The Real Breakdown of Minimum.

So a new and trending article is McDonalds and Visa's monthly income breakdown to help it's employees budget. (If you are unfamiliar with the article here is a link to a condensed version of it
Here) Before I go any further I would like to clarify that this is not an argument for or against McDonalds. I think it is great they are trying to help employees make the most of their money. This is simply to show what real minimum wage is going to get you.
This is their breakdown of the budgeting:

 

First: Let's assume you are a normal human being and do not work 80 hours a week. At Michigan's minimum wage you would make:$1,184 dollars a month working a 40 hour week BEFORE taxes. Oh and this is also before a lot of employers will be reducing their full-time staff to 30 hours a week because of insurance requirements. Michigan also has a higher minimum wage than other states. Consider yourself lucky.

Next: Monthly expenses.

• Savings! HA with $1,184 a month we won't even consider savings. 
• Mortgage/Rent for this area in Michigan I will say is pretty reasonable.
• Car Payment. According to Dave Ramsey the average car payment is $475. But let's say we have a junker and cut that payment in half that's still about $237 dollars.
• Car SLASH home insurance: LOL! 100 dollars to insure your car AND your house? Let's put it this way: I have never had a ticket or accident and I am paying $140 a month for car insurance, (but if you had that junker that gives you the cheep car payment, you can bet your sweet ass you will be paying more for car insurance!) Let's just assume you are renting and you choose not to have renters insurance. I mean... after that car insurance payment can you afford renters?
• Health Insurance? What Health Insurance? And who has ever paid 20$ a month for health insurance? Let's assume, because you have a minimum wage job that the state gives you free insurance.
• Heating. This is my favorite. ZERO dollars!?! I think I will be fine if I live in Michigan without heating for a winter. See you in the spring when I defrost. DTE Energy says the average cost for natural gas is $80 a month. Let's say you skimp on the heat, because your broke and your bill is $60.
• Cable/Phone. Cable is not something you need to live and a phone is important for emergencies. A 60 minute airtime card for TracFone for the basic phone needs is $20 a month. 
• Electric I would say is reasonable
• Oh wait... Where is food on their budget? Nowhere. I do a lot of couponing and still spend about $200 a month on food/groceries/health and hygiene.
• Also, How are you supposed to get to work? The majority of Michigan residents live in rural areas and have to drive to work. Because gas is something so crazy it is hard to budget for that and with that Junker car you have for a low car payment you can be sure it is a gas hog. Let's assume you pay $150 a month in gas for your car.

IT IS MATH TIME! With my justified expenses above let's recalculate this budget.

Monthly Gross Income: $1,184

Monthly Expenses:

Savings: $0

Mortgage/Rent: $600

Car Payment: $237

Car/Home Insurance: $140

Health Insurance: $0

Heating: $60

Cable/Phone: $20

Food/Groceries/Essential Living Supplies: $200

Gas for Your Car: $150

Monthly Expenses Total: $1,407

Monthly Spending: - $223 

Oh would you look at that. You are in the red! Living with the bear minimum. I guess they were right, you better not be buying any food! Remember: I did this with Gross income (before we take out taxes) and you are still $223 dollars in the red.McDonalds and Visa have a great idea trying to teach employees how to budget, but it will never be effective, because they are not teaching them how to budget for their real life, or even how to budget to have enough money to eat. Unfortunately, this is how many people live every day.

Southern Food

There are numerous things that make me happy. I get a lot of simple pleasures in my life. But in this post I will just feature one: Southern Food.
While in Kentucky I got to enjoy some amazing Southern Food. (Which is the thing I missed the most about living in Florida.)  So I am going to give you some recipes for my top three favorite southern foods.They are in no particular order they are just things I enjoy. I have not made these exact recipes before, so if you do you will have to tell me how they turn out!

1. Fruit Salad! (But you are required to eat it on a beach for the full effect)

Directions: Cut fruit. Put in Container.
Advice: I suggest cutting up some lemon slices to put in the bottom. This gives the rest of the salad some zest and by the time you get to the bottom of the Salad the lemons have sucked up all the other juices. This way you can eat the lemon slice without them being bitter. The lemon slices are actually my favorite part of the whole salad. Fruit Salad also tastes really great with Johnnie Walker Black Label. (I do not even like Whiskey, but for some reason this makes a good combination that I enjoy.)

2. Grouper! (Okay this probably does not count as a southern food, but I grew up where we had fresh grouper everyday.)
Directions: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-grilled-grouper-10000001733518/
Advice: If you do not enjoy spicy grouper there are plenty of alternatives like lemon-basil, just the plain fish, etc. Grouper, and any fish really, is extremely versatile. That's what makes it so cool. Having a cook out with a lot of friends? Put it in a Bun. Romantic dinner for two? Throw it on a bed of rice with fresh picked herbs. So many options.

3. Hushpuppies. Someone asked me what a hushpuppy was and it occurred to me... I don't really know. All I know is it is delicious.
Directions:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/hushpuppies-recipe/index.html
Advice: This is a really great side dish for the grouper mentioned above. For interesting dinner conversation here is a fun fact: Legend says that hushpuppies were first invented by hunters (and/or I have heard both) civil war soldiers to feed their dogs so they would keep quiet while they were hunting/in battle.

Enjoy!

My Life as a Drug Dealer

They come up to you and have the jitters. They are easily irritated an annoyed. They want what they came for and now. They want to have the quickest transaction with you as possible. They are in and out and you always know what they are here for. They are hooked and can not stop. They are the most common form of druggies. They are addicted to caffeine.
As a Barista, my job is being a professional drug dealer. Caffeine IS a drug and it is always important to remember that. I feel like people are constantly undermining the effects of caffeine on their system. I was one of those people too. If you do not believe caffeine is a drug visit a college campus during exam time. Being a Barista on a college campus is the equivalent of being a heroin dealer in the drug world. You have the most intense, dependent, tweaking people as a customer base than any other coffee shop.
In the coffee shop world there are thousands of strains of coffee just like drugs. The coffee comes from all over the world and different regions. Then you have thousands of different combinations of coffees that lead to thousands of different tastes and levels of highs. I would be willing to bet that there are more "strains" of caffeine than there are strains of marijuana.
I constantly have to give out free samples of the drug to get new people hooked. I give out 50 free samples in two hours. People can not refuse. Then they come back to the store within the hour to purchase more for themselves.
Just remember caffeine is a drug and your friendly neighborhood Barista is your drug dealer. Like all things moderation can be fine and fun, but over use is dangerous just like any other drug.

Books Don't Ring

One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I just love it so much. Books can take you to a different world. You do not need anyone else to read. Books are a low cost/free hobby. (For me it has been a little more expensive as I love to collect the books I read.) There is just so much magic in a book and in reading.
I am always disheartened when I see the youth of today taking no interest in books. A tween asked if he could borrow my Lord of the Rings books. This simple request made my week. I was so happy. I personally do not like Lord of the Rings all that much, but I was overjoyed with the fact a youth had asked to borrow a book.
It truly breaks my heart how literature is not valued. Technology now is even getting rid of the new book smell with inventions like the Kindle, iPad, etc. Alright talking about the new book smell is nerdy enough. I will move on.

Today in a seminar someone asked how many of us would like to read books, but do not have the time. Everyone raised their hand. Then he mentioned why we do not read books.
"The answer is simple" he said."Books don't ring."
Three very simple words. However, they really blew my mind. Books do not pressure us to read them. They do not interrupt our emails and daily life with their needs, problems, or plots. They do not call us or message us demanding our attention. Books are just passive creatures who rest on our shelves or nightstands. They are the shy little kid in the back of the class who is there to be noticed if you give them the time.
The most upsetting thing about my college experience is my lack of reading for enjoyment. I do love psychology and those texts are exciting for me, but I am talking about the pure fiction here. After coming to college I have read less than five books for fun. That is so depressing.
"Books don't ring." That is something I am unwilling to accept. I am going to make books ring in my life! There is going to always be a book demanding my attention. No longer will I allow him to be the shy kid in the back of my class. I am always going to call on him. (Even if he is not constantly raising his hand and demanding my attention like everything else in my life.) I will be carrying a book in my purse so I have one wherever I go.
The next time you have a free moment and are checking all those alerts on your phone or your inbox, turn it off. Pick up that book instead and read all of it's messages.
It's simple really:
Make. Books. Ring.