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Loyalton, California is a town a person could live cheaply then commute to work in Truckee, California. Almost all of their low level jobs pay $3-$5 more per hr than minimum wage.
Their McDonalds is hiring at $15 per hr but you may need to work odd shifts, not sure....gas stations hire at $15 per hr, regularly
There are often many cheap homes in loyalton but maybe due to winter inventory is limited
It's probably about $12 a day round trip for us when we do it.
I think you might have made the error of only considering fuel. You also have depreciation, maintenance, repairs, insurance, maybe interest.
80mi for $12 would be $0.15/mi. No chance. The IRS lets you deduct $0.54 for business and they are not generous.
Plus do you really like driving 2 hrs/day for free? If you had a local job you could save $40/day after tax in transportation, plus 2 hrs which you could possible be working instead of driving. If it's a $15/hr job in Truckee for 8 hrs, that's $120/day. -$40+ (since this is after tax savings), and -2x $7.5/hr for driving, is $65/day. If you were making $8/hr locally, you'd be better off.
I think you might have made the error of only considering fuel. You also have depreciation, maintenance, repairs, insurance, maybe interest.
80mi for $12 would be $0.15/mi. No chance. The IRS lets you deduct $0.54 for business and they are not generous.
Plus do you really like driving 2 hrs/day for free? If you had a local job you could save $40/day after tax in transportation, plus 2 hrs which you could possible be working instead of driving. If it's a $15/hr job in Truckee for 8 hrs, that's $120/day. -$40+ (since this is after tax savings), and -2x $7.5/hr for driving, is $65/day. If you were making $8/hr locally, you'd be better off.
No I do not like driving for free. Working 8 hr shifts might be a bad idea, ok
Right now I work in Grass Valley. Further than Loyalton to Truckee. My shift is from Wed afternoon-Friday morning about 10pm. On call during sleep. I average about $14 per hr. Not great but the benefits are good- (6wks PTO yr, 4% match, No cost HDHP w/1k deductible, 50K life insurance, 2k yr dental $8 mo, etc)
Just saying someone could live in Loyalton and commute to Truckee for work with their lower level skills. They may need to be creative but it is possible. Care-givers (not my line of work) can work longer shifts like 24-48 hrs in one stint. That would cut down on driving.
Loyalton offers a few jobs at the hospital sometimes for those with low skills which provide a descent benefit package but otherwise, there isn't many jobs there.
Last edited by Cyclist1968; 12-31-2017 at 12:35 AM..
Why would I want to live somewhere with a local economy so weak that housing is affordable on minimum wage? Anybody from that place with any neurons firing would have long before left for a place with more opportunities. Retail is Walmart and the Dollar Store. Few college educated professionals so the schools will be awful. Flyover country. No thanks.
i will take our high cost of living area and the opportunities i had over my lifetime any day . hcola are not hcola in a vacuum .they are that way because they are desirable because that is usually where the higher paying jobs are with better opportunities .
Why would I want to live somewhere with a local economy so weak that housing is affordable on minimum wage? Anybody from that place with any neurons firing would have long before left for a place with more opportunities. Retail is Walmart and the Dollar Store. Few college educated professionals so the schools will be awful. Flyover country. No thanks.
A second argument would be why would someone want to live somewhere that even with a middle class income they barely get by?
That is why states like Idaho are growing faster than more expensive states.
i will take our high cost of living area and the opportunities i had over my lifetime any day . hcola are not hcola in a vacuum .they are that way because they are desirable because that is usually where the higher paying jobs are with better opportunities .
Obviously there are other factors besides income but both median and family income is only about $5,000 a year higher in Los Angeles yet houses cost four times as much. The unemployment rate in Wichita is one point below L.A. and the overall cost of living is about half. Looking at Craigslist there are 2BR and 3BR homes for rent in the $500 a month range. You are looking at double that amount for the cheapest studio apartments in L.A.
Kansas is not everyone's cup of tea but for some people its not how much you make but how much you save for the future is what counts. Looking at job listings someone could work an entry level job and make $9 to $10 per hour and live by themselves in a 2BR home and do fine on those wages.
Why would I want to live somewhere with a local economy so weak that housing is affordable on minimum wage?
Which is why young adults tend to flee this area. They want the hot cities with high paying jobs.
Leaving mostly retirees to live here.
Quote:
... Anybody from that place with any neurons firing would have long before left for a place with more opportunities. Retail is Walmart and the Dollar Store. Few college educated professionals so the schools will be awful. Flyover country. No thanks.
I am on the East Coast.
We have plenty of college-educated retirees.
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