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What wise financial choices can/should I make on $1200 per month?
Income:
For starters, you should be working more than one job (unless you are in school to increase your earning potential). I say this because $1200 is about what a minimum wage earner grosses in a 4 week month, working 40 hours per week for each of those 4 weeks.
Outgo:
With regard to money going out, you should choose to split rent and utilities with several roommates, in order to keep the percentage of your income devoted to housing at or below 30%. You should also choose to buy store brand, non-organic groceries and prepare meals at home, rather than living off of convenience foods or eating out. Buying non-perishable consumables (toiletries, paper goods, medicine, etc.) in bulk will also save you money. In addition to the financial responsibility, the time required to work 2 jobs (or 1 job and go to school) means that a pet would not be in your best interest right now. Social spending (dating, going out with friends, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, but do budget enough that you can enjoy an occasional evening out. Quit using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Don't spend money on non-essential things like tattoos, piercings, jewelery, hair coloring, designer shoes & clothing, the newest iPhone, etc., but do budget enough to get a haircut regularly and replace worn-out items as needed. Walking, riding a bicycle, and doing exercises that use your body mass (pushups, situps, chin-ups, tricep dips using a chair) are free, saving you the cost of a gym membership. Use a free checking account, with a rewards debit card. Avoid credit cards, payday loans, title loans, pawn loans, and check-cashing services. If you must buy a vehicle, save cash and buy a beater. Avoid debt.
What I am upset about are families like the Waltons who own Walmart who come in an destroy all other competition and then only hire part time employees and tell them to apply for foodstamps and Medicaid.
Another problem billionaire is the Koch brothers. They are buying the Republican party so they can pollute the environment and to make more billions at the cost of the tax payers.
So my problem is with the 0.01% of the very wealthy who hoard their money and do not put it back into the economy, it's the working class who keep the economy going. The greed of the megarich is a sickness.
So many talking points, so little original thought...
Hilarious! It has never in the history of the republic
Oh, so now you admit that this is a republic and not a democracy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Barbara
Hilarious! It has never in the history of the republic been the case that a power had to be explicitly enumerated in the Constitution for it to exist. What is implied exists equally with what is enumerated.
What is implied is only that which is necessary to carry out the enumerated powers. This is why clauses such as "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation" were added. Note that the legislation must be "appropriate" and tailored strictly to enforcing the protection previously enumerated; such clauses do not give carte blanche, for to do so would be to effectively gut the protection that Congress is authorized to enforce.
Moderator cut: personal attacks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Barbara
So many dog-and-pony-show demagogues have gotten themselves elected by promising to go to Washington and stamp out all this bloat, waste, fraud, and abuse
And, sadly, some people actually believed that claptrap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Barbara
there isn't any of it left.
That belief is based upon the false notion that each elected official has REDUCED bloat/waste/fraud/abuse, rather than enabled its continuation, or contributed to it.
Tell me, what limits on government (if any) do you believe are rightfully in force?
Income:
For starters, you should be working more than one job (unless you are in school to increase your earning potential). I say this because $1200 is about what a minimum wage earner grosses in a 4 week month, working 40 hours per week for each of those 4 weeks.
Outgo:
With regard to money going out, you should choose to split rent and utilities with several roommates, in order to keep the percentage of your income devoted to housing at or below 30%. You should also choose to buy store brand, non-organic groceries and prepare meals at home, rather than living off of convenience foods or eating out. Buying non-perishable consumables (toiletries, paper goods, medicine, etc.) in bulk will also save you money. In addition to the financial responsibility, the time required to work 2 jobs (or 1 job and go to school) means that a pet would not be in your best interest right now. Social spending (dating, going out with friends, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, but do budget enough that you can enjoy an occasional evening out. Quit using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Don't spend money on non-essential things like tattoos, piercings, jewelery, hair coloring, designer shoes & clothing, the newest iPhone, etc., but do budget enough to get a haircut regularly and replace worn-out items as needed. Walking, riding a bicycle, and doing exercises that use your body mass (pushups, situps, chin-ups, tricep dips using a chair) are free, saving you the cost of a gym membership. Use a free checking account, with a rewards debit card. Avoid credit cards, payday loans, title loans, pawn loans, and check-cashing services. If you must buy a vehicle, save cash and buy a beater. Avoid debt.
I live with seven roommates, before that I lived with nine roommates. Unfortunately, since the rent taker lived in each house. I have not enjoyed the economy of scale one would expect from living with so many roommates. (Currently paying $500/mo and for the previous place $650/mo).
After rent, food, medical insurance, and student loan payment, I live on a shoestring.
Income:
For starters, you should be working more than one job (unless you are in school to increase your earning potential). I say this because $1200 is about what a minimum wage earner grosses in a 4 week month, working 40 hours per week for each of those 4 weeks.
Outgo:
With regard to money going out, you should choose to split rent and utilities with several roommates, in order to keep the percentage of your income devoted to housing at or below 30%. You should also choose to buy store brand, non-organic groceries and prepare meals at home, rather than living off of convenience foods or eating out. Buying non-perishable consumables (toiletries, paper goods, medicine, etc.) in bulk will also save you money. In addition to the financial responsibility, the time required to work 2 jobs (or 1 job and go to school) means that a pet would not be in your best interest right now. Social spending (dating, going out with friends, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, but do budget enough that you can enjoy an occasional evening out. Quit using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Don't spend money on non-essential things like tattoos, piercings, jewelery, hair coloring, designer shoes & clothing, the newest iPhone, etc., but do budget enough to get a haircut regularly and replace worn-out items as needed. Walking, riding a bicycle, and doing exercises that use your body mass (pushups, situps, chin-ups, tricep dips using a chair) are free, saving you the cost of a gym membership. Use a free checking account, with a rewards debit card. Avoid credit cards, payday loans, title loans, pawn loans, and check-cashing services. If you must buy a vehicle, save cash and buy a beater. Avoid debt.
Slowpoke I've worked minimum wage recently (the last few years) and in reality it is about $400 a pay period is your net pay (after FICA, SS, Medicare and state withholding.) So it is double the hours or a bit if a higher pay rate or perhaps two jobs. Still 1.2k a month isn't a lot but you may only get a weekend job which some companies are fine with, others no.
It's not the responsibility of the few to improve the lives of the many.
If the many cannot improve their lives, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
This 'let them eat cake' mentality is exactly what is killing our society, and it is rooted in a deep ignorance that equates wealth with inherent superiority. The monarchs thought exactly as you did... they resented the poor for being poor while depending on their poverty to maintain their own extravagant standards of living.
There are plenty of reasons why improving the welfare of the people as a whole is good for everyone.
And there are plenty of reasons why wealth imbalance is bad for the economy, bad for morale, bad for security and crime, bad for health and bad for the planet.
If we continue going the way we are going, the whole thing is going to implode.
This 'let them eat cake' mentality is exactly what is killing our society, and it is rooted in a deep ignorance that equates wealth with inherent superiority. The monarchs thought exactly as you did... they resented the poor for being poor while depending on their poverty to maintain their own extravagant standards of living.
There are plenty of reasons why improving the welfare of the people as a whole is good for everyone.
And there are plenty of reasons why wealth imbalance is bad for the economy, bad for morale, bad for security and crime, bad for health and bad for the planet.
If we continue going the way we are going, the whole thing is going to implode.
So what are the people doing to improve their financial situation and education? Or is that someone else's job.
At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
"And the Union workhouses." demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
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