Living with a minimum wage + part time job

[PeruvyandGringa 25]

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!

I have a friend who married her hubby from Peru and he has a degree (and work experience) from Peru. He's been here 5 years and has yet to find a job in computers here. He is now going to school to get a degree here (plus at this point, he is learning all that is new). My cousin and her hubby lived here for awhile but they ended up moving back to Brazil. Her hubby has a wonderful corporate finance job and they have maids and nannies for their children there. Here they could barely make ends meet. You could get lucky and manage to land a really great job, the economy here has improved in the past few years from what it was. Best of luck in wherever you live!

[CowBoE 429]

I didn't read everyone's replies...but based on your original post,

I get good feeling that you have good head on your shoulder,

and while the beginning might be tough, I think you will be fine in US.

Here is a cost of living in Las Vegas area...

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+States&city=Las+Vegas%2C+NV

Also, I'm in IT field in Texas, and starting pay for our entry level Help Desk positions

where college degree is not required is $15 per hour, and it goes to about $20 within 3 years.

Yes, it's good to budget for the worst case scenario, but if you already have college degree

and have several years of experience, you can earn between $45,000 to $55,000 per year.

Here is the salary info for Help Desk positions in Las Vegas area.

http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Help-Desk-Support-Salary-Details-89101-Las-Vegas-NV.aspx

Like I've said, I get a good vibe that you are very budget minded

and knows how to manage your life, so keep that attitude and

you will be fine in US.

[jarj 13]

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!

Same here, petitioning my fiancé too. and would be a first time to rent an apartment too.

I also consider those ones. but take note.. you might be getting the minimum wage, but also, taxes are being deducted on that 8.25 also insurance.

before settling down. probably save some money or atleast enough to cover up your expenses until both of you get a better job.

Your prices are quite realistic. but for apartment and in Vegas, That's quite cheap. That's also the prices here when looking for a small unit apartment. 1-2bedroom.

the bottom line is. it's better to have atleast a little extra to cover up unforeseen scenarios.

[Kiv 32]

I also think, you are doing good thinking all this from the begining, the shock will be less when you are really here, I wish I had been a better planer when i moved.

In my case the work permit took 3 months to arrive so, it will be some time that you cannot work, you will depend on your spouse and savings.

When you are ready to work, dont focuss only in IT jobs, anything will help to get you started.

Good luck!

[UK_Fan 192]

you forgot about car insurance

[fbragasilva88 17]

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!

So normally the gas is used to heat up and the power to cool down, that's it? Here in Brazil we just use the electricity and gas for like cooking and shower! And if you don't mind at all, please, could you give me a little bit more information of where do you live in Vegas, how is the area, prices around and buses, just PM me if you want Thanks!!

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!

I forgot to mention that at first we are going to her moms house, and probably we will stay there saving money for a good 3~4 months!

And fortunately my mother-in-law will be our joint sponsor!

I didn't read everyone's replies...but based on your original post,

I get good feeling that you have good head on your shoulder,

and while the beginning might be tough, I think you will be fine in US.

Here is a cost of living in Las Vegas area...

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+States&city=Las+Vegas%2C+NV

Also, I'm in IT field in Texas, and starting pay for our entry level Help Desk positions

where college degree is not required is $15 per hour, and it goes to about $20 within 3 years.

Yes, it's good to budget for the worst case scenario, but if you already have college degree

and have several years of experience, you can earn between $45,000 to $55,000 per year.

Here is the salary info for Help Desk positions in Las Vegas area.

http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Help-Desk-Support-Salary-Details-89101-Las-Vegas-NV.aspx

Like I've said, I get a good vibe that you are very budget minded

and knows how to manage your life, so keep that attitude and

you will be fine in US.

That's really really good, exactly what I was looking for! Btw, what certifications do you have?

[fbragasilva88 17]

you forgot about car insurance

Not having a car for some time, the gas I did put on my first post is for natural gas not gasoline! I am sorry for the mistake.

[CowBoE 429]

That's really really good, exactly what I was looking for! Btw, what certifications do you have?

I just have 4 year college degree, CISSP, Scrum Master, and ITIL certifications.

But I've been developing and managing software development for major

software companies for 30 years now.

Help Desk is one of the entry level positions in IT, but as you develop your career

here are some (very) bright areas to consider...

1. Software Development (huge demand across wide industries)

2. Cyber Security Expert (very hot with big pay!!!)

3. Mobile Device Development (very hot niche market with big pay)

Also, check out www.freelancer.com, where you can bid for small projects

ranging $30 to $10,000. The work ranges from software development,

graphic design, language translation, data entry, web site testing, etc.

For jobs, check out www.monster.com. This is by far the best IT job site.

As mentioned above, www.salary.com provides you with good understanding of

varies salaries based on the job title and location.

Sign up for www.certmag.com...this is (free) online (mostly) IT certification

related magazine. They used to send out hard copies, but now its mainly

online version only. But they have all the information about all IT certificates.

Last thing to consider is...

If you go to a small company, you will be paid 10 to 20% less, and have

less benefits like health insurance, vacation, etc., but because you will

end up wearing multiple hats and doing variety of jobs, your diversify

your skills much quicker. Also, if you find the right start up company,

they will provide stock options which can end up being a big prize years later.

Also, if the company grows, you will have better chance at promotion

quicker than larger companies.

If you go to a large company, pay and benefits will be better and the

company will be more stable, and you will focus in one or two specialized areas

where you have chance to develop expert skills but you won't build the diversity

as quickly as in the smaller company. But you will learn better process in larger company vs. smaller ones.

[EmigratingSwede 16]

Things can work out quite well too. I worked in IT before I moved and had 8 years' experiance. We lived with my in-laws for a few months before we found a place to live. After three months I got a job doing exactly what I had been doing before I moved. Great benefits and an 83k starting salary (two years later I am making 90k+).

[fbragasilva88 17]

Things can work out quite well too. I worked in IT before I moved and had 8 years' experiance. We lived with my in-laws for a few months before we found a place to live. After three months I got a job doing exactly what I had been doing before I moved. Great benefits and an 83k starting salary (two years later I am making 90k+).

This is a GREAT start! At the begining if I make half of it I will more than happy lol

[jbanya 19]

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!

Don't worry about job as Helpdesk usually start with base paid not hourly, try to find some recruiters in Vegas and ask them to refer you to a job with average paid.. Lot of hiring at the moment too

http://www.indeed.com/q-Help-Desk-Technician-l-Las-Vegas,-NV-jobs.html

$3500 per month is the average paid for helpdesk technician.

http://www.simplyhired.com/salaries-k-help-desk-technician-l-las-vegas-nv-jobs.html

If you have kids then you need an apartment, if no then can consider to rent a room, the rental is about $350-500 per room, and some house owner will provide utilities + internet access in the rental too, just like us, we are staying in a house with utilities + internet included in our rental is $300 bi-weekly ($600 per month). Once you able to find a house owner that provide all things then you can save your gas, power, water...

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/search/sha

As for your wife she can take some classes in very low investment once she have Green Card, the fees is half of the international student. She can also back to ELS classes with just $5 + some admin fees and then go for exam, then upgrade to TESOL get a certification about $2000+ so she able to teach English to some schools here. (well this is my plan too lol...)

Many call centre jobs offer with min $10 per hour for entry level, your wife can try too if she have no intention to continue her study and you can also try to apply for call centre jobs as your part time in night shift

You need insurance to cover you & your wife in US as medication and childbirth is crazy! Highest in the world and caused many American declared bankrupt too!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100840148

Good luck & keep up!

[fbragasilva88 17]

Thank you Jbanya for the insights!

I will definitely look into those room rentals, may be a good option for us!

Regarding my wife, she is an american citizen just didn't go to the college yet! We are looking into that now, it is really expansive tho! We are considering community college, but I don't know yet.. I want the best for her, good education is really important!

And babies.. well, in 3 ~ 4 years from now lol

[jtaylor 8]

Thank you Jbanya for the insights!

I will definitely look into those room rentals, may be a good option for us!

Regarding my wife, she is an american citizen just didn't go to the college yet! We are looking into that now, it is really expansive tho! We are considering community college, but I don't know yet.. I want the best for her, good education is really important!

And babies.. well, in 3 ~ 4 years from now lol

If she is going to get a 4 year degree doing the 1st two years at a community college and then transferring to a 4 year school will save you a bunch of money and should not have any negative effect on her education or credentials.