Can a single woman survive on part time minimum wage?

[mizuislife]

Hi, I wanted to ask a question about my job. Well I get paid 8 dollars and 50 cents and hour, which is the going minimum wage where I live. I get about 25 hours a week.

Is that enough money to survive on my own? I don't want to live with any roomates, I want to rent my own appartment. Most one bedroom appartments go for about 450 dollars a month in my town.

Would it be possible to live on this on my own,or would I have to get a second job or a roomate?

[funnywebsite]

I have just worked out you get approximately 850 dollars per month. I don't know how much tax you pay there as I am in the UK and we deal with pounds. If you are in the USA, the cost is usually cheap there compared to the UK. I.e petrol and food. You have to work out how much you have left after tax and work out your otugoings.

Bills: Rent, gas, electric, travel, food, insurance etc.

Then: expenses like entertainment personal shopping i.e clothes, toiletries.

If you have any change then you will be fine if not then you might have to get a full time job, or second job.

Don't forget to save some money for the future too, it is very important. You need money for a rainy day as we say here, or your pension or holidays.

[Le Chat]

...and medical care as they have no general health care for all. I think this applies to dentistry as well.

[Ouisch]

Where in the US are you?

You could possibly do it, but it will be tight. Besides rent, you've got utilities (heat, water, electricity). Do you have a car? You'll be paying for gas and insurance then. If you're part-time, most likely you're hourly, meaning you won't get paid if you're off sick. Missing one day would really put a dent in your budget. What about health insurance? I would definitely recommend a second job.

If you've got your heart set on living on your own, rather than renting an apartment, maybe try looking around for a flat, or a room in someone's house. Look in the classified ads in the newspaper...sometimes people have a small apartment built over their garage or similar that they rent for a much more reasonable amount than a standard apartment.