How I Lived In Chicago On $700 A Month, Total | Making it Work
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Living on a low income is a reality all too many Americans face, and we should strive to change that. Learning to live on what you have is a universal truth for so many. Here, one woman shares how she was able to make her very low student income work for her while living in a big city.
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Through weekly video essays, "Making It Work" showcases how real people have upgraded their personal or financial lives in some meaningful way. Making your life work for you doesn't mean getting rich just for the sake of it. It means making the most of what you have to build a life you love, both in your present and in your future. And while managing money is a crucial life skill for everyone, there's no one "right way" to go about it - you have to figure out what works best for you, full stop.
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The amount of comments trying to tell her how she should have lived her life on $700 a month is astounding like living off $700 a month isn't already such an incredible feat on its own. Her putting money towards eating out after she learned she qualified for food stamps isn't even a luxury. the ability to eat out is part of wellness, socializing, and feeling less like you're struggling. I'm really glad to have heard your story, Taryn. It's helping me feel less alone living on a part-time wage as a full-time student. :)
George Monje thank you for your lovely comment!
$700 is the lower end of rent at a lower-quality one-bedroom apartment complex with cheap vinyl stickers as tiles and layers of paint to mask an ineffective mold cover-up instead of reliably clean, moisture-free air vents regularly maintained for quality. $700 a month for rent is definitely before the cost of water, heating, and electricity the complex tries to convince you is some kind of a favor when in fact you get weak water pressure as the quality of the water you’re receiving and the electricity being connected to old outdated yellowed-out light fixtures that makes you feel like you’re living with ugly-goggles on. $700 a month that would primarily go to rent doesn’t account for the food to feed yourself to get to work to pay for your home. $700 a month for rent doesn’t account for medical emergencies or surprise unexpected large expenses. $700 a month for rent doesn’t account for any past debt to pay off. There’s so much that $700 a month needs to pay for - and this person wasn’t even living independently. She lived with other people, she was using every alternate resource available besides the traditional cut and dry “earn your own paycheck, pay for your own home.” Imagine if she would really rather live on her own or had such a social anxiety that she felt she couldn’t live with others? $700 a month is a Herculean feat.
The food stamps twist almost made me cry. I'm so glad my tax money goes to stuff like this. We should all help each other out.
I was fine with her using food stamps until she said she can afford to eat out. I'm sorry but people need that money and you should abuse it with eating out.
@@allysaber949 Really, $40 dollars extra is her being able to afford to eat out?? Being able to eat out once a month for $40 dollars is not abusing food stamps, the average meal at a non fast food restaurant is like $25.00. She was living on $700.00 a month! How much more did she need to "struggle" to prove that she need the food stamps, smh.
Alex Saber it's 40$ chill
If she can eat out, she doesnt need the 40 bucks worth of food stamps. It might be 40 dollars to you but that builds up to how many people use food stamps. I live in Chicago with a roommate and know not to apply for food stamps unless it's an emergency.(laid off, medical emergency, ect) Food stamps should be treated as an emergency source. If you can afford to dine out in chicago, you shouldnt be applying for food stamps.
@@PennyWise-eu9nz Right, and food stamps are being cut compared to five years ago. People think it's not a big issue for 40 bucks but it abuses the system and adds up to thousands of people on food stamps as it is.
We don't have food stamps in Canada, but we have other social programs. And if my taxes go towards helping people get better food and allowing them to visit Chipotle or other nice places with friends once in a while - TAKE MY MONEY
I eternally grateful to my mother not just because she gave me birth, she taught me how to COOK.
I really like seeing these “money diaries” type videos! Please do more 🤗
Why do so many people lack compassion? Is Whole Foods a great place to grocery shop for good deals? No. Would the author have inspired less upset if she'd left out the ONE time she went to Whole Foods and spent
What help? She can use food stamps and dine out in a city that cost 20-40 a meal? You act like she is on the streets and starving. If someone middle class can budget groceries, so can she. Welcome to the city life where you have to look for deals and survive. Food stamps are more of emergency source not so you can go out and spend on wants. I have debt and a roommate in an outdated apartment in the city. We won't go out if we can't afford it, not get food stamps. It's that simple. Whatever, when the debt bubble bursts we are all going to be screwed and people can say goodbye to government help that will screw everyone poor or middle class.
Not to mention that no one helped them bc they keep voting for shitty democrats and republiCONS expecting them to keep their lies, i mean word. If none of the folks who complained aint voting for bernie or at the least elizabeth then they need to shut up and deal.
Alex Saber I don’t understand your comment. Why should she not have gotten food stamps, if she qualified? True, she wasn’t on the street, but 700/month is hardly middle class. If you qualify for food stamps, go get them, it’s as much surviving as anything else. Life’s not a contest at who’s having it rougher.
@@allysaber949 If she qualified for the food stamps, then she had every right to get them and use them. Nobody said they are an "emergency source" - that's your own thinking and definition. She went to Potbelly and Chipotle - that was her means of "eating out". It's sad that you're holding yourself up to a mindset only desperate people can ask for help. If the help is there, why not use it. It's not like she was gaming the system - she QUALIFIED. Your view on this is very restrictive - we all need to be more supportive of each other.
@@PreppyHeiress26 : No, the DEMONcrats have enabled her to become an entitled spoiled brat. $200 for ONE PERSON is a bit much. If that were the case, then everyone would apply for food stamps. Most people live off of $25 dollars a week/ $100 dollars per month. She went to whole foods when she could have shopped at cheaper places such as ethnic corner grocery store, etc. I agree that $40 per month is too little for food, but $200 dollars is WAY TOO MUCH. Most people who aren't accepting food stamps are not spending nearly that much per person. I live in NYC so I know there are so many other places to get great deals and I have also lived out in "farm country" so I know when to use the farmer's market. Trust me, she doesn't know how to shop if she needs all that money in addition to the $40 dollars she spends going out with friends.
This is the first video in this series that has not seemed condescending or unrealistic to me. I don't think I've seen much else on this channel discussing things like food stamps or other public safety nets. I appreciate this.
I agree :)
I live in chicago so I clicked this video faster than the others cause I was curious. At first, I thought it was irresponsible to go to whole foods but I remembered that you said that you lived on the north side. As someone who always lived on the south side, there were more discount grocers, dollar stores, and other businesses aimed at the working poor and lower. Even those "cheap" and "poor people" stores felt kinda expensive to us. Many places like whole foods and trader joes had a more middle class and up target demographic so they were likely to be the most available stores to you on the north side compared to the stores I grew up knowing on the south side. I didn't even know what a whole foods or trader joes was until a few years ago (mostly through the internet) and still haven't been in either. Since you rode the bus too, it could have took forever to ride to those discount grocers and harder to carry grocers back home.
What does 'Far Northwest Side' mean? I live in Chicago, so I want to know what neighborhood. There are plenty of Aldi stores all over the city, so Whole Foods is not a necessity. Even Trader Joe's is less expensive than Whole Foods. I also wish the presenter had more knowledge about the different neighborhoods before moving here, because that comment about not living in a terrifying area sounds horribly out-of-touch. You live and learn, I guess.
I live in Uptown and even the small grocery stores down the block are just as expensive as going to Whole Foods or Target. I try to always go to Aldi but if I need something specific, I'll go to Mariano's. We also have a Costco membership so we save a lot by purchasing items in bulk.
The speaker probably meant in the Bucktown/Wicker Park/ Portage Park area I'm assuming?
People get food shamed for getting "bad food" like soda and fast food, and they get food shamed if they get "good food," like fruits and veggies. ESPECIALLY if you're getting any assistance, then you're damned no matter what you eat. People are just busy bodies and want to look down on others.
@@amberpark9856 sorry to butt in but I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your neighborhood. Again, I'm sorry but the information on the net is a little overwhelming. For context I am from a different country, moving to Chicago (husband already arrived two days ago) and trying to find a place to rent! And @karyn great video, as always, very inspiring.
I lived on a similar budget when I was a senior in college. There were four of us in a 2 bedroom apartment. It can definitely be done! -Akeiva
The Bemused: Making Sense of Money 💰 you were in college. That’s not the save as actually living.
@@ratatataraxia Taryn (the woman sharing her story in this video) was also in college. I generally had the same expenses she did. - Akeiva
This was SO relatable for me 😭 full time student + attending an internship + working a part time job where I get only 19 hours a week. I definitely feel her struggle financially, even down to paying for laundry. Thanks for posting!
Wow. This video helped me see how fortunate I am to have never had to struggle to pay for necessities.
Jesus Christ I didn't know it was necessary but I hope there's a response type of video explaining to people why $40 a month for food is not enough for one person. Is it doable? Yes. Is it enough? No! You'll be undernourished and absolutely depressed! And what about emergencies?! Have a heart people...
*This is an amazing story! Please post more of these videos in the future!*
To the idiots saying she exploited her food stamps and whining that she got to eat out on campus or whatever twice a month. She bought FOOD not a 40 and weed. Calm tf down 😒
To all the idiots who think it's ok to use food stamps when you can afford to eat out 20-40 dollars (yes that is the cost for an average meal in chicago even the cheap places) a meal twice a month. If she can afford to eat out, she can afford to buy groceries not use food stamps. Its not drugs but at the same time its still abusing it.Tell that to the families who are getting their food stamps cut. Not everyone can get food stamps if we abuse the system. Stop being lazy and budget not wasting money eating out. If she said I had to use food stamps because I have water/electric/gas to pay, we wouldnt have this conversation. Eating out is a want not a need. When did food stamps turn into an emergency funding to a luxury?
Alex Saber Did you not hear her?? Without food stamps she could only afford to eat $1 burgers, peanut butters, and very simple quesadillas. I live in a medium-priced place and even I wouldnt be able to survive on $40 a month if I wanted to buy groceries and cook at home. It’s REALLY hard, thats not a lot of money. So yes, she needed the food stamps. So what if that left her an extra $40 a month to spend on going out (to simple places like chipotle btw, not restaurants). $200 a month on groceries is not excessive, some people spend that much every week or two. For the most part, she used it to eat better and get healthy foods, not going out to eat.
@@allysaber949 Spending as little as $40 a month eating out while on food stamps is not taking advantage of the system. Poor people can treat themselves too from time to time. Your ignorance is ridiculous.
We spend $870 a year of OUR taxes towards Corporate Welfare and only $36 per year towards Foodstamps but we focus on that!!!!! Its crazy!!!
@@peacewithhearts You can also get a better paying job so you don't have to rely on other Americans to fund your restaurant bills.
the cinnamon sugar tortilla is not that far off from a sweet treat in colombia (probably elsewhere in latin america too) where they make "corn cakes" (a slightly thicker tortilla made wwith sweet cornwith the sugar mixed in). i love making that "hack" with the tortillas and covered in sugar, it reminds me of my grandma.
Edit: the original ones are also fried
There's a weird fast food chain in the NW called Taco Time that serves fried cinnamon sugar tortilla slices - they call them Crustos, which is an unappealing name, but they're DELICIOUS. Taco time also does tater tots instead of chips as sides though, so they're kind of odd anyway :'D
Yeah, I put cinnamon and sugar on tortillas all the time. We have something similar in Oregon called "elephant ears."
Same, my family is Mexican and it's an awesome treat
I relate to this so much. At one point in my University journey, my boyfriend and I were living in an $875 bachelor apartment in Toronto... with a combined monthly stable income of $610. We both still graduated debt-free. Thank god for student loans. I used them as an emergency fund and when I was making more money, I paid the fund back. But also thank god for education savings, grants, scholarships, food banks, tax refunds, and modest parental support.
Musings of a Messenger I’d love to hear your story if you don’t mind :>
@@emmettng2286 Grade 12 - I wanted nothing more than to leave my small town and move to Toronto for University. My mom said I would need to save 10K or she wouldn't let me. So, I worked my butt off and saved up 10K. My plan was to find a part-time job in the city for the school year, move back home in the summer. I took my 10K, my RESP, my scholarships, and my grants as money I could spend on tuition and living expenses. I put all the loans (around 10K) in a high-interest savings account. I didn't want to spend any of it. I took them out as an emergency fund and as a way to earn interest.
1st year - Literally couldn't find a job. No one wanted to hire me because I didn't live in the city on a permanent basis. I also found... my boyfriend. All of a sudden I didn't want to move back home for the summer, I wanted to stay with him. We both find summer jobs (part-time) and I moved into his parents' house. I saved up a lot but...
2nd year - Not enough to afford a second year in the dorm. Cue the boyfriend who pitched in a few thousand dollars (he saved through high school as well). We lived in the dorm during the week (he wasn't technically supposed to be there) and we lived at his parents' house on the weekends. There was some drama in the dorms and we decided not to return. This was also the year I got a dream PT job working in a non-profit. More on that later. We moved back into his parents' house. His health suffered a lot that summer and he couldn't work, so I was working two part-time jobs to save up. Then his parents told us we had to move out (they later changed their minds and wanted us to stay, but we chose to leave anyway).
3rd year - We moved into our own place. I was the only one working, and I couldn't handle two PT jobs and school, so I went down to one PT job (the non-profit). I was making $610 a month and rent was $875. It wasn't planned. We both started picking up extra work shifts, and I dipped into my savings whenever I had to. I chose to support him 110%, so I paid for all expenses. He had his own savings but I chose not to touch it. It was my idea to move in together (he could have stayed in his parents' house) and he was going through a rough time, so I took over all money management for both of us. That summer I ended up only working the one part-time job (the non-profit), but I was picking up extra shifts wherever I could. He couldn't work. It was rough.
4th year - We both started feeling better and we both started working more. The only reason we were okay was because we were still visiting his parents on the weekends. They let us do laundry and they would buy us groceries. We supplemented with our school's food bank. That summer, he could finally work a full-time job, and I had my two part-time jobs. Then, it happened.
5th year - My boss at one of my part-time jobs (the non-profit) left and they offered me her job. I immediately quit my other part-time job, got a raise, and started working a "real" office job with increased hours. I checked our loan balance and found out that I was missing $4,000. Though my boyfriend's savings account had enough of his money in it to cover the $4,000, I still wanted to pay it back myself so that we could have some savings left over. So I made it my #1 priority to pay my savings account back. I started researching personal finance and budgeting. I downloaded the EveryDollar app and started tracking where all of my money was going. Finally, I saved up the full amount. After graduation, I paid off my loans with my savings account and my boyfriend's loans with his savings account.
1-year post-grad - I'm now working a full-time office job at that same non-profit. I'm debt-free and able to start investing in the life I want. I'm incredibly grateful for all the help I received and especially for my (new) boss for giving me a chance at this job I was 100% not qualified for.
So after 5 years, I graduated debt-free with my honours BA in English. I have no regrets.
Musings of a Messenger you should write a piece for TFD about this!
I lived very much like this while working part-time retail and attending community college. I appreciate how realistic this was. I work a better job now and, looking back, I can to appreciate how far I've come.
I know some will say college isn't worth the struggle, but as I look for promotions in my current job, a degree is required as well as 5 yrs experience in the field only 2 portions above me. That's my current job goal and so I'm glad for the years I spent at school.
I'd say if you have a goal job in mind, school can be a strategic move in that direction, however, not all jobs may require schooling, some jobs you can move up the ladder with experience alone. It's a choice you should make carefully, and not just because college is expected or a normal thing to do after high school.
Yes!! Keep going! This is awesome! :)
There's some good advice here, but it also makes me sad/angry to watch. Living like this a few years in college is one thing, but those who live like this long term are ostracized for being on welfare and, the second an emergency happens, they are in financial ruin! This video equates being a broke college kid to just being low income, which is a comparison I hate. Not to mention, a transit pass would've added 100 and blown this entire budget.
Always Tired I think the audience for this is .. ya know . College kids. It doesn’t equate being broke to being poor.
If I’m being honest with y’all, I’ve seen RUclips channels that use $40 a month buy food at Whole Foods, Walmart and Trader Joe’s. I’m sure she was not exclusively buying at Whole Foods. Some stuff is cheaper there when sold the pound or if you know that you do not use that much. Get what you need. I spend $12 a month on snacks from Trader Joe’s. My roommate spends $60+ a month on snacks buying at our campus store.
Towels used only twice? Dang
Right? I use mine way more than that and I'm not even broke.
I found it so hard to live in Toronto because it was so expensive! There are definitely pros and cons to living in big cities! ❤️
Toronto is crazy expensive most especially rent. Am tired and I just started lol. But like you said pros and cons of living in a big city. Am definitely struggling a bit but what am struggling for is worth it 😊
I watch Love it or List it, the Toronto group a lot, and whenever people are house shopping and they show the prices I am amazed that anyone can actually live there.
Err maybe it’s Vancouver but still. 🙈
In Toronto, for 2 persons 1900 is doable. We are a family of two. We spend more or less 1900$ . Downtown Toronto is only 20 minutes away by Streetcar. But since January, rent is insanely high here .
Giiiirl, I agree. But it also depends on the area. A friend of mine easily found a room for $550 a few month ago (utilities not included), and it was in a decent area not too far from a subway station. I, myself, am sharing a 2-bedroom apartment with my parents: it's $1,200/month, I'm paying $600 and they are paying $600 as well... the rent is now higher for new tenants, but our contact is old, so we're paying less.
I'd say it's possible to get a room in a shared apartment for $600-650 in an okay location. The prime locating would cost $800 and more, but that's for people who are crazy about living in a "hip" area.
I live in Chicago (I love it) and this is very true when it comes to rent and polar vortexes, etc. I'm proud that she killed it at surviving in a large city and was able to find certain ways to get around some expenses like public transit (god I miss college for that reason). Thanks for sharing your story, there are many people who live on a low-low-low budget in Chi-town and make it. This is a great testament to that.
I'm so proud of the author for surviving this. if you can live within those means, the rest of your life you will always appreciate things. Huge kudos.
Thanks for sharing this story. One tip that might help for people reading: The author said her saving grace was her yearly tax refund. But if she got a refund, that means that too much was being withheld from her paycheck (and she wasn't getting paid any interest on that withheld money...not even 1 or 2% you get from a high-yield savings account).
If you're in the same situation, adjust your withholding with your employer/HR so you can take home more of that money every paycheck, instead of waiting to get it all back once a year. Having a little more in her paycheck might have given some relief during those months of high utility bills.
Not trying to criticize the author, as she sounds highly resourceful and good with managing her money. Just some advice!
Wow. I thought *I* was broke in college...
Fried tortilla and cinnamon is called buñuelo and it's totally a thing here in Mexico. 😚
Sounds like you are suffering from capitalism.
Which is the 8th wonder of the world
If you don't like it leave! Go to China!
I understand being emotional after getting the food stamps but then "I went to whole foods "😂😂
I needed this video. I am in a student in Chicago right now and it is hard. One more year!
I'm moving to Chicago next month and I have place to work but do you recommend place to live?
You know this Bs just go aldi good cheap healthy food
There is a thing
called
a quesadilla maker
??????
Pardon me, I need to take a short trip to Google and Amazon! Thank you, TFD!
Yana S girl I found it at a thrift store for $3 and I used it until it burned out!
$40 a month food budget? How is that survivable?
Spending money wisely is critical for surviving today. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
LOVED this! About to move to Denver from rural Illinois for the same reason the video mentions... the isolation is terrible and I want to be in a place I love! Sometimes it feels like it’s just too much to handle, but this makes me feel optimistic!
While I absolutely despise cooking, it helps me afford other stuff I otherwise wouldn't be able to purchase.
So I put up with it knowing it's worth suffering through every day (or every few days, depending on what I put together).
Lune - chan If you have access to a microwave around lunch time and have a good freezer at home you can cook lots of meals at once that can last you 1-2 weeks. I mean cook a big meal and divide it up. My go to is 500 gram bulgur, 2 kilogram chicken and then some spices and sauce. Gives me at least 6 meals, 8 sometimes.
I use plastic containers though which is despised by some but it is the Only container I’ve found yet that can go straight from freezer to microwave.
I have lived in ky on $600 per month no fs. $350 rent included water in 1 bedroom apt. Electric $60 per month. Internet $50 a month. $140 for food. I've seen apts as low as $275 here without roommates. Its amazing what people pay in big citys
Living expenses is by far the most expenses in our lives. If we can limit that, that is life changing. I see you got really creative with your budget! Whatever works right? Haha
I agree if rent were regulated better, the quality of life of most people would improve
I lived in Maryland and commuted to DC for work about 10 years ago. I drove my car to the bus, took the bus to the metro, took the metro to about 15 minutes away from my building, and then walked to work. I don't regret doing it, but after a few years I said enough and moved back to midwest. Atleast here I can afford to live closer to work.
$60 for the phone???? Who needs an iphone???? When I lived in the UK, close to London, i paid £10 for my phone and bought my smartphone online.
Alejandra Moreno I didn’t have an iPhone 😂
I cringed at the tax refund part. You would have had more per month if you knew how many exemptions to claim on a W4.
Sadly, financial literacy is seriously lacking in schools. Hence why we're all subscribed to and love TFD.
Actually, my tax refund would have been really low if I didn't get a few credits specifically for students!
@@voltaireon Your refund would have been lower at tax time, but your overall tax bill for the year would have been the same. The only difference is that you would have enjoyed having more of your "refund" in your pocket throughout the year and give your budget a little bit more breathing room. Just a thought! - Akeiva
People say this, but I've done the math and it's always less than $10 per paycheck for me. Sure, maybe it would have helped the OP on her grocery bill a bit, but for most people the amount you'd have more in each paycheck is so small you'd never really notice it. For a lot of people, having the government "force" you into having that savings account *is* smarter. It goes double when you're already poor and have trouble getting or keeping a savings account at a bank because you don't make enough money to have a free checking account and you can't keep enough money in the savings account to keep it from closing. Poor people economics are different from the economics of people with time and money to throw around.
@@TheKelpsinator Idk what math you're using, but zero exemptions versus two is a difference of $80 in my take home pay. That is significant enough and I have no desire to give the government an interest free loan when they won't do the same.
@@bmccuan Bingo. Took the words right out of my mouth. They sure don't return the favor in the form of interest-free student loans, that's for sure.
Yep happened to me as well. The 1st apt I was in had no kitchen, so we had a fridge and electric stove in the common area, which was depressing and made me not want to cook ever. I ate a lot of noodles and cereal.
Generally, college students cannot qualify for food stamps. (But you may still qualify for Medicaid, so please apply for a medical card at minimum). Check out these factors to see if you qualify for food assistance: 1. You are on work-study. 2. You work on average 20 or more hours a week earning at least minimum wage. 3. You have a disability. 4. You are a parent to a small child. 5. You are attending school less than part-time. 20% of people who qualify for aid (medical and/or food stamps) don't even know they qualify. If you are low-income, please apply.
Holy shit! I needed to hear this story! I'm making the next big step of moving out. I only work part-time and go to school in the evening. Funny that she lived in the northwest side of Chicago cause that's where I've lived all my life and I'm tired of it. I guess it's true what they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Thanks for sharing. It helped me get a better understanding of the financial responsibilities when moving out on your own.👍
Such a great video! It is really good to hear how this student managed to "make it work" just like the title of the series. She is really inspiring and I hope that the TFD will follow up with her.
That poor people dessert is an actual Mexican dessert called buñuelos 🙋🏽♀️
Even making more then $700 a month just seems crazy how cost of living is here in Chicago. I moved out of the south side from my parent's house to renting a room in a condo. I'm fortunate that it's $500 a month including utilities but I feel lucky more then anything. It just seems to be creeping up in costs and not sure I'd want to move back into Chicago unless a job was worth it and even then I'd see if I could commute from an affordable suburb. I think the hardest part still is overcoming the amount I pay in student loans monthly.
This is really interesting! Some things are wayyy cheaper and others way more expensive where I live.
But...who DOESN'T wear jeans and uses towels more then once?!
Paused the video to like it when I saw the Jabberwock as a 'scary neighborhood' monster.
I watched that part twice. So good!
Thank you for sharing inspiring stories like these!
It’s a dream of mines to move to Chicago for work. I’ve lived in smaller/more isolated towns for a good portion of my life, so I’m hoping for something more soon.
I live in Budapest, Hungary on $681 a month and I still can save $300-360.
Cost of living is very different
I call BS on the $40 a month food budget or else you were literally starving yourself. Also, health insurance is around $700 a month post-tax, so you were relying on not getting sick or received some kind of assistance, which would make it more than $700.
my ex girlfriend recently tried forcing me to move to chicago, i told her absolutely not, she moved their and i stayed put. Terrible city to live in.
This video diary was completely relatable. Please do more of these.
Can we please get more videos like this? This is the first story video I think many of us could actually relate to. Many of the other videos had people with a fair amount of money or luxuries to begin with, it’s be great if you could balance those out with people who started off with nothing
kudos to you for only making it on 20 hours of work a week! I always found myself getting a second job while in school and usually ended up working 40 hours a week which of course hurt my grades
As a humble suggestion: you can avoid air conditioning in Chicago's climate. Summer would be less fun but bearable.
I remember in college the vending machines were my best friends I ate so many cinnamon rolls the only food that filled me up
Ok the first mistake I'm seeing is using food stamps at Wholefoods, why not just shop bulk at walmart????
Yeah, but isn't it like common knowledge that in terms of the cost of living Chicago isn't in the same league as LA, NYC, San Francisco, Boston, etc. I'd think there's a much lesser demand due to the fact that it's got a brutal climate. Boston and cities like that obviously have cold climates, but its not the same kind of wrath as Chicago.
Someone ought to do a comparison between this and trying to survive on minimum wage in a rural area where you have more wiggle room re utilities (i. e., a woodstove and artesian well) but are totally dependent on a crappy old car for transportation.
Living off student loans is the WORST thing you can do
I love that you're making word essays into videos. I remember reading this one on thefinancialdiet.com a year ago.
I can always count on this channel to have smart women guiding other women financially. Keep it up, ladies!
I'm inspired!!!!!! I'm actually meeting with my mentor to create a budget. Ya'll pray for me! lol
This was wonderful and honest! I truly appreciated this story and I'm sure this person is a stronger person having gone through this! Great one 👏🏾
Wealthsimple works only for Us, Canada and UK. Unfortunately I cannot use it
Appreciating money is such a big deal.
Whole Foods takes Food Stamps? 😱 why am I just learning this?! 🏃🏻♀️ 🛒
This really shows how devastating a polar vortex can be!
I'm curious what she did for insurance, medical expenses, general daily products (shampoo, deodorant, cleaning supplies, etc.), furniture (bed, table) and kitchen amenities (refrigerator, dishes, microwave, etc.). Also, did she never have a single emergency/unexpected expense? I feel like her "success" was based more on luck than good money management and that it is hurtful to spread the message that with better money management you can solve your problems. In my opinion we should all advocate for liveable wages for all. With so little income, it is not your fault if things go badly for you.
Remind me of my college year. I couldn't save on my rent so I try to save money on food, aka crap and carb. Crappy diet makes me depressed. I am pretty good cook since then. I will try to make anything out of scratch with flour, like pretzel, bagel, buns and stuff, but mainly made of flour. Finally, saving money didn't really help so I got a part time job then I can spend 40 bucks a week in wholefood. Once a week I will reward my hard work with a Talenti Pistachio gelato😜 I miss that time.
May I ask what year this was?
*It's tough but there's ALWAYS a way! Thanks for sharing this story*
Great Video! Please do more of these :)
Has anyone here actually used wealth simple/ have any thoughts on it?
if you didn`t overspend on taxes , you would have more money to spend throughout the year. Yes, you wouldnt` have a tax return either but that only means that you weren`t giving the IRS an interest free loan
Kristiyan Rukov pssst- my tax refund without tax credits would only be about $150. The tax credits I got because I was a non-dependent student pushed it to about $1800-2k.
Holy cow, I can’t imagine living like that and yes, utilities are no joke in winter, amazing job nonetheless.
Technically 900 dollars a month because of food stamps. I am not trying to knock you for getting food stamps especially since nobody should live on 40 dollars a month food budget but you should use the right numbers, so people understand what is possible.
She did both. And it's $700 out of pocket.
@@jdizzle708 I read the article to see when she got food stamps, in the article she doesn't mention when she gets it but she says her parents sent her money sometimes. My issue is that she has a title that says it is possible to live in Chicago on that amount yet she was struggling, and she might not have made it if she didn't get those food stamps. Again not knocking that she got food stamps. Just have the right amount in the title.
Protip from Australia. Get a higher minimum wage.
and a better health care system... Its crazy how they don't have "free" medical. Totally worth it.
How the hell do you eat only $40 in food a month??!!
I love this channel so much.
I was waiting to see what she did in between breaks and after graduating.
As a european I am not so sure, but here we have 1 kg of pasta for less than 1€....wouldn't make it more sense to buti that instead of mcdonald?
I'm really loving this style of video!!!
How in the holy f*ck were you able to swing less than $400 a month in Chicago? I was in the tiniest of tiny shoebox apartments for part of college. I had to share a bunkbead with my roommate because the room was too narrow for two beds, and didn't even have a closet, or adequate laundry facilities, or a dishwasher, or adequate parking. I was paying $700 a month. Rent was $2800 split four ways and it wasn't a nice place. Granted this was LA, but still!
Chloe Leadbetter looking back, I ask the same question. From what I know now, I found a reaaaallllyyyyyyy underdeveloped area of the city where the whole 3bd 1bth was $1100 a month, and the landlord was being generous for some reason. During my time there the rent went up to $1300 at one point, but there were 4 people living there. Now the area is much more developed, and that same apartment is about $1900. Probably more, actually.
Wow, how can you can eat on $1.33/day? Even if you only get that $1 McD burger, that's all your food for the day.
If you're scrolling through the comments and still haven't opened a Mint account, do it NOW!
I think I like this girl so much
Thank you! :)
Taryn Good you are welcomed, you strived to survive . Life tends to be harsh , but never give up !
nice money budget videos. I guess many students do live a life like these with little money they have
I wish people born in small towns would mostly stay in those towns. You come to big cities and clog them up and it's like, why? You think you are going to accomplish something. You think you need to be in LA, NYC, or Chicago to accomplish something? All you are going to accomplish is to become exploited labor and to make cities full of boring outsiders. I'm not hating on you. If I could choose I would have opted to have been born in a small town. I would move to one now if it wasn't weird to do so.
omg this sounds terrible. 40$ a month for food? when I visited US I spent this for one dinner.
You only used towels twice between washes?
I feel for you but can say that you are a hero making it work.
The Value of Money....so a traveling man stopped in a small town inquiring about a room for the night...$100 said the owner/clerk. The traveling man put down $100 an said he'll be back in a couple hours to check in. Now being a small town and business slow lately the hotel owner went across the street to the florist to pay $100 off his outstanding bill.....the florist owner went next door to the stationary store to pay $100 on his outstanding bill.....the stationary store owner went to the restaurant to pay $100 off his bill...the restaurant owner paid the produce supply company $100 on his bill...the produce supplier paid the mechanic $100 on his bill. Now the mechanic called his wife and said "honey we're going out tonight...she responded Oh No.we owe the hotel owner $100 for our anniversary stay there on credit! She promptly paid the hotel owner and now the $100 came full circle! The traveling man now came in and said he couldn't stay the night because of urgent business and got his $100 back and left. So now...all the debt was satisfied by $100 each throughout the story yet nobody lost money! Hmm. How can that be?
You said 2013 it was 2018 polar vortex i an living in a south suburb of Chicago so I know and remember it
My cell phone bill is $38.15/month for a cheaptastic just text and makes phone calls/voice mail. $60 for ONE cell phone? Jesus christ your overpaying
Woow goes to show anything is possible plus how we adapt to situations. To this day I still live like I'm in poverty but at least treat myself for healthy food at least.
Chicago is easily one of the cheapest big cities.....??? Try to live on a coast big city
Ppl in other midwestern cities think its super expensive. My buddy from Atlanta even thought Chicago was super expensive.
But it’s state tax real high
So tell why are people from Chicago leaving
This is a really nice story
Don’t leave ya house.
I loved the videos, but in my experience, living on campus could have helped a lot with some of those bills.
nessabirdie Which assumes that was an option in her case.