How many of you want me to buy this dubious 2000 Honda Insight from Tucson?

[mpg_numbers_guy]

It wouldn't on Craigslist, but on Facebook it would be marked as sold. Actual selling price would still be unknown though since it's highly unlikely the seller would update the listing with the price the car sold for before just marking it as sold.

[freebeard]

So you're saying that someone could throw down some money and see pictures of my Superbeetle as a total wreck?

Do they need the VIN? I fought to keep it off a salvage title, does that offer protection?

[Ecky]

I know this is rather off-topic Xist, but it sounds like getting by is pretty tough in Arizona, even with the economy "booming" right now. Just as an example we're having a pretty severe worker shortage right now which was recently brought to my attention again when I noticed the coffee and bagel joint my coworkers stop at in the mornings raised their starting pay to $15... for people putting cream cheese on bagels. And they still can't seem to find enough warm bodies. Businesses seem to be taking pretty under-qualified people to fill positions.

[Xist]

Are there too many places offering better pay than $15? What is everyone doing except working for that amount? All that I know is that in our small community, people have difficulty finding providers for kids with special needs. Respite providers that just watch the kids so that parents can do other things and habilitation providers that actually work with them on skills. For respite, the state pays $16.55 an hour, and the agencies usually pay minimum wage. For habilitation, the state pays $21.54, and agencies usually pay a dollar more [than minimum wage].

I do not think there are many job opportunities, so are people preferring to work at McDonald's to helping people with special needs, or are they just not working?

[Ecky]

I can't speak for respite work, but it's really hard not to make $35,000 here, and there are jobs for anyone who wants them.
Unemployment is less than 2%. I have a job which requires no degree and am making around 60k, was hired only a few months ago and am being offered raises already to keep me. Arizona sounds (from what I've read) like a place where it's very easy to live in poverty.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

I do not think there are many job opportunities, so are people preferring to work at McDonald's to helping people with special needs, or are they just not working?

Care workers receive low pay for a few reasons. The jobs are usually low skill and don't require any significant certification. Care providers usually have a passion for the work too, and I think that is taken advantage of. Finally, it's super expensive to provide care, and especially skilled care to those who need it. Costs must be kept as low as possible, or people wouldn't be able to afford it in the first place.

The entry level factory jobs around here pay about $15/hr, so there's plenty of work at that price point for those who can pass a drug/criminal screening and show up to work on time.

[Xist]

The state pays these care workers. I do not know what the profit margin is on them, but my agency pays $14 an hour for respite ($2.55 hourly for overhead) and $16 for habilitation ($5.54 for overhead).

Until 2015, the state allowed people to provide services directly for them, and the state paid them better than any agency, while still paying less than they paid the agencies. I would have done this with my brother if it were still available. I could start my own agency just to earn $20+ an hour, but that is a ridiculous process.

I just looked at the top ten listings on Indeed for Phoenix. The best pay that I found was $12 for respite and $14 for habilitation, so my agency pays at least $2 an hour better than everyone else, and I love working for them.

I do not have any idea if I could find more hours doing respite and habilitation than speech therapy, but hopefully I will have fewer cancellations now that the holidays are over, and I can focus on financial goals besides paying off my student loans in the next eleven months.

Curious. I typed "cost of living Vermont" into Google and it suggested "vs Arizona."

I do not know why they picked Colchester, but it costs 1.4% more to live there: https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-l...ester-vt/37500

Originally Posted by redpoint5

there's plenty of work at that price point for those who can pass a drug/criminal screening and show up to work on time.

Sadly, sometimes that is too high a bar. That ex worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken and said she was promoted to shift leader after six months just for showing up on-time and doing her job.

[Ecky]

That's $16 + the 5.54 for overhead? So totaling $21.54?

I'm not trying to sell Vermont in particular, but here are two places I know of that would likely provide the sort of employment you're looking for:

https://www.ncssinc.org/careers

https://howardcenter.org/

Colchester (where I live) is around halfway between the two, a ~25 minute drive in either direction.

[freebeard]

Curious. I typed "cost of living Vermont" into Google and it suggested "vs Arizona."

Not curious at all.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I can't speak for respite work, but it's really hard not to make $35,000 here, and there are jobs for anyone who wants them.
Unemployment is less than 2%. I have a job which requires no degree and am making around 60k, was hired only a few months ago and am being offered raises already to keep me. Arizona sounds (from what I've read) like a place where it's very easy to live in poverty.

$35,000 in Vermont is different than $35,000 in Wisconsin and
$35,000 in Phoenix is different than $35,000 in Mesa

In Wisconsin you can still find rent all utilities included for $250 a month and ground turkey for $1 a pound

I’m told the difference in cost of living in AZ varies wildly as do wages

Cost of living makes a bigger difference than earnings in how easy it is to make ends meet