Why is $275k hhi now so poor?

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier, the upper end of MC in DC area is $225k. OP is an idiot.

End of thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.

Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.

Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.

Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

You sound like a teenager on reddit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.

Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.

Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!

+1. Who DIY’s replacing a roof? Her house is probably a patchwork of one crap project after the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.

I feel your pain, but you are so wrong. You don't know what you are talking about. You think you'll thrive on $500k? No way. $500k is not even enough these days. You need at least $1M. We are DINKs, making $550k and struggling. Everything is so expensive. How did you manage to stay alive making only $275k. We would be dead by now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

It’s our family’s only car and we bought it used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to
middle class life anymore.

Middle class didnt save for college, they took out loans. They also didnt go on plane vacations or go out to eat that often.

And they certainly don’t have Audi’s and social media kitchens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to middle class life anymore.

You are confusing middle class with upper middle class. $275K is solidly middle class. It is hanging on by fingernails to upper middle class.

[Anonymous]

You are living the high life I bet. Over spending is your vice

$275k with modest house. You are doing something wrong. Spending too much. Cut back on lawn and cleaning services. Stope eating out every night. Drink less alcohol when you go out. Save the money for a big vacation instead.

Log everything you spend for a month and see where the money goes. You can do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to middle class life anymore.

You are confusing middle class with upper middle class. $275K is solidly middle class. It is hanging on by fingernails to upper middle class.

OP is saying that people are wrongfully criticizing him for spending money on boba when that's a middle class thing to do. You are now saying that OP is upper middle class, not middle class (not a huge distinction but okay). So are you saying that upper middle class people aren't allowed to have daily boba either? Is Starbucks for the rich now?

[Anonymous]

I’m with you OP are you an older millennial? I like your responses lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.

Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.

Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!

Honestly, they will have no problem selling the house to someone else. The home inspectors hired by real estate agents do not bother to look for serious details that would derail the sale of a house. If the inspectors are too difficult they don't get repeat business referrals from real estate agents. Home inspectors recommended by your real estate agent are useless.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'd guess the difference between you and many others who post here is much less about your current HHI and more about wealth and investments over the last decade+. Many probably started investing modest or larger amounts 10-15 years ago as their incomes increased. With the return on those investments during a period where nearly everything was going up (especially trendy millennial stocks), they are were able to more easily afford the big ticket items that feel like more major class differentiators (the large down payments on a house and nice car, a comfortable emergency fund that gives more peace of mind, while retaining investment/retirement accounts that have continued to grow). Thinking even just mostly in terms of current HHI is deceptive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

I don't know about the new roof part, but agreed 100% for lawn service. In my neighborhood, there are only 3 of us who mow our own lawns - a doctor, president of an investment company and me (management consultant). The others like teachers, college support staff, etc. all pay landscaping companies. The 3 of us also have the oldest cars.

Kind of weird to see the more definitely middle class people spending more on things they don't necessarily need to.

There seems to be some income zone where people spend more than they need to in order to appear wealthier than they are, and then a zone where people have higher incomes and stop spending on these things, since they don't need to have the illusion of prosperity.

I'd start with that: what are you spending money on to make yourself appear as if you're in a higher income bracket?