Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Ehrenreich is in Portland, Maine. She views several disappointing apartments but secures a room for $500 a month. After several interviews, she gets two jobs: during the weekdays, she works as a cleaner with a maid service, and on weekends she works as a dietary aide at a nursing home. On this schedule, she works seven days a week.

As a dietary aide, she feeds the residents of the Alzheimer’s ward and cleans up after them. She feels prepared for the job due to her experiences working as a waitress, but finds the challenges unique due to the age and health issues of the people she is serving. After work, she goes to a church event. People sing and dance and Ehrenreich admits to joining in. She feels increasingly despondent about the messages in the sermons and leaves early.

The Maids, which pays $6.65 an hour, has many rules, including no smoking 15 minutes before arriving at a home; no cursing; and no drinking, eating, or chewing gum in the homes. They work in teams of three or four, cleaning new homes each day. The teams change frequently. As Ehrenreich watches the training tapes, she is shocked that the cleaning methods are sorely lacking, with a focus on cosmetic touches versus actual cleaning.