Thread: How much is enough?

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We're going to do a tour of Route 66 later on this year, and I'm wary of driving kack-handed (i.e. on the right-hand-side of the road) when fifty years and millions of miles makes it instinctive for me to drive on the left.
So I've asked an American cobber if he'd take some time off work to drive us from one side to the other.
He's agreed, so that's all good; but I don't want to see him out of pocket to satisfy my whim, so I thought I'd compensate him for 'wages lost' . . . but how much is enough?

What's the average weekly wage in the States?

He's a labourer at the Ditch Witch plant in Perry Oklahoma, so what sort of take-home money would he be on per week?
I have absolutely no idea . . .

Originally Posted by johnboy

We're going to do a tour of Route 66 later on this year, and I'm wary of driving kack-handed (i.e. on the right-hand-side of the road) when fifty years and millions of miles makes it instinctive for me to drive on the left.
So I've asked an American cobber if he'd take some time off work to drive us from one side to the other.
He's agreed, so that's all good; but I don't want to see him out of pocket to satisfy my whim, so I thought I'd compensate him for 'wages lost' . . . but how much is enough?

What's the average weekly wage in the States?

He's a labourer at the Ditch Witch plant in Perry Oklahoma, so what sort of take-home money would he be on per week?
I have absolutely no idea . . .

I thought you drove the last time you were up there??

Yep, I did, and came close to wiping out a couple of times . . . an experience I don't desire to achieve.
The motorways aren't too bad, it's the quieter rural roads where I mucked up.
You'd remember the Canadian tourist that killed himself by marrying a truck at Waitomo? The French tourist that killed the Mountain House bloke?
I don't want to do that.
I want to spend more time with my kids and grandchildren; not my ancestors.

iv`e been at my job for 25 years ... i earn 100 bucks a day ..

Originally Posted by johnboy

So I've asked an American cobber if he'd take some time off work to drive us from one side to the other.
He's agreed, so that's all good; but I don't want to see him out of pocket to satisfy my whim, so I thought I'd compensate him for 'wages lost' . . . but how much is enough?

Johnboy, why don't you just ask him and that way both parties will be in agreement and it will also make for a much nicer trip.
meller

If he "makes" $15 an hour, the gubberment takes about 1/3 of it so he really nets only $10 an hour. That government percentage is fixing to jump much higher very quickly. I havent visited the Ditch Wich plant for maybe 20 years so I dont remember how they pay. IF you handed him $80 a day (and he made $15 an hour), that would be neat. BUT, if you paid his room and food, it might be even better....he gets a free vacation and learns to talk different.

Originally Posted by robot

If he "makes" $15 an hour, the gubberment takes about 1/3 of it so he really nets only $10 an hour. That government percentage is fixing to jump much higher very quickly. I havent visited the Ditch Wich plant for maybe 20 years so I dont remember how they pay. IF you handed him $80 a day (and he made $15 an hour), that would be neat. BUT, if you paid his room and food, it might be even better....he gets a free vacation and learns to talk different.

Hahaha...yup,,he will learn Kiwi mountain man slang,,and no one at home will understand what he is saying..

Originally Posted by robot

If he "makes" $15 an hour, the gubberment takes about 1/3 of it so he really nets only $10 an hour. That government percentage is fixing to jump much higher very quickly. I havent visited the Ditch Wich plant for maybe 20 years so I dont remember how they pay. IF you handed him $80 a day (and he made $15 an hour), that would be neat.

Sweet!
That makes sense.
I do know he's not highly paid; pretty much at the bottom of the pecking order, he's been there only a short time and from what he's said it's a pretty menial job he's doing . . . standing all day at a machine and pushing buttons in the correct sequence.
I know I couldn't handle it for long.

Originally Posted by robot

BUT, if you paid his room and food, it might be even better....he gets a free vacation and learns to talk different.

Yep; we intend to do that. We've also told him to bring his missus along and we'll pay for beds and tucker for them both.
We'll also fly them both back to Oklahoma from Los Angeles.

(There's a word he's going to have to add to his vocabulary: 'tucker' (noun) = food of any sort.)

Emmett: I hear what you're saying; but I think he would find it demeaning to 'negotiate' payment of any sort.

HOSS429: Thanks!
But as you say; you've been there 20 years . . . my mate wouldn't have been there 20 months!

He's a nice bloke and we get on pretty good together.

Originally Posted by lamin8r

Hahaha...yup,,he will learn Kiwi mountain man slang,,and no one at home will understand what he is saying..

I am privileged to receive a monthly email that consists of a Kiwi resident's personal journal. The writer has a very good sense of humor (or should that be humour?) and a way with words. Some of which are quite colloquial and challenge my understanding..........................on occasion I've had to do an internet search to translate them into "english". In other words......................yuse guys talks funny.....

BTW, my boss pays me absolutely nothing per day................and I'm worth every penny..........

So I assume that your starting your trip in Chicago? (Rt 66) How many days are you planning on the road???
We spent 28 days in Sept 2010----but did add return trip from up north going to Yellostone,Grand Tetons and Mt Rushmore---Sept was a good month as the temps were nice (not too hot in Arizona and just at freezing overnite camping out at Yellowstone) traffic was't bad (kids all back in school,vacations for many were over)and all the sites still open---------

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

I am privileged to receive a monthly email that consists of a Kiwi resident's personal journal. The writer has a very good sense of humor (or should that be humour?) and a way with words. Some of which are quite colloquial and challenge my understanding..........................on occasion I've had to do an internet search to translate them into "english". In other words......................yuse guys talks funny.....

BTW, my boss pays me absolutely nothing per day................and I'm worth every penny..........

You get the Rahotu Ramblings?? kool stuff..haha..Yeah,I think it would challenge a few out of towners..Just think of it as a learning curve on Kiwi speak..When you make your trip down here,you will be able to understand what we are saying..

Originally Posted by lamin8r

You get the Rahotu Ramblings?? kool stuff..haha..Yeah,I think it would challenge a few out of towners..Just think of it as a learning curve on Kiwi speak..When you make your trip down here,you will be able to understand what we are saying..

Only if you write it out

jb,
Your friend in Perry might possibly have vacation days that he's taking, and if so he gets paid for the holiday time. If you cover his lodging and tucker he may be more than happy with that. Now if he's taking time off without pay your approach of offsetting his normal income is a very nice gesture.

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

So I assume that your starting your trip in Chicago? (Rt 66) How many days are you planning on the road???
We spent 28 days in Sept 2010----but did add return trip from up north going to Yellostone,Grand Tetons and Mt Rushmore---Sept was a good month as the temps were nice (not too hot in Arizona and just at freezing overnite camping out at Yellowstone) traffic was't bad (kids all back in school,vacations for many were over)and all the sites still open---------

We fly in to Chicago 16th September and fly out of Los Angeles 6th October.
Three weeks essentially.
We're constrained time-wise by weddings either side of that period back here in New Zealand.

The daughter of a good mate is getting married just before our trip, and they've asked if they can use our car (the '47 Ford, ) as the bridal car.
How can I refuse?
He's a good mate; and I've known the daughter since she was a kid.

Our #2 son, Tony, is getting married just after our trip, his bride-to-be's Dad is late, and she (Gale,) has asked if I would stand-in for him at the church and give her away.
She too has asked for the '47 as her bridal car.
Under the circumstances I can't refuse there either . . . it would be churlish.

We're also constrained to Sept/Oct by the weather in the States; earlier than that is hurricane/tornado/flood season, and later than that it's going to be just too hot for this mountain man . . . the alcohol in my blood may boil and evaporate . . . and that would do me no good at all.

Originally Posted by rspears

Only if you write it out

jb,
Your friend in Perry might possibly have vacation days that he's taking, and if so he gets paid for the holiday time. If you cover his lodging and tucker he may be more than happy with that. Now if he's taking time off without pay your approach of offsetting his normal income is a very nice gesture.

As I understand it he's taking his holidays to coincide with our trip, so he won't be out-of-pocket in that respect; but I've never in my life been a bludger, and I don't intend to start now.
He and his wife are putting themselves out for us; and I think it's only fair and reasonable of me to compensate them for that.
And what's it going to cost us?
$1000?
The fact that I will be able to look out the window at the scenery and not fret about driving kack-handed makes it worthwhile.
(. . . and while $1000 is a sizable dollop of dosh; we can afford it . . . if we don't eat for a month when we get home . . .)

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

I am privileged to receive a monthly email that consists of a Kiwi resident's personal journal. The writer has a very good sense of humor (or should that be humour?) and a way with words. Some of which are quite colloquial and challenge my understanding..........................on occasion I've had to do an internet search to translate them into "english". In other words......................yuse guys talks funny.....

BTW, my boss pays me absolutely nothing per day................and I'm worth every penny..........

Thank-you for the kind words Uncle Bob; I don't mean to confuse anybody with colloquialisms . . . the way I speak is the way I write . . . virtually verbatim.
And we don't talk funny . . . the rest of the world does!

(And I hear you on working for nothing; I worked for myself for nearly forty-eight years and never had a pay-day!)