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Rodentraiser , that wasn’t the point .
I used the example of Jeff Bezos working at McDonald’s to illustrate the point that working a low wage job doesn’t have to be a life sentence . Not literally that everyone working there can or will be a billionaire.
But it’s also not impossible.
Many people that are financially successful today once worked at McDonald’s or other low wage jobs .
But they didn’t view it as a life sentence .
Obama’s first job was working at baskin Robbins in Hawaii .
And they’ve been going up in L.A too . But my point was that a city like Phoenix is a lot more affordable than L.A .
Maybe comparably but it is actually a big problem in Phoenix. The rent is rising beyond the minimum wage increases due to perceived demand. I explained that and yet you double downed... Here is a suggestion, do some research the next time you post because you are wrong and yet you keep digging yourself deeper in this. FYI, there has been a thread about this on City-Data.//www.city-data.com/forum/polit...emic-what.html
If you work min wage, you basically get a slew of government aid programs to keep you afloat. The taxpayer is in a way subsidizing the labor force of many companies. I have a buddy who never rose above just being a bagger at a grocery store. He gets cash assistance, section 8, food stamps, obama phone, etc.
If you work min wage, you basically get a slew of government aid programs to keep you afloat. The taxpayer is in a way subsidizing the labor force of many companies. I have a buddy who never rose above just being a bagger at a grocery store. He gets cash assistance, section 8, food stamps, obama phone, etc.
Depending on your state and family status, yes. A single individual with no kids, good luck with that...
Many employers enjoy a surplus of low-wage labor, in which case Why Pay More?
I know an employer who has lifers in their 40s/50s/60s earning within 25 cents of minimum wage.
Tell us about these lifers who won't move on to another entry level job that pays more.
Do they have some sort of learning disability? Are they afraid to apply for other jobs? Do they have some sort of record that will make them unhirable? Theft? Drug or alcohol problem? Do they just like the part time low wage work and don't need any more money?
There's many entry level jobs available now at $11-12 an hour. Those lifers could make better choices.
Personal experience. One minimum wage job is $1000 a month. That is what you need just to pay rent in most places. The second minimum wage job, is for all the other expenses. Electric, water, car expenses, etc. The third 0.5 minimum wage job is for discretionary spending. If you don't spend any money on anything else, you could save that money. But you would have to work 100 hours a week for at least one full year, without spending even one cent on yourself, to be able to afford a down payment on the crappiest possible house. But to even do that you would have to hope that you never get sick, or have any other unexpected expenses, such as a car repair, because that could easily set you back another year. People who think that that is possible, have obviously never done it. The reality is that you will get sick, you will have unexpected expenses, you will get your hours cut at some point, and those problems will wipe out all of your savings and you will have to keep starting over, forever.
If someone has enough of a work ethic to be holding down three minimum wage jobs, they've got a strong enough work ethic to make more than minimum wage - probably significantly more.
The unemployment rate is 3.9 percent and even lower in some parts of the country for pete's sake. At this point there are companies desperate for quality workers and willing to pay well above minimum wage for them. Of course, they still expect them to be drug free, dependable, honest, with a good work ethic, and preferably with no criminal record.
Many employers enjoy a surplus of low-wage labor, in which case Why Pay More?
I know an employer who has lifers in their 40s/50s/60s earning within 25 cents of minimum wage.
How do you know this employer and this information? What sort of work are these people doing?
And by the way, the unemployment rate nationally is 3.9 percent and in some regions it's even lower. The majority of employers do not "enjoy a surplus of low-wage labor" but in fact are nearly desperate for dependable, hard working, drug free, criminal record - free workers and will pay well for them.
Since we're apparently trading personal anecdotes, I'll give mine. Around here (northeast Texas, mid size metro area) grocery baggers, who are part time by the way, and usually teens, make $9 an hour starting pay.
Why are apartment communities allowed to require 3 to 4 times your salary? I’ve been dealing with this horrible situation for almost a year now. When did those requirements take place. It’s impossible for someone even with minor disabilities (back issues) to keep 2 1/2 Jobs. Very discouraging. Now the government or State could intervene and demand the community not be allowed to require such a high income amount. Has anyone ever visited a section 8 Apartment? I worked for a builder that owned 4 of them. They’re filled with roaches, filthy, some non working appliances and maintenance if any do not have permission to fix a faucet. I’ve seen poor working families go without air conditioning in San Antonio Texas in July and August because the owner didn’t seem to think it was a necessity.
It not a question of whether these people can do better or make more money, it about being able to qualify to live in a clean well maintained home. Rental communities, and Real Estate property companies (manage rental homes), require 3-4 times your income. Crazy!!
Why are apartment communities allowed to require 3 to 4 times your salary? I’ve been dealing with this horrible situation for almost a year now. When did those requirements take place. It’s impossible for someone even with minor disabilities (back issues) to keep 2 1/2 Jobs. Very discouraging. Now the government or State could intervene and demand the community not be allowed to require such a high income amount. Has anyone ever visited a section 8 Apartment? I worked for a builder that owned 4 of them. They’re filled with roaches, filthy, some non working appliances and maintenance if any do not have permission to fix a faucet. I’ve seen poor working families go without air conditioning in San Antonio Texas in July and August because the owner didn’t seem to think it was a necessity.
It not a question of whether these people can do better or make more money, it about being able to qualify to live in a clean well maintained home. Rental communities, and Real Estate property companies (manage rental homes), require 3-4 times your income. Crazy!!
I agree the 3x income to rent is ridiculous, but you need to find a private landlord that doesn't require it.
As far as AC in summer. It's not a necessity or it would be required. And if you want AC get a window or portable unit if the LL can't supply it.
Then don't buy a $400,000 home. Heck my husband and I qualify for about a $600,000 home but guess what we bought? Now it was a deal, and we have put $100k into it over four years, but we bought a house for $193,000. Yes, our realtor was shocked (and probably dismayed) but now it's worth about $300,000. We could STILL sell it and go buy a house for $600k but why?
Homeownership IS a goal - it's not a given and it's not something that becomes possible overnight or even in a few years. I was 30 years old when I bought my first house - and it was 1300 square feet. I thought it was FABULOUS. It was small, and I was paying 7 percent interest which was actually a pretty good rate at that time believe it or not - a few years earlier interest rates had been up around 15 percent.
This is true.
When we bought our house, we qualified for a higher amount than we chose to spend.
Instead we bought a starter 2/1 with garage basement and a loosely enclosed porch.
We renovated the bath, added kitchen cabinets and insulted, added things lije ceiling, heat run, carpeting to the porch to turn it into a full extra room. It is our favorite room in the house. It adds 140 sq ft to the house.
Point this poster and I are making is that you don't have to buy a Mcmansion or get your 'dream house" on the first try.
Oh, and my OH works one job as a grocery store cashier at minimum and a second job a couple dollars more than minimum. I am on SSDI, and work just two daysa week part time at minimum ( im a " working person with disabilities ").
So don't say it can't be done.
During my working career I always worked more than one job to get the things I wanted out of life. I am and was,no slouch.
Same for my OH.
This area is filled with mostly minimum wage based jobs.
I bothers me when some one quotes that that " only 2% of the population works at minimum wage" or whatever. But working for a nickel more than minimum IS " not working for minimum", but it still IS a minimum type wage. Even a dollar over minimum is still a minimum wage based job. So those types of statistics are skewed only in that $7.30 /hr is above minimum, but REALLY. , $0.40 a day will not even buy a candy bar these days!!!
Minimum wage IS a,problem when much of the employers feel that is all they have to pay.
I'll post again later, showing how at one time employers valued loyal employees who were responsible, and paid Then better than minimum, where as now those things are gone as they only have to pay minimum.
It's a lot about how hard you are willing to work, and how you manage your money.
( btw, I am "above minimum", a whole $0.35 above. So, no I'm not working AT minimum, but we're I full time, what exactly woukd the extra $14.00 actually buy? In my area a lb of Hamburg is $4.00, a gallon of milk $2.00, a loaf of bread is $1.50. I could not even buy 2 of each of thise a week.)
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