The Cost of Living

I enjoy listening to both sides of an argument and even defending both sides depending on my company so we can start from the same understanding. Due to this annoying strategy I have many people send me articles to read about things we have previously discussed or debated. Recently it was an article with a headline similar to “a person making minimum has to work 2.5 full time jobs to have their own place.” So let’s talk about the real story from my perspective from talking to both sides.

We will begin with where I support this argument. We live in a time where everything is going up in cost. Technology seems more necessary for our always quickening lifestyles and demands from society. Simply paying for a roof over your head is not the end of your bills. Cellphones are nearly required as well as internet which all adds more cost to your utilities. Before and during the mid 1900’s the average single income was sufficient to sustain a family of 3 due to lower costs of living, higher pay ratios, and lower demands from technology. Things have definitely changed since then. I will use my state of Pennsylvania (PA for short) as an example. Since 2005 the average income per household has been resting between 56k to 59k with a lot of drops in between. Within that same time period we saw gas prices hit $1 near the year 2000 for the first time and more than quadruple in 2007/2008. As a reminder, the average PA income did not change much in this time.

So how is single person or family supposed to manage a higher ration of outcome to income than ever before? Yes gas prices have slightly improved but as previously stated the ratio of dropping close to $3 dollars instead of over $4 is still not getting us back down to before the year 2000 and we are not seeing an increase in pay. No one is being paid less but the are being charged more. As a country we should strive for a minimum that allows someone the opportunity to actually have ownership of their lives and not stress about how they will eat or get to work the next day. Talking to people living below paycheck to paycheck or those being neglected by the systems that were put in place to support them in a time of need is infuriating. What doe is say about us when we just let them suffer and do not defend them?

Now to discuss the other side. The article clearly stated 2.5 full time jobs at minimum wage. MINIMUM WAGE. If you are accepting the minimum of anything in life than you need to find some motivation. This per hour or salary amount does not define you but it does allow you to do the things you would like to do. This sounds harsh but you intrinsically have value as a human life, however you do not get financial pay outs for that value of just being here. As a member of a society you are paid for the work you do and you should strive for a bigger part of that pie for both your needs and for you wants. You do not need the brand new iphone 15 xrvr maxx pro with 6 cameras and a otter box that costs more than my mortgage. Eating out is a privilege and not a right. Driving is a privilege and not a right. A gigabit connection on you ps5 and the new call of duty 7 in not a right. That bar tab, new pair of Jordans, those cigarettes, etc. are not rights granted to you. There are avenues besides the fast food chains and retail stores that only give you over priced insurance and a lousy pay. They may take more work to achieve but always remember you can take those skills else where. Home depot won’t give you $15 per hour… apply to Lowe’s and they will probably pay you more than them. Your job in fabrication is giving you a hard time and not letting you work overtime… go to linkedIn and make contacts to get where you want to be in life. If your outcome is greater than your income than you should have paid more attention in math class and thought about your spending habits. When you settle for low pay you have to deal with less in life. Now this has been the tough love part of the course for those who CHOOSE to have these low income jobs and are still demand free shit or a home just for existing.

Now we come to the combination conversation or exclusions. Exclusions would be examples like having to care for a family member, being disabled, etc. These things are usually not planned for and are usually not choices but forced upon you. These scenarios are not the topic of debate in this article and most would agree should have some government involved intervention for the welfare of those individuals. Moving on… There is a big difference between surviving and succeeding. I have personally found myself just doing what I needed to survive. I was failing to make ends meet and priorities were made. Bills were neglected, food was scarce, things were sold, laws were broken, and I went from a nice apartment in the good area to a 10×8 room with my wife and dog in a less desirable setting. Fortunately we had some financial help from family but it was minuscule and we were expected to do our part under the roof we lived. We had no income whatsoever. I was out of work with a severe back injury and was unable to stand for more than 10 mins and my wife was fired without the ability to collect unemployment. Many have had it worse and I do not diminish their struggle or ask that we compare our low points. Those in these situations are doing whatever they need to do to survive. The issue arrives when someone who is blatantly capable of more and refuses to participate while still expecting the same as those putting forth the effort is where I draw a clear line.

The single mother or father with three kids have made some mistakes a long the way. Judge me for that statement as much as you like but having spoken to many people in this scenario they will all tell you the same if they are being honest. A man recently told me he would have to leave his 2 sons at home by themselves (one was old enough in theory about 7) for 5 days a week so that he could work over 5.5 hours away because that was where he could make enough to manage the bills. Though this is not ideal it was the best thing for his family and he planned to move up in the company. After 2 years of struggling in that lifestyle he finally got a better opportunity and was able to start catching up and even succeeding.

That brings us to another point about single incomes. This economy is not made for a single earner income anymore. Currently there is a social trend of no relationships in this country. The benefits of a bachelor/bachelorette lifestyle may have its own perks but that is an easier choice than actual commitment. Just speaking from the financial topic you can double your household income by finding a partner in life that you can grow with. It is still possible to do well financially alone but it statistically hasn’t been that way in a long enough time that we need to stop comparing the two time periods. I’m not telling you to settle at any point in this article. You do not need to marry someone just to move out. There is always a platonic option but I would recommend moving out with a significant other that you could spend a good portion of your life with even without the rings. Leases can always be broken and decisions can be short term. We need to remember that we can only control ourselves and what we do in most circumstances. If you want to get to C then you need to do A and B first. The idea that you can circumvent the obstacles, though possible, is not how you you will realistically improve your conditions. Are their people out there living in excess that could maybe pay more to their employees? Absolutely. Is working in a kitchen or in customer service hard work and not very rewarding. 100%. Does it suck you need to make hard choices that will impact you forever in hopes of a better life? Duh.

This isn’t about us really re-evaluating the cost of living but how much we will settle. I see many parents-to-be struggling to plan out finances. In the end they almost always find a way to make it work. When ever I fall behind or fall back into survival mode I always make it to the next day. Take the anger you have for you lack of pay and direct the questions back to yourself. Instead of “how can ____ pay me so little” or “why should ____ make/have more than me” think about why you aren’t doing more for yourself or your family to improve your income. The system is broken and does not plan on getting better. That sentiment is not lost on either side of the conversation. Whether you take the more liberal or conservative stance both will usually agree. This economy is currently the way it is and we will have to make due for now. We will not change it overnight and I am not saying just accept your role without question, but start with what you actually can control which is your own decisions. After you finish surviving appreciate that you have accomplished more because you were driven. Don’t stop there and fight for the next piece of the pie. It’s true not everyone will be rich financially but there is more to life than income and more at stake that your materialistic desires. Make this life what you want of it and stop asking others to do it for you.