Where my pay goes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to live in a hip neighborhood in DC. There are plenty of areas where 1,500 is not below average rent, in other areas in DC, Rockville or Silver Spring you can get something more reasonably priced. If you insist on living beyond your means then it's poor budgeting being food insecure.

I think the resentment comes from knowing that your employer is better off and actually knowing them in person. If it was a big corporation paying you 15$/hr, maybe you wouldn't feel quite as bitter.

If you feel it's below what you should be getting then you can look for higher paid opportunities.

I hope you are not the type to go berserk if someone points out that you are wrong...

Rents within 10 miles of DC average $1, 824 per month, higher then the cost of rents within the District- which is just crazy to me. I used to live at the Blair's in downtown Silver Spring. That was in 2009 before they built all the luxury apartments. I tried to return to the Blair's in 2012 making $42,000 and was rejected. Now, Wheaton is also being developed and units start around $2,000. In Brookland, which used to be the cheap neighborhood, a studio now costs $1,600. These prices are high even after average rents fell a couple percentage points.

What you really are getting at is the choice to live within a couple miles of a metro stop. Living two buses from the train is the best way to save on rent costs.

http://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-washington-rent-trends/

[Anonymous]

Not clueless at all. Believe it or not, many MBs and DBs were poor graduate students once upon a time and lived on less than this. But go ahead, post on the jobs section with 15$ rate in the ad and see how many ppl will apply. Maybe you can ask them for budgeting tips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not clueless at all. Believe it or not, many MBs and DBs were poor graduate students once upon a time and lived on less than this. But go ahead, post on the jobs section with 15$ rate in the ad and see how many ppl will apply. Maybe you can ask them for budgeting tips?

If they are hiring poor graduate students, sure. Many parents want someone whose career is childcare though...

[Anonymous]

Can everyone just get off the high horse about housing? If you can't afford a 1-br, you get a studio, that's what people do. I lived in a studio apartment for 5 years after completing graduate school. That's for a professional job that required a master's degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can everyone just get off the high horse about housing? If you can't afford a 1-br, you get a studio, that's what people do. I lived in a studio apartment for 5 years after completing graduate school. That's for a professional job that required a master's degree.

What year did you graduate? Is it possible your experience no longer reflects the norm? I would be willing to live in a studio but nor for over a thousand dollars. I have heard that Hill interns are putting two sets of bunk beds in their studios to save money, though.

[Anonymous]

Child care is a career that pays what it pays.

And housing indeed doesn't have to be 1500:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/apa?query=bethesda&sale_date=-&minAsk=&maxAsk=1200

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to live in a hip neighborhood in DC. There are plenty of areas where 1,500 is not below average rent, in other areas in DC, Rockville or Silver Spring you can get something more reasonably priced. If you insist on living beyond your means then it's poor budgeting being food insecure.

I think the resentment comes from knowing that your employer is better off and actually knowing them in person. If it was a big corporation paying you 15$/hr, maybe you wouldn't feel quite as bitter.

If you feel it's below what you should be getting then you can look for higher paid opportunities.

I don't think OP is resentful of her employers. In fact, I think she likes her employers. She was simply stating why it is hard for her to live on $15/hr. She was actually quite reasonable in her post. If some of you can easily live on $15/hr, good for you but let's not jump on OP for trying to post useful information that was stated in a polite, thoughtful way. You don't have to agree but that doesn't make OP resentful or bitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:37 is trying to start trouble, but I do see ways OP can save.

OP, get 1 roommate. That could easily save you $500/mo.
Metro I can't comment on because I drive to work.
Shop around for health insurance. Mine is less than $200/mo. Is it the best plan in the world? Definitely not. But it's enough in an emergency and covers a few basic dr. Visits.

Do you pay for your premium through your workplace? I use the exchange. At $250 it is the best rate you will find for an individual.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child care is a career that pays what it pays.

And housing indeed doesn't have to be 1500:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/apa?query=bethesda&sale_date=-&minAsk=&maxAsk=1200

CL Apt 1: turned out to be a slapstick addition, tilted to one side, had a washing machine in the middle of the living room, and the only access was through an unlit alley between it and the commercial building next door

CL Apt 2: was a beautiful studios. I opened the living room curtain to find a set of headlights starring back at me. The building was against a parking garage where the car headlights would peer straight through my window when they parked.

CL Apt 3: pretty nice third floor unit with tons of sun and a squirrel infestation that I only discovered after moving in.

I will not argue about the prudence of hiring a nanny on Craigslist nor do I want someone paying me below the poverty line because there is housing to be found on Craigslist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to live in a hip neighborhood in DC. There are plenty of areas where 1,500 is not below average rent, in other areas in DC, Rockville or Silver Spring you can get something more reasonably priced. If you insist on living beyond your means then it's poor budgeting being food insecure.

I think the resentment comes from knowing that your employer is better off and actually knowing them in person. If it was a big corporation paying you 15$/hr, maybe you wouldn't feel quite as bitter.

If you feel it's below what you should be getting then you can look for higher paid opportunities.

I don't think OP is resentful of her employers. In fact, I think she likes her employers. She was simply stating why it is hard for her to live on $15/hr. She was actually quite reasonable in her post. If some of you can easily live on $15/hr, good for you but let's not jump on OP for trying to post useful information that was stated in a polite, thoughtful way. You don't have to agree but that doesn't make OP resentful or bitter.

Exactly. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

This information will be helpful for people who are deciding what they want in a nanny. If I were looking to hire a college student then I would expect her to have one or more roommates, be on her parents insurance, and have a meal plan her parents pay for at the university. If my nanny was more established in life, older, and had the financial obligations that come with being independent then I would expect her to keep a standard of living closer to my own. I would not pay another persons mortgage, though. There is a point where high rates can not be justified. OP's rates are not there yet.

[Anonymous]

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm

poverty lines. You would have to be a sole provider for a family of 6 to be at the poverty line, making 15$ per hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm

poverty lines. You would have to be a sole provider for a family of 6 to be at the poverty line, making 15$ per hour.[/]


Thank you for sharing the federal poverty guidelines. Here is are the facts for DC though: OP has $120 left over without figuring taxes or utilities or internet. Making her clearly eligible for DCs Nutrition Assistance Program which has a net income threshold of $958. She is also eligible for DC Medicaid which has a $1,915 cutoff. She is also classified as either ELI of VLI (extremely low income and very low income) and eligible for housing assistance.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligibility
http://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Children%20and%20Families%20Medicaid%20Countable%20Income%202013.pdf
http://dhcd.dc.gov/page/2012-cdbg-home-nsp-lihtc-and-hptf-program-limits

You might have anticipated all this if you had fully read your own link. It states that many agencies do not use federal poverty data.

"Programs using the guidelines (or percentage multiples of the guidelines — for instance, 125 percent or 185 percent of the guidelines) in determining eligibility include Head Start, the Supplemental Nutition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Note that in general, cash public assistance programs (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income) do NOT use the poverty guidelines in determining eligibility. The Earned Income Tax Credit program also does NOT use the poverty guidelines to determine eligibility. For a more detailed list of programs that do and don’t use the guidelines, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)."

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing the federal poverty guidelines. Here is are the facts for DC though: OP has $120 left over without figuring taxes or utilities or internet. Making her clearly eligible for DCs Nutrition Assistance Program which has a net income threshold of $958. She is also eligible for DC Medicaid which has a $1,915 cutoff. She is also classified as either ELI of VLI (extremely low income and very low income) and eligible for housing assistance.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligibility
http://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Children%20and%20Families%20Medicaid%20Countable%20Income%202013.pdf
http://dhcd.dc.gov/page/2012-cdbg-home-nsp-lihtc-and-hptf-program-limits

You might have anticipated all this if you had fully read your own link. It states that many agencies do not use federal poverty data.

"Programs using the guidelines (or percentage multiples of the guidelines — for instance, 125 percent or 185 percent of the guidelines) in determining eligibility include Head Start, the Supplemental Nutition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Note that in general, cash public assistance programs (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income) do NOT use the poverty guidelines in determining eligibility. The Earned Income Tax Credit program also does NOT use the poverty guidelines to determine eligibility. For a more detailed list of programs that do and don’t use the guidelines, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for sharing the federal poverty guidelines. Here is are the facts for DC though: OP has $120 left over without figuring taxes or utilities or internet. Making her clearly eligible for DCs Nutrition Assistance Program which has a net income threshold of $958. She is also eligible for DC Medicaid which has a $1,915 cutoff. She is also classified as either ELI of VLI (extremely low income and very low income) and eligible for housing assistance.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligibility
http://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Children%20and%20Families%20Medicaid%20Countable%20Income%202013.pdf
http://dhcd.dc.gov/page/2012-cdbg-home-nsp-lihtc-and-hptf-program-limits

You might have anticipated all this if you had fully read your own link. It states that many agencies do not use federal poverty data.

"Programs using the guidelines (or percentage multiples of the guidelines — for instance, 125 percent or 185 percent of the guidelines) in determining eligibility include Head Start, the Supplemental Nutition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Note that in general, cash public assistance programs (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income) do NOT use the poverty guidelines in determining eligibility. The Earned Income Tax Credit program also does NOT use the poverty guidelines to determine eligibility. For a more detailed list of programs that do and don’t use the guidelines, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

And your point is???