How you can survive in Maryland working only 28 hours a week at minimum wage

zar

Theist
For this method I'm making several assumptions

-You receive state health insurance and pay $1 for prescriptions
-You receive $200 a month in food stamps
-The minimum wage of $8.25 comes to about $7.80 after state/fed taxes (I did not know where to check for exacts, I just guessed, however I doubt it is terribly off)
----edit.. minimum wage taxed at 15% calculates to $7.45, so a slight underestimation on my part however my general point is the same.. you can absolutely survive on minimum wage working less than 40 hours. even if all the taxes take it down to $7 an hour you'd only have to work 30.7 hours to make $215 a week
-Car insurance is $200 a month
-You already own a phone/car

Budgets
Food-additional $40 a month for food $40x12 months = $480. Most items are bought at dollar tree/value stores/minimum luxury purchases
Basic necessities A year supply worth of toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, combs, brushes, face washes, deodorants and razors can be bought at dollar tree for a whopping $136 dollars.. hell that's probably a generous figure to budget for this.
Service Phone plan metroPCS at $30 dollars a month, haircuts once every 3 months at a generous $30 budgeted for each, another generous $72 budgeted for yearly prescriptions assuming you're paying $1 a pop (I know many people that are and get free healthcare).. totals of all these come up to $582 a year
Clothing $40 per month, thrift only...you can buy the whole store for $40 so it's plenty.. - $480 a year
Junk/knick knacks/crap you don't really need $30 a month.. keep it mostly to dollar tree. $360 a year
Car insurance $200 a month.. if you can't at least get liability at $200 a month you may need to cut back on your thrifting $2400 yearly
Rent $500 a month... you can find a room for $500 a month $6000 yearly
Gas you should be driving to 3 places and 3 places only, work, dollar tree and the thrift store. $800 dollars a year, $66 dollars a month
Other because I'm nice.. $33.33 dollars a month or 400 dollars a year

Grand Total expenses $11,638

11,638/54 weeks

=$215.51 a week

/pay rate of minimum wage at 7.80

= manage to work 27.6 hours a week (obviously you want to a safety net so you work 40 hours)


So I'm not financial expert, I'm open to critiques and criticisms of my math/expense realities if you have any to offer. However I think I have showed how cheaply you can survive if absolutely needed (of course this isn't the most pleasant way of living)
 
Last edited:

Kyle

ULTRA-F###ING-MAGA!
PREMO Member
IMG_0796.JPG
 

black dog

Free America
Depending on what State you live in a single childless person can only receive food stamps / snap benefits for three months every three years. With some exclusions.
 

tommyjo

New Member
For this method I'm making several assumptions

-You receive state health insurance and pay $1 for prescriptions
-You receive $200 a month in food stamps
-The minimum wage of $8.25 comes to about $7.80 after state/fed taxes (I did not know where to check for exacts, I just guessed, however I doubt it is terribly off)
----edit.. minimum wage taxed at 15% calculates to $7.45, so a slight underestimation on my part however my general point is the same.. you can absolutely survive on minimum wage working less than 40 hours. even if all the taxes take it down to $7 an hour you'd only have to work 30.7 hours to make $215 a week
-Car insurance is $200 a month
-You already own a phone/car

Budgets
Food-additional $40 a month for food $40x12 months = $480. Most items are bought at dollar tree/value stores/minimum luxury purchases
Basic necessities A year supply worth of toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, combs, brushes, face washes, deodorants and razors can be bought at dollar tree for a whopping $136 dollars.. hell that's probably a generous figure to budget for this.
Service Phone plan metroPCS at $30 dollars a month, haircuts once every 3 months at a generous $30 budgeted for each, another generous $72 budgeted for yearly prescriptions assuming you're paying $1 a pop (I know many people that are and get free healthcare).. totals of all these come up to $582 a year
Clothing $40 per month, thrift only...you can buy the whole store for $40 so it's plenty.. - $480 a year
Junk/knick knacks/crap you don't really need $30 a month.. keep it mostly to dollar tree. $360 a year
Car insurance $200 a month.. if you can't at least get liability at $200 a month you may need to cut back on your thrifting $2400 yearly
Rent $500 a month... you can find a room for $500 a month $6000 yearly
Gas you should be driving to 3 places and 3 places only, work, dollar tree and the thrift store. $800 dollars a year, $66 dollars a month
Other because I'm nice.. $33.33 dollars a month or 400 dollars a year

Grand Total expenses $11,638

11,638/54 weeks

=$215.51 a week

/pay rate of minimum wage at 7.80

= manage to work 27.6 hours a week (obviously you want to a safety net so you work 40 hours)


So I'm not financial expert, I'm open to critiques and criticisms of my math/expense realities if you have any to offer. However I think I have showed how cheaply you can survive if absolutely needed (of course this isn't the most pleasant way of living)

Some general thoughts...

*at that level of income no or VERY little federal tax would be owed...
* where'd they get the money for a car?
*where do they get the money to fix and/or maintain the car? (they aren't buying new...on this income you are driving a sh!tbox that will breakdown, need oil changes and tires)
*I do not believe there is any way in hell to live on $40 a month for food
*A room for $500? Where do you cook?

Your general point is valid...it is possible to live on relatively very little income...however, as you point out, this is a very tenuous existence...one relatively small additional expense and you are behind the 8 ball...one larger expense (new tires or a illness) and you are done economically.
 

Rommey

Well-Known Member
zar said:
Gas you should be driving to 3 places and 3 places only, work, dollar tree and the thrift store.
I guess you assume they live close enough to a grocery store to walk? Or are you suggesting they don't need fresh food, which is not usually available at the dollar store? However, since you only allocate $40/mo I guess they can't afford any of that anyways.

Also, most people are going to get quite bored living in a dark, cold (or hot) room since you allocated $0 to utilities.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Or you could - hold onto your seats - leave Maryland and move somewhere with a friendlier cost of living. When you make minimum wage, you're doing some low level no education necessary job that you can do anywhere in the United States. Maryland is expensive, and your $8 an hour (or whatever minimum wage is these days) will go a lot further in any number of places throughout the country.

If you're young you can join the military - learn while you earn and build a future.

I need another cup of this La Quinta's amazing pecan coffee, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time running down all the opportunities there are in this country. But there are a lot of them, and if you even have the slightest bit on the ball you can succeed, but you have to want to succeed and many times you have to think outside the box.
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

So I'm not financial expert, ...

Well that pretty effing obvious. How is this person supposed to climb their way out of the cycle of this financial slavery? This is not a life. This is human robotics, work, sleep, drive, work, drive, sleep, work, drive, .... Minimum pay scales are for the young, still living at home, while hopefully getting a proper education, lacking any skills, doing jobs that need a minimum skill level. Your example has no real world application, except maybe in Appalachia. I tell my kids that are experiencing the joys of minimum pay jobs, that if they want to move out to live on their own, they will need a job that pays, at a minimum, at least three to four times what they are making now to be somewhat comfortable.

Oh, and if someone is spending and eating only $40 worth of food a month, then they will be in such a malnourished state and sick from that and all the chemicals from the processing of that crap food they won't be able to work.
 

zar

Theist
Some general thoughts...

*at that level of income no or VERY little federal tax would be owed...
* where'd they get the money for a car?
*where do they get the money to fix and/or maintain the car? (they aren't buying new...on this income you are driving a sh!tbox that will breakdown, need oil changes and tires)
*I do not believe there is any way in hell to live on $40 a month for food
*A room for $500? Where do you cook?

Your general point is valid...it is possible to live on relatively very little income...however, as you point out, this is a very tenuous existence...one relatively small additional expense and you are behind the 8 ball...one larger expense (new tires or a illness) and you are done economically.

No, $240 with the food stamps. They are easy to get in maryland, I see people using them to by bushels of crabs at Crab knockers all the time. It's orange and says "independence".

also to the person above saying a tire could blow out expenses.. I am talking about the bare minimum to get by. You're assuming this person is incapable of working more than 30 hours, 40 hours even 50 hours would give them plenty of room to play with

asking about where'd they get money for the car is moving the goal posts, I stated the criteria in which this scenario works
 

zar

Theist
If I may ...



Well that pretty effing obvious. How is this person supposed to climb their way out of the cycle of this financial slavery? This is not a life. This is human robotics, work, sleep, drive, work, drive, sleep, work, drive, .... Minimum pay scales are for the young, still living at home, while hopefully getting a proper education, lacking any skills, doing jobs that need a minimum skill level. Your example has no real world application, except maybe in Appalachia. I tell my kids that are experiencing the joys of minimum pay jobs, that if they want to move out to live on their own, they will need a job that pays, at a minimum, at least three to four times what they are making now to be somewhat comfortable.

Oh, and if someone is spending and eating only $40 worth of food a month, then they will be in such a malnourished state and sick from that and all the chemicals from the processing of that crap food they won't be able to work.

apparently you have a problem with reading, one of the first things I said is that they receive $200 a month in food stamps and at no point did i say this was ideal
 
Last edited:

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

I am talking about the bare minimum to get by. You're assuming this person is incapable of working more than 30 hours, 40 hours even 50 hours would give them plenty of room to play with asking about where'd they get money for the car is moving the goal posts, I stated the criteria in which this scenario works

We're not assuming anything. Your OP did not include any other variables except a person working a minimum wage job at 28 hours a week. If, as you now posit, that this person is now capable of filling their time by working an additional 20-30 hours per week, it throws out all of your ascertains. So why don't you start all over with a new thread or STFU?
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I understood Zar's point to be that minimum effort folks who earn a minimum wage can indeed "survive" on their pay, presuming they receive government assistance. And that is true. Will they be living high on the hog with all the comforts of someone who earns much more? No. But they can pare down and make it work.

But let's get real:

If you are trying to raise a family on minimum wage, it's time for you to rethink your life. If you got laid off and are working a minimum job to tide you over while you look for other work, that's one thing; but if that McDonald's fry cook job is your sole means of support and your biggest career aspiration is that the fed will increase minimum wage, you are definitely not doing this life thing right.

Indeed there are a number of things you can do to improve your lot in life, but there are a million excuses why you "can't".
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

apparently you have a problem with reading, one of the first things I said is that they receive $200 a month in food stamps

Then maybe, in your excel spreadsheet, you should have listed "food" at $240 per month.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Most restaurant type jobs give you a meal if you work a shift more than 5 hrs.

Many food items are cheap and nourishing, bananas are usually under 50 cents a lb, a head of lettuce is usually a dollar, a cheap loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter doesn't cost much, dozen eggs at Aldi are 50 cents.

It is buying the convenience foods that kill you, instead of buying a head of lettuce buying the already bagged cut stuff, instead of whole carrots buying "baby" carrots.
 

Hank

my war
Most restaurant type jobs give you a meal if you work a shift more than 5 hrs.

Many food items are cheap and nourishing, bananas are usually under 50 cents a lb, a head of lettuce is usually a dollar, a cheap loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter doesn't cost much, dozen eggs at Aldi are 50 cents.

It is buying the convenience foods that kill you, instead of buying a head of lettuce buying the already bagged cut stuff, instead of whole carrots buying "baby" carrots.

My late teens/early twenties, I survived off Ramen Noodles. Case for like $5. Good Eatin'! :yum:
 

TWL

Kernel panic: Aiee.......
No, $240 with the food stamps. They are easy to get in maryland, I see people using them to by bushels of crabs at Crab knockers all the time. It's orange and says "independence".

also to the person above saying a tire could blow out expenses.. I am talking about the bare minimum to get by. You're assuming this person is incapable of working more than 30 hours, 40 hours even 50 hours would give them plenty of room to play with

asking about where'd they get money for the car is moving the goal posts, I stated the criteria in which this scenario works

The maximum SNAP benefit for a single person household is $194. That is if the person has no income. Working minimum wage at 30 hours/week you'll earn $990/month. This will bring your SNAP benefit down to approx. $150. Working 40+ hours/week would end your SNAP benefits, as your income would exceed the income guidelines.
Also, as someone has alluded to, your income tax liability would be $0 with a such a low income. If you're smart, you'll fill out your W4 in a way as to not have any income tax withheld. You'll have your $990/month minus 6% for social security and 2.5% medicare taxes.
Who pays $200/month for car insurance? Maybe $100 max. If you're paying that much, look elsewhere.
 
Last edited:

CRHS89

Well-Known Member
The maximum SNAP benefit for a single person household is $194. That is if the person has no income. Working minimum wage at 30 hours/week you'll earn $990/month. This will bring your SNAP benefit down to approx. $150.
Also, as someone has alluded to, your income tax liability would be $0 with a such a low income. If you're smart, you'll fill out your W4 in a way as to not have any income tax withheld. You'll have your $990/month minus 6% for social security and 2.5% medicare taxes.
Who pays $200/month for car insurance? Maybe $100 max. If you're paying that much, look elsewhere.

My aunt lives alone, gets $1100 in disability and only gets a small amount of food stamps. I don't remember exactly, but it is under $50.
 
Top