r/WorkForSmartLife • u/CurseBloom • 1d ago
Discussion💬 The math literally doesn’t add up
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u/jmercer28 1d ago
Are you a data center? No food, just need absurd amounts of water, electricity, and internet
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u/Skwuat 1d ago
Well it is a bot so.....
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u/Standard_Egg3504 1d ago
i suddenly understand the internet bill
its $80 for connection
$200 for the claude subscription for its tokens
we can suggest it just drop the rent cost entirely since it lives on a server
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u/Varkot 1d ago
I pay 40$ and get landline and 4 mobiles. Sure that's 10yo contract that's no longer available but 280 sounds crazy to me. From eu
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u/cfbfootballnerd 20h ago
It is I have internet 2 new phone and unlimited plans for $150 that’s a few months old deal still available
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u/2olley 1d ago
Man, I thought it was just me. That’s a lot of water and electricity and internet.
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u/TristanaRiggle 1d ago
I have a house and I don't spend that much on electricity. And that internet bill monthly is crazy.
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u/cfbfootballnerd 20h ago
My electric was 268 last month I can see the electric in the south it’s been so damn hot. The internet and rent are stupid though. Water too.
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u/West-Wash6081 16h ago
I'm in Florida and run my central air 24/7. My electric in my 2400 sf home is regularly 150, water 140 and internet 90.
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u/Samusen 23h ago
Seriously but, $1600 rent is average for 1 person which feels awful just looking at that. I've never felt so glad to be a home owner.
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u/Badbret 19h ago
If you make under $19 an hour you have no business living by yourself. This is bs anyways
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u/MinimumBuffalo4 16h ago
30 years ago when I was starting out no one had their own place. there were 3 or more of us sharing a rental and splitting the rent and utilities. the only thing that’s changed today is the expectations of young people thinking they should be able to afford their own place starting out in life.
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u/ZealousidealShift884 1d ago
$280 internet?! What speeds is OP on 😂
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u/Spirited-Ad-9746 21h ago
Onlyfans? Internet can be very expensive, depending what you do there...
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u/Chrisscott25 21h ago edited 18h ago
They need to check their lines they must have a leak somewhere… internet just pouring everywhere. Line probably took a mega bite from a squirrel
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u/MustKnowThis 1d ago
You live above your means, consume too much electricity and WTF is your internet a datacenter tier connection?
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u/True_Protection6842 1d ago
I'm assuming "internet" means service and every single subscription
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u/CaliforniaNutter 1d ago
It would include the phone too
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u/True_Protection6842 1d ago
yeah I would assume it's basically all telecom. And before anyone says, do without. Good luck living in this world without a phone or internet!
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u/Prestigious-Smoke511 1d ago
Get spectrum Internet and a mobile line. It would be like, $80 a month. Not $280.
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u/Billy_Plur 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ikr? I have 2gig speeds for $95
EDIT TO CLARIFY:
I get 2g speeds, as in my home internet up/down reaches 2gbps.
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u/Opposite-History-233 1d ago edited 22h ago
4Gb/s is $81 over here. So yeah, either way 280? Sounds like they bought a whole cluster of additional external IPv4 addresses.
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u/Accomplished_Rice_60 1d ago
Only need 1gb/s if your are a family of 4.
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u/Commissarfluffybutt 1d ago
Stouffer's says I'm a family of 4.
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u/theycmeroll 1d ago
I know right, putting that family size label on that obviously single serving lasagna.
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u/banditcleaner2 1d ago
This post reminds me of the post where the guy makes $17,500 a month and says he’s living paycheck to paycheck and the breakdown includes $3000 a month spent on onlyfans and like $5000 on travel/shopping lmao
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u/Bearded_Gemini 1d ago
I've got a 2-year deal with AT&t. 5 gigs a month for $40 a month. I don't understand why the hell they're paying $280 a month! That's insane.
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u/Substantial_Meal_530 1d ago
99% of people don't even need that much... Unless you're downloading dozens of gigs a day. There's nearly no reason for the vast majority of people to have that much, unless they just like paying extra money?
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u/FVSHIXN 1d ago
Been using a PC for 25 years and I have never had a reason to have over the shittiest tier of whatever I have. Yeah downloading games and other stuff is nice on gig internet but I’ll take $30 a month internet and have to wait 10 extra minutes before I ever get gig internet. Only time I’ve had it is when there was a promotion then I downgraded it right after. ISP’s are scummy and predatory with their “how many people will be using the internet/how many devices?” And if someone answers even 2 devices they’ll claim you need a gig internet. 100-300 is plenty if you aren’t hosting something permanent with high traffic.
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u/VoidJuiceConcentrate 1d ago
I know their pain.
My electricity bill went from 200 to 400 every 2 months. No increase in usage, but the power grid did get 3 new datacenters in the last couple of years.
Internet... Let's see, for 700 mbps down / 20 up I was paying 120 a month. I was lucky enough that leaving Comcast for greener pastures is available but lots of places live in defacto ISP monopoly zones and right now they have somewhat of a go ahead to abuse that.
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u/Pitiful_Option_108 1d ago
People making up numbers just to complain. I know it is expensive but these numbers don't really track.
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u/Sumthin-Sumthin44692 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m guessing internet is probably bundled with cell phone and maybe subscriptions.
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u/bloodbat007 1d ago
You're an idiot if you think these expenses are living above your means. These are really basic and pretty accurate expenses, location dependent. Some areas have even higher basic costs. Point is, unless you live in a dirt cheap state, you're not getting a cheaper life than this without support from others.
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u/Excessive_Footnote 1d ago
I was gonna say it nicer, but yeah. The answer to the question is I wouldn’t pay that… I’d make sacrifices to live within my means instead of treating every expense as an entitlement to a standard of living I clearly can’t afford
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u/SamOakTree 1d ago edited 1d ago
They're not treating it like an entitlement. T he only thing in there they can cut is the internet.
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u/jbcsee 1d ago
A roommate will cut the rent in half. There is zero reason to be spending that much on utilities. There is zero reason to be spending that much on internet.
Realistically they can easily cut their expenses by $1000/mo.
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u/SamOakTree 1d ago
This isn't a response to anything I said.
It's been an incredibly hot year and the electric company keeps adding rate increases. On average our electric bills have been 3 to $400 here in my city.
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u/Next_Emphasis_9424 1d ago
Ah 280 for internet?
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u/SlimeTitsMcGee 1d ago
Its probably Internet + Phone Plan + Phone Cost.
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u/oakfan52 1d ago
And there are far better options. More likely is $50/m and $200/m in lap dances or booze.
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u/random8765309 1d ago edited 15h ago
The math does work out with about 250 left over. Plus who spends $280 a month on internet.
Edit: taxes were included. The OP can walk or use public transportation. Food come out of that 280. That is very possible for one person.
No one said it would be a great situation. But a very easy fix would be a roommate. Then there is more than enough to get by.
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u/KickboxingMoose 1d ago
PSA: when something is obviously wrong or out of line. It's engagement bait.
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u/Putrid-Box4866 11h ago
Yeah, a reasonable person would pay $800 for a private room and bathroom (all utilities included) to share with the owner of the house so you don't carry all the burden of owning a house, and improve your skills so you make north of $60 an hour so you can max out all your retirement accounts and still have a lot of leftover to enjoy life presently. The bot OP got the reverse 😂
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u/thinkingaloud412 1d ago
And no one pays $100 every month for water
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u/seraph741 1d ago
Depends on what part of the country. In San Diego, you could easily pay over $100 per month for water.
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u/CaliforniaNutter 1d ago
SDGE price gouges are insane
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u/seraph741 1d ago
Yup. The only one that seems off in San Diego is the cost of internet. Everything else seems about right. The rent is actually probably too low.
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u/waterfowlplay 1d ago
Sewer + water, easily $100 a month for a lot of people. I pay $130.
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u/ColdTouch9591 1d ago
personally i pay a 100 dollar flat rate for water (but it includes trash)
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u/Pancakeinsthesky 1d ago
I live in small town KY alone and my water is 60$ so a family could easily pay 200+
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u/across16 1d ago
When you have to run the bot net yourself you need the water to cool it and that electricity price.
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u/Imperial_Citizen_00 1d ago
Who the hell is paying $100 for water and $280 for internet??
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u/Escapingorigins 1d ago
Called dont live alone cause you havent been able to for like 15 years lol
Wife up or live with mom
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u/LazarusArise 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's the neat part. You don't.
You get an apartment with a flatmate. You get basic internet. Internet should not be 280 dollars. My flatmate and I wer paying 40 per month for ours. It went up to 90 after a year. We canceled the plan, and I set up a new plan pretending to have just moved in, and we chose the most basic plan at 40 per month. You can get basic car insurance at 50 per month. Get a cheap car; some older cars like early-2000s Honda CRVs still drive well and work for up to 350k miles.
I'm also confused why electricity should cost 250. We were paying max around 100 per month and that was when running the AC constantly while home (summer).
Splitting rent is a lifesaver if you don't make much in a HCOL area, like I did. I'm confused about why some of the costs here are so high. Is internet really $280 in some places?
Edit: I hear some of you all have crazy high energy bills. Energy companies suck sometimes. :( Must be hard living in a hot state where you gotta run AC all day for a good several months in the summer.
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u/RICH_homie_Doug 1d ago
No its not. But the other costs for me go up, i live In Canada my insurance is $250 i have a completely clean driving record and drive an older honda accord. Someplaces you just get ripped off and you dont have an option.
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u/Icy_Donkey_7588 1d ago
thats wild. 250 a month for a single older honda accord?
We have 3 drivers (my wife, myself and our 17 year old daughter) 25 grand cherokee, 25 chrysler pacific, 20 Grand Cherokee, 99 ford ranger and 91 BMW. 3 newer vehicles are full covers, BMW is declared value, Maxed out liability limits, 500 dollar deductibles. 220 a month!
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 1d ago
Canadian money. That’s like $29 us.
/s.
Also older accords are thief magnets, they’re worth more as parts than whole and easy to steal.
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u/BitchEpidemic 1d ago
Floridian here. FPL is gouging us and it very easily can go up to $400-$500 for a house. Live in a 1 bedroom and it's about $200 , with turning the AC up to 80 during the day during the week.
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u/ReflectionLess5230 1d ago
Okay but it’s a little wild you had to commit fraud for cheaper internet lol
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u/toss_me_good 21h ago
Splitting Rent is a lifesaver
Most people never live alone, I can't understand where this concept of people being able to afford an apartment on their own comes from. Most people live with family, move in with roommates, move in with girlfriend, move in with wife.
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u/sas317 1d ago
Is this person single? $280 for internet $250 for electricity?
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u/onyx_ic 1d ago
I pay 250-350 a month for power, living alone in a 2 bedroom apartment. They just keep raising it every year. Internet is about $100 a month. Rent is $1050.
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u/Open_Signature4582 1d ago edited 1d ago
Two things can be true at the same time:
It is incredibly challenging to live in society today on less than $19 an hour. The struggle is absolutely real. Sorry you're going through it and hope it gets better soon.
Given your income level you probably do need to rightsize your spending for the time being. Find a roommate to reduce your rent. Move to a cheaper apartment/neighborhood. Reduce your internet and online spend.
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u/Nikolaibr 1d ago
Does this person run an entire server in their home? $280 for internet?
Oh, and also, I guess their part time job is leaving the water running 24/7.
These numbers are ridiculous.
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u/Few_Position7650 1d ago
Lmao. First off nobody’s internet is 280 a month. If it is the rest of this post is stupid. $100 for water?? Like really
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u/Veteran_PA-C 1d ago
$280 for internet? I pay $49 for 1,500 Mbps.
For a four bedroom house we paid $172 last month for electricity, and it was over 100 almost every day.
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u/Mioraecian 1d ago
You dont. You get roommates. First world problems everyone thinking they should be able to afford their own place as soon as they move out of their parents.
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u/JRock1276 1d ago
I lived in a house with my ex wife and our four girls and never had a 100 dollar water bill. 70 tops.
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u/supremeTrolley 1d ago
"isn't your hourly wage"
Did you write this from a yacht? Because that is something that a person on a yacht would say.
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u/BanMeFor1ABitches 1d ago
Y'all know this is old right? Those numbers are from, like, Mango Mussolini's first term or something like that
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 1d ago
Roommates
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u/Left-Literature-7543 1d ago
Unless you live in NYC, this could be the rent with roommates in some areas.
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u/Positive-Skirt5414 1d ago
A.) Get a roomate...
B.) find cheaper insurance and internet, that alone should be able to save you $150/month
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u/HamsterNation47 1d ago
Straight bull shit.
Just me the wife and our dogs
Mortgage $3600 for a 3 bedroom house
2 gig internet $45 - spectrum promo
Car insurance $180
Cell phone plan - $80
Utilities about 450 total even in the summer - / 2 = $225 each
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u/Atrocious_Algae81 1d ago
Turn every budget line item into research and attack it to make it cheapest as possible while still fulfilling your minimum needs. 280 for internet is not even serious.
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u/FireAuraN7 1d ago
$280 for internet?!? I have fiber and it doesn't even come anywhere near that.
Otherwise... yeah no... you just can't.
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u/YourNewRival8 1d ago
If you live in a place where your rent is $1600 without utilities and you only make $19/hr then you did something seriously wrong with your life. Might be time to reevaluate
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u/simple_fly1 1d ago
Start by getting rid of an almost $300 a month internet bill and stop thinking that time gaming is going to pay your bills. Your electric bill will probably cut itself in half too, if you do.
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u/Quiet_Insurance_3064 1d ago
$280 internet is crazy! Get a roommate. I had one for the first 3 or 4 years until my pay increased.
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u/Firefly_Magic 1d ago
It’s doable, the math adds up. It’s just not a lifestyle you would like to live. You definitely need to look at budgeting your electricity usage, you have a lot of flexibility here.
Search for cheaper Internet.
Then you can look at finding cheaper car insurance.
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u/Thorvindr 1d ago
If you're paying $200+ for Internet service every month, you're getting ripped-off. Also: that's a very big electric bill.
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u/3rdfitzgerald 1d ago
Rent is the only thing that seems reasonable. Why are all the other bills so high?
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u/James_T_S 1d ago
I am curious where this supposed person lives. I' working out of town and have a 1br 1 bath house and the rent is $1750/month. But I got this place because it's nice, less then a year old actually, AND furnished. (Plus the company pays the rent)
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u/ichibankubi 1d ago
I remember back in the day...my Walmart pay wasn't going to allow me to get my own place, so i rented a room and we halfed all the bills. Even after that, still remember trying to calculate the cost of the groceries so I don't get an overdrawn penalty from the bank.... Good times!.
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u/No-Blueberry-1823 1d ago
Please explain what $280 internet is about. I'm really scratching my head about this one
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u/Exciting-Strain3625 23h ago
My internet provider just charges 60$ and I have good download speeds. Would never ever pay 280 that's just insane.
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u/True-Anim0sity 22h ago
Internet is not 280, I live with 3 people and my highest electricity was 180.
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u/OkTwo7319 3h ago
Dude is growing weed or bit farming. Didn't even mention cell service. $630 for water, internet, and power is insane.
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u/JCLBUBBA 1h ago
Turn off lights, and get a better internet provider. 280/mo is absurd or trolling. 70/mo gig speed no download limits widely avail. Or go starlink or wireless.
And are your working at least 40 hrs a week? If not work fulltime. Or get a better paying job. Or a side gig.
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u/a_nondescript_user 1d ago
If this was you: you work 40 hours a week at $19/hr, typical take home pay would be $2,700 and all those things add up to $2,370. Basically all those things can be set up on ACH withdrawal, so do that. Your food and gas budget is $330. You probably qualify for food stamps. Next I would sublet your current place and find a two bedroom with a roommate. Electricity and internet are 2-3x what you should be paying, and water is not normally paid by the tenant in an apartment, but I guess it is sometimes.
I understand that this is a made up scenario with made up numbers but they should really use a more realistic list of bills. This doesn't include renters insurance, car payments or maintenance, a cell phone plan. Probably everyone agrees with the observation that it's very hard to afford even a basic quality of life on $19/hr, so you don't need to pretend your electric bill is $250/mo to make the point.
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u/tyoung89 1d ago
By getting roommates and using realistic numbers
$800 for 1/2 rent.
$125 electricity
$50 water
$50 internet ($100/month is the absolute most you should be paying
$140 car insurance
$1165 total.
At $19/hour you’ll get $3040 gross. Probably net around $2,000. So congratulations, with one roommate, you have about $800 to eat and have fun with!
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u/Historical_Monk_6118 1d ago
1600+250+100+280+140= 2370
2370 x 12 months = 28440
28440 ÷ 52 weeks = 546.92
546.92 ÷ $18 = 30 hours ... You work 30 hours to pay that...
Work 40 and you'll have another $180 a week or $780 a month... you can even eat!
A few more and maybe even pay your taxes 💸💸💸
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u/DJatomica 1d ago edited 1d ago
They could also stop paying an extra $200 every month by getting an internet plan that's not dogshit, and maybe not leave all the lights and tap on 24/7 to fix those utility bills.
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u/BillD220 1d ago
Thats cool. How do you get out of paying taxes though. Let me know. I want to do that too!
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u/Historical_Monk_6118 18h ago
Oh that's easy, you just own a huge electric car company, float it on the stock market and keep majority share ownership. Because they are unrealised assets, you can't be taxed on your shares. However, you CAN use them as collateral to borrow 40 billion dollars to buy say, Twitter, tax free. Any payments you make on that loan are tax deductible too... win win 🏆
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u/BillD220 13h ago
Nice! I gotta get me one of them car companies. Maybe even a space company, then ill buy myself a couple of Republicans and ill be all set!!
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u/zephyr_sd 1d ago
You should net 2400 or so a month income. Your expenses total about 2400. U have no wiggle room or savings
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u/GBAbaby101 1d ago
Step 1: stop living a lifestyle that is that expensive. If that is the actual bottom of the barrel cheapest you are offered for rent in your area, I am sorry but you either need to move somewhere else or live with someone. You have no obligation to a community you cannot afford, and if family is there, either you can live with them or you weren't actually that close to be caring about how far you are.
Step 2: start applying elsewhere. Get competitive offers, but make sure you do the math of what you actually need to be making minimum and if they aren't able to work with that, move on (or just move. Yes, it sucks and can cost a bit, but that is the reality).
Step 3: have the money talk with your boss. This isn't something you should be shy about. Tell your boss one on one thay the income you make won't pay the bills and that you need to discuss what needs to be done for you to be getting the income that you need.
Step 4: MOVE! seriously, I know some out there will talk about how some cant afford to move. That is bull. Call it anecdotal all you want, but I have done it multiple times. I just sell what I have, and move. Worst case I've actually had nothing, and that was the freest I was able to move because I could just walk or hitchhike to the next affordable area with opportunity. Hell, with only debt to my name, my most recent move a few years ago was out of country to be a teacher, and they actually pay for everything from transportation to your housing while you're teaching. I was not married to my hometown, now I'm living across the world making enough to see my savings go up each month because I allowed for the possibility to move. Yes, it can be hard if you have kids or legal restrictions binding you, but even then there are still avenues you can take if you just say "yes" to the opportunity and move where the opportunity is.
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u/Redbullchug 1d ago
If you're a guy you take a job doing something dangerous if you're a girl you sell your farts in a jar.
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u/kaosmoker 1d ago
I keep moving to cheaper places, lived in over five states so far. Soon ill have to get my passport.
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u/Osh_Kosh_Bigosh 1d ago
Simple: Cut all those costs in half — take to the streets in protests and do not stop until those standards are met.
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u/Luc_ElectroRaven 1d ago
move, get roommates, and then get a better job, 19/hr is not much although I did buy a house on less than that
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u/User_Not_Found_333 1d ago
Your biggest leak is internet by a mile.
I’m paying $49.99 a month for 2 gigs wth are you doing?
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u/stayweird3000 1d ago
I get the point because it is a struggle out there and wages are stagnant, but are you hosting a data center in your apartment?
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u/helpmeimprovemylifee 1d ago
no car insurance. lower internet bills. suck it up for now till you get a better income that's the reality this economy has given us
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u/DeeJudanne 1d ago
i got 1000 up / down fiber internet here in sweden, i pay like 60 bucks wtf are you doing
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u/No-Flounder7576 1d ago
How tf is your electricity only $250 but your water is $100 and internet is $280? I got the best internet at my ISP and its only $80 wtf
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u/Bonzaii_11 1d ago
My family of 3 pays less than that in every category and I live in one of the highest cost of living areas in the country
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u/Gandlerian 1d ago
You are living above your means. And, your utilities are way too high if you only pay 1600.
My mortgage is close to 4k, I pay like 150 elec, 65 internet, and like 50 water. So you are paying over double for all utilities. Car insurance also sound high, but no clue what kind of car or driving record, so hard to judge, but always ship around every renewal.
19 dollars an hour fulltime is like 3300 before taxes (assuming no OT or extra hours, can be much more if you work even 5 OT hours every week...). But, even flat 330 should be able to afford 1600 rent with reasonable utilities, zero debt, and no other major expenses.
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u/Purple-Tadpole6465 1d ago
$280/mo on internet?? Do you have every pay service included?
Ever ever of roommates??
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u/Drakore4 1d ago
Is it supposed to be some kind of thing showing “I can totally make it with just 19 dollars an hour so I don’t understand why people are complaining”? They are already over budget and it isn’t even including food or other various expenses.
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u/Organic_Mechanic_702 1d ago
$280 Internet!...Jesus what's that for...I can get 1 gig b/b for under £60.
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u/TheNotSoEvilEngineer 1d ago
Rent - roommates or move to a cheaper area.
Internet / cell- cheap phone with prepaid plan. No streaming services.
Water - usually mostly fees regardless of usage, roommates help again.
Electricity - same as water unless they mine Bitcoin.
Car insurance - not much you can do here as its required.
Use spare time to skill up to find a higher paying gig. Or marry someone who does.
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago
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