Quote Originally Posted by Cataholic
I heard this comment the other day on talk radio that made me pause. I am paraphrasing. "Minimum wage is not SUPPOSED to support families. It is a low end, entry level job rated amount of money. "

The speaker was trying to emphasize that one should go to school, complete an education, maybe live with a roommate, live at home, 'scimp' or save, THEN search for a better paying job, THEN take on debt. THEN start a family.

I had never looked at it from that perspective before.
I wish that everyone had the opportunity to go to college, but that won't happen. Even if you DO all of the above things, it's still hard to make it. My husband and I are both college graduates and it was tough to get jobs after college. In fact, my first job with benefits out of college was working as a janitor. We had to move 800 miles away to find a decent living, which didn't come cheap.

I didn't have the option of waiting to take on debt, either, as my parent's didn't help me pay for college. I went to a state school, finished in four years, and even had a partial scholarship, but still if I think about how much money I owe it makes me sick. And I'm getting a master's degree because a BA in psychology just doesn't cut it so I have to take on more debt.

I think that idea that people can wait till they start a family to take on debt is outdated- college is just too expensive. It's hard to support yourself, even with student loans and a college student budget, on near minimum wage.