bare minimum - how much do you need to survive?

Truth, you're not going to hear any disagreement from me with this post. But still millions die to come here to the states even some Canadians, met so many in higher learnings and in LA for show biz. I agree America has declined but I know many pay shit load just to get a perm res. card.

 

When nations that you have a vested interest in need help. Or should I say you need their oil. Where was the US in Rwanda, Darfur, Serbia etc.

Ameican politics is pick and select. If it is good for them they get in there. If it is good for humanity...well .....wait...what can we get .....nothing


Oh sorry busy with weapons of mass destruction

 

Have to tell you...might not be for too long. Chinese workers are forming unions and demanding more pay and benefits. China just began opening counterfeit Apple and Ikea stores and while the US and Swedish companies are not doing anything about it yet because so many Chinese work for them....if they start disrespecting Apple by putting a serious dent in their profits, Apple won't put up with it.

 

One thing I love about this forum is that you can SOMETIMES post things that may offend people, may make them go hmmmmm but they still send you positive rep!

 

Cause you're a girl lol

 

Darfur and Rwanda are shameful Holocausts whose blood rests on the world's shoulders- can't defend that or would never try...sickened by it. Serbia I believed we helped...

 

coz you're bashing America, lol.

 

Awww Mr F I would rep you......I never use my vagina as an excuse!

I own my vagina! lmfao

 

And they may have a thing for her feet, lol.

 

I am not bashing America. I grew up in a hippie house that was very liberal and slightly socialist leaning. I was raised in a house that taught me to judge people by their thoughts and actions and nothing else. I was lucky. I have two well educated parents who went out and actively protested things that THEY thought were wrong.

I also know that I was fortunate to grow up in a country where I could get an education and that was never a question. I always knew I was going to get a university education. It was never a question.

I also made a choice to work in some of the worst shit holes in the world because I was so lucky to be born with a Canadian passport.

What I do dislike is people talking about things they know nothing about. I have read these posts about I have never been on a plane, I have never left my country, I have never this I have never that.

If you have NEVER maybe you should sit back and listen or even better....get out and DO!

Yes I know I am going to catch shit for this but........

 

No shit flinging from moi nilla, I agree with you

 

Thats cuz you are an Aussie and so is my mom! Oi Oi OI

 

Lol...that splains a lot :mrgreen:

 

Indeed my friend......indeed

 

Bare minimum

Water
Food
Shelter

Not a good life, but better than no life at all. I've literally lived in a shack, lived on ramen many times, no running water, inadequate climate control (which, in below freezing weather can actually kill), even had to boil water just to make sure it was safe to drink.

I've lived on zero income without government assistance, though the only reason it happened was because of student loans (private...federal was paying tuition) putting a roof over my head.


So bare minimum...it's different depending on where you are, obviously. It's different depending on what resources (help from family, friends, etc) are available to you.

If we count my current situation and go back to ramen, turning the a/c off (I will go hungry first, this is Houston for chrissakes), I could probably do it on 600 bucks, but that accounts for moving into a smaller, cheaper studio apartment. Same apartment add another 100-200 bucks. It's cheaper to keep my car, though, because the insurance is 40 bucks/mo and my gas hand barely moves (I love you, Subaru). It's actually cheaper, or about the same price, as using the bus to get around. It also saves a LOT of time, and the a/c may be broken but that breeze is definitely better than waiting at a bus stop for hours or walking in this godforsaken weather.

Honestly, I'm already doing as bare minimum as I can, and it sucks. I've been bare minimum my entire life. Hell, I only got out here because someone else bought my plane ticket in the first place.

If I lose my job I'll just get another one. Plenty of fast food places if I get desperate. Got a friend right now who's out of work, and refusing to go to McDonald's...but he's gotta figure out that rent has to be paid no matter how you get the money, and if it takes a minimum wage job then so be it, you grit your fucking teeth, tighten your belt, and use it as fuel for ambition.

 

bump...I am evaluating when I can afford to just start working PT and enjoy life a bit more...

 

minimum...

I lived in Atlanta over 5 years. @$800/month you are way out in the boonies, paid a big downpayment to limit monthly payment, or in a rough part of the city where housing is easing to afford.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I worked in Banking and saw a lot of mortgage terms and financial statements. And when you say Atlanta, the city itself is not actually very large - 500,000 tops. And the city's actually square miles are like a quarter the size of Houston and maybe at tenth the size of L.A. So are we really comparing apples to apples when you compare where you live to other places. My last apartment in ATL ten years ago, a 1 bedroom in Dunwoody suburb was $700.

I'm in north Texas where the cost of living, for any of the ten largest metro areas, is very good. Gas this week was $2.84/gallon.

 

@lippy

yea you don't need a car in NYC, you need to sell it to:
Pay City Tax
High housing costs
.

 

Evaluated...evaluated...done

Throughout my life I've heard "Life is too short to be unhappy" said several different ways and by several different people, and it's true. But I also hear a lot of, "when I get this paid off...", and after I buy a...for my..." And when life gets back to a place where it is more about life and less about things that have very little to contribute to the quality of life, then life is a jazz...again. When that thought occurred to me, I wondered what I was waiting for, and retired. Now I am doing what I love, and returned focus to my ideas, my dreams. I don't have a lot of free time, but my time is spent doing what I want to do. I am in favor of enjoying your life more. 8)

 

I am very lucky that I live in England, so we never have to go absolutely penniless if we lose our job (and there are so many wasters that never bother working at all because of this)
If I lost my job I would get a couple of different benefits, but funnily enough, one of those would actually go down, because even with all the free money they shovel out to the unemployed, the tax office reward you for working, but only if you have kids.
I was unemployed for a little while, and yes it was a struggle, I'm not saying they shove money up your butts (unless you are a druggie/alcoholic head-case like my ex of course lol).
But without all of that, I need my house, I have three kids and thats an essential of course.
The last things I would give up would be my tv and cable service (I don't go out, drink, or have any kind of social life, and so the occasional tv programme, and my internet is my only ''luxury'' really. I bought my laptop second hand from Amazon, and once it goes, thats it done until I can maybe one day eventually save up something for another one!
I also feel I need my phone, because 80% of the time its my only contact with my boyfriend (its a bit of a long distance thing), plus I am diabetic and feel the need to be able to contact someone in an emergency, which of course includes my monthly contract, but I only have a very basic one, at just ten pounds a month, which is the lowest I could get. Plus the phone itself is pretty old and basic, but its the snazziest one I've ever had. Its an Xperia and cost fifty pounds, which to me was all I was willing to spend. I am not any kind of techno head, and I don't care if its all singing and dancing, I just want it to work ok! (this bloody laptop is a HP compaq nc60000 - which may as well have a black and white screen lol)
The obvious things obviously like food and amenities, but I don't go clothes shopping, if I need clothes, I buy them, but I'm certainly not someone that spends loads of time and money on clothes, I mean, I spend most of my time at home, I never go out, and I only work as a cleaner, so I can pretty much just wear scruffs most of the time haha. I do occasionally dress up a little, but to me, dressing up is a nice pair of jeans, decent boots and a pretty top, which I probably got as a Xmas present lol.
Now, if I didn't get any benefits at all? I really do not know what I would do.
I am also very lucky that we have the really good NHS here, and I get all my diabetic medication free, plus being diabetic, I actually get any prescriptions free, not just ones for my diabetes.
I moan about this country mainly cos of the crap weather (which actually makes me very miserable once Autumn is here), but I am lucky I suppose.
But of course so many people take advantage of the benefits system, and milk it for every penny they can get (will try not to mention the ex again....:smt012 ).
I only get what I am entitled to, I work the hours I am able to work, and I look after myself and my kids the best I can without taking the piss out of the system.