Why is $275k hhi now so poor?

[Anonymous]

Poor Boo. How’s the friskies with the hamburger helper pairing with your high noon?

[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.

We get by on $90,000. You are terrible budgeters.

Wool pulled over your eyes. You aren’t getting by. Average rent is now $2k per mo for a non s hole. If you make any significant retirement contributions, that’s -40k right there BEFORE tax. Yeah sure, you’re getting by on $38k per year after tax. You are so poor you don’t even realize you’re one broken down car, one huge home repair, or one medical emergency away from disaster with a big fat zero for retirement. And that’s all while groceries now cost $100 for only 3-4 days of food now.

This is you, not others. We can afford these things on half that income. We can pay cash for an emergency, we can pay cash for a new car, etc. You have a spending issue if you spend that much on food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you rambling about, we have kids, lots of expenses in terms of activities, make far less and are doing well. You have a spending issue.

You don't max out retirement, save enough for college, and are probably one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. You are delusional.

Wrong, we max out savings, a good amount in regular savings, and a college and grad school fund. We have insurance that will never bankrupt us. Our house is paid off. You need to manage your money better.

Not OP but it's pretty easy to do all of those things when your house is paid off. Funny you didn't mention that in your first post.

[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.

We get by on $90,000. You are terrible budgeters.

Wool pulled over your eyes. You aren’t getting by. Average rent is now $2k per mo for a non s hole. If you make any significant retirement contributions, that’s -40k right there BEFORE tax. Yeah sure, you’re getting by on $38k per year after tax. You are so poor you don’t even realize you’re one broken down car, one huge home repair, or one medical emergency away from disaster with a big fat zero for retirement. And that’s all while groceries now cost $100 for only 3-4 days of food now.

If you are putting away 40k per year towards retirement, you are not "getting by."

If you can afford to put that much in retirement, you can afford a down payment on a house, which would lock in your housing costs against inflation and help you build equity, so you don't have to rent.

If you have this level of income, you have decent health insurance and there are very few medications cal emergencies that will bankrupt you unless you do something stupid.

I have a family of three and we eat well (high quality food, plenty of protein and fresh fruits and veggies) and spend about $140 a week on food.

You aren't a Rockefeller but you're doing well.

[Anonymous]

You probably voted for bidenomics.

[Anonymous]

Troll fail. Easy to tell from the tone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely a troll post.

Maybe it's the avocado toast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you rambling about, we have kids, lots of expenses in terms of activities, make far less and are doing well. You have a spending issue.

You don't max out retirement, save enough for college, and are probably one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. You are delusional.

Wrong, we max out savings, a good amount in regular savings, and a college and grad school fund. We have insurance that will never bankrupt us. Our house is paid off. You need to manage your money better.

No you don’t on $90k everything you said is a lie. Show us your numbers down to the cent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're a DINK, I'm assuming that you guys are young so you haven't built any wealth yet (which takes time) and you guys either just spent a lot of money or will need to spend a lot of money very soon (wedding, buying your house, future down payment for a bigger house when you have kids in the future). If you just bought a house, maybe you're in the 8% interest rates.

There are many reasons why you're suffering compared to other couples with similar HHI but who are older. For example, maybe they bought their home when it was only worth 500K, refinanced, and now they're coasting on their 2K/month mortgage and additional 500k equity.

It's okay, OP. Just carry on for 10 more years and you'll get some raises, refinance to lower mortgage rates, and see your savings compound. And then you'll feel like you've made it and be able to brag about your retirement savings like everyone else in DCUM.

Eggxactly. So many delusional boomers and gen x jens who probably bought properties 45 years ago when it was $120k and refinanced into a 2.5% interest loan. They have no concept that a nonPOS 1 br apartment now runs $2500 per mo, and a $550k POS fixer upper home with 7% interest translates to almost $4k per mo. Delusional old people think it is still 1994.

[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.

We get by on $90,000. You are terrible budgeters.

+1 I wonder how much their mortgage is and if they are paying for private schools…

[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.

Stop being poor.

[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.

Stop being poor.

Yes, please tell me how Mark Cuban. I hate this economy and US culture so much. Entire middle class exists by barely hanging on by a thread. One disaster or one new car replacement away from crushing finances. Everything sucks with so much inflation right now.

[Anonymous]

SMBC—I make $300, 2 kids in public. I put 30k in my 401k including the catch up. My mortgage is $2800, car is paid off. Kids each have $150k in their 529s. They’re not going to BC on that but it will pay for state school.

I have enough for vacations, food, shopping. I have no idea how 2 adults can’t make it on $275..

[Anonymous]

Don't have children, OP. Besides your complete inability to budget, you don't sound like a very balanced or happy person.

[Anonymous]

Thank demented Uncle Joe.