I didn’t down vote it. I am American. I also know a man cannot fully support five kids and a wife by making and serving people coffee in the USA, no matter how simply they lived.
Indeed.
As of early 2026, Starbucks baristas in the Midwest typically earn between $15 and $18 per hour, with averages often hovering around $16 to $17 per hour in major metropolitan areas like Chicago. Annual pay for full-time baristas in the US averages around $34,888 ($16.77/hr), with regional variations affecting the total.
The mortgage/rent and basic utilities would put you in the red. It's not a question of frugality, or discretionary income -- the stuff you have control over. Unless "living in your car" or living in the woods is considered a legitimate option.
If you want to live without electricity, running water, or something similar, good luck -- but don't be surprised when the first "outsider" calls CPS on you, and has all your children taken away.
And the worst part is, you couldn't really blame him. This is 2026, not the 19th century. What does that matter, you ask? What's wrong with the 1800s, you ask? Well, because it's not the 1800s, your neighbors don't know how to treat basic illnesses and injuries, so you NEED a car. The government was far different back then, and there was no welfare state (or CPS) back then. Nor did ALL your neighbors have electricity, water, phone, etc. to the point they wouldn't be understanding if you didn't. Things like phones have become actual necessities of life. When the world didn't have these things, the world was a different place. You can't just staple 1800's lifestyle onto the modern world of 2026 and think it will work.
Topic: Advice on immodest adult daughter (Read 1838 times)