NotASlayer
𝕮𝖍𝖔𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘 🍫 👸🏻
@Joan the Vampire Slayer What's the current US minimum wage? I read somewhere that it hadn't increased in forever; wondered if that was true.
Cost of Living #8
- Thread starter nightshade
- Start date
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Carpe Spuffy!
It is still $7.25 in many states including where I live in Tulsa, OK USA as unbelievable as that is. There is nowhere in the country that you can live on that wage. Here in Tulsa a bill was recently introduced to raise the min wage but it was voted down. So disappointing.
Thankfully, many cities have a higher min wage to try to match the cost of living, like Seattle for instance where it is $21. But though that's high it's still falls short of the living wage (again for a single adult with no kids) which is closer to $29 an hour.
NotASlayer
That's terrible. Here, it increases in April every year. Plus sounds like we have better holidays, the NHS of course, even though it has problems, and various other benefits for people, not companies.
That is around the same as Australia. I don't have the option of work so I live on under $21,000US. Im just lucky I live in a low rent area, it just means petrol and food is way more expensive out here so I have to be ultra organised. And remember my place in the world haha. Its far, far easier now to live now than it was a few years ago. Despite what the world says, covid caused a lot of progress, and Im thankful it pushed some standards of living higher.
Covid also introduced a lot more free outdoor things, parkrun really took off here.
They did a free outdoor cinema over the weekend here, which my mum went to, and enjoyed.
I think there's now free walking groups for men and women, separate or together.
They've just started a new free outdoor yoga group,I'm guessing that's just a summer thing though.
Joan the Vampire Slayer
right on!
Got my octopus energy referral money, yay! I need to refer more people!
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Is that to help with your energy bill?
Electricity has doubled. Its sorta more of a shock because they gave us credits for a little while and now its suddenly a HUGE bill. Gotta have it, so its paid anyway. Then I ordered a new gas bottle and that has gone up by MORE THAN DOUBLE! So I shall be cutting my showers a lot shorter from now on! If I never have to change a gas bottle in the middle of a cold winters night after it runs out halfway through a shower, it will be too soon. I will be happy to never change a gas bottle again in my life. Bring on Armageddon before summer thanks!
Drivers license is due for renew too and I have to get a new photo because I am so old now. I'll try get 5 years on that if I can. I used to have my car rego due in august too, but the new car was done in june and I forgot and still saved enough to cover rego now again, so I had a little buffer. Summer will be low cost cos Im usually too sick to do anything anyway.
All the news articles are saying $120,000AUD a year counts as being in financial stress LOL! SO I look forward to them increasing welfare soon hahahahha. Not. Sucks to live in a mining state sometimes. On the mines, you're fine, big money no problems. Off the mines, left behind. But they do give all the buildings a facelift, city looks fancy as.
Drivers license is due for renew too and I have to get a new photo because I am so old now. I'll try get 5 years on that if I can. I used to have my car rego due in august too, but the new car was done in june and I forgot and still saved enough to cover rego now again, so I had a little buffer. Summer will be low cost cos Im usually too sick to do anything anyway.
All the news articles are saying $120,000AUD a year counts as being in financial stress LOL! SO I look forward to them increasing welfare soon hahahahha. Not. Sucks to live in a mining state sometimes. On the mines, you're fine, big money no problems. Off the mines, left behind. But they do give all the buildings a facelift, city looks fancy as.
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Carpe Spuffy!
Electricity has doubled or tripled here too. There's lots of talk about it in the community. The company sent us all an email "explaining" why the rates have been raised and understandably people are really upset. It has been exceptionally hot, but people feel the electric company is taking advantage of us regardless. Knowing they have a monopoly and provide a vital service, they can charge whaterver they want. It should be illegal. Older folks on a fixed income, and poor folks are really suffering.
But like you said, we still have to pay it, we have no choice. What are we going to do? Not have electricity?
I got a letter in the mail about renewing my tags for my truck, and was surprised to see it's cheaper to do online than in the office, so I'll do that!
NotASlayer
Less practical in towns, but a few villages here have bought their own wind turbines.