how do you all survive?

[DepressiveJuice]

i only make $21 an hour. im not struggling but i dont have enough money to go wherever i want. i hear about people making $10-14 an hour and doing all kinds of shit. i rent a room for $300 a month because the apts here are out of my price range. the only way i can see myself living comfortably is by having a second income- either marriage or finding a job. but the only second jobs i can find pay low and there is no way in hell that i'll work cheap. how the hell do you all do it?

 

[Nathan]

I moved back home for a year to figure things out. I'm 22 though so I probably am not expected to be making big bucks at this stage in the game.

 

[big_bad_buff]

where do you live?

 

[DepressiveJuice]

im down in orange county, CA. rents are going for 1k- unless i want to live in a run down place. im 26, i made up my mind and decided to go back to school- get something in medicine. i dont want to be making pennies for the rest of my life

 

[SV2]

I do it for the love... that I get from the bottom of a bottle

 

[ajtomasi]

I want to make $21 an hour. What the fuck do you do?

 

[casavant]

i only make $21 an hour. im not struggling but i dont have enough money to go wherever i want. i hear about people making $10-14 an hour and doing all kinds of shit. i rent a room for $300 a month because the apts here are out of my price range. the only way i can see myself living comfortably is by having a second income- either marriage or finding a job. but the only second jobs i can find pay low and there is no way in hell that i'll work cheap. how the hell do you all do it?

I work two jobs (that's ending today, however, and I live with very few material possessions and try to find ways to grab some fun here and there. I spend a lot of time being broke and feeling inadequate, but oh well.

 

[JustinM]

Re: Re: how do you all survive?

I work two jobs (that's ending today, however, and I live with very few material possessions and try to find ways to grab some fun here and there. I spend a lot of time being broke and feeling inadequate, but oh well.

at least your huge

 

[casavant]

I want to make $21 an hour. What the fuck do you do?

No shit.

I know Cali is expensive, but if you're rent is $300 a month it seems that you'd be doing alright.

I mean, what kind of standards do you have? What do you feel like you have to have to be happy?

 

[JustinM]

Re: Re: Re: Re: how do you all survive?

LOL. Gracias.

 

[casavant]

Re: Re: Re: how do you all survive?

at least your huge

LOL. Gracias.

 

[DepressiveJuice]

I want to make $21 an hour. What the fuck do you do?

office manager for a medical supply business.

No shit.

I know Cali is expensive, but if you're rent is $300 a month it seems that you'd be doing alright.

I mean, what kind of standards do you have? What do you feel like you have to have to be happy?

my rent is so cheap because im renting a room at my brother in-law's house. i want my own place but they are way over priced. standards? i was living in a studio that used to be a motel. the motel closed down because of prostitution/drugs/etc. and was converted into apartments. you can imagine what shape they are in right now. i refuse to live like that. as far as being happy- i dunno. besides the marriage, kids, good income thing? i havent really thought about that lol

 

[big_bad_buff]

$21 in orange county? I guess it must be pretty tough to live there. I looked at 3 or 4 places in huntington while I was there....$3200 a month for small 3 bedroom places.

21 is not bad though for no collge

 

[casavant]

office manager for a medical supply business.



my rent is so cheap because im renting a room at my brother in-law's house. i want my own place but they are way over priced. standards? i was living in a studio that used to be a motel. the motel closed down because of prostitution/drugs/etc. and was converted into apartments. you can imagine what shape they are in right now. i refuse to live like that. as far as being happy- i dunno. besides the marriage, kids, good income thing? i havent really thought about that lol

OK, but if you're working a 40 hour week, then you're making $840 before taxes. Even after taxes, it seems like a repectable paycheck.

Besides the living situation, what do you feel like you want to do that you're not able to do right now? Your post was "How do you all survive?" That seems a little extreme when you say that you're making $21 an hour.

 

[Becoming]

I'm with Cass- you are making 21 and hour which is like 40+K a year.... If you have no college, that is damn good. Heck- only 300 a month rent? Jeez, I would say not bad for Cali at all. Heck, I pay 3x as much rent as you in a place that has only about 1/2 the cost of living... Hell I would say you got it pretty easy....

Maybe you should look at how you are spending that 21 dollars....

 

[DepressiveJuice]

OK, but if you're working a 40 hour week, then you're making $840 before taxes. Even after taxes, it seems like a repectable paycheck.

Besides the living situation, what do you feel like you want to do that you're not able to do right now? Your post was "How do you all survive?" That seems a little extreme when you say that you're making $21 an hour.

im working more than 40 hour work weeks but im on salary so the check is the same size no matter how many hours i put in. my bitching is that im making $21 an hour and i cant afford to live in a nice apartment. how do other people make it if they arent making that much?

 

[ZKaudio]

you live in oc... go work with a real estate broker, trust me. Half my family does VERY well with no college experience. You'd be surprised how quickly you can make money with the volatile home market in OC right now.

 

[ajtomasi]

Stop spending all your money on protein drinks and steroids.

No I'm joking, seriously though, where are you spending all your money? You got child support to pay?

 

[ajtomasi]

you live in oc... go work with a real estate broker, trust me. Half my family does VERY well with no college experience. You'd be surprised how quickly you can make money with the volatile home market in OC right now.

No shit, especially now since that OC movie and OC show have cum out.

 

[DepressiveJuice]

you live in oc... go work with a real estate broker, trust me. Half my family does VERY well with no college experience. You'd be surprised how quickly you can make money with the volatile home market in OC right now.

never poped into my head before. my friend's brother has his own business doing that. im sure he would hire me. going to have to look into it

Stop spending all your money on protein drinks and steroids.

No I'm joking, seriously though, where are you spending all your money? You got child support to pay?

wheres all my money going? gas for my car with these fucking prices. im not sure whats up with my money. when i was making $10, $14, $16 and so on, i always wondered how people that make less than i do make it. and here i am, making $4 an hour more than what i was making three months ago and still wondering.

"the more money you make, the more you spend"

 

[Becoming]

"the more money you make, the more you spend"

Ahh- now there is the true wisdom, it will never be enough- best to figure out how to best (or better) use what you already have...

 

[casavant]

never poped into my head before. my friend's brother has his own business doing that. im sure he would hire me. going to have to look into it




wheres all my money going? gas for my car with these fucking prices. im not sure whats up with my money. when i was making $10, $14, $16 and so on, i always wondered how people that make less than i do make it. and here i am, making $4 an hour more than what i was making three months ago and still wondering.

"the more money you make, the more you spend"

LOL. Dude, right now I own 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of trainers, and 1 pair of decent looking shoes to go out in. I don't own a bed, so I've been sleeping on one of those queen size air mattresses with an electric pump. I've been driving my '93 Explorer without liability insurance since August 6 since my account couldn't cover it when the automatic debit went through. I haven't checked my account lately because there isn't much I can do about it until my check goes in on Friday, but I'm probably around $200 in the hole. The last time I went out with a chick, I had to borrow some cash from a couple of friends. I pawned my stereo to cover the electric bill a year and a half ago and didn't have the money to get it out, so I told my little bro he could have it if he paid the fee. Now I have a little boombox thing that has a broken antennae and doesn't play out of one speaker. My TV was given to me and I still need to get a remote for it. Last week, I didn't have any money and was running on 1/8 of a tank of gas, but I managed to scrounge up $10 and bought some ground beef, rice, and a few bucks in gas. Then that Thursday I got an extra bouncing shift at the last minute. If it hadn't been for that, I would have been penniless and eating beans and rice until Saturday night when I worked my regular shift.

Still, I know life isn't that bad, and there are things I need to change about my habits so I won't be in that kind of situation anymore. At $21 and hour, you shouldn't be all down in the dumps. Ask the people who seem to be doing better on less money what they do to achieve that. That would seem to be your best bet.

 

[supersizeme]

[dick]I wish I could help but I make way more than $21/hr and live in a state where the cost of living is dirt cheap. Have you seen pics of my front lawn for Christ's sake?[/dick]

 

[DepressiveJuice]

LOL. Dude, right now I own 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of trainers, and 1 pair of decent looking shoes to go out in. I don't own a bed, so I've been sleeping on one of those queen size air mattresses with an electric pump. I've been driving my '93 Explorer without liability insurance since August 6 since my account couldn't cover it when the automatic debit went through. I haven't checked my account lately because there isn't much I can do about it until my check goes in on Friday, but I'm probably around $200 in the hole. The last time I went out with a chick, I had to borrow some cash from a couple of friends. I pawned my stereo to cover the electric bill a year and a half ago and didn't have the money to get it out, so I told my little bro he could have it if he paid the fee. Now I have a little boombox thing that has a broken antennae and doesn't play out of one speaker. My TV was given to me and I still need to get a remote for it. Last week, I didn't have any money and was running on 1/8 of a tank of gas, but I managed to scrounge up $10 and bought some ground beef, rice, and a few bucks in gas. Then that Thursday I got an extra bouncing shift at the last minute. If it hadn't been for that, I would have been penniless and eating beans and rice until Saturday night when I worked my regular shift.

Still, I know life isn't that bad, and there are things I need to change about my habits so I won't be in that kind of situation anymore. At $21 and hour, you shouldn't be all down in the dumps. Ask the people who seem to be doing better on less money what they do to achieve that. That would seem to be your best bet.

i guess i never thought about someone who is in your situation. i've always had money to pay my bills and had extra to spend on myself- except for that time i was living on my own. i was living from paycheck to paycheck- that sucked.

 

[rsnoble]

Now who in the goddamn fuck would move to a shithole like CA and spend $3200.00 a month on rent? People have no fucking brains whatsoever.

And if you mention "getting married" one more fucking time as a means to extra money I am going to yank your ass thru the internet and just beat the living fuck out of you. Do you understand the implications of that?? IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! Soon you'll have fucking kids and it will be cheaper for the wife to stay home and you think your starving now! Plus chances are good you'll end up with a sucubus anyways. God forbid you fall for the republican scheme of saving marriages by offering a lower tax. What a goddamn joke that is!

 

[rsnoble]

And by the way, it's never enough. I can remember first entering the job market and scraping by on $7.00 an hour and now many, many years later have experienced the same at nearly $40.00 with overtime. Since I have cut my bills way down, and own a lot more shit. My advice: If you have any credit cards, immediately get rid of them, even if you have to go on a rice diet, get a debit card, stay in your cheap rent, and look for a similar job in someplace cheaper to live in. It would be ashame to spend your career there and fall of into the ocean or get nuked by North Korea. Ha ha. Take it from me, 10 years from now your not going to feel old so dont feel like you have to have it all now. So dont fuck yourself to get it. Whatever you sacrifice now will pay off HUGE dividends later. No doubt.

 

[pitbullstl]

office manager for a medical supply business.



my rent is so cheap because im renting a room at my brother in-law's house. i want my own place but they are way over priced. standards? i was living in a studio that used to be a motel. the motel closed down because of prostitution/drugs/etc. and was converted into apartments. you can imagine what shape they are in right now. i refuse to live like that. as far as being happy- i dunno. besides the marriage, kids, good income thing? i havent really thought about that lol

So...the logical step would be throwing your name in the ring for the next promotion to SALES!!!! That is were the money is....I sold pharmaceuticals for almost three years....and the only guy my age (23 at the time) who I knew who that was making more money than me, was my buddy selling medical supplies........go for it dude....!!!!!

 

[DepressiveJuice]

Now who in the goddamn fuck would move to a shithole like CA and spend $3200.00 a month on rent? People have no fucking brains whatsoever.

And if you mention "getting married" one more fucking time as a means to extra money I am going to yank your ass thru the internet and just beat the living fuck out of you. Do you understand the implications of that?? IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! Soon you'll have fucking kids and it will be cheaper for the wife to stay home and you think your starving now! Plus chances are good you'll end up with a sucubus anyways. God forbid you fall for the republican scheme of saving marriages by offering a lower tax. What a goddamn joke that is!

i was born in cali. i dont know anyone else out of state. how will i find a job? a place to live? sides, i love it here in cali. it'll be even better when i get married

 

[ZKaudio]

ok, lemme lay it out for you... so my friend starts working for a brokerage last year. As of right now she has cleared 75g's from that job in 18 months. Not bad, but get this. She used her connections within the office to get approved for a home loan she had no business qualifying for. With this loan(285g's) She bought a beat up tiny house in the city of orange. She paid her father ( contractor ) to renovate the property. Three days ago it appraised for 438,000. so, in summation.. my 21 yr old female friend invested 285 + 20g's in renovation... = 305,000. She is now sitting on top of 438 making a net profit of 133,000 in a year. She has also had tenants renting it for the last 12 months and is making a +900/month after paying the mortgage. so 900x12 = 10,800. Add that to her total income at the loan office + the 133,000 from the house... you will see that she made 218,800 dollars take home in 18 months. This is just one (stellar) example. I have several friends doing similar things.
You could try searching for a beat up home WAY under market value in a lucrative area of orange county, fixing it up and staying there while you fix it. Work an odd job to pay the mortgage and living expenses and voilla. You on your way to taking advantage of the oc real estate bubble. JUst get in before it pops eh.. lol adios

 

[FitFossil]

i only make $21 an hour. im not struggling but i dont have enough money to go wherever i want. i hear about people making $10-14 an hour and doing all kinds of shit....
...how the hell do you all do it?

Don't feel too bad. Even the richest people often feel they don't have enough money 'to go wherever they want'. Getting and staying rich takes discipline, something few people have in regards to finances or diet.

As for people who don't make much but are 'doing all kinds of shit', probably they're like the majority of Americans who live beyond their means, courtesy of credit cards, car payments, and jumbo mortgages. They're living like kings, but likely carrying a king's ransom in debt. This happens even at the highest income levels. They think they'll save money later, but they never do or never enough. Personal bankruptcies have reached record levels, because people have no financial cushion to tide them over, so instead they lose everything in one fell swoop.

Live beneath your means and build your wealth. That way you'll have a financial cushion and ready money to take advantage of a good opportunity, like home foreclosures, which there'll be plenty of as more and more people spend themselves into financial ruin.

 

[c-sharp minor]

I may live in the sticks but housing is dirt cheap.

For that $300 a month you could own a 2 bedroom house here.

A brand new 1000 sq ft house here starts at around $90,000 or so, depending on the area.

I only make around $40,000 a year and I live pretty damn comfortably. My bills are probably less than 30% of my net.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

ok, lemme lay it out for you... so my friend starts working for a brokerage last year. As of right now she has cleared 75g's from that job in 18 months. Not bad, but get this. She used her connections within the office to get approved for a home loan she had no business qualifying for. With this loan(285g's) She bought a beat up tiny house in the city of orange. She paid her father ( contractor ) to renovate the property. Three days ago it appraised for 438,000. so, in summation.. my 21 yr old female friend invested 285 + 20g's in renovation... = 305,000. She is now sitting on top of 438 making a net profit of 133,000 in a year. She has also had tenants renting it for the last 12 months and is making a +900/month after paying the mortgage. so 900x12 = 10,800. Add that to her total income at the loan office + the 133,000 from the house... you will see that she made 218,800 dollars take home in 18 months. This is just one (stellar) example. I have several friends doing similar things.
You could try searching for a beat up home WAY under market value in a lucrative area of orange county, fixing it up and staying there while you fix it. Work an odd job to pay the mortgage and living expenses and voilla. You on your way to taking advantage of the oc real estate bubble. JUst get in before it pops eh.. lol adios

For every story like this there are 50 of people who made nothing and lost a lot of time.

And..umm...the whole cyclical thing, which you;ve ignored.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

Re: Re: how do you all survive?

Don't feel too bad. Even the richest people often feel they don't have enough money 'to go wherever they want'. Getting and staying rich takes discipline, something few people have in regards to finances or diet.

As for people who don't make much but are 'doing all kinds of shit', probably they're like the majority of Americans who live beyond their means, courtesy of credit cards, car payments, and jumbo mortgages. They're living like kings, but likely carrying a king's ransom in debt. This happens even at the highest income levels. They think they'll save money later, but they never do or never enough. Personal bankruptcies have reached record levels, because people have no financial cushion to tide them over, so instead they lose everything in one fell swoop.

Live beneath your means and build your wealth. That way you'll have a financial cushion and ready money to take advantage of a good opportunity, like home foreclosures, which there'll be plenty of as more and more people spend themselves into financial ruin.

Word. Good advice.

 

[Dial_tone]

i only make $21 an hour. im not struggling but i dont have enough money to go wherever i want. i hear about people making $10-14 an hour and doing all kinds of shit. i rent a room for $300 a month because the apts here are out of my price range. the only way i can see myself living comfortably is by having a second income- either marriage or finding a job. but the only second jobs i can find pay low and there is no way in hell that i'll work cheap. how the hell do you all do it?

You're doing something wrong. I share a $2100/month 3BR (2 people) in Palos Verdes and I make about what you do. My car is paid for. I'm barely getting by but I am getting by. You have a crack habit?

 

[pitbullstl]

Re: Re: how do you all survive?

Don't feel too bad. Even the richest people often feel they don't have enough money 'to go wherever they want'. Getting and staying rich takes discipline, something few people have in regards to finances or diet.

As for people who don't make much but are 'doing all kinds of shit', probably they're like the majority of Americans who live beyond their means, courtesy of credit cards, car payments, and jumbo mortgages. They're living like kings, but likely carrying a king's ransom in debt. This happens even at the highest income levels. They think they'll save money later, but they never do or never enough. Personal bankruptcies have reached record levels, because people have no financial cushion to tide them over, so instead they lose everything in one fell swoop.

Live beneath your means and build your wealth. That way you'll have a financial cushion and ready money to take advantage of a good opportunity, like home foreclosures, which there'll be plenty of as more and more people spend themselves into financial ruin.

Fantastic Advice..........