Anyone Under 100k???

[Anonymous]

Way, way under here. DH makes almost 60k. He is not in a corporate environment. I'm a SAHM now, but when I was working, we were just over 100k. Both of us are college educated but not particularly career or money oriented. We're not particularly young either. There is often the assumption on this board that a big advantage of being an older parents is financial security. This isn't always the case!!

[Anonymous]

Hey, with my job, I'm able to read & post on this message board all day long, but I make a very low salary. Lawyers make a tremendous salary, but have to work like hell for it and they have to play those stupid wine & dine BS games with "being a partner". The wealthy have the same issues as us poor slobs do and most times it gets ugly because of their family money. Ask the super wealthy what happens when the very wealthy father dies. All hell breaks loose between the siblings & children.

[zumbamama]

Anonymous wrote:Way, way under here. DH makes almost 60k. He is not in a corporate environment. I'm a SAHM now, but when I was working, we were just over 100k. Both of us are college educated but not particularly career or money oriented. We're not particularly young either. There is often the assumption on this board that a big advantage of being an older parents is financial security. This isn't always the case!!

so true. I work full time, have a college degree, have 5 side jobs and am not as young as I look... and still make under 100k. People think if you make under that amount, you don't work as much or as hard. sooooooo not true!

[Anonymous]

Yes, higher income earners have the same problems. They are working to make the payments on the mercedes and macmansion. Same as poorer folks working to make the payments on the toyota and SFH.

[zumbamama]

On the upside, I have no car payments, credit card bills and have the kind of life my family in the Philippines can only dream about.

[Anonymous]

Not all people who make more than 100K live luxury lives; some of us went to school for a long time, worked hard, bought our homes a while back, and live beneath our means (no credit card debt, no lavish spending). Why is there so much demonizing of people who have more? Why the assumption that their lives are miserable? Plus, DC is full of lawyers, and many firms have starting salaries of 150K or more. Now, that might seem like a lot of money in other parts of the country, but in DC it's not lavish, especially when you factor in school loans. Face it, some have more, some have less.

[Anonymous]

I don't see people demonizing people who make more on this thread or on this site in general. I see a LOT more of the "we're not rich just because we make $200,000" or "$250,000 isn't rich in D.C.," which frankly turns my stomach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see people demonizing people who make more on this thread or on this site in general. I see a LOT more of the "we're not rich just because we make $200,000" or "$250,000 isn't rich in D.C.," which frankly turns my stomach.

I agree, but then I look at myself and see how that could be.

We are hitting 100K this year and live in a modest townhouse in an undesirable suburban neighborhood and we're just barely above water. I could see how if I made 250k and lived in a single family home in a nicer neighborhood, I wouldn't think of myself as rich. Secure maybe, but not rich.

[Anonymous]

Single mom with a Master's degree and a lot experience here making $70,000. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one on these boards under six figures. We have a small SFH in the suburbs and a nearly paid-off car and ever-dwindling 401(k)s and 529s. I have to laugh at all the frugality tips on TV and in magazines lately because that's been my life for years.

[Anonymous]

You CAN live in NW DC and make under 100K, you just can't live in the three or four west of the park neighborhoods that everyone assumes is all that makes up NW DC. We make under 100K with our two jobs combined, live east of the park, and manage. We own an old house we're fixing up ourselves, old furniture, old cars, save 10% of our meager salaries in 401Ks (however worthless they may be these days). We've managed to travel internationally quite a lot, because we like backpacking-style vacations and mostly visit developing countries. We don't have any help from relatives or parents. It is possible, but you have to remember not to judge yourselves by what you see around you here. There is a lot of money being thrown around in DC. As for our kid, we'll do what we have to on the school front, which most likely means moving to a public school district we're happy with...and can afford.

I do have to say, that this idea of "I work hard for my money, I should get to enjoy it" statements on this board can be grating. I don't begrudge people enjoying their earnings, or working in certain careers that earn a high salary. Do what you want to do. Do what matters for you. Buy what you want to buy. There's no reason to be defensive. But the reason statements like that can grate is that it sometimes feels like there's an unspoken message there that because I earn so much less, I'm not working hard, or not educated (or taken advantage of the opportunities given to us). We both have college degrees from excellent schools. We both work very long hours, and in this economy, fight to get every dollar. We also happen to have chosen careers in the arts that don't pay a lawyer's salary. This is our choice, and we accept both the pros and cons of that choice. There are many many more people like us in this city, especially with all the non-profits based here. Don't assume we would earn more money if we just "worked harder". And don't assume that the choices we must make for our children because of finances are sub-par either.

To the OP, yes, there are plenty of us out there! You do not need to earn over six figures to have a happy life in this area! That said, if I won the lottery, I'd be pretty darn happy too. Hmm. Maybe I should start to actually play.

[Anonymous]

We were just under $100k combined up until last year -- and now we're slightly over it -- and I have to say, it doesn't make that big of a difference. I know lots of families in the over $100 but not quite $150 and they seem to be in the same boat as us. The bottom line is that you have to be frugal and you can't throw money around. We were lucky enough to put 20% down on our first home and sell it just before the market tanked and trade up to a much nicer home that we otherwise couldn't afford but for the equity we had from our first home. So lots of folks probably think we make way more than we actually do b/c we're living in a $600+ home. You can't judge a book by its cover. We don't get the newspaper delivered as means to save money. I haven't been to Starbucks in years. I own three pairs of shoes. I haven't bought a new purse since I had my first child (b/c diaper bags and my old college backpack are more useful). I only wear machine washable clothing to work unless I absolutely have to put on a suit b/c I don't want to spend money on dry cleaning (FWIW, I'm a lawyer doing public interest work). I paint my own nails. I still indulge in highlights and a good haircut -- but I space it out more frequently than my wealthier pals seem to. We take vacations, but we enjoy researching for good deals. We clean our own home, cut our own grass, and don't have a nanny (fortunately Grandma is willing to work for free). I don't think my situation is unusual -- I think lots of families in the area are in the same boat: working hard to pay the bills and trying to have some fun along the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see people demonizing people who make more on this thread or on this site in general. I see a LOT more of the "we're not rich just because we make $200,000" or "$250,000 isn't rich in D.C.," which frankly turns my stomach.

Why does it turn your stomach? just because you do not agree?

[Anonymous]

Why does it turn your stomach? just because you do not agree?

To me it indicates a real lack of awareness of how most people live, and a startling lack of perspective. The fact is that if your household makes $250,000, whether you feel rich or not, you are within the top 1-2% of household incomes in the country. The top 1-2% should acknowledge that is wealth, regardless of how stretched they may feel. Yes, I am fully aware that you could easily feel stretched thin on such an income in a place like D.C. or San Francisco or New York even if you don't feel you are a lavish spender, but that shouldn't matter. One should still be able to recognize that it's still wealthy. Maybe it's not wealthy enough for you, and maybe you still can't afford all the things you'd like, but it's wealth nonetheless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why does it turn your stomach? just because you do not agree?

To me it indicates a real lack of awareness of how most people live, and a startling lack of perspective. The fact is that if your household makes $250,000, whether you feel rich or not, you are within the top 1-2% of household incomes in the country. The top 1-2% should acknowledge that is wealth, regardless of how stretched they may feel. Yes, I am fully aware that you could easily feel stretched thin on such an income in a place like D.C. or San Francisco or New York even if you don't feel you are a lavish spender, but that shouldn't matter. One should still be able to recognize that it's still wealthy. Maybe it's not wealthy enough for you, and maybe you still can't afford all the things you'd like, but it's wealth nonetheless.

Yes, compared top the rest of the world, compared to most of the rest of this country, living on $250,000/year is rich. It is a lot of money if you look at it from that perspective. I dont agree however that saying it is NOT rich by Washington, DC, standards indicates a lack of awareness about the rest of the world. This thread is specifically addressing people who live in Washington DC. and visit DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Why does it turn your stomach? just because you do not agree?

To me it indicates a real lack of awareness of how most people live, and a startling lack of perspective. The fact is that if your household makes $250,000, whether you feel rich or not, you are within the top 1-2% of household incomes in the country. The top 1-2% should acknowledge that is wealth, regardless of how stretched they may feel. Yes, I am fully aware that you could easily feel stretched thin on such an income in a place like D.C. or San Francisco or New York even if you don't feel you are a lavish spender, but that shouldn't matter. One should still be able to recognize that it's still wealthy. Maybe it's not wealthy enough for you, and maybe you still can't afford all the things you'd like, but it's wealth nonetheless.

Yes, compared top the rest of the world, compared to most of the rest of this country, living on $250,000/year is rich. It is a lot of money if you look at it from that perspective. I dont agree however that saying it is NOT rich by Washington, DC, standards indicates a lack of awareness about the rest of the world. This thread is specifically addressing people who live in Washington DC. and visit DCUM.

$250,000 is a lot of money. Don't fool yourself.

The median household income in Montgomery County is $106,000.
The median household income in DC is $54,000.
The median household income in Fairfax County is $105,000.