Living with a minimum wage + part time job

[fbragasilva88 17]

Here and there I have this conversation with my wife. We are already at the NVC stage so I guess in this year my Wife and I are going to live there. She is 19 and always lived with her mom and never worked before, when she turned 18 she came to live with me in Brazil where I already have my stuffs, like an apartment, car and some savings.

We are always wondering how life will be once we move to US.

I work with IT, and I am guessing in the worst scenario I will end up getting, after a couple of months, once I am there, a full time job at a Help Desk or something like this, getting around a minimum wage. That being said I will get per hour 8.25$ and working 40 hours a week I will get at the end of the month around 1.300$ right?

She will start college as soon as we get there and will only be able to get a part time job, at a retail store or something like that. So her income will be around 660$.

I hope this will be a temporary situation, and by the time goes I will get something better than a minimum wage job, because I already have a graduation and years of experience here in Brazil, and I am not bad at what I do. But like I said, I hope this is the worst scenario.

We have been looking at prices, apartments, car and a few other stuffs here and there.

Those are the prices in Vegas of a few stuffs:

Apartment rent: 750$ ~ 900$

Internet: 60$
Mobile: Pay as you go 100$
Groceries: 250$
Medicines: 50$

Gas: 150$
Power: 150$
Water: 50$
Clothing: 70$
Transportation: 250$

This is around 2.000$

Am I forgetting something major? Are those prices realistic? My point of view is that you cannot live comfortably with a minimum wage plus a part time job, but you can live and not go broke!

[kzielu 1,149]

Here and there I have this conversation with my wife. We are already at the NVC stage so I guess in this year my Wife and I are going to live there. She is 19 and always lived with her mom and never worked before, when she turned 18 she came to live with me in Brazil where I already have my stuffs, like an apartment, car and some savings.

We are always wondering how life will be once we move to US.

I work with IT, and I am guessing in the worst scenario I will end up getting, after a couple of months, once I am there, a full time job at a Help Desk or something like this, getting around a minimum wage. That being said I will get per hour 8.25$ and working 40 hours a week I will get at the end of the month around 1.300$ right?

She will start college as soon as we get there and will only be able to get a part time job, at a retail store or something like that. So her income will be around 660$.

I hope this will be a temporary situation, and by the time goes I will get something better than a minimum wage job, because I already have a graduation and years of experience here in Brazil, and I am not bad at what I do. But like I said, I hope this is the worst scenario.

We have been looking at prices, apartments, car and a few other stuffs here and there.

Those are the prices in Vegas of a few stuffs:

Apartment rent: 750$ ~ 900$

Internet: 60$

Mobile: Pay as you go 100$

Groceries: 250$

Medicines: 50$

Gas: 150$

Power: 150$

Water: 50$

Clothing: 70$

Transportation: 250$

This is around 2.000$

Am I forgetting something major? Are those prices realistic? My point of view is that you cannot live comfortably with a minimum wage plus a part time job, but you can live and not go broke!

With a minimum wage, being single and having only one job you likely won't be able to survive. With two jobs or two people living together - maybe. You're not counting healthcare costs, insurance if you plan to own a car (and a fuel for it), any accidental expenses.

[Jawaree 717]

Well it depends on where U will live some states are or expensive

than others...NY is expensive, you all have to get here firs.

She may get an entry level job that pays a lttle mre than minimum

wage while in school, U should be able to gain a better salary with

your experience & qualifications....If U are older, talk bout, when she will

will have kids (if U wnt kids) set goals to save & get even a starter home,

bill payment responsibility and so forth, she is sill young, marriage is

a partnership so talk about everything upfront ...goos luck dude

[fbragasilva88 17]

With a minimum wage, being single and having only one job you likely won't be able to survive. With two jobs or two people living together - maybe. You're not counting healthcare costs, insurance if you plan to own a car (and a fuel for it), any accidental expenses.

Thanks for the reply!

Well, to start we are not getting a car because the area we are looking for to live is pretty much covered with buses stations. I must add that we are going with at least 10.000$ in savings, you think that would be "ok" as a complement of our salaries?

It is worth to go Obama Care? How much is it? I've read somewhere it takes like 1 buck of your payment per hour worked?

[fbragasilva88 17]

Well it depends on where U will live some states are or expensive

than others...NY is expensive, you all have to get here firs.

She may get an entry level job that pays a lttle mre than minimum

wage while in school, U should be able to gain a better salary with

your experience & qualifications....If U are older, talk bout, when she will

will have kids (if U wnt kids) set goals to save & get even a starter home,

bill payment responsibility and so forth, she is sill young, marriage is

a partnership so talk about everything upfront ...goos luck dude

Thanks man!! We are moving to Vegas and very excited to start our lives, we can't wait for that!

[kzielu 1,149]

Thanks for the reply!

Well, to start we are not getting a car because the area we are looking for to live is pretty much covered with buses stations. I must add that we are going with at least 10.000$ in savings, you think that would be "ok" as a complement of our salaries?

It is worth to go Obama Care? How much is it? I've read somewhere it takes like 1 buck of your payment per hour worked?

You likely won't have a choice - minimum wage job isn't going to have healthcare benefits so you either will have to for Obama Care or pay a penalty on your taxes for not having health insurance. Savings typically disappear pretty quickly. Note this is my take on on minimum wage (not being able to survive) - maybe some people out there can make it...

[Kastrs 723]

Here and there I have this conversation with my wife. We are already at the NVC stage so I guess in this year my Wife and I are going to live there. She is 19 and always lived with her mom and never worked before, when she turned 18 she came to live with me in Brazil where I already have my stuffs, like an apartment, car and some savings.

We are always wondering how life will be once we move to US.

I work with IT, and I am guessing in the worst scenario I will end up getting, after a couple of months, once I am there, a full time job at a Help Desk or something like this, getting around a minimum wage. That being said I will get per hour 8.25$ and working 40 hours a week I will get at the end of the month around 1.300$ right?

She will start college as soon as we get there and will only be able to get a part time job, at a retail store or something like that. So her income will be around 660$.

I hope this will be a temporary situation, and by the time goes I will get something better than a minimum wage job, because I already have a graduation and years of experience here in Brazil, and I am not bad at what I do. But like I said, I hope this is the worst scenario.

We have been looking at prices, apartments, car and a few other stuffs here and there.

Those are the prices in Vegas of a few stuffs:

Apartment rent: 750$ ~ 900$

Internet: 60$

Mobile: Pay as you go 100$

Groceries: 250$

Medicines: 50$

Gas: 150$

Power: 150$

Water: 50$

Clothing: 70$

Transportation: 250$

This is around 2.000$

Am I forgetting something major? Are those prices realistic? My point of view is that you cannot live comfortably with a minimum wage plus a part time job, but you can live and not go broke!

TAXES, your take home after taxes and also if you have insurance through your employer, or any other benefits, will be much less than $1300 a week

[Jawaree 717]

Well it depends on where U will live some states are or expensive

than others...NY is expensive, you all have to get here firs.

She may get an entry level job that pays a lttle mre than minimum

wage while in school, U should be able to gain a better salary with

your experience & qualifications....If U are older, talk bout, when she will

will have kids (if U wnt kids) set goals to save & get even a starter home,

bill payment responsibility and so forth, she is sill young, marriage is

a partnership so talk about everything upfront ...goos luck dude

OP my computer went crazy said *script error* & I could not edit but

good luck

[fbragasilva88 17]

Isn't Nevada one of the states that doesn't have an income taxes?

And I didn't know that you get a penalty on your taxes if you don't have health insurance, just looked that up.. wow.

Edited February 11, 2015 by fbragasilva88

[Kastrs 723]

Isn't Nevada one of the states that doesn't have an income taxes?

And I didn't know that you get a penalty on your taxes if you don't have health insurance, just looked that up.. wow.

Las Vegas is a city in the state of Nevada,I do not know if there is a state income tax, but there is still Federal Income Tax, you pay that no matter where you live in the US

[fbragasilva88 17]

So pretty much Federal Income Tax + Social Security Tax? Those are the basic ones? For a minimum wage the % would be 10% + 6% respectively?

Edited February 11, 2015 by fbragasilva88

[Kastrs 723]

your withholding depends on how you complete your w4, it is hard to predict how much would be deducted from your paycheck

[fbragasilva88 17]

Oh boy, and I thought that here, in Brazil, the taxes were complicated lol

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Depending on the state, the USC might qualify for expanded Medicaid and you'll probably both qualify for subsidies with obamacare. So, at least you'll have some insurance.

It is good you have savings because there are lots of irritating and/or unexpected expenses that will come moving to a foreign country. Some of that savings will probably also be needed for a deposit for your apartment and to pay your ROC bill when the time comes for that. It is very very hard to put money aside without a higher income.

[fbragasilva88 17]

Depending on the state, the USC might qualify for expanded Medicaid and you'll probably both qualify for subsidies with obamacare. So, at least you'll have some insurance.

It is good you have savings because there are lots of irritating and/or unexpected expenses that will come moving to a foreign country. Some of that savings will probably also be needed for a deposit for your apartment and to pay your ROC bill when the time comes for that. It is very very hard to put money aside without a higher income.

I will look into that because if we can that will help a bit!

I am really glad that I will be able to save some before I go, like you said. With that low of a income that I may have at the beginning, it will be really hard to even rent an apartment, but paying it in advance may help a lot.

Btw, how hard is to finance stuffs like a car or acquire a credit card when you are new citizen?