just for info

[runamuk]

GOOD PAY?

and

What area are you in?

I do not want your actual pay that is far too personal/sensitive for most......I am curious what is considered good pay for the area you are in....I know it varies tremendously across the country........

 

[Sun Runner Stables]

I live in Palm Beach County FL, one of the most affluant in America, and "normal" pay is around $10 for a teenager type job. (Hostess, Inn-keeper, basic officeworking skills etc.)

I think that $13-15 is Good pay, but since I am a riding instructor, my hourly is way above($45-55), though I work far less hours. (And have Way more overhead.) Hence I don't have the best perspective. Hope this helps you some.

 

[chandab]

I live in rural Montana and $7-10 is good pay, but you are usually lucky to get a job that pays minimum wage (whatever that is currently). We are self-employed and don't get paid near enough for what we do.

:

 

[mininik]

You're really thinking about this stuff lately, aren't you?

:

GOOD PAY, hmm. Well, I guess that would really depend upon what you're doing for work and your lifestyle as well as your location. Personally, I can live comfortably almost anywhere I want to, the way I want to (and this is a long list of places which obviously doesn't include "fabulous" Naples, FL, Hollywood, CA, Kirkland, WA, NY, NY, et cetera) on anywhere between $500. to preferably around $1000. a week (before taxes). Benefits are a big plus in my opinion, especially health insurance. I of course do not consider this to be 'RICH', but then I never wanted to be 'WEALTHY' with possessions like useless little trinkets, a big fancy house and new car, etc. I am a good saver, however, and always like to have as much money in the bank as possible. I mostly care about my physical health and mental well-being with the benefit of having a few well-cared-for furry friends around me at all times. I just can't put a value on that last part but have an idea of just what it takes to fund it.

:

 

[JO~*]

I live up at the very north west tip of California and the pay here is much less than down south.

I think min in Calif. is $6.75 an hour. Anything under $8.00 is low. I think $9.00 to $10.00 an hour is about mid range.

$12.00 on up is good for most jobs.

If I was younger I'd put in for work at Pelican Bay State Prison and bring home the big bucks.(Did I ever mention its in my town

)

Don't know if I could handle being a CO but most jobs pay pretty well out there and the benifits are good.

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

In Seattle anything above $70,000 per worker in a household is what I consider good pay to have a decent lifestyle here. When I had my own business in the 80's the headaches of being responsible for everything and never having a real day off in those 8 years was heck and cost me my marriage. No matter how much I made it's just not worth it to me to be my own boss again, was she ever heck to work for,

: so now I'd rather work for someone else, get paid a salary and leave the problems at my office when I go home each day.

 

[Farmhand]

Hummmm..........In Michigan, skilled trades $20-$35 an hour. If you get into one of the "union shops" production people make in the $20 range. Smaller factories varies $8-?. At the current time there are jobs to be found but employers have a lot of people looking for "cheap" help. You know what they say "you get what you pay for".

:

 

[mininik]

"In Seattle anything above $70,000 per worker in a household is what I consider good pay to have a decent lifestyle here."

Well, I lived there for a lot less than that on a 27' and a 30' sailboat moored at Shilshole Marina and at another marina a bit closer to Ballard.

: It was a wonderful, unique and very decent lifestyle.

:

Of course now they're building condos at Shilshole... :smileypuke: ...but at least the docks will be nicely redone for when I get back up there!

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

My hubby and I lived on our 30' sailboat in Tacoma and had a great time at that point in our lives. And yes we lived on a lot less while I finished college but now at almost 50 I expect more creature comforts than I did in my 20's. We laugh when we reminisce about the boat that our walk-in closet is bigger than the entire living space on our little boat when we lived aboard.

If you want to have a nice place to live, drive new(er) cars and be able to take care of your animals properly it can cost a lot to live in this part of the country. Puget Sound is definately one of the more expensive places to live these days. Housing prices have gone up, I think someone told me recently 65% in the last 2 years alone!

 

[mininik]

LOL More comfortable living? Isn't that what they make powerboats for, Shirley?? :lol: I hope I never get to the point where I think I need a house again. I also love old(er) cars (what I wouldn't do for another castaway Volvo or Mercedes) although I prefer walking or riding a bike and will only keep as many critters as I can care for properly. It's fun living cheaply in places that are spendy (I'd love to live aboard at Friday Harbor someday or in Kirkland) and I like being eye candy for the folks that spend big bucks for the "perfect view" of the quaint little boats below.

:

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

Nikki, Sssshhhhh don't say the "p" word my hubby might hear it and I'm all done living on boats but I have to admit I've been fantasizing about surrendering all my world goods and going to live in a commune or monastary lately. I think I would have made a good monk-ette :bgrin

 

[mininik]

Aww, c'mon, Shirley! You have to admit that some of those [SIZE=18pt]POWERBOATS[/SIZE] are pretty darn plush! ...but of course you didn't hear that from me, Ms. Monkette! (Hey, don't the Monk(ette)s practice celibacy?! Wait. Nevermind. Maybe I don't want to know!) Of course I wouldn't want your husband to see what we're talking about here and get any ideas about those [SIZE=18pt]BOATS[/SIZE] so I better scoot...

: :hypocrite:

 

[MBennettp]

In central Oklahoma the minimum wage is $5.15 hr. Good wages around here are $8.00 hr and up. There are several factory jobs that start at $9.50 hr.

The cost of living here is good though, housing prices are really low. Rent a 2 bedroom house in a good neighborhood for $500 month or less. Rent a 2 bedroom in a fair neighborhood $300 mo.

You can still buy a pretty decent house in town for around $40,000-50,000. Of course there are houses that cost tons more but good older homes are not that high.

Land around here will bring $2000 an acre for farm land (many acre purchase) to $10,000 acre for small parcels.

I've made a lot more money than I am making now but was on the road all the time. I would rather work for less wage and be able to come home every night. We are far from rich but I make enough to pay the bills and take care of the horses. Extras are few but that is okay, I am not that big on material things. The newest car we have is a 1996 and the oldest is a 1964. We just keep them repaired and keep driving them. One of these days, one of them will probably disintegrate on the side of the road but when it does, I'll probably just drive one of the other ones.

Mary

 

[FFFoxyGal]

Here in Saskatchewan,Canada,...minimum wage is going up to $7.55/hour the end of this month,...currently it is $7.05/hour.

I think the average wage here is around 11-12$/hour.

but,...At the mines they start you out at $13/hour and as little as 2 years,...you can make up to $40/hour!!!!!!!

:new_shocked:

: :aktion033:

 

[runamuk]

Hmmm interesting...........I was thinking about it because here in Idaho anything over 15 an hour is darn good pay.......and back in Washington we lived nicely on that amount (plus a bit of overtime)...yet it is supposedly lower cost of living here

: tax wise it is a wash....here you have income, sales, and property.....and though sales and property are lower the state income kinda takes the difference not to mention EVERYTHING is taxed here food and all

: gas is so up and down here 1/2 the time it is higher than WA and 1/2 the time it is similar or a skitch lower......land was cheaper but has tripled and quadrupuled in the 4 years we have been here......our income has stayed similar to what it was 4-5 years ago but our housing costs have doubled (so much for building a modest home...here that means cheap and poorly built) they really prefer to not use rebar in the foundations or 2x6 in the walls or insulation of any decent amount

:

: well I demanded a few of those things and got charged through the nose...shoulda bought a manufactured

: anyway I was just kinda curious what a decent paying job was in other areas since we are spread across this country.............

I work with engineers...but they do not make anything close to the national average for that profession......our company is small and growing fast so they are trying to do what the big guys do man is it spendy to offer all the benefits...in turn the benefits are out of my reach.....

 

[Marty]

Good pay here is minimum wage $5.45 an hour.

Real good pay here is $7.50 an hour.

But why work when you can easily live off of food stamps and government housing and get free cheese too?

First off, nobody works here on Mondays. That's cause they are tired from the big party weekend hangover or just spent the weekend in jail. Gotta rest on Mondays.

They will work from Tuesday - Thursday. That's just enough money to get a few kegs of beer to prepare for the weekend again.

Nobody works on Fridays cause they have to start getting loaded early on in the day. Just in case they get busted by Friday evening.

 

[minimule]

Here I believe minimum is around $6 or $6.5/hour.

A GOOD paying job is typically at Sandia National Labs or Intel. Hubby is a Lieutenant in the fire department, also a paramedic, and makes about $14/hour. :no: Not much for putting your life on the line.

I pay for our benefits at my job making a nice hourly wage.

New Mexico is such a poor state, the high paying jobs don't pay what other states do for the same thing, plus we also get taxed for everything. This past year they removed the food tax for groceries....yeah.

 

[Jill]

You are right, it really varies a lot depending on where you live. I live in a very expensive part of the country, Northern VA. I pay my part time clerical employees, who are great but no "special" skills or high training, $20 and $14 an hour and they are worth it...

Nikki --

You might "think" $52,000 / year is good pay but it wouldn't get you far at all in NY as you know. I know because you'd be living very sparsly on that low pay in this are, Northern VA!!! It's just kind of insane but it is true.

Jill

 

[mininik]

"You might "think" $52,000 / year is good pay but it wouldn't get you far at all in NY as you know. I know because you'd be living very sparsly on that low pay in this are, Northern VA!!! It's just kind of insane but it is true."

That's perfectly fine because I honestly have no desire whatsoever to live up in that part of the country, EVER. There are way too many other places I'd rather enjoy both in and out of the country that are just as beautiful and less costly. Sure, I might take a trip up there some day but I won't miss out not living there. What's more, I don't even begin to "think" $52K a year is good pay at all. I wasn't answering the question directly, but rather with what I can live off of comfortably in the way I want which is living aboard on a boat and within my means, neither of which is very popular option in this country because it isn't "cool."

 

[capall beag]

Here in the Northeast, everything is expensive, particularly within commute to Boston.

Some wages to consider are

Painters get paid about $30 - $40 per hour +

Plumbers $65 hour

Carpenters $40 hour and up

I think a good(not great) living for the sole breadwinner here would be $75,000 and up.

If you live in Massachusetts I would think it would be a lot more.

I live in a vacation town and waitresses make $200 - $300 + per shift depending on the season so it is hard to find people to work for the $10 + jobs. We have a lot of foreigners who come and work here in the vacation season because the kids won't work for that money

:

:

However, it is hard to find a house around here for less than $300,000, so you need to make good money!