Tarik Minifee

Question 7. Do you agree with Sen. Ted Kennedy's argument that raising the minimum wage helps families? What about the opposing side that is against raising the minimum wage (big business in the U.S.)?

      Yes, I agree with Ted that the minimum wage should be raised. The reasoning for that is back at the time of the show the minimum wage was so low that some might not be able to take care of a family of one, better yet if you had children it just wasn't enough to live off of. To the opposite end of this argument like the big business's, They have enough money for there business to thrive off of and still make money. But some of these family need that money not just to have nice things but to live and survive.                                                                                                                                          
Question 8. Define who the "Working Poor" are.

      The Working poor in my own words are the people who work and have a job that pays them but still is below and fit in the poverty level/ line. These people work there butts off everyday but still just don't make enough money or were already born into poverty, or being poor. The jobs that they have pay them minimum wage and its not enough.

Jerome Bynum

Question 3: Yes. Race was a huge factor for finding an apartment for Morgan and Alex.  I know this because in reality today  its harder for African Americans and hispanics to get jobs from other races.   White privilege has  the most power out of any race in todays world. I remember going to the corner with my friends because it was too many black people but then when a white group came they let them in. As the same with finding the apartment, and they had no kids so that made it a little easier for them to get the apartment. I think if morgan and alex were black the landlord wouldnt have told them about the homeless person and that crackhouse that was their before they came.

Shonah Dancey (Living For 30 Days on Minimum Wage)

30 Days on Minimum Wage

9) I think that Alex became so emotional about the services that were given to her and Morgan at The Free Store because she hadn't expected the kindness that they showed her. She had been struggling so much during the experience, especially without furniture. The Free Store showed   great generosity, as well as the generosity of strangers who donated to the store in the first place.

10) On minimum wage, unless a medical problem is life threatening or severely affecting your life, it can be cared for at home. Pain relievers are your friend and are much cheaper (obviously) than going to the ER. If you have kids you put them before everything--even yourself. In order to feed, clothe, and keep my kids healthy, I would forgoe medical care unless it was dire. 

Alexander Hilliard (Living For 30 Days on Minimum Wage)

Alex Hilliard 30 Days On Minimum Wage

Question 3

I do feel that race was a factor in getting hired and finding an apartment for Morgan and Alex. In America, people are more sensitive to the idea of poor White Americans than they are about poor multiracial Americans. This may have increased their chances to obtain things they needed to survive.  Its a sad truth to think your race is what may be holding you back from getting the things you need to survive. 

Question 11.
I am not surprised about the electric company asking for a deposit request. The electric company probably wants to make sure they are going to be properly paid before giving their services. If someone is not able to pay their electricity bill, the electric company wants to make sure they were paid for that time their service was being used. 

Jack Scott

Jack Scott 
Living For 30 Days on Minimum Wage






Question 4:
Honestly I think it depends on the situation. If I am not making enough money to support my family then I would leave the apartment without paying the entire sum. If I had a family it would depend on me to have a place to stay and for food and clothes. That would be my number one priority.


Question 12:
I feel like that situation could have gone both ways. On one hand you wanna spend your money on stuff like snacks and candy for special occasions like a birthday or a holiday but on the other hand you don't wanna waste your money on things you don't need. When you are in a situation where every dollar counts, you need to make sure you're getting what you need and not necessarily what you want. After Morgan bought the food Alex said, "that's 3 hours of work right there".

Edgar Mares Blog Personal Finacanes

Edgar Mares Blog of Personal Finances

Question 1

How did budgeting play in survival for Alex and Moran?

They have to makes sure what they were doing. They have to make sure where they were going what plans they have if they fell sick, to go the doctor or to stay home deal with the paine. They have to know what was worth buy in and what was not worth buying. As a bad choice could let to allot of money for example they were in debt a couple of times.

Question 3

I feel like race in the movie was not a big factor. As they have a bunch of amount to spend but at the same time they got some opportunities. Has I don’t believe allot people would be so nice to let another man have that apartment without paying the whole thing.

Max Honzel 30 Days Living on Minimum Wage

1. How good were Morgan and Alex at Budgeting for the 30 day period? Over the 30 days, Morgan and Alex were not very good at budgeting. They ended up with much less money than they started the month with, mostly due to the fact that they had to go to the hospital twice. Other than their hospital bills they did a very good job budgeting. Morgan could have gone to any store with medical supplies and gotten an Ace bandage, and Alex could have gotten over the counter products for her infection. This would have saved them over $1,000 and then they would have had more money than they had started with. 

12. Observe how easy it was for Morgan and Alex to get into an argument over finances. What is the underlying feeling that you think is at the cause of the conflict? In the 30 days of minimum wage working, Morgan and Alex got so little money that they could barely spend any money on anything. As a result, the two of them got into many small fights and one slightly larger argument over how they were spending their money. Alex tended to be a much more conservative spender, while Morgan was much more of a liberal spender. The underlying feeling that causes most of the conflict is stress. They are constantly under stress because of how little money they have, and their differing opinions on how to spend the little money can lead cdto more stress. All of this stress will then lead to them arguing.

Steve Wambo

Steve Wambo
finance and bm
9/15/2016

30 Days on minimum wage

2. A budget really helped Alex and Morgan manage their money for thirty days. Since Alex and Morgan are work minimum wage, which is almost at the poverty line, they have to make sure they check the money they spend everyday and keep every pennies. That's why you have a budget, to keep track of every dollar you spent and get back.

9. I think she was just surprised that the people with no jobs,minimum wage, and at poverty line, would be the ones given stuff stuff out like that for free. And to her it's just a blessing for people to do that.

Calvin Pennisi (30 Days Living On Minimum Wage)

 

Question 1: Alex and Morgan were excellent at managing their budget during the 30 day period. They ate rice and beans almost every night for dinner. They ran into medical issues such as a hurt wrist from all of the manual labor Alex was doing. Morgan became infected with a UTI and their medical bills were by far the most expensive thing they had to deal with during this experiment. They bought a bus pass for cheap transportation despite how difficult it was to wake up early enough to get to work on time. It was hard to deal with living in that terrible apartment but they fought through it without spending money on frivolous items.

Question 2: Gerald's reasoning regarding how the cost of living wage has devalued over the last 25 years is correct. He talks about how the cost of living has increased as he has received the same low amount per paycheck. Since the cost of living has gone up and minimum wage has stayed almost completely the same over time, it is almost impossible for anyone to survive on that type of lifestyle. As for Gerald, he worked for the same car company for 25 years and his living status has stayed the same if not worsened simply because the cost of living has gone up.

Sage Patchett (Living for 30 Days on Minimum Wage)

7) I agree with Sen. Ted Kennedy’s argument that raising the minimum wage helps families because then they would have more money to live off of comfortably. It should eventually be raised enough so that people can afford enough food to feed their families and afford emergency health care. However, the opposing side of corporate businesses argue that raising the minimum wage would cause businesses to have to lay off people and more workers would lose their jobs. Also, people might not be able to qualify for food stamps if they're making more money, which would lower their amount of money for food. Even though that’s a valid counter-argument, I think workers still deserve for their minimum wage to be increased.

12) I think the underlying feeling that caused Morgan and Alex to argue about their budgeting is anxiety and fear of the severe consequences of running out of money. They are already barely living on minimum wage, and constantly in a state of desperation with living paycheck to paycheck. That constant feeling of uneasiness and concern with whether they would have enough money to take care of necessities, like paying medical bills or having furniture to eat and sleep on, just builds up so much pressure and stress that it would be hard not to argue. Also, being in a relationship makes balancing money more complicated since Alex and Morgan have to think of each other’s needs and budget accordingly. This can cause a lot of worry when they’re facing the fact that literally every penny counts.

Lucas Rosen; 30 Days on Minimum Wage

Question 7: I agree with Sen. Ted Kennedy's argument that raising the minimum wage helps families. Raising the minimum wage will help families that live in poverty because it will allow them to afford a better standard of living. Since the minimum wage was first established over 40 years ago and has not been adjusted for modern living coats it needs to be raised. However, some oppose the raising of the minimum wage. These people are senators who are afraid that raising the minimum wage will force companies to do layoffs and hurt many local businesses. For example, a local business may not be able to afford to pay their workers if the minimum wage rises which would fore them to go out of business. Still I agree with raising the minimum wage because I value the person before the business. People who work hard and long jobs and then receive minimum pay are the face of inequality. We must raise the minimum wage in order to raise the families in poverty to a higher standard of living.

 

Question 9: Alex became so emotional about the services that were given to her at the store because of he current living condition at the time. Alex had been working all day long, trying to live on minimum wage, coming home to a cold empty apartment (which was infested with ants), and was exhausted. Due to these strenuous conditions when she was shown kindness and help she reacted emotionally. If i was in Alex's position I would've reacted in a similar way. I'm sure that a form of unadulterated kindness like the store would have brought me to tears.

Sinai Quiroz

1. How good were Morgan and Alex at budgeting for the 30 day period?

 Alex and Morgan did their best at budgeting within those 30-days. Although they were renting the cheapest apartment they found in the area and were going off of the cheapest food that can get them through the day, they were still under. Overall they did try their best at budgeting because they didn't waste any money on unnecessary items but then again once the kids were going over Morgan started to waste money. Morgan wasted their money on candy, buns, and the movies for the kids. Before the kids went Alex and Morgan stuck to the basics, because of what they both were making, to get themselves through those 30 days.

8. Define who the "working poor" are.

I would define the "Working Poor" as people who work day by day on minimum wage. People who spend most of their time working or looking for work and still have an income that falls under the poverty level. Like Morgan and many others they had temporary jobs every single jobs and sometimes they didn't get a job for that day and would go home with nothing, but the next day they would still get up early to go get a temporary job.That is how I would define the "working poor".

Janelle Crawfor

Janelle Crawford 30 Days on Minimum Wage
Question 3: Yes I do think that race was a factor in getting or finding an apartment for Morgan and Alex, because I know this from experience that its harder for African Americans and Hispanics to get jobs. People tend to think blacks and Hispanics are lazy. Also white privilege has to do with a lot of issues in the world today. I remember going job hunting with my white friend, and one of the employers was like "oh you don't have to worry you will get the job because your white".  Same with finding the apartment, and they had no kids so that made it a little easier.



Question 8:  The "working poor" are the people still working regular jobs, but are still making little money. People who spend 27 weeks or more than a year in labor force working but incomes fall below the poverty level .

Giulia Alberati

Question 9

Alex's reaction to the services given to her were very emotional: that's the most common way of reaction when you are living in a situation like hers. She had to live working every day in minimum wage and at the end of the day, she would have to go back in a cold dirty house in a dangerous neighborhood. It wasn't just the conditions of life she had to live outside but even when she was at her own home. Your house should be a place where you fell safe, welcomed. A place that should make you happy. Unfortunately, Alex couldn't afford even a bed to sleep on or a table to eat to make the place a little bit more comfortable. That's why even something very small, that to other people might seem like an insignificant help, it would make a big difference on her home and life. For example, the services gave her a table and she said that even if she has little food to eat on it, now it would have been way more happy. When you live in an environment like hers, anything, no matter how small, was a big help and that's why she was emotional about it.

Jordi Amaral

8. The working poor are the people that work hard labor job all day log full time, yet still struggle to make enough money to support themselves and their families. They are in an awful situation in which they are just above homeless people in the social ladder, yet are working tirelessly every single day. They struggle to balance work and being there for their family, yet are still poor despite their hard work... A very unenviable position to be in.

12. Alex and Morgan got into a lot of arguments over money throughout the show including the argument over the food for the children around Easter time. This was caused by a lot of stress due to the lack of financial buffer. Even a cent can feel like a lot when you have that little money.

Jay Wilson 30 Days on Minimum Wage

Question 4: How likely would you have been to just walk away from the landlord who helped Alex and Morgan without paying the entire sum you owed him?

I would have definitely walked away from the landlord without paying him the whole sum that I owed. I know that it is kind of morally wrong, but what that landlord was doing is also morally wrong. He most likely does not live in that neighborhood because it was pretty rough, and he doesn’t treat his rooms with care. He does the bare minimum to keep the place alive in running, but the rooms are gross and the appliances are old and cheap. If I was not able to afford the rent at the end of the month, I would take all of my stuff out of the apartment and just leave without consulting him or paying him. The real world is about survival and doing what is best for your family. Paying a man who is trying to take advantage of his customers is not beneficial for you or your family.

Question 8: Define who the "working poor" are.

The working poor are people that spend at least 27 weeks looking for or in a job, but still make less than the poverty line. These are the people that are always looking for a job and work harder than most Americans above the poverty line, but still fail to make enough to support a family or even themselves. In 2013, 7% of American workers were classified as the working poor. This is a massive amount of our workforce that can’t support themselves despite working just as hard, if not harder, than Americans that make double or triple that they do.

Jonathan Bernal

Michael Imparl

Elyjah Williams

     

           


2. Their budget was everything. He said at one point in the video he wishes he could cut out eating so he could have more money for the budget. They had to limit everything or else they would not have survived. They had to put stuff back when they went to stores, stayed in the house more, and hesitated on going to the hospital because they don't have insurance and couldn't afford the bill. I think that with that type of life style it's impossible to survive without some form of a budget.


4. I think I would have payed him back in the end when I got all my money back, but if I was still living how they were then I would not have payed him at all because he doesn't care about the people who live there. He does not know their struggles he just collects their money and leave. He also didn't seem to care about the place in terms of appearance. He has enough money to make the place look better but he believes that anyone who looks at the place wouldn't care.

Abby Miles

 7: I agree with Sen. Kennedy's argument that raising the minimum wage would help families because it is nearly impossible to properly take care of children and only be making minimum wage. Morgon and Alex were in debt by the end of the 30 days and it was just them two. It would be nearly impossible to take care of kids with what the minimum wage is now. The opposing side of it is that raising minimum wage would cause business's to hire less people making more people unemployed. This is reasonable but I think that raising the minimum wage is necessary because it is unreasonable that a family can live on minimum wage. Business's could raise prices to keep from failing.

Question 10: If it were my own health issues and I think I could make it without going to the doctor I would not spend any extra money that I didn't have too but on the other hand if my kids were involved and they were sick or something medical was wrong I would take them to the doctor's right away. I could take care of myself and at a certain point of sickness if it kept getting worse I would go to the doctor but I wouldn't want to skip work and get medical bills if my issue was not serious. Kids would change my decision making process because their bodies are not as strong and I would always put my kids health before my own. Medical issues are tricky because sometimes you never know how serious it is but I would try to keep my health up so I wouldn't have to tack on more expensive bills.

Destiny Kerr

 

Prompt: Define who the "working poor" are.

Answer: The technical definition or the working poor are people who spend 27 weeks or more in a year in the labor force, either working or looking for work, but whose incomes fall below the poverty level. Basically people who work but still are not making enough money to live comfortably and survive. For those 30 days, Alex and Morgan were both considered as the working poor because they were not able to sustain a stable lifestyle with the wages they were making, even with the amount of hours they were working. Things such as groceries, furniture, and medical expenses became a burden to them because they were not making enough money to cover the costs. 

Prompt: Observe how easy it was for Morgan and Alex to get into an argument over finances. What is the underlying feeling that you think is the cause of the conflict?

Answer: I believe that the underlying cause for Alex and Morgan's arguments was stress. They were both overwhelmed by the responsibilities that were barely taken care of because they weren't making enough money. In one part of the movie, Alex was upset at Morgan for buying the kids candy. Something as simple as candy became a huge burden on their finances because they didn't have that excess money to spend on things that they didn't need. 

Daniel Patino 30 Days on minimum wage

9. I believe Alex became so emotional about the services that were given to her and Morgan at The Free Store because she was doing this as an experiment for a shows but she realized that people who are living a poor lifestyle need this kind of store. I personally have experienced the feeling of Alex for the same reason that I helped people in need before and it's life changing because some people don't have what others have. While others are living good and are having it easy others are in need for clothes, food, medical care, and much more and I feel that is what Alex was also feeling because her and Morgan have a whole different life, they are rich! Morgan is a millionaire. When one experiences something in life that they haven't came across on, it can change their perspective of our society's living. 

10. I personally feel that the underlying feeling that causes the conflict between Morgan and Alex over finances is stress. Stress because they are living on minimum wage and have to be careful all the time on what they spend their money on. At one point in the video Alex was getting mad because Morgan was buying the kids candy and wasted a good amount of their savings in which they want through a lot of hard work to get that money. They were so stressed out because they had to constantly work and never had a break, Morgan would work literally every day with no rest because he had to pay off bills and much more. What made it even more stressful was bills that they couldn't pay right away such as the visit to the Emergency Room which caused about $50. I don't blame Morgan and Alex for arguing because it's something you have to think about everyday which is money.