Nickel and Dimed Class EssayThroughout high school, I was financially stable because of the support my parents were able to provide. However, once I enrolled in college, “reality” started to hit me. It was May 2013, when I applied for my very first job at the age of 18. It took a while for work to get back to me, but two months later I started my training. In the ten months I worked there, I received minimum wage for one month and a dollar more for nine months. I thought I could save my money while I was in this position. I realized that when I started paying my bills, I really needed to limit my spending. Even though I lived with my mother, my paychecks barely covered gas, textbooks, cell phone bills, and other basic necessities. It made me think that if I had to work full time and pay rent with a salary plus minimum wage, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pay for all the necessities of life these days. and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich suggests that living with a minimum of w...