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How to Thrive on $10 per Hour: A Manual

Debate Information

How to Thrive on $10 per Hour: A Manual

Note, I will be applying absolutely provable laws & facts as strong as the Kinematic Equations from Physics--see below:

-One can easily find an apartment for $750 rent per month in a nice, safe area

-Electric bill between $20-$50 per month

-Internet only package for $50 a month (optional)

-Phone bill, service + unlimited data for $50

-Food for $60 per week, is $240 per month

-Miscellaneous for $100 a month

Then, taking the high end for each estimate, we arrive at a figure of $1250--note one could do with much less, say $1000 per month if necessary.

Now, 10x40x52=20,800. ==> 20,800/12=1,733.33

Before taxes, one would would be able to pay for necessities plus $500 surplus per month.

Now, factoring in taxes, 8.3x40x52=17,264. ==> 17,264/12=1,438.66

Therefore, an individual making $10/hr wage with taxes included, even in the absence of other benefits, will be able live a comfortable local lifestyle with bills payed, necessities met, and some pocket change for spending and/or saving. Further, one could up their hours to 50 or 60 per week, which still provides enough free time to read a book a week, train/exercise, engage in hobbies, etc., relax/sleep.

For 50 hrs: 8.3x50x52=21,580. Also, some money will be back awarded during tax season, say several hundred. Then, about $22,000 per year. Potential to save $7000 per year.

For 60 hrs: 8.3x60x52=25,896. Again, money will be back awarded, say several hundred again. Then, $26,300 per year. Potential to save $11,3000.

Thus, not only would one be able to survive, they can (a) attend Community college and/or 4 year College (b) save up to purchase their own home/land within a few years or so (c) spend excess money on trips, etc. as they please upon their own discretion.

Endnotes on bills:

-MetroPCS offers $30-50 a month phone bill as described ==> https://www.metropcs.com/shop/plans

-Verizon offers $50 a month internet only plan ==> Verizon Fios Internet, TV, Phone

-Dollar Tree & other dollar stores provide fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, oatmeal, bread, nuts, cleaning supplies, other household supplies, etc. for $1 each ==>https://www.dollartree.com/department/food-candy-drinks

-One could find an apartment in that price & location range immediately online. Here is an example, I simply typed in Columbus, Ohio. Note, Columbus, Ohio is home to Ohio State University, which is $10,000 per year, and could also be attended on a $10/hr wage as described here and elsewhere. ==> https://www.forrent.com/find/OH/metr...price-700+1000

-Miscellaneous items including clothes, washer+dryer, etc. Walmart, Macy's, Outlets, Amazon, etc. etc. have plenty of nice, low priced/discounted clothes. Washer and dryer, say $20 a month. Library is free, which provides all necessary books, audiobooks, movies, newspaper, magazines, video games, etc. etc. Also, used book stores have all such items for extremely cheap as well, say $2-3 per used book/video/game. Here is one such branch ==> https://www.betterworldbooks.com/



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  • MayCaesarMayCaesar 5971 Pts   -  
    When I just moved to the US, I lived on approximately $400 a month, and I could easily cut the expenses down to $300 a month if I really wanted. I was renting a basement for $250 a month and mostly bought food with the high calorie-per-cent ratio. 
    Making over $2000 a month in net income, I was saving over $1500 a month, and only my poor understanding of finances and lack of foresight at the time made me waste that surplus on various toys and conveniences.

    The best way to go about finances in life is to start with living as economically as you can, investing the surplus or saving it for later investment. Then, once the income from your investments becomes significant, you can start buying luxuries, without a significant damage to your finances.
    xMathFanx
  • whiteflamewhiteflame 689 Pts   -   edited February 2019
    Intriguing breakdown. A couple of things I think require some more thought:

    "-One can easily find an apartment for $750 rent per month in a nice, safe area"

    Finding an apartment for $750 in rent depends entirely on the area in which you live, let alone ensuring that the area in which you live is safe. Opportunities are not equal across the country, so you'd have to include moving costs for anyone who is not in an appropriate location to find such an apartment (say, someone in San Francisco or Los Angeles). Transition times, including securing a new job, are also factors.

    "Electric bill between $20-$50 per month"

    Depends on the state (if you're running air conditioning or electric heat semi-regularly, it's a lot more), but this isn't accurate even for an average apartment on the low end. Studio apartments run up a $55 bill in electricity alone, on average. I also can't help but notice that natural gas costs aren't included - that would just about double the overall cost.

    https://www.forrent.com/blog/apt_life/apartment-utility-breakdown-what-apartment-life-costs-beyond-the-rent/

    I won't challenge the internet or phone costs, though I will note that both of them do not include the costs of the devices required to use them. Admittedly, that's a one-time cost, but it's all up front. 

    "-Food for $60 per week, is $240 per month"

    I see your notes on this, though I'm really unclear on how you arrived at the numbers. $60 a week is not a tremendous amount of food, and while those stores do offer options, there are a few problems with choosing them. First, they're not everywhere. Again, this restricts living opportunities for anyone pretty dramatically. Second, they do not all offer the same items, which means some people are going to be more restricted by a diet entirely derived from these stores than others. Third, I will note that all the fruits, vegetables, fish and meat aren't fresh. They're often canned or dried, usually with a great deal of salt. This kind of diet isn't particularly good for human beings to subsist on, whether solely or chiefly.

    "Miscellaneous for $100 a month"

    That's... pretty vague. You give some specifics on it, largely focusing on clothes and using a washer/dryer, as well as a bunch of goodies to pass the time. I'll assume that all fits in there nicely, then point out that this also has to cover necessities it cannot.
    Two examples:
    Transportation costs - if they drive a car: parking costs, maintenance, gas, insurance and registration; if they take the bus: bus pass or equivalent, paid out either daily or in one large sum, requires that they live near a bus line, further restricting location choices. There are alternatives like Zipcar, Uber and Lyft, but all of them are likely more expensive.
    Health care costs - at $10 an hour, this person isn't getting anything for health care from their place of work. Any medications and doctors' visits are theirs to cover, so they can purchase health insurance (which, while it is largely subsidized for lower rated plans, is still expensive and comes with hefty co-pays and deductibles) or they can pay it all out of pocket. Admittedly, there's a chance the cost is $0, but the odds of that are slim to nil.

    "Now, 10x40x52=20,800. ==> 20,800/12=1,733.33"

    To be clear, this means were are now assuming absolutely no vacation time or holidays, beyond those that are paid (which are likely very few). This person gets sick and they are out for an extended leave, this number goes down. This person has a family member that is in poor health, that comes out of their pay. The numbers are only accurate insofar as we believe this is a human in perfect health with not much of a life to speak of beyond the bounds of their workplace and home.

    "Thus, not only would one be able to survive, they can (a) attend Community college and/or 4 year College (b) save up to purchase their own home/land within a few years or so (c) spend excess money on trips, etc. as they please upon their own discretion."

    I was largely willing to accept the 50 to 60 hour thing, though that sounds like it's going to really minimize the free time of these individuals and put more stress on them physically (though admittedly, we don't know how much stress Job X will put on this individual), but this is hard to stomach. Community college is relatively cheap (though I will say that is somewhat dependent on both the college and the state) and trips may be made cheaper by eschewing certain things like flights and hotel stays, but a 4 year college? Purchasing a home? These are not small expenditures, and the former comes with a substantial loss of time. This person would be paying tens of thousands of dollars a year on school alone, working part time at most to get by. And purchasing a home is extremely dependent on location, though we're still talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention keeping up a mortgage and basic maintenance. This seems incredibly overoptimistic. 

    Overall, I think your breakdown is intriguing, but overly simplistic. The main thing that's missing is, well, family. You assume this person has no obligation to send money to their parents or siblings, makes no efforts to date or start a family, and is largely just focused on work and basic personal happiness. Maybe that describes a good portion of the population, but I don't see how it's all that representative.
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