I'm curious: is anyone on this forum actually poor?
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Anonymous
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Like, actually BELOW the median household income.
If such a person exists, do you enjoy the area? Would you leave if given the chance? How do you make do -- any tips? I'm asking this because I'm considering going back to grad school next year, and the program is FT only. I only have one kid and she goes to public school, but we'd be extremely poor if I give up my income. Wondering if it's even possible. |
Anonymous
| Can you get your employer to pay for your degree while you work PT? |
Anonymous
| What is the median household income? |
Anonymous
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I'm below the median household income for my county, I think- because the median household income in my county is over $90K and I make just under $90K. Single mom, so no second income in our house.
we're not poor, though. we have a nice house (I own), a decent (8-year-old) car and we don't live paycheck-to-paycheck. I love this area and will never leave, though I do fantasize about how nice it would be to get married and have dual incomes.  (ok, and regular sex, lol)
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Anonymous
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Graduate programs typically offer assistanceships (GTA - graduate teaching assistance). The school will give you a tuition waiver and a small stipend for grading and/or lecturing for a professor. Or depending on the department, you might work in a lab -computer lab or writing lab, for example.
To where are you applying? It would be tight in this area but I knew plenty of graduate students with children in VA when I went. |
Anonymous
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I'm a nanny and make about $42K. I have one child. I'm doing alright. When things one up, it can throw me back into a paycheck to paycheck situation and I realize that is risky. I do not have as much emergency savings as I need and an illness could be catastrophic. I don't drive a new car or take fancy vacations, either. This is a very expensive place to live and I would not count myself as "poor" in many other parts of the country.
What's the deal with the welfare poster? I've never been on any kind of assistance. Juts because we don't make the median income doesn't mean we're on food stamps. And, you're a moron for posting that. |
Anonymous
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I'm a graduate student living on an assistantship that pays for tuition + stipend. I think I'm officially poor!
I make do by winning additional scholarships and fellowships and by spending all of my time having absolutely no life (zero, zip, nada) because I'm too busy researching and writing and teaching (teaching's for the assistantship) to shop or do anything else. The additional scholarships and fellowships take a lot of time and energy to craft, so they keep me busy too. Did I mention that I have no life? Good thing I love my research.
Many of my colleagues, in addition to teaching through the assistantship, tutor and have other part-time jobs. So that's also an option. Long story short: it's doable, OP, but you need to be really seriously committed, especially if you're going for a degree like a doctorate, since it can take years to earn. |
Anonymous
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We're a military family and I'm a SAHM, so probably. My husband is enlisted. Granted, the benefits (housing, health care, etc) equate to more income, but still probably "poor" by NoVA standards. We do all right. I had a job making a little over 80/year but had to quit because of the difficulty of finding daycare for our SN son.
& we don't mind paying for the Internet, but we also don't have a home phone or any sort of television, if that makes 2348 feel better. |
Anonymous
Why do some people (mostly conservatives) view the Internet as some sort of complete luxury? It may not be up there with "clean water" and "electricity," but it's certainly more important than "weekly manicures" (*) and (at this point) "expanded, non-basic cable TV." (*) To be fair, some jobs where you're paid to be attractive, a weekly manicure would be a necessity. I also wonder why there is this lingering feeling of resentment among some upper-middle class conservatives that the poors are somehow ripping all of us off, yet ignoring the wealthy (**) who rip us off to the tune of many more zeros. (**) Yeah, they say they're mad about both. But it seems they're mad about the tiniest of efforts to rein in the Masters of the Universe, because they might stop creating jobs. But it's not as if they've actually created any jobs in the past decade. |
Anonymous
Because of the income tax brackets - we upper middle class are taxed at the same rates as the uber wealthy. |
Anonymous
| I wa before meeting my DH. At 31K per year I had a nice apartment in Silver Spring that was 60% of my take home pay. I managed to save $500 per month or so, but my parents did help me out via a part time job for my Dad's company and paying for my cell & car insurance. It's possible as a single person to live on that little, but I didnt have cable and lived a very basic life. |
Anonymous
| Poor people don't deserve to be on here-a laptop is a luxury. Cars, food and a place to live are as well. |
Anonymous
Will everyone please quit trying to turn every discussion into political bashing! Good grief. This is getting old. |
Anonymous
| We live in AU Park. Our income is about $170k. We feel very poor. Luckily we bought in 2002. |
Anonymous
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What does this mean? I would venture to say that being below the median HHI in this area doesn't make you 'poor.' I would consider someone poor who, if they even have a job, lives in minimally acceptable housing, struggles to put food on the table, owes a bunch to creditors etc. I would agree with a PP that people who are actually "poor" don't spend much time on the internet.
All depends on your definition, I suppose. |