Why can't all full time jobs pay a living wage? (fund, good)
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I made 15k/yr throughout grad school and I lived just fine.
($7.25*40)*52= just over 15k.
So minimum wage does pay a living wage and very few people that work "full-time" actually earn min. wage.
Min wage will net you about $950 a month.
Rent (split with roommates): 400
Utilities (split with roommates): 100
Food: 200
Car Insurance: 50
Car Payment (if needed): 100
Still leaves 100 a month for other expenses.
It's all about what you have going out in expenses.
I make $28... OT $42. With OT my take home is $1250 a week.
I have a $1500 3BR... With 2 roommates paying $750 each. I pay the lights/water/TV/Internet which is about $300 for all.
That's $975 plus the $300 in utilities... Leaving me $3725 a month in disposable income. I have credit cards but I pay cash for everything so my balances are microscopic.
$12 an hour would be a living wage based on my expenses... Doesn't mean it's acceptable though. The COL is higher here and that's the reason I have roommates paying my rent.
My gas budget is low because I have a short commute that only costs me 1/4 tank per week.
Quote:
Originally Posted by timberline742
Come on, I spend less than that (I budget $40) and eat well... I could spend more, but why? I'd rather save the money for travel. A single person spending $50 a week is perfectly normal.
Indeed. I eat rather good on $50-$75 a week shopping at Safeway.
My wife and I spend 360 a month and eat very well, so I guess we are less than migrant workers....
Define well? Like do you consider hamburger helper well? Or do you guys get stuff like salmon?
I'm being serious as there is a clear correlation nowadays that people who are poor or make less money are fatter and eat unhealthy. Why is that? To eat healthy like fresh veggies, fish, good meats, and etc is more then eating at McDonalds or buying Ramen and frozen meals. For example, I can go to McDonalds and get a double quarter pounder, large fries, and a soda for roughly $7 to $8. Go to a grocery store and get salmon, which is healthy, is usually $16 a pound. To fill you up you'll get a 6 to 8oz filet which is at least the same amount you paid for your feast at McDonalds.
Then look at meats at grocery stores. To get leaner hamburger meat for burgers you should get ground sirloin, but I've seen it as much as almost $2 more then ground chuck which is the fattiest. Now vegetables are reasonable, but grocery stores are so wasteful. You have to pay a couple bucks for a bundle of carrots when I just need one for my dish. Eventually I throw the rest away as they go bad, and I see I had to spend more money for one thing. I can go on like how basics like milk and eggs are going up to which makes it harder to get by without pay increases.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,962,945 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba
I would like to hear it. Break it down.
I just spent $8.50 on lunch at Wendy's. That's not exactly splurging. Coffee at Dunkin Donuts was $2 this morning. That's already $10.50.
Assuming I skip dinner every day of the month, that's already $325.50 a month. Yes, that's not including dinner of any kind. The whole month.
I don't eat fast food and I take my lunch to work. Eating out like that is throwing money away, especially on crud food.
Steel cut oatmeal for breakfast (a box of Northlands is about $2.99, lasts more than a month) with some brown sugar (small box will last 2-3 months easy). On weekends some eggs sometimes, $1.99/2.49 a dozen and that will last a month usually. Might even get a piece of cheddar ($2 cabot cheddar, 8 oz) to make omelets for a month.
Salad (usually baby spinich, $4.99 a bin for a week). Salad dressing (usually a small bottle a week, $1.99). Then add usually chicken, sometimes pork, on top... $1.99# on average (white meat), 1.5# lasts a week of lunches easily.
Dinner can be anything. Often turkey burgers ($6.99 for six, a couple a night) with some mixed veggies ($1.99 big bag lasts a week), sometimes a stir fry , a bag of lo mein noodles($2 for a bag worth about two dinners) with the frozen mixed veggies and some meat. Or rice (I get a decent sized bag once every three months or less frequent) with meat and veggies.
Make my coffee at home, Bustelo can (good stuff for the money) is about $3.99 and one lasts a couple of weeks, cream and splenda, $5 will cover a month or more, so under $15 a month for coffee plus.
It's pretty easy, I've lived on $40 a week or less for food in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, all over. This leaves plenty of money for things like the occasional roast chicken, or frozen pizza ($3.99-4.99), or soups (stock up on chunky cambells when on sale, $1.25 a can) or pastas ($1.19 box of whole wheat pasta, $1.00 can sauce (name brand))..
I'm not wanting for anything diet wise.
Last edited by timberline742; 04-25-2014 at 12:20 PM..
Define well? Like do you consider hamburger helper well? Or do you guys get stuff like salmon?
I'm being serious as there is a clear correlation nowadays that people who are poor or make less money are fatter and eat unhealthy. Why is that? To eat healthy like fresh veggies, fish, good meats, and etc is more then eating at McDonalds or buying Ramen and frozen meals. For example, I can go to McDonalds and get a double quarter pounder, large fries, and a soda for roughly $7 to $8. Go to a grocery store and get salmon, which is healthy, is usually $16 a pound.
I can eat salmon and brussel sprouts 7 nights a week for what I'd pay going to McDonalds.
2 pack frozen salmon fillets : $5
Steam in bag brussel sprouts : $1.67
One fillet and the veggies is $4.17 and a lot healthier. Prices are accurate.. Just went to Safeway yesterday.
Define well? Like do you consider hamburger helper well? Or do you guys get stuff like salmon?
I'm being serious as there is a clear correlation nowadays that people who are poor or make less money are fatter and eat unhealthy. Why is that? To eat healthy like fresh veggies, fish, good meats, and etc is more then eating at McDonalds or buying Ramen and frozen meals. For example, I can go to McDonalds and get a double quarter pounder, large fries, and a soda for roughly $7 to $8. Go to a grocery store and get salmon, which is healthy, is usually $16 a pound. To fill you up you'll get a 6 to 8oz filet which is at least the same amount you paid for your feast at McDonalds.
Then look at meats at grocery stores. To get leaner hamburger meat for burgers you should get ground sirloin, but I've seen it as much as almost $2 more then ground chuck which is the fattiest. Now vegetables are reasonable, but grocery stores are so wasteful. You have to pay a couple bucks for a bundle of carrots when I just need one for my dish. Eventually I throw the rest away as they go bad, and I see I had to spend more money for one thing. I can go on like how basics like milk and eggs are going up to which makes it harder to get by without pay increases.
Hamburger helper is the kind of unhealthy crap I eat.
-$2 for the helper
-$4 for the meat
-2 cups of milk which is essentially $2 I believe.
I can split it into 2 meals, but usually it's more like 1.5. So, that's like a $6 meal.
If I eat microwave dinners, I usually eat 2 of them for dinner. That is usually $4 total, or if I'm lucky, they'll have a special on the horrid microwaveable cardboard ones, and they'll be a dollar each. So, $2 for dinner minimum to eat badly.
I could also do ramen and chop in pieces of pork chops for dinner. That's pretty damn cheap but still comes out to $3 for dinner I think.
Cold cuts and sandwich bread for lunch would be ~$3. So, just cold cut sandwiches for lunch and ramen, frozen veggies and pork chops for dinner, I think I could meet $200 a month. But no fast food, eating out, or breakfast.
I just spent $8.50 on lunch at Wendy's. That's not exactly splurging. Coffee at Dunkin Donuts was $2 this morning. That's already $10.50.
Assuming I skip dinner every day of the month, that's already $325.50 a month. Yes, that's not including dinner of any kind. The whole month.
You can cut down on expense greatly by making your own lunch, breakfast, and brewed coffee.
I go through a ton of food being a gym rat and many of my meals come out to three or four bucks or less, and I eat five times per day, with nearly all meals being prepared at home.
I get deals at a grocery here of four pounds of chicken breast for ten bucks, cheaper if I go with chicken thighs. Liver is two bucks a pound. Enormous bags of rice bought at the Asian market are dirt cheap. Potatoes and yucca are cheap. I get London Broil for a little over two bucks a pound. Canned mackerel is $1.69 for a 15 oz can (enough for two meals). Eggs at the place I get them are cheap. Tilapia is cheap.
The only things I get that are a little pricy are protein powder, cheeses, olive and coconut oil, veggies, and nuts, and aside from the veggies, I eat the other items sparingly (not like I'm dumping heaps of cheese and oil on everything).
Of course with home prepared meals there is the pain in the rear of carrying Tupperware to work.
3,000 to 4,000 calories on average per day I get from all good foods without racking up a hefty bill.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,962,945 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba
Hamburger helper is the kind of unhealthy crap I eat.
-$2 for the helper
-$4 for the meat
-2 cups of milk which is essentially $2 I believe.
I can split it into 2 meals, but usually it's more like 1.5. So, that's like a $6 meal.
If I eat microwave dinners, I usually eat 2 of them for dinner. That is usually $4 total, or if I'm lucky, they'll have a special on the horrid microwaveable cardboard ones, and they'll be a dollar each. So, $2 for dinner minimum to eat badly.
I could also do ramen and chop in pieces of pork chops for dinner. That's pretty damn cheap but still comes out to $3 for dinner I think.
Cold cuts and sandwich bread for lunch would be ~$3. So, just cold cut sandwiches for lunch and ramen and pork chops for dinner, I think I could meet $200 a month. But no fast food, eating out, or breakfast.
You could eat healthier for less, if you wanted to. Lots of that stuff has TONS of sodium. Keep away from fast food and prepared foods. You'll save money and be healthier.
Not my business really, totally your call, but it helps financially and healthwise.
My car insurance is a $115 a month for a 2005 Corolla. Also my gas budget is under a $100 because I can take a train to work at $135 a month. For people who have to drive 10 to 15 miles to work, then you can bet they'll be paying at least $150 a month for gas at the $4 gallon mark which seems to be the average.
The person asked how I did it. Not if it is possible for everyone to make their circumstances fit working for min. wage. I wouldn't have a car and use the train if I made min. wage. I probably couldn't afford to.
My car insurance for a brand new GMC Sierra Denali is 70 a month, so I'm not sure what to tell you.
I spend less than 150 a month driving a truck to and from work 10 miles each way including weekend trips
Quote:
Originally Posted by panderson1988
Define well? Like do you consider hamburger helper well? Or do you guys get stuff like salmon?
I'm being serious as there is a clear correlation nowadays that people who are poor or make less money are fatter and eat unhealthy. Why is that? To eat healthy like fresh veggies, fish, good meats, and etc is more then eating at McDonalds or buying Ramen and frozen meals. For example, I can go to McDonalds and get a double quarter pounder, large fries, and a soda for roughly $7 to $8. Go to a grocery store and get salmon, which is healthy, is usually $16 a pound. To fill you up you'll get a 6 to 8oz filet which is at least the same amount you paid for your feast at McDonalds.
Then look at meats at grocery stores. To get leaner hamburger meat for burgers you should get ground sirloin, but I've seen it as much as almost $2 more then ground chuck which is the fattiest. Now vegetables are reasonable, but grocery stores are so wasteful. You have to pay a couple bucks for a bundle of carrots when I just need one for my dish. Eventually I throw the rest away as they go bad, and I see I had to spend more money for one thing. I can go on like how basics like milk and eggs are going up to which makes it harder to get by without pay increases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba
Yea, I'd like to hear yours too.
see below.
Here is a normal day for me.
Lunch:
7oz baked chicken breast (1.88/lb)
1.5 servings of chips (3.99 bag) lasts all week.
1 oz almonds (12 bucks for a big bag) lasts almost a month.
Snack:
50g whey protein (30 bucks for a bin lasts a month)
1 oz almonds or similar (see above)
Dinner:
7-8oz chicken breast
baby spinach salad or some type of vegetable
something to go with the chicken breast be that rice, pasta, baked potato, sweet potato, etc.
Snack 2 (if applicable):
25-30g whey protein
on the weekend we lighten up a little on how healthy we eat. We may grab a cheese stuffed crust pizza, top sirloin steaks, or bratwursts.
I almost never eat out for lunch, don't drink coffee, don't buy unneccessary things. Even now when our household income is 120ishk a year I still go most weeks (M-F) without spending a dime.
I can eat salmon and brussel sprouts 7 nights a week for what I'd pay going to McDonalds.
2 pack frozen salmon fillets : $5
Steam in bag brussel sprouts : $1.67
One fillet and the veggies is $4.17 and a lot healthier. Prices are accurate.. Just went to Safeway yesterday.
OK. But if that is your lunch and dinner, that's already 258 dollars a month. And that does not count eating out by yourself or with friends ever. And no breakfast.
Hamburger helper is the kind of unhealthy crap I eat.
-$2 for the helper
-$4 for the meat
-2 cups of milk which is essentially $2 I believe.
I can split it into 2 meals, but usually it's more like 1.5. So, that's like a $6 meal.
If I eat microwave dinners, I usually eat 2 of them for dinner. That is usually $4 total, or if I'm lucky, they'll have a special on the horrid microwaveable cardboard ones, and they'll be a dollar each. So, $2 for dinner minimum to eat badly.
I could also do ramen and chop in pieces of pork chops for dinner. That's pretty damn cheap but still comes out to $3 for dinner I think.
Cold cuts and sandwich bread for lunch would be ~$3. So, just cold cut sandwiches for lunch and ramen, frozen veggies and pork chops for dinner, I think I could meet $200 a month. But no fast food, eating out, or breakfast.
You can have a cheap breakfast and some wholesome, flavorful meals for the same prices or less.
Three or four eggs with some veggies and cheese, oatmeal, and/or a banana isn't exactly a high priced meal.
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