Can a veterinary tech and a Walmart associate with one child live decently on those salaries?
Asked by Gyptian is having a baby girl!!
Can a veterinary technician (female) and a Walmart associate (male) who have one child, and one child only, survive comfortably in an apartment? If both people have good work ethic?

Best Answer:
The largest factor in your ability to "live decently" is your ability to control your spending habits. If you do not have self-control and indulge yourself in things you cannot afford, burying yourself in debt, you will not be able to "live decently" no matter how much money you make. Even people making 6 and 7 figure salaries can have trouble "living decently" if they don't know how to properly manage their money. There is no shortage of celebrities in the news who ended up losing all their money due to poor financial decisions. I suppose if you were totally lazy, never made any attempt to get an education, and were a fast food cashier all your life making minimum wage you may have some trouble "living decently" even if you did manage yout money well, but as long as you put at least some effort into advancing your career, taking a class on weekends, self-study, good work ethic, etc, you will make more than enough money to "live decently" if you take the time to manage your money properly. Remember, saving your money will bring your more happiness than spending it on the latest gadget or whatever. Tough financial situations often destroy marriages, and always cause stress. Better to have money saved in the bank for an unexpected expense, or even worse a job loss, than to have the newest iPhone, car, etc.

Things will be tight, but you won't starve. Good luck.
Answered by Judy

It will be a tight fit, but it's possible if you plan your spending responsibly and stick to it. You need to look at how much spending cash you actual get in advance, and budget it very strictly. For example, say you get 35 hours a week at Wal-Mart, at $8 an hour. 35 times 8 is $280, but then you have to know how much of that comes out for taxes, social security, and benefits. In my case I always got 6.77 per 8.25, so in my state I always used this to estimate. So 6.77 divided by 8.25 gives me the ratio, then times that by $280. In such a case I would be making $229.77 a week. But how many weeks are in a month? You can take 365, the days in a year, and divide that by 12, giving you 30.416. This is the approximate amount of days in a month, good for planning purposes. Now divide this by 7 to get how many weeks in a typical month. 4.345. Now you know that you should be making about, in this example, $229.77 * 4.345 per month = $998.40. You have to do this for both jobs, and subtract out everything: rent, utilities, cell phone, gas. You have to have an estimate of how much goes to these a month. You have to do this for all child expenses too: doctor, dentist, clothes, school supplies, books and video games, food. You have to add it all up, and cut back where you can. Only then can you know the answer. It can't be done in 10 minutes, and if you fool yourself with your estimates you'll only be hurting yourself. If you aren't able to put money away for college and stay ahead on all your bills, then you need to see about getting a promotion or raise, or finding other work.
Answered by C.

Hello my friend! Hard question to answer since I don't have specific details about both of your lives styles! Let me share with you the following information and if both of you take advantage of it, you will never ask that question again. If you live in the USA/Canada you can take advantage of this business opportunity and make it successful with your good work ethics, you can do it from a home office and do business with anyone anywhere! This is a legitimate bus opp with a company that has been in business for the 33+ years, listed/publicly traded in the New York Stock Exchange under PPD, is doing well and it is here to stay! Look it up!! Go to www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/jamaya16 please put this web address exactly as it is written - click on Business Opportunity and just follow the prompts, you can even read about how other couples have made a good living doing this business! Check it out you won''t regret it! Let's build our business together and make money! Should you have questions email or call me - use the contact info in the website. www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/jamaya16 Good Luck!
Answered by Carlos

Surviving comfortably is a matter of opinion. I worked for WM years ago but had set a standard of wanting to buy a home in a few years. I was excellent at budgeting but with what WM pays (and I was on the high end of things-long story there-ha), it would never happen unless I'd be happy with a cheap rundown little house. I can't imagine a vet tech makes much better or has much health insurance. WM's insurance is ala-carte and pricey for decent coverage. You'll need the coverage for the kid if not for yourself. Honestly I'd have to say "no," this wouldn't work out great but you could make it work. Again, it all depends on what you and your family want out of life, how much spending/funny money you like in your pocket after bills, how nice you want your car to be, etc. I'm not pushing materialism, just trying to give you things to think about---how much will make you happy. Gotta say though, one big health care bill could devistate you fast if you aren't covered properly. All things to consider...
Answered by mr217shoestospare

It depends on where you live. You certainly couldn't live in NYC. If you live in an area with a low cost of living, no state income tax, you budget well and don't expect any more than basic necessities then you could get by.
Answered by Prairie Girl