Today on Oprah....Living on Minimum Wage

[JoyJoy]

On Oprah today "Living on Minimum Wage" . 4:00 PM EST in New York.

[Ima saver]

Thanks Joy Joy, I had forgotten, should be interesting!!

[JoyJoy]

You're welcome Ima!! Yes it should be very interesting.

[debtfreeme]

i can't wait to get home and watch it!

[JBinKC]

I saw it and the conclusion is you basically can't if you have to pay for all of the basics like rent a balanced diet and the you can thank the global economy and a cheaper wage sources for this.

[yankeegal]

I think Oprah is full of crap-sorry, I know a lot of people feel she walks on water but-she makes comments like "how can we let this happen in America-so many people living at or below the poverty line?" and her next show is about Oscar de la renta and his gowns that probably cost more than what the families make in a year. Anyone else see anything wrong with this?

[Snoopy2645]

Ya I noticed that too I dont watch her much these days but have been watching her shows on debt. And caught just the end of todays show but noticed she kept saying how can we let this happen.

[AmberW]

I don't see anything wrong with having the Oscar De La Renta gowns show. Sounds like it could be fun. She does some shows that are just to be entertaining. That's part of what she does and there is nothing wrong with a little entertainment. It's a lot less damaging that what many people watch for entertainment these days.
On other shows, like today, she tries to make a difference. Obviously you have no interest in seeing gowns that are basically works of art. I don't see how that is a call for acting morally superior.

[BCHGRL]

I didn't see the show, but I agree that she is sending hypocritical messages. What is her net worth now? How can she have any idea what it is like to struggle?

If she were to commit herself to a shoestring budget and donate the savings to charity then she would capture my attention.

Consumerism is a problem that she helped create (i.e. the "giveaway" show with everything described as a "must have" for the season.) No, she didn't create minimum wage, but her empire certainly contributed to the overconsumption culture.

[Thrifty Ray]

While I agree that there is a tad bit of irony in a billionnaire tsk, tsking at the lives of folks making $5.15 an hour....

I have to point out that Oprah knows the life....she grew up in poverty and has made her success on her own....but more importantly is the POWER behind her topics...Todays show brought AWARENESS to many who've never given this epidemic a second thought. (She could have skipped todays show and just did the Oscar de la Renta gowns...but she didn't thank God.)

However the message is spread....hopefully, it will bring about changes and reform.

[lrjohnson]

Did anyone else notice that sometimes people had expenses that were quite high on this show? For example, one person had a car payment of almost $400. Another spent $100 a week for groceries for 2 "on a good week." I wanted to use a Vulcan mind meld to have them visit this site. I'm not saying that there aren't things that need to change in this country, I'd just like people to feel like they can do more with limited means. Powdered milk and oatmeal and thrift stores and non-cable TV are not hideous punishments-they can help ease the pressure, like the "constant worrying" one woman had.

[Thrifty Ray]

My DD1 and I watched the show together...and more than once I commented on the seemingly high grocery budgets...the family of 6 spent $250 per week...c'mon, I raised 4 kids and never spent that much on groceries...even when we were making close to 100k per year!!(and mine were teens! not small children!) I

[yankeegal]

[quote=AmberW]I don't see anything wrong with having the Oscar De La Renta gowns show. Sounds like it could be fun. She does some shows that are just to be entertaining. That's part of what she does and there is nothing wrong with a little entertainment. It's a lot less damaging that what many people watch for entertainment these days.
On other shows, like today, she tries to make a difference. Obviously you have no interest in seeing gowns that are basically works of art. I don't see how that is a call for acting morally superior.[/QUOTe

I was just pointing out her bad timing-not being "morally superior."

[yankeegal]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

Did anyone else notice that sometimes people had expenses that were quite high on this show? For example, one person had a car payment of almost $400. Another spent $100 a week for groceries for 2 "on a good week." I wanted to use a Vulcan mind meld to have them visit this site. I'm not saying that there aren't things that need to change in this country, I'd just like people to feel like they can do more with limited means. Powdered milk and oatmeal and thrift stores and non-cable TV are not hideous punishments-they can help ease the pressure, like the "constant worrying" one woman had.

Absolutely correct!!! I would have liked to see more tangible solutions, less of the govt. needs to do more.

[Ima saver]

I was shocked at the grocery bill of $250 for 6 people, including 4 little girls. What happened to a couple of boxes of mac and cheese for dinner? Less than $1. My husband and I lived on minimum wage for years. I bought no clothes, no shoes, no nothing. I just paid our bills and saved something first. I bought my first house at age 21, making $1 an hour. You can live on minimum wage, but you have to be creative. Plus, I started saving my money when I was a teenager, so I at least had some money to start with. I find it scarey on this forum, when some people say they only have $100 in savings. You must work on your savings when you are young. I had that much saved us when I was a teenager, making $3 a day!!

[yankeegal]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I was shocked at the grocery bill of $250 for 6 people, including 4 little girls. What happened to a couple of boxes of mac and cheese for dinner? Less than $1. My husband and I lived on minimum wage for years. I bought no clothes, no shoes, no nothing. I just paid our bills and saved something first. I bought my first house at age 21, making $1 an hour. You can live on minimum wage, but you have to be creative. Plus, I started saving my money when I was a teenager, so I at least had some money to start with. I find it scarey on this forum, when some people say they only have $100 in savings. You must work on your savings when you are young. I had that much saved us when I was a teenager, making $3 a day!!

Unfortunately your excellent example of personal responsibility is not what makes good Oprah TV-instead lots of blame with no real solutions-Sad..

[Ima saver]

The homeless lady and her daughter had a cell phone. I don't.

[katwoman]

Unfortunately, for people in that situation there is no thinking outside the box. And really it's not their fault. How can they embrace thrift or frugality when all they see is consumerism and they're too busy just trying to keep their head above water?


And what happens when someone finally finds themselves homeless? Can we really expect that they're going to get back on their feet without any help whatsoever?


Finally, it is despicable that anyone making less than 18k/yr should have to pay any state or federal income tax!

[lrjohnson]

Ima, I don't have a cell either. This expense didn't bother me as some others did, though. She was employed, and I thought perhaps she would need a phone for work to contact her, for her daughter's school to call her, to contact potential landlords, etc. I've heard that one of the tougher things getting out of a temporary bout of homelessness is that lack of address and phone number, in that when you present yourself to potential employers/landlords/etc., you are persona non grata if there is literally no way to contact you. A lot of our homeless clients in out County find the cost of a post office box prohibitive, too.

That said, I'd like to be sure she had the cheapest plan available and made minimal personal calls and zero long distance calls (unless it was job seeking/apartment seeking related).

[Lori63]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

The homeless lady and her daughter had a cell phone. I don't.

I didn't see the show so I can't judge (and I'm not) but it always amazes me what some people think they "need". We have had desperate times and great times financially, and I can honestly say we cut down to the bare bones when we needed to.