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

It is impossible to live on minimum wage! A bear needs honey, housing, and an education, in order to survive the harsh realities of life! As you can see, I am rather skinny, filthy, but extremely adorable! My mom just lost her minimum wage job that she really enjoyed, and now, she is feeling a little depressed about her situation. She is staying hopeful, trying to keep up her sense of humor, but everywhere she looks, life is un"bear"able. Mom receives unemployment, food stamps, utility assistance, and related help, but what she really wants, is a good job, so she can leave the system for good! She is fearful, that she will get terminated from these programs, before she is ready to leave the system, however. There are going to be severe, and painful budget cuts, that impact the SNAP food stamp program, housing, and other related programs. Ouch! Please, share my story, with those whom it may concern. Thank you for listening to my story.

Most Medical Transcriptionists work for minimum wage or below. Forget the stories you see in ads saying "Take this training and make $40,000. a year. For me, I work part-time to supplement less than $700. in Social Security a month. Still, I am well under the poverty line for income, averaging less than 10,000. per year. My roommate makes the same Social Security amount that I do and between us we just barely manage to buy necessities and groceries often have to be shaved down to almost nothing the last week of each month. I make just enough not to be eligible for food stamps.. but not enough to live comfortably. This year we did without heat some days to save money.. not a good thing for two elderly women. It's tough... At least we no longer have children to have to pay child care for... I really feel for those young women out there struggling to make it on minimum wage. The economy may have tanked but food costs haven't stopped going up. The bare necessities are continuing to climb while we, the poor, suffer. Last month I had to choose between my prescription refills and food..... no one should have to do that....

  Being an Independent Contractor adds to the misery of being at minimum wage because one cannot claim the Earned Income Credit on tax.   I lived with my mentally ill mother to save money; in two years she completely tuned my 14-16- year-old daughter against me. It wasn't until years later that I found out her insidious tactics.

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.