Nickel and Dimed
I just recently purchased my first audio book - "Nickel and Dimed - On (NOT) Getting By in America". I'm just over halfway through it - I've been listening to it on my way to and from work. The premise is that the author, who is obviously a writer by trade, did an "experiment" by taking minimum wage jobs and living the "minimum wage" lifestyle and then reported on it. You might think it dull, but actually is very good. I love some of the terminology she uses, like "repetitive injury of the spirit" to describe how she feels when she attempts to hold two minimum wage jobs in order to make ends meet. Her first job is waitressing, which I have done before. My hat is off to TSHS, because, until I cleaned rooms at a Quality Inn, I did not know there was a less thankless job than waitressing. I'm listening to the part right now about her experience during the weekdays as a "Merry Maid" or equivalent (she does not use real names) and a dietary aide at a SNF on the weekends. I cannot relate to the nursing facility experience, as I have never worked in one, but I can sympathize with her experience as a maid. Up until listening to this audio book, I had forgotten what it feels like to be a maid, in particular. No minimum wage job is glamorous, but maids seem to be in a class all by themselves, which is not a good thing. Her description of the three different types of shit splatters (I won't go into them here) that she has to clean up left me nodding and cringing at my not-so-distant memories of similar tasks. That is nothing compared to her realization that there is hardly any way to make ends meet by being a minimum wage worker in America, even if you can hold down two jobs. Before this book, I did not think the minimum wage needed to be raised, but I have since changed my opinion on that. Like H points out to me, if the prices of housing and such goes up, why doesn't minimum wage increase accordingly? Why should only the rich be able to keep up with inflation? I don't agree with everything the author puts forth. After being a maid, she asserts that she would never hire a maid because she does not want that type of subservient relationship with someone. However, I have been a "cleaning lady" for myself and found it quite enjoyable. I was able to set my own wage and pick who I wanted to clean for. As a result, I had a good clientele who treated me well. The experience did not sour me on hiring a cleaning person. I'll post more when I have finished the audiobook, but I do have one drawback to this method of taking in information. When she quotes sources or states statistics and I cannot remember them, I don't know how to go back and find them. Also, I'm in my car, so I cannot write them down, whereas with a regular book, I get out my trusty highlighter and dog-ear the pages I want to refer back to. Curse my memory!
posted by Notta Wallflower at 6:26 PM
14 Comments:
That is a drawback. They should really give you the rights to access the text of a book online once you have bought the audiobook.
However, you may be able to search for the citation or passage you are looking for on books.google.com. I checked, and "Nickel and Dimed" is on there. Some of the pages are blocked for copyright protection, some aren't.
Notta - I really wanted to buy that book. Heard so many good reviews about it.
yes, being a Merry Maid sucks. Most of our clientele were filthy rich and too lazy, yes, lazy, not busy, to clean up after themselves. It was gross, but I only had the job for three days to cover for a friend. Three days was enough though to get a feel for it.
Nice review. I really should pick this one up.
Tessence - Thanks for the tip. I really want to go back and look at some of the statistics. I'm better at remembering things if I've seen them, rather than heard them. :-)
ZS - I'd recommend it. It's very easy to listen to and I'd imagine it's an easy read. I didn't know you had a taste of being a Merry Maid. Ick - some of the things maids have to deal with. :-/
I'll have to read this book. I hadn't heard of it before.
It seems that every time minimum wage goes up, so does one of our tax rates, like social security, or state and federal tax. Then we wind up bringing the same amount home. :(
I'm lucky where I work. I have a great boss, coworkers, and clientelle. We're sort of like one big family. It's still grueling at times though.
Notta, I think we have all done are time with really crappy minimum wage jobs. Of course, when I was a kid working and getting minimum wage seemed like a lot of money but I knew co-workers who were trying, unsuccessfully, to support their families. I can only imagine how tough it is to have two jobs and still struggle to pay the bills. I may have to go check this book out it sounds interesting.
TSHS - I think a person is lucky if he or she works in a place where they get along well with co-workers. However, the work is tough, physically. I think a lot of people don't realize what a lot of workers are expected to do for a piddly wage.
Angelique - I'd recommend it for anyone. A very good read. :-)
You're right Notta. People just assume that EVERYONE gets paid vacations and sick days AND health insurance.
These same people get upset when they have to pay taxes on company paid benefits. I'm sorry, but I have to pay taxes on ALL my wages and tips BEFORE I pay my OWN health insurance. I tell these people: Benefits are part of your income; deal with it!
I'm the same way. I have to SEE it to absorb it. If I can't look at it a couple of times it just doesn't sink in.
TSHS - Worker's benefits is a topic the author brings up several times in the book, and rightly so. Most of these companies don't offer health insurance to their employees. I remember going without insurance, but that was a long time ago and I was younger. I could bounce back from things without always going to the doctor. With physically demanding jobs, how are injuries avoided? If you get injured, how are you going to afford medical care? But, if you don't get medical care, then you might have more time off of work, which equals loss in wages. It's a horrible vicious cycle. :-/
Kari - Most people are visual learners. I do like being able to listen to the book in the car, though. It seems like the only other time I read is before bed, then I get sleepy and I'm not sure how much I remember at that point, anyway. :-P
Notta - I didn't do it long enough to see the gross things that I know the author will mention. I did however see some serious laziness in the upper classes.
ZS - I'm sure there is some laziness of upper classes. However, I also think that people's lives have gotten so hectic. The women I used to clean for were never home - they always worked and one was a single mom of two teenage girls. She hired me for once a week and every other week, had me go clean her ex-in laws house because they were very elderly and unable to clean. I don't think my experience was the norm. I'd love to have someone clean for me, but I'm just anal enough to never trust that they'd be as thorough as me, so it would be wasted money. :-P
However, I also think that people's lives have gotten so hectic.
True. I guess if I were rich, and I could afford to do it, I would pay someone else to do my laundry and other stuff. I'd still cook and clean the kitchen because I enjoy doing that. It gives me time to relax. But for everything else, yeah, I guess I could see myself paying someone else to do it if money weren't an issue.
ZS - Hmm, I can't envision a time when I'll have money enough to think of hiring someone for this, so it's a pretty moot point. :-P
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