How do people on a really low wage survive in 2008?

Question

Where I work, health care assistants are paid £5.50 an hour. Qualified nurses get 4 times this (like me) I am astounded that a person can live on £700 a month for a 40 hour a week job, not accounting for petrol, bus fares and lunches out of this. How can people manage on this with rent and gas the way it is?

Answer 1

It’s all a matter of what one gets used to. In today’s world, physical survival isn’t the pressing need – psychological survival/wellbeing is. Some people define life in excesses, some exercise moderation, while others still make a habit of tightening belts.  

Answer 2

where I come from, some people live on less than a dollar/day

How?

well, there is welfare, charitable donations....etc

if we're talking literally, "survival" doesn't cost a lot.

but living as a decent human being does.

Answer 3

I live in CA and am also astounded that people here can live on minimum wage with the cost of living, energy, gas, and housing that is prevalent in our state.  But, I gather by the number of foreclosures in the housing market over the last year, that many people just aren't making it.  We are seeing a trend toward multiple family members living together, college aged kids staying with mom and dad longer and people holding more than one job to make ends meet.  But, in Britian at least you have a public health care system, we have some 47 million Americans with none.

Answer 4

The Government should help us more in financially. Otherwise it would be hard to live for some of us in the u.k. More pay rise! Lower Gas, Electric Bills!