Living with a minimum wage + part time job

[kzielu 1,149]

Don't think he will eligible for Medicaid for a while after immigrating....

It is very hard to get financing (actually next to impossible) with a decent APR if you don't have any credit established. There's plenty of posts about it here....

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

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

What you'll need/want to do is to open a secured credit card because that will help open your credit history and after 2 months or so, give you a credit score.

I'm not sure what the USC's credit score is, but once my immigrant husband had an opened credit history with the secured credit card, he was able to piggy back off my credit score because he was on my credit cards as well.

Don't think he will eligible for Medicaid for a while after immigrating....

Like I said, the USC might be eligible for expanded medicaid.

[novedsac 355]

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

There will be payroll taxes, of which the employee will be responsible for 7.65% (social security and medicare). This brings the OPs hourly minimum wage down to 7.26 per hour. All other payroll taxes will be paid by the employer.

Income tax withholding will be based on the selections within the W2 which the OP will file. Based on minimum wage and the low projected income of the spouse, federal income tax withholding is going to be in the neighborhood of 3%; perhaps less if there is eligibility tax advantaged tuition payments, retirement, etc.

Medical deductions, if avaialble through the employer, are all over the map, so hard to predict how much impact it will have on take-home pay. Penalty for not having insurance, for 2015, is $325 per adult ... so $650 for OP and spouse; but this carries the risk of being stuck with medical bills which could easily far exceed the penalty paid.

[fbragasilva88 17]

There will be payroll taxes, of which the employee will be responsible for 7.65% (social security and medicare). This brings the OPs hourly minimum wage down to 7.26 per hour. All other payroll taxes will be paid by the employer.

Income tax withholding will be based on the selections within the W2 which the OP will file. Based on minimum wage and the low projected income of the spouse, federal income tax withholding is going to be in the neighborhood of 3%; perhaps less if there is eligibility tax advantaged tuition payments, retirement, etc.

Medical deductions, if avaialble through the employer, are all over the map, so hard to predict how much impact it will have on take-home pay. Penalty for not having insurance, for 2015, is $325 per adult ... so $650 for OP and spouse; but this carries the risk of being stuck with medical bills which could easily far exceed the penalty paid.

Thank you very much for clarifying! After all, big part of it go to taxes.. got it lol

What you'll need/want to do is to open a secured credit card because that will help open your credit history and after 2 months or so, give you a credit score.

I'm not sure what the USC's credit score is, but once my immigrant husband had an opened credit history with the secured credit card, he was able to piggy back off my credit score because he was on my credit cards as well.

Like I said, the USC might be eligible for expanded medicaid.

A secure credit card can only be done with a SSN right? My wife doesn't have any credit score so far, when she turned 18 she came to Brazil and never worked before. I think it would be a great idea to apply to one at her name at Capital One or US bank.

[Dohan 133]

You can use this page with the interactive calculcator to estimate how much Obamacare might cost you.

http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/#state=nv&zip=&income-type=dollars&income=&employer-coverage=0&people=2&alternate-plan-family=couple&adult-count=2&adults%5B0%5D%5Bage%5D=21&adults%5B0%5D%5Btobacco%5D=0&adults%5B1%5D%5Bage%5D=21&adults%5B1%5D%5Btobacco%5D=0&child-count=0&child-tobacco=0

Also, some colleges offer healthcare plans for students, so it might be cheaper for your wife to enroll through her school and for you to do Obamacare. Just play around with numbers to see what works.

[jtaylor 8]

IT Skills are easily transferable. Most IT jobs (even helpdesk) pay more than minimum wage, at least here in New England. You will need to convince someone to give you a chance and then prove yourself but if you are reasonably good you should be able to make it through an interview.

Here in Rhode Island Helpdesk Techs with experience will start between $14 and $18 an hour. Field techs make slightly more. I would use the first months after you get here getting yourself a couple of certifications (A+/Network+/Microsoft MCSA) or getting your existing certifications translated and verified here in the US.

If you need any assistance in reviewing your resume or the like, feel free to PM me.

[fbragasilva88 17]

You can use this page with the interactive calculcator to estimate how much Obamacare might cost you.

http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/#state=nv&zip=&income-type=dollars&income=&employer-coverage=0&people=2&alternate-plan-family=couple&adult-count=2&adults%5B0%5D%5Bage%5D=21&adults%5B0%5D%5Btobacco%5D=0&adults%5B1%5D%5Bage%5D=21&adults%5B1%5D%5Btobacco%5D=0&child-count=0&child-tobacco=0

Also, some colleges offer healthcare plans for students, so it might be cheaper for your wife to enroll through her school and for you to do Obamacare. Just play around with numbers to see what works.

That's awesome to know! I will play around to have a better idea!

IT Skills are easily transferable. Most IT jobs (even helpdesk) pay more than minimum wage, at least here in New England. You will need to convince someone to give you a chance and then prove yourself but if you are reasonably good you should be able to make it through an interview.

Here in Rhode Island Helpdesk Techs with experience will start between $14 and $18 an hour. Field techs make slightly more. I would use the first months after you get here getting yourself a couple of certifications (A+/Network+/Microsoft MCSA) or getting your existing certifications translated and verified here in the US.

If you need any assistance in reviewing your resume or the like, feel free to PM me.

That's what is good about IT, pretty much the same everywhere! For many factors I haven't be able to get certifications yet, but I sure will before going there.

My main concern about getting a good job in America is that I never did any English course and I don't have anything to show that I have the required proficiency to be at a work environment, my accent is not strong at all but it shows off sometimes when I am under some type of pressure, so maybe my interview will not go well if people don't like it... Idk..

I will pm will in a second, thank you very much for the help!!

[Frips 166]

I'm in the similar position as you are...also in IT with 15years of experience but without bachelor degree:/

Try to get Comptia A+ certificate for a start....

[samlog 25]

Check out Clark Howard's website. He has a radio show in the US and gives all kinds of useful information on saving money, spending less and how to avoid getting ripped off. He also has a podcast if you ever wanted to listen.

You can get by on way less than $100 a month with a cell phone: http://www.clarkhoward.com/topics/cheap_cell_plans/

Podcast: http://www.clarkhoward.com/s/podcast/clarkshow/

Edited February 11, 2015 by samlog

[Happytobe 164]

We're in Vegas... You may also have natural Gas to pay for. Heat & dryer run off of that.... About $30 a month. Some apartment complexes give you a bill each month for trash, water, sewer, property tax, & pest control. Ours varies from $60-$90 a month additional to rent, but there are a few where it's totalled in the rent cost. Good luck!

[Cathi 5,748]

IT help desk pays more than minimum wage. Just keep in mind you will be up against others who have degrees in computer science going after the same jobs. My husband is a computer engineer with experience before he arrived in the US. No one would hire with no US experience. In order to get his foot in the door he had to take an intern position in order to get the US experience. It took him 10 months to get the intern job and another 4 months after that before they hired him permanently. Even with his engineering degree he applied for help desk positions and still no one would hire him.

[R<3S 97]

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!

Hmmm,

Well the only thing I can say is it will definitely be hard to live in the US with the status you are in. It is similar to my case, I currently have a part-time job and still live with my parents and after my husband gets here, he will have a minimum wage job also. Although, I have just graduated from school so I will be able to look for a full-time job, Also, I have relatives int he US from my husbands side who are willing help us financially for a few months until we get set.

I am guessing that you will want to move out with your wife when you are here. You can have her live on campus to become more individual and pay tuition and what not using scholarship and loans. Then, you will have to use saved up money and also maybe help from friends and family to establish yourselves in the beginning..

Also, depending on your wife, she can get a full-time job or different part-time jobs. It is difficult and I could never do it, but I have seen people do it. My college roommate during my first year in college, she worked three jobs and studied pre-med and lived on her own and still had time to party.

Also, if your wife has no income, how did she show income to support you? Also, as a gc holder, you probably may not qualify for many health-insurance, or they will prob not be quite cheap... because technically the sponsor is supposed to take care of you financially.

Hope this helps!

Edited February 12, 2015 by R<3S

[E-N 48]

just be smart with your spending. start couponing. google it online. when things are onsale stock up. you can do it! it will be hard but, you can do it.

[1stLoveRedo 111]

You can play around with your numbers and diffrenet scenarios as to what would be your take home after taxes.

http://www.paycheckcity.com

[bahamamama234 25]

Hey I am from Brazil, I don't work yet, I am 19.

My husband is american and works selling suits at a store plus free lance stuff, he makes like 10 an hour plus comission, works part time but gets more hours sometimes, he makes sometimes 400 a week but sometimes less... but then there is the free lance stuff and I am trying to be a model out here and it makes cash too

Our rent is like 1300 but here is the thing, we have roommates, get a 2 bed place and rent out the other one, HAVE ROOMMATES THAT YOU CAN TRUST. split the bills with them, the house bills. get a phone plan at virgin mobile, is only 35 a month. Buy food at dollar tree etc, buy clothes at cheap clothing places like 1 2 3 fashion

Have a bike so you can get around places, move with subway instead of bus...

Is all about knowing how to use your money