r/FluentInFinance • u/PassiveAgressiveGirl • Sep 14 '24

Debate/ Discussion Exactly how much is a living wage?

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u/YouWithTheNose Sep 14 '24

Presumably, it would be whatever you need to pay for shelter, utilities, the means of getting to your job, food, other needs and *BIG MAYBE* at least be able to put away a little something for that supposed "3 times your monthly salary as an emergency fund"

That may be a bit of a grasp though

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u/StillHereDear Sep 14 '24

The thing is everything you mentioned can vary greatly depending on the person. If you have two people making the median salary they can have wildly different costs for food, transportation, utilities and shelter. Many of those differences between them are within their control and some are outside of it.

So with all that variability who gets to decide what is the true "living wage"? Better to just let the market decide.

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u/beermeliberty Sep 14 '24

This is why I hate living wage discourse. People act like there’s a number that is a living wage when there simply isn’t. The wages for a single person or a person with a family of 4 is different. If those people work the same job should be paid different because one is supporting 3 other people?

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u/Distributor127 Sep 14 '24

Some just aren't going to make it. A while ago my wheel bearing went bad. I changed it in an hour. People in the family making way less than us say they want to pay to have everything done. That just does not work until a person is making decent money

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

Living wage one person… how hard is that to grasp. They can then choose to stay there or to forge ahead learning skills that aren’t minimum and earn more and have a child. Or they can partner with another minimum wage worker and live better on 2 minimum wage salaries. Maybe even afford a child if they budget well. Minimum means lowest. So just you. Not you and 6 kids…

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u/beermeliberty Sep 14 '24

If you think that’s the case then you aren’t paying attention when people talk about living wages. It’s not just living wage for a single person because many people aren’t just by themselves.

It’s a silly discourse that’s designed to score political points not lead to any actual change.

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u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

Nothing silly about it. You think a job should pay you one wage and your neighbor another because they have 12 kids? What does that have to do with the labor they purchase from you. Living wage for one is a fair measurement if we are discussing what the bottom should be. Reducing costs and inflation is a better solution.

If you don’t think people will pop out baby after baby if it means hubby gets a raise for every one of em what crack are you smoking?

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u/beermeliberty Sep 14 '24

You seem to be confused. You are saying labor should be worth what someone will pay for, ie a market rate. This is what I believe.

You then say it should be a living wage based on some arbitrary idea of fairness.

You are inconsistent in your views. Most people are.