In today’s highly inflated economic times, the question of whether you can live off earning $17 an hour is quite tricky.
The answer depends on a variety of factors, from where you live and what your monthly financial obligations are, to whether or not you receive benefits from your job. 💲💲
For a better estimate, let’s first calculate $17 an hour is how much a year?
Just multiply $17 by the number of hours you work per week. Below, we explain this breakdown in detail. 💸💸
$17 an hour is how much a year?
To make the most out of your income, you need to convert your hourly wage into an annual salary. To do this, you must multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours worked each week and then by the number of weeks in a year 💲💰.
So, here’s how it looks for the different pay periods:📅
- $17 an hour makes: ($17 * 8 hours) = $136 per day ✅
- $17 an hour makes: ($17 * 40 hours) = $680 per week ✅
- $17 an hour makes: ($17 * 80 hours) = $1,360 biweekly ✅
- $17 an hour makes: ($17 * 2080 hours/ 12 months) = $2,946 per month ✅
- $17 an hour makes: ($2,946 * 12 months) = $35,360 per year ✅
If you work 50 hours a week, your annual salary would be $44,200. Likewise, if you work 60 hours a week, your annual salary would be $53,040.
Regardless, make note that this is only the gross income. The actual money you pocket is subject to taxes, etc.💰💰
With an income of $35,360, you may expect taxes to be approximately 12%. So, you will pay about $4,243 as tax. 📜💲
The tax constitutes the federal income tax, medicare payment, and social security. You may also have to pay a state tax; however, this amount varies depending on the state. Additionally, you may also be required to pay local taxes as well.
Is $17 per hour enough to live?🧐🧐
There’s no straight answer to the question. However, depending on various factors, we can safely say it’s a “maybe.”
A lot depends on where you live, your expenses and lifestyle, and other requirements.🧑💻🏠🧑💼
To understand better, consider the rent, for example. In some states, $17 per hour will only be enough just about to cover your rent. However, if you live away from the posh localities, you can cover a few other expenses on the same income.💰✅
In some states, $17 per hour will only be enough just about to cover your rent❌😥.
But in other states, this might help you have enough money for your rent and other expenses. Next, your lifestyle will also make a difference.
If you’re living an expensive lifestyle with many extra expenses, you’ll need to make more money than someone living a simpler life. 💵⏱️
How can you make more money if $17 an hour is not enough😥🤔
Now, if (and most likely you won’t) you don’t find it easy to live with $17 earned every hour, there are certain other ways of increasing your income. You can try the following:
- Get a second job: Consider getting a part-time or full-time job in addition to the one you already have. This way, you can earn more.✅✅
- Use your skills: If you have any special skills, such as coding or graphic designing, use them to create an online platform where you can offer services and products.
- Invest: Put some of your money into investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate. !✅
1. Taking surveys🤑💻
If you wish to make some extra bucks taking surveys online is simple, fast, and an easy way to do so without much effort or expertise! All you have to do is spend a few hours a day on your laptop and take easy surveys on platforms like:
- Inbox Dollars💲💲
- Swagbucks💻💰
- SurveyJunkie✍️💲
Why would these platforms pay you to take surveys? Basically, market researchers and companies collect data from surveys to understand consumer habits, opinions and product trends.
Let’s take a look at the top three survey sites that’ll get you some hard cash:💸💸
Survey Junkie🤓💻
One of the top legit sites for making money online via surveys is Survey Junkie. The platform has an easy-to-use, attractive interface, and the payment method is simple. The platform has over 20 million members today and lists surveys from various categories to suit diverse consumer groups. 💻
To get started, you must provide information about yourself, your age, location, other demographics, lifestyle details, etc. After that, the platform matches your profile details with the available surveys. 💻📄
If your income, geographical area, and other information match the user profile required for a survey, you will qualify for it.
You can redeem your points via PayPal or gift cards🎁
Inbox Dollars💻💵
Inbox Dollars has several surveys and minor tasks that users can complete and get paid for.
The amount you can earn depends on the type of task you choose. You can also get cash back for purchases made at select retailers and receive coupons and discounts.🎮📃
Payment is made via Paypal, gift cards (redeemable at Target and Walmart), and checks.🏦🎁
Swagbucks
Another popular platform for earning money via surveys and a host of other activities is Swagbucks. You can play games, stream ads, watch videos, write product reviews, and even be part of focus groups to maximize your earnings.
You can also get discounts shopping from brands that partner with Swagbucks. Payment is made through PayPal and gift cards🎁
2. Playing games🎯🎮
If you’re still low on the thought that $17 an hour is how much a year? For really it isn’t much! So here’s another way to earn money while having fun: Get paid to play games!
You can sign up for sites like PaidGamePlayer.com, Swagbucks.com, and InboxDollars.com to get paid to play games. You’ll earn points which you can redeem for various rewards, including cash and gift cards.
Here are some known platforms you can check out and earn while you have fun.
Bingo Cash💵
Bingo Cash is a legit game for making actual money by playing games. The app has a 5-star review and has millions of active players. Earnings are cashed via Paypal, and you can earn as much as $83 for every win!
You can play in tournaments or match numbers and win.
Swagbucks💲🥇
Another place to make easy money is Swagbucks. Take a few minutes to create your profile and start playing games, taking surveys, or browsing hundreds of tasks to earn money.
You can watch videos, download certain apps, make Swagbucks your search engine, etc., and get paid for all the tasks.
3. Browsing the web – Earn free BAT crypto🪙🪙
There are platforms like ‘Brave’ where you can earn BAT, a Basic Attention Token, and Brave’s cryptocurrency.
To earn, all it takes is to watch a few ads. Some of these ads are anonymous, and others are private.
You have to opt-in to join the program, and then all you have to do is keep Brave open while using your computer as usual. The more ads you watch, the more BAT you can earn.💳
4. Reading emails📨
Yes, you can also make money on the go by reading emails! Some top sites you can access are InboxDollars, Branded Surveys, and Inbox Pays. Again the sites are backed by brands who pay the users for simply reading emails they send.📩
After signing up for any of these platforms, you’ll receive emails with various offers or winnings for filling out the details. But, of course, all these emails are paid for reading, and they keep coming!
Payments are made through Paypal and gift cards.💝🎁
Is $17 an hour good?🤔🤔
If we look at $17 an hour is how much a year, we’d say it’s not bad. At $17 an hour, you would make roughly $35,360 annually (before taxes).
Depending on your region and lifestyle, $17 an hour could easily support a family of three. In some parts of the country, it might even be enough to support a family of four.
Tips to living on $17 an hour🤔💡
If you’re stuck with $17 an hour, there are some changes you can make to your lifestyle and still make the most of it.
- If the cost of living in your locality is high, move to other places where the cost of living is lower.
- Make your meals as much as possible; limit eating out to weekends only.🍲🥙
- Break up your budget according to the 50/20/30 rule by Sen- Elizabeth Warren. The rule states:✍️💻
- Your main expenses should be covered by 50% of your income. 📊📊
- Keep 20% aside for paying debts and save the rest.
- Keep the remaining 30% for miscellaneous spending.💸💸
- Try free hobbies instead of expensive ways to spend time. For example, you can try cycling, going to the library, jogging, playing sports, or joining a club.🏃📚
- Use a budget planner to keep track of expenses.🗓️
- Look up the best and most affordable insurance services
- Start couponing for grocery and other items. You can save a lot of money this way. 🤑
- Look for free or low-cost entertainment options. You could visit museums and parks or even try a DIY project. 🤝💡
- Start a side-hustle to make more money. There are many opportunities available, especially online. 📱
- Start investing in stocks and ETFs as early as possible.
- Minimize all your major expenses and rentals✅
- Find free and less expensive ways for entertainment and other activities⛹️🏊
Final words😁✅
Now that we know $17 an hour is how much a year, is it a liveable amount in the US? There’s no easy answer to it. There are many variables involved that either make it a good or a hardly livable wage. 💲
The cost of living varies from state to state and city to city, so the amount you need to make to live comfortably will vary. 🤔
There’s also the matter of having enough money to pay for other expenses, such as healthcare and childcare. 👨
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