I'm not gettin' outta bed for less than 20 dollars an hour

I'll get out of bed for work at UK minimum wage any day lol. That's currently £8.21, or $10.04 at current exchange rates. That's a take home pay after taxes of £291.34. Or $356.24 US.
Not a fortune obviously but a nice double room in a house share with no other bills is less than £90 a week in my area so still got 200 quid a week to spend.
Its why so many of my working mates are from eastern EU nations, not a bad life doing on 40 hours a week minimum wage.
I know I'll be flamed for this by fellow Brits, but I think the minimum wage is okay here, the only bit I think wrong is that someone aged 18 gets less than someone over 25...I've worked places doing the same job to the same standard as younger lads and they got less money. Totally unfair in my eyes. Us older guys would let the youngsters skive a bit more for that very reason 👍

$20 an hour is $160 for a proper 8 hour work day.

That's a work day where I have to start at 830 to get out at 5, because they require 30 minutes unpaid break.

So add 45 minutes commute each way, because that's what it is for me, and I'm leaving the house at 745, which means I'm getting up around 7am at the latest.
Then assuming things go well, I get home at 5:45.

So figure 15 minutes on the can and I'm 11 hours into my day. Assuming I sleep 8 hours, that gives me 5 hours to live my life... But I'm tired, and I need to make dinner. But I'm $160 richer!
Well, minus federal tax.
And state tax.
And medicare.
And Social Security.
Health insurance
Dental
401k
I've got a line item on this pay stub I don't even recognize.
Make that two.

All told my $160 is now more like $100, now.

So figure I work 5 days a week like that, getting my 5 hours a day of life, giving me 25 hours to myself plus weekends... 52 weeks a year, and I've got 26k in cold hard cash!
But the average rent around here is 1100/mo, or 13,200 a year
The cost of keeping a vehicle on the road to commute (I'm too smart to make payments and do my own work most of the time) comes to about 150/mo +gas. (includes replacement vehicles over the years)
Gas comes to ~ 520 gallons a year at 2.70 a gallon- so $1404 + 150/mo is $3204 a year... if all I do is go to work.

Assuming I can keep my grocery bill to $200 a week (I can't) food is only $10,400 a year.

So that puts me at... hey look, nearly 27k!
And I didn't even go out for a few beers that year.

Yeah, I'm not getting out of bed for less than $20/hr either.
Although without it I don't even get to have the bed, or the roof to put it under- so what choice do I have?

No wonder people flock to welfare.
Good thing I've got a job to pay for their stuff.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

thereis no article - the link is just a currency exchange calculator

originally posted by: lordcomac
$20 an hour is $160 for a proper 8 hour work day.

That's a work day where I have to start at 830 to get out at 5, because they require 30 minutes unpaid break.

So add 45 minutes commute each way, because that's what it is for me, and I'm leaving the house at 745, which means I'm getting up around 7am at the latest.
Then assuming things go well, I get home at 5:45.

So figure 15 minutes on the can and I'm 11 hours into my day. Assuming I sleep 8 hours, that gives me 5 hours to live my life... But I'm tired, and I need to make dinner. But I'm $160 richer!
Well, minus federal tax.
And state tax.
And medicare.
And Social Security.
Health insurance
Dental
401k
I've got a line item on this pay stub I don't even recognize.
Make that two.

All told my $160 is now more like $100, now.

So figure I work 5 days a week like that, getting my 5 hours a day of life, giving me 25 hours to myself plus weekends... 52 weeks a year, and I've got 26k in cold hard cash!
But the average rent around here is 1100/mo, or 13,200 a year
The cost of keeping a vehicle on the road to commute (I'm too smart to make payments and do my own work most of the time) comes to about 150/mo +gas. (includes replacement vehicles over the years)
Gas comes to ~ 520 gallons a year at 2.70 a gallon- so $1404 + 150/mo is $3204 a year... if all I do is go to work.

Assuming I can keep my grocery bill to $200 a week (I can't) food is only $10,400 a year.

So that puts me at... hey look, nearly 27k!
And I didn't even go out for a few beers that year.

Yeah, I'm not getting out of bed for less than $20/hr either.
Although without it I don't even get to have the bed, or the roof to put it under- so what choice do I have?

No wonder people flock to welfare.
Good thing I've got a job to pay for their stuff.

Excellent post. Will open up some eyes for sure.

Probably what the OP should have done LOL

a reply to: Silure

It still happens in the US as well but for IMO legit reasons from my experience. For example, I got my son a job with my employer while on summer break and is paid $10/hr for menial work that others make $12/hr starting out. The difference is the adults can work overtime, 3rd shift, a double shift, etc.

I want to add that $20/hr isn't much if you ask me. I think it adds up to around 45k/year salary which is just a median wage in most areas.

a reply to: lordcomac

Not sure how you can't keep your grocery bill under $200. We feed three on around $130 to $150/week. We do end up eating out about twice in that bargain, but we don't have to; we choose to.

originally posted by: solve
a reply to: AnakinWayneII

80 is fine for me.

What are you advertising? 20 Or 80 bucks seems awful cheep to me. I have known women to get $200 or even $300 an hour in the sack.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: lordcomac

Not sure how you can't keep your grocery bill under $200. We feed three on around $130 to $150/week. We do end up eating out about twice in that bargain, but we don't have to; we choose to.

I probably could if i really tried, but a lot of it comes down to climate.
I didn't mention any utilities, but up here heating is a huge bill- it also means grocery stores need to charge more for heat, and most food has to be trucked in, at a huge price. if my rent was higher I might have space for a chest freezer to save money buying meat on sale- but that takes out of electricity and rent.

heat, electricity, internet (needed for my job), cell (again), etc...
$20 an hour just doesn't pay the bills.

Maybe someday I'll sit down and pull a full year's worth of numbers together and make a thread- mostly to point out how screwed up taxes and health care are.
on the health care note, sure they take a chunk of my pay check... but so they pay it back? nope. at $20 an hour this year's healthcare bills are more than 20% of my take home for the year.
no thanks!

a reply to: AnakinWayneII

Time is a human beings one and only true possession.

How ever much time you have here is ALL you have.

You never get it back.

So choose.

1: Work for others and give them more time to do as they please.
2: Work for yourself and do what you want when you want.

If you choose option one. Ask yourself how it feels to give up your time for $8 an hour.

Society wants you to believe that you aren't important enough for your time to mater.
But the time that we give up to others is the only way for others to become rich, famous, successful.

Our time makes the world.

a reply to: EmmanuelGoldstein

For real though.
If I had a device that could record my dreams I could write some amazing stories. Make tons of cash.

a reply to: lordcomac

I'm a single man who eats a lot of dried foods. Beans. Rice. pasta.
My food bill per month is $100.

No eating out ,ever.

oh, I'm sure you will get out of bed when you get hungry enough, or does mommy bring your dinner to your bed??

do you make her clean your bedpans also??

wtf, there's many, many, disabled, bedridden people that would give anything to be able to spend a day out of their bed!!!

a reply to: ketsuko

and to think that my husband seemed to think that I should be able to feed a family of five on $30/week...
$200/wk?? must be a big family, or they eat alot of prime meat cuts and expensive organic foods....

I did many jobs not for pay but for experience, and to see things.

I got paid well sitting indoors all day, but it felt like it wasnt natural or healthy

Took a job working outside that is physical.

Seems more natural

What millennials dont know is everyone starts out low and the more years you put in the better the chances your pay increases

But what I'm hearing, today it's very hard to find good help , people today are not like the tough old workers of the past.
People today are lazy, unintelligent, and demanding.

Strange times we are living, in the past people would take any work they can.

Now they are told there are certain jobs only foreigners should do,

And seems like they get by just fine being unemployed.

I will tell you 1 thing. your fridge will be more packed if you are on food stamps then part of the working class