I used to think it was a fortune, but not in this day and age!
Rent is through the roof in my area! Throw on top of that renter's insurance, gas, car payment, car insurance, student loans, debts, retirement accounts, investments, savings accounts and some money to have fun. All of a sudden, $20 an hour is not enough.
2007-11-27 07:44:43 · 17 answers · asked by Andre 7 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
That is PLENTY for a single person to live on. If you cannot, then you are spending too much on needless things.
2007-11-27 07:58:49 · answer #1 · answered by steve g 2 · 7⤊ 1⤋
What are your expenses? What are considered essentials?
Sounds like you need a budget. The poverty line is about $20,000 for a single person and add another $10k per person in the household.
Rent is high, so I would consider buying a condo or property. That way you'd be paying yourself in equity.
Insurance shouldn't be that much. Do you have a ton of expensive stuff that you're insuring? Can you go down on coverage on both car and renters?
Think about carpooling to reduce gas. Also, public transportation is another idea. Not ideal, but much cheaper than car payments, insurance, gas....
Retirement accounts are essential, but make sure you're not over investing. Same with savings. Restructure your debts and student loans. It's possible to reduce your monthly payments and still pay down the debt. Talk to your creditors.
Stick to a food budget and a fun budget. If you go out and drink, it'll really cost you. Think about having some friends over and do a BYOB or potluck dinner. It will cut down on the expenses.
Good luck!
2007-11-27 15:58:35 · answer #2 · answered by Shinran 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
How nice to see someone thinking about their future while they still have one. If you are concerned that $20 isn't enough what are you going to do to increase that basic wage? Ask for a raise? In today's economy the wise spender will be able to live on whatever it is they are earning. If you have student loans then you need to do a survey of what other people in your field are earning. If you are new to the field then you will just have to be patient and work your way up the financial ladder like everyone else does. But most of all be grateful that you are earning $20 an hour; there are many tens of thousands of people in America who live on a great deal less than that.
2007-11-27 16:14:22 · answer #3 · answered by LEC 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
depends on where you live, and all the other people do not realize exactly how much you spend on student loans probably.
When my husband finishes grad school, we are looking at a whopping 800/ month for school loan payments. We do not have any retirment accounts and live in a studio and have 1 car and he makes more than you. With a child on the way we plan on staying in this studio for at least another 2 years.
We live in NYC though so that probably explains why getting by on 70k is dam hard with tons of debt.
2007-11-27 16:07:29 · answer #4 · answered by FunkyMonkey 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if you know how to manage your money wisely, then $10 per hour is a liveable wage for a single person. Believer it or not, people are making a living on..................................MINIMUM WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!! that was supposed to be the big echoey voice. lmao!! Dude, if you can't make it on 20 bucks per hour, you need to take a hard look at yourself and figure out what you're blowing your cash on. I bet you have a Starbuck's once in a while. How about that cell phone you have?!?! Try going by the minute instead of a monthly plan. If you can walk of ride a bike to where you need to go safely, then do it. It'll save you some money on gas. If you have cable, lose it. If you eat pizza all the time, invest in some Ramen noodles and bologna sandwiches. Stop spending every cent you have and eventually you'll have a little extra.
2007-11-27 15:58:56 · answer #5 · answered by firefiter 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
you mention everything but taxes. Taxes take 25 to 35% of your wages, Now add taxes for gasoline $1.50 a gallon, taxes for groceries (8%), taxes on the utilities(8%). Fees charged by the city, state and federal for cable, telephone(usually1%). So you don't have $20 an hour to spend, you have about $10 an hour, and you don't even qulaify for food stamps, or reduced or free housing. The you let the IRS hold your overpayment for a year and give it back with no interest.
2007-11-27 16:00:28 · answer #6 · answered by T C 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The thing that's killing you is that you think you NEED "some money to have fun".
Cut that out for a few months, and see how much of a difference it makes.
2007-11-27 18:52:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, that would work to about $40,000 a year. Lots of people live quite well making less than that. Maybe you are expecting too much from your salary. If that is the case then it probably will not matter how much you make. You will only increase your spending and still have the same gripes.
2007-11-27 15:48:11 · answer #8 · answered by A.Mercer 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
That's about $40k a year. It depends on where you live and what your lifestyle is. If you live in a city, you'll have to have a pretty tight budget to live on $40k a year. But everyone as to learn to live within their means, that's what life is all about.
2007-11-27 17:47:22 · answer #9 · answered by voluntarheel 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That mainly depends on where you live. In big cities no, but anywhere in the mid-west yes. I live comfortable off of less then that and I live in a nice apartment.
2007-11-27 15:51:40 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymity 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
go to library and borrow a book called Personal Finance Handbook. educate yourself a bit is a good way to start.
2007-11-27 16:18:19 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋