Support a family of 4 on $55k/year

[Anonymous]

Can it be done around here? I know there are unique aspects to every family and budget, but do you think a family with 2 kids under 4 and one breadwinner making $55k/year can make it the DC suburbs (live in Fairfax, work in downtown DC)? I am fortunate this is not my situation because I truly don't see how it is doable but I'm curious to know what others think.

[Anonymous]

Not without some type of govt assistance - reduced fee daycare, food stamps, housing assistance, disability income,etc

[Anonymous]

Sure, it can be done. We're pretty close to that. No eating out, cooking from scratch (mostly), no meat, lots of pb&J, lots of great free activities in DC, very old paid-off car, etc. There are a ton of "frugal blogs" out there (moneysavingmom.com is a great resource for me).

[Anonymous]

Yes it is possible, and without govt assistance as well. Been there, done that, wrote a postcard. It's really not a unique situation. Be thankful for what you have.

[Anonymous]

I think it can be done -- my parents raised a family of six on a Catholic school teacher's salary -- but my mom worked like a dog and we never went to dinner or bought new clothes. I strongly believe that money is more important than time (as long as you have basic needs met.) Both DH and I earn less than we might in order to have more free time. However, I think in Fairfax, though, 55K may be a bit too tight. Depends on what your housing expenses are. If you could create a side business of your own that brought in 10-20k a year, definitely yes.

[Anonymous]

If you bought a house before the boom, or if you have subsidized housing, then yes.

[Anonymous]

You might need to share housing (take in a renter, live with parents, etc.) Or live in an apartment. That's how a lot of people who are living in similar situations manage to make it work in this area.

[Anonymous]

Also -- it would be really tight. I was a SAHM for years living in a one bedroom apartment in DC, but my husband earned $70K. It was very tight.

[Anonymous]

Of course it can be done. About 30% of children in Montgomery County schools are on free or reduced lunch, and the income requirements are even lower than that. That's a lot of families.

[Anonymous]

Well you won't be buying a close-in house with decent neighborhood schools. Housing around here can be a killer. Renting a 60-year old brick rambler in my Silver Spring neighborhood can run $2000 plus insurance, utilities, etc. That's about half your take home right there.

You won't own two reliable cars with a total of 16 airbags. 401ks and college savings will be slim. Hope that you have decent health insurance AND no major health issues. Some people do it for a couple years, some eventually move to places with lower costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it can be done. About 30% of children in Montgomery County schools are on free or reduced lunch, and the income requirements are even lower than that. That's a lot of families.

Yes, and that also means that a lot of those families are receiving other govt benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not without some type of govt assistance - reduced fee daycare, food stamps, housing assistance, disability income,etc

OP said a family of 4 with one breadwinner. Hence, one spouse is staying home with the children and no need for daycare.

It's very tight, but doable. With $55K, you are taking home about $3500/month net (I used the payroll calculator at http://www.surepayroll.com/calculator/calc_paycheck_netpay.asp, taking home $55K, 2 deductions for the children and monthly pay--it said $3484.79 for net pay). I looked at apartments and you can rent 3 BR apartments for $2000-2200 in the Fairfax area. That leaves $1300-1500 for everything else. Utilities would probably be about $200-250 (including phone). Several people on another thread said that they feed a family of 4 on about $600-800 per month. That leaves about $300 per month for everything else. If you are willing to have a 2-BR apartment, it's more like $1800-2000 and you end up with about $500 per month for everything else.

Yes, it's very tight, but doable.

[Anonymous]

I agree. I support myself and my DD on around $40K with occasional child support amounting to around $4K per year. No gov't assistance at all. If the kids shared a room, a family could rent a 2 bedroom place which would make rent cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it can be done -- my parents raised a family of six on a Catholic school teacher's salary -- but my mom worked like a dog and we never went to dinner or bought new clothes. I strongly believe that money is more important than time (as long as you have basic needs met.) Both DH and I earn less than we might in order to have more free time. However, I think in Fairfax, though, 55K may be a bit too tight. Depends on what your housing expenses are. If you could create a side business of your own that brought in 10-20k a year, definitely yes.

I think you mean the opposite, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it can be done. About 30% of children in Montgomery County schools are on free or reduced lunch, and the income requirements are even lower than that. That's a lot of families.

I know many of those families, and many of them are living 2 families in one, 2 bedroom apartment! So yes, it can be done.