> A lot of these employers refuse to look at the average persons expenses TODAY. Because your expenses are not their concern, nor should they be. Your expenses should be your concern. > Btw most people refuse to live next to Meth heads, h addicts and section 8 housing, so take that in account when pricing out apts. That's different than "I can't get a job that pays enough to allow me to live." That's, "I can't get a job that pays me enough to live where I want to live." Welcome to the club, buddy. It's not your employer's job to figure out how to get you more money. It's your job to figure out how to become a more valuable employee so someone will want to pay you more. There are literally millions of people who will bag groceries or flip burgers. There's no reason to pay more. That's how value works. Think of it from the consumer side. Imagine a store bitching and complaining because when they try to sell their milk for $15 a gallon no one will buy it. Do you care if they say, "But I need that $15 to keep my store open in this mall!"? No, you don't. You go buy your milk where it's a normal price. Same thing.