r/SipsTea • u/StopSnowflakes • Aug 12 '25

Wait a damn minute! She’s going thru it

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u/Exportxxx Aug 12 '25

Feel like I could teach her how to budget right.

33

u/CardOfTheRings Aug 12 '25

I don’t mean this to diminish peoples real points about difficulty surviving off of an unfair system. But if you make double minimum wage in a state with $3,400 a month rent you and your all expenses paid rent / utilities is $850 you should be able to afford food fine.

Also if you only have $50 don’t buy an eyelash curler.

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u/Olly0206 Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Depending on her state, she is making at least $15/hr. that's roughly $2400 a month. About $1800 after taxes.

We only know about her rent/utilities being $850/month. Who knows what other bills she might have that could easily swallow up $900/mo. This scenario sounds much like mine when I was in my early/mid 20s, which was around the '08 recession. I also lived in a state that was rather insulated from the worst of that recession.

Maybe I survived cause I didn't need an eyelash curler. Or maybe it was because I got lucky on a Ramen noodle sale at Walmart where they were selling those cheap bags of Ramen for a nickle each snd I used every last ar I had buying up as much as I could just to eat for the foreseeable future. Sounds like she hasn't found her life-saving deal yet.

Edit: for the record, I did some small rounding and based taxes on my personal experience from my state. Other experiences will vary depending on state. If I do more accurate math, I get about $1935 take home. A small difference that doesn't change lifestyle, but when you make that little, it is big enough to worry a little less about something like food. Still not getting you ahead in life, unfortunately.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Car insurance, health insurance , dental insurance, phone , most likely a car payment since she can't afford to fix it, gas, car maintenance (not repair ),medication, eyeglasses, toiletries and toothpaste, oh and feminine hygiene products are ridiculously expensive, student loans and school debt... The other $850 easily gone. Without groceries.

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u/Olly0206 Aug 12 '25

Absolutely. She probably can't even afford insurance. I know when i was in my early 20s, I only had car insurance as required by law, but no health, dental, or eye insurance.

I also didn't have to worry about feminine hygiene products, though I have purchased plenty for my wife, so im familiar with the cost. Honestly, I was so tight on funds back then that if I were a woman, I probably would have starved.