renting out their time to survive. but it makes it easier and, just speaking in terms of probability, fewer people fall through the cracks (which takes weight off the social safety net). it's also just smart economic policy as a stimulant to demand. the short term repercussions might be hard to swallow, layoffs and such, but there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the cons and enhance the pros. they should be pursued for, in my mind anyway, pretty fking obvious like staring everybody in the face type reasons.

Wait a minute, why does the government have to automatically give people a raise? You realize you can EARN raises at every job, correct? You realize people often negotiate their pay when they take a job, based on the skills they have? Why should the government step in and take away work place performance incentive? You realize when things like that happen, there's less money for raises and promotions for the people who've earned it. Not to mention prices go up for the consumer. All so that you can feel happy you're padding the pockets of EVERYONE (in other words, pre-emptively taking from those destined to earn it, and giving it over to those who are just cruising and dont even care)

It is not the fault of traditional Americans that more people are shitting out illegitimate kids who statistically are far less likely to develop the adjustment, skills, habits, values etc. to attain productive careers. Liberals all wanna shit on Christians for promoting "antiquated family values" and look what it's gotten America. Maybe if instead of patting yourself on the back everytime you spend three hours on the internet showing off to everyone how you've figured out the bible isn't historically accurate, you could understand that it is VERY IMPORTANT that people take care of their children, and you'd realize that teen pregnancy, child neglect, absentee fathers etc. are having a major impact on the ECONOMY, which you only seem to want to blame big corporate America for. You don't have the stomache to address those issues becuase they largely center on minorities. Uh oh! Someone might play the race card! Run and hide, you scared little f@ggot. Becuase you are a coward. You can only blame the theoretical "man" or the "coprorations" the "system" etc., you DONT HAVE THE TESTICLES to turn to Bill or Sharon or Tyquan or Ramon or Sharqiua and say, "hi, excuse me, but you're doing it wrong"


Once again, why is it that people like you, and other people in this thread ONLY complain about the system, and NEVER about individual habits? I mean never ever. You are a complete enabler, a total apologist, one giant mommy-complex babysitter.

Time to push "your kids" (i.e. the world you feel responsible for feeding with other peoples money with your arm-chair robin hood ideology) out into the water and letting the ones who've prepared go ahead and swim. Stop being such a f@ggot, woman.