paltry - A very small amount of something, indicating that it has little importance or worth

One day John spoke to his friends with anger as they were going down into the mine, "How does the company expect us to support our families on the paltry wages they give us?"
rigmarole - A lengthy and complicated procedure that is mostly a waste of time (sometimes pronounced rigamarole)

Gino just wanted to renew his driver's license, but the rigmarole at the DMV meant he would spend hours talking to lots of people, and he ended up leaving without his license.