A Day In The Life Of A Minimum Wage Worker

My life is as simple as it can get. I work for a Fencing Club in New York and due to COVID-19, I am now working from home. I am trying to be just a bit more productive and the best and easiest way for me to do this is to follow a routine.

I wake up at 8:30AM everyday. Some days may be earlier and some days a bit later. While still in bed, I check my bank account even though I know nothing has changed. Next, I check my investment account. Very happy with myself because I started with about $400 and now I have $1,100. Not too shabby for a beginner. I text my mother, check my emails, the weather and a million other things that I know I shouldn’t be doing. All of this takes about 15 minutes.

9:00AM: I jump out of bed and brush my teeth. I spend about 5–10 minutes figuring out what I’m going to make for breakfast. Usually is some hot chocolate with bread and butter. I eat while watching TV. If I’m not watching anything, I wouldn’t dare to take a bite. Bad habit, I know. I definitely have to do the dishes. I very much hate having a dirty kitchen and knowing that it’s dirty can be very disturbing.

After breakfast, I would encourage myself to write but there’s always a distraction or somewhere I need to go. I tell myself I can write later on that day but it never happens.

11:30AM: I try to make lunch at this time but sometimes I’m not home and I would eat somewhere else. I would even skip lunch which makes me really cranky the entire day because it physically hurts when I spend money on food when I know there’s food at home.

My favorite meals are; rice, green peas, and chicken. Ham and cheese wrapped in chicken breasts with fried plantains or rice. Maybe some mashed potatoes with whatever I feel like eating. I am very picky and eating can be tricky which is why I try to plan ahead. I have to plan my meals the day before.

After lunch, at about 1 or 1:30pm, I take my laptop and start working. Like I mentioned before, I work for a fencing club and most of the things I do require a computer. Scheduling classes and lessons, replying to emails, making phone calls etc. I do love it. It is something that I have never done before and there’s always something different to do. I get paid every month which fits with my expenses since my bills are due every month. I mean rent, phone bill, electricity, heat, groceries, internet, car insurance and many more. It is insane for a minimum wage worker. I get paid $17/hr and my hours have obviously been cut short due to this inevitable pandemic. I do consider myself lucky though.

I worked three to four hours a day. So.. usually by 5:30PM I’m done being productive. This gives me time to spend with my boyfriend and watch some tv for a while. I get very, very bored because I usually see the same videos on YouTube and there’s nothing new on Netflix. I do try to have my three meals everyday so dinner starts at about 7:30PM. Sometimes even 8:30PM because I get hungry real fast and I have to make something else.

I shower after dinner, try to watch a movie but then instantly fall asleep. I walk myself to bed, check my bank accounts and go to sleep. Pretty boring huh?