Moneybox

McDonalds and Visa Show It’s Easy to Get By on a Low Salary as Long as You Don’t Eat

I don’t quite know what they were thinking, but McDonalds and Visa teamed up to create a pamphlet encouraging low-wage workers to set budgets for themselves and came up with a pretty ridiculous sample scenario.

They start by assuming that you’re working two jobs (this comes out to a bit over 240 hours a month at minimum wage) and then that your monthly budget doesn’t include money for extravagances such as heat. Then your $27 dollars a day needs to cover your gasoline, and minor details like food and clothing along with entertainment.* Fortunately, McDonalds promises its crew members free uniforms and free or discounted food so during the heat-free summer months you’re in good shape. 

* Correction, July 15, 2013: An earlier version of this post suggested that McDonalds had left food and clothing out of the budget, when in fact they’re classifying them as daily expenses rather than fixed monthly ones.