Being lower middle class and living well

[Anonymous]

If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6000 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

[Anonymous]

If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the wisest things my boss told me, that I've always remembered in a dozen years of working together, was when I got my first big promotion, which probably brought my salary up from $45,000 to $60,000 or so when I was about 25. He told me (to paraphrase), "You're never going to feel richer than you do right now. You'll make more money, you'll save more money, you'll spend more money on things you don't even notice. But this is the richest you'll ever feel."

He wasn't trying to be mean, he was just being honest based on his experience, and he was absolutely right.

I make twice that, but I'm married now and live in a house instead of a group house. I have two kids that I contribute to 529s for. I have preschool tuition to pay, it takes 3 (soon to be 4) plane tickets to get anywhere so it's as expensive to visit family across the country as it used to be for DW and I to jet all over the world.

OP, I offer the same advice to you. I'm glad you're enjoying your life! But try not to pass judgment - there are legitimate reasons why, financially, life can be tougher 10-15 years down the road even though you're making twice as much.

I agree with you. On the flip side some of the posters with high HHI should think before they speak. There are people living on much less in this area and doing fine.

I don't want to "do fine." I worked full time for 25 years so far, continuously except for two brief maternity leaves. I want to do very well, commensurate to the effort I put in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you don't have to justify your choices. It's laughable that people may worship eating out so much! LOL

We "worship" eating out because our free time is valuable. It's laughable that I'm going to spend 9 or 10 hours in the office and then come home and cook. Puh leaze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6000 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

and we gross $440K and our takehome is $18K until we max out our OASDI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

How do you know you work harder? I'm not sure that salary/effort is necessarily related. Its more likely that career choice/salary is related.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the wisest things my boss told me, that I've always remembered in a dozen years of working together, was when I got my first big promotion, which probably brought my salary up from $45,000 to $60,000 or so when I was about 25. He told me (to paraphrase), "You're never going to feel richer than you do right now. You'll make more money, you'll save more money, you'll spend more money on things you don't even notice. But this is the richest you'll ever feel."

He wasn't trying to be mean, he was just being honest based on his experience, and he was absolutely right.

I make twice that, but I'm married now and live in a house instead of a group house. I have two kids that I contribute to 529s for. I have preschool tuition to pay, it takes 3 (soon to be 4) plane tickets to get anywhere so it's as expensive to visit family across the country as it used to be for DW and I to jet all over the world.

OP, I offer the same advice to you. I'm glad you're enjoying your life! But try not to pass judgment - there are legitimate reasons why, financially, life can be tougher 10-15 years down the road even though you're making twice as much.

I agree with you. On the flip side some of the posters with high HHI should think before they speak. There are people living on much less in this area and doing fine.

I don't want to "do fine." I worked full time for 25 years so far, continuously except for two brief maternity leaves. I want to do very well, commensurate to the effort I put in.

okay bully for you. But not sure how your comment relates to the two comments which are requesting people to not be judgmental in their posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

How do you know you work harder? I'm not sure that salary/effort is necessarily related. Its more likely that career choice/salary is related.

let me be more specific - within a certain career - yes effort makes a difference. but career choice is what makes a BIG difference in salary - say lawyer versus public school teacher. I know plenty of very hard workers that don't make 300k and your comment is an insult to all of their hard work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

How do you know you work harder? I'm not sure that salary/effort is necessarily related. Its more likely that career choice/salary is related.

let me be more specific - within a certain career - yes effort makes a difference. but career choice is what makes a BIG difference in salary - say lawyer versus public school teacher. I know plenty of very hard workers that don't make 300k and your comment is an insult to all of their hard work.

But they could choose to be a lawyer. If they couldn't choose it, they are doing as well as they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

How do you know you work harder? I'm not sure that salary/effort is necessarily related. Its more likely that career choice/salary is related.

let me be more specific - within a certain career - yes effort makes a difference. but career choice is what makes a BIG difference in salary - say lawyer versus public school teacher. I know plenty of very hard workers that don't make 300k and your comment is an insult to all of their hard work.

Thank you. Yes, there lots of people working hard, helping others and even putting their lives in danger for $20,000 a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you don't have to justify your choices. It's laughable that people may worship eating out so much! LOL

We "worship" eating out because our free time is valuable. It's laughable that I'm going to spend 9 or 10 hours in the office and then come home and cook. Puh leaze.

And eating out is entertainment for many people. If I can't do some things I enjoy like eating out at modest restaurants and I have to have 4 roommates, I don't think I'm middle class. If that makes me entitled, then I'll own it. Everyone thinks they're middle class and everyone seems to have different definitions for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you take an income of 100K the take home is 6100
If you take an income of 300K the take home is 14500

6100 X 3 = 18300

This isn't even accounting for deductions that will increase 100k take home even more.

People need to understand that double or triple the income doesn't mean anymore near that in take home

sure we understand. we just don't understand why you bitch about it so much. if its that bad - get a job making less. sound like you'd be better off.

Because we work two or three times as hard as you do, so we feel we should profit that much more.

Ugh. Can we move this post to one of the many "DC people are the fucking WORST" threads?

[Anonymous]

I don't know if more income means you work harder per se. I'm a fed gov attorney and I presumably make a lot more than our building's cleaning people, but every time I see them, they're busy emptying trash, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, etc. That seems like much harder work than my somewhat repetitive knowledge job that involves drafting a lot of documents on a computer.

People who make more money often had advantages when they were younger, parents who encouraged educational opportunities, or possibly just even have the drive to seek out career opportunities that pay more. I agree it's disappointing how far a supposedly high income gets you nowadays, but I would never say I work harder than cleaning people, teachers, nonprofit workers, etc. who may make less than me.