Gabe Silver's Thoughts

     I thought Morgan and Alex were pretty good at budgeting. They were cooking for themselves which is waaaay cheaper than going out to eat. You see a lot of people going to McDonalds or Denny's because they think it's cheap but in the long run Alex and Morgan saved a lot more by just cooking with what they had at home. They were able to make it last too. I liked how Morgan was carpooling to work, that definitely was a lot more comfortable than the bus and saved time. I think Alex was complaining a lot though, she seems like she's been comfortable her entire life.

    The working poor are those who have a steady job, but make so little and have to give so much back they're basically living hand to mouth. Alex and Morgan experienced what it was like being in the working poor when they couldn't even get an injury checked out because they were worrying about money. That's the kind of fear I never want to experience, so I think for starters I am never having kids.

Jesus Villasenor Blog on 30 Days

#1: Morgan was not as good to budget money because he wasted money that he didn't have to, like the movies and all the bus rides. Alex was better because she saved money form all the bus rides which was very good. So in the end i think they were pretty good with budgeting except for the fact that they got fudged over with the emergency visits to the doctor. They had there rent, transportation and food down, but once the bills for the E.R. came into play they had no chance to be ale to improve there lifestyle.

#6: I agree that it cost much more to live in America but the Minimum wage is way too low now. Back in the day it was enough but now that prices have risen you need more money. The minimum wage has to be raised in order for people to be able to survive with a bit a decency.

30 Days on Minimum Wage - Luis

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

Morgan and Alex were pretty good at budgeting on what they had for the 30 days period. Although they struggled and Morgan didn’t really appreciate Alex spending the money they got through it. At the end they might have not had money to pay off the hospital bills right away, but they had each other.

9. Describe how you would make the decisions regarding going to the doctor vs. trying to keep finances in the black. What if children were involved---- would that change your decision making process? if so, how?

If I was put into a situation where i needed to go to the emergency room I would go despite my money situation if it was indeed that severe, but if it was a small problem like my arm hurting from work I would  see how it felt over a few days and if it was worse i’d go check it out. If children were involved that would change everything because one doesn’t understand the pain they might be going through. Therefore it would be best if the children get checked as soon as possible to prevent a bigger problem.  

Ricardo Guerrero 30 Days

7.  Define Who The "Working Poor" Are.

The working poor are the people who work minimum wage every day of the year. They struggle in life because of income and they often fight. The divorce rate is also really high. These people have it really hard. Usually the living conditions are really poor. They don't have a home and they have to rent. As shown in the movie 30 Days On Minimum Wage their life is really hard. An example to that is when the couple gets emotional when they get the free stuff from the free store. This shows that anything can really help a person. All that matters is motivation and that should be enough.  The working poor are the people who didn't take things for granted. They appreciate any kind of help and support.

2. What Role Did Budgeting Play In Survival For Alex And Morgan?

Budgeting was a key role in survival for them. They were required to save every last penny they had. They had a small jar to collect the funds. They worked as many minimum wage jobs as they could in order to survive. So in fact budgeting was the real key to survival because without it they wouldn't be able to survive.

Zach Anderson's blog postings about 30 Days Making Minimum Wage

1. I think Senator Ted Kennedy’s argument that minimum wage should be raised is absolutely correct. As the film clearly showed, the fact that minimum wage is so low means that people making that amount of money have little to no means by which to pay for all of the basic expenses of living (i.e. rent, gas and electricity, food and water, clothes, and more). Morgan was working two jobs, making slightly more than minimum wage, Alex was also working, and they couldn’t pay all their expenses. Our working poor have absolutely no chance for survival, much less success with minimum wage as low as it is. In response to the argument from politicians and businesses against raising minimum wage, that doing so would cause companies to go bankrupt, the raising of minimum wage by a few dollars at least would not bankrupt the companies. For example, a company like McDonalds pays most of it’s workers minimum wage or just above. They are a multi-trillion dollar company, having to pay its workers a few extra dollars an hour wouldn’t bankrupt them. Also, but as the cost of living rises, if minimum wage stays the same, more and more people aren’t going to be able to spend money. Thus, the same companies that were against raising minimum wage are going to lose millions of customers as more people are falling below the poverty line.

2. I think the underlying feeling that caused Morgan and Alex to argue over finances was stress. Alex especially, was very conscientious about the fact that they had no money to spend on anything but the necessities. When Morgan spent money on the kids, she got upset because they couldn’t afford to do that. She saw that both her and Morgan were working very hard, and just barely making ends meet. When he spent money, that stressed her out over where the money that they would need to pay the bills would come from. It’s no surprise to me that they would be stressed out. With minimum wage being as low as it is, there’s no room for people to spend money carelessly, and people stress over how in the world they are going to survive with their sanity.

30 DAYS- Alex

7. The "working poor" are people that are working but get the minimum wage so they can't really afford nothing they can't afford furniture, Bills, or Food. The 30 days movie is a great example of the "working poor" Because Alex and Morgan were going throughout not having enough money to buy nothing for their department or pay bills.

8. Alex became so emotional by the service Morgan and her were receiving from the Free Store because she thought that it was nice and at the same time sad that poor people were giving away their things. But she felt good because they finally got furniture for her department but they still had to deal with not having enough money for the bills and the hospital recipe they received from the emergency room witch was sad for them.

1. I believe that Alex was good at budgeting their money. She walked to work instead of taking the bus in order to save money. However, Morgan wasn't. He spent money that they didn't have. While Alex was sacrificing and walking in the cold, he was spending unnecessary money by buying donuts and expensive dinners. As well as going to the E.R when he could've searched around for a cheaper treatment. He also could've taken a day off of work to go to the free clinic because at the end of the day, by going to the E.R, he lost more money than he would if he would've taken a day off of work.

7. The working poor are people who are working their hardest to try and survive in this world and are still barely surviving.

Living for 30 days on minimum wage

1. I think that Morgan and Alex were good at budgeting on somethings, but others they did not think all the way through. In the beginning they had a good budget plan with the bus cards, going to second hand stores, etc. Towards the end though they started spending more and more and money, something where necessary, like the medical bills and such. Others like the candy, sweet rolls, movie and refreshments. That was not in their budget and they ended up spending that they did not have.

10. I was not surprised by the electrical deposit. While it was an inconvenience Morgan and Alex because they were only staying there for only thirty days, that is the main reason why the electric company required a deposit. In the past people could have just lived there for a month and then left and wouldn't have to pay for the electricity. So they required a deposit so people can't just dip once the bill is due.

Oren McCall-Daniels

7. The working poor are people who work one or two jobs and still are struggling to get by because they are only on minimum wage. They have little to no room for spending money and are in debt or at risk because of unforeseen hospital bills or other unpredictable problems.

6. I do agree that minimum wage should be raised to ten dollars an hour, 8.50 per hour after taxes is hardly any money to live off of let alone raise a child. Some family can not get a job that pays more than minimum wage due to levels of education or dilemmas in the past. But, its just not fair to be paying people such little and expecting them to be able to have a nice comfortable life.

Miles Grosz

1. How good were Morgan and Alex at budgeting for the 30 day period?
I feel like they did a decent job. They could've did better with managing money while the kids were there though. Also, when Morgan went to the emergency room, I thought that wasn't very smart. They had more options than to visit the emergency room. Overall, they did okay.

10. Are you surprised about the electric company deposit request? Why?
I am not surprised. I feel this way because there are probably many families that request electricity, and then leave soon after. It is all because the company does not want to lose money.

Kawveh Alagheband 30 Days

1. How good were morgan and Alex at budgeting for the 30 day period?
A: In the film, Morgan was not as good as Alex at budgeting their money even though they barely had any money to budget. Morgan, especially when his niece and nephew came over, would spend more than he needed to and would just splurge on useless items that weren't need such as all the candy that was bought for the children who were only there for two days at the most.

2. Define who the "working poor" are?
A: The working poor are the people of the country who are continuously working but staying in poverty because of how much they are paid or how much they are able to do. Truthfully, the working poor work harder than most people who have more than them because they are always trying to make a good life for themselves or the people around them who they love or need. They deserve to get a higher paycheck because they are the one who are willing to do whatever they need to do just for a few dollars.

30 Days Response- Isabelle Glavin

Isabelle Glavin

Period 8

2/13/14

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

Morgan and Alex budgeted fairly well considering the obstacles they faced, such as emergency hospital visits. However, at certain times I think Morgan could have been more stingy with their hard-earned money, especially when the kids were in town. For instance, I do not think that the kids needed large sodas, candy and donuts when Morgan and Alex were barely eating anything.

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

Yes, I think that raising the minimum wage would greatly help families because Morgan and Alex demonstrated that it is very hard to support a family while living on minimum wage. In fact, Morgan and Alex also demonstrated how living on minimum wage(s) with children will lead to a hostile household. Therefor, not only will raising the minimum wage help families survive and live healthier lifestyles, it will also lead to healthier, happier families. I do not agree with the opposing side because eventually it will lead to more unemployment.

Becca Kent 30 Days on Minimum Wage Reflection

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

Morgan and Alex were bad at budgeting because they kept buying things other than the essentials to life. When they were buying things for the kids they could have skipped the extra popcorn and just had sodas a a huge popcorn to save with all of them. The injuries they had to deal with were unavoidable, but Morgan could have bought an ACE bandage at a drugstore for less than $40. They should have had a more specific plan of what their budget would be before the 30 days. The steps that were taken to try not to spend a lot of money were small, but mad a huge difference. Alex walked to her job, and Morgan took the bus which was needed because it was far away.

Question 2: Why do you think that Alex became so emotional about the services that were given to her and Morgan at The Free Store?

Sometime after getting jobs and through the first week of this experience Alex was tired of not being able to sit down at a table or enjoy warmth. When they found out that there was a free store selling clothes, blankets, and furniture she was overjoyed. The necessities for people to feel happy in life tie into security, comfort, and food. The security of having a house wasn't what she felt because that week the apartment had an ant infestation. The fact that they didn't have a heater kept the apartment forever cold, and they weren't getting the best food that they were used to. When those were somewhat given to them she felt safe.

             

30 Days (Anna Wolfe)

Anna Wolfe

Biz Smart Lab

Period.8

2/12/14

8. For families who are considered the “working poor,” a community church had a store where their items were completely free. They ran off of donations from people living in the area. The workers there were volunteers who wanted to help the community. When Alex and Morgan realized they had no furniture, nowhere t sit, and they needed other accessories they went there. Alex started to cry because she could not believe how hard life is for some people who have to go through living conditions like this everyday. And that there are people in American that don’t eat people to struggle so they volunteer for the grater good. It made her very happy.

9. When Alex had to go to the doctors office it was $400 just to walk in. And when Morgan had to go into the hospital it was over $500 to walk in and get treated. This rate, of walking into a hospital costing that much money is insane. Like the video said, the hospital is great to the sick, but if the sick can’t afford it, its useless. If I were Morgan, I probably would have held off fro going to the doctor, I would have bought my one Ace Bandage. However, Alex’s condition was more serious so I still would have gone in. If there were children involved I would have kept to my decision, if you were not healthy, that means I can’t work. No work equals no money.

jess hawkins- 30 days on minimum wage

Question 8- Why do you think Alex became so emotional about the services given to her and Morgan at the free store?

-       I think that Alex became so emotional because she had been experiencing first hand how hard it is to make ends meet on minimum wage and how hard it is to even buy basic necessities such as furniture, and so she was overwhelmed by the kindness of the people at the store and of other people who donated things to help people in a situation like hers, even if those people too were living in a situation which made it hard for ends to meet.

Question 7- Define who the ‘working poor’ are

-The working poor are the people in society who barely have enough money to get by even though they are working and earning money. The cost of living here in the United States is so high that it is very difficult for people on minimum wage to survive. The cost of housing, electricity, gas, water, taxes, food, and not to mention health care is so great, it is impossible to see how on a minimum wage paying for all this is possible, therefor creating the working poor.