What I Read -- Nickel and Dimed

I was in a cultural studies phase of my life when I bought Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.  I fell out of that phase and never ended up reading it, though I did acquire it on audio somewhere along the way.

In light of the recent election (y'all heard about that, didn't you?), I figured I'd dust this one off and see what there is to say about it - which is that it's exactly what you'd expect. 

Ms. Ehrenreich gives up her privileged life for four months to try her hand at low-wage jobs in four different cities, one month each.  And, no surprise, it's hard!

First is the business of applying for jobs, which was a little complicated for her, since she was lying (at least by omission) about her background.  Nevertheless, she managed to score jobs in each city without too much trouble.  Next on the agenda: either finding low-cost housing near work or figuring out how to pay for transportation from more distant housing.  After all, low-wage jobs are called that for a reason: because they don't pay much.  Third, figure out how to live on what you have left.  The cost of everything is a concern.

But in a funny way, budgeting is the easy part.  Once you get a job, you know how much you'll be taking home each week and roughly what your expenses are. You can plan.  It's the unplanned costs, and there are potentially many, that are the problem.  Ms. Ehrenreich didn't continue her experiment long enough to deal with any major medical issues or car trouble, but on such a tight budget they obviously would've been a problem.

Then there are the physical, emotional, and psychological issues, about which I won't go into too much detail, because frankly, they're obvious.  Often low-wage work is physically demanding.  Lots of ibuprofen probably needs to go into the budget.  And, while it isn't mentally taxing in the way deep, extended periods of intense thought are, it's emotionally draining to take other people's crap all day.  But there's also a camaraderie that develops between the employees at her various jobs - a "we're all in this together" attitude.  So even if it sucks, at least you're not alone.  Misery loves company.

Aside from making the point that minimum wage really isn't a living wage, this book is largely free of political commentary. (Yes, I realize that sounds weird because this whole book basically is political commentary.  What I mean is that you don't get beaten over the head with it.)  The fact that it's a story rather than a manifesto makes it almost enjoyable - certainly more interesting.