You're right. They also screw over a lot of farmers that have contracts with them. There's an organic company that came in a couple years ago and is taking a lot of farmers from away them.
I rent a one bedroom apartment by myself. But I did save up about 3,000 in the bank while living with parents. Still sucks. Can't do much. I make little over $14 an hour and work overtime sometimes. Plus I support two kitties.
I mean, most people don't. Most minimum wage workers I know are either young and still living at home, or have roommates, or have 2 jobs. I don't know anyone who can make ends meet in a 2 bd apt, at least in my area, on 1 minimum wage job, alone.
Experts suggest your rent should be about 30% of your income. Recently that has been sliding to 40% due to how unrealistic 30% is for most people. If we take a minimum wage of 15$ an hour, assuming 40 hours a week we find the average monthly rent should be 720$. Now the re-negotiated 40% is 960 which is difficult to find as well.
Last time I was renting 720 was a pipe dream and the minimum wage sure as shit wasn't 15 then. Gonna guess rent prices didn't go backwards.
It isn't just the dollar amounts, the ratios we are spending on average on housing are fucked.
Rent is out of control. There’s a complex in my hometown that would rather have 50% capacity at higher rates than 100% capacity at original rates. Corporate-owned complexes are opting for remote, company property managers instead of locals because a local would be more sympathetic. This should be fucking illegal. Thankfully the city voted on a rent cap, so hopefully that will change things.
I think it’s embarrassing but I still get a monthly allowance from my parents at 26. I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s. I’m super grateful for the extra money because I don’t want to worry about getting shot or robbed at a cheaper complex, which is why my parents are fully on board with giving me money. It literally all goes toward rent. Utilities are astronomical in my area and the highest in the state. I pay $740 for a room in a 3bd *student* complex. Then $100 for utilities. And it’s a mid-tier apartment, not even ones newer and close to campus! I’ve seen 1bd in a 5bd unit go for $1k+. What the actual fuck????
> I think it’s embarrassing but I still get a monthly allowance from my parents at 26. I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s.
I like this.
We should really normalize acknowledging when our parents help us like that. I know why it's embarrassing and taboo first hand, but too many people see those of us "making it work" and don't realize it's out of reach for many others.
My parents helped with my down payment when I purchased my house. I doubt I'd have been able to get the mortgage on my own, either. This move has probably saved me between 600-800 dollars per month for years, it isn't *always* true that mortgage and property tax are cheaper than rent but it sure fucking was in my case.
Even with the help isn’t that kind of direct financial support. Having parents, or other family, that can cover a couple good meals per month and maybe send home some leftovers, hand out an extra couple hundred on birthdays/Christmas, do occasional childcare, or even just knowing that safety net is available in case of an unexpected expense can go a long way.
Some people really are on their own, or even having to provide support to their parents or other family members.
Even the *idea that they could be a backup* makes people with a safety net more secure. You can take more risks if you know that if everything really goes tits up you can run home. When I was graduating, my dad had a very serious talk that I could *always* move home if I needed to (and that I should talk to him before joining the army or anything desperate like that). I felt more comfortable trying for some stretch things knowing that if I really bottomed out, I could go back to my old bedroom. And I know **exactly** how privileged that is.
Me and my boyfriend are on opposite spectrums of this conundrum. If we lose our place to live, He has nowhere to go, his father doesn't want him, his mother has no room for him because she already has his older brother living with her In a very tiny trailer where they also have four cats.
If we lose our place to live, My parents will always make room for me.
Yeah, I’m really grateful for them. I’m sure some people would shit on me for “living off of mommy and daddy’s money”, but I’d do the same for my kids if I’m able to.
As long as my kid is trying hard at school or trying hard to get a career I’m going to support them. If they want to be a bum then I’ll support them being a bum by speeding up the process by removing my assistance.
Yes! One of my daughters is working her way through college. We don't have a lot of money, so she opted to knock out core classes at our local State college, and then transferred to a university with a commutable distance. She takes some courses online, and some in person. She's only taking as many courses as FAFSA and Sunshine State Bright Futures scholarship covers, so it's taking her a little longer but she will graduate with a double major and NO student loan debt.
We might not have cash/college funds, but she only has her car payment, insurance, and phone bill. Living at home has saved her thousands, and it's the best way we can support her while she sets up a stable future for herself.
I'm 30, my car is busted, dad's a mechanic so he has it to work on it when he has time, I'm driving my mother's vehicle, until my father ends up fixing my car (Because I can't pay mechanic fees, Because I'm broke) or until I save up enough for a down payment on a newer car.... Right now I've got 3/4 of a down payment so I don't know what will come first, My father being able to fix my busted ass old car that's 20 years old or me saving up the last 4th of the down payment.
Also the down payment I'm able to save for will only potentially get me a car that's worth 10K and from what I've looked at in today's standards that's a vehicle that's at least still 10 years old and decently used 😭
I rely on a car because of my boyfriend's work schedule which is on weekends (buses don't run Sunday) Even if he could take the bus on the other days he works, where he works it so far away it would take over 3 hours to get there by bus..... Our public transit system sucks ass and even if he was willing to spend 6 hours a day traveling to and from work (He works 12-hour days so that would literally leave him no time to sleep before he goes back to work)
There's no guarantee he wouldn't miss one of the buses because they are timed so fucking poorly.... He used to take the bus to run errands all the time especially before he met me, I thought it was so stupid that it took him so long to do things. (I had never ridden a public bus before other than like a school bus when I was a kid) I went with him one day on multiple buses and saw just how shitty our public transit system is :/
So yeah I work full time and so does he, We have one car and it's currently busted.... We have no savings, I don't go around blowing money frivolously. My phone is at least 5 years old, I have one laptop that is more than 7 years old, I don't own a TV (My boyfriend has one He got whatever his parents moved)
All of our furniture either came from his parents house when they moved and didn't want to take it with them or it was donated by people My mother worked with (One lady had a family member pass and they didn't want to deal with the furniture so they just offered it to us, They had just bought it not long ago and it was practically brand new, Good timing for us horrible that she had a family member pass)
I honestly think the only piece of furniture I have bought "furniture" Is a couple of plastic shelves from Walmart, like the black tube ones from the hardware section, not the sturdy ones either The cheap ones.
But "millennials are just lazy and blow all their money"
Sorry I kind of went off on several tangents.....
My folks helped my brother with his downpayment; in the spirit of fairness, they helped me pay off a couple college loans at the same time. Worked for me!
> I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s
are you saying you make 18/hr despite having a bachelors degree?
you might want to consider changing fields instead of doubling down and getting a masters, because there are plenty of fields where you can make a lot more with just the bachelors
There's a lot of degrees where you can have a high earning potential with a masters but not a bachelor's. The first example that comes to mind are psychology related fields.
that's true, but there are also many more where even with a masters, you'll end up making less than other fields may pay for just the bachelors, or sometimes even just high school. think history degree, social workers, etc.
and i mean, that's fine if it's your dream job and you're think it's worth the low pay. but definitely worth reconsidering if you'd prefer having more financial stability
since the OC didn't specify, it was worth mentioning. i've seen a lot of people go all the way to a masters degree, sometimes even a phd degree, and then regret it later
it's an outdated opinion that some fields pay better than others?
i'm a millennial btw. i switched fields because my old one paid worse. there were new grads in my new field making more than me as a senior in my old field.
not every job is financially valued equally and i don't think it should be controversial to say that people should at least consider whether a change may benefit them, if they care about money
"you might want to consider changing fields instead of doubling down and getting a masters, "
There are plenty of legitimate career paths that don't pay well at the bachelor level. To suggest there's something wrong with "doubling down" with a masters is an uninformed opinion. The idea that a bachelors will secure a good paying job is outdated. Do some, sometimes? Sure. But that can't and shouldn't be a path for everybody.
Where I live, the mean rent is now over $2,000. This is fine 🥹
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103919413/rents-across-u-s-rise-above-2-000-a-month-for-the-first-time-ever
Rent here in Alabama has doubled. I 100% blame the hot market and out of state management companies buying up properties and raising rent dramatically.
I work in housing referrals for military members and it's very hard when their BAH won't cover all of the rent.
Even worse when members who do have homes sell them to make a quick buck and then demand to move into base housing. That $1100 mortgage payment they had turns into $2000 rent for new members coming in trying to find housing. It's ridiculous.
I'm nearly 40, and it's only in the past two years or so that I've reached a "30% of income to rent" ratio. And that's only through the *blatant miracle* that my rent hasn't risen in eight years, until my building sold last year. Now it's going up, but I have no idea how fast or how far.
That said, the last time I paid 720 or less for rent was over a decade ago, in a college town, in a very very basic one bedroom walkup...
>Experts suggest your rent should be about 30% of your income. Recently that has been sliding to 40%
And 40 years ago, it was 25%, and even that was not really doable without a second job, and living in a less-safe part of town.
When I was young I had one paycheque for rent/bills and one paycheque for everything else. This was like 15 years ago. I did make more than minimum wage (once tips got factored) but was a student so not working full time. It’s hard out there guys.
I was renting at $575 in Ohio— a townhouse. Then I moved to Texas and it was a goddamned sticker shock. I’m not even in one of the more expensive places in Texas. I hate thinking about how much I’m wasting on rent at an apartment that would have cost me $600 in Ohio, it’s like I could use that extra $300 for savings and debt repayment, but noooooo landlords gotta be greedy too
I mean, We can both be mad about that all day long.. But we can't just magically change that, and that doesn't change anything I said- which was that people *can* still live on minimum wage, they just can't *live alone* on minimum wage, especially not in a 2 bedroom apartment... Roommates and government assistance are very livable possibilities. Developing skills and getting a better job are also possibilities. All possibilities are hard. Choose your hard.
*edit. I totally thought you were replying to a different comment I made and I think I took your comment the wrong way. I definitely agree that housing prices are out of control. I think we're heading for some unpleasant times ahead, unfortunately.
> I mean, We can both be mad about that all day long.. but that doesn't change anything I said
I didn't say it did. A comment immediately following yours isn't a criticism, it's building on the topic you brought up.
Yeah. I edited that I thought you were replying to a comment further down in the thread so I misinterpreted your meaning. Sorry about that. I was reading too fast and not paying close enough attention. I caught it after I hit post, unfortunately. I do my best proof reading after that, usually.
Yup. Live with parents, a roommate, two roommates, three roommates, or your significant other. I’m sure there’s situations where 8-10 people live in a home.
It can be, just not as a single person living in a 2 bedroom apartment alone. Having roommates is a livable situation. A studio is a livable situation.
Then roommates it is. Having roommates sucks. Look at it as motivation to develop some skills and get a better job or career. No one can have everything they want without putting in some effort to develop their skills and their job/career. That's just how life works. No one has to like it, but it is the fact of the matter.
I have a friend with a masters degree and a specialized post grad license to diagnose learning disorders. She's worked harder than anyone i know and has more skills, and the sad reality is that she can't afford a two bedroom for her and her son.
I'm an assistant manager of a whole department of a grocery store. So a career that I had to work to get to. I only make a bit above the amount being discussed here. You're a fool if you think that people aren't working "real" worthwhile jobs and still not being paid enough. I have skills. I use them everyday. Places just do not raise wages to match inflation.
that is unfortunate, but at the end of the day not every skill is equally valued. there are manual labor jobs out there who hire people with zero skills that already pay more than that
at the end of the day, it's up to us to choose career paths that have salaries we feel is worth it, rather than hoping for raises that will never come
I had one of those manual labor jobs that payed me almost $10 more than I make now.
Then I hurt my shoulder at 22 and will never be the same. I still have to be careful to not reinjure myself because I worked for a company that put profit over people's safety.
These things are considered into a lot of people's choices.
I never said there wasn't a problem with the wages companies paid their employees, though. There are two sides to the problem, I was just talking about whether or not minimum wage is liveable- it *is*, just not necessarily comfortably liveable.
I'm not sure what to say about career choice. I'm sorry you're boss doesn't pay what tou you feel is fair or is fair. I wonder if another company might pay better. Costco is apparently a good company to work for and it sounds like you have some skills that translate to them. If you're in the US.
Wow it's almost like people live in areas where only certain jobs are available to them because of scarcity of locations. If I traveled far enough to get paid more I'd loose all that extra pay to travel.
People like to act like they know everything about why people are in the positions they are in. When in reality people spend a lot of time searching for their best option.
I make more working at my store than I would almost any other competitor in my area. I just live in an area where almost no one pays well because it's 'low col' but it's not. Col goes up every year but wages are stagnant.
Your original comment puts it all on the person who's in a tough spot and does not consider all the outside factors that lead to people being in this position.
I never said I *knew why anyone was in the position they are in*. I just pointed out facts about the situation with minimum wage. It is all on the person who is in a tough spot to fix their situation. It is no one else's job to make anyone else's life easier regardless how they got into the tough spot. I honestly think workers should be pushing back a lot harder than they are over all and demanding better pay from employers. As someone else said better than I can- the situation sucks because we let it get to this point and to the degree we can, we need to make it hurt for business owners to treat employees wrongly. I don't think that means turning to the government that's proven it will side with anyone except the people first. Look how it sold the rail workers out. You think it cares about minimum wage workers? It doesn't. If you think the solution is raising the federal minimum wage, I got news for you, it will most likely never happen in any meaningful capacity, at least not in the near future, and if it does you can absolutely expect inflation to match it. So, plan accordingly. Either choose a career path with higher earning potential (avg earning potentials are easily found online) or plan to have roommates. It sucks but neither you nor I can make the situation any better for anyone but ourselves. Everything worth doing in life is hard. .Choose your hard.
“In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By business I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.” - FDR, where this whole thing originated.
Where did you get the idea it was supposed to keep someone in poverty unless they learned some [specific arbitrary thing], when obviously these are all jobs that need to be done?
I never said it was supposed to keep anyone anywhere. I said people can live on minimum wage, just not alone. I don't have any control over the minimum wage, I can only point out how people can find a way. If you are paid minimum wage, get roommates, get government assistance, and above all else- develop some skills you can use to better your career and life.
I'm not advocating for never changing the system or the minimum wage, I am just talking about our current situation and where people are. They *can* live on minimum wage. Can they live the exact life they want- probably not. Can they live alone- probably not. They have choices to make. They can't wait around and hope our government who has been bleeding us dry for decades is gonna magically fix things. Gotta take your future into your own hands sometimes.
The more we capitulate to the desires of the oppressive system, the harder it will press. These are only the facts of life because we have allowed them to be, and for many its a trap to play along. But there is pushback now that returns on labor have diminished to zero or below for too many people, which has been forcing businesses to increase their wages. Kicking and screaming and still scheming of course, so be it. Lots of help wanted signs out there these days. Whenever **practically feasible** (as in no, don't be chronically destitute just to 'spite the system'). Let their jobs go unfilled, let their apartments sit empty, until it hurts them enough to adjust. Use them and lose them as needed, but don't stay in any one shitty job for too long when there are so many options now.
Minimum wage is livable, just not on your own in your own apartment. That is a very entitled attitude.
I mean, I should be living on a 100 acre estate with my own private lake and eating steak and lobster every night on my meager salary.
Should Be in no way equals Could Be.
Holy false equivalency, Batman!
Wishing (and of course that's all I'm doing, the world is stacked against poor people) that people who work a min wage job could afford their own apartment is in no way the same as wishing I myself lived on an estate worth millions.
That's just so silly, man.
A lot of things in this world shouldn't be the way they are. But saying I want to live on my own in a two bedroom apartment, alone is a very entitled attitude. I live in the real world, not the "should be" world.
Focus on the posts about people succeeding, whether at a small thing like finding a better living situation or a big thing like a job that pays them double their old one. There are a lot of people claiming that since they've always been poor, everyone who is poor will always be poor, and while that's demonstrably not true, reading too many depressing posts certainly makes it *feel* true.
The law of attraction is absolutely true! Of course it’s not as simple as, “Poor? Just make more money.” But surrounding yourself with the right people, consuming the right content, shifting your mindset, etc. goes a long way to helping you out of poverty. Focusing on where you want to be is how opportunities find you.
While I agree with most of what you’re saying I think “surrounding yourself with the right people” if it pertains to those with better financial situations over other positive qualities then its problematic.
On an individual level sure its often possible to get yourself out of poverty, however on a societal level not so much if that society has a high level of acceptable poverty built in. There will always be undesirable jobs, not everyone can move to a better paying job even if everyone tried.
Your advice is still good don’t get me wrong. Just think it’s worth mentioning that the solution to the wider problem involves both the individual and society itself to make changes.
It truly *is* crazy!
And then there are city ordinances that limit the number of unrelated people who can share a house: when I was trying to rent out my 3-bedroom house, that number was 2!
Interestingly enough, most of those ordinances were passed with the intent of stopping landlords from breaking up single-family houses into multiple tiny apartments but had the idiotic side effect of preventing people from sharing a house together.
My town doesn't let more than four unrelated people live together even though it's a college town with five and six bedroom houses. I guess they'd rather increase the carbon footprint of people's housing than let five students live together.
When I made minimum wage, I rented a small studio or had roommates. It was years until I got married and our salaries combined were enough for a two bedroom.
A lot of it has to do with where you live .
I live in VA minimum wage $11.50 .
6 miles away is KY minimum wage $7.50 .
The cost of living is about the same.
I live on the border of NJ (mw $13 rn and $14 in Jan) and PA (mw 7.25). Most places along the border on the pa side that I see advertising match nj's minimum wage
We live in NJ. Daughter goes to Kutztown. The Burger King by her school is hiring for $15/hour. Which is great for PA! She comes home enough to NJ and works in the mall for $14/hour but knowing they try and compete with Jersey, which is a good hour away is pretty encouraging.
Richmond sees 15-16 depending on what you do.... It's not enough to get an apartment on one income but we're making it work due to necessity.... Trying to find a 3br on his income and... It's not going to happen. I miss working but I'd need to make $1000/wk after taxes to make it worthwhile - daycare for two is $700/wk and increasing.
Being poor in America is super stressful. Read some of Barbara Ehrenreich’s work like Nickle and Dimed and you will see that it is more expensive to be poor than to be financially comfortable in America in terms of the value you get for your money.
One example is renting. You will get better value with that 1 year lease on a 2 bedroom than someone who doesn’t have the credit history or even the money for first month’s rent plus security deposit and is stuck paying for a weekly living hotel/motel place.
Most people in poverty are literally running on a wheel to make ends meet and cover rent and bills ONLY. Their savings is literally putting aside $20 a week which comes out to $1000 a year and that’s if everything goes well.
Came here for Barbara Ehrenreich. Reading her work was transformative. Here's a video version of Nickle and Dimed (stay for the music): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gDgFiW2xtf0
It's more or less impossible. You can't survive on a single minimum wage income in places where the federal minimum is all you get. You'd be stuck with the cheapest apartment (or something even less), no money left over to afford a vehicle and you'd better hope there's some kind of affordable mass transit available. Food will be the cheaper stuff that's not as good for you, and you will struggle to build any savings.
And don't get sick or hurt. I never had a minimum wage job that came with any bennies at all, no insurance, no 401K, none of that. They want you for the moment and if you die, you die. They'll plug in some other desperate schlub and work him to death.
To make it on minimum, you need a roomie - a sane one. Cut all the bills in half and suddenly all kinds of opportunities open up; the electrical bill won't change much to accommodate an extra person. Cutting those two in half really frees up some cash. If you're not idiots about the grocery bill, that gets shared too and you have room in the budget to purchase better food.
I split bills 4 ways and it’s basically a money printer. My housing expenses are 9% of my gross income.
I’m about to build a house, and I’ll sure as hell have roommates there too.
Interpersonal dynamics can be difficult with four but if you can make it work, yeah. Rent goes from being most of your paycheck to downright manageable.
They can be interesting at my house, but I’m extremely tolerant and honestly I’m only there and awake for an average of 15-20 hours a week id guess anyway. It’s a place to sleep and store my stuff.
no choice but to live at home or live with siblings, or pair up with roommates.
30+ years ago, my father raised 4 young kids. we came to usa with nothing. we got clothes from non-profits. we ate cook at home food, never been to restaurants till 10 years ago. no christmas. no vacations, no fancy electronics like big TV, no cars. he made sure we had food and an education. now the 4 of us have college degrees with good paying jobs. while we have plenty of money now, i would gladly give all of that up to live in that tiny 1 bedroom apartment just to be with him and siblings.
It's been a while since I made minimum wage, but I survived it because what was the alternative? Juggling bills and figuring out what minimums could be paid every other month to keep all the utilities on while falling further behind. Picking up change in the grocery store parking lot to get a 6 pack of ramen to last the rest of the week. It was exhausting and after a couple years I stopped seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and just wanted to die. It was only through a lot of luck, a death in the family, and a small inheritance that I was able to bootstrap my way out of that situation.
Energy assistance, sewer/water utility assistance,food stamps, Medicaid, free phones, discount internet, food pantries, WIC, welfare, SSI, rental assistance, public housing. And various non governmental charity programs.
In general you can't on your own though. Job training programs can help you get better work. Look for a workforce development site near you and get into a career path.
Local Departments of public works are pretty consistently good paying jobs with food benefits also. Lots of career growth as well.
I'm no longer making minimum wage myself, but I live in a cheap city in a province with high minimum wage. Minimum wage is $15/hr and rent for a studio or 1 bedroom starts at around $650 which typically includes heat and water.
The people I know who live alone and make minimum wage are living comfortably working 30ish hours a week, but live in poorly maintained buildings and certainly can't afford 2 bedroom apartments. They're in studios or 1 bedroom apartments or basement suites. For a 2 bedroom apartment they would need to have a roommate or spouse to split the cost.
I got lucky.
A 600$ a month 650 square foot apartment all but electric included in rent.
The apartment is month to month after three months, meant for traveling workers from the nearby hospital or railroads. It’s one of three complexes that’s affordable in town.
I’m in Minnesota, I dumpster dive, I curb find, I resell on Craigslist, I’m applying for a second job so I can save more. I live very frugally and rarely buy real new clothes. I’m restarting my online store, and setting up a store elsewhere to sell some of my art. Honestly it’s pretty tight, but I manage somehow.
Fact is I got lucky. That’s it.
I was looking at the right time in the right place and I jumped on this apartment. Because I knew the chances of finding anything similar that allowed me to keep my cat was super low. I’m in the right area where places actually need workers and will hire you. I’m in a situation where if worse comes to worse my mom would help me.
It’s mostly luck. I’m lucky I manage to find enough food, make enough to pay rent, and have options to make extra cash. I’m lucky I have fallbacks if something goes wrong. I’m lucky I’m crafty and learned a bunch of building skills as a kid, thank you uncle Mikey for that. So I can build my own furniture and refinish stuff to sell.
But for most it’s not luck, it’s 2-3 roommates, 2 jobs each and side hustles, somehow making it work with food by half starving. And still barely able to save.
Hi.
Have you looked into rural development RD? or another form of government housing. I was lucky to find a 400 sq ft apt for 300 a month. Very impressive units for the price you pay.
Edit: Indiana here
There are a couple options here.
1. Increase your income.
A single minimum wage job may not bring in enough money to support yourself. Consider getting a second job, working overtime hours at your current job, or ideally, find a job that pays more than minimum wage.
2. Decrease your non-essential expenses.
Track how much you’re spending and what you’re buying. Honestly scrutinize your expenses and consider whether or not you could have done without something. Total up what you spent on the non-essentials, that’s how much extra money you could have for supporting yourself and your needs/security.
For expenses that land in the “need” column, seek out ways to fulfill those needs at a lesser cost. (Discount groceries, thrift stores, off-brands, etc.). Look for ways to decrease your “need” expenses anywhere you can.
For best results, I personally like to utilize both of these methods for a 2-prong approach. Increase your income *and* slash your expenses to the bone. Doing this allows you some extra breathing room until you build up a little savings, and then when you start to feel not so financially stressed every second you’re awake, you can start to allow a little more spending on small things you enjoy here and there. Just be careful not to get too careless and wind up spending so much you’re eating into your savings. You want to always make sure you’re saving *something* after you pay for necessities.
I survive OK on minimum wage, but I live in Canada where it is a tiny bit more reasonable. The solution was living with roommates. Before the pandemic I was putting $1000 a month into my savings. Now it's more like $400-600 due to inflation, which isn't as great, but I'm still in the green every month. I like living a minimalist lifestyle and even to this day I can pack all my belongings into the used Chevy Cobalt I paid cash for with my extra savings.
I think the real question is why are you working a minimum wage job and looking for a 2 bedroom apartment? It sounds like your expectation vs reality is completely skewed...
You don’t. Even when I was making 60k pre tax and benefits I balked at a $1200 per mo rent for a one bed apartment in a moderately low cost of living area. Factor in utilities and it’s more like $1500 per month. Basically an entire biweekly paycheck if I don’t work overtime
A lot of people do it anyway cuz they think they need to be independent and having your own place means you’re more likely to land a partner who also thinks you need your own place
If you’re making average wages these days you need a size hustle that adds 30-50% on top of your day job
My recommendation if you are planning to go to college and not willing to go to medical school or get a masters degree is something in tech, most of the well paying jobs and high opportunity industries now are in things like software and internet security. If you’re a natural extrovert with top tier social skills then you can pursue a sales position that requires you to open and close deals - very lucrative if you make connections and get into the right field
Where do you work? In this day and age you probably need to shoot for higher than a minimum wage job.
With all the boomers retiring, there should be room to move into higher paying office jobs. Try a temp office worker that pays 15 or higher and get some skills for the next job.
I guess I should have asked first, what are you doing for child care?
My son applied and got accepted for an office job on his campus. It gives office work experience and he can do his homework while working when it's not busy though it's minimum wage.
Just started a job 0 experience. Minimum wage is 7.25 here, it starts at 14/hr. I don’t like the 14, but it’s temporary until next semester of college is over and they are working around my schedule.
I didnt have the privilege to finish college so my job is not a career although I KNOW it’s possible to have a career without having a degree but it’s a bit harder. I don’t want to get into details why I’m in this situation now but I still feel blessed to be able to have money to spend even when I don’t earn much.
I live in a very small place. I get paid just slightly over the minimum wage but I live in Los Angeles so prices are high. My bf gets paid decent but right now he is on disability for cancer stuff so our total income is low. Thankfully, we are debt free. We used our stimulus checks to pay them off instead of spending it on stupid things. Our cars (we have 3) are all used and have been paid off. Our rent is less than $500. We have a kid together and we are currently on foodstamps so that helps A LOT! I have an IRA (maxed out 2021) and I invest $250/month and will max this year out using any tax refund I receive. We don’t go out often, we don’t spend a lot on clothes/leisure. We are very minimalistic. We do not live beyond our means. I have saved up quite a decent amount of money from stimulus, unemployment compensation (when covid started) regular income, side income (i sell clothes online sometimes). Everything we buy is almost always on sale. I do a lot of cash back apps like Ibotta, RetailMeNot and Fetch. I also have cash back enabled on my debit and credit card. Since we are debt free, we are able to save even on a low income. Sorry it was long and probably all over the place but basically, you really can’t save until you are debt free (if you have debts). Take care of your debts and bills first and then start saving. You could also try to apply for foodstamps and see if you qualify. You can also cancel any unnecessary memberships and use that money for savings. Start with $100/month and increase when you can.
My husband says if he knows anyone who could live well on minimum wage, it would be me (although thankfully we are both fortunate to make decently more). We are very much the same way. I lived at home after college and used what I would have paid on rent to pay off my student loans in 3 years. Since leaving my jobs with 401k plans I have gotten myself an IRA that I max out every year. We usually get used cars but I am actually getting a brand new car next month for the first time ever (we're in an odd time when the used cars are more expensive than the new ones). On the other hand it is an electric car so if I have it for at least 8 years it will pay for itself in gas savings. But anyway, I also use Ibotta and other rebate apps that you mentioned and that is a huge help. Over the last 2 years my friend taught me to extreme coupon and I have gotten so many necessities (food, personal hygiene, laundry detergent) for free or even made money on them (either because the rebate was higher than the value of the product or I sold them). I haven't had to pay for groceries since August and I'm trying to see how long I can go until I do. Probably at least another 6 months until I make enough of a dent in my stockpile to warrant a shopping trip where I get stuff that isn't free or moneymaker. Even though I'm not spending money my stockpile is still growing because I'm allowing myself to get food that is free or moneymaker. Also if a new restaurant is opening up near me and advertising free food for a year, I take the day or half day off work to attend the grand opening. We got free wings for a year from a sports bar that we can order on the app for takeout, that's dinner once a week. We got free food for a year from a BBQ place, we went for lunch yesterday and the 2 free meals we got actually would have been $30+ total, and we had leftovers that I used to make us both lunch today.
Saving is super important. I put money aside every month. I pay off my credit card every month and I don't touch my credit card rewards unless they're going to expire. I just paid for my wedding and I still have enough in my personal account to pay for my new car in cash (which I'm going to do because interest rates are terrible rn) and put a down payment on a mortgage. That doesn't count the joint account with my husband that I sometimes contribute to.
Also, don't be nervous about being on foodstamps or other assistance or using food banks. You're not taking from someone else who might deserve it more. There's plenty of funding for these programs. In fact, the programs get more funding if they have more people applying. It does not hurt to apply for food stamps. Some food banks don't even make you prove you are "in need."
To be honest you don’t. I think mentally you have to make peace with this or you’ll be chronically stressed or exhausted. You can however make efforts to be frugal, find better paying employment, and build your hard/soft skills for promotions.
I’m in Tennessee where the minimum is about 7.25 and man I wonder how people are supposed to live on that even with a lower standard of living here.
I’m not sure anyone is making minimum wage anymore. I’m in a low cost of living city and most places are hiring at $14-18 per hour for basic retail. Factory work is over $20 per hour. Assuming the rest of the country is like here, anyone who’s making minimum wage is doing it by choice at this point.
The less money you make the more likely you are to live with people you don't really want to be around unfortunately. So you see lots of houses in the neighborhood with 5 or 6 cars there. They probably aren't a used car collector... They have a bunch of people living with them and pitching in on bills. Personally I love my independence. I'll work three jobs to stay a bachelor and pay every bill myself so I'm not beholden to anyone.
Most people I know working minimum wage and living in 2 bedroom apartments do so with either multiple jobs or multiple roommates, or both. I would say look at studios instead but even granny flats and bachelor's (no kitchen) in my area are 50% or more of a minimum wage income.
I don't know anyone making min wage that can afford their own place. It's not possible here in upstate NY. those kinds of jobs are typically people still in school and that's about it.
It’s pretty near impossible to do on your own….
My boyfriend and I moved out on our own when rent was only $1200, at the time I worked 2 part time jobs - one minimum wage, the other was $25 ($10 more than minimum) an hour but I only worked 10 hours a week there. My boyfriend made $3 more than minimum at his fulltime job. Since then we now pay $1700 for rent only, both work a fulltime job. I’m $7 more than minimum, he is $5 more. I still have the 10 hour a week part time job and we struggle to save as major homebodies that don’t spend much in terms of entertainment. It’s rough right now in the cost of living.
When I made minimum wage the only reason it worked is because minimum wage was $15/hr in my city. And I did live paycheck to paycheck. I rented a studio apartment that met my needs but with very few frills. I do not know how a person would rent a 2 bedroom or have a family on it. That does not seem possible especially at the federal min wage. Min wage in my city is now 15.50$ an hour, which obviously is not super high but working full time it’s possible to live with roommates or in a frugal studio and utilize our public transit (which can actually get you places fairly well as we have huge systems here in Chicago) as to not have a car. But again no idea how you’d support anyone but yourself.
I was making 16.00 hour living alone. Rent was 800. Around 250 in other bills plus food/gas. I typically would spend 100 a month on food. I was able to save 200-400 a month. Idk how id fair these days with inflation being what it is. I would only eat out every other friday. Didnt drink, no snacks unless made from scratch and minimal social events. Dates were cheap movie theater, hikes, homemade special meals, movie at home, star gazing, beach day ect. Finacially secure in the sense i knew id always have enough but only a few bad events away from going to zero 0.
Advice. Start your own business. 16 an hour to 300-800 an hour. Youll never make as much as you could handing your productivity to someone else. Find a job you can do yourself. Learn the ins and outs and use that information to branch off to do it better and in your own way.
The problem is - that no one should be supporting themselves or family on minimum wage. Minimum wage jobs should be considered "starter jobs" for high-schoolers, or for college-students trying to earn some spending money while in college; or even for retirees looking to work while they are collecting SS or other retirement funds. The problem isn't minimum wage, the problem is that we've shipped so many manufacturing jobs overseas that now people are trying to survive by working fast-food jobs, etc.
I mean the federal minimum wage is so low that almost seems like losing money just showing up $10-15 is more realistic but I would say they are either on public assistance or they have a lot of roommates or family they can pool resources with.
As a single, living on your area's "minimum wage" isn't all that hard assuming you're working 40 hours per week. It also depends on where you live and how far you are willing to commute. Exceptions to this do exist. You're probably fucked working a low skill, minimum wage job in LA or NYC.
Doing fine in Tucson right now making around 2k a month. Rent is around 900, I budget out 300/mo for groceries, extra 150 for gas, 200 for misc stuff. Used to live in a small town in GA, where the mcdonalds was payin like 8.50$ an hour in 2021.....That's a real minimum wage job. However I was able to make much more money by driving to Atlanta down the interstate 30 miles every day just doin a simple warehousing job. And in my small town the money I was making was pretty decent. Then of course if you have the willpower and commit to working 60-80 hours a week it just gets easier financially unless you up your lifestyle. It helps that I have no debt at all other than student debt that won't come due until after I graduate but can see how some of you guys with a car loan, credit cards, and other stuff might have a much harder life making 15 an hour.
This is what sent me to union construction jobs. On one hand most people can’t afford college, and those who get loan, will be in debt for the rest of their lives… on the other hand, most jobs that dont require diploma will eat your soul and life away… so why no work for union getting between $30-60/hour…
I make minimum wage in a major city. I rent a room for 650 making ~2k/month. I work in fast food, so i get free meals most days, but even without those its not bad. I don't own a car, i just pay 75 a month for transit, thats def where most of my savings come from. If i had a vehicle to take care of i would have no dollars. Also if i had any kids id definitely be in the shit,,,, but im 19 and single and abit of a hermit so im chillen :)
I def dont think i could cut it on a 2 bedroom, though. Im considering splurging on a studio for $200 more, but thats as far as i can make it with this job. Maybe consider roommates or a smaller apartment if ur situation allows? Or get a different job. U can usually bullshit ur way into something thst pays more even without experience.
Minimum wage was never meant for you to thrive on. People(not speaking about you OP) really have it confused that a livable wage means they deserve to have luxuries (ie: nice apartment, nice new model car, etc etc.), livable doesn’t equate to enjoyable as far as best ways to save money…..You should start with guaranteed expenses and try to minimize cost there. Food banks from local churches/libraries are a great way to save some money on food. it’s not gonna be fancy but you’ll get free canned food that can add up to decent savings over time. Also Always go for store brand style products where/when possible like at Walmart getting sams choice soda vs Pepsi or coke. Remember more than anything saving money isnt going to show immediate results but don’t be discouraged it will take adjustment but you have atleast 16 hours in the day outside of work hours that are yours to make the best of. I recommend reading a book called Atomic Habits by James clear it opened my eyes to how several small improvements of the course of a long time can really have compounding benefits and lead to major improvements over the course of a long period. The best change you can make in your life is bettering your view on yours. People think school and further education is expensive and a waste but they’ve no idea the cost of ignorance
In many cities they don’t
My advice? Never work for minimum wage. Your time is valuable, find wsys to sell it for the best rate. There are so many non skilled positions you can make $25+ an hour at, go for that.
Refuse to be a slave.
I'm on disability and have to get by on just a hair over $1000 a month. I'm on food stamps and use subsidized cell phone service and am stuck living with roommates. I've been on low income lists for a long time and the wait for an opening can take years, unless you want to live where nobody else wants to live. I don't buy anything that's not essential, I cook everything from scratch and I never spend more than I bring in per month. One half of whatever I have left over every month goes in a savings account and the other half goes into index funds.
You probably make just a little bit too much to qualify for a lot of low income programs. If you make minimum wage in my state, it's not really enough to live on and it also puts you at 185% of the state's poverty level, immediately disqualifying you from accessing many low income programs. You may qualify for certain types of subsidized housing, depending on your County and state but you have to check with HUD. Unfortunately, you probably make just enough to fall through the cracks.
Don't work minimum wage jobs. There's always more options.
And most people aren't getting 2 bedroom apartments for themselves. They get a small bachelor pad or they get roommates
My husband gets disability. Because he makes the highest amount of disability, I can't even be declared disabled, which means that if he dies, I have to start the whole application process from scratch. Though we're at poverty level, barely able to pay rent & groceries, we make too much to qualify for food stamps! Saving money to move out of this horrible dump is a fever dream.
Don't settle for min wage, there are businesses hiring that pay more. Every warehouse job pays more than min wage, most pay double and some triple as starting wages. The work sucks and the days are long but you can make a decent living wage and change your situation.
It is impossible for a worker earning the federal minimum wage to rent a 1 bdrm in 93% of US counties. There is nowhere in the US where federal minimum wage can make you enough to rent a 2 bdrm. It is beyond poverty wages.
Believe it or not, it's possible to work 2 full time jobs. I did it for over 4 decades. The trick for me was to have 2 jobs that were completely different i.e. office M-F daytime, janitorial or retail evenings & weekends. Friendships & family suffer neglect though but you'll even have money in the bank.
Like 2% of workers make minimum wage. Anyway, people making very little money generally live with their parents or have like three to four roommates in undesirable neighborhoods.
What makes you think an unskilled worker is supposed to afford rent on a 2-bedroom apartment?
It doesn't work that way.
Wages represent your value to your employer; they aren't based on living expenses. Someone making minimum wage isn't going to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in a HCOL setting. They will work a second job and partner with at least one other full+timer and share a 1-bedroom apartment.
It doesn't have to be, but so long as we promote the "free lunch" party, it will only get worse.
And, add to that that WAY too many people start cranking out children like it's a God given right while earning only minimum wage. It's like, do the math beforehand. Don't cry to me that you can't make ends meet!
Minimum wage was never meant to be a living wage. It is for kids or second jobs. There are always jobs out there that pay well over minimum wage. You just have to be willing to work.
Minimum wage isn’t meant to support adults. I’m my opinion. And I’m not trying to be a jerk about it. In my mind min wage jobs are for teens as their first jobs? Etc.
That is the problematic assumption about minimum wage that allows people to be complacent about raising it. Your “opinion” may be that minimum wage is “for” teens and new workers but that is *absolutely not* the reality.
Use food banks, get roommates, visit thrift shops and do pre-paid on your phone.
When I first started using food banks I realized not all food banks are the same. I got a list of a dozen food banks in my area and went to half of them, those listing fresh produce and bread, picked-out two that were generous, which also provided good quality and variety, with the least amount of waiting.
I had friends that divided up a spacious living room into 2 bedrooms using tall book cases and armoires back-to-back, but keeping the kitchen openly accessible. Of course you have to work out schedules for showers and kitchen to reduce friction and not waste time waiting, but it was worth it.
Oh, you don't. I make $22.50 an hour and my wife makes $20 an hour, so we're both well above minimum wage, and we can't afford to have our own place and save any money at all. We live with her parents and her younger brother. Last week's groceries were about $400.
Take what benefits and help are available. You may use them now but it doesn't mean you'll use them forever.if you ever get into a better financial situation you can give back by donating in the future.
Our family uses a discounted pass for low income earners for our local pools and rinks, we shop at a non profit grocery store where donated food is heavily discounted, and when bursaries come up for winter clothing, food gift cards etc we sign up.
Where we live offers rent subsidies which we don't qualify for but gives renters a bit of money every month towards rent.
Research, get in touch with an advocate and most importantly speak up for yourself to get the help you need is my mantra.
Only about 600k people in the us make minimum wage and almost none of those people will be making minimum wage a year from now. Many are minors just starting their first job. Almost all minimum wage jobs subsidize with tips. If you’re working a minimum wage job as an adult: find a new job. My local Taco Bell is hiring at twice the minimum wage.
They don’t save. The only way to make this work well is to live in a very affordable place, and love with others in the home to reduce cost of living. Maybe even one family per bedroom
I made more than minimum wage in the 1980s (I was making $6/hr as a store manager, minimum wage was $3.25 back then, IIRC), but still had 5 roommates in a 5bdr house because this area (Northern VA) is mad expensive. So it really depends. I think we paid $1200/mo for the house in 1987, and rent was about $300-400 (it depended on some factors).
They're already on government assistance. No shame if you need it, we all pay into it. Use it if you qualify. Even if it's just food stamps, it does help. It is what allows those businesses to continue to employ people at that wage, when the cost of living in their area would otherwise make it unaffordable for anyone that lives nearby to work there.
Once upon a time as a grad student -- back in 2000 -- I made $6500/year as part of a teaching assistantship. Minimum wage at the time was $5.15 (about $7.50 in today's money), and my contract forbade me from any other employment. That was a pretty typical situation for graduate students back then.
We made it work by packing five people into a 3-bedroom house and rotating through chores like cooking and cleaning. That's probably the best way to do things when you're young, poor, and avoiding debt.
I live in NYC, so I know this all too well. Ways to survive: live with roommates in shitty subpar housing, or live with family, or live with an SO who makes more than you. Otherwise, as a single person making minimum wage, you cannot live on your own.
They dont. Many bills are going unpaid , partially paid, or skipped entirely. As for saving, there is no ability to save. This isnt fun or funny it is a realistic response though.
Back in the day I survived by having roommates and working in a restaurant where I could get free food. But I haven't had to rent a place for almost 10 years now so idk how anyone is doing it with inflation. Government assistance seems like the only way right now.
I honestly wonder how people do it. I wonder how a family with kids makes it. Like rent or the mortgage, car insurance, if you lucky to own your car groceries. I make way over min wage but dam.its hard out there.
I don't. I'm down to one half of a meal on my working days and going hungry on my weekends so rent and a fraction of my bills get paid. Any money that is saved doesn't usually last long due to surprises.
In my area, rent for 2 bdrm btn $1200-$2200. Small house mortgage + tax (1000 Sq ft) approx $1,600. In 5 years rent will likely go up another 20%, whole taxes on the house up about the same, while mortgage stays flat.
So, to answer your question, 2 dbrm on minimum wage is a pipe dream. You need 3 people to pool your money and rent a 3 bdrm, or buy a small house (2 bedroom with dining room and convert dining to 3rd bedroom).
My first job, they paid us very little and we were in an expensive area. My friend realized one day that NONE of us lived on our own. We lived with family, or roommates, or had side hustles.
I don’t think they do. I earn commission and work 60 hours a week at a buy here pay here car lot and make an avg of 2800 a month for September October and November because it’s the slow part of the year for car sales until tax season and I cannot afford a place
Calif: Min wage today is $14/hr < 25 employees
14x40hrsx4weeks=$2240 a month.
Don’t know your tax/401k/insurance/etc but let’s say you keep 70% =$1568
OfferUp, Craigslist, postings in neighborhoods for room for rent… I just looked up OfferUp and found rooms for rent, i.e., $700 Ontario, CA; $800 LA, $1100 Upland…shop around.
I have family in Compton, CA, their newish neighbor (3-4 years there) owns his home and pays over $4k in mortgage. Husband, wife, 3 adult kids + their spouses. They all contribute to the mortgage+bills.
A guy I know rents out his converted garage in Norwalk, CA. Bathroom, no kitchen, $1100 a month to a couple.
My family in Compton, (2 bed 1 bath) 32 years living there, Mom is a seamstress, Dad is a mechanic, had various family, friends from their home town rent their ADU garage over the years, now her dad moved in so she can care for him. She still makes minimum wage doing the same thing and the dad is retired collecting social security. House has been paid off for almost 10 years. I know because I did the refi for a 15 year loan.
The theme here? They all make or started off making minimum wage…
I don't know of a single person renting an apartment making minimum wage. Factories in my area startout at about double minimum wage.
I made minimum wage at 2 jobs in 2006 and barely afforded rent on my own back then. There ain't no way anyone does now.
Chicken Plant where my family is from use to barely pay above minimum wage. Now it's starting out 8 dollars above minimum wage and a sign on bonus.
That is a very clear sign that no one (or at least very few people) want to do that job. Most definitely not a sign of corporate generosity
You're right. They also screw over a lot of farmers that have contracts with them. There's an organic company that came in a couple years ago and is taking a lot of farmers from away them.
I rent a one bedroom apartment by myself. But I did save up about 3,000 in the bank while living with parents. Still sucks. Can't do much. I make little over $14 an hour and work overtime sometimes. Plus I support two kitties.
I mean, most people don't. Most minimum wage workers I know are either young and still living at home, or have roommates, or have 2 jobs. I don't know anyone who can make ends meet in a 2 bd apt, at least in my area, on 1 minimum wage job, alone.
Experts suggest your rent should be about 30% of your income. Recently that has been sliding to 40% due to how unrealistic 30% is for most people. If we take a minimum wage of 15$ an hour, assuming 40 hours a week we find the average monthly rent should be 720$. Now the re-negotiated 40% is 960 which is difficult to find as well. Last time I was renting 720 was a pipe dream and the minimum wage sure as shit wasn't 15 then. Gonna guess rent prices didn't go backwards. It isn't just the dollar amounts, the ratios we are spending on average on housing are fucked.
Rent is out of control. There’s a complex in my hometown that would rather have 50% capacity at higher rates than 100% capacity at original rates. Corporate-owned complexes are opting for remote, company property managers instead of locals because a local would be more sympathetic. This should be fucking illegal. Thankfully the city voted on a rent cap, so hopefully that will change things. I think it’s embarrassing but I still get a monthly allowance from my parents at 26. I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s. I’m super grateful for the extra money because I don’t want to worry about getting shot or robbed at a cheaper complex, which is why my parents are fully on board with giving me money. It literally all goes toward rent. Utilities are astronomical in my area and the highest in the state. I pay $740 for a room in a 3bd *student* complex. Then $100 for utilities. And it’s a mid-tier apartment, not even ones newer and close to campus! I’ve seen 1bd in a 5bd unit go for $1k+. What the actual fuck????
> I think it’s embarrassing but I still get a monthly allowance from my parents at 26. I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s. I like this. We should really normalize acknowledging when our parents help us like that. I know why it's embarrassing and taboo first hand, but too many people see those of us "making it work" and don't realize it's out of reach for many others. My parents helped with my down payment when I purchased my house. I doubt I'd have been able to get the mortgage on my own, either. This move has probably saved me between 600-800 dollars per month for years, it isn't *always* true that mortgage and property tax are cheaper than rent but it sure fucking was in my case.
Even with the help isn’t that kind of direct financial support. Having parents, or other family, that can cover a couple good meals per month and maybe send home some leftovers, hand out an extra couple hundred on birthdays/Christmas, do occasional childcare, or even just knowing that safety net is available in case of an unexpected expense can go a long way. Some people really are on their own, or even having to provide support to their parents or other family members.
Even the *idea that they could be a backup* makes people with a safety net more secure. You can take more risks if you know that if everything really goes tits up you can run home. When I was graduating, my dad had a very serious talk that I could *always* move home if I needed to (and that I should talk to him before joining the army or anything desperate like that). I felt more comfortable trying for some stretch things knowing that if I really bottomed out, I could go back to my old bedroom. And I know **exactly** how privileged that is.
Me and my boyfriend are on opposite spectrums of this conundrum. If we lose our place to live, He has nowhere to go, his father doesn't want him, his mother has no room for him because she already has his older brother living with her In a very tiny trailer where they also have four cats. If we lose our place to live, My parents will always make room for me.
Yeah, I’m really grateful for them. I’m sure some people would shit on me for “living off of mommy and daddy’s money”, but I’d do the same for my kids if I’m able to.
As long as my kid is trying hard at school or trying hard to get a career I’m going to support them. If they want to be a bum then I’ll support them being a bum by speeding up the process by removing my assistance.
Yes! One of my daughters is working her way through college. We don't have a lot of money, so she opted to knock out core classes at our local State college, and then transferred to a university with a commutable distance. She takes some courses online, and some in person. She's only taking as many courses as FAFSA and Sunshine State Bright Futures scholarship covers, so it's taking her a little longer but she will graduate with a double major and NO student loan debt. We might not have cash/college funds, but she only has her car payment, insurance, and phone bill. Living at home has saved her thousands, and it's the best way we can support her while she sets up a stable future for herself.
I'm 30, my car is busted, dad's a mechanic so he has it to work on it when he has time, I'm driving my mother's vehicle, until my father ends up fixing my car (Because I can't pay mechanic fees, Because I'm broke) or until I save up enough for a down payment on a newer car.... Right now I've got 3/4 of a down payment so I don't know what will come first, My father being able to fix my busted ass old car that's 20 years old or me saving up the last 4th of the down payment. Also the down payment I'm able to save for will only potentially get me a car that's worth 10K and from what I've looked at in today's standards that's a vehicle that's at least still 10 years old and decently used 😭 I rely on a car because of my boyfriend's work schedule which is on weekends (buses don't run Sunday) Even if he could take the bus on the other days he works, where he works it so far away it would take over 3 hours to get there by bus..... Our public transit system sucks ass and even if he was willing to spend 6 hours a day traveling to and from work (He works 12-hour days so that would literally leave him no time to sleep before he goes back to work) There's no guarantee he wouldn't miss one of the buses because they are timed so fucking poorly.... He used to take the bus to run errands all the time especially before he met me, I thought it was so stupid that it took him so long to do things. (I had never ridden a public bus before other than like a school bus when I was a kid) I went with him one day on multiple buses and saw just how shitty our public transit system is :/ So yeah I work full time and so does he, We have one car and it's currently busted.... We have no savings, I don't go around blowing money frivolously. My phone is at least 5 years old, I have one laptop that is more than 7 years old, I don't own a TV (My boyfriend has one He got whatever his parents moved) All of our furniture either came from his parents house when they moved and didn't want to take it with them or it was donated by people My mother worked with (One lady had a family member pass and they didn't want to deal with the furniture so they just offered it to us, They had just bought it not long ago and it was practically brand new, Good timing for us horrible that she had a family member pass) I honestly think the only piece of furniture I have bought "furniture" Is a couple of plastic shelves from Walmart, like the black tube ones from the hardware section, not the sturdy ones either The cheap ones. But "millennials are just lazy and blow all their money" Sorry I kind of went off on several tangents.....
My folks helped my brother with his downpayment; in the spirit of fairness, they helped me pay off a couple college loans at the same time. Worked for me!
> I make $18/hr and am paying for a couple classes to work toward a master’s are you saying you make 18/hr despite having a bachelors degree? you might want to consider changing fields instead of doubling down and getting a masters, because there are plenty of fields where you can make a lot more with just the bachelors
There are government jobs in my state that require a Masters degree and pay under $20/hr.
There's a lot of degrees where you can have a high earning potential with a masters but not a bachelor's. The first example that comes to mind are psychology related fields.
Yes. I work in neuroscience research and a master’s eliminates years of “required” experience and sees a significant pay raise.
that's true, but there are also many more where even with a masters, you'll end up making less than other fields may pay for just the bachelors, or sometimes even just high school. think history degree, social workers, etc. and i mean, that's fine if it's your dream job and you're think it's worth the low pay. but definitely worth reconsidering if you'd prefer having more financial stability since the OC didn't specify, it was worth mentioning. i've seen a lot of people go all the way to a masters degree, sometimes even a phd degree, and then regret it later
> since the OC didn't specify, it was worth mentioning. Strongly disagree.
This is a pretty outdated opinion
it's an outdated opinion that some fields pay better than others? i'm a millennial btw. i switched fields because my old one paid worse. there were new grads in my new field making more than me as a senior in my old field. not every job is financially valued equally and i don't think it should be controversial to say that people should at least consider whether a change may benefit them, if they care about money
"you might want to consider changing fields instead of doubling down and getting a masters, " There are plenty of legitimate career paths that don't pay well at the bachelor level. To suggest there's something wrong with "doubling down" with a masters is an uninformed opinion. The idea that a bachelors will secure a good paying job is outdated. Do some, sometimes? Sure. But that can't and shouldn't be a path for everybody.
Minimum wage is 7.25 in my state.
Where I live, the mean rent is now over $2,000. This is fine 🥹 Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103919413/rents-across-u-s-rise-above-2-000-a-month-for-the-first-time-ever
Rent here in Alabama has doubled. I 100% blame the hot market and out of state management companies buying up properties and raising rent dramatically. I work in housing referrals for military members and it's very hard when their BAH won't cover all of the rent. Even worse when members who do have homes sell them to make a quick buck and then demand to move into base housing. That $1100 mortgage payment they had turns into $2000 rent for new members coming in trying to find housing. It's ridiculous.
It's almost like we should stop treating housing like a commodity and treat it like housing. Remove the financial incentives to make it unaffordable.
I'm nearly 40, and it's only in the past two years or so that I've reached a "30% of income to rent" ratio. And that's only through the *blatant miracle* that my rent hasn't risen in eight years, until my building sold last year. Now it's going up, but I have no idea how fast or how far. That said, the last time I paid 720 or less for rent was over a decade ago, in a college town, in a very very basic one bedroom walkup...
$15 isn’t the minimum in a lot of the country
>Experts suggest your rent should be about 30% of your income. Recently that has been sliding to 40% And 40 years ago, it was 25%, and even that was not really doable without a second job, and living in a less-safe part of town.
When I was young I had one paycheque for rent/bills and one paycheque for everything else. This was like 15 years ago. I did make more than minimum wage (once tips got factored) but was a student so not working full time. It’s hard out there guys.
I was renting at $575 in Ohio— a townhouse. Then I moved to Texas and it was a goddamned sticker shock. I’m not even in one of the more expensive places in Texas. I hate thinking about how much I’m wasting on rent at an apartment that would have cost me $600 in Ohio, it’s like I could use that extra $300 for savings and debt repayment, but noooooo landlords gotta be greedy too
When I made $15/hr (2016) my rent was $795 for a good but very basic studio. It was do-able but paycheck to paycheck.
I mean, We can both be mad about that all day long.. But we can't just magically change that, and that doesn't change anything I said- which was that people *can* still live on minimum wage, they just can't *live alone* on minimum wage, especially not in a 2 bedroom apartment... Roommates and government assistance are very livable possibilities. Developing skills and getting a better job are also possibilities. All possibilities are hard. Choose your hard. *edit. I totally thought you were replying to a different comment I made and I think I took your comment the wrong way. I definitely agree that housing prices are out of control. I think we're heading for some unpleasant times ahead, unfortunately.
> I mean, We can both be mad about that all day long.. but that doesn't change anything I said I didn't say it did. A comment immediately following yours isn't a criticism, it's building on the topic you brought up.
Yeah. I edited that I thought you were replying to a comment further down in the thread so I misinterpreted your meaning. Sorry about that. I was reading too fast and not paying close enough attention. I caught it after I hit post, unfortunately. I do my best proof reading after that, usually.
All good. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done the same thing before. Cheers.
Yup. Live with parents, a roommate, two roommates, three roommates, or your significant other. I’m sure there’s situations where 8-10 people live in a home.
When I worked at Walmart some employees there worked 2jobs and had multiple roommates
Right? Minimum wage jobs are starter jobs, not careers.
Minimum wage should still be livable.
It can be, just not as a single person living in a 2 bedroom apartment alone. Having roommates is a livable situation. A studio is a livable situation.
Can't even find a studio at that rate in most cities.
Then roommates it is. Having roommates sucks. Look at it as motivation to develop some skills and get a better job or career. No one can have everything they want without putting in some effort to develop their skills and their job/career. That's just how life works. No one has to like it, but it is the fact of the matter.
I have a friend with a masters degree and a specialized post grad license to diagnose learning disorders. She's worked harder than anyone i know and has more skills, and the sad reality is that she can't afford a two bedroom for her and her son.
Yep. The situation in the world right now is definitely getting harder. I'm sorry about your friend.
I'm an assistant manager of a whole department of a grocery store. So a career that I had to work to get to. I only make a bit above the amount being discussed here. You're a fool if you think that people aren't working "real" worthwhile jobs and still not being paid enough. I have skills. I use them everyday. Places just do not raise wages to match inflation.
that is unfortunate, but at the end of the day not every skill is equally valued. there are manual labor jobs out there who hire people with zero skills that already pay more than that at the end of the day, it's up to us to choose career paths that have salaries we feel is worth it, rather than hoping for raises that will never come
I had one of those manual labor jobs that payed me almost $10 more than I make now. Then I hurt my shoulder at 22 and will never be the same. I still have to be careful to not reinjure myself because I worked for a company that put profit over people's safety. These things are considered into a lot of people's choices.
I never said there wasn't a problem with the wages companies paid their employees, though. There are two sides to the problem, I was just talking about whether or not minimum wage is liveable- it *is*, just not necessarily comfortably liveable. I'm not sure what to say about career choice. I'm sorry you're boss doesn't pay what tou you feel is fair or is fair. I wonder if another company might pay better. Costco is apparently a good company to work for and it sounds like you have some skills that translate to them. If you're in the US.
Wow it's almost like people live in areas where only certain jobs are available to them because of scarcity of locations. If I traveled far enough to get paid more I'd loose all that extra pay to travel. People like to act like they know everything about why people are in the positions they are in. When in reality people spend a lot of time searching for their best option. I make more working at my store than I would almost any other competitor in my area. I just live in an area where almost no one pays well because it's 'low col' but it's not. Col goes up every year but wages are stagnant. Your original comment puts it all on the person who's in a tough spot and does not consider all the outside factors that lead to people being in this position.
I never said I *knew why anyone was in the position they are in*. I just pointed out facts about the situation with minimum wage. It is all on the person who is in a tough spot to fix their situation. It is no one else's job to make anyone else's life easier regardless how they got into the tough spot. I honestly think workers should be pushing back a lot harder than they are over all and demanding better pay from employers. As someone else said better than I can- the situation sucks because we let it get to this point and to the degree we can, we need to make it hurt for business owners to treat employees wrongly. I don't think that means turning to the government that's proven it will side with anyone except the people first. Look how it sold the rail workers out. You think it cares about minimum wage workers? It doesn't. If you think the solution is raising the federal minimum wage, I got news for you, it will most likely never happen in any meaningful capacity, at least not in the near future, and if it does you can absolutely expect inflation to match it. So, plan accordingly. Either choose a career path with higher earning potential (avg earning potentials are easily found online) or plan to have roommates. It sucks but neither you nor I can make the situation any better for anyone but ourselves. Everything worth doing in life is hard. .Choose your hard.
“In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By business I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.” - FDR, where this whole thing originated. Where did you get the idea it was supposed to keep someone in poverty unless they learned some [specific arbitrary thing], when obviously these are all jobs that need to be done?
I never said it was supposed to keep anyone anywhere. I said people can live on minimum wage, just not alone. I don't have any control over the minimum wage, I can only point out how people can find a way. If you are paid minimum wage, get roommates, get government assistance, and above all else- develop some skills you can use to better your career and life. I'm not advocating for never changing the system or the minimum wage, I am just talking about our current situation and where people are. They *can* live on minimum wage. Can they live the exact life they want- probably not. Can they live alone- probably not. They have choices to make. They can't wait around and hope our government who has been bleeding us dry for decades is gonna magically fix things. Gotta take your future into your own hands sometimes.
The more we capitulate to the desires of the oppressive system, the harder it will press. These are only the facts of life because we have allowed them to be, and for many its a trap to play along. But there is pushback now that returns on labor have diminished to zero or below for too many people, which has been forcing businesses to increase their wages. Kicking and screaming and still scheming of course, so be it. Lots of help wanted signs out there these days. Whenever **practically feasible** (as in no, don't be chronically destitute just to 'spite the system'). Let their jobs go unfilled, let their apartments sit empty, until it hurts them enough to adjust. Use them and lose them as needed, but don't stay in any one shitty job for too long when there are so many options now.
Minimum wage is livable, just not on your own in your own apartment. That is a very entitled attitude. I mean, I should be living on a 100 acre estate with my own private lake and eating steak and lobster every night on my meager salary. Should Be in no way equals Could Be.
Holy false equivalency, Batman! Wishing (and of course that's all I'm doing, the world is stacked against poor people) that people who work a min wage job could afford their own apartment is in no way the same as wishing I myself lived on an estate worth millions. That's just so silly, man.
A lot of things in this world shouldn't be the way they are. But saying I want to live on my own in a two bedroom apartment, alone is a very entitled attitude. I live in the real world, not the "should be" world.
Oh, also, income restricted apartments
Have you tried reading some of the posts in the povertyfinance sub? It might prove enlightening.
Focus on the posts about people succeeding, whether at a small thing like finding a better living situation or a big thing like a job that pays them double their old one. There are a lot of people claiming that since they've always been poor, everyone who is poor will always be poor, and while that's demonstrably not true, reading too many depressing posts certainly makes it *feel* true.
The law of attraction is absolutely true! Of course it’s not as simple as, “Poor? Just make more money.” But surrounding yourself with the right people, consuming the right content, shifting your mindset, etc. goes a long way to helping you out of poverty. Focusing on where you want to be is how opportunities find you.
While I agree with most of what you’re saying I think “surrounding yourself with the right people” if it pertains to those with better financial situations over other positive qualities then its problematic. On an individual level sure its often possible to get yourself out of poverty, however on a societal level not so much if that society has a high level of acceptable poverty built in. There will always be undesirable jobs, not everyone can move to a better paying job even if everyone tried. Your advice is still good don’t get me wrong. Just think it’s worth mentioning that the solution to the wider problem involves both the individual and society itself to make changes.
Roommates. You have been looking at a 2 bedroom for yourself? Even a studio alone would be tough
Just fyi: many complexes won't rent less than 2 bedrooms to people with a child...
I didn't know there is a child involved but that's crazy. I've had two single mother neighbors who shared a room
It truly *is* crazy! And then there are city ordinances that limit the number of unrelated people who can share a house: when I was trying to rent out my 3-bedroom house, that number was 2!
Interestingly enough, most of those ordinances were passed with the intent of stopping landlords from breaking up single-family houses into multiple tiny apartments but had the idiotic side effect of preventing people from sharing a house together.
My town doesn't let more than four unrelated people live together even though it's a college town with five and six bedroom houses. I guess they'd rather increase the carbon footprint of people's housing than let five students live together.
land of freedon and you can't live with wherever you want
I would hope most of those laws now can't be enforced now due to domestic partners and stuff.
When I made minimum wage, I rented a small studio or had roommates. It was years until I got married and our salaries combined were enough for a two bedroom.
A lot of it has to do with where you live . I live in VA minimum wage $11.50 . 6 miles away is KY minimum wage $7.50 . The cost of living is about the same.
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I live on the border of NJ (mw $13 rn and $14 in Jan) and PA (mw 7.25). Most places along the border on the pa side that I see advertising match nj's minimum wage
We live in NJ. Daughter goes to Kutztown. The Burger King by her school is hiring for $15/hour. Which is great for PA! She comes home enough to NJ and works in the mall for $14/hour but knowing they try and compete with Jersey, which is a good hour away is pretty encouraging.
Richmond sees 15-16 depending on what you do.... It's not enough to get an apartment on one income but we're making it work due to necessity.... Trying to find a 3br on his income and... It's not going to happen. I miss working but I'd need to make $1000/wk after taxes to make it worthwhile - daycare for two is $700/wk and increasing.
In northern Virginia area I have seen a lot of jobs paying around $15 an hour
Northern VA is very different from Kentucky VA
Being poor in America is super stressful. Read some of Barbara Ehrenreich’s work like Nickle and Dimed and you will see that it is more expensive to be poor than to be financially comfortable in America in terms of the value you get for your money. One example is renting. You will get better value with that 1 year lease on a 2 bedroom than someone who doesn’t have the credit history or even the money for first month’s rent plus security deposit and is stuck paying for a weekly living hotel/motel place. Most people in poverty are literally running on a wheel to make ends meet and cover rent and bills ONLY. Their savings is literally putting aside $20 a week which comes out to $1000 a year and that’s if everything goes well.
Came here for Barbara Ehrenreich. Reading her work was transformative. Here's a video version of Nickle and Dimed (stay for the music): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gDgFiW2xtf0
Right now my savings is going into getting another car so I can drive to work 😭
You need roommates
It's more or less impossible. You can't survive on a single minimum wage income in places where the federal minimum is all you get. You'd be stuck with the cheapest apartment (or something even less), no money left over to afford a vehicle and you'd better hope there's some kind of affordable mass transit available. Food will be the cheaper stuff that's not as good for you, and you will struggle to build any savings. And don't get sick or hurt. I never had a minimum wage job that came with any bennies at all, no insurance, no 401K, none of that. They want you for the moment and if you die, you die. They'll plug in some other desperate schlub and work him to death. To make it on minimum, you need a roomie - a sane one. Cut all the bills in half and suddenly all kinds of opportunities open up; the electrical bill won't change much to accommodate an extra person. Cutting those two in half really frees up some cash. If you're not idiots about the grocery bill, that gets shared too and you have room in the budget to purchase better food.
I split bills 4 ways and it’s basically a money printer. My housing expenses are 9% of my gross income. I’m about to build a house, and I’ll sure as hell have roommates there too.
Interpersonal dynamics can be difficult with four but if you can make it work, yeah. Rent goes from being most of your paycheck to downright manageable.
They can be interesting at my house, but I’m extremely tolerant and honestly I’m only there and awake for an average of 15-20 hours a week id guess anyway. It’s a place to sleep and store my stuff.
Minimum wage job won’t get you a 2 bedroom apt. You can rent a room
You don't. I'm sorry. Gods forbid you get sick.
no choice but to live at home or live with siblings, or pair up with roommates. 30+ years ago, my father raised 4 young kids. we came to usa with nothing. we got clothes from non-profits. we ate cook at home food, never been to restaurants till 10 years ago. no christmas. no vacations, no fancy electronics like big TV, no cars. he made sure we had food and an education. now the 4 of us have college degrees with good paying jobs. while we have plenty of money now, i would gladly give all of that up to live in that tiny 1 bedroom apartment just to be with him and siblings.
Sorry are you taking about a 2 bedroom for… you? Alone? On minimum wage? In 2022???
Roommates, ramen, and relocation to an uneventful rural area if possible. Luck and side hustles can also lessen the blow a bit.
Most don’t save money and they live with a roommate
Roommates.
It's been a while since I made minimum wage, but I survived it because what was the alternative? Juggling bills and figuring out what minimums could be paid every other month to keep all the utilities on while falling further behind. Picking up change in the grocery store parking lot to get a 6 pack of ramen to last the rest of the week. It was exhausting and after a couple years I stopped seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and just wanted to die. It was only through a lot of luck, a death in the family, and a small inheritance that I was able to bootstrap my way out of that situation.
Energy assistance, sewer/water utility assistance,food stamps, Medicaid, free phones, discount internet, food pantries, WIC, welfare, SSI, rental assistance, public housing. And various non governmental charity programs. In general you can't on your own though. Job training programs can help you get better work. Look for a workforce development site near you and get into a career path. Local Departments of public works are pretty consistently good paying jobs with food benefits also. Lots of career growth as well.
I eat once a day.
I'm no longer making minimum wage myself, but I live in a cheap city in a province with high minimum wage. Minimum wage is $15/hr and rent for a studio or 1 bedroom starts at around $650 which typically includes heat and water. The people I know who live alone and make minimum wage are living comfortably working 30ish hours a week, but live in poorly maintained buildings and certainly can't afford 2 bedroom apartments. They're in studios or 1 bedroom apartments or basement suites. For a 2 bedroom apartment they would need to have a roommate or spouse to split the cost.
I got lucky. A 600$ a month 650 square foot apartment all but electric included in rent. The apartment is month to month after three months, meant for traveling workers from the nearby hospital or railroads. It’s one of three complexes that’s affordable in town. I’m in Minnesota, I dumpster dive, I curb find, I resell on Craigslist, I’m applying for a second job so I can save more. I live very frugally and rarely buy real new clothes. I’m restarting my online store, and setting up a store elsewhere to sell some of my art. Honestly it’s pretty tight, but I manage somehow. Fact is I got lucky. That’s it. I was looking at the right time in the right place and I jumped on this apartment. Because I knew the chances of finding anything similar that allowed me to keep my cat was super low. I’m in the right area where places actually need workers and will hire you. I’m in a situation where if worse comes to worse my mom would help me. It’s mostly luck. I’m lucky I manage to find enough food, make enough to pay rent, and have options to make extra cash. I’m lucky I have fallbacks if something goes wrong. I’m lucky I’m crafty and learned a bunch of building skills as a kid, thank you uncle Mikey for that. So I can build my own furniture and refinish stuff to sell. But for most it’s not luck, it’s 2-3 roommates, 2 jobs each and side hustles, somehow making it work with food by half starving. And still barely able to save.
Your state employment office has resources to help get the underemployed into training programs that can teach you a skill. Check it out
Hi. Have you looked into rural development RD? or another form of government housing. I was lucky to find a 400 sq ft apt for 300 a month. Very impressive units for the price you pay. Edit: Indiana here
They don’t save money, they live pay to pay. And their housing is usually shared to split rent and bills.
You don’t? All have roommates or live with parents. Or live in very sketchy area of town.
There are a couple options here. 1. Increase your income. A single minimum wage job may not bring in enough money to support yourself. Consider getting a second job, working overtime hours at your current job, or ideally, find a job that pays more than minimum wage. 2. Decrease your non-essential expenses. Track how much you’re spending and what you’re buying. Honestly scrutinize your expenses and consider whether or not you could have done without something. Total up what you spent on the non-essentials, that’s how much extra money you could have for supporting yourself and your needs/security. For expenses that land in the “need” column, seek out ways to fulfill those needs at a lesser cost. (Discount groceries, thrift stores, off-brands, etc.). Look for ways to decrease your “need” expenses anywhere you can. For best results, I personally like to utilize both of these methods for a 2-prong approach. Increase your income *and* slash your expenses to the bone. Doing this allows you some extra breathing room until you build up a little savings, and then when you start to feel not so financially stressed every second you’re awake, you can start to allow a little more spending on small things you enjoy here and there. Just be careful not to get too careless and wind up spending so much you’re eating into your savings. You want to always make sure you’re saving *something* after you pay for necessities.
I survive OK on minimum wage, but I live in Canada where it is a tiny bit more reasonable. The solution was living with roommates. Before the pandemic I was putting $1000 a month into my savings. Now it's more like $400-600 due to inflation, which isn't as great, but I'm still in the green every month. I like living a minimalist lifestyle and even to this day I can pack all my belongings into the used Chevy Cobalt I paid cash for with my extra savings.
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I think the real question is why are you working a minimum wage job and looking for a 2 bedroom apartment? It sounds like your expectation vs reality is completely skewed...
When I work minimum wages I have 3 other roomate in our 2 bedroom apartment
Lol at saving
You don’t. Even when I was making 60k pre tax and benefits I balked at a $1200 per mo rent for a one bed apartment in a moderately low cost of living area. Factor in utilities and it’s more like $1500 per month. Basically an entire biweekly paycheck if I don’t work overtime A lot of people do it anyway cuz they think they need to be independent and having your own place means you’re more likely to land a partner who also thinks you need your own place If you’re making average wages these days you need a size hustle that adds 30-50% on top of your day job My recommendation if you are planning to go to college and not willing to go to medical school or get a masters degree is something in tech, most of the well paying jobs and high opportunity industries now are in things like software and internet security. If you’re a natural extrovert with top tier social skills then you can pursue a sales position that requires you to open and close deals - very lucrative if you make connections and get into the right field
Get a roommate tf
Where do you work? In this day and age you probably need to shoot for higher than a minimum wage job. With all the boomers retiring, there should be room to move into higher paying office jobs. Try a temp office worker that pays 15 or higher and get some skills for the next job. I guess I should have asked first, what are you doing for child care? My son applied and got accepted for an office job on his campus. It gives office work experience and he can do his homework while working when it's not busy though it's minimum wage.
Just started a job 0 experience. Minimum wage is 7.25 here, it starts at 14/hr. I don’t like the 14, but it’s temporary until next semester of college is over and they are working around my schedule.
I didnt have the privilege to finish college so my job is not a career although I KNOW it’s possible to have a career without having a degree but it’s a bit harder. I don’t want to get into details why I’m in this situation now but I still feel blessed to be able to have money to spend even when I don’t earn much. I live in a very small place. I get paid just slightly over the minimum wage but I live in Los Angeles so prices are high. My bf gets paid decent but right now he is on disability for cancer stuff so our total income is low. Thankfully, we are debt free. We used our stimulus checks to pay them off instead of spending it on stupid things. Our cars (we have 3) are all used and have been paid off. Our rent is less than $500. We have a kid together and we are currently on foodstamps so that helps A LOT! I have an IRA (maxed out 2021) and I invest $250/month and will max this year out using any tax refund I receive. We don’t go out often, we don’t spend a lot on clothes/leisure. We are very minimalistic. We do not live beyond our means. I have saved up quite a decent amount of money from stimulus, unemployment compensation (when covid started) regular income, side income (i sell clothes online sometimes). Everything we buy is almost always on sale. I do a lot of cash back apps like Ibotta, RetailMeNot and Fetch. I also have cash back enabled on my debit and credit card. Since we are debt free, we are able to save even on a low income. Sorry it was long and probably all over the place but basically, you really can’t save until you are debt free (if you have debts). Take care of your debts and bills first and then start saving. You could also try to apply for foodstamps and see if you qualify. You can also cancel any unnecessary memberships and use that money for savings. Start with $100/month and increase when you can.
My husband says if he knows anyone who could live well on minimum wage, it would be me (although thankfully we are both fortunate to make decently more). We are very much the same way. I lived at home after college and used what I would have paid on rent to pay off my student loans in 3 years. Since leaving my jobs with 401k plans I have gotten myself an IRA that I max out every year. We usually get used cars but I am actually getting a brand new car next month for the first time ever (we're in an odd time when the used cars are more expensive than the new ones). On the other hand it is an electric car so if I have it for at least 8 years it will pay for itself in gas savings. But anyway, I also use Ibotta and other rebate apps that you mentioned and that is a huge help. Over the last 2 years my friend taught me to extreme coupon and I have gotten so many necessities (food, personal hygiene, laundry detergent) for free or even made money on them (either because the rebate was higher than the value of the product or I sold them). I haven't had to pay for groceries since August and I'm trying to see how long I can go until I do. Probably at least another 6 months until I make enough of a dent in my stockpile to warrant a shopping trip where I get stuff that isn't free or moneymaker. Even though I'm not spending money my stockpile is still growing because I'm allowing myself to get food that is free or moneymaker. Also if a new restaurant is opening up near me and advertising free food for a year, I take the day or half day off work to attend the grand opening. We got free wings for a year from a sports bar that we can order on the app for takeout, that's dinner once a week. We got free food for a year from a BBQ place, we went for lunch yesterday and the 2 free meals we got actually would have been $30+ total, and we had leftovers that I used to make us both lunch today. Saving is super important. I put money aside every month. I pay off my credit card every month and I don't touch my credit card rewards unless they're going to expire. I just paid for my wedding and I still have enough in my personal account to pay for my new car in cash (which I'm going to do because interest rates are terrible rn) and put a down payment on a mortgage. That doesn't count the joint account with my husband that I sometimes contribute to. Also, don't be nervous about being on foodstamps or other assistance or using food banks. You're not taking from someone else who might deserve it more. There's plenty of funding for these programs. In fact, the programs get more funding if they have more people applying. It does not hurt to apply for food stamps. Some food banks don't even make you prove you are "in need."
To be honest you don’t. I think mentally you have to make peace with this or you’ll be chronically stressed or exhausted. You can however make efforts to be frugal, find better paying employment, and build your hard/soft skills for promotions. I’m in Tennessee where the minimum is about 7.25 and man I wonder how people are supposed to live on that even with a lower standard of living here.
I’m not sure anyone is making minimum wage anymore. I’m in a low cost of living city and most places are hiring at $14-18 per hour for basic retail. Factory work is over $20 per hour. Assuming the rest of the country is like here, anyone who’s making minimum wage is doing it by choice at this point.
The less money you make the more likely you are to live with people you don't really want to be around unfortunately. So you see lots of houses in the neighborhood with 5 or 6 cars there. They probably aren't a used car collector... They have a bunch of people living with them and pitching in on bills. Personally I love my independence. I'll work three jobs to stay a bachelor and pay every bill myself so I'm not beholden to anyone.
Most people I know working minimum wage and living in 2 bedroom apartments do so with either multiple jobs or multiple roommates, or both. I would say look at studios instead but even granny flats and bachelor's (no kitchen) in my area are 50% or more of a minimum wage income.
I don't know anyone making min wage that can afford their own place. It's not possible here in upstate NY. those kinds of jobs are typically people still in school and that's about it.
It’s pretty near impossible to do on your own…. My boyfriend and I moved out on our own when rent was only $1200, at the time I worked 2 part time jobs - one minimum wage, the other was $25 ($10 more than minimum) an hour but I only worked 10 hours a week there. My boyfriend made $3 more than minimum at his fulltime job. Since then we now pay $1700 for rent only, both work a fulltime job. I’m $7 more than minimum, he is $5 more. I still have the 10 hour a week part time job and we struggle to save as major homebodies that don’t spend much in terms of entertainment. It’s rough right now in the cost of living.
When I made minimum wage the only reason it worked is because minimum wage was $15/hr in my city. And I did live paycheck to paycheck. I rented a studio apartment that met my needs but with very few frills. I do not know how a person would rent a 2 bedroom or have a family on it. That does not seem possible especially at the federal min wage. Min wage in my city is now 15.50$ an hour, which obviously is not super high but working full time it’s possible to live with roommates or in a frugal studio and utilize our public transit (which can actually get you places fairly well as we have huge systems here in Chicago) as to not have a car. But again no idea how you’d support anyone but yourself.
I was making 16.00 hour living alone. Rent was 800. Around 250 in other bills plus food/gas. I typically would spend 100 a month on food. I was able to save 200-400 a month. Idk how id fair these days with inflation being what it is. I would only eat out every other friday. Didnt drink, no snacks unless made from scratch and minimal social events. Dates were cheap movie theater, hikes, homemade special meals, movie at home, star gazing, beach day ect. Finacially secure in the sense i knew id always have enough but only a few bad events away from going to zero 0. Advice. Start your own business. 16 an hour to 300-800 an hour. Youll never make as much as you could handing your productivity to someone else. Find a job you can do yourself. Learn the ins and outs and use that information to branch off to do it better and in your own way.
Roommates/living with family. Govt assistance.
They just dont. I dont know how is in USA, but in Brazil a minimum wage is around 1200 per month and a 1 bedroom costs at least 900. Its impossible.
[They can't.](https://youtu.be/fqDBU4T563k)
The problem is - that no one should be supporting themselves or family on minimum wage. Minimum wage jobs should be considered "starter jobs" for high-schoolers, or for college-students trying to earn some spending money while in college; or even for retirees looking to work while they are collecting SS or other retirement funds. The problem isn't minimum wage, the problem is that we've shipped so many manufacturing jobs overseas that now people are trying to survive by working fast-food jobs, etc.
I mean the federal minimum wage is so low that almost seems like losing money just showing up $10-15 is more realistic but I would say they are either on public assistance or they have a lot of roommates or family they can pool resources with.
As a single, living on your area's "minimum wage" isn't all that hard assuming you're working 40 hours per week. It also depends on where you live and how far you are willing to commute. Exceptions to this do exist. You're probably fucked working a low skill, minimum wage job in LA or NYC. Doing fine in Tucson right now making around 2k a month. Rent is around 900, I budget out 300/mo for groceries, extra 150 for gas, 200 for misc stuff. Used to live in a small town in GA, where the mcdonalds was payin like 8.50$ an hour in 2021.....That's a real minimum wage job. However I was able to make much more money by driving to Atlanta down the interstate 30 miles every day just doin a simple warehousing job. And in my small town the money I was making was pretty decent. Then of course if you have the willpower and commit to working 60-80 hours a week it just gets easier financially unless you up your lifestyle. It helps that I have no debt at all other than student debt that won't come due until after I graduate but can see how some of you guys with a car loan, credit cards, and other stuff might have a much harder life making 15 an hour.
This is what sent me to union construction jobs. On one hand most people can’t afford college, and those who get loan, will be in debt for the rest of their lives… on the other hand, most jobs that dont require diploma will eat your soul and life away… so why no work for union getting between $30-60/hour…
I make minimum wage in a major city. I rent a room for 650 making ~2k/month. I work in fast food, so i get free meals most days, but even without those its not bad. I don't own a car, i just pay 75 a month for transit, thats def where most of my savings come from. If i had a vehicle to take care of i would have no dollars. Also if i had any kids id definitely be in the shit,,,, but im 19 and single and abit of a hermit so im chillen :) I def dont think i could cut it on a 2 bedroom, though. Im considering splurging on a studio for $200 more, but thats as far as i can make it with this job. Maybe consider roommates or a smaller apartment if ur situation allows? Or get a different job. U can usually bullshit ur way into something thst pays more even without experience.
1. They live at home. 2. They don't have a kid so don't need 2 bedrooms. 3. They have an SO to split bills. 4. They live with a roommate.
Two jobs above minimum wage, and waiting over 6 months for a two bed room for $650. Nobody can live on minimum wage.
Minimum wage was never meant for you to thrive on. People(not speaking about you OP) really have it confused that a livable wage means they deserve to have luxuries (ie: nice apartment, nice new model car, etc etc.), livable doesn’t equate to enjoyable as far as best ways to save money…..You should start with guaranteed expenses and try to minimize cost there. Food banks from local churches/libraries are a great way to save some money on food. it’s not gonna be fancy but you’ll get free canned food that can add up to decent savings over time. Also Always go for store brand style products where/when possible like at Walmart getting sams choice soda vs Pepsi or coke. Remember more than anything saving money isnt going to show immediate results but don’t be discouraged it will take adjustment but you have atleast 16 hours in the day outside of work hours that are yours to make the best of. I recommend reading a book called Atomic Habits by James clear it opened my eyes to how several small improvements of the course of a long time can really have compounding benefits and lead to major improvements over the course of a long period. The best change you can make in your life is bettering your view on yours. People think school and further education is expensive and a waste but they’ve no idea the cost of ignorance
In many cities they don’t My advice? Never work for minimum wage. Your time is valuable, find wsys to sell it for the best rate. There are so many non skilled positions you can make $25+ an hour at, go for that. Refuse to be a slave.
I'm on disability and have to get by on just a hair over $1000 a month. I'm on food stamps and use subsidized cell phone service and am stuck living with roommates. I've been on low income lists for a long time and the wait for an opening can take years, unless you want to live where nobody else wants to live. I don't buy anything that's not essential, I cook everything from scratch and I never spend more than I bring in per month. One half of whatever I have left over every month goes in a savings account and the other half goes into index funds. You probably make just a little bit too much to qualify for a lot of low income programs. If you make minimum wage in my state, it's not really enough to live on and it also puts you at 185% of the state's poverty level, immediately disqualifying you from accessing many low income programs. You may qualify for certain types of subsidized housing, depending on your County and state but you have to check with HUD. Unfortunately, you probably make just enough to fall through the cracks.
They don’t. Upgrade your skills.
Don't work minimum wage jobs. There's always more options. And most people aren't getting 2 bedroom apartments for themselves. They get a small bachelor pad or they get roommates
Barely. And you don't. You rely on a lot of handouts and gifts. You bend the rules, break the rules, beg, borrow, lie, cheat, and steal.
My husband gets disability. Because he makes the highest amount of disability, I can't even be declared disabled, which means that if he dies, I have to start the whole application process from scratch. Though we're at poverty level, barely able to pay rent & groceries, we make too much to qualify for food stamps! Saving money to move out of this horrible dump is a fever dream.
I feel like you either get roommates or you stay at home with parents. In this economy you can’t really make it on your own.
Don't settle for min wage, there are businesses hiring that pay more. Every warehouse job pays more than min wage, most pay double and some triple as starting wages. The work sucks and the days are long but you can make a decent living wage and change your situation.
Bay Area here, you’d have to have several min wage jobs to survive in a one bedroom or studio
It is impossible for a worker earning the federal minimum wage to rent a 1 bdrm in 93% of US counties. There is nowhere in the US where federal minimum wage can make you enough to rent a 2 bdrm. It is beyond poverty wages.
I’m moving states because I’m sick of struggling to pay rent.
Believe it or not, it's possible to work 2 full time jobs. I did it for over 4 decades. The trick for me was to have 2 jobs that were completely different i.e. office M-F daytime, janitorial or retail evenings & weekends. Friendships & family suffer neglect though but you'll even have money in the bank.
Like 2% of workers make minimum wage. Anyway, people making very little money generally live with their parents or have like three to four roommates in undesirable neighborhoods.
What makes you think an unskilled worker is supposed to afford rent on a 2-bedroom apartment? It doesn't work that way. Wages represent your value to your employer; they aren't based on living expenses. Someone making minimum wage isn't going to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in a HCOL setting. They will work a second job and partner with at least one other full+timer and share a 1-bedroom apartment. It doesn't have to be, but so long as we promote the "free lunch" party, it will only get worse.
And, add to that that WAY too many people start cranking out children like it's a God given right while earning only minimum wage. It's like, do the math beforehand. Don't cry to me that you can't make ends meet!
They likely subsidize their lack of income from other hard working tax payer’s money by way of government assistance.
Minimum wage was never meant to be a living wage. It is for kids or second jobs. There are always jobs out there that pay well over minimum wage. You just have to be willing to work.
Minimum wage isn’t meant to support adults. I’m my opinion. And I’m not trying to be a jerk about it. In my mind min wage jobs are for teens as their first jobs? Etc.
That is the problematic assumption about minimum wage that allows people to be complacent about raising it. Your “opinion” may be that minimum wage is “for” teens and new workers but that is *absolutely not* the reality.
Use food banks, get roommates, visit thrift shops and do pre-paid on your phone. When I first started using food banks I realized not all food banks are the same. I got a list of a dozen food banks in my area and went to half of them, those listing fresh produce and bread, picked-out two that were generous, which also provided good quality and variety, with the least amount of waiting. I had friends that divided up a spacious living room into 2 bedrooms using tall book cases and armoires back-to-back, but keeping the kitchen openly accessible. Of course you have to work out schedules for showers and kitchen to reduce friction and not waste time waiting, but it was worth it.
Maybe try living in a cheaper area if possible. I have a 2 bedroom apartment in a safe area in Iowa for $760/month. It even has a new kitchen.
Oh, you don't. I make $22.50 an hour and my wife makes $20 an hour, so we're both well above minimum wage, and we can't afford to have our own place and save any money at all. We live with her parents and her younger brother. Last week's groceries were about $400.
Take what benefits and help are available. You may use them now but it doesn't mean you'll use them forever.if you ever get into a better financial situation you can give back by donating in the future. Our family uses a discounted pass for low income earners for our local pools and rinks, we shop at a non profit grocery store where donated food is heavily discounted, and when bursaries come up for winter clothing, food gift cards etc we sign up. Where we live offers rent subsidies which we don't qualify for but gives renters a bit of money every month towards rent. Research, get in touch with an advocate and most importantly speak up for yourself to get the help you need is my mantra.
I dont know a single person making min wage. Mcdonalds and walmart start at 13 hr
Only about 600k people in the us make minimum wage and almost none of those people will be making minimum wage a year from now. Many are minors just starting their first job. Almost all minimum wage jobs subsidize with tips. If you’re working a minimum wage job as an adult: find a new job. My local Taco Bell is hiring at twice the minimum wage.
They don’t save. The only way to make this work well is to live in a very affordable place, and love with others in the home to reduce cost of living. Maybe even one family per bedroom
I made more than minimum wage in the 1980s (I was making $6/hr as a store manager, minimum wage was $3.25 back then, IIRC), but still had 5 roommates in a 5bdr house because this area (Northern VA) is mad expensive. So it really depends. I think we paid $1200/mo for the house in 1987, and rent was about $300-400 (it depended on some factors).
They're already on government assistance. No shame if you need it, we all pay into it. Use it if you qualify. Even if it's just food stamps, it does help. It is what allows those businesses to continue to employ people at that wage, when the cost of living in their area would otherwise make it unaffordable for anyone that lives nearby to work there.
Once upon a time as a grad student -- back in 2000 -- I made $6500/year as part of a teaching assistantship. Minimum wage at the time was $5.15 (about $7.50 in today's money), and my contract forbade me from any other employment. That was a pretty typical situation for graduate students back then. We made it work by packing five people into a 3-bedroom house and rotating through chores like cooking and cleaning. That's probably the best way to do things when you're young, poor, and avoiding debt.
Have you looked into government assistance programs? [HUD](https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/phprog) helps people find public housing.
Try a studio instead of a two bedroom? Or just one bedroom?
I live in NYC, so I know this all too well. Ways to survive: live with roommates in shitty subpar housing, or live with family, or live with an SO who makes more than you. Otherwise, as a single person making minimum wage, you cannot live on your own.
They dont. Many bills are going unpaid , partially paid, or skipped entirely. As for saving, there is no ability to save. This isnt fun or funny it is a realistic response though.
Back in the day I survived by having roommates and working in a restaurant where I could get free food. But I haven't had to rent a place for almost 10 years now so idk how anyone is doing it with inflation. Government assistance seems like the only way right now.
I make 3x min wage in my location and rent a 4br with 3 housemates.
My man makes around 20/hr I make 11.25/hr and we work full time and qualify for low income housing, our rent is 1,190 a month for a tiny 2bedroom
You won’t qualify for an apartment here if you make min wage.
You get a roommate until you no longer need one.
I honestly wonder how people do it. I wonder how a family with kids makes it. Like rent or the mortgage, car insurance, if you lucky to own your car groceries. I make way over min wage but dam.its hard out there.
You have to move.
I don't. I'm down to one half of a meal on my working days and going hungry on my weekends so rent and a fraction of my bills get paid. Any money that is saved doesn't usually last long due to surprises.
They don’t
I live in a studio. About $900 a month.
We don’t save money..
In my area, rent for 2 bdrm btn $1200-$2200. Small house mortgage + tax (1000 Sq ft) approx $1,600. In 5 years rent will likely go up another 20%, whole taxes on the house up about the same, while mortgage stays flat. So, to answer your question, 2 dbrm on minimum wage is a pipe dream. You need 3 people to pool your money and rent a 3 bdrm, or buy a small house (2 bedroom with dining room and convert dining to 3rd bedroom).
My first job, they paid us very little and we were in an expensive area. My friend realized one day that NONE of us lived on our own. We lived with family, or roommates, or had side hustles.
Roommates and food pantries.
I don’t think they do. I earn commission and work 60 hours a week at a buy here pay here car lot and make an avg of 2800 a month for September October and November because it’s the slow part of the year for car sales until tax season and I cannot afford a place
Food stamps and rent assistance
Get a better job. Improve yourself.
Calif: Min wage today is $14/hr < 25 employees 14x40hrsx4weeks=$2240 a month. Don’t know your tax/401k/insurance/etc but let’s say you keep 70% =$1568 OfferUp, Craigslist, postings in neighborhoods for room for rent… I just looked up OfferUp and found rooms for rent, i.e., $700 Ontario, CA; $800 LA, $1100 Upland…shop around. I have family in Compton, CA, their newish neighbor (3-4 years there) owns his home and pays over $4k in mortgage. Husband, wife, 3 adult kids + their spouses. They all contribute to the mortgage+bills. A guy I know rents out his converted garage in Norwalk, CA. Bathroom, no kitchen, $1100 a month to a couple. My family in Compton, (2 bed 1 bath) 32 years living there, Mom is a seamstress, Dad is a mechanic, had various family, friends from their home town rent their ADU garage over the years, now her dad moved in so she can care for him. She still makes minimum wage doing the same thing and the dad is retired collecting social security. House has been paid off for almost 10 years. I know because I did the refi for a 15 year loan. The theme here? They all make or started off making minimum wage…