Throughout this country, there are people struggling to obtain basic needs for everyday life. Although many work forty hours a week, the current minimum wage is not set at a standard where one can live off. Things such as rent, utilities, and food have become impossible to obtain with the current minimum wage. The sacrifices, choices, and ways of life of those living on minimum wage must be altered and redefined to live in our post-industrial society. The minimum wage in the United States is set by the U. S. Labor law that employers must pay workers $7.25 per hours. Since 2017, in eight states, they have increased the minimum wage to $11.50 per hour. Across United States every state has different minimum wage standards. The State of Illinois has minimum wage set to $8.25 per hour (University of California). Over the past five years, current prices on houses, apartments, and condos have increased dramatically. Those who work at the minimum wage have a difficult time paying these high prices if they are financially well enough to even afford a home. Many families have been forced to take out high interest loans in order soften the blow of high mortgage payments but will likely never own their home and continue to pay for it until they either pass away or are bankrupt.
Although housing puts a chokehold on one’s bank account, the utilities inside the home also demonstrate that the minimum wage does not allow for one to live a prosperous and debt-free life. With gas,