The system has made it impossible to live alone. You pretty much have to pair up with someone and split finances, whether that’s a romantic partner or a roommate or whatever. You have to be absolutely killing it to be younger than 40 and living alone right now.
American Capitalists: “Communism doesn’t work.”
Also, American Capitalists: “Live in a large shared space, cook meals together, and maybe even do a little farming on the side to supplement your diet. Also, don’t use the traditional professional trade system. Learn by doing! Become your own mechanic, have friends cut your own hair and do your own dentistry, home school your kids, and dig your own well for water. Basically, become a 1950s Maoist.”
Start building guillotines. Convince others why guillotines are necessary. Get to work.
$23/hr x 40 hours = $920/wk
$920 x 52 weeks per year = $47,840 per year, gross.
government takes ~25% in taxes leaving you with net $35,880
rent is $850 x 12 months = $10,200
$35,880 - $10,200 = $25,680
student loans $1000/mo x 12 months = $12,000
$25,680 - $12,000 = $13,680
groceries $400 x 12 months = $4,800 $13,680 - $4,800 = $8,880 to spare.Your annual budget has a surplus of $8,880
Divided over 12 months, you have an allowance of $740 per month.Honestly you have it better than most people.
Furthermore you don’t need $400 in food each month.
Food is stupid anyway; Most Americans are overweight, so you can probably get by on less.
If carbohydrates have not yet been made toxic to your biochemistry via your metabolism being turbofucked to hell by sugar and empty starch, you could pull the red beans and rice plus basic spice hack for staple nutrition. Literally just big fucking bags of dry brown rice and dried red beans.
I see dried red beans and dry brown rice coming in around $1 per lb, and that’s DRIED remember - after you soak them and cook them you’re getting multiple pounds of food per dollar. You could get your grocery budget down to $100 per month if this is your base-load calorie source per meal and you decide to spruce things up every so often with a dollar here and a dollar there.
Beans and rice are a cheap way to eat but people shouldn’t have to live on that…especially with a college degree.
The list doesn’t include utilities, phone, basic household supplies, nor any sort of healthcare/medicines (USA! USA!). You also didn’t take out health insurance from the checks. A few years ago I was making about 55k and my biweekly checks were a lot closer to $1300 than $1840.
Yeah, the comment you’re responding to is dumb. What about savings? Transportation? How are they supposed to afford cookware and other kitchen appliances since they have just graduated and probably have very few possessions? It’s silly.
The student loans do seem high though!
numbers don’t check out
lists $2250 expenses… 100 hours of work per month would cover it
I know they have other expenses, but they failed to list them and failed to make their point.
100 hours of work if the money is tax free (it’s not). Taxes take about 40% of your gross income so on $23/hr hr can’t afford the listed bills.
