JudgerNautSquared: Minimum wages have gone up though, they didn't go up till over a year after high school and my high school job was a measly 3 hours and 75 % of minimum wage (because it was considered a training-on-the-job type job working for a school) and I lived way out in the country. My folks would tell me to save up my money but there wasn't anything to save. I did good if I had $5-$10 leftover every payday after car expenses.