Suppose you were making minimum wage and had 50% of your check
being garnished. That's $3.62.5 before taxes so let's guess $3 after
taxes.
So first off, be "grateful" you live in Texas, because in some states the garnishment is 65%.
So lets say you can work 40 hrs a week. That's 160 hours a
month. We can generously add 10 hours because most months are
longer than 28 days. That's 510.
So you can get an apartment for $425 in Dallas. That leaves $85 left for electricity (doable) but zero for food.
But, good thing is, you can comfortably bring a roomate
into a one bedroom apartment usually. If you can find him, and if he
pays rent reliably That frees up $255. Or $60 a week in food.
Can you live off $60 a week in food? Almost certainly you can,
especially if you and the roomate sometimes pool resources for dinners.
And if you work at a place that offers complementary slushies or drinks
you are in for a big break too.
Oh yeah? Did I mention that you can get food stamps for 3
months every 3 years in Texas. So that's your "cushion" if you ever have
a slow down at work and miss hours for a while.
Hopefully you have a good store of clothing and you live within walking distance to the job.
What
if you need to ride the bus? Unfortunately, Dallas is one of the most
expensive cities in Texas to get a monthly bus pass, at $80. That will
require working 7 hours week to afford it. So you are at 47 hour a week to work to survive.
But some people do work 70 hours a week. So when you need
$30 in shoes at walmart, just work an extra 10 hours a week. And all
your needs will be met.(sarcasm). But you won't have a lot of time to see your child, and your ex will have a good case that your roomate could be a danger your child so you probably can't bring him over.
