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The article is telling you what it takes for a single individual to be SELF SUFFICIENT. INDEPENDENT.
Not dependent on a roommate coming up with their half of the rent or water bill or making noise late at night or arguing what to watch on T.V.
And many of the rest of us take issue with this "self sufficient independent" standard being promoted. In some respects, it's downright unhealthy (for the environment as well as for the social skills people don't acquire as a result of having "their own" everything).
Everyone is not entitled to have their own apartment, their own car, etc. As another poster said, it's mostly the leftist folks who hate cars and people living in oversized housing (and I generally agree with that sentiment, although I disagree with trying to force it on people by government fiat)....so maybe they should encourage minimum wage earners to practice frugality in the name of mother earth.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 12-03-2014 at 08:39 PM..
I don't agree that that should be our goal. I don't think there is anything wrong with people depending on each other for resources.
I'm with you on this. Lack of cooperation is one of America's biggest problems. The people in places like Latin America put Americans to shame as far as cooperation goes.
I'm with you on this. Lack of cooperation is one of America's biggest problems. The people in places like Latin America put Americans to shame as far as cooperation goes.
Yup! One thing my Dad, who owns a house on a steeet with ~40 houses, always asks is why does everyone have their own lawn mower or car? Why can't the group voluntarily pool the resources and share? It would save money. But in the US we have this obsession with owning "your own" of everything rather than sharing. It's kind of selfish, to be honest.
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
"The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees." -Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute
Oh, and just to show how ridiculous this is, this guy has a crapload of money saved and invested (something like 184K which he's accumulated in less than 5 years, never making more than 55K per year) He's a renter who lives in Florida and he voluntarily spent $2204 ($1837 / month) last year, saving over 61% of his take home pay and investing much of the savings in dividend paying stocks.
This is a guy who used to work at a car dealership, but for much of that time didn't own a car in an area with mediocre mass transit. Imagine that!
Financial independence, fully paying your own way, is the threshold of "middle class"
MW is not, never has been and never will be enough to manage that standard.
Nor has it ever been intended to.
How do you know what intentions other people have?
And many of the rest of us take issue with this "self sufficient independent" standard being promoted. In some respects, it's downright unhealthy (for the environment as well as for the social skills people don't acquire as a result of having "their own" everything).
Everyone is not entitled to have their own apartment, their own car, etc. As another poster said, it's mostly the leftist folks who hate cars and people living in oversized housing (and I generally agree with that sentiment, although I disagree with trying to force it on people by government fiat)....so maybe they should encourage people to practice what they preach.
Well said! Only thing I would add is that food need not cost so much when cooking for oneself, even healthy. I do $150/month and I still buy a lot of pre-made items. $100/month is definitely doable and I'm working in that direction. Cooking yourself you can eat on $5/day or less very comfortably.
And you folks will have to trust me as I chime in here and tell you I am coaching RecentGrad in the art of frugal cooking (actually any kind of cooking) And we live in the high cost SF Bay Area, where groceries are 20% above the national average according to this index:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Yup! One thing my Dad, who owns a house on a steeet with ~40 houses, always asks is why does everyone have their own lawn mower or car? Why can't the group voluntarily pool the resources and share? It would save money. But in the US we have this obsession with owning "your own" of everything rather than sharing. It's kind of selfish, to be honest.
Yes, it's selfish and it actually works against us in so many ways beyond the scope of this thread.....and yet we are all guilty of it in varying degrees.
Practical doesn't come into minimum any more than other wages. One might have to have must have two jobs or qualify for entitlements. Even realize that as time goes on simple tasks will be taken over by machines as it become more cost effective. Not many shovel skill jobs now days as example. Skills to live are still important in survival even if survival is easier than ever. This is why we have to stress this to our children on choices they make. Especially as children very seldom have jobs these days because of liability and thus can learn by that means. See any kids with paper routes lately? that was my first job at ten years old. Never stopped working until I retired.
Not to mention if you start paying everyone a minimum $36,000 per year to work in retail and fast food joints, you're going to either create a lot of inflation and/or get a lot more unemployment...
If I have to pay $36,000 a year for entry-level help, I am going to hire a whole new workforce. They will come in early, dress sharply, speak perfect English or whatever language my customers speak, make helpful suggestions for the profitable operation of my business, and not sue me when things don't go as planned. Such workers exist but they are expensive.
So no one currently making the minimum or near-minimum wage will be helped. They will be out of a job. Permanently, since every other employer would be facing the same picture I am. Talk about creating a permanent underclass...
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And we live in the high cost SF Bay Area, where groceries are 20% above the national average according to this index:
