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I'm guessing you've never tried to live on $12.50/hr. And if you take that as a gross number not a net number its even worse. Sure, people are "making it work

I'm guessing you've never tried to live on $12.50/hr. And if you take that as a gross number not a net number its even worse. Sure, people are "making it work" but if you aren't single without kids and have zero college debt then you aren't doing it without some sort of assistance. Just because the minimum wage is $7.25 or up to $8.55 (depending on the state you live in), doesn't mean you can live on it.

patio11 16y ago
I'm guessing you've never tried to live on $12.50/hr. Please don't make me do division with regards to my last salary, it would just depress me.
Retric 16y ago
10 years ago, a friend worked his way through school making 7.50$ an hour working as a cook at Shonies, by the time he graduated he had a stay at home wife, two kids and almost zero debt. In the summer he worked 80 hours a week and during school he worked 40. PS: He did get an internship that played 13.50 his senior year, but he did not quit Shonies until he graduated.
- bkmartin 16y ago
  80 hours a week plus 40 hours a week during school is ridiculous. I'm truly surprised he had time for a wife and kids. Kuddos for him if it all worked out and the family unit is still together, but I'm just pointing out that under the vast majority of situations its not feasible. There are exceptions to every rule, but lets not make this sound like the norm.
- enjo 16y ago
  Which is significantly more money than $2k a month;)
  - Retric 16y ago
    I don’t know what their home life was like, but they seemed happy. PS: Average monthly pay was ~= 7.5$ * (40 + (1.5(overtime) * 40 (hours) * 4 / 12)) * 52 / 12 = 1950$ a month. Granted this is 10 to 15 years ago so it went further, but he was also paying for school at the time.
bkmartin 16y ago
Really? negative points for a post that simply points out the fact that $12.50/hr is a lot harder to live on that what the majority of people on here want to make it sound? I'm not trolling, just offering a different point of view from different observations. I live in rural PA not a metro area or anything like that. I'm not saying it can't be done, but its not the norm.
- BrandonM 16y ago
  Rural areas can actually be quite expensive compared to a cheap city. Utilities are usually higher since low density means higher cost to the utility companies (more infrastructure for less people). Prices for most goods are higher at local stores than they are in town. And it's easy to rack up a lot of miles on your vehicle when work, shopping, and entertainment is miles away. I say this as someone who grew up in rural northeast Ohio and now lives in Columbus. In the city, I don't even have to own a car to get around. Consider how much extra money you'd have every month if you didn't have a car payment, car insurance, and fuel costs. That's just the beginning of what you could save by finding a decent place in a cheap metro area.
  - bkmartin 16y ago
    I agree, you can save in certain areas. But is the public transportation in Columbus that great? I've been to Columbus, and I don't think I would live there w/o a car. You're only a couple miles from Amish country, literally. I guess growing up with a car and visiting places with public transportation really makes me appreciate my freedom of movement.
    - BrandonM 16y ago
      The public transportation (buses only) isn't great, but it's serviceable. A bus to downtown stops a few blocks from my house every 10 minutes in the morning, every 15-20 minutes in the afternoon-evening, and every half hour after that. If you're near High St., there are several buses that run quite frequently -- at least every 10 minutes between downtown and Ohio State's campus. From downtown, you can get literally anywhere in the city. Most buses run from at least 6 AM to midnight. The cost is somewhere around $50 per month, but I'm not totally sure because you ride free with an OSU student ID. For those times when you really do want a car and can't ride with a friend or borrow one, rentals are quite reasonable: I just looked at renting a car from noon Friday to 8 AM Monday and the cost is under $70 from Budget. I've been without a car since April 2008, when a driver crossed the center line, totaled my car, and ran off. I love driving and I miss having a car, but I've been able to get around all right without one. Of course, getting around is a huge pain when I go back home to visit.

patio11 16y ago

I'm guessing you've never tried to live on $12.50/hr. Please don't make me do division with regards to my last salary, it would just depress me.

Retric 16y ago

10 years ago, a friend worked his way through school making 7.50$ an hour working as a cook at Shonies, by the time he graduated he had a stay at home wife, two kids and almost zero debt. In the summer he worked 80 hours a week and during school he worked 40. PS: He did get an internship that played 13.50 his senior year, but he did not quit Shonies until he graduated.

bkmartin 16y ago
80 hours a week plus 40 hours a week during school is ridiculous. I'm truly surprised he had time for a wife and kids. Kuddos for him if it all worked out and the family unit is still together, but I'm just pointing out that under the vast majority of situations its not feasible. There are exceptions to every rule, but lets not make this sound like the norm.
enjo 16y ago
Which is significantly more money than $2k a month;)
- Retric 16y ago
  I don’t know what their home life was like, but they seemed happy. PS: Average monthly pay was ~= 7.5$ * (40 + (1.5(overtime) * 40 (hours) * 4 / 12)) * 52 / 12 = 1950$ a month. Granted this is 10 to 15 years ago so it went further, but he was also paying for school at the time.

bkmartin 16y ago

Really? negative points for a post that simply points out the fact that $12.50/hr is a lot harder to live on that what the majority of people on here want to make it sound? I'm not trolling, just offering a different point of view from different observations. I live in rural PA not a metro area or anything like that. I'm not saying it can't be done, but its not the norm.

BrandonM 16y ago
Rural areas can actually be quite expensive compared to a cheap city. Utilities are usually higher since low density means higher cost to the utility companies (more infrastructure for less people). Prices for most goods are higher at local stores than they are in town. And it's easy to rack up a lot of miles on your vehicle when work, shopping, and entertainment is miles away. I say this as someone who grew up in rural northeast Ohio and now lives in Columbus. In the city, I don't even have to own a car to get around. Consider how much extra money you'd have every month if you didn't have a car payment, car insurance, and fuel costs. That's just the beginning of what you could save by finding a decent place in a cheap metro area.
- bkmartin 16y ago
  I agree, you can save in certain areas. But is the public transportation in Columbus that great? I've been to Columbus, and I don't think I would live there w/o a car. You're only a couple miles from Amish country, literally. I guess growing up with a car and visiting places with public transportation really makes me appreciate my freedom of movement.
  - BrandonM 16y ago
    The public transportation (buses only) isn't great, but it's serviceable. A bus to downtown stops a few blocks from my house every 10 minutes in the morning, every 15-20 minutes in the afternoon-evening, and every half hour after that. If you're near High St., there are several buses that run quite frequently -- at least every 10 minutes between downtown and Ohio State's campus. From downtown, you can get literally anywhere in the city. Most buses run from at least 6 AM to midnight. The cost is somewhere around $50 per month, but I'm not totally sure because you ride free with an OSU student ID. For those times when you really do want a car and can't ride with a friend or borrow one, rentals are quite reasonable: I just looked at renting a car from noon Friday to 8 AM Monday and the cost is under $70 from Budget. I've been without a car since April 2008, when a driver crossed the center line, totaled my car, and ran off. I love driving and I miss having a car, but I've been able to get around all right without one. Of course, getting around is a huge pain when I go back home to visit.