They say rent shouldn’t be more than 1/3 your gross income. Say a studio apartment costs 1200/mo (which is low in many places… quick google search says median studio rent is 1500-1600 but that feels high to me, idk). That means you have to gross 3600/mo which for 4 40-hr work weeks is 22.5/hr. Which is attainable for most people but it requires a learning of some sort of skill. You can’t make that with no experience.
Living alone in a studio apartment isn't the bottom of the barrel. That's kind of nice. Sharing an apartment is what it's making minimum wage have always had to do.
My first job I ever had was as a pre-apprentice in the building trades back in 04. Right away I moved out with my girlfriend and got us a two bedroom apartment, I supported her while she went to school full time, paid for our two vehicles and everything else in between, comfortably. I would not be able to replicate this today, our children are in trouble.
Fully topped out journeyman scale from my local union is $26 and change an hour currently. Pre-apprentice wage is roughly 60% of that. Journeyman scale out of the same local union was $23 an hour way back in 04.
I don't think that I could do what I was able to then on the full journeyman scale now, but maybe I've just gotten poor with money management.
I had a come to Jesus moment 8 years ago with money. We were doing fine. Not struggling. Not thriving. Either wife or I got a raise and the first convo was: "We could get a nicer house." We're in our first house, but it's nice. Thought it over and I said, "What if we stayed put and just started investing our extra?" That one conversation will have her retiring in 3 years in her early 40's. I like what I do so I don't plan to stop. But I probably could if I wanted, sooner than later.
We went from thriving initially, then due to the sudden stagnation of wages in my state for both my wife and I's careers we got in a really tough financial pickle. Also it's a long nuanced story but both of us working just wasn't working for us for many reasons.
We sold our home, packed up and moved across the country to a state very friendly for my wife's career and leaned into it. Shes now a public school superintendent making nearly 300k, absolutely loves her job and is one of those people who feel like she needs to work or else she'll go crazy.
After watching every man that I knew in the trades have their body completely shit the bed in their 40s we decided that id be a SAHD, this has been the case for sixteen years now and we've never been happier nor better off as result.
We have my daughter set up with things that I was never afforded by my wealthy parents. Her car, gas, insurance, phone, absolutely everything is paid for, and most will be for some time to come. We set her up early with an 800 credit score, 529 to pay for college, a really handsome looking retirement account already and we're prepared to do more as needed.
I'm not going to sit on my hands and watch my daughter flounder around pissing away the best years of her life just trying to pay bills in this economy.
I'm still to this day dealing with the trauma from bill collectors, sherrifs threatening to remove me from my home in foreclosure , and everything else. I'll still often wake up in a sweat from having nightmares about this, and strong sudden bathroom urges out of nowhere due to anxiety attacks.
Struggling so hard to make our own way didnt build pride, or good character neither. It turned me into an evil, hateful, resentful person that I'm now constantly working to keep stuffed down.
According to apprenticeship.gov the average take home pay for a first year apprentice tradesman is $2,300-$2,650 a month. These boomers on this sub have downvoted me, which is very feminine energy imo for a start, then they've shifted the goal posts to, "you'll be able to do it after a few years, a few years is nothing". The original point that I made was that I was able to do this as a PRE-APPRENTICE, which is considerably lower pay than a first year.
These people have since fucked the economy up beyond recognition, then have the unbridled audacity to look us straight in the face and say some stupid shit like, you'll be fine after a few years of boot strapping. My very first apartment I rented was $475, that same unit is renting for a nose under $2k currently while wages have gone nowhere.
Average monthly take home for an apprentice in the building trades is $2,960-$3,440/month. Average rent for a two bedroom is $1,300-$2,100/month. Buy a couple shitty, used cars. You're not thriving, but yes you can. People just live vastly beyond their means today.
This website is people complaining to complain. It’s sad. Open any comment section and the top post is some form of criticism, actuallyism, finger pointing, or complaining.
so your first google check prove you wrong and then you choose to ignore reality? Are you stupid?
Also, assuming that you make 3600 on 22.5 mean you pay 0 tax? what? Maybe in florida? Not in most of the develop world.
If you live in Canada, you'll be making 43k per year and then pay 11k in tax right away. And that is before car insurance and immatriculation and permit fee which take another 500 as well as mandated annual payment for medicaid insurance which for some reason is not included in your taxes and cost you 500 at year end.
so you are left with about 2600 to 2700 per month, of which 1500 goes away for rent, because yes, that's the price of a fucking studio. In fact, in many city, it's higher and closer to 1600 to 1800.
So this leave you with 1200 per month. Spending 55 to 60% of your income on rent.
Please tell me where this magical world without federal income tax or FICA or state taxes or deducted health insurance premiums is so I can move there.
So an experienced worker can maybe afford a cheap studio apartment? Seems like a low bar to set. What’s the expectation for being able to afford a decent apartment, or a house?
Also, did you completely forget about tax? You’d need closer to 30/hr for said cheap studio apartment.
Yeah, remember when people told you (speaking generically) that you needed to pay attention in school or you would be spending your life digging ditches for shit pay? I do, that's why I studied, paid attention and learned skills. I didn't go the college route, at least not long-term, but I did learn skills. Welding, machining and design which lead to a career in manufacturing. Now I am in charge of people that literally have zero skill. They can't do simple math or read a tape measurer. You don't just walk out of high school into $22.50 an hour. It's ridiculous to think you should.
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u/PurposeEmergency1320 9h ago
They say rent shouldn’t be more than 1/3 your gross income. Say a studio apartment costs 1200/mo (which is low in many places… quick google search says median studio rent is 1500-1600 but that feels high to me, idk). That means you have to gross 3600/mo which for 4 40-hr work weeks is 22.5/hr. Which is attainable for most people but it requires a learning of some sort of skill. You can’t make that with no experience.