GoingMadlem

I'm paid monthly and if I didn't recently switch to salary my February paycheck would be the 31st of January to the 28th of February, a few hundred dollars less.

Typical hourly pay is delivered on the same day weekly or bi-weekly... every seven or fourteen days. Getting hourly pay monthly is extremely rare.

Even in that instance, rent is typically due the same time every month. March rent is going to be due on day X not day X + 3 which could make people struggle. None of that changes the fact that your rent in February is the same as any other month while you worked less hours.

Just because both your paychecks for that month are the same, because one stole some days from March, doesn't change the fact that many of your expenses from the month were charged as if those extra 2.5 days were still there.

Try this: budget every month like you're getting paid for only 28 days. February will be a regular month, but then every other month you'll get 2-3 days free rent and extra pay!

Doesn't help the people who get paid barely enough to get by does it?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the people who are getting paid barely enough to get by would still be in the same position if February had 31 days.

You'd be wrong. Those 3 days impact them far more than most since they're enough to push them over the line. Or at best require them to miss a few meals to make up for it. Which sucks when you've got kids to feed.