In Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich struggles with finding affordable shelter, food, and other basic necessities because of the measly wages she receives. Ehrenreich claims that, ideally, in order to survive on minimum wage, " one job will never be enough." (Ehrenreich 60) According to a study performed by Princeton Economists, David Card and Alan Krueger, " a realistic minimum wage set at a family level, with the inflation of medical, housing and educational costs of recent years would require a minimum wage of $10.00 or more per hour." (McDermott) In theory, the present federal minimum wage would have to at least double; thus, proving why many Americans have to double their wages by working more than one job. In the study performed by Card and Krueger, they actually prove that recent rises in state and federal minimum wages led to increases and expansion in employment, not a hindrance of economic growth. On one hand, many businesses voluntarily choose to exceed the federal minimum wage to recruit more potential workers. On the other hand, the National Restaurant Association, for example, intentionally lobbies to keep the federal minimum wage low, because they seem to reap the most benefits from a low minimum wage. Ehrenreich sees the Restaurant Association's concept firsthand as a waitress at Hearthside where she says, " as tourist business slows in the summer.I sometimes leave work with only $20.00 in tips with wages included, this amounts to about the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour." (Ehrenreich 28) On a positive aspect, three states, Alaska Oregon and Washington have passed a law that mandates annual increases of the minimum wage based on inflation; therefore, decreasing the poverty rate. With all the rising, living expenses, just including basic necessities, the low federal minimum wage is simply unacceptable. .
Approximately ninety percent of households who choose to rent face a housing wage of more than twice the present minimum wage.