Quote Originally Posted by On_Her_Face View Post
Gasoline should not be a factor for minimum wage. Live as close to your work, ride a bike, walk, run, use public transportation. A car is still a luxury, any car at that. I also posted for food, the bare minimum... milk, eggs, water, bread, peanut butter, etc. Ramen for God's sake. Work harder for luxuries.

People bitching saying minimum wage isn't enough, aren't living within their means. Nobody does this anymore. That is where the problem resides.
Breakdown how $1200/month can go far enough for a family of four. An apartment will run $600/month for a 2 bed room OTP. Since you wouldn't have a car, you will need to live near a bus/train line - that's $95/month for a 30-day pass (that's the cheapest option) - and we will assume that you can walk anywhere else. Your electric bill will likely run another $100/month on average, as will your gas bill also, but let's figure only $150/month average for the pair of them. You're down to $350 already. WIC and food stamps can cover most of the basics, but you will have some basic supplies that you will need, but let's guess that they aren't more than $50/month - you know, soap, towels, cleaning supplies, etc, that aren't covered. We'll also assume that no one ever gets sick and misses work, or needs medicine. No phone of course - oh, but wait, there are no more payphones - so how did you get the job in the first place, since they couldn't reach you to setup your initial interview?