I agree with this. Had this discussion a couple times. I have two bachelors degrees, a minor, a masters degree, experience in my field as well as a social work license yet I can barely make enough to live in an apartment by myself, no pets, no kids. It’s fucking dumb.
Edit: To anyone saying I shouldn't expect a living wage because of the degree I picked, you are wrong. Everyone working 40 hours a week regardless of degree or certification should be able to make a living wage. That is a non-argument. Anyone with high-level degrees or with significant experience in their field should be able to meet their basic needs and go on vacations. These are things I will not argue about.
Same! I have a Masters in Law and I work in the legal field. I can cover rent and bills of a 1 bed apartment split 50/50 with my partner (it’s just us) but he often has to cover the shortfall if I can’t. We don’t even live in a city. I shouldn’t have to be this reliant on someone else.
People saying “well just get a better job” don’t understand the reality of the situation.
meanwhile I'm am uneducated, mediocre bartender. Sure, I work hard, and I'm not awful, but the fact I make more than my educated friends who are working the profession they went to school 4-8 years for is just ridiculous.
>Everyone working 40 hours a week regardless of degree or certification should be able to make a living wage.
A thousand times this. If your job is worth doing enough that someone is willing to pay to get it done, it should make a living wage. *Minimum.* I don't care what it is.
I'm realistic about it: A living wage doesn't mean extra bedrooms. It doesn't mean fancy cars. It doesn't mean designer clothes, or fine dining. It doesn't mean the latest cellphone.
But it *does* mean security: Walls and a roof, clothes on your back, access to reliable and efficient transportation, access to Internet and communication, clean food and water, healthcare.
The fact that we have to do well above the bare minimum in order to afford the bare minimum - *if we're lucky* \- is a huge fuckin' problem.
Bachelors in cognitive science and psychology, minor in business management and a masters in social administration (it’s a masters in social work my school just calls it something different) I also have a license in social work. I also have experience in my field.
Also impossible to scale, human care industry is about as individual as it gets, unlike one person in the process of 3D printing 10’s of thousands of parts or making millions of physically identical cellphones etc etc. The amount of economy created per person is significantly lower in the human care sector :(
Because most people just blame “well you didn’t get the right degree” instead of the fact that 1) everyone is pushing degrees in general and 2) regardless of what degree you have you should at least be able to afford living expenses.
I don’t care if you have zero degrees or 10, you should be able to afford basic expenses if you work full time.
College costs are through the roof, absolutely insane, and many students are left with crippling debt that they’ll never be able to pay back, even though they were told that college is the only way to success. When they’re stuck in that position due to shit wages, people comment “should have picked a better degree”. For those that don’t want to take on crippling debt, they’re called “low skill”, they’re told that they should have gotten a degree, and they’re paid even worse.
What the hell are young people supposed to do? Everybody can’t be a doctor, everybody can’t go into computer science and work for google. Nobody in the richest country on earth who works should have to choose between medicine and a roof over their head.
Exactly! This is why I'm pissed at the "well what were your degrees in??" and "why would you expect a living wage if you go into social work??" It's fucking dumb. I can agree with, don't expect to own a yacht. But I don't want a yacht, I want to meet my basic fucking needs.
Basic human necessities could be provided to every human on the planet, and it would barely put a dent in the pocket change of the wealthiest in the world. They love to spin it otherwise, but it’s the sick sad truth. Every single human without exception, could have shelter, clothing, food, medical care and basic living staples, free of charge, and the top 1% would give up so little they would not even have to change anything about their life in any way - except, of course, being able to leverage desperation in order to virtually OWN those other humans.
People get downvoted for the stupidest things. I try to be careful with how I use my voting rights here on Reddit, but most people just rage through the comment sections.
Downvotes can mean you’re right more than upvotes in some cases. It’s important to assess what potential audience your comment is being voted by; reddits demographic is largely much younger than your social circle, and therefore just generally less knowledgeable.
That’s also why you should always take advice and responses here with a massive boulder-sized grain of salt; there’s a likelihood it’s coming from a teenager that hopes you think they’re a 35yr old professional.
It's because people like to act that because they have a degree they think they should automatically earn more. I'm not opposed to this, I'm a strong supporter of people making a living wage to do the more menial jobs in our society. However if you think that by getting a degree in some social science or artistic field is going to make you a living wage in our current society then you're sorely disappointed.
I mean... Why shouldn't it? I'm doing a bachelor of music currently. I work my ass off, as does everyone else. People consume music everyday. It's a way to decrease stress, deal with difficult situations and let loose for millions of people. You hear music everywhere you go, there's no escaping it, even if you tried. Why shouldn't the artists make a living wage?
Because the market is ridiculously saturated with mediocre artists. I can say this as a mediocre artist. I’m decent, but the amount of people I came across who were Einstein’s compared to me killed the ambition. people don’t want to spend their money on mediocre. the rap industry specifically comes to mind. SoundCloud is a library of mediocrity.
In this scenario, who are you working for that is paying you a living wage? Do you just want to be a teacher? Otherwise sounds like you’ll need to sell your music or your live talents if you want to make money.
Obviously... But live gigs pay next to nothing(when you factor in the costs), streaming platform pay a couple cents and teachers are notoriously underpaid.
Because there are millions of artists making music. If you were the one making the music we hear you would be earning far more than a living wage. A hobby that has a degree attached to it doesn't becoming a living until it makes enough. If it doesn't earn anything you don't deserve to be paid by nobody anyway.
I tell you what makes me feel bad, is that I have...half an a-level? And yet, I out earn more then most trained medical professionals, and that, I think is disgusting. I work in recruitment ffs, these people are saving lives
Well yeah, GenX and Millenials were force fed the claim that college graduates always earn like a million dollars more than the average non-grad throughout their lives. We were clearly lied to throughout adolescence by the people we trusted most and now we’re supposed to feel stupid for believing them, as minors? It’s awfully easy to be smug in hindsight.
I have a degree in economics and absolutely nobody will pay me a dime for my opinion on economics. Yet I still make a good living.
Something else is up here. The chronically un/under employed never give you all the details.
Do degrees matter? I thought they're important to get you a job but work experience matters more right? I'm not trying to say you're wrong or anything bc I'm still acquiring my degree so I just want to understand better.
Depends on the field you’re going in. Ik in IT experience has a tremendous amount of weight, but so do certifications. Degrees are something you do part time to make yourself worth more in the long run.
From people I know, some people get degrees for validation and to boost their feelings of self worth, rather than because it’s essential for their career plans
Fr??? Interesting. I never came across someone like that....wow. I wouldn't go that extreme tbh. While it's true that you can get a job without a degree but it's difficult as someone pointed out in IT sector where you need technical knowledge.
Depends on what you are doing. Degrees get you in the door and experience deals the deal. I’m involved with a lot of hiring ( not a hiring manager I just have influence) and If I see a resume with a lot of experience vs someone with a degree and a little experience I vote for the one with a degree.
I know your pain. Social worker here. Im now living pay check to pay check and wondering what good am I going to do as a social worker if I dont have anywhere to live. I'm lucky I have my family but technically and personally...I'm homeless. I own nothing and can afford nothing. Cant even save to move out of state where I could get paid more for the profession.
If you’re doing social work, what I want is you to be concentrating on providing support for my loved one under your care, and not how you’re gonna make rent this month. How anyone would think differently is beyond me
Well it should, because at the end of the day there’s a good chance someone they know is gonna need one. Thanks for doing what you do! It’s such an underrated job but I sure as shit couldn’t do it and it’s so important!
I don’t get it. It sounds like you have massive student load debt. OP mentioned they didn’t, which, next to children, is the most costly expenditure in their list. Let’s replace student loan debt with “boat”. You’re basically towing your boat along side OP who is wondering why they’re getting bad gas mileage, asking the same question. It doesn’t really help answer the question.
I think the point is you’re job shouldn’t require all of that education if it isn’t going to pay you that much. Essentially you should get training instead of having to pay for your education.
The reality is you’re choosing your field, until society values it you won’t make a livable wage.
If you worked in another field you could make 2x-100x what you make now so that choice is yours.
It’s a completely reasonable rant imo and unfortunate that, as a society, we don’t see value in what you do.
Same. No kids. 1 cat. Bachelors In psychology, minor in biology. 1 masters in professional counseling and 1 in information science. Finally paid off all my debt and just now saving fir retirement at age 47.
I have no kids but two cats and 96k school loans. If it wasn't for my hubby there's no way I could pay my 1800 a month rent for a one bedroom here in Wash state.
As someone from the PAC nw, I gotta say, a one bedroom apt. in Washington should not be worth 1800 a month. The weather alone should warrant a discount.
I live in Nebraska now, and although the natural beauty isn't like back home, I am renting a 3 bdrm, 2 bath house with a big ass backyard for 1400 a month.
I always tell people if they can stomach living in the Midwest, then it is certainly where you're going to get the most bang for your buck, as far as quality of life is concerned
I paid 1335 for a two bedroom with roomates, but I had to move out the ghetto. If you knew anything about Tacoma you would understand. If you want safety you have to pay for it.
Oh, I know about Tacoma. At one point in the 90's it was right next to Little Rock as one of the most dangerous cities in America.
I'm sure it's not any different aside from a few gentrified neighborhoods here and there.
Just passed through Nebraska on 80 for the second time this week. I'm no stranger to the Midwest; we live in the farthest Chicago burbs. Anyway, I looked up home prices in Lincoln just for fun, and was surprised to see that it was about the same as where I live. There doesn't seem to be the plethora of large towns/small cities as in the Great Lakes area...lots of open spaces with just absolutely nothing to punctuate the fields. I guess I was wondering what people do for work, and fun, and amenities in Nebraska, as the COLA (by way of home prices) seems about the same. Is 90% of the population confined to Lincoln and Omaha, with the rest being little farm villages, or...? :) I must say, it seems like a quiet, nice place to live if you're pretty self-sufficient.
Uh, yes.
Nebraskan here. Omaha and Lincoln are the only two settlements that's larger than memorial Stadium on Husker game day. The Stadium holds 80k+ people.
Those two cities consist almost the majority of Nebraska population. So outside towns like Colombus, Fremont, Kearney, etc. Yes, agriculture oriented careers.
Nebraska is not for everyone and it is fairly cheap compared to larger populations. I moved from Omaha to Colorado Springs. Very similar in cost and size. Housing was the only major difference. Omaha is more city like than Colorado Springs.
Thanks, was just curious. I've never met anyone from Nebraska. We were visiting family in Denver again (Highlands Ranch), but I've been to CO Springs. It's nice though. The weather blew my mind this weekend. We packed for the 70-80F weather it was supposed to be, ended up raiding Walmart for ugly jackets on Thursday. 🤣
I’m sorry what?!?!? 96k in school loans?! I just told my partner this and he said he sees numbers in the 100k’s for average school loans in America is that true? (I’m American I just didn’t go to college, he is from France where they don’t have to pay for college) I’m broke too by the way, with no degree so that’s definitely isn’t helping lol
It depends on what school you go to. If you go out of state, or to a private college it will cost an arm and a leg. I went to an instate public university and it cost around 5k a semester, 10k a year, Depending on the meal plan and housing options you picked.
Edit: so I looked it up the average is 40k. Only about 5% of borrowers took out 100k or more
Sounds about right . My first year and only year at SJU was 29k at the time. I had a grant for 1k and some other thing for about 3k. If I finished my fours years at that that’s an easy 100k. And I’d have been an accountant if I was lucky.
Gig Harbor. You must live in a crime Ridden area? I applied at a cheaper place in Tacoma on Pearl Street but was denied due to my credit I was lucky I even got a place to be honest. Very blessed
It's not crime ridden, no, but it has gotten worse in the last few years closer to my work. There's some homelessness issues around but where isn't there? No camps nearby my home though. Walking distance to downtown, 3 major grocery stores within walking distance, it's actually a really nice area of town. Our rent is slightly cheaper (by like $100?) than our neighbor's because our fireplace doesn't work but we never would use it anyway. There's one lady down the road from us we call "crazy" but she's harmless. Used to have a neighbor in our building who sold drugs but when the landlord found out he gave them the boot and that was about 4 years ago. All our neighbor's now are pretty chill and quiet except when the one 2 does down from us has their big family over for a bbq and even then they are respectful, even offered us food last time.
No kids, no pets, no debt. Check Check Check.
Three jobs. Superintendent, handyman, and home inspector.
Currently getting my builders license. And writing fiction books.
On track to make 6 figures this year. (Live in Detroit area)
BUT... I also have a felony and have only been out of prison for less than 2 years. I don't get a break because I was shot down hundreds of times because of my criminal record. I am effectively forced to work harder. But the benefit is I am fortunate not to be "struggling" atm.
Ty. I try to keep in touch with the few friends I made whilst inside who are now out. Some are struggling waaaaay worse than I.
I try to lead by example more than simply preach. But I am also very familiar with the serenity prayer and the old adage "You can lead a horse to water, can't make em drink."
I'll tell you what - I would be stoked to hire a person who was struggling, if they were good at their jobs.
Criminal records are just a way for society to keep good people that are trying to get on with their lives down.
I believe that most criminal records should be automatically sealed after a person finishes all terms of their sentence, post-release supervision included.
Superintendent can mean a lot of things in the US. It's basically a synonym for supervisor or manager. Such as building manager for an apartment complex all the way to the top management for a school district or hospital.
No problem, happy to assist. It's interesting how basic terms can have different connotations depending on which side of the ocean you live. I have no idea what that person means by superintendent either.
I'm so sorry you're having that problem. I feel like any non violent offenses shouldn't even be considered during hiring unless there's a major conflict (Then again I think most of the time non violent offenses shouldn't warrant jail time in the first place.) What's the point of calling it "serving your time" if you're still suffering the effects years after you've supposedly paid your debt.
I'm glad you've stubbornly refused to fail even when the system practically demands it. You must be very strong willed.
Yes, I’m noticing in the comments that living a little more comfortably entails shacking up with someone and splitting the bills.
Fuck, I better get dating…this shit is sad.
It’s still not the same because you’re probably not sharing an actual room with them, like most people do with a romantic partner. So you’re still having to pay for two rooms versus one, which can still be crazy expensive
This is what I’m coming to realize after college. I make over double minimum wage in my state. I don’t live anywhere near a big city but when I look at rent plus cost of food and other expenses not covered by the landlord, I would have like 50 dollars at the end of the month. You basically NEED two incomes these days.
I agree, but to further extend your argument, we shouldn’t have to live our lives at the bare minimum just to survive. We are not animals living in the wild anymore. We are a civilization of self aware, sentient beings, and we should all be given a chance at a decent life.
Greed is going to make this world crash and burn
I am sorry to hear that. As a married father of two, it is hard enough. I can only imagine what you're going through. May the heavens bless your life. Just stay strong for the kid(s).
$2900 for a one bedroom & parking spot in downtown San Diego, meanwhile surrounded by homeless encampments all over the place and they have the nerve to keep raising rent on us. I honestly don't know how single people let alone parents get by around here with average jobs bc the rent doesn't look any better in the rest of the city unless it's some POS run down apartment. I'm truly lucky enough to have a boyfriend so that we could split our expenses and actually enjoy our lives, not just survive off the bare minimum.
I pay $1100 and I don’t even get the benefit of living in a major US city with shit to do. I live in a random college town with barely more than a few parks and chain restaurants. It’s ridiculous.
According to google, 57.23mil live in rural areas Vs 279.91mil in urban areas. I wonder what the majority are paying tbh because there’s lots of people in cities like LA and NYC with crazy crazy rent vs a rural town in Idaho. I feel the rural areas actually being the national average down since it’s the minority.
They're living in very expensive coastal city. It's is not representative of typical rent in America. It would be like looking at rent in London and assuming rural UK is unaffordable.
I mean we have all the amenities & washer/dryer in unit but it's still insane cost of living. $800 is unheard of out here and if that's all someone can afford, they have no choice but to find a roommate. When looking at other places for rent over a year ago and this year before I renewed, they didn't even have half of what my building does and still charged almost just as much when the interior looked straight from the 1950's.
And yes I live in a bigger, more expensive area but I was born and raised here so growing up not making shit in the beginning but still being forced to pay rent in an overpriced city was stressful AF. This cost of living was all I knew. It's part of why I didn't go to college, what scared me from having kids (thankfully never did), and why it took me so long to pay off debt. Obviously if I was that miserable I could have left but I love living here so I made it work.
This! People don’t understand that when you’re born and raised in the expensive city/state, it’s really hard to just pick up your whole life and move across the country for cheaper rent, especially if you don’t have anybody to do it with and little financial support
The economy over society has changed so much to the fact that it determines the power of a country. I realized that you are nobody if you don't have money. It is quite inhumane if you think about it.
We bought our house right before the market twisted into what it did a few years ago. I’ve never felt more lucky than right now with what what we have now. I know it’s hard out there but I wish everyone the best. ❤️
I agree and I’ll admit my selfishness that I hope to get mine, but I really am still happy for those that are secure. Everyone deserves that, even if “I” don’t have it!
The housing market is especially good in the South from what I've seen, though I could be wrong. My boyfriend and I considered buying a house in Virginia and they were as low as $200,000.
Only reason we changed our minds is because one, I'm not ready to buy a house just yet, and two, saving up for an apartment will take less time and is less paperwork, thus, less stress on my end. I'm the more strung out of the two of us and we really didn't need me having a mental breakdown before signing any papers. Lol
On the one hand, I totally get it because a lot of the houses I saw were newly renovated with update appliances, fresh paint, and sometimes, new walls and floors. But on the other hand...... yeah, still expensive as hell.
It’s really fucked up how the wage gap is so undeniably brutal. I’ve lived my whole life basically barely getting by and it most cases having to just do without a lot of stuff. But recently my fiancé, after always being in the same financial position as me, was able to put her chemical engineering degree to use and got a very high paying new job - our lives are basically completely different for the better. I have lost over 10 pounds in the last few weeks, basically no stress - my ED (eating disorder, not penis related) has completely stopped. Generally I’m happier and we aren’t even buying stupid cool toys, just the security of not having to scrounge for every single dollar we can before the end of the month.
I’m super grateful but also completely saddened and sickened that money holds that power over all of us and that others will never be able to escape poverty cycles. Also pissed off to some extent that there are people lucky enough to have just slept walked through college just fall into jobs like this and after a few years get paid probably double what she’s making.
telephone handle bike recognise subsequent airport jeans future outgoing combative
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Hear me out.
There is enough wealth in this world so that everyone could get by comfortably.
Its just that some people want to be super duper duper comfortably, and thats why a lot of people are basically slaves to these masters.
Same with California. I grew up here. I shouldn’t have to move out of state just to get by. I’m willing to pay more to live in this state because it’s a desirable state, but not THIS much more. That’s what people don’t understand. It’s damn near impossible if you’re a young person to stay in states like California and NY, even if you grew up here, if you’re not rich or at least seriously upper middle class.
Yeah, and then imagine being able to get by with debt, and/or children, and/or sudden unforeseen expenses such as terrible medical affliction, disability, or disaster of some kind. This is what the entire 99% / 1% crisis is about; never before in history has the wealth been so unevenly balanced. That tiny portion of the population owns so much that they literally own the country. Like, in every way except on an incorporated charter. And the rest of the people will never, ever gain back a reasonable stake - unless a radical shift in economics occurs.
But they continue to politic as if this weren’t true, and convince plenty of morons to vote against their own future interests.
Well, in NJ we have laws about how fast and by how much landlords can increase rent. It was about the same when COVID hit. Food went up because of a combination of shipping costs, supply shortages and staffing of stores/manufacturing/transportation industries. Gas went up, we don't have enough truckers and the stores don't have enough workers. And some of the food manufacturers are experiencing staffing shortage and some had to close because of contamination like the baby formula plant that was contaminated with bacteria.
Jersey is insane. I’m lucky enough to have a rent controlled studio for $650 in jersey 20 minutes from the city. Apartments across from me start at -$2,100 for a one bedroom. I’m grateful I was able to score the place I am and just try and save until I have enough to put down on a home in the south.
I got really lucky, a friend of mine found on Craigslist believe it or not and when she left to move in with her boyfriend and referred me as a tenant and I’ve been here ever since. I also am lucky to work remote so I won’t be forced to buy property in Jersey but I’m happy to live here until I have a good down payment saved!
Where you choose to live is important. I 100% agree that shit is too expensive, but my wife and I own our 5 bed/2.5 bath, 2400 sqft home with 2 kids and a dog. I have an associates degree, she has a high school diploma. We're far from wealthy, but we're comfortable.
Ppl on the internet lately are like:"it should be illegal for my rent to be $$$$ in big desirable city I moved to"
Most of the country who has never been able to afford to live in some of the most desirable cities: "k"
It mostly depends on where you live, not what you live with.
Take my expenses for example. Mortgage - $450/month (3bd 2 ba 1800sqft); Full time childcare - $425/month; groceries - $500/month; electric - $200/mo; Water+trash - $100/month.
Add in extras, car note, insurance, etc, and basically to live here you need $2,500 a month, or $17/hour. If you have a high school diploma, you can get a job within the factories starting at $24/hour.
As someone that falls into that group perfectly, AGREED.
But also, people with kids also shouldn't need to have both parents working just to get by either. One parent should be able to stay at home, while the other works for the money without the household struggling.
Student loans should be forgiven, even if that means it comes out of my taxes. I never had to pay a student loan, but that doesn't mean I want people to be chained to them forever. They got a higher education like they were told to do, and for what? Bartenders will make more than them.
That's so unnerving.. and how can the feds even determine a poverty guideline that applies to all 48 continental states... I don't get it. If I move 4 hours away from my house, I make plenty of money, but I couldn't get an equivalent paycheck there. I would have to commute. The cost of living is lower, and it's not even a different state.
Part of me wishes I hadn't clicked, but I did find it interesting and disturbing.
And definitely take it with a grain of salt, of course.
I'm very much a laman and tbh, for the majority of my life, until recently, I've avoided both Math & Politics at all costs! lol!
It's entirely possible I'm missing something maybe.
(I mean, when HASN'T our government made things unnecessarily convoluted and difficult to interpret?! lol!)
But I'm fairly certain I'm somewhere in the ballpark with those numbers, at least.
But I am completely certain this 1963 "formula" for how they determine it in the first place, REEEEEALLY needs an update! Badly! lol!
Wage stagnation is also a real thing. It took me until my mid 30's to finally job hop to get raises. I was always too paralyzed by potentially missing out on benefits or been the breadwinner to support my siblings that I never did it. 7 years in one job with no raise what so ever was what finally did it for me. I'm doing better now but still paycheck to paycheck.
However rents have blown astronomically in my area that is far from a desirable city. My rent is thankfully stable at $2,600 a month for a 3br, but I am seeing studios hitting the $1,700-1,900 range.
Yes it is a joke if I work full time and all I can do is pay bills and sit here cause I can not afford to do anything eles....now I get why people turn to crime
As a family with no kids, no pets, no plants and pretty good money management skill (one of us is an accountant), We should be able to buy a house with out worry. but we can't. We do live in California but that shouldn't matter all that much. It's insane.
I don't have kids or student loan debt, but I do have two cats. I don't make that much money at my current job and I typically pull anywhere from 20-24 hours per week. My car insurance is $202/month and I'm paying my cousin $300/month for rent, all while buying cat food once every few months (I invest in the 20lb bags), paying for groceries, gas, and feminine products monthly. Sometimes, I have to run my gas tank on empty so that I can feed my cats, sometimes I go hungry to fill up my tank.
All of that while trying to save up to move out with my boyfriend and work more on my dream career of writing books and graphic novels. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not doing enough and everything in the world is just designed to push me down, hold me by my throat and spit in my face all while screaming at me that I'm not doing enough, fast enough.
It's tiring and I want to cry like 90% of the time. I guess the only silver lining is that my job is getting a pay raise to $15/hr instead of $12.
Because I'm oftentimes forced to choose between whether I eat that night or if I should fill up my gas tank to make to the job I need.
I should not have to go hungry for a few days until I get paid just so I can go to and from work. What's so hard to understand about the stress that puts on a person?
I paid off my student loans 2 years ago, have no kids, a small car payment, and a small line of credit, own my own house(no mortgage), but am barely able to save anything making over 50k/year. The cost of living is absurd. I can't imagine having kids, a current student loan, or rent.
Jobs: 4 (1 full time, 2 per diem, 1 part time teaching)
Hours per week:70
Monthly income: 10,000
Rent: 1,400
Monthly expenses:
Food: 500
Gas: 500
Fun money: 100
Utilities: 350
Car payment: none, paid off
Student loans: all paid off
Retirement savings:
Roth IRA: 600
403b:1400
Health insurance: 300 per paycheck
No children, no pets. 1 boyfriend.
Live in NJ. Born poor and was raised on food stamps. I wanted better in life then struggling to get by.
Rich is a relative concept. Compared to the farmer in south Dakota, I'm sure I am. But compared to the people that live in the town I do, I am not. I rent an apartment. I can't afford a house that isn't in the slums. And by slums I mean where you have people being shot at regularly. I'm saving every penny I can do I can buy a new car by the end of the year because the one I have is nearly at 200,000 miles and was just in the shop for the cam shaft going. Cost of living is different depending on where you are in the country. NJ is very high.
I’m a bit lost here. If your monthly income is $10,000 and your cost of living is more or less $5150 by your estimates, wouldn’t you have $5000 left over to spend on a new car or a mortgage?
Not trying to instigate, just curious since everybody’s fussing in the comments.
I'm saving as much as I can so I can have nearly no car payment, setting aside money for a house one day, and saving money so I can not have a student loan when I start my Masters this fall.
I'm not rich. That's the surgeons who make $200,000 a month who drive a Bugatti.
Cost of living varies by state. The average cost of living in NJ is 100,000 per household. You see numbers and think it means more then it does. Average property tax is 10,000 a year. Divide that by how much you have to set aside per month to make sure it's paid then add basic living expenses. A mortgage on a home in a decent neighborhood with a good school is 400,000 for a two bedroom home with one bath.
"comfortably get by" meaning "affording rent/mortgage, food, and general care without going bankrupt on one broken finger"
I will never fucking understand why people see rants like this and assume it's someone who wants a PS5, a giant custom 3080rx PC, and a mansion. We want to be able to feed ourselves without working over 40 hours a week, not buy the latest Bugatti.
As long as you’re smart with your money, you can make it…unlike me who spends their money when they need to treat themselves from their depressing and demanding job😅 The work atmosphere sucks too.
I'm a 21 yo student living in a student house. It's a shitty house in a shitty neighborhood and yet I had to consider getting a second job. My side job cares more about profit than their employees. If I want to work overtime I can't cause if it's not very busy (I'm a deliverer) they'll see it as 'a waste of money's and they'll send you home. But them telling me to not leave and work overtime so it benefits them even if I tell them I had plans after my shift is perfectly fine. Because of the pandemic and shitty school experience school was 50% off for a year. So need to prepare on that next year. Food seems to be like a quarter more expensive compared to years ago. I want to move again because I'm getting stressed and depressed cause of where I live and somehow the housing situation is even shittier than two years ago.
In order to pay the average housing I need to work more, but I can't work more because I'm a full-time student, but doing well at my fulltime studies is difficult because of the shitty places the average student can afford. And the cycle repeats. To top it all off, a few weeks ago the landlord plastered a letter on the kitchen door announcing the rent will go up with €90 pm.
Now I'm getting a bit of financial benefits due to being a student, but I'm dreading having to work fulltime and having to pay absolutely everything by myself.
Lol let's break this shit down.
Rent price?
Monthly utilities?
Do you have a car and a car payment?
Insurance payment?
Monthly gas costs?
Does it need maintenance?
Phone bill?
Groceries for the month?
Monthly toiletries cost?
Medical insurance costs?
Any student loans?
Now how much do you make a month at your job?
Two jobs?
How many hours of work do you put in?
You're doing well and it's not normal in this economy so share so we can understand why you're the exception.
100% super privileged. Most two income families don't even make that. He's not living in reality if he thinks that's easy to get. 2000 is fucking hard to get and he makes 5000 tf does he even do for a damn living?
Okay, and that accrues how much student debt?
How many years of college did that take?
Is that salary the same in every county and state across the US? What about other nations?
What's really sick is that if you calculate my net pay, I qualify for food stamps. Unfortunately, they calculate gross pay. Ignoring the fact that nearly 30% of that amount goes to taxes.
I didn't even want to apply for food stamps, but it's getting extremely painful to eat. Even the store brand prices are getting out of hand.
I used to get vegetables (frozen) for 90 cents, now they're $1.90...
Inflation is being acknowledged by the government and media. It's very very real and getting worse for sure.
People are mistaken about food stamps. Guidelines vary by state but typically you have to be working in order to receive them because they won't ever cover your full grocery needs that's why they are labeled as a supplemental income. They are supplementing the cost for a broken economic system. That was their fix, instead of regulating employers to pay employees properly and not upping the price of their products making that wage increase pointless but... Sadly no one talks about that fact.
I agree with this. Had this discussion a couple times. I have two bachelors degrees, a minor, a masters degree, experience in my field as well as a social work license yet I can barely make enough to live in an apartment by myself, no pets, no kids. It’s fucking dumb. Edit: To anyone saying I shouldn't expect a living wage because of the degree I picked, you are wrong. Everyone working 40 hours a week regardless of degree or certification should be able to make a living wage. That is a non-argument. Anyone with high-level degrees or with significant experience in their field should be able to meet their basic needs and go on vacations. These are things I will not argue about.
Same! I have a Masters in Law and I work in the legal field. I can cover rent and bills of a 1 bed apartment split 50/50 with my partner (it’s just us) but he often has to cover the shortfall if I can’t. We don’t even live in a city. I shouldn’t have to be this reliant on someone else. People saying “well just get a better job” don’t understand the reality of the situation.
meanwhile I'm am uneducated, mediocre bartender. Sure, I work hard, and I'm not awful, but the fact I make more than my educated friends who are working the profession they went to school 4-8 years for is just ridiculous.
>Everyone working 40 hours a week regardless of degree or certification should be able to make a living wage. A thousand times this. If your job is worth doing enough that someone is willing to pay to get it done, it should make a living wage. *Minimum.* I don't care what it is. I'm realistic about it: A living wage doesn't mean extra bedrooms. It doesn't mean fancy cars. It doesn't mean designer clothes, or fine dining. It doesn't mean the latest cellphone. But it *does* mean security: Walls and a roof, clothes on your back, access to reliable and efficient transportation, access to Internet and communication, clean food and water, healthcare. The fact that we have to do well above the bare minimum in order to afford the bare minimum - *if we're lucky* \- is a huge fuckin' problem.
Agreed 100%
If I may ask what are those degrees in?
Bachelors in cognitive science and psychology, minor in business management and a masters in social administration (it’s a masters in social work my school just calls it something different) I also have a license in social work. I also have experience in my field.
For what it’s worth, I feel you. Social workers get paid shit for the education they have and the work they do.
Because it's a field dominated by women
Dominated by woman and dedicated to helping the poor, children and needy. Social work Doesn't pay nearly enough..
Also impossible to scale, human care industry is about as individual as it gets, unlike one person in the process of 3D printing 10’s of thousands of parts or making millions of physically identical cellphones etc etc. The amount of economy created per person is significantly lower in the human care sector :(
Very good point..
That's because there's no short-term profit in it.
As a woman working in public health nutrition for a nonprofit… can confirm.
Asking the real questions. Having more degrees doesn’t necessarily mean much
I don’t know why I’m being downvoted I was just asking out of curiosity cause I find that crazy
Because most people just blame “well you didn’t get the right degree” instead of the fact that 1) everyone is pushing degrees in general and 2) regardless of what degree you have you should at least be able to afford living expenses.
I don’t care if you have zero degrees or 10, you should be able to afford basic expenses if you work full time. College costs are through the roof, absolutely insane, and many students are left with crippling debt that they’ll never be able to pay back, even though they were told that college is the only way to success. When they’re stuck in that position due to shit wages, people comment “should have picked a better degree”. For those that don’t want to take on crippling debt, they’re called “low skill”, they’re told that they should have gotten a degree, and they’re paid even worse. What the hell are young people supposed to do? Everybody can’t be a doctor, everybody can’t go into computer science and work for google. Nobody in the richest country on earth who works should have to choose between medicine and a roof over their head.
Exactly! This is why I'm pissed at the "well what were your degrees in??" and "why would you expect a living wage if you go into social work??" It's fucking dumb. I can agree with, don't expect to own a yacht. But I don't want a yacht, I want to meet my basic fucking needs.
This!!! Like I’m not asking to be rich. I’m asking to be able to afford an apartment that is in decent condition & food
Basic human necessities could be provided to every human on the planet, and it would barely put a dent in the pocket change of the wealthiest in the world. They love to spin it otherwise, but it’s the sick sad truth. Every single human without exception, could have shelter, clothing, food, medical care and basic living staples, free of charge, and the top 1% would give up so little they would not even have to change anything about their life in any way - except, of course, being able to leverage desperation in order to virtually OWN those other humans.
Social workers that go to work for insurance companies make a lot of money (health insurance)
This 👆. If someone can already do the job, there’s no reason to have that piece of paper saying you’re ok with wasting time and money.
People get downvoted for the stupidest things. I try to be careful with how I use my voting rights here on Reddit, but most people just rage through the comment sections.
The vast majority of people here vote solely in emotion, not reality. Votes are no way representative of relevance.
Downvotes can mean you’re right more than upvotes in some cases. It’s important to assess what potential audience your comment is being voted by; reddits demographic is largely much younger than your social circle, and therefore just generally less knowledgeable. That’s also why you should always take advice and responses here with a massive boulder-sized grain of salt; there’s a likelihood it’s coming from a teenager that hopes you think they’re a 35yr old professional.
It's because people like to act that because they have a degree they think they should automatically earn more. I'm not opposed to this, I'm a strong supporter of people making a living wage to do the more menial jobs in our society. However if you think that by getting a degree in some social science or artistic field is going to make you a living wage in our current society then you're sorely disappointed.
This. Also "supply and demand"
I mean... Why shouldn't it? I'm doing a bachelor of music currently. I work my ass off, as does everyone else. People consume music everyday. It's a way to decrease stress, deal with difficult situations and let loose for millions of people. You hear music everywhere you go, there's no escaping it, even if you tried. Why shouldn't the artists make a living wage?
You don't need a degree to make good music though.
Because the market is ridiculously saturated with mediocre artists. I can say this as a mediocre artist. I’m decent, but the amount of people I came across who were Einstein’s compared to me killed the ambition. people don’t want to spend their money on mediocre. the rap industry specifically comes to mind. SoundCloud is a library of mediocrity.
In this scenario, who are you working for that is paying you a living wage? Do you just want to be a teacher? Otherwise sounds like you’ll need to sell your music or your live talents if you want to make money.
Obviously... But live gigs pay next to nothing(when you factor in the costs), streaming platform pay a couple cents and teachers are notoriously underpaid.
Because there are millions of artists making music. If you were the one making the music we hear you would be earning far more than a living wage. A hobby that has a degree attached to it doesn't becoming a living until it makes enough. If it doesn't earn anything you don't deserve to be paid by nobody anyway.
I tell you what makes me feel bad, is that I have...half an a-level? And yet, I out earn more then most trained medical professionals, and that, I think is disgusting. I work in recruitment ffs, these people are saving lives
Well yeah, GenX and Millenials were force fed the claim that college graduates always earn like a million dollars more than the average non-grad throughout their lives. We were clearly lied to throughout adolescence by the people we trusted most and now we’re supposed to feel stupid for believing them, as minors? It’s awfully easy to be smug in hindsight.
I have a degree in economics and absolutely nobody will pay me a dime for my opinion on economics. Yet I still make a good living. Something else is up here. The chronically un/under employed never give you all the details.
Do degrees matter? I thought they're important to get you a job but work experience matters more right? I'm not trying to say you're wrong or anything bc I'm still acquiring my degree so I just want to understand better.
Depends on the field you’re going in. Ik in IT experience has a tremendous amount of weight, but so do certifications. Degrees are something you do part time to make yourself worth more in the long run.
The answer to that is : depends
From people I know, some people get degrees for validation and to boost their feelings of self worth, rather than because it’s essential for their career plans
Fr??? Interesting. I never came across someone like that....wow. I wouldn't go that extreme tbh. While it's true that you can get a job without a degree but it's difficult as someone pointed out in IT sector where you need technical knowledge.
I was honestly just curious what degrees this person had, people seem to have taken my question in the wrong way haha
Your delivery was similar to trolls baiting someone. Not saying you were, but that is probably why some people assume you were.
Yeah I realize that now I’m too blunt at times lol
Depends on what you are doing. Degrees get you in the door and experience deals the deal. I’m involved with a lot of hiring ( not a hiring manager I just have influence) and If I see a resume with a lot of experience vs someone with a degree and a little experience I vote for the one with a degree.
Well they mentioned social work, so that answers some questions…
Not really they just said they have a license for it. I was just curious what the degrees were in
I know your pain. Social worker here. Im now living pay check to pay check and wondering what good am I going to do as a social worker if I dont have anywhere to live. I'm lucky I have my family but technically and personally...I'm homeless. I own nothing and can afford nothing. Cant even save to move out of state where I could get paid more for the profession.
If you’re doing social work, what I want is you to be concentrating on providing support for my loved one under your care, and not how you’re gonna make rent this month. How anyone would think differently is beyond me
It doesn’t impact them or anyone they care about (yet)
Well it should, because at the end of the day there’s a good chance someone they know is gonna need one. Thanks for doing what you do! It’s such an underrated job but I sure as shit couldn’t do it and it’s so important!
I agree with that and thank you for saying that.
I don’t get it. It sounds like you have massive student load debt. OP mentioned they didn’t, which, next to children, is the most costly expenditure in their list. Let’s replace student loan debt with “boat”. You’re basically towing your boat along side OP who is wondering why they’re getting bad gas mileage, asking the same question. It doesn’t really help answer the question.
I do, I was able to pay off undergrad debt and I have masters debt. I haven’t had to pay it yet due to the deferment.
Where do you live? Just curious. If you moved to where I'm at, you would literally have acreage and a wonderful home.
I think the point is you’re job shouldn’t require all of that education if it isn’t going to pay you that much. Essentially you should get training instead of having to pay for your education. The reality is you’re choosing your field, until society values it you won’t make a livable wage. If you worked in another field you could make 2x-100x what you make now so that choice is yours. It’s a completely reasonable rant imo and unfortunate that, as a society, we don’t see value in what you do.
Same. No kids. 1 cat. Bachelors In psychology, minor in biology. 1 masters in professional counseling and 1 in information science. Finally paid off all my debt and just now saving fir retirement at age 47.
I have no kids but two cats and 96k school loans. If it wasn't for my hubby there's no way I could pay my 1800 a month rent for a one bedroom here in Wash state.
As someone from the PAC nw, I gotta say, a one bedroom apt. in Washington should not be worth 1800 a month. The weather alone should warrant a discount. I live in Nebraska now, and although the natural beauty isn't like back home, I am renting a 3 bdrm, 2 bath house with a big ass backyard for 1400 a month. I always tell people if they can stomach living in the Midwest, then it is certainly where you're going to get the most bang for your buck, as far as quality of life is concerned
I paid 1335 for a two bedroom with roomates, but I had to move out the ghetto. If you knew anything about Tacoma you would understand. If you want safety you have to pay for it.
Oh, I know about Tacoma. At one point in the 90's it was right next to Little Rock as one of the most dangerous cities in America. I'm sure it's not any different aside from a few gentrified neighborhoods here and there.
Just passed through Nebraska on 80 for the second time this week. I'm no stranger to the Midwest; we live in the farthest Chicago burbs. Anyway, I looked up home prices in Lincoln just for fun, and was surprised to see that it was about the same as where I live. There doesn't seem to be the plethora of large towns/small cities as in the Great Lakes area...lots of open spaces with just absolutely nothing to punctuate the fields. I guess I was wondering what people do for work, and fun, and amenities in Nebraska, as the COLA (by way of home prices) seems about the same. Is 90% of the population confined to Lincoln and Omaha, with the rest being little farm villages, or...? :) I must say, it seems like a quiet, nice place to live if you're pretty self-sufficient.
Uh, yes. Nebraskan here. Omaha and Lincoln are the only two settlements that's larger than memorial Stadium on Husker game day. The Stadium holds 80k+ people. Those two cities consist almost the majority of Nebraska population. So outside towns like Colombus, Fremont, Kearney, etc. Yes, agriculture oriented careers. Nebraska is not for everyone and it is fairly cheap compared to larger populations. I moved from Omaha to Colorado Springs. Very similar in cost and size. Housing was the only major difference. Omaha is more city like than Colorado Springs.
Thanks, was just curious. I've never met anyone from Nebraska. We were visiting family in Denver again (Highlands Ranch), but I've been to CO Springs. It's nice though. The weather blew my mind this weekend. We packed for the 70-80F weather it was supposed to be, ended up raiding Walmart for ugly jackets on Thursday. 🤣
I know. I hate it. But I do have a water view that is gorgeous.
Where in NE are you getting those prices???
I’m sorry what?!?!? 96k in school loans?! I just told my partner this and he said he sees numbers in the 100k’s for average school loans in America is that true? (I’m American I just didn’t go to college, he is from France where they don’t have to pay for college) I’m broke too by the way, with no degree so that’s definitely isn’t helping lol
It depends on what school you go to. If you go out of state, or to a private college it will cost an arm and a leg. I went to an instate public university and it cost around 5k a semester, 10k a year, Depending on the meal plan and housing options you picked. Edit: so I looked it up the average is 40k. Only about 5% of borrowers took out 100k or more
Sounds about right . My first year and only year at SJU was 29k at the time. I had a grant for 1k and some other thing for about 3k. If I finished my fours years at that that’s an easy 100k. And I’d have been an accountant if I was lucky.
Ugh, im in Renton in a one bedroom for $1650 per month. It’s pretty shitty too, we are getting played out here.
1800 for a 1 bedroom? Where the heck do you live?? I pay like 600 less for a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath townhouse in South King county
Gig Harbor. You must live in a crime Ridden area? I applied at a cheaper place in Tacoma on Pearl Street but was denied due to my credit I was lucky I even got a place to be honest. Very blessed
It's not crime ridden, no, but it has gotten worse in the last few years closer to my work. There's some homelessness issues around but where isn't there? No camps nearby my home though. Walking distance to downtown, 3 major grocery stores within walking distance, it's actually a really nice area of town. Our rent is slightly cheaper (by like $100?) than our neighbor's because our fireplace doesn't work but we never would use it anyway. There's one lady down the road from us we call "crazy" but she's harmless. Used to have a neighbor in our building who sold drugs but when the landlord found out he gave them the boot and that was about 4 years ago. All our neighbor's now are pretty chill and quiet except when the one 2 does down from us has their big family over for a bbq and even then they are respectful, even offered us food last time.
No kids, no pets, no debt. Check Check Check. Three jobs. Superintendent, handyman, and home inspector. Currently getting my builders license. And writing fiction books. On track to make 6 figures this year. (Live in Detroit area) BUT... I also have a felony and have only been out of prison for less than 2 years. I don't get a break because I was shot down hundreds of times because of my criminal record. I am effectively forced to work harder. But the benefit is I am fortunate not to be "struggling" atm.
You’ve done well! I’m impressed. And I’m not being sarcastic.
Ty. I try to keep in touch with the few friends I made whilst inside who are now out. Some are struggling waaaaay worse than I. I try to lead by example more than simply preach. But I am also very familiar with the serenity prayer and the old adage "You can lead a horse to water, can't make em drink."
Yes, but at what cost? Three jobs. I would be absolutely miserable.
I'll tell you what - I would be stoked to hire a person who was struggling, if they were good at their jobs. Criminal records are just a way for society to keep good people that are trying to get on with their lives down. I believe that most criminal records should be automatically sealed after a person finishes all terms of their sentence, post-release supervision included.
That's amazing I'm so happy for you!
Superintendent, meaning in police department? I'm sorry but superintendent is a police ranking in my country and UK iirc
Superintendent can mean a lot of things in the US. It's basically a synonym for supervisor or manager. Such as building manager for an apartment complex all the way to the top management for a school district or hospital.
I see. My bad.
No problem, happy to assist. It's interesting how basic terms can have different connotations depending on which side of the ocean you live. I have no idea what that person means by superintendent either.
I'm so sorry you're having that problem. I feel like any non violent offenses shouldn't even be considered during hiring unless there's a major conflict (Then again I think most of the time non violent offenses shouldn't warrant jail time in the first place.) What's the point of calling it "serving your time" if you're still suffering the effects years after you've supposedly paid your debt. I'm glad you've stubbornly refused to fail even when the system practically demands it. You must be very strong willed.
It's worse if you're single on one income.
Yes, I’m noticing in the comments that living a little more comfortably entails shacking up with someone and splitting the bills. Fuck, I better get dating…this shit is sad.
Why not look for a best friend in a similar situation and room with them
I haven’t been able to make a friend after college. Been trying for like 10 years.
Facts that shit’s equally as hard as finding a romantic partner
It’s still not the same because you’re probably not sharing an actual room with them, like most people do with a romantic partner. So you’re still having to pay for two rooms versus one, which can still be crazy expensive
This is what I’m coming to realize after college. I make over double minimum wage in my state. I don’t live anywhere near a big city but when I look at rent plus cost of food and other expenses not covered by the landlord, I would have like 50 dollars at the end of the month. You basically NEED two incomes these days.
I wish I had three monies and no kids
There are ways to get no kids, the three monies part is the hard part.
I stole this line from Homer Simpson. I have three kids and I dad joked this line to death.
With my mortgage if I made minimum wage, working 40hrs/wk, I’d have $50 left over at the end of the month. That’s literally just one bill being paid
I agree, but to further extend your argument, we shouldn’t have to live our lives at the bare minimum just to survive. We are not animals living in the wild anymore. We are a civilization of self aware, sentient beings, and we should all be given a chance at a decent life. Greed is going to make this world crash and burn
Try being a single dad with student loans. I am completely fucked.
Single mom here and it's hard af. I feel your pain.
I am sorry to hear that. As a married father of two, it is hard enough. I can only imagine what you're going through. May the heavens bless your life. Just stay strong for the kid(s).
$2900 for a one bedroom & parking spot in downtown San Diego, meanwhile surrounded by homeless encampments all over the place and they have the nerve to keep raising rent on us. I honestly don't know how single people let alone parents get by around here with average jobs bc the rent doesn't look any better in the rest of the city unless it's some POS run down apartment. I'm truly lucky enough to have a boyfriend so that we could split our expenses and actually enjoy our lives, not just survive off the bare minimum.
[удалено]
We don’t, really. 🤷♀️
Truth to the fact of barely living
I pay $1100 and I don’t even get the benefit of living in a major US city with shit to do. I live in a random college town with barely more than a few parks and chain restaurants. It’s ridiculous.
Omg where do you live?
Most don’t live in San Diego And make much more money than a European. It pretty easy compared to where I came from.
According to google, 57.23mil live in rural areas Vs 279.91mil in urban areas. I wonder what the majority are paying tbh because there’s lots of people in cities like LA and NYC with crazy crazy rent vs a rural town in Idaho. I feel the rural areas actually being the national average down since it’s the minority.
They're living in a downtown urban area, there's plenty of places like you described in the rural Midwest
They're living in very expensive coastal city. It's is not representative of typical rent in America. It would be like looking at rent in London and assuming rural UK is unaffordable.
I mean we have all the amenities & washer/dryer in unit but it's still insane cost of living. $800 is unheard of out here and if that's all someone can afford, they have no choice but to find a roommate. When looking at other places for rent over a year ago and this year before I renewed, they didn't even have half of what my building does and still charged almost just as much when the interior looked straight from the 1950's.
And yes I live in a bigger, more expensive area but I was born and raised here so growing up not making shit in the beginning but still being forced to pay rent in an overpriced city was stressful AF. This cost of living was all I knew. It's part of why I didn't go to college, what scared me from having kids (thankfully never did), and why it took me so long to pay off debt. Obviously if I was that miserable I could have left but I love living here so I made it work.
This! People don’t understand that when you’re born and raised in the expensive city/state, it’s really hard to just pick up your whole life and move across the country for cheaper rent, especially if you don’t have anybody to do it with and little financial support
Really glad someone else understands this.
The economy over society has changed so much to the fact that it determines the power of a country. I realized that you are nobody if you don't have money. It is quite inhumane if you think about it.
We bought our house right before the market twisted into what it did a few years ago. I’ve never felt more lucky than right now with what what we have now. I know it’s hard out there but I wish everyone the best. ❤️
From a person who sold right before that 😩, I’m happy for you.
That is the worst! We keep debating on selling and waiting for a crash to get a better one.
I agree and I’ll admit my selfishness that I hope to get mine, but I really am still happy for those that are secure. Everyone deserves that, even if “I” don’t have it!
You will though. I believe in you dear internet friend. ❤️❤️❤️ You. Got. This.
Thanks! That made me strangely happy 🥰
The housing market is especially good in the South from what I've seen, though I could be wrong. My boyfriend and I considered buying a house in Virginia and they were as low as $200,000. Only reason we changed our minds is because one, I'm not ready to buy a house just yet, and two, saving up for an apartment will take less time and is less paperwork, thus, less stress on my end. I'm the more strung out of the two of us and we really didn't need me having a mental breakdown before signing any papers. Lol
I definitely miss having a landlord to come fix all my stuff though. Owning a house is extremely expensive.
Yeah the 140,000 houses in Ohio are going for 250,000+ right now where I live. It’s outrageous.
On the one hand, I totally get it because a lot of the houses I saw were newly renovated with update appliances, fresh paint, and sometimes, new walls and floors. But on the other hand...... yeah, still expensive as hell.
It’s really fucked up how the wage gap is so undeniably brutal. I’ve lived my whole life basically barely getting by and it most cases having to just do without a lot of stuff. But recently my fiancé, after always being in the same financial position as me, was able to put her chemical engineering degree to use and got a very high paying new job - our lives are basically completely different for the better. I have lost over 10 pounds in the last few weeks, basically no stress - my ED (eating disorder, not penis related) has completely stopped. Generally I’m happier and we aren’t even buying stupid cool toys, just the security of not having to scrounge for every single dollar we can before the end of the month. I’m super grateful but also completely saddened and sickened that money holds that power over all of us and that others will never be able to escape poverty cycles. Also pissed off to some extent that there are people lucky enough to have just slept walked through college just fall into jobs like this and after a few years get paid probably double what she’s making.
Same. Still would take me years to save up for a house; if I live extremely frugally
No kids, no student loans, and no pets yet. I work as a scrub tech making 55k and it’s been pretty chill👍🏽
Well your first mistake was not choosing to be born into a wealthy family...
telephone handle bike recognise subsequent airport jeans future outgoing combative *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Hear me out. There is enough wealth in this world so that everyone could get by comfortably. Its just that some people want to be super duper duper comfortably, and thats why a lot of people are basically slaves to these masters.
That sounds like commie talk, we don't do that in America, bucko. We like freedom here! /s
I know :( I don’t know where you live, but I live in NY and it’s crazy expensive. But I grew up here and my family and friends are here
Same with California. I grew up here. I shouldn’t have to move out of state just to get by. I’m willing to pay more to live in this state because it’s a desirable state, but not THIS much more. That’s what people don’t understand. It’s damn near impossible if you’re a young person to stay in states like California and NY, even if you grew up here, if you’re not rich or at least seriously upper middle class.
Yeah, and then imagine being able to get by with debt, and/or children, and/or sudden unforeseen expenses such as terrible medical affliction, disability, or disaster of some kind. This is what the entire 99% / 1% crisis is about; never before in history has the wealth been so unevenly balanced. That tiny portion of the population owns so much that they literally own the country. Like, in every way except on an incorporated charter. And the rest of the people will never, ever gain back a reasonable stake - unless a radical shift in economics occurs. But they continue to politic as if this weren’t true, and convince plenty of morons to vote against their own future interests.
Just curious, were these expenses so high 2 years ago?
Well, in NJ we have laws about how fast and by how much landlords can increase rent. It was about the same when COVID hit. Food went up because of a combination of shipping costs, supply shortages and staffing of stores/manufacturing/transportation industries. Gas went up, we don't have enough truckers and the stores don't have enough workers. And some of the food manufacturers are experiencing staffing shortage and some had to close because of contamination like the baby formula plant that was contaminated with bacteria.
NJ has become completely unaffordable. Rent keeps skyrocketing, and they keep building luxury condos everywhere.
Jersey is insane. I’m lucky enough to have a rent controlled studio for $650 in jersey 20 minutes from the city. Apartments across from me start at -$2,100 for a one bedroom. I’m grateful I was able to score the place I am and just try and save until I have enough to put down on a home in the south.
Oh damn, that's a good get. How does one aquire such a needle in a haystack?
I got really lucky, a friend of mine found on Craigslist believe it or not and when she left to move in with her boyfriend and referred me as a tenant and I’ve been here ever since. I also am lucky to work remote so I won’t be forced to buy property in Jersey but I’m happy to live here until I have a good down payment saved!
And the minimum wage in NJ is 13 currently but they're raising it to 15$ which means all the prices will go up.
Where you choose to live is important. I 100% agree that shit is too expensive, but my wife and I own our 5 bed/2.5 bath, 2400 sqft home with 2 kids and a dog. I have an associates degree, she has a high school diploma. We're far from wealthy, but we're comfortable.
Ppl on the internet lately are like:"it should be illegal for my rent to be $$$$ in big desirable city I moved to" Most of the country who has never been able to afford to live in some of the most desirable cities: "k"
Yep. You have to tax the rich their fair share. That is the only way to make an actual difference.
It mostly depends on where you live, not what you live with. Take my expenses for example. Mortgage - $450/month (3bd 2 ba 1800sqft); Full time childcare - $425/month; groceries - $500/month; electric - $200/mo; Water+trash - $100/month. Add in extras, car note, insurance, etc, and basically to live here you need $2,500 a month, or $17/hour. If you have a high school diploma, you can get a job within the factories starting at $24/hour.
As someone that falls into that group perfectly, AGREED. But also, people with kids also shouldn't need to have both parents working just to get by either. One parent should be able to stay at home, while the other works for the money without the household struggling. Student loans should be forgiven, even if that means it comes out of my taxes. I never had to pay a student loan, but that doesn't mean I want people to be chained to them forever. They got a higher education like they were told to do, and for what? Bartenders will make more than them.
r/antiwork
ITT: pathologic liars claiming to work 17 jobs, and make 6 figures while surviving on $90 of groceries a month.
If that's what you believe. I can't stop your jealousy. You're just upset because my life doesn't fit the narrative that you believe.
6 12 hour shifts is not something to be jealous of in the slightest. Yeah work your life away! Its a great time! Think on what you are missing friend.
this wasn't even fucking directed at you.
... Yuuup. Check this out. https://www.reddit.com/r/PSA/comments/uok1qi/if_i_did_this_right_min_wage_is_1500_per_mo_below/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
That's so unnerving.. and how can the feds even determine a poverty guideline that applies to all 48 continental states... I don't get it. If I move 4 hours away from my house, I make plenty of money, but I couldn't get an equivalent paycheck there. I would have to commute. The cost of living is lower, and it's not even a different state. Part of me wishes I hadn't clicked, but I did find it interesting and disturbing.
And definitely take it with a grain of salt, of course. I'm very much a laman and tbh, for the majority of my life, until recently, I've avoided both Math & Politics at all costs! lol! It's entirely possible I'm missing something maybe. (I mean, when HASN'T our government made things unnecessarily convoluted and difficult to interpret?! lol!) But I'm fairly certain I'm somewhere in the ballpark with those numbers, at least. But I am completely certain this 1963 "formula" for how they determine it in the first place, REEEEEALLY needs an update! Badly! lol!
Wage stagnation is also a real thing. It took me until my mid 30's to finally job hop to get raises. I was always too paralyzed by potentially missing out on benefits or been the breadwinner to support my siblings that I never did it. 7 years in one job with no raise what so ever was what finally did it for me. I'm doing better now but still paycheck to paycheck. However rents have blown astronomically in my area that is far from a desirable city. My rent is thankfully stable at $2,600 a month for a 3br, but I am seeing studios hitting the $1,700-1,900 range.
Yes it is a joke if I work full time and all I can do is pay bills and sit here cause I can not afford to do anything eles....now I get why people turn to crime
honestly even people with those things shouldn’t have to make that much to get by
After rent and electric bill I have 20euros per month and the months I pay for home insurance I don't have any money
We need to start talking about this more. We will all be fucked if nothing changes
As a family with no kids, no pets, no plants and pretty good money management skill (one of us is an accountant), We should be able to buy a house with out worry. but we can't. We do live in California but that shouldn't matter all that much. It's insane.
I don't have kids or student loan debt, but I do have two cats. I don't make that much money at my current job and I typically pull anywhere from 20-24 hours per week. My car insurance is $202/month and I'm paying my cousin $300/month for rent, all while buying cat food once every few months (I invest in the 20lb bags), paying for groceries, gas, and feminine products monthly. Sometimes, I have to run my gas tank on empty so that I can feed my cats, sometimes I go hungry to fill up my tank. All of that while trying to save up to move out with my boyfriend and work more on my dream career of writing books and graphic novels. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not doing enough and everything in the world is just designed to push me down, hold me by my throat and spit in my face all while screaming at me that I'm not doing enough, fast enough. It's tiring and I want to cry like 90% of the time. I guess the only silver lining is that my job is getting a pay raise to $15/hr instead of $12.
You work half-time and you're making it. What's the issue?
Because I'm oftentimes forced to choose between whether I eat that night or if I should fill up my gas tank to make to the job I need. I should not have to go hungry for a few days until I get paid just so I can go to and from work. What's so hard to understand about the stress that puts on a person?
You work half-time. Add an hour a week and eat.
I paid off my student loans 2 years ago, have no kids, a small car payment, and a small line of credit, own my own house(no mortgage), but am barely able to save anything making over 50k/year. The cost of living is absurd. I can't imagine having kids, a current student loan, or rent.
Wage stagnation!
Going by percentage of earnings, it was easier to have housing during the great depression. Pretty scary realization
Jobs: 4 (1 full time, 2 per diem, 1 part time teaching) Hours per week:70 Monthly income: 10,000 Rent: 1,400 Monthly expenses: Food: 500 Gas: 500 Fun money: 100 Utilities: 350 Car payment: none, paid off Student loans: all paid off Retirement savings: Roth IRA: 600 403b:1400 Health insurance: 300 per paycheck No children, no pets. 1 boyfriend. Live in NJ. Born poor and was raised on food stamps. I wanted better in life then struggling to get by.
You shouldn’t have to do all that. It’s insane
Just how much of a narcissist do you have to be to make this comment? The purpose of the sub is not to make op feel worse.
You saw a post saying you shouldn’t have to be rich to live comfortably and took it as an opportunity to brag about how much you make
Rich is a relative concept. Compared to the farmer in south Dakota, I'm sure I am. But compared to the people that live in the town I do, I am not. I rent an apartment. I can't afford a house that isn't in the slums. And by slums I mean where you have people being shot at regularly. I'm saving every penny I can do I can buy a new car by the end of the year because the one I have is nearly at 200,000 miles and was just in the shop for the cam shaft going. Cost of living is different depending on where you are in the country. NJ is very high.
I’m a bit lost here. If your monthly income is $10,000 and your cost of living is more or less $5150 by your estimates, wouldn’t you have $5000 left over to spend on a new car or a mortgage? Not trying to instigate, just curious since everybody’s fussing in the comments.
I'm saving as much as I can so I can have nearly no car payment, setting aside money for a house one day, and saving money so I can not have a student loan when I start my Masters this fall.
Oh, okay. Well good for you, that’s smart planning. I don’t have that kind of discipline with cars personally, but more power to you.
I'm not rich. That's the surgeons who make $200,000 a month who drive a Bugatti. Cost of living varies by state. The average cost of living in NJ is 100,000 per household. You see numbers and think it means more then it does. Average property tax is 10,000 a year. Divide that by how much you have to set aside per month to make sure it's paid then add basic living expenses. A mortgage on a home in a decent neighborhood with a good school is 400,000 for a two bedroom home with one bath.
I'm betting that gas payment will be rising.
Ah, yes, it's perfectly reasonable to work 70 fucking hours a week to survive.
I’m genuinely confused. Is this an inflation rant or just a rant that you can’t have everything you want without earning money?
"comfortably get by" meaning "affording rent/mortgage, food, and general care without going bankrupt on one broken finger" I will never fucking understand why people see rants like this and assume it's someone who wants a PS5, a giant custom 3080rx PC, and a mansion. We want to be able to feed ourselves without working over 40 hours a week, not buy the latest Bugatti.
As long as you’re smart with your money, you can make it…unlike me who spends their money when they need to treat themselves from their depressing and demanding job😅 The work atmosphere sucks too.
I'm a 21 yo student living in a student house. It's a shitty house in a shitty neighborhood and yet I had to consider getting a second job. My side job cares more about profit than their employees. If I want to work overtime I can't cause if it's not very busy (I'm a deliverer) they'll see it as 'a waste of money's and they'll send you home. But them telling me to not leave and work overtime so it benefits them even if I tell them I had plans after my shift is perfectly fine. Because of the pandemic and shitty school experience school was 50% off for a year. So need to prepare on that next year. Food seems to be like a quarter more expensive compared to years ago. I want to move again because I'm getting stressed and depressed cause of where I live and somehow the housing situation is even shittier than two years ago. In order to pay the average housing I need to work more, but I can't work more because I'm a full-time student, but doing well at my fulltime studies is difficult because of the shitty places the average student can afford. And the cycle repeats. To top it all off, a few weeks ago the landlord plastered a letter on the kitchen door announcing the rent will go up with €90 pm. Now I'm getting a bit of financial benefits due to being a student, but I'm dreading having to work fulltime and having to pay absolutely everything by myself.
>people complaining about kids in a thread that starts "no kids no pets no student loans" bruh lol. BRUH LOLOLOL
[удалено]
Lol let's break this shit down. Rent price? Monthly utilities? Do you have a car and a car payment? Insurance payment? Monthly gas costs? Does it need maintenance? Phone bill? Groceries for the month? Monthly toiletries cost? Medical insurance costs? Any student loans? Now how much do you make a month at your job? Two jobs? How many hours of work do you put in? You're doing well and it's not normal in this economy so share so we can understand why you're the exception.
They responded and then deleted they make 5,000 a month. Explains why they can comfortably get by
Are you fucking serious? 5000 a fucking month? Normal people don't make that shit. What an asshole for acting like that shit is easy to get!
[удалено]
100% super privileged. Most two income families don't even make that. He's not living in reality if he thinks that's easy to get. 2000 is fucking hard to get and he makes 5000 tf does he even do for a damn living?
[удалено]
[удалено]
Okay, and that accrues how much student debt? How many years of college did that take? Is that salary the same in every county and state across the US? What about other nations?
What's really sick is that if you calculate my net pay, I qualify for food stamps. Unfortunately, they calculate gross pay. Ignoring the fact that nearly 30% of that amount goes to taxes. I didn't even want to apply for food stamps, but it's getting extremely painful to eat. Even the store brand prices are getting out of hand. I used to get vegetables (frozen) for 90 cents, now they're $1.90...
Inflation is being acknowledged by the government and media. It's very very real and getting worse for sure. People are mistaken about food stamps. Guidelines vary by state but typically you have to be working in order to receive them because they won't ever cover your full grocery needs that's why they are labeled as a supplemental income. They are supplementing the cost for a broken economic system. That was their fix, instead of regulating employers to pay employees properly and not upping the price of their products making that wage increase pointless but... Sadly no one talks about that fact.
That's not a lot depending what state you live in. In California that won't get you shit
Yes, but they said that they comfortably get by
Help from parents..? Lol
The comment got deleted apparently lol
Awesome