I read that the wage for a 'decent job' these days is twelve dollars an hour. Would you consider that amount acceptable?

That's gross pay? It's a hell of a lot more than I made when I first started but that was then and this is now. I wouldn't want to have to raise a family on it. Never mind being able to afford cable TV or go to the movies. You're probably living paycheck to paycheck with no savings and if just one major expense happens you're really screwed. So...can it be done? Yes. Is it decent? No.

Perhaps if you're single and renting. If one has a family to support or is a property owner, that amount isn't going to cover much.

Depends on where you live, what you're expenses are and your lifestyle. $12 an hour here in NYC isn't going to get you very far if you have a family.

I could have lived on that 10 years ago before I had a child, before I had a home, before I had car payments and was still staying with my mom. Today that would be virtually impossible.

I wouln't mind $12 an hour, that be more than what I am earning right now.

$12/hour? Depends on your standard of living and the present state of the economy--with all the people getting laid off and out of work, any money coming in is better than no money at all, but also it should be handled prudently. How much do you really need that $5 latte every day, eating out/take out multiple times per week, and the fancy cellphone instead of the base model that comes free with your plan?

Surviving on a pay like that probably can be done, with the understanding that cutbacks will most likely need to be made to offset it. Trim the excess and things you don't absolutely need to survive, and the savings can be significant.

Depends how high the minimum wage is. If 12 is the minimum wage, then it's the minimum wage. If the minimum wage were considerably lower, than 12 becomes a lot more valuable. It's how much better you are doing than everyone else that makes you financially wealthy. If everyone is a millionaire, what good is being a millionaire?

Living on that, then having health insurance taken out, would be nearly impossible. Especially with a family. I made that when my son was born nearly 13 years ago. I would have had a really hard time living alone with him on that wage.

Quote :

If everyone is a millionaire, what good is being a millionaire?

A: Being able to live without the fear of want regardless if everyone else can do the same.

But most people don't aspire to be millionaires. Most people are happy just to be comfortable and regardless of how much more $12 is above the minimum wage no one is going to be too comfortable making only that much.

you can't live here on that. My apt complex has a "minimum" wag and it is $13 per hour. That is for a one bedroom, and takes into account that you have no other expenses such as credit cards, car payment, etc.

However, it depends on WHERE you live as NY stated---- cost of living here is ridiculous.. I have an aunt who pays $1000 per year for property taxes in another state, whereas here my sister who has a comparable house pay nearly $10,000. The car insurance here is also triple what my aunt is paying.

So an area's cost of living depends on the wages. There are some places that $13 will get you an okay living... such as West Virginia, and south carolina, but in NEW JERSEY--- it gets you squat!

If you have no dependents, know how to budget and live in an area that doesn't have an elevated cost of living, then $12/hr is workable.