So there has been a lot of talk this week about minimum wage going up to a whopping £5.52 per hour for people over the age of 21. If you are under 21 it is a bit less and if you are under 18, I think it is still legal to send you to work in the pit on a seventeen hour shift for two shillings a week. I’m pretty sure that I was paid about £2 an hour at my first ever job… i am on a wee bit more than that now (at £2.10 per hour).

I have taken it upon myself to do some calculations. Please allow for the fact that I am fairy inept at maths, but I have used a calculator so hopefully I have enough un-evolved monkey in me to bash the right buttons.

So min wage = £5.52
Say rent and bills (average up North made up by Ryan) = £500 per month
Shopping Budget = £100 per month
Say £10 per month in case of emergency… like an emergency bottle of value Scotch.

Annual Wage = £10,062
Annual Out-goings = £7,320

Hourly Wage after out-goings = £1.37 per hour

This means you would have to work 15 hours to buy a new pair of Calvin Klein underpants, because you split your picking up a cigarette butt off the floor outside Primark.

You are feeling a bit out of touch and want to be down with the kids again, so you work 138 hours to buy an iPod… all you need now is to save up for a computer. 584 hours will get you a shiny new G5 iMac. That will have to wait though because your neighbour was pissed last night and he accidentally set fire to your Bentley. You’re going to have to buy a new one. Good news is you will only have to save every penny you earn for 83,942 hours (2,269 days or 43.6 years) and you’re there… I think you will agree this is not unachievable

I ask you is minimum wage enough to survive on?

Please throw your loose change… I mean words into my grotty comments box please.