Share Your Story: Have you ever lived on minimum wage?

The Cost of LivingI know that having a job is better than not having a job. People are quick to say this to a person that is unemployed. I have been unemployed for almost four years now. At time I get angry and relly believe that no one cares because the indepence is so high that I am not use to asking people for anything. One of the main reason is people have attendance to say you unemployed so you should accept whatever is thrown your way. I ask myself than switch places with me for a day. Let me give you my list of what unemployed person is asked to do on a daily basis: Go online and apply, change our resume or down play your resume, volunteer, go back to school, network, go to job fairs. No matter how many times that I have changed my resume and network, volunteer, public speaking I still do not have a job. It does not help being in a domestic violence relationship , having a mother with Alzheimer's disease. I missed two opportunities of interviews by being in a domestic violence relationship. I have called the police everday because he still till this day harrase me every chance he gets. I asked myself . Why? Am I being tested or what.  Oh did I forget to tell you that my unemployment has ran out. I am afraid of giving my resume to just anyone because he seems to locate me and just to continue to make my life miserable. If it were not for awesome family, friends, and pastors in my life  to keep me motivated and focused I really would have just thrown up bothe hands. I still have good days and bad days. Mostly good because I know bad times do not last forever. If it were not for bad men I would have never knew what a good man was all about. I want to have a life of independence of having my own career. I believe in a partnership when it comes to realtionships. I do not have a problem with women who choose to stay at home to raise children. I actually admire mother's because raising children is a job. I want to be able to do both. I want to be a career woman and mother. I can not be a career woman on a minimum wage job. It would cost me more to go to work than stay home. How can one have a car, buy gas, food, pay rent, car insurance, buy a tag, on a minmum wage job. How can anyoe afford to attend a job fair that cost $5 to park and be unemployed? How are you suppose to get started to pay bills without any money? How can you start a business without money? How can you get started with anything without money? How can you get a job without a credit check? How can you do anything if never to be given an opportunity? I ask anyone that thinks the unemployed is lazy. Just follow me around for one day and you can see for yourself. I want to let you know that my day starts about 4:00 am - 11: 00 pm. So let me know if you need a break. If you are looking for a lot of sleep you will not get it. The rest of the night I am usually asking the Lord for strength to the next plan. So I am asking exactly where else or who else can I ask about a job. And who is going to take care of my mother with Alzheimer's Disease while I am gone. See I gave up my career back in 1991 when my mother and father both were sick. I had lost both grandparents. My Aunt in Chicago , Illinois had breast cancer. I went to help her out. Oh I forgot I stopped in Louisville, Kentucky to help out the other Aunt and my uncle. So I ask now when and where will I ever have and be able to have a family of my own? Thank you for your time and concern. May God bless you and your family.

My experience has been primarily with single-parents, women, with one child, pre-school age, who need to take their children to a child care center during their work day.   The math:  at $90. per week, the child care cost figures about $4500. per year.  If the mother has no "back-up" care when the child is sick, she risks loosing her job. So, this mother is expected to make it on $10,000. a year..... and less.   In the United States?   And provide nutritous food and a decent home environment?!!      I felt a great admiration for many of my clients who somehow managed to sustain themselves and family under the facts of this example.... and often also had to deal with an abusive Ex..... All of us who do not live in poverty... or under the official poverty line, are doing so in part because the cost of OUR living is lessened by the low wages paid to the working poor.    Shame on the citizens and the government for allowing this through our laws. 

When I married, I agreed to sell my business in order to be free to travel with my husband. For the past 24 years I have entertained, aquired investors, done sales and marketing, and developed key strategic relationships, all without compensation. I feel that executive wives raising families should also be compensated for the life energy, resources, connections, and community contributing to their spouses success, whether male or female. This is an area that needs to be addressed to allow for greater freedom and bolder support for social entrpreneurial activities. If I had been compensated as a single woman for all that I have given freely to my communities and husbands businesses, I could have made much larger and deeper contributions to good causes in the American West. I began work at age 12 managing one of my parents businesses and know the value of hard work at an early age. What I do not know is having ownership of my own contributions. A legal change in proper compensation might be a bridge for the thousands of women who are depending on the good graces of their husbands to eventually do the right thing, whether or not they remain married. That job started paying me well below what my friends were making as waitresses at 25 cents an hour, 35 years ago. It's well past time when all of women's work is valued in real currency: dollars, make the most cents/sense.

My first job was as a waitress, many years ago. I was paid $1.35 rather than the $1.85, because they thought people would give 50 cents in tips. They did not. On occasion currently I work as a Telemarketer. Here in Stamford, the Minimum wage is I believe $8 dollars an hour. To afford to live here, a living wage is $20. The cost of shelter and normal expenses in this area is quite high.