It is a hard cold fact now that a lot of people have to live on less than $30,000 a year. We for example will just use $30,000 as a round number. That is $2500 a month gross. A good round net number is 75%. Making a yearly net about $22,500 yearly or $1875 monthly.
How you live life and how much you can save depends a lot on your living arrangements. If you are living rent or house payment free as with mommy and daddy you free up a lot of cash. If you are paying $800 rent every month this takes up $1118 gross a month. Then to the rent you must add utilities, phone, cable, internet and any over services involved with a household. Such as food. So if you are spending an average of $10 a day on food that is another $300 a month. Which is $375 gross. Add in the $200 for utilities $250 gross. You all of a sudden have used a big chunk of that income. This is now $1743 gross or$1307.25 net. Take that $1875 minus $1307.25 comes to $567.75 left. But you have a car. With a payment of $300 a month for 72 months. An automobile insurance payment of $100. Using net numbers that leaves you with $167.75 left for the month or about $42 a week left. Not much wiggle room there. That breaks down to less than $6 a day of uncommitted money. Now you do not feel as prosperous as you did at the beginning of this post.
So unless you are not paying rent or for a lot of food you are living to just exist and pay taxing to support people who are living about the same for doing nothing. You really feel good now don't you. And that is at $30,000 a year gross. Imagine at $20,000.
Unfortunately most people cannot get along without transportation. For the most part public transportation in the United States is poor at best. I really admire the folks I work with that rely on public transportation or family help with rides. For all that it is worth I cannot imagine having to rely on something or something (public transportation) to get the things I really need and get to work. As I usually ride a bicycle.
People on entitlements are allowed enough money to live on their own. A private living arrangement. Food and medical. But as a working poor person you may have to give up you privacy and medical coverage to just get by. I have seen many best friends become room mates and in the end an enemy. So you have a room mate. They take your food. Wear your clothes. Take your car. Play video games all night. That sure sounds like fun.
It is really hard for these young people. A good out may be joining the military. It is a bit better than prison. You have food and housing provided. You get to see the world. You have opportunities for advancement. And VA benefits for life. But they say now that over 70% of twenty year olds do not meet the physical or mental requirements. So that may be out.
Then there is the Thank God There Is People With Money route. You get a job at a retail establishment and work as best you can. This can be a department store at the mall, big box, electronics, automotive, home center etc. Although it is tough to get a full time job and even come close to making $30,000. If you do make that kind of money you would probably have to be in IT or management.
Without full time status you do not get vacation, health benefits, bonuses, retirement benefits and a sundry amount of other perks. Again you a penalized for working. Much better life to just live on entitlements. Hardly anything you would be selling would be made in the USA anyway. As you are not that healthy anyway. May as well stay at home and watch TV. At least in Europe they have a true usable socialized medical plan available for everyone, generally very good public transportation, shorter work weeks, and generally mandatory vacation and holidays.
Well that just isn't the American Dream. Home ownership. Having a private car. The medical system we have today. But having a crappy part time job does not get you these things. Time to wake up out of this dream and look at things pragmatically. Politically Correct is a bunch of garbage were is prevents the real truth from being said without being provocative.
So if you are not living at home or practically for free lodging. You have to make some adjustments. Cooking and eating at home. In lieu of eating out. Packing your lunch on most days. Shopping for clothes and household items at thrift stores. You can also find sporting goods, hobby items, books, music, movies and tons of other stuff at thrift stores. One lesson on thrift store clothes is that if you find that really cool shirt or pants with a little stain on it do not think that it is going to come out when you wash it at home. As they usually have washed everything in a heavy duty industrial washer which would get anything as clean as it can get.
Another thing is try to live close to you work. If you are going to have to spend $100 on gas every week. You might do just as well to work somewhere that you do not have to drive to. If I did not have aging parents to have to drive to I would really not even need a car to get by. And if I did not get so paranoid I should have milked my 25 year old truck a little longer. But I was at a point where it still looked good, ran good, is a four wheel drive that someone with resources could have made a cherry daily driver out of a classic truck. If I had the cash on hand I would have surely done that and kept it. And if it up and died I would have had to pay someone to haul off a 4000 pound hulk instead of getting $2000 for an old cool truck. I am lucky though having put much thought into working within walking or bicycle distance. Living where I can get everything I need within a three mile radius. Nothing fancy,but good enough.
You do not work all the time. But your time away from work involves maintaining your household. Family time if you have one. You need to seek out free recreational activities. I do not capitalize on things that are available to me within my apartment community. We have a pool, tennis court, basketball court, exercise room and clubhouse which I can use. It is very scenic. I see a lot of others taking part and capitalizing on these opportunities. I am just not that social at this juncture. At any rate there is something in your home or possessions that need attention. So you can address it and spend some off time in a positive fashion.
For some reason I have been in a hermit mode for over a year. No golf (at the cheap muny of course), not taking any pleasure bicycle rides, not connecting with people much at all. It is a phase of course and will most likely pass through it. But then again I may not. In reality I am a nerd and will probably always be a nerd. There is no one missing me or even wandering where I am. So find out who you are and who you want to be. You may not be made of gold or silver. But maybe steel. Take care of yourself and be nice to the others you deal with. No one likes a crab.
The fact of the matter is that we are living in times that differ from other generations. Considering what we have as individuals we are lucky. Much more than the lower classes ever had before. So we have to be thankful of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment