I work for a multi-million dollar employment agency. My current assignment is with a multi-million dollar international corporation. I make $13 an hour, well above minimum wage. I am an unmarried single mother of 2. I want to break down what happens every week after I get paid because I am so very tired of republicans making people like me feel like lazy bums even though we work 40+ hours to take care of our families. Yes, this is embarrassing. But I want to put this out there to show how someone making more than minimum wage ends up broke every week. And just for an afterthought, imagine what someone making $7.25 is going through.
My check is normally $467 for 40 hours. Here goes…
$100 – Title loan payment (context – I will lose my car if I do not pay this on time. I am also trying to pay this off early just in case my employment status changes. Relevant note – I do not have car insurance because I cannot afford it)
$70 – Gas (context – I live an hour away from my job, which is in the city. I refuse to live in the city because I don’t want my children to go to school there. We’ve been there and done that. The suburbs are safer and more academically challenging)
$30 – Parking (context – I work downtown. $6 a day which my agency does not cover or reimburse)
$50 – Phone bill (context – I have Boost, which is the cheapest unlimited plan I could find and I do not have an iPhone or Galaxy or any well known cell phone because you have to pay for it up front. Relevant note – my daughter is 10 and getting to the point where a cell phone is desperately needed but I cannot afford another one at the moment)
$100+ – Food (context – I am not eligible for SNAP or Medicaid)
$10 – Hot lunch at school (context – since I am ineligible for assistance, the lunch fee is not waived)
This leaves about $100 for miscellaneous items such as hygiene supplies, cable bill, car problems (which happen frequently), school items and fees, seasonal clothing, entertainment, political donations (which I try to make when I can because I abhor the thought of a Republican controlled Congress again), and other emergencies.
Notice I don’t even have a rent payment. I live with my father right now. My ex-boyfriend was addicted to pain killers and did not tell me rent wasn’t being paid until it was too late to fix it. I now have an eviction on my credit which is a massive hurdle to overcome. I know I wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment on my own anyway.
Now, please say I am a taker. Say I am the reason why this country is in debt. Say I am a bad person. Say I am lazy and complacent. Say I am a bad mother. Say all that shit to my face. I dare you.