Breaking Free: How to Earn More Without Selling Your Time for Money

For people living in economically challenged areas without the education needed for competitive remote jobs, the only choice often feels like continuing to grind through. For those who have the determination or desire to push forward, that’s great. However, for many others who face challenges like raising children, living with disabilities, or dealing with various life complications, their options may be more limited.

As of 2022, around 35.9% of jobs in West Virginia paid less than $15 per hour, often less than $10. These include positions in fields like healthcare, retail, service, and sales—many of which often require a college degree. The harsh reality is less than 25% of jobs offer a true living wage, where you can own a home. This includes professions like doctors and lawyers, who may earn high salaries but also face the burden of significant student loan debt, making it difficult for them to keep up with payments.

Even if you're earning double the minimum wage, you're still facing significant financial struggles. And with minimum wage, it’s often difficult to get enough hours to make more than $10,000 a year.

Step-by-Step Calculation:

1. Hourly wage: $7.25

2. Hours worked per week: 30

3. Weeks worked: 50

$7.25 × 30 hours = $217.50 per week.

Total Earnings for 50 Weeks:

Working 30 hours per week for 50 weeks at the federal minimum wage would earn you a total of $10,875 before taxes.

That’s going to get you roughly the maximum for the EITC of $3,995, $6,604, or $7,430 based on the number of kids you have.

The goal is to earn enough to qualify for the EITC, which can effectively boost your annual income by 50%. For example, if you're making $15,500, the EITC could add up to $7,430, bringing your total income to $23,000—that's a significant increase.

So, what do you need to do to reach $906.25 per month to match what you would earn working full-time at minimum wage?

1) Bonuses for companies focused on acquiring new customers.

If you take advantage of every promotional offer available to you as an American through various companies, you'll be able to reach this milestone.

For those looking to reach a $28k salary without affecting their EITC, I’d honestly recommend focusing on email and LinkedIn-based sales. Many charities, businesses, and other companies offer generous compensation for tasks like completing trials, switching phone providers, or taking advantage of various offers.

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