Unemployment benefits story (sympathy or sob)

Sorry. $20 grand MAY be enough to rent a cheap apartment, drive a beater and live on if you are single. Not if you have a family.

 

You're assuming that 1) Subway wants a 40-hour a week employee. What if they just need someone to work the early shift for 4-5 hours? 2) That $290/week is really $210/week after taxes. That's $840/month.

Look, there's a reason minimum wage jobs are ruled by the 25-and-unders and the 65-and-olders. People looking for just enough to supplement their lives so they can make it through to the next stage of their lives, whether that's gainful employment in their career field or retirement.

If you're lucky and don't live in a major metropolitan area, you might be able to find an apartment for $500/month. Of course, you'll need utilities. Assuming you're lucky to find an apartment that covers water/sewage and is just running on electric, you're looking at about $150 overall for utilities (counting some form of phone bill, even if it's just cellphone). So your $840 is down to $190.

Still have food to buy, other necessities. Car insurance, unless you're capable of busing to work. Health insurance? Better hope that Subway is indeed hiring full-time and is offering benefits, otherwise forget about it.

Even if you tack on your extra 20 hours a week, that's just enough to scrape by in a shitty apartment in a shitty part of any city.

God help you if you have a kid.

 

Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. There's the EITC that kicks in there pretty quickly. And subsidized housing. Etc. Depends on where you live. Which I think was the point someone was trying to make earlier.

 

Along with being completely unsubstantiated, your glee comment is utter fucking horseshit.

 

Maybe it's convenient to think that, but there are very few, so few as to be trivial, instances of this. It's just such an easy stereotype, but as a practical matter it is ... simply ... not ... true.

 

Junkie,

I like you. And I like discussing issues with you. But why throw this Escalade and TV crap into the argument on how you can get by on $20K or $25K?

What does that have to do with anything except further stereotypes?

 

The sad part about unemployment is that there anyone can get a job at Walmart making $12 per hour where I'm from, which is close to what I made when I started at my shop in 2008. There are tons of high-paying jobs if you're willing to do heavy labor. Problem, though, is that there isn't a place to live unless you want to shell out $1,400 to live in a parked RV (I'm not exaggerating).

As for making $25,000 per year, which is close to my adjusted income after insurance is tossed out, the EITC and additional child tax credits add over $9,000. If I was back in Minnesota, that would be a few thousand more with the state EITC and renters refunds.

 

Updated version of the always mythical "Welfare Queen."

 

No, I'd rather have the government (i.e., people who are making sacrfices) do it for me. Now where's my $50,000/year job, assholes!

 

If you live in a non-metro area, you can usually find an efficiency apartment for $300 or less. Usually less.

 

If you're 26, you can have no shame and move in with your unemployed parents to your grandparents' basement.

 

Efficiency?

I had a two-bedroom for $350 in a non-metro area, two high school town years ago.