Pay at a small town daily

$300 a month for an apartment? Where is this mythical creation? That's the price for a place on the corner of Stab and Rape in Providence, and that's about it, unless you split a place and have multiple people in a bedroom. $200 a month for utilities also seems low, unless you're at a place where you don't have to pay for heat (or conversely, AC).

 

No to both. My family was on the other side of the country. I had my own apartment, no roommates, repaying college loans, etc. I still had no problem making profit each month. Making ends meet was never an issue. I easily had enough money for that and knew that I would always have enough for that as long as I kept my job. My concern with money was increasing my savings, and I did that on a fairly regular basis.

If you have a spouse, yes, $23,000 is poverty living. If you have kids, it's even worse. If you live in an expensive area, even if single, it's a disaster. But if you live in an area that's not all that populated with a low cost of living, it's not poverty living at all. It's not glamorous, but it's not bad. I never had to deny myself something I wanted because of finances, and I never once ate Ramen or cereal.

 

200 a month for utilities seems very high to me, actually. I had to pay cable, electric and heat at my last apartment, and my cost for the three of them combined was never more than $100 a month. Also, $300 a month for an apartment sounds about right. My last apartment was a wonderful two-bedroom place, a mile from the interstate with several grocery stores and restaurants within five minutes. It was $400 a month, so I wouldn't be at all shocked if you could find a nice one-bedroom place for $300.

 

What do they say in the real estate business? Location, Location, Location. If you live in a place with a low cost of living it is doable. in a place where it costs quite a bit more and your annual salary is about a quarter to a third of the average for that city, it's impossible and an insult. And also far too often a reality.

 

Exactly. This is why when I post on the job board, I say to look at the location along with the salary numbers, not just the numbers. $23,000 in Illinois is an insult. $23,000 in Idaho will allow you to live comfortably. Location is everything, and I know that firsthand.

 

I also can't even imagine working as hard as I did back in the business for the pay people are willing to accept. I understand there is a passion for what this industry is about, but at one point or another you have to put yourself above it. Of course jobs are scarce, so, do what you have to do.

I'm spending this summer working at the golf course in my resort town and while it's not very glamourous to be carrying bags, washing clubs, or somewhat bending over for guests/pass holders, the pay is unbelievably amazing. I take that back - it's minimum wage, but the tips. Yes, the tips. Probably one of the better courses to work tip wise in the country.

 

Yes, it's doable if you're watching your finances carefully, and no, you're not going to get rich in this business...we should all have known that when we started.

Still, it's sad to see a group of college-educated professionals working for the same or less wages as the counter employee at the local fast-food stop.

 

This.

Could not agree more.

I love what I do, some days more than others, but that should not be a green light for the industry to pay us like high school dropouts.

I knew full well going in that it would be the case and it still nearly broke me spirit-wise at the six -year mark when I couldn't afford to go out and buy myself one beer.

 

I would have to be out of the biz if it wasn't for my wife working a great job...she's part-time 30/wk (or so), but they allow her full health benefits. Without that I'd be in another line of work...as much as I love it, I've searched outside the career field twice in my 15 years, but stuck with newspapers.

 

It may break me now.

My rent's about to be raised $100 a month. It's either pay off my car a year early, which I think I could do, or move. I'm 43 and I'm tired of bringing home less than $1,500 a month. No raise for two years, very likely to be three. I got a bonus last month but I didn't get to enjoy it because I paid off some of the $500 for my last batch of asthma medicine with it because the company's health insurance is ass.

I may not love what I do anymore but I still like it. The problem is that things are not getting better and may, indeed, be getting worse.

I think it's time to make a big change. And that involves getting out of newspapers. It's just a matter of time. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to afford to retire.

 

You've never lived in an actual small town, I'm guessing.

 

Just wanted to quote this line for posterity. That's awesome.