Bloggers: Take the Minimum Wage Challenge
What if everyone in the country had to spend one week of the year living on minimum wage?
On July 24, 2007 The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 will become law - raising the federal minimum wage in 3 increments: to $5.85 per hour 60 days after enactment (July 24, 2007), to $6.55 per hour 12 months after that (July 24, 2008), and finally to $7.25 per hour 12 months after that (July 24, 2009).
$5.85 an hour.
$205 a week before taxes.
$12,000 annual gross.
Sure, 13 states already have it set higher then the federal rate - but c'mon!
Respect the people who make the world move. If we try living on their salary for just a week, I guarantee we'll have a new respect for the minimum wage employee.
Are you ready for the Jobacle.com Minimum Wage Challenge?
We don't want to make this overly complicated. So if you decide to participate you can still live in your house and pay your mortgage. You can still get behind the wheel of your SUV. And yes, if there's a medical emergency, you can still take care of it. Even keep your high-speed Internet connection.
You will need to learn how to stretch a dollar because every other expense will go towards your budget. Think you can stay nourished and entertained while maintaining the quality of your life? Prove it. Take the challenge.
This is not a commentary on government. Nor is it a perfect experiment. I realize it has many flaws. But if we can all help put into perspective how little money this is - we will have accomplished something.
Here's what we are looking for.
- On the week of August 20, 2007 you will do your best to live on minimum wage.
- You will share your experiences on your blog. The more updates and details you can provide - the better
- A diverse group of people spread across the country.
- You don't need to be Hemmingway but you should be able to write in somewhat coherent sentences.
- You should be able to keep a detailed log of your spending.
- It would be super if you could take and share photos.
- We'll have special editions of the Working Podcast for the entire week and would love to talk with you about your experiences.
Please subscribe to the blog and the podcast to follow me and my fellow bloggers as we raise awareness that the current minimum wage is still pathetic.
This challenge is open to EVERYONE. But I specifically invite my fellow bloggers to to take a massive pay cut (for the week at least) and give this a whirl. If you do not have your own blog but it's something you've wanted to get into, you can contact me for a temporary Jobacle blog account to use for the week of the challenge.
The idea of a Minimum Wage Challenge is not the newest thing in the world. However, I believe it is timely and more important than ever with the wage taking a "huge" jump (sarcasm!).
Rosanne Barr once tried to rally the Left. Morgan Spurlock brought the idea to network TV. Now Jobacle brings it to the blogosphere.
It would be great to see some of my favorite bloggers take part: That evil money mastermind John Chow; money-saving sites like Dumb Little Man; productivity pros at LifeHacker; ProBlogger Darren Rowse; Heck even Mr. TechCrunch , Michael Arrington. Daily Kos, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and all other bloggers are challenged to live on the minimum! Imagine the message we could send if some media moguls, hotshot politicos and star power accepts the challenge?
Apr 1, 1991 = $4.25
Oct 1, 1996 = $4.75
Sep 1, 1997 = $5.15
Jul 24, 2007 = $5.85
Let's raise awareness that the minimum wage still stinks! I look forward to the challenge on August 20th and really hope that you'll join me! Stay tuned for updates...
Andrew G.R.
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Reader Comments (8)
By the way, I loved your poke in the '93 World Series!
Keep the thought provoking stuff coming. I'm subscribed.
I'll also have to think about if I want to promote it on my site...since you made your payperpost ad so that I couldn't take it (but I always have a direct link...*winks*).
It's an interesting concept though...it would be great if you could get a following and maybe even get the week covered by some sort of media. Good luck to you.
First, I would like to say that I don't advise any of you to take the challange.
Why?
Because, quite bluntly, it sucks.
I personally live with a roommate, and even then most of my monthly wage is consumed by the rent.
For food we pool our money and have a strict budget of one hundred dollars a month.
Yes, that's for two guys in their twenties, we eat alot of ramen.
We try to run the AC and Heater as little as possible, and durning the winter months (in Michigan) are forced to sleep in at least three layers of clothing to fend off the cold.
As to Mr. Joe Carter's response that I should get a better job, do you know of one? Could you point me to it?
There are no better jobs here in Michigan, the unions are dead, and the government's selling off workers rights to the highest bidder. Unless you have a college degree, you're waiting tables, sweeping floors, or stocking shelves. And with the overall job shortage, you're bloody happy to do it.
There are millions of us, and we are poor, bitter, and hungery.
I'll be filing a detailed post on my reasons for abandoning it in the future.
In the meantime, good luck with your job search!