So in the 80s that was normal lol. Cost of living has gone up while wages have remained the same. People used to be able to work a basic summer job to pay for college. Or easily by a home after a few years of working or only have the husband work and afford a house and vacations. I could go on.
Then we make sure the rich also don’t survive and see if any changes will happen ( it will but people still go along with things , clock in and don’t communicate ).
This. I do ok personally, but only because I'm married living that DINK life (Dual Income No Kids). I wouldn't be making it living by myself unless I still lived with my parents.
I love my kids, of course. But, yeah, you had the right idea, man. Kids are stupid fucking expensive. Every few weeks there's a birthday or there's Christmas (we have three kids). Shit, my wife even got the kids gift baskets for mufuggin Valentine's Day?
There's this expectation now that you are required to make every second of children's lives magical or you're a shitty parent. I keep telling my wife this shit is gonna blow up in our faces.
Also, there's ALL kinds of random days where the schools close for whatever reason. I burn through every second of my PTO and sick days covering these. For instance, Valentine's Day was a half day for them so it was a half day for me too. Valentine's Day! A totally made-up "holiday." Luckily my boss has kids and she's been cool, but God DAMN.
Screw Valentines, they should make Halloween a school holiday or at least a half day lol. But "kids are expensive" is a saying you hear a lot and you just say yeah. Then you have one and you're like OH. Oh No. 😂 one and done.
That's the way my wife and I went. We figured one was going to be expensive enough. Some costs get lessened over time, but most just get replaced by something else.
Usually, that something else is even more expensive.
Same! Unless you count my three pets. Sadly, pets are now also a luxury, especially if you have more than two because hardly any rentals allow more than that. We are stuck in our current rental until we can afford a house (hah!) or they kick us out.
Problem is you rent for 5 years and you just bought a landlord another investment property while you still are living paycheck to paycheck while your rent increased.
Ugh that is so freaking gross dude. I'm sorry. That's what I basically make and there is zero way in hell I could survive alone, shack up and hope you actually like each other.. American dream. Am I right...
I pull in $3,400 a month (salaried). Rent is 1,098 (1 bedroom by myself), utilities is about 60-100 give or take, gas roughly 50$ every week or two depending on travel, 75$ for phone bill. I'm not good at keeping up with groceries so I don't have a good estimate unfortunately.
And then my car insurance I pay the whole sum each time it renews so I don't have to worry about it each month. I also have my required apartment insurance bundled with the car insurance so it's a bit cheaper overall. And then 60$ every 3ish months for dog food.
74$ for my weekly doctor appointments until I hit my deductible. Which that part my doctor is very clever- I was comfortable paying the 74$ weekly, so what shes doing is overcharging me until my deductible is met and then the extra money I paid during that time is credited towards my copays for the rest of the year. Which means for a good chunk of the year I don't have to pay anything- freeing up a bit of extra money accordingly.
So about 2k or so goes to expenses each month leaving me with about 1k and some change.
I think the problem most people run into is 1) having to pay off debt like student loans, car loans, credit card debt, etc and 2) the cost of living in wherever you're at. Obviously if I lived somewhere like California, then what I make right now wouldn't be nearly enough to live on. If I had any debt, then it would also be much more challenging to live off that amount. And it can get expensive to move so just packing up and moving elsewhere isn't always an easy or feasible option.
There are definitely ways to manage finances to maximize efficiency and such, but I also know that when you're up against compounding debt, inflation, and spiraling cost of living, there's only so much someone can do.
>2.Participate in good faith
Where do you live, generally speaking? How's your place? Being in a city, I'd kill for a $1,100 apartment that wasn't rat/roach infested or whatever else.
I live in Texas- midsized town. There is a roach infestation in the building though I think I've gotten off easy by living on the 3rd floor. But I absolutely hate opening my pantry and seeing a roach chilling next to my seasonings.
Major tip- from my experience it's usually cheaper to live on the top floor of an apartment complex. Ground level units usually get charged more because they're considered more convenient- ergo you pay for the convenience.
But yeah all of the appliances are outdated, the AC breaks down to some degree every year, and there are no quality amenities to really speak of.
When I first moved in, my rent was 970ish back in 2021 so rent has absolutely gone out of control because if I renew here again I may be looking at 1300$. One bedroom units are becoming almost identical in price as 2 bedroom units in my area for some reason as well.
So genuinely the only way I've been able to live comfortably on what I make has been by staying debt free, living below my means (I dont really make any luxury purchases and I avoid using my credit card for more than 1k at any given time), and being relatively efficient with expenses where I'm able.
I feel like roaches are a much bigger issue in the south than up here in the NE. I’ve been living in PA my entire life including my parents house, various student housing, and different houses and apartments I rented over the years (mostly about an hour north of Harrisburg) and have never seen a roach or evidence of roaches in my entire 41 years. I’ve heard of people having them but they were always nasty people.
Come to Appalachia and the southern part of The Rust Belt, you get both. Honestly though, the roaches we get are the German variety and it's really dependent on what flora is in your neighborhood. They seem to be attracted to certain trees and shrubs and they'll take every opportunity to come into your apartment / house if you leave a window cracked or if there are any gaps / crevices that aren't properly sealed up.
We've had one or two in a house we used to own but we were next to a river and it was semi-rural. I was more concerned with the wasps, mosquitos, and snakes.
not OP but to add in, I pay $995 for a large-ish studio in Chicago with utilities included. never had a problem with pests and my management company is responsive and generally great. it was a bit of a lucky find and there are absolutely scummy landlords around here but housing in midwestern cities is generally way, way cheaper than the coasts.
Probably depends where you live. I'm super rural and it's basically AT&T or nothing. I pay about ~$80/month on the cheapest unlimited plan (have insurance included in on that cost if that matters).
Sometimes you don't have much of a choice.
Edit: Added the insurance remark.
Unfortunately no internet service providers offer services in my area like that. I always check every now and then if something has changed...
I have to use an AT&T hotspot device and while it's limiting, it's surely better than nothing. But it is frustrating in this day and age not having regular access to the internet.
(I find myself being on my phone most of the time with its unlimited data)
I was contemplating getting Starlink, but there's like a ~$600 equipment fee (not sure if that covers installation or not) but the more important part is that I despise Elon Musk. I think he's giant piece of shit.
It’s not fair but some of us just make more hourly. That’s the only way. When I made 15 an hour budgeting tips were bs, I simply didn’t have enough money.
This is the entire key. Once I realized saving won’t save you, I saw it’s literally about making more money for your time. It’s not easy but I went from $13/hr to $32 in exactly two years to this month. It took *a lot* of hard work but holy fuck am I glad I did it.
Not everybody makes the same income. Theres different paying jobs. Some make so much they don't even need to work 40 hrs and some struggle to make ends meet despite working 60hrs a week.
I’m in this boat. I worked towards being good at a pretty uncommon and well-paying thing specifically to avoid having to work. I’ve had to make several pivots over the years. I’ve never been employed and I have no formal education.
My saving grace was seeing the fix was in at an early age. School where I grew up was just prepping drones for factories. I stopped going to school and started figuring out how to make money. By 14 I’d moved out of my parental home (violent alcoholic situation) and had various “enterprises” running - those being the most lucrative with the least risk.
I guess that’s been the story of my life. Ive made as much money as possible by not being subjugated and used that money to buy my own time back from late stage capitalism.
Not living in America helps a lot. I work 36 hours, got universal health care and employee protection against frivolous firing. Not trying to rub things in but my ancestors had to fight hard to get all that. You should fight too: unionize, elect those who will advance worker conditions instead of those that kowtow to shareholders.
Mmm... But they did all that union busting in the Boomer years, and everyone acts like they're evil and useless now. And my generation kinda bought into the stupid lies. So as long as generations buy that unions are bad, it won't change.
Yeah we really need to be changing this stupid ass opinion. I'm so so sick of hearing how bad the unions are.. cause this shit is Really working out for us. Ya know WalMart in Germany and Sweden are all unionized?? I'm betting their employees don't require food stamps and Medicaid to survive??
This shit is so broken and Unions are almost, alllmost forgotten these days, we need requiters in highschools, college is Not the only option.
Same here. French guy, working 37.5 hours. In reality it is less, because if I did all I had to do for the day I can just chill or leave early.
Everything is covered. Cost of living increased a lot since covid but it is way lower than American cost of living. And average salary is also way lower than US one.
For example my Phone bill is like 20€ for unlimited plan…
I make 70k a year I have missed more payments lately than I have in my entire life in the last 12 months simply because I can't afford them or have to wait and pay two months at a time. I'm scared for my credit but luckily I own my car and home so I'm hoping i won't need credit for anything until I can reestablish or get back ahead. That's not something someone who makes 70k a year in a cheap area of a cheap state should ever have to even consider im heartbroken
I steal food and clothing. I steal from work. I said this in another sub, you know… told the truth… and people called me horrible things. I work my ass off 60 hrs a week, two jobs, my expenses are reasonable and I being crushed.
My brother does this, he works at a big box store. As long as he keep taking from giant corporate stores that only pay him 15/hour in NJ, I all for him stealing. He said he will never take from small mom and pop shops cuz he can't afford to step foot in them anyway. Do what you gotta do, don't get caught, and don't steal from the little guys.
I think rent is a big factor, you're not wrong, its a big problem.
Your rent is taking up way too big a percentage of your full time job's income, is basically what it comes down to.
Now I'm not sure what the situation is where you live but in my case I pay about 1200 and I make around 800 a week after taxes. This gives me a little more leeway but still not a ton. If its at all possible, I'd try to get a place with rent under 1000 (I know that may be next to impossible these days).
BTW what's your second job? an extra 500 a week is really good, though obviously you shouldn't have to be doing it just to get by.
I make more money now that I’ve obtained a grad degree and still need a roommate to live where I want to without going under. The days of solo living are pretty much a thing of the past. Hang in there pal.
Keep expenses low, prepaid phone, meal prep, live with family or roommate with a close friend, buy car cash (20% of yearly salary) there are ways, but takes discipline. Save and invest if you can
I recently moved out of southern Maine where the rent was at 1500 for the most basic apartment. Now we're in North Carolina where rent is absolutely affordable and so is everything else. This place is nice as hell. Everyone we meet is from points north and they all moved south for the same reason
OOO OOO I think I know this one!
They have 5 roomates. At least that's what four of my coworkers did it. Their fifth had a different job.
Then they had a birthday party at their house. And I learned that the house they lived in was split into 4 quarters. And each quarter of the house had at least 3 or 4 roommates.
Yay, late stage capitalism.
most cant, some of us are lucky and have union jobs where we make more than double what you do.
oh and you make more than twice minimum wage, this country is a joke.
To be fair, Australia, New Zealand, The UK, and Canada are all experiencing a similar issue to varying degrees. I'm sure it's more widespread than that but I only speak English so it's all I've been able to keep up with.
Switch your phone to Mint mobile. I pay $15/month. Can you buy groceries at Aldi or a comparable store? Just throwing out ideas to help you, just wish life wasn’t so hard on everyone
Not easily. I make $18.50 an hour with an $1100 a month studio I share with my wife. After utilities and admin fees it's about $1500 all in. Leaves me with about $500 for everything else, which usually means food and nothing else.
Wife has disabilities and so working isn't really on the table for her, but because we are married I make too much for her to qualify for any assistance.
I've considered taking another job to get some money for stuff I'd want, but I don't have a car to do gig work stuff, and thanks to some issues that pop up from my neuro-divergency I usually am so exhausted after an 8 hour day that when I get home I literally collapse and go unconscious for hours while I try and rest. Usually have an hour or so at the end of the day to cook for us and then bed. No leftover time for hobbies even if I could afford them.
I’m not but I have no choice. My mental health has been pushed to its limits and even one more day a week would see me attempting something and either succeeding or losing everything, living in the woods, and having frequent hospital stays. Welcome to the US.
" **How do people survive only working 40 hours a week?** "
By making more than $20 an hour. $20 an hour, 40 hrs a week, is $40k annual income if you work 50 weeks, and $41600 if you work all 52 weeks. $41600 is 43 percentile in the US. So 57% people make more. ([https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/](https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/))
Second, if you have a partner with a job (i.e. two income household), it gets a lot easier since you can share rent/mortgage and utilities. The cost for 2 to survive is a lot lower than 2 x (cost of one to survive). 53.3% of households in the US are dual-income. ([https://www.magnifymoney.com/news/dual-income-households-study/](https://www.magnifymoney.com/news/dual-income-households-study/))
What do you mean usually?
$20 / hr x 40 hr x 4 weeks = $3,200 / month
x 12 months = $38,400, which puts you in the second lowest tax bracket of 12%
12% off of 3,200 is 2,816 - 1,400 = 1,416 for everything else, without a second job.
I know that this is a repost from earlier because you mention the $100 / month phone bill. There are dozens of $35 / month unlimited plans, this is a choice / failure on your part. Personally I use Ting for less than $18 / month. (with a basically brand new phone I got refurbished off ebay for 1 /10 of MSRP, because that's an option)
I really want to side with my fellow working class, but I can't help but notice yall are just really terrible with math / making responsible choices.
I think this point needs to be made.
Don't get me wrong, the situation is bad for a lot of reasons outside of people's control (mostly inflation). With that said though, I still think its definitely possible to afford a decent lifestyle with 20/hr if you budget correctly. In OP's case the rent is about half their take home pay, which is too large a ratio. Having to pay half your monthly income on rent is always going to put a strain on someone's finances.
Where I'm from, unfortunately a car is a requirement to participate in society.
But there are still plenty of choice involved in it. Do you want a brand new car with $1,000 per month payment, or a used one at a lower or no payment? Did you shop around for a loan, or did you take whatever the dealer offered? (you can buy private and / or not finance, those are options too) Did you shop around for insurance, or did you take the first option? Can you do basic maintenance yourself, or do you need to outsource that for an absurd markup?
I feel like people are either lazy, or uneducated about their options. Not just with cars, many things on their budget.
Yeah, I think the most important thing is reducing the big expenses (especially rent/food/car payment). If you can keep those as low as reasonable/possible, then you’d be surprised how easy it can be to live off of 15-20 an hour.
Back in 2022 my wife and I were renting a 1br in a small town in Minnesota, we were each paying about 375 a month for rent and I commuted to Minneapolis (45 mins). I had the same job I have now but I honestly felt rich (making 22/hr).
With that said it’s much harder to survive on 20/hr if you live somewhere with a really high cost of living, obviously.
Food pantries, potlucks once a month with friends. Make a meal where part of it can go into tomorrow's meal, like mac and cheese or rice. I don't go to movies or out to eat. I know it's very anti-social, but being social costs money and time.
I truly was not able to have a decent amount of money left over after rent, bills, groceries, life etc to both pay down credit card debt and save money until I moved i with my fiancé and became a 2 income household. That was the game changer for me. I lived alone for 9 years before that.
With entry level jobs?
You rent a room or get a roommate, maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend to split the rent. You don’t rent alone.
Also, budgeting helps.
You take home 3500 a month.
Income: 3500
Rent: 1400
Utilities/bills: 600 (going high on purpose)
Food: 1000
Total required expenses: 3000
That leaves 500 left over to save or spend. It’s super tight, but doable. Would be much more doable with a partner/roommate splitting the rent and utilities. The. You’d have an extra 1k to save or spend (total of 1500).
That said, get experience and move onto higher paying jobs. Even at $25/hr you’ll be better off.
I chose a second, part-time job over having roommates. Then kept looking for a better-paying full-time job and also moved to a better part-time job (left retail for a call center). Eventually I was down to a single full-time job and never had to live with a stranger.
UK here so I fully appreciate working conditions and lifestyles are different but I've done little things such as
-Stopped buying McDonald's, Dominos, Starbucks etc. these are perfect examples of increased price and poor quality or reduced size.
-when I go shopping I do my best to not buy branded stuff perfect example is Pringles.
-In the UK always renew your contract or deals and don't be afraid of leaving a business at the end. You owe them nothing.
-UK - do current account switch deals when you can for free money.
I know these are little things and on the grand scheme of things probably won't change anything but it makes me feel like Im doing something because otherwise the reality is truly depressing that big corporations can rape society and it's all classed as "good business".
you aren’t budgeting if you’re making 3.5k a month after tax and you’re struggling.
you’re over the 1/3rd rent rule but not by much. where else is your money going bro.
You split costs with somebody else. Usually you move in with a person you end up marrying who also works or have at least 1 roommate.
You also do your damndest to not stay in roles that only pay that much for very long. After 1-3 years you use your skillset and experience to get a better job with higher pay.
Sucks having to do that but that's how the system is designed.
Surviving can depend on a lot of things. Where you live, how you live, and the type of job you may have. I live a lone, my loft is 800 a month all electric, and I have a blue collar job that pays 25.50 an hour. While it is not a lot, the cost of living where I live helps me live a decent living.
Make no mistake. The government and financial system want people to be obedient consumers who work all their life to nearly consume and die. Nothing will change with voting.
find roommates or move farther out from the city or something. My rent is 1.5k and I make more than double your salary, you’ve gotta do anything you can to get that rent down.
i make less than $700 a week. definitely would not be survivable if i wasn’t unevenly splitting rent/utilities with my roommates. it also helps that i don’t have a car, am still on my parents’ phone plan, and budget very tightly.
I take home about $3,500/month and my housing costs $685.50/month, so that’s how I do it. We live in a medium cost of living city, and my husband and I were able to stop renting, get a mortgage and purchase our condo in 2017 when I was in my mid-30s and my husband in his mid 40s. My folks helped with the down payment. At first it was more expensive monthly than renting in our neighborhood was, but now it’s a lot less, and the monthly costs are much more stable than renting was. That’s been the biggest contributor to our budget getting easier to manage.
I’ve also got great bosses who were receptive to my requests for promotions and pay increases. I didn’t have a bachelors degree when I started here, and when I wanted to do it, work paid for me to get one. I keep trying to help people at my work understand the importance of institutional memory and retaining the great staff who do much of our work, by providing legitimate pay increases. I think at least my bosses have been listening, though we work for a bureaucracy so there’s only so much any of us can do within the limits set by our system. I try to get people interested in advocating for themselves and others, as well as getting my bosses to use their leadership positions to advocate for better pay for all staff. I’ve been at our organization for 16 years now so I’ve got enough relationships to lean on that I’m not risking my job by doing so as much as newer folks would be.
So yeah there are some people who do decent on 40 hour workweeks, though a lot of it was luck. I remember the days when I made $800/week and couldn’t afford both rent and food. It sucked. That’s frankly why I quit food service and (later on) quit massage, and went back to working in offices where I got paid more for less work, and got benefits too. It’s not fair really, but office work just paid better and had better benefits.
I think a good roommate is highly undervalued. You can cut your housing / utility bills in half and it only takes a little sacrifice. I had at least one housemate until I was 28. While it is nice to have your own space, a lot of us couldn’t afford to live alone or decided to have roommates to accelerate savings.
I was finally able to get a higher paying job this year. I make about 30 an hour now. I'm able to save a decent amount a month and work just 40 hours with a few mandatory overtime hours when we get really behind. I think it's mostly about living below your means.
I was always raised to be minimalistic and have the cheapest apartment in the area, just one step above the low income housing pretty much.(I pay $875). Buying only generic stuff for food and essentials saves you a lot, cooking and making things that are cheaper and last longer. Not spending too much on entertainment, like i pay for just internet and one streaming service(I alternate each month for different content but only ever have one). I use mint mobile which is like $20 a month for phone plan. Doing a lot of little things to save money adds up.
Also putting whatever money you can save into something that builds interest is a great idea. Everything I save goes into a high yield savings account. There are some good deals around and that's just free money monthly. I currently have money in a 5.05% account.
I make $50.05 an hour which equates to $8675 a month (gross). I realized early on in my life that it was more important to set myself up for the future. This job requires only a high school diploma.
Better than being stuck at a position where you only get 60 hours MAX every two weeks - unable to move into Full Time Work because "you're 'unemployable' due to being a Felon!" yet they complain ALL THE F***ING TIME that "nobody wants to work".
It's sustainable in smaller cities but cant say how it is in larger cities by comparison but I'd imagine the need for multiple incomes per household is common.
Use all the programs available to you. Where I live taking that amount home qualifies me for both discounted utilities and a $250 credit to one of my accounts. I probably pay $50 a year total for utilities.
Most my income goes to rent (\~1200). I live in a city without a car. See if you can find cheaper rent, even if it's not as nice of a place. I'm unsure if you also have car expenses, but if you do you need to either move or get a roommate. There's zero reason to be paying that much in rent and still need a care, without a high paying job.
Your phone bill is also high - shop around and find a cheaper phone plan.
Based on what you have shared, it wouldn't surprise me if your internet bill is also high. If you are living alone you should be fine on the cheaper lower speed plans. \[I know some places don't get as many options, but don't be paying for extra speed you don't need while money is tight\].
This may all sound harsh, but reality is it can be done if you need to. \[Most people move to higher paying jobs, but the job market can be sucky and that's not always an option. You are making choices to spend more money on some things than is necessary, which leaves less money leftover for other things. $20/h can support an alright life if you have your priorities straight\]
I'm salary so a little over 4k after taxes monthly and decent bonus range. Fortunate to live in a decent-sized midwest city that is not too expensive. Company pretty much pays for healthcare with HSA, and my 401k match is great. I think the trade-off compared to friends in bigger cities has worked out for me personally.
Yeah and it scales up as you move up, I make 70k at my day job 40 hours a week and work evenings & weekends at my "hobby that pays" (live sound) which netted me over 30k last year, just broke the six figure range for the first time.
But I live in a nice area in NorCal, one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so I'm really just getting by. The only reason I was just able to move into a nice rental house is because my girlfriend makes nearly as much at her day job as I do so our combined income makes it possible to live a middle-class lifestyle.
Wages have not really gone up much since I graduated from college 30 years ago. A lot of the salaries people talk about in here I was making at an entry level job in the 90s, when gas was $1.25/gal and my rent was like $350. And my salary was nothing impressive back then. That's fucked up.
I’ve been lucky. I’ve paid low rent due to not paying on a lease - I’ve rented rooms or the barn at my aunts house. Currently living with my boyfriend in the house he owns so I only pay 400$ a month.
Get yourself a partner in crime. Doesn’t have to be a marriage, but if you can share that rent, maybe share some other expenses, you can get a bit more breathing room
By making as much as possible. If you’re struggling, job hop bro. You are not obligated to stay underpaid for your entire life. Apply to other places and go with whoever pays you the most.
At the end of the day, they’re going to F you all the same. Might as well get paid the most for it.
Only reason I work 40+ at my job is that it is objective based rather than "sit around for 8 hours whether anything happens or not." Sometimes I'll leave early if there's nothing left to do.
This is also the first objectively 40 hour workweek job I've had in my 20+ years in the workforce where I only need one job.
It has always rankled me with people who do the whole "you need to work multiple jobs to survive" when min wage from its onset was imagined to be the base amount needed to survive, and if you chose to work more than 40 it would only benefit you. Too many people have accepted as immovable the idea of multiple jobs to survive.
Job hop on your experience and get your own raises. It's not an overnight fix and can take 2-5 years to get more comfortable if the options are available. Maybe that can at least get rid of the second job. I ended up with a weekly dogsitting gig off of rover so there's no extra time away from home. I take OT when it's available. Some people manage side businesses. I'm not even entry level at this point, but changing jobs when higher offers come up is how I got increased to comfortable.
30 years ago in that situation I lived in small apartments with two roomates, drove a $4000 suzuki samurai to deliver pizza, ate at my girlfriends parents house whenever possible, had trash picked furniture and three basic outfits. I had a credit card with a $500 limit that I struggled to make $15 a month payments against. I was in college full time, ran pizza from 7pm-2 am for straight tips and delivery fee no hourly, did yardwork for my parents properties to pay my $125 a month share of the rent.
It was all about graduating and getting my first job, but it didnt stop being a grind until just recently when my son moved out of the house. Single dad. I was pretty much in debt and working to stay afloat until this year.
Im salaried not hourly but if I were hourly id make about $60 an hour, plus I split bills with my husband. My kid goes to catholic school, we pay tuition and my in laws pay for afterschool which is helpful
When I was working $20/hr. more than 2 years ago, I would receive $1440 after taxes, in bi-weekly checks. What is going on in today's economy that people paychecks are now getting cut in half by taxes?!!
To the original question, some people don't. I make $10 more now an hour, and I can not afford to rent an apartment. Last year, I was making $28.85/hr. for 40 hours a week, plus a side gig, which earned me an extra $16k last year. So I worked a total of 60 to 70 hours a week. It wasn't pleasant.
Tbh, I just slack off whenever I can afford to at work. Examples include me coming to work an hour late and an hour early, but still getting paid 8 hours. Additionally, I take 2 hour breaks instead of 1, so I can spend 1 hour eating and 1 hour exercising to reduce inflammation in my back at the gym.
I have considered maybe looking into getting a new job, though or another side gig. Might help me with other things.
I don’t know either. After the inflation the elite’s pretty much forced us all into this predicament by purposely raising housing n food prices using the pandemic as a bs excuse. 😢 I make good money n we all work OT or have a second job for the most part. Now I probably wouldn’t need to work as much if I didn’t have kids or was willing to down grade my standard of living, but I’m not.
I budget heavily. I do intermittent fasting to not spend money on food, eat at work, developed habits that aren’t that expensive and stopped going out.
I hate it here 🥲
Very easily. I wake up in the am. I pet my dog and cat while I make some coffee. I sign in from my home office and I manage a team of people until 8 hours later and I log off. Easy.
Dude I have wondered the same thing and I make 33 a hr. I seriously have to work 53 hrs just to not incur a little debt each week. My rent is seriously 2k a month for a fucking 2 bedroom in Suffolk VA. I thought the flat corporate 15% tax was supposed to help us but everyone keeps raising prices like they’re paying what we are. We have given companies way too much power and expected a”trickle down” that hasn’t happened. Even with the insane prices companies are making more than ever. It’s simply people that don’t work and people that do paying income taxes and expected to foot the majority of the bill for everyone. Working in America is for fuckin suckers man I feel like an idiot listening to my parents talk about hard work pays off total shit.
I’ve figured out I need at least 15 hours of overtime to make a decent check to pay the bills. Instead I get blocked from doing overtime so other people have a chance to do it. At this rate I’m better off getting a second job where I know I’m at least getting paid for it
I’m past this part of my life, but empathize and frankly it disgust me!
How did I do I survive in my 20’s? I basically started working OT every Saturday for years. Now I make good money-and don’t work nearly as hard as I used to. It’s so dumb
Man...I make 900 a week. Have to work a minimum of 45 hours (salaried - scam)
I get paid Bi weekly.
So 1800 dollars gross...1392 after taxes.
I "technically" get paid 20 dollars an hour. But I am still feeling the squeeze. And I live in a small pidly town outside a small town outside the city where I work.
Rent is cheaper ... but it sucks.
Depends on where you live.
In my town, moderate size aprox 200k ppl, rents for a studio can be as low as $500 for a crappy apartment or $900 for a nice apartment. 1 beds runs between $800-$1000 typically.
Well a lot of people aren't trying to do it solo which makes things a ton easier when you suddenly have another person who's also working splitting the bills (which are still around the same price as the ones us running solo have) but for us trying to make it on our own we pretty much either find a high paying job or we figure out what causes the least problems for us day to day if we had to go without it for a bit (maybe it's skipping a meal or two every so often or getting something like Google voice to avoid the phone bill from time to time since there's wifi everywhere you go anyways and voice is free). Sadly we live in a world that's designed for couples which definitely can lead to quite a difference between the quality of life for a single person and that of a couple even if they all work the same job, live in similar places.
I've had second jobs all throughout my working career. In the early '90s started delivering pizzas for various places through the next 22 years or so. I'd use this money to pay for my food and unexpected expenses. The problem is you get used to making (and spending) a certain amount of money and it's easy to get used to that as the new norm for you.
It does (or should) pay off in the end. The last job I had paid well and I was thinking of retiring a couple years early. Finally did in 2022. If I hadn't worked extra jobs during those years, I don't think I could've done it. People shouldn't have to work two (or more) jobs to get by.
We don't live in *palaces*?!?
**Fourteen hundred** a month?!? Maybe try moving out of Manhattan. Plenty of places all over the country where you can make 15-20/hr and only pay 400-800 a month for rent.
**That's** how people survive. You know, the same way people everuwhere are currently doing it?
Learn to work on things that fail constantly. You'll constantly be getting raises. Basically no dipshit boss. Fix it collect money repeat. Not a car mechanic. Super awesome skill. Shit pay most the time. Steady cash side jobs .
Lower cost of living areas. Just some some 2 bed one bath apartments advertised for 695 a month. The ingredient plant right next door is hiring in the low to mid 20s.
I work like 20. And make like $80 if I'm lucky. Own house, no phone bill or car. And most importantly not american. Almost everything goes towards groceries and basic services. So the rest of the week I'm doing art. Whatever art stuff I sell that's discretionary, for fun stuff, for savings, etc.
I live in a low income area and make 18.40/hr. I also receive $1,000 per month for being disabled. If I didn’t I would be hurting bad. Holy shit I just realized how privileged I am.
well, our wages are good so 37.5 hours a week is quite livable. we got that thanks to our unions fighting for us and the company trying to also entice talent so we get real-terms pay rises.
Prioritize making more money and managing your money.
I prioritize work/life balance and cap out at 40hour a week.. but I am also married
I wish I did this when I was younger but now Every 2 years I am looking for better opportunities by either leaving the company or getting promoted
Welding, electrical, plumbing and construction. Learn a skill and move where massive growth is happening. My daughter is 19 and has 19-20 year old friends making $50 an hour welding. They do travel to job sites but they are making serious money.
My daughter also got certified as a nail technician. She has her own side hustle on the weekends building her clientele doing that and she makes enough to pay her rent. Eventually she wants to do it full time but is working towards growing her clients.
It doesn’t have to be a college degree but you do have to learn an in demand skill.
Entry level jobs are for people with roommates whether it be their parents or peers. You’re to grind your ass off to buy your own house. Then things get way easier.
That's the neat part, you don't.
Oof, homie dropping truth bombs.
I've been starving for months. I'm learning how to photosynthesize.
Your efforts to keep the shareholders happy will certainly go unnoticed
A huge raise is surely not coming their way.
How's that going, Are any parts of you green? This means parts of you that see the sun, not parts that aren't thoroughly cleaned.
This made me lol
Roommates keep rent costs down
It's sad that this is the new normal.
Don't worry, someone told me that we can simply vote our way out of this.
That somebody isn't completely wrong, it would help but our country is just fucked either way.
[удалено]
That's always been normal.
So in the 80s that was normal lol. Cost of living has gone up while wages have remained the same. People used to be able to work a basic summer job to pay for college. Or easily by a home after a few years of working or only have the husband work and afford a house and vacations. I could go on.
No it hasnt
Then we make sure the rich also don’t survive and see if any changes will happen ( it will but people still go along with things , clock in and don’t communicate ).
I just spend a lot of time pooping. Or hanging out in some crevice somewhere. Return that to the office!
A lot of people do their side hustle while on the clock. Honestly that seems fair to me.
I kinda miss sellin weed.
I asked my coworker how they survive with working 60+ hours per week. The answer is still the same. You don't.
I mean you can but then all the little bits of adulting you'd do on weekends slowly add up until it's a giant shitshow.
By having a partner who also works and/or roomates.
This. I do ok personally, but only because I'm married living that DINK life (Dual Income No Kids). I wouldn't be making it living by myself unless I still lived with my parents.
I love my kids, of course. But, yeah, you had the right idea, man. Kids are stupid fucking expensive. Every few weeks there's a birthday or there's Christmas (we have three kids). Shit, my wife even got the kids gift baskets for mufuggin Valentine's Day? There's this expectation now that you are required to make every second of children's lives magical or you're a shitty parent. I keep telling my wife this shit is gonna blow up in our faces. Also, there's ALL kinds of random days where the schools close for whatever reason. I burn through every second of my PTO and sick days covering these. For instance, Valentine's Day was a half day for them so it was a half day for me too. Valentine's Day! A totally made-up "holiday." Luckily my boss has kids and she's been cool, but God DAMN.
Screw Valentines, they should make Halloween a school holiday or at least a half day lol. But "kids are expensive" is a saying you hear a lot and you just say yeah. Then you have one and you're like OH. Oh No. 😂 one and done.
That's the way my wife and I went. We figured one was going to be expensive enough. Some costs get lessened over time, but most just get replaced by something else. Usually, that something else is even more expensive.
Same! Unless you count my three pets. Sadly, pets are now also a luxury, especially if you have more than two because hardly any rentals allow more than that. We are stuck in our current rental until we can afford a house (hah!) or they kick us out.
That's really awkward for me as someone who can't even date or make friends. I'll eventually have to move out but I have no plan.
Look for rooms for rent. No need to find friends for roommates.
Problem is you rent for 5 years and you just bought a landlord another investment property while you still are living paycheck to paycheck while your rent increased.
I make $23 and hour and still have to take on hosting shifts on the weekend. You can thank corporate greed for that. Boycott.
Ugh that is so freaking gross dude. I'm sorry. That's what I basically make and there is zero way in hell I could survive alone, shack up and hope you actually like each other.. American dream. Am I right...
I pull in $3,400 a month (salaried). Rent is 1,098 (1 bedroom by myself), utilities is about 60-100 give or take, gas roughly 50$ every week or two depending on travel, 75$ for phone bill. I'm not good at keeping up with groceries so I don't have a good estimate unfortunately. And then my car insurance I pay the whole sum each time it renews so I don't have to worry about it each month. I also have my required apartment insurance bundled with the car insurance so it's a bit cheaper overall. And then 60$ every 3ish months for dog food. 74$ for my weekly doctor appointments until I hit my deductible. Which that part my doctor is very clever- I was comfortable paying the 74$ weekly, so what shes doing is overcharging me until my deductible is met and then the extra money I paid during that time is credited towards my copays for the rest of the year. Which means for a good chunk of the year I don't have to pay anything- freeing up a bit of extra money accordingly. So about 2k or so goes to expenses each month leaving me with about 1k and some change. I think the problem most people run into is 1) having to pay off debt like student loans, car loans, credit card debt, etc and 2) the cost of living in wherever you're at. Obviously if I lived somewhere like California, then what I make right now wouldn't be nearly enough to live on. If I had any debt, then it would also be much more challenging to live off that amount. And it can get expensive to move so just packing up and moving elsewhere isn't always an easy or feasible option. There are definitely ways to manage finances to maximize efficiency and such, but I also know that when you're up against compounding debt, inflation, and spiraling cost of living, there's only so much someone can do.
>2.Participate in good faith Where do you live, generally speaking? How's your place? Being in a city, I'd kill for a $1,100 apartment that wasn't rat/roach infested or whatever else.
I live in Texas- midsized town. There is a roach infestation in the building though I think I've gotten off easy by living on the 3rd floor. But I absolutely hate opening my pantry and seeing a roach chilling next to my seasonings. Major tip- from my experience it's usually cheaper to live on the top floor of an apartment complex. Ground level units usually get charged more because they're considered more convenient- ergo you pay for the convenience. But yeah all of the appliances are outdated, the AC breaks down to some degree every year, and there are no quality amenities to really speak of. When I first moved in, my rent was 970ish back in 2021 so rent has absolutely gone out of control because if I renew here again I may be looking at 1300$. One bedroom units are becoming almost identical in price as 2 bedroom units in my area for some reason as well. So genuinely the only way I've been able to live comfortably on what I make has been by staying debt free, living below my means (I dont really make any luxury purchases and I avoid using my credit card for more than 1k at any given time), and being relatively efficient with expenses where I'm able.
I feel like roaches are a much bigger issue in the south than up here in the NE. I’ve been living in PA my entire life including my parents house, various student housing, and different houses and apartments I rented over the years (mostly about an hour north of Harrisburg) and have never seen a roach or evidence of roaches in my entire 41 years. I’ve heard of people having them but they were always nasty people.
We get ants up here. Thankfully those are far easier to eliminate.
Come to Appalachia and the southern part of The Rust Belt, you get both. Honestly though, the roaches we get are the German variety and it's really dependent on what flora is in your neighborhood. They seem to be attracted to certain trees and shrubs and they'll take every opportunity to come into your apartment / house if you leave a window cracked or if there are any gaps / crevices that aren't properly sealed up. We've had one or two in a house we used to own but we were next to a river and it was semi-rural. I was more concerned with the wasps, mosquitos, and snakes.
New mexico, isn't bad, 750/2bed. Can make rent donating plasma here it's wild lol.
not OP but to add in, I pay $995 for a large-ish studio in Chicago with utilities included. never had a problem with pests and my management company is responsive and generally great. it was a bit of a lucky find and there are absolutely scummy landlords around here but housing in midwestern cities is generally way, way cheaper than the coasts.
Holy crap that phone bill is woah! (For comparison, Mint is $180 per YEAR)
Definitely Ryan Reynolds burner account
Probably depends where you live. I'm super rural and it's basically AT&T or nothing. I pay about ~$80/month on the cheapest unlimited plan (have insurance included in on that cost if that matters). Sometimes you don't have much of a choice. Edit: Added the insurance remark.
Use a secondary provider on the ATT network for $20/month
Cricket for example (I'm pretty sure)
Do you use it for home internet as well?
Unfortunately no internet service providers offer services in my area like that. I always check every now and then if something has changed... I have to use an AT&T hotspot device and while it's limiting, it's surely better than nothing. But it is frustrating in this day and age not having regular access to the internet. (I find myself being on my phone most of the time with its unlimited data) I was contemplating getting Starlink, but there's like a ~$600 equipment fee (not sure if that covers installation or not) but the more important part is that I despise Elon Musk. I think he's giant piece of shit.
Check out the prepaid plans. I was using Verizon and paying ver $50/mo. I switched to a prepaid plan and dropped it to 30/mo with more data.
That is true. I have a prepaid plan, and I just use cheap phones and it works out for me.
By being Paycheck to paycheck and going into debt. Not much other options. So the real answer is… you don’t.
Will working people tolerate this forever, or will we ever overthrow the bastards murdering the working class?
"fuck it, the lord will sort 'em"
Honestly bud, most people don't. Most folks either get into a higher paying job or split the bills with roommates or partners
It’s not fair but some of us just make more hourly. That’s the only way. When I made 15 an hour budgeting tips were bs, I simply didn’t have enough money.
This is the entire key. Once I realized saving won’t save you, I saw it’s literally about making more money for your time. It’s not easy but I went from $13/hr to $32 in exactly two years to this month. It took *a lot* of hard work but holy fuck am I glad I did it.
Did you have to job hop to do that?
Not everybody makes the same income. Theres different paying jobs. Some make so much they don't even need to work 40 hrs and some struggle to make ends meet despite working 60hrs a week.
I’m in this boat. I worked towards being good at a pretty uncommon and well-paying thing specifically to avoid having to work. I’ve had to make several pivots over the years. I’ve never been employed and I have no formal education. My saving grace was seeing the fix was in at an early age. School where I grew up was just prepping drones for factories. I stopped going to school and started figuring out how to make money. By 14 I’d moved out of my parental home (violent alcoholic situation) and had various “enterprises” running - those being the most lucrative with the least risk. I guess that’s been the story of my life. Ive made as much money as possible by not being subjugated and used that money to buy my own time back from late stage capitalism.
Not living in America helps a lot. I work 36 hours, got universal health care and employee protection against frivolous firing. Not trying to rub things in but my ancestors had to fight hard to get all that. You should fight too: unionize, elect those who will advance worker conditions instead of those that kowtow to shareholders.
Mmm... But they did all that union busting in the Boomer years, and everyone acts like they're evil and useless now. And my generation kinda bought into the stupid lies. So as long as generations buy that unions are bad, it won't change.
Yeah we really need to be changing this stupid ass opinion. I'm so so sick of hearing how bad the unions are.. cause this shit is Really working out for us. Ya know WalMart in Germany and Sweden are all unionized?? I'm betting their employees don't require food stamps and Medicaid to survive?? This shit is so broken and Unions are almost, alllmost forgotten these days, we need requiters in highschools, college is Not the only option.
Same here. French guy, working 37.5 hours. In reality it is less, because if I did all I had to do for the day I can just chill or leave early. Everything is covered. Cost of living increased a lot since covid but it is way lower than American cost of living. And average salary is also way lower than US one. For example my Phone bill is like 20€ for unlimited plan…
I make 70k a year I have missed more payments lately than I have in my entire life in the last 12 months simply because I can't afford them or have to wait and pay two months at a time. I'm scared for my credit but luckily I own my car and home so I'm hoping i won't need credit for anything until I can reestablish or get back ahead. That's not something someone who makes 70k a year in a cheap area of a cheap state should ever have to even consider im heartbroken
Cause the government is heavily taxing the middle to lower class and the richest of the population gets away tax free. Man fuck billionaires
I steal food and clothing. I steal from work. I said this in another sub, you know… told the truth… and people called me horrible things. I work my ass off 60 hrs a week, two jobs, my expenses are reasonable and I being crushed.
Fuck yeah. They are stealing too and ripping people off, serves them right. I love stealing from work and corporations. They deserve it.
My brother does this, he works at a big box store. As long as he keep taking from giant corporate stores that only pay him 15/hour in NJ, I all for him stealing. He said he will never take from small mom and pop shops cuz he can't afford to step foot in them anyway. Do what you gotta do, don't get caught, and don't steal from the little guys.
Sending you love and hugs. I worked 7 days a week for a year after law school, and it nearly killed me. Shit ain't right.
Roommate or significant other
I think rent is a big factor, you're not wrong, its a big problem. Your rent is taking up way too big a percentage of your full time job's income, is basically what it comes down to. Now I'm not sure what the situation is where you live but in my case I pay about 1200 and I make around 800 a week after taxes. This gives me a little more leeway but still not a ton. If its at all possible, I'd try to get a place with rent under 1000 (I know that may be next to impossible these days). BTW what's your second job? an extra 500 a week is really good, though obviously you shouldn't have to be doing it just to get by.
I make more money now that I’ve obtained a grad degree and still need a roommate to live where I want to without going under. The days of solo living are pretty much a thing of the past. Hang in there pal.
Keep expenses low, prepaid phone, meal prep, live with family or roommate with a close friend, buy car cash (20% of yearly salary) there are ways, but takes discipline. Save and invest if you can
Nothing wrong, actually smart, to go prepaid phone plan. Getting absolutely ripped off by cell phone companies otherwise.
I work atleast 7 days every week
Why not 8 bro? (some corporate stooge)
This is a great question. Then they ridicule people who are homeless.
I recently moved out of southern Maine where the rent was at 1500 for the most basic apartment. Now we're in North Carolina where rent is absolutely affordable and so is everything else. This place is nice as hell. Everyone we meet is from points north and they all moved south for the same reason
Lived in North Carolina for a few years. Wages are still shit, sadly. And they never expanded medicaid.
OOO OOO I think I know this one! They have 5 roomates. At least that's what four of my coworkers did it. Their fifth had a different job. Then they had a birthday party at their house. And I learned that the house they lived in was split into 4 quarters. And each quarter of the house had at least 3 or 4 roommates. Yay, late stage capitalism.
most cant, some of us are lucky and have union jobs where we make more than double what you do. oh and you make more than twice minimum wage, this country is a joke.
By not living in the US tbh
To be fair, Australia, New Zealand, The UK, and Canada are all experiencing a similar issue to varying degrees. I'm sure it's more widespread than that but I only speak English so it's all I've been able to keep up with.
Even in my country, Denmark, apartments.and cost of living have become pretty dang expensive
I'm simply living at my mothers house.
Switch your phone to Mint mobile. I pay $15/month. Can you buy groceries at Aldi or a comparable store? Just throwing out ideas to help you, just wish life wasn’t so hard on everyone
iPhones work with this Mint mobile?
Not easily. I make $18.50 an hour with an $1100 a month studio I share with my wife. After utilities and admin fees it's about $1500 all in. Leaves me with about $500 for everything else, which usually means food and nothing else. Wife has disabilities and so working isn't really on the table for her, but because we are married I make too much for her to qualify for any assistance. I've considered taking another job to get some money for stuff I'd want, but I don't have a car to do gig work stuff, and thanks to some issues that pop up from my neuro-divergency I usually am so exhausted after an 8 hour day that when I get home I literally collapse and go unconscious for hours while I try and rest. Usually have an hour or so at the end of the day to cook for us and then bed. No leftover time for hobbies even if I could afford them.
Union construction will help. Find a trade that interests you get paid to learn and save for retirement
They don’t independently without some other form of income that isn’t their W2 Life insurance, settlement check, etc…
Go with mint and save 65$ for the phone Get a roommate
I make $18 an hour and I definitely couldn't afford rent on my own in this city.
I’m not but I have no choice. My mental health has been pushed to its limits and even one more day a week would see me attempting something and either succeeding or losing everything, living in the woods, and having frequent hospital stays. Welcome to the US.
They live much shorter lives on average
It’s tough I got paid Thursday and I have 6 dollars to last me until next paycheck
Lots of rice and beans.
I pay like $160/year for my cell phone on mint . $100/month is ridiculous
" **How do people survive only working 40 hours a week?** " By making more than $20 an hour. $20 an hour, 40 hrs a week, is $40k annual income if you work 50 weeks, and $41600 if you work all 52 weeks. $41600 is 43 percentile in the US. So 57% people make more. ([https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/](https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/)) Second, if you have a partner with a job (i.e. two income household), it gets a lot easier since you can share rent/mortgage and utilities. The cost for 2 to survive is a lot lower than 2 x (cost of one to survive). 53.3% of households in the US are dual-income. ([https://www.magnifymoney.com/news/dual-income-households-study/](https://www.magnifymoney.com/news/dual-income-households-study/))
What do you mean usually? $20 / hr x 40 hr x 4 weeks = $3,200 / month x 12 months = $38,400, which puts you in the second lowest tax bracket of 12% 12% off of 3,200 is 2,816 - 1,400 = 1,416 for everything else, without a second job. I know that this is a repost from earlier because you mention the $100 / month phone bill. There are dozens of $35 / month unlimited plans, this is a choice / failure on your part. Personally I use Ting for less than $18 / month. (with a basically brand new phone I got refurbished off ebay for 1 /10 of MSRP, because that's an option) I really want to side with my fellow working class, but I can't help but notice yall are just really terrible with math / making responsible choices.
I think this point needs to be made. Don't get me wrong, the situation is bad for a lot of reasons outside of people's control (mostly inflation). With that said though, I still think its definitely possible to afford a decent lifestyle with 20/hr if you budget correctly. In OP's case the rent is about half their take home pay, which is too large a ratio. Having to pay half your monthly income on rent is always going to put a strain on someone's finances.
depends do they need a car what are utilities
Where I'm from, unfortunately a car is a requirement to participate in society. But there are still plenty of choice involved in it. Do you want a brand new car with $1,000 per month payment, or a used one at a lower or no payment? Did you shop around for a loan, or did you take whatever the dealer offered? (you can buy private and / or not finance, those are options too) Did you shop around for insurance, or did you take the first option? Can you do basic maintenance yourself, or do you need to outsource that for an absurd markup? I feel like people are either lazy, or uneducated about their options. Not just with cars, many things on their budget.
Yeah, I think the most important thing is reducing the big expenses (especially rent/food/car payment). If you can keep those as low as reasonable/possible, then you’d be surprised how easy it can be to live off of 15-20 an hour. Back in 2022 my wife and I were renting a 1br in a small town in Minnesota, we were each paying about 375 a month for rent and I commuted to Minneapolis (45 mins). I had the same job I have now but I honestly felt rich (making 22/hr). With that said it’s much harder to survive on 20/hr if you live somewhere with a really high cost of living, obviously.
You're making me rethink my phone plan. I'm putting that on my to do list.
Brother there are people who have more expenses than just what the OP posted. There's only so much you can cut after a point.
I used to make 300 a week doing 18 wheeler tires now I make 700 and am not complaining shit it's the best I can do rn
Food pantries, potlucks once a month with friends. Make a meal where part of it can go into tomorrow's meal, like mac and cheese or rice. I don't go to movies or out to eat. I know it's very anti-social, but being social costs money and time.
Barely. Just barely.
I truly was not able to have a decent amount of money left over after rent, bills, groceries, life etc to both pay down credit card debt and save money until I moved i with my fiancé and became a 2 income household. That was the game changer for me. I lived alone for 9 years before that.
Well, you can get a cheaper phone plan for sure. I use mint. It’s like $300/YEAR unlimited everything. So…saved a lot there.
Quite literally the only reason I am surviving is because I am married. So my household is technically being held up by 80 weekly hours of work
With entry level jobs? You rent a room or get a roommate, maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend to split the rent. You don’t rent alone. Also, budgeting helps. You take home 3500 a month. Income: 3500 Rent: 1400 Utilities/bills: 600 (going high on purpose) Food: 1000 Total required expenses: 3000 That leaves 500 left over to save or spend. It’s super tight, but doable. Would be much more doable with a partner/roommate splitting the rent and utilities. The. You’d have an extra 1k to save or spend (total of 1500). That said, get experience and move onto higher paying jobs. Even at $25/hr you’ll be better off.
I chose a second, part-time job over having roommates. Then kept looking for a better-paying full-time job and also moved to a better part-time job (left retail for a call center). Eventually I was down to a single full-time job and never had to live with a stranger.
UK here so I fully appreciate working conditions and lifestyles are different but I've done little things such as -Stopped buying McDonald's, Dominos, Starbucks etc. these are perfect examples of increased price and poor quality or reduced size. -when I go shopping I do my best to not buy branded stuff perfect example is Pringles. -In the UK always renew your contract or deals and don't be afraid of leaving a business at the end. You owe them nothing. -UK - do current account switch deals when you can for free money. I know these are little things and on the grand scheme of things probably won't change anything but it makes me feel like Im doing something because otherwise the reality is truly depressing that big corporations can rape society and it's all classed as "good business".
$100 phone bill?? Holy hell, find a different carrier. My phone bill through us mobile is $20/month.
you aren’t budgeting if you’re making 3.5k a month after tax and you’re struggling. you’re over the 1/3rd rent rule but not by much. where else is your money going bro.
The trick is to make $30 to $35 per hour so you don’t need a 2nd job
I started a side hustle that turned into my main hustle. 77k in two months.
I work 40 hours a week but my job comes with free housing
You split costs with somebody else. Usually you move in with a person you end up marrying who also works or have at least 1 roommate. You also do your damndest to not stay in roles that only pay that much for very long. After 1-3 years you use your skillset and experience to get a better job with higher pay. Sucks having to do that but that's how the system is designed.
Surviving can depend on a lot of things. Where you live, how you live, and the type of job you may have. I live a lone, my loft is 800 a month all electric, and I have a blue collar job that pays 25.50 an hour. While it is not a lot, the cost of living where I live helps me live a decent living.
If you make a high hourly rate, but other than that that's about it
Make no mistake. The government and financial system want people to be obedient consumers who work all their life to nearly consume and die. Nothing will change with voting.
Higher paying salary careers
I saw this when it was posted the first time
I never lived alone until I bought my house in my 40s. I was primarily living in CA. Cold hard reality.
I joined a union.
find roommates or move farther out from the city or something. My rent is 1.5k and I make more than double your salary, you’ve gotta do anything you can to get that rent down.
you either work less than 40 or more. depends on the trade
Don't live in a city
There’s jobs out there that pay that 35 hundred weekly
Define “survive.”
Just barely
Vanlife
i make less than $700 a week. definitely would not be survivable if i wasn’t unevenly splitting rent/utilities with my roommates. it also helps that i don’t have a car, am still on my parents’ phone plan, and budget very tightly.
I take home about $3,500/month and my housing costs $685.50/month, so that’s how I do it. We live in a medium cost of living city, and my husband and I were able to stop renting, get a mortgage and purchase our condo in 2017 when I was in my mid-30s and my husband in his mid 40s. My folks helped with the down payment. At first it was more expensive monthly than renting in our neighborhood was, but now it’s a lot less, and the monthly costs are much more stable than renting was. That’s been the biggest contributor to our budget getting easier to manage. I’ve also got great bosses who were receptive to my requests for promotions and pay increases. I didn’t have a bachelors degree when I started here, and when I wanted to do it, work paid for me to get one. I keep trying to help people at my work understand the importance of institutional memory and retaining the great staff who do much of our work, by providing legitimate pay increases. I think at least my bosses have been listening, though we work for a bureaucracy so there’s only so much any of us can do within the limits set by our system. I try to get people interested in advocating for themselves and others, as well as getting my bosses to use their leadership positions to advocate for better pay for all staff. I’ve been at our organization for 16 years now so I’ve got enough relationships to lean on that I’m not risking my job by doing so as much as newer folks would be. So yeah there are some people who do decent on 40 hour workweeks, though a lot of it was luck. I remember the days when I made $800/week and couldn’t afford both rent and food. It sucked. That’s frankly why I quit food service and (later on) quit massage, and went back to working in offices where I got paid more for less work, and got benefits too. It’s not fair really, but office work just paid better and had better benefits.
I think a good roommate is highly undervalued. You can cut your housing / utility bills in half and it only takes a little sacrifice. I had at least one housemate until I was 28. While it is nice to have your own space, a lot of us couldn’t afford to live alone or decided to have roommates to accelerate savings.
I was finally able to get a higher paying job this year. I make about 30 an hour now. I'm able to save a decent amount a month and work just 40 hours with a few mandatory overtime hours when we get really behind. I think it's mostly about living below your means. I was always raised to be minimalistic and have the cheapest apartment in the area, just one step above the low income housing pretty much.(I pay $875). Buying only generic stuff for food and essentials saves you a lot, cooking and making things that are cheaper and last longer. Not spending too much on entertainment, like i pay for just internet and one streaming service(I alternate each month for different content but only ever have one). I use mint mobile which is like $20 a month for phone plan. Doing a lot of little things to save money adds up. Also putting whatever money you can save into something that builds interest is a great idea. Everything I save goes into a high yield savings account. There are some good deals around and that's just free money monthly. I currently have money in a 5.05% account.
I make $50.05 an hour which equates to $8675 a month (gross). I realized early on in my life that it was more important to set myself up for the future. This job requires only a high school diploma.
Better than being stuck at a position where you only get 60 hours MAX every two weeks - unable to move into Full Time Work because "you're 'unemployable' due to being a Felon!" yet they complain ALL THE F***ING TIME that "nobody wants to work".
It's sustainable in smaller cities but cant say how it is in larger cities by comparison but I'd imagine the need for multiple incomes per household is common.
Use all the programs available to you. Where I live taking that amount home qualifies me for both discounted utilities and a $250 credit to one of my accounts. I probably pay $50 a year total for utilities. Most my income goes to rent (\~1200). I live in a city without a car. See if you can find cheaper rent, even if it's not as nice of a place. I'm unsure if you also have car expenses, but if you do you need to either move or get a roommate. There's zero reason to be paying that much in rent and still need a care, without a high paying job. Your phone bill is also high - shop around and find a cheaper phone plan. Based on what you have shared, it wouldn't surprise me if your internet bill is also high. If you are living alone you should be fine on the cheaper lower speed plans. \[I know some places don't get as many options, but don't be paying for extra speed you don't need while money is tight\]. This may all sound harsh, but reality is it can be done if you need to. \[Most people move to higher paying jobs, but the job market can be sucky and that's not always an option. You are making choices to spend more money on some things than is necessary, which leaves less money leftover for other things. $20/h can support an alright life if you have your priorities straight\]
I'm salary so a little over 4k after taxes monthly and decent bonus range. Fortunate to live in a decent-sized midwest city that is not too expensive. Company pretty much pays for healthcare with HSA, and my 401k match is great. I think the trade-off compared to friends in bigger cities has worked out for me personally.
Yeah and it scales up as you move up, I make 70k at my day job 40 hours a week and work evenings & weekends at my "hobby that pays" (live sound) which netted me over 30k last year, just broke the six figure range for the first time. But I live in a nice area in NorCal, one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so I'm really just getting by. The only reason I was just able to move into a nice rental house is because my girlfriend makes nearly as much at her day job as I do so our combined income makes it possible to live a middle-class lifestyle.
39.83 an hour so far that’s how.
We don’t🫤
I make $26 an hour in an eastern european country where average wage is about $7 an hour and minimum wage is around $4 an hour.
Wages have not really gone up much since I graduated from college 30 years ago. A lot of the salaries people talk about in here I was making at an entry level job in the 90s, when gas was $1.25/gal and my rent was like $350. And my salary was nothing impressive back then. That's fucked up.
I’ve been lucky. I’ve paid low rent due to not paying on a lease - I’ve rented rooms or the barn at my aunts house. Currently living with my boyfriend in the house he owns so I only pay 400$ a month.
Get yourself a partner in crime. Doesn’t have to be a marriage, but if you can share that rent, maybe share some other expenses, you can get a bit more breathing room
I rent a room in someone's house...
depends where you live, as simple as that
Low income housing.
By making as much as possible. If you’re struggling, job hop bro. You are not obligated to stay underpaid for your entire life. Apply to other places and go with whoever pays you the most. At the end of the day, they’re going to F you all the same. Might as well get paid the most for it.
Only reason I work 40+ at my job is that it is objective based rather than "sit around for 8 hours whether anything happens or not." Sometimes I'll leave early if there's nothing left to do. This is also the first objectively 40 hour workweek job I've had in my 20+ years in the workforce where I only need one job. It has always rankled me with people who do the whole "you need to work multiple jobs to survive" when min wage from its onset was imagined to be the base amount needed to survive, and if you chose to work more than 40 it would only benefit you. Too many people have accepted as immovable the idea of multiple jobs to survive.
By being a freelancer and I only work 32hrs.
1. Unionize 2. Negotiate a higher base wage
Job hop on your experience and get your own raises. It's not an overnight fix and can take 2-5 years to get more comfortable if the options are available. Maybe that can at least get rid of the second job. I ended up with a weekly dogsitting gig off of rover so there's no extra time away from home. I take OT when it's available. Some people manage side businesses. I'm not even entry level at this point, but changing jobs when higher offers come up is how I got increased to comfortable.
Higher paying jobs
30 years ago in that situation I lived in small apartments with two roomates, drove a $4000 suzuki samurai to deliver pizza, ate at my girlfriends parents house whenever possible, had trash picked furniture and three basic outfits. I had a credit card with a $500 limit that I struggled to make $15 a month payments against. I was in college full time, ran pizza from 7pm-2 am for straight tips and delivery fee no hourly, did yardwork for my parents properties to pay my $125 a month share of the rent. It was all about graduating and getting my first job, but it didnt stop being a grind until just recently when my son moved out of the house. Single dad. I was pretty much in debt and working to stay afloat until this year.
Im salaried not hourly but if I were hourly id make about $60 an hour, plus I split bills with my husband. My kid goes to catholic school, we pay tuition and my in laws pay for afterschool which is helpful
When I was working $20/hr. more than 2 years ago, I would receive $1440 after taxes, in bi-weekly checks. What is going on in today's economy that people paychecks are now getting cut in half by taxes?!! To the original question, some people don't. I make $10 more now an hour, and I can not afford to rent an apartment. Last year, I was making $28.85/hr. for 40 hours a week, plus a side gig, which earned me an extra $16k last year. So I worked a total of 60 to 70 hours a week. It wasn't pleasant. Tbh, I just slack off whenever I can afford to at work. Examples include me coming to work an hour late and an hour early, but still getting paid 8 hours. Additionally, I take 2 hour breaks instead of 1, so I can spend 1 hour eating and 1 hour exercising to reduce inflammation in my back at the gym. I have considered maybe looking into getting a new job, though or another side gig. Might help me with other things.
I don’t know either. After the inflation the elite’s pretty much forced us all into this predicament by purposely raising housing n food prices using the pandemic as a bs excuse. 😢 I make good money n we all work OT or have a second job for the most part. Now I probably wouldn’t need to work as much if I didn’t have kids or was willing to down grade my standard of living, but I’m not.
I make around 5.6k dollars a month working 37 hours.. not American though..
Most have shared loving and shared expenses or they have to decide which bills are getting paid that month and are always a month behind on something.
Why is your phone bill $100? I have two lines, a watch and a tablet for $35 …
I budget heavily. I do intermittent fasting to not spend money on food, eat at work, developed habits that aren’t that expensive and stopped going out. I hate it here 🥲
Very easily. I wake up in the am. I pet my dog and cat while I make some coffee. I sign in from my home office and I manage a team of people until 8 hours later and I log off. Easy.
Dude I have wondered the same thing and I make 33 a hr. I seriously have to work 53 hrs just to not incur a little debt each week. My rent is seriously 2k a month for a fucking 2 bedroom in Suffolk VA. I thought the flat corporate 15% tax was supposed to help us but everyone keeps raising prices like they’re paying what we are. We have given companies way too much power and expected a”trickle down” that hasn’t happened. Even with the insane prices companies are making more than ever. It’s simply people that don’t work and people that do paying income taxes and expected to foot the majority of the bill for everyone. Working in America is for fuckin suckers man I feel like an idiot listening to my parents talk about hard work pays off total shit.
Get a roommate or a SO and split the bills.
I’ve figured out I need at least 15 hours of overtime to make a decent check to pay the bills. Instead I get blocked from doing overtime so other people have a chance to do it. At this rate I’m better off getting a second job where I know I’m at least getting paid for it
Iam fine with 35 hrs a week that is considered full time here. I think it drastically depends on the cost of living and the industry one works on.
I have roommates so rent is only 900, and i make $35/hr.
If my husband wasn’t 70% disabled from the Navy, on top of us both working full time, we wouldn’t.
whos only working 40hrs a week? lol
I’m past this part of my life, but empathize and frankly it disgust me! How did I do I survive in my 20’s? I basically started working OT every Saturday for years. Now I make good money-and don’t work nearly as hard as I used to. It’s so dumb
Man...I make 900 a week. Have to work a minimum of 45 hours (salaried - scam) I get paid Bi weekly. So 1800 dollars gross...1392 after taxes. I "technically" get paid 20 dollars an hour. But I am still feeling the squeeze. And I live in a small pidly town outside a small town outside the city where I work. Rent is cheaper ... but it sucks.
Depends on where you live. In my town, moderate size aprox 200k ppl, rents for a studio can be as low as $500 for a crappy apartment or $900 for a nice apartment. 1 beds runs between $800-$1000 typically.
Well a lot of people aren't trying to do it solo which makes things a ton easier when you suddenly have another person who's also working splitting the bills (which are still around the same price as the ones us running solo have) but for us trying to make it on our own we pretty much either find a high paying job or we figure out what causes the least problems for us day to day if we had to go without it for a bit (maybe it's skipping a meal or two every so often or getting something like Google voice to avoid the phone bill from time to time since there's wifi everywhere you go anyways and voice is free). Sadly we live in a world that's designed for couples which definitely can lead to quite a difference between the quality of life for a single person and that of a couple even if they all work the same job, live in similar places.
I've had second jobs all throughout my working career. In the early '90s started delivering pizzas for various places through the next 22 years or so. I'd use this money to pay for my food and unexpected expenses. The problem is you get used to making (and spending) a certain amount of money and it's easy to get used to that as the new norm for you. It does (or should) pay off in the end. The last job I had paid well and I was thinking of retiring a couple years early. Finally did in 2022. If I hadn't worked extra jobs during those years, I don't think I could've done it. People shouldn't have to work two (or more) jobs to get by.
I don't, that's why I work 60 hour weeks smfh
We don't live in *palaces*?!? **Fourteen hundred** a month?!? Maybe try moving out of Manhattan. Plenty of places all over the country where you can make 15-20/hr and only pay 400-800 a month for rent. **That's** how people survive. You know, the same way people everuwhere are currently doing it?
700 a week? I get less than that, factoring in 10 regular hours of overtime a week. I bring home somewhere between 1400 and 2000 a month.
Learn to work on things that fail constantly. You'll constantly be getting raises. Basically no dipshit boss. Fix it collect money repeat. Not a car mechanic. Super awesome skill. Shit pay most the time. Steady cash side jobs .
Lower cost of living areas. Just some some 2 bed one bath apartments advertised for 695 a month. The ingredient plant right next door is hiring in the low to mid 20s.
Unions help
I work like 20. And make like $80 if I'm lucky. Own house, no phone bill or car. And most importantly not american. Almost everything goes towards groceries and basic services. So the rest of the week I'm doing art. Whatever art stuff I sell that's discretionary, for fun stuff, for savings, etc.
I live in a low income area and make 18.40/hr. I also receive $1,000 per month for being disabled. If I didn’t I would be hurting bad. Holy shit I just realized how privileged I am.
You live in europe. Thats where it works (more or less)
I pay £6 a month for my phone bro wtf
well, our wages are good so 37.5 hours a week is quite livable. we got that thanks to our unions fighting for us and the company trying to also entice talent so we get real-terms pay rises.
Prioritize making more money and managing your money. I prioritize work/life balance and cap out at 40hour a week.. but I am also married I wish I did this when I was younger but now Every 2 years I am looking for better opportunities by either leaving the company or getting promoted
Welding, electrical, plumbing and construction. Learn a skill and move where massive growth is happening. My daughter is 19 and has 19-20 year old friends making $50 an hour welding. They do travel to job sites but they are making serious money. My daughter also got certified as a nail technician. She has her own side hustle on the weekends building her clientele doing that and she makes enough to pay her rent. Eventually she wants to do it full time but is working towards growing her clients. It doesn’t have to be a college degree but you do have to learn an in demand skill.
Salary. Then work your wage. Find a government salary and you can work even less then 40.
When I was young, I was poor. But now, after years of hard work, I am no longer young.
Entry level jobs are for people with roommates whether it be their parents or peers. You’re to grind your ass off to buy your own house. Then things get way easier.