Groups like Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance, and Business for a Fair Minimum Wage support a higher wage, which they believe will inspire employee loyalty and boost workplace morale, which leads to more satisfied customers and an increase in consumer spending.
Some large U. The minimum wage in the United States is no longer a living wage. Even though many states are paying more than this amount, minimum-wage earners continue to struggle to make ends meet. But there is a continuously growing movement among workers, policy analysts, state and city governments, and even some employers to raise it. Economic Policy Institute. Department of Labor. National Public Radio. New York State Department of Labor. The New York Times.
Makes the Case for the Minimum Wage. Department of Health and Human Services. Schuck Law, LLC. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Congressional Budget Office. Accessed Nov. The Washington Post. A Bullseye View. The Wall Street Journal. Family Finances. Lifestyle Advice. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
This so-called living wage is what it takes for workers to afford basic necessities like food, housing, transportation and health care, without using public assistance and while still having some room to save for emergencies. In 42 states and Washington, D. The states with the highest living wage for workers with student debt, according to the report:.
The report also highlights the varying ways student loans may affect different types of borrowers. So…basically…life is going to suck and one should just hope for a quick, painless death? That seems kind of depressing.
At the same time, you could start a side hustle to make your finances better and maybe even get a better job.
We have lots of posts about ways to side hustle or work from home to make your life better. Living on minimum wage for one person is indeed doable. Most people are just too damn lazy to do what it takes. EVERY budget has room for cuts. A couple with both working minimum wage jobs should be doing OK.
Stop complaining about your station in life and do something about it. Thank you for posting this and describing your experience. How polite and respectful your replies have been to comments that are not. Thank you! I know it is frustrating to try to make it on either minimum wage or very low wages. With some creativity and carefully planning, it can be done for some people. If you already have pets when you are moving out of your family home, having to cover costs for pets, let alone a human child, would be ridiculously impossible and a joke on minimum wage.
Life is great on paper or with a calculator. Thank you for your comments, though. I appreciated this post. I used the tips from this post about a year ago when I moved to New York City. While everything did not apply in my situation, such as rent, which is ridiculous in the city, I tried a bunch of the suggestions from here.
I shared the apartment, so the rent and utilities would be cheaper, and got a second job that was super flexible, depending on my schedule for each week. It was a real struggle though, and it took a lot of discipline, but it definitely got easier. I must say it was difficult, but it was also temporary until I got myself situated.
So, thanks a lot! You took what applied to you, used it, and tweaked what needed to be different for your own unique situation. Thank you for this post. We must realize that when you read financial help articles like this, it will not fix your financial struggles like a magic wand.
You must accept that there is no such thing as magic. We have to put forth much time and effort to make things work. Comments This is a good post, Laurie. I doubt the author ever lived like this. Good for you! Thanks for these tips!
While it may sound impossible, with a good paying side hustle you can set aside money and save. Unfortunately, this is pretty much impossible for Kai. The inability to save is a particularly big problem if Kai has any existing debts, such as student loans or credit card debt.
Unfortunately, many low-wage workers are in this situation. For married couples or others who share a household, it can be somewhat easier. Even if both partners make minimum wage, two people sharing household expenses can typically live on less money than one living alone, so these couples are likely to have more wiggle room in their budgets. However, this benefit vanishes for couples who are raising children together. They must either sacrifice one income so one parent can stay home with the kids or pay for child care , which could potentially eat up an entire minimum wage salary by itself.
But we also know that in reality, there are around 1. Many of the minimum wage workers interviewed by news sources rely on some form of government aid. Numerous workers say either they or their family members rely on SNAP, and one woman receives housing aid as well.
Nearly all minimum wage workers interviewed by news sources are financially dependent on friends or family members. Workers in the Los Angeles Times article say they rely on relatives and friends for child care, baby supplies, and help with bills. Both Vice and the Los Angeles Times say many workers hold multiple jobs at once to make ends meet.
For instance, one man works as both a janitor and a fast-food worker, putting in around 60 hours a week in total. According to the BLS , 4. Other minimum wage workers earn extra money from a variety of odd jobs. Interviewees mention delivering food for Grubhub and DoorDash , taking part in paid medical studies , or donating plasma.
Some consistently work 50 hours or more per week, while others never know from day to day what their working hours will be. Some spend hours each day commuting on public transport, forcing them to get up as early as 5am to make it to work on time.
A single mother says she often has to choose between taking her kids to see a doctor and working to earn the money she needs to support them. Minimum wage jobs are often physically demanding as well. One worker describes spending eight- to hour shifts at a grocery store constantly on her feet, running back and forth between the cash register and the stockroom. Vox also talked to a Walmart worker in Arkansas who says she puts off paying bills in order to buy food for herself and her family.
Other workers describe having their utilities cut off, being evicted for unpaid rent, and even being homeless.
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