Why is $275k hhi now so poor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

LOLOL. PP’s family can do all that on one salary with children and a SAHP, but this PP (OP?) can’t do it on one income.

Yup! PP's family (me) is well into the UHNW. Did all of that with just one income. It takes a lot more self confidence to give up a high paying, power grabbing job to SAHP your kids where the pay somedays is being yelled at, vomited on, and never have a moment to yourself.

You seem to think that having a SAHP is all about one partner making so much money that the other doesn’t need to work. This is psychological deflection at its best. The truth is – and always has been – that a SAHP chooses this path not because their partner’s career is exceptional but rather because their own career is abysmal.

+∞

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

it actually takes a lot more endurance and self-confidence to give up a high powered job and career path and choose to stay home with the kids. I have two BS degrees from a T10 university and a MS from a T20 (fully funded with a salary while in school). I was well on a path to high powered job, as making $150K 25+ years ago is equivalent to $250K+ now---was making that at 29. But I CHOSE to stay home with my kids, as that's what I wanted to do. Spouse fully supported me. I do not need to be at a high paying job to define my life as successful. We chose a path that worked best for our family. I have plenty of friends who are SAHP and plenty that are in paid careers. Interestingly, we all support each other despite our different career path.

No doubt this is what you wanted to do. Laziness is a powerful motivation. You’re an obviously incompetent and overinflated, self-promoting dimwit. The fact that you have two B.S. degrees is irrefutable proof that you’re a failure. A single, worthy B.S. is all anyone needs as a starting point. From there, one proceeds to acquire multiple masters and doctoral degrees – as I have done – for example. You’re a dabbler. You’re a tinkerer. You’re a smoke-blowing facilitator. But you’re far from being an achiever. You have no career. You’re a drifter in life that accomplishes less with full-time effort than do I in only a few simple hours. This, ultimately, is the rub. You’ve regressed to extreme inefficiency and dependency upon others and yet you pride yourself in your sloth-like ways.

I work a full-time job. My DH works a full-time job. We both choose to do so. Our HHI is $2.7M. We donate 1/3rd of that charitable causes. Our older DS just earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, DS is just starting on her M.D. from John Hopkins. Our younger DS is working on his B.S. in Physics from Harvard.

I doubt that any of your kids will come close to achieving that which our children are accomplishing. Your stay-at-home sacrifice has been nothing but a self-fulfilling virtue signal. Pathetic.

I started crying when I read this. I’m going to bed now.

[Anonymous]

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.

OP, you sound lazy. Get a better job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

it actually takes a lot more endurance and self-confidence to give up a high powered job and career path and choose to stay home with the kids. I have two BS degrees from a T10 university and a MS from a T20 (fully funded with a salary while in school). I was well on a path to high powered job, as making $150K 25+ years ago is equivalent to $250K+ now---was making that at 29. But I CHOSE to stay home with my kids, as that's what I wanted to do. Spouse fully supported me. I do not need to be at a high paying job to define my life as successful. We chose a path that worked best for our family. I have plenty of friends who are SAHP and plenty that are in paid careers. Interestingly, we all support each other despite our different career path.

No doubt this is what you wanted to do. Laziness is a powerful motivation. You’re an obviously incompetent and overinflated, self-promoting dimwit. The fact that you have two B.S. degrees is irrefutable proof that you’re a failure. A single, worthy B.S. is all anyone needs as a starting point. From there, one proceeds to acquire multiple masters and doctoral degrees – as I have done – for example. You’re a dabbler. You’re a tinkerer. You’re a smoke-blowing facilitator. But you’re far from being an achiever. You have no career. You’re a drifter in life that accomplishes less with full-time effort than do I in only a few simple hours. This, ultimately, is the rub. You’ve regressed to extreme inefficiency and dependency upon others and yet you pride yourself in your sloth-like ways.

I work a full-time job. My DH works a full-time job. We both choose to do so. Our HHI is $2.7M. We donate 1/3rd of that charitable causes. Our older DS just earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, DS is just starting on her M.D. from John Hopkins. Our younger DS is working on his B.S. in Physics from Harvard.

I doubt that any of your kids will come close to achieving that which our children are accomplishing. Your stay-at-home sacrifice has been nothing but a self-fulfilling virtue signal. Pathetic.

Congrats…but why does one have to accumulate all these degrees? The wealthiest people in this country don’t even have a BS degree (Gates, Zuckerberg, Altman) or have just a BS degree (Bezos, Musk, etc).

Not sure why anyone equates degrees with financial success.

[Anonymous]

I wish that trolls like OP would at least try to make these posts realistic. OP, next time you complain about this, try something like:

We make $275K combined, max out our 401Ks, are saving $16K/year for college, just bought a $1Million house so our PITI is over $6000/month, have two children in ES that require about $10k for school day and summer camps every year, drive one 12 year old car and one 5 year old car and will probably add a $1000/month car payment to the mix when the 12 year old car dies. We also just spent $3000 on landscaping and tree removal, and we need new floors and windows in our house which will total about $80K plus sometime in the next 5 years, we'll also probably want to spend $200K finishing our basement.





Oh wait, that is my actual life. And you know what? I don't feel poor. Try harder, your troll post was a fantastic failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

it actually takes a lot more endurance and self-confidence to give up a high powered job and career path and choose to stay home with the kids. I have two BS degrees from a T10 university and a MS from a T20 (fully funded with a salary while in school). I was well on a path to high powered job, as making $150K 25+ years ago is equivalent to $250K+ now---was making that at 29. But I CHOSE to stay home with my kids, as that's what I wanted to do. Spouse fully supported me. I do not need to be at a high paying job to define my life as successful. We chose a path that worked best for our family. I have plenty of friends who are SAHP and plenty that are in paid careers. Interestingly, we all support each other despite our different career path.

No doubt this is what you wanted to do. Laziness is a powerful motivation. You’re an obviously incompetent and overinflated, self-promoting dimwit. The fact that you have two B.S. degrees is irrefutable proof that you’re a failure. A single, worthy B.S. is all anyone needs as a starting point. From there, one proceeds to acquire multiple masters and doctoral degrees – as I have done – for example. You’re a dabbler. You’re a tinkerer. You’re a smoke-blowing facilitator. But you’re far from being an achiever. You have no career. You’re a drifter in life that accomplishes less with full-time effort than do I in only a few simple hours. This, ultimately, is the rub. You’ve regressed to extreme inefficiency and dependency upon others and yet you pride yourself in your sloth-like ways.

I work a full-time job. My DH works a full-time job. We both choose to do so. Our HHI is $2.7M. We donate 1/3rd of that charitable causes. Our older DS just earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, DS is just starting on her M.D. from John Hopkins. Our younger DS is working on his B.S. in Physics from Harvard.

I doubt that any of your kids will come close to achieving that which our children are accomplishing. Your stay-at-home sacrifice has been nothing but a self-fulfilling virtue signal. Pathetic.

DP here. You sound insecure and completely unhinged. Who cares this much out about someone else’s career choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.

You must be ordering the double meat at Chipotle to be spending $42 for two people. Check your spending and know that you are the problem in this thread.

Come on. I just got two pager sandwiches, an iced coffee and a donut at a takeout bagel store and it was $33. Just a few years ago it would have been <$25. A 30% increase in prices affects people at every level but the wealthiest.

Two sandwiches, a coffee, a donut. No surprise you weigh 300 lbs and crying about $275K not being enough. Eat less.
I just got a burrito from Chipotle. $11. That's a meal for one and I may not even be able finish it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

$275k before 2020 is a world away from $275k now. I agree with OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.

You must be ordering the double meat at Chipotle to be spending $42 for two people. Check your spending and know that you are the problem in this thread.

Come on. I just got two pager sandwiches, an iced coffee and a donut at a takeout bagel store and it was $33. Just a few years ago it would have been <$25. A 30% increase in prices affects people at every level but the wealthiest.

Two sandwiches, a coffee, a donut. No surprise you weigh 300 lbs and crying about $275K not being enough. Eat less.
I just got a burrito from Chipotle. $11. That's a meal for one and I may not even be able finish it all.

DP — SMH. You are probably the ugliest person on DCUM, and that’s saying something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

get over yourself - not everyone values the same things in life. (not PP).

Agreed. Some people – like me – value investing in hard work, contributing to society, promoting education, and empowering overall health and happiness to all. Others – such as yourself, perhaps – value cutting corners, bending the rules, stealing from children, and raping society’s unbridled innocence. To each his own.

So a SAHP values "cutting corner, being the rules, stealing from children"? I think you need to stop smoking whatever you are on.

a SAHP works hard, contributes to society, actually educates someone not just promotes it and empowers health and happiness. Sorry you had a miserable life and are miserable that you were not able to afford to stay home with your kid

SAHPs are total trash. Full stop. These are the people too stupid and too incompetent to secure legitimate careers. I want to vomit every time I meet one.

Who takes care of your kids all day? Who picks them up at 2:30 in the afternoon? Who takes care of them in the summer? Who cares for them when they are sick?

Let me guess. You have a staff of 4 to do this for your. People with your entitlement attitude sicken me.

I can't wait to hear what you think about families with 2 working parents who only make middling incomes and can't afford any staff to help them with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

get over yourself - not everyone values the same things in life. (not PP).

Agreed. Some people – like me – value investing in hard work, contributing to society, promoting education, and empowering overall health and happiness to all. Others – such as yourself, perhaps – value cutting corners, bending the rules, stealing from children, and raping society’s unbridled innocence. To each his own.

wut?

-dp

Has to be a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

it actually takes a lot more endurance and self-confidence to give up a high powered job and career path and choose to stay home with the kids. I have two BS degrees from a T10 university and a MS from a T20 (fully funded with a salary while in school). I was well on a path to high powered job, as making $150K 25+ years ago is equivalent to $250K+ now---was making that at 29. But I CHOSE to stay home with my kids, as that's what I wanted to do. Spouse fully supported me. I do not need to be at a high paying job to define my life as successful. We chose a path that worked best for our family. I have plenty of friends who are SAHP and plenty that are in paid careers. Interestingly, we all support each other despite our different career path.

No doubt this is what you wanted to do. Laziness is a powerful motivation. You’re an obviously incompetent and overinflated, self-promoting dimwit. The fact that you have two B.S. degrees is irrefutable proof that you’re a failure. A single, worthy B.S. is all anyone needs as a starting point. From there, one proceeds to acquire multiple masters and doctoral degrees – as I have done – for example. You’re a dabbler. You’re a tinkerer. You’re a smoke-blowing facilitator. But you’re far from being an achiever. You have no career. You’re a drifter in life that accomplishes less with full-time effort than do I in only a few simple hours. This, ultimately, is the rub. You’ve regressed to extreme inefficiency and dependency upon others and yet you pride yourself in your sloth-like ways.

I work a full-time job. My DH works a full-time job. We both choose to do so. Our HHI is $2.7M. We donate 1/3rd of that charitable causes. Our older DS just earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, DS is just starting on her M.D. from John Hopkins. Our younger DS is working on his B.S. in Physics from Harvard.

I doubt that any of your kids will come close to achieving that which our children are accomplishing. Your stay-at-home sacrifice has been nothing but a self-fulfilling virtue signal. Pathetic.

Congrats…but why does one have to accumulate all these degrees? The wealthiest people in this country don’t even have a BS degree (Gates, Zuckerberg, Altman) or have just a BS degree (Bezos, Musk, etc).

Not sure why anyone equates degrees with financial success.

Only you do, apparently. Advanced degrees equate to intelligence, hard work, and perseverance. Every one of the people you referenced was only successful by abusing and then standing on the backs of others with advanced degrees. We all know why Meta, MSFT, Tesla, SpaceX, and GME are successful. Has nothing to do with these losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish that trolls like OP would at least try to make these posts realistic. OP, next time you complain about this, try something like:

We make $275K combined, max out our 401Ks, are saving $16K/year for college, just bought a $1Million house so our PITI is over $6000/month, have two children in ES that require about $10k for school day and summer camps every year, drive one 12 year old car and one 5 year old car and will probably add a $1000/month car payment to the mix when the 12 year old car dies. We also just spent $3000 on landscaping and tree removal, and we need new floors and windows in our house which will total about $80K plus sometime in the next 5 years, we'll also probably want to spend $200K finishing our basement.





Oh wait, that is my actual life. And you know what? I don't feel poor. Try harder, your troll post was a fantastic failure.

Not really. We’re 14 pages in and still commenting on a troll post. Some people are just so deliciously naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.

You must be ordering the double meat at Chipotle to be spending $42 for two people. Check your spending and know that you are the problem in this thread.

Come on. I just got two pager sandwiches, an iced coffee and a donut at a takeout bagel store and it was $33. Just a few years ago it would have been <$25. A 30% increase in prices affects people at every level but the wealthiest.

Two sandwiches, a coffee, a donut. No surprise you weigh 300 lbs and crying about $275K not being enough. Eat less.
I just got a burrito from Chipotle. $11. That's a meal for one and I may not even be able finish it all.

That’s because it’s probably infested with fecal matter and deadly bacteria. Chipotle caters to a lower order of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?

I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing

Yes, but how much do you make per hour? Sounds like you’re nothing but a freeloading spend-a-lot.

jealous much?

I was making $150K 25+ years ago when we made the joint decision for me to become a SAHP, to kids where the other parent was traveling 2+ weeks per month typically and would get home at 8pm most nights. There is more to contribute to a family than just a paycheck. It works for us, my spouse is quite happy with the arrangement. In reality, why are you bothered by how we spend our money? We have plenty of it.

Not bothered. Just embarrassed for you. I have countless acquaintances that have the option to become a SAHP. The only ones that actually choose this path, however, are those that lack the endurance and self-confidence to succeed as contributing professionals. The acquaintances I consider friends are able to rise above adversity and push through the glass ceiling, where others – much like yourself – repeatedly fail.

it actually takes a lot more endurance and self-confidence to give up a high powered job and career path and choose to stay home with the kids. I have two BS degrees from a T10 university and a MS from a T20 (fully funded with a salary while in school). I was well on a path to high powered job, as making $150K 25+ years ago is equivalent to $250K+ now---was making that at 29. But I CHOSE to stay home with my kids, as that's what I wanted to do. Spouse fully supported me. I do not need to be at a high paying job to define my life as successful. We chose a path that worked best for our family. I have plenty of friends who are SAHP and plenty that are in paid careers. Interestingly, we all support each other despite our different career path.

No doubt this is what you wanted to do. Laziness is a powerful motivation. You’re an obviously incompetent and overinflated, self-promoting dimwit. The fact that you have two B.S. degrees is irrefutable proof that you’re a failure. A single, worthy B.S. is all anyone needs as a starting point. From there, one proceeds to acquire multiple masters and doctoral degrees – as I have done – for example. You’re a dabbler. You’re a tinkerer. You’re a smoke-blowing facilitator. But you’re far from being an achiever. You have no career. You’re a drifter in life that accomplishes less with full-time effort than do I in only a few simple hours. This, ultimately, is the rub. You’ve regressed to extreme inefficiency and dependency upon others and yet you pride yourself in your sloth-like ways.

I work a full-time job. My DH works a full-time job. We both choose to do so. Our HHI is $2.7M. We donate 1/3rd of that charitable causes. Our older DS just earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, DS is just starting on her M.D. from John Hopkins. Our younger DS is working on his B.S. in Physics from Harvard.

I doubt that any of your kids will come close to achieving that which our children are accomplishing. Your stay-at-home sacrifice has been nothing but a self-fulfilling virtue signal. Pathetic.

Yes, but you’re insufferable and because of you’re high strung limitless ego, your husband is cheating on you with someone who needs help paying for their first bachelors degree and doesn’t come on the internet to brag about their alleged superiority. So, congrats.