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Yeah, I wouldn't like having 3 jobs, massive overtime, or living everything so cheap and only thrift. And it amazes me many people do this. Worst is when they try to have kids!
Yeah, but how many of them can get through calculus?
Watch if you drop car insurance after if you no longer have a car. I did this when I had a company truck with company insurance about 10 yrs ago. I then bought a car and needed insurance.I checked with several insurance agents and all told me my premiums would be very high for a year because I was considered a "new driver" because I was without insurance in my name for a period, even though I had been driving for 15 yrs and had insurance before.
This is the exact same reason that I am holding onto my BCBS health insurance policy...
I am going to start a new job that thankfully kicks in medical on day 1 but am so afraid that if I lose the job we wont have coverage and it will be MORE difficult to get coverage again. NO WAY will I do COBRA...You can get cheaper insuring yourself privately/individually, even if its just for temporary catastrophic!
This is the exact same reason that I am holding onto my BCBS health insurance policy...
I am going to start a new job that thankfully kicks in medical on day 1 but am so afraid that if I lose the job we wont have coverage and it will be MORE difficult to get coverage again. NO WAY will I do COBRA...You can get cheaper insuring yourself privately/individually, even if its just for temporary catastrophic!
I just canceled my insurance. $35 was too much, and it was going to go up when they changed to the new company....Aetna.
No, $15/hr is a pathetic wage to me but I'd do it PT between jobs while collecting unemployment for maybe 16 hrs a week so I can eat good food. I graduated from the 6th best college in the nation for a Mechanical Engineering degree so I can have a great salary and good life buying NEW things. Well, I have never bought a new car or housing yet. I was a minimum wage engineer in my 20's and had to live at home rent free with my parents. I had jobs in the early 90's that paid me $10, $12.50 / hr as an engineer, and life sucked and I felt worthless and not worthy of a pretty chick. If $15/hr gets you $425 take home per week - that sucks too. Oh, I thrift shop too, but the best stuff is new from stores or ebay.
$20/hr & 44 to 48 hrs per week, my take home was around $765
$25/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $860
$28/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $984
last job - $32.10/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $1069 per week - life was awesome!
worst job - bike messenger for 1 month for only maybe $900 the whole FT month.
I expect way more out of life than a minimum wage job; I'd do it if I was desperate of if I was curious about how it was to work a fast food job, or if I couldn't rely on family or savings. Right now, it seems better to not work a $7 retail job, not spend money except for food and rent, and live off my $12000 in savings. I should spend my time studying up on skills needed for my next professional $30+/hr job, not waste time at a minimum or low wage job. So I'm lucky having a good useful degree, and I studied and sacrificed hard for it. But I think my career sucks, and it surprises me when employers say I have a good resume! I just don't know how my resume compares to others!
I know you aren't saying this but let me make a few points---
Not everyone who is 'low income' is 'stupid' or has 'no degree.'
I have 2 degrees and worked many low income jobs because THAT'S all there was to work.
When you have been out of work and looking for months, you hope that by taking something you 1) have money to live, even if it supplements a spouse's income (as in my last job--it was in a nice clean office but I made as much as my friend who scrubbed the toilet every day and she got a uniform while I had to 'look nice' on the same wages).
2) Sometimes professions only pay very little. Take being a preschool teacher. At most decent preschools the main classroom teacher is required to have AT LEAST a BA degree (or maybe a Associates). The pay for preschool teachers is pathetic. But, you do it hoping it gets you experience with kids and a foot in the door somewhere in the future.
I tell you one thing, if you have learned to live on little income, when the money rolls in and you keep up your frugal ways, you can save very, very quickly.
Yeah, there are people who have a Master's and Phd and if they can't find a good company or school to employ them they're toast as they overqualified themselves for many jobs, and then maybe have to suffer an underpaid one. Then there are Bachelor degree people who's career never takes off and are underpaid doing something else.
No, $15/hr is a pathetic wage to me but I'd do it PT between jobs while collecting unemployment for maybe 16 hrs a week so I can eat good food. I graduated from the 6th best college in the nation for a Mechanical Engineering degree so I can have a great salary and good life buying NEW things. Well, I have never bought a new car or housing yet. I was a minimum wage engineer in my 20's and had to live at home rent free with my parents. I had jobs in the early 90's that paid me $10, $12.50 / hr as an engineer, and life sucked and I felt worthless and not worthy of a pretty chick. If $15/hr gets you $425 take home per week - that sucks too. Oh, I thrift shop too, but the best stuff is new from stores or ebay.
$20/hr & 44 to 48 hrs per week, my take home was around $765
$25/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $860
$28/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $984
last job - $32.10/hr, 40 hrs, split per diem - take home around $1069 per week - life was awesome!
worst job - bike messenger for 1 month for only maybe $900 the whole FT month.
I expect way more out of life than a minimum wage job; I'd do it if I was desperate of if I was curious about how it was to work a fast food job, or if I couldn't rely on family or savings. Right now, it seems better to not work a $7 retail job, not spend money except for food and rent, and live off my $12000 in savings. I should spend my time studying up on skills needed for my next professional $30+/hr job, not waste time at a minimum or low wage job. So I'm lucky having a good useful degree, and I studied and sacrificed hard for it. But I think my career sucks, and it surprises me when employers say I have a good resume! I just don't know how my resume compares to others!
Yeah, I wouldn't like having 3 jobs, massive overtime, or living everything so cheap and only thrift. And it amazes me many people do this. Worst is when they try to have kids!
I am currently on disability which is half of my 40k income. At first it was so hard for me, because I was used to shopping and going to movies and such. I had to really tone my spending down. I still find it hard to get to the end of the month with any cash period. I pay rent, food, phone, and bus and buy drugstore stuff and it is amazing how much things cost. I buy stuff with coupons, clearance sales and go to thrift stores. I also make food and have a crock pot. I freeze a lot for later. I still have to pay co-pays for dr's etc. When I was working however, it was still hard because I lived in high rent D.C. Not as hard as this however. I found a good web site called betterbudgeting.com too.
What is stupid is that poor people without insurance should then be really careful not to get in an accident because they have no insurance and would really be screwed. Yeah, they are poor because they stupid and get in accidents too, which is greatly preventable by careful and conscientious driving.
Yeah, if my unemployment checks are messed up I might take a miserable $7 /hr job for only 16 hrs a week, so I can eat good food and stretch rent and savings.
Did I read that right? WTH?
Driving w/o insurance -- stupid.
Poor? does not equal STUPID. Drawing that kind of conclusion though.. stupid.
A few years back, the only things I bought were eggs, milk, butter, cheese, and bread. Spent maybe $40 a month altogether.
To explain:
I could have French toast, or eggs, or an omelet...with toast and milk. I could have a grilled cheese sandwich. Or an fried egg sandwich. Or hard boiled eggs...and a simple piece of buttered bread.
Stretched it out for my wife and I to last us two weeks.
I could have French toast, or eggs, or an omelet...with toast and milk. I could have a grilled cheese sandwich. Or an fried egg sandwich. Or hard boiled eggs...and a simple piece of buttered bread.
Stretched it out for my wife and I to last us two weeks.
We're not what you would consider low-income, but we have been doing this for the last couple of months. We do splurge and get some sliced ham, because that adds a little more variety/versatility, but for the most part that's been our menu. We just had to cut back on eating out! Times are tough, and I think we're all in for a rough ride ahead.
Word of advice--if you're in a 401K, don't go logging on to look at your balance. I made that mistake last night, and I wanted to cry. It's so tempting to cut my contribution right now, but I know that's not the right thing to do.........unless this thing keeps skidding out of control! I know now is the best time to be throwing money in to a mutual fund, but it sure is scary! Plus, I would lose the company match. I'm just not going to log in and look for a while.
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WTH? 
