How many people here live paycheck to paycheck?

[Anonymous]

DC people live in a bubble. Unless you live outside of that area, you never experience what normal people experience.

http://www.offthegridnews.com/financial/you-wont-believe-how-many-americans-are-living-paycheck-to-paycheck/

[Anonymous]

I work (not live) in the heart of DC and I started this thread. I'm making far below $100K, so not everyone in or around DC is making what you think they are.

There are a few families in my neighborhood, in the burbs, that have inherited a lot of money from dying relatives. That's only a small percentage though. I suspect the rest of my neighbors are just like me and live paycheck to paycheck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup. HHI 95k, two kids (one with SN) and me with Multiple Sclerosis. Our medical bills eat up everything we have.

Hang in there PP.

OP, thanks for starting this thread, it makes me feel better about our financial situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

I think you were looking for the "Unable to answer a simple question" forum. Not everyone has enough left over to live on half.

[Anonymous]

Aside from limited forced savings and retirement savings I cant touch, I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck. I did this so I could buy a house in a good school district. To those who say they are afraid to buy for this reason, well, yes, it's a big step ..., but I get comfort knowing that I am investing in my future and not whittling away disposable income ... and that my housing costs wont ever go up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

So you do not live paycheck to paycheck

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

Why are you in this thread? No one asked for advice, or your life story, we're just commiserating with others who are in the same financial situation.

God, people can be so obtuse sometime. Blah blah Money Mustache blah blah Millionaire Next Door. Get a new script.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Two advanced degrees, 1 child in college, and 3 chronic illnesses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do, but that is after savings comes out. I make sub 6 figures and have a child.

If you are saving, then you are NOT living pay check to pay check.

lolol I love that people don't know what "paycheck to paycheck" means. I live paycheck to paycheck except for all of that money I save!

[Anonymous]

I think online banking is a driver of the statistic. I monitor my bank account daily and am able to move money around. Back in the day, people couldn't do this and their checking account had to have more of a cushion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

Why are you in this thread? No one asked for advice, or your life story, we're just commiserating with others who are in the same financial situation.

God, people can be so obtuse sometime. Blah blah Money Mustache blah blah Millionaire Next Door. Get a new script.

Instead of being rude and ugly maybe you should reread the post and see if there is anything you can learn? Maybe the post is annoying but you have to give the pp credit for what his or her family has accomplished. Have you saved that much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

Why are you in this thread? No one asked for advice, or your life story, we're just commiserating with others who are in the same financial situation.

God, people can be so obtuse sometime. Blah blah Money Mustache blah blah Millionaire Next Door. Get a new script.

Instead of being rude and ugly maybe you should reread the post and see if there is anything you can learn? Maybe the post is annoying but you have to give the pp credit for what his or her family has accomplished. Have you saved that much?

There are literally DOZENS of threads where posters are offering sage financial advice.

No one asked for the pontificating from someone who is NOT living paycheck to paycheck. God!

And no Einstein, obviously no one living freaking paycheck to paycheck is worth a million dollars. Hence the point of the goddamn thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

Oh! Okay! My rent is 40% of my income. How do I handle everything else on 10%?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live on half your salary for a few years. And if that means living an extremely frugal life, so be it.

We did that when we were a young couple. We lived in a one room apartment in a safe but cheap area. Rarely ate out, had only one second-hand car, DH carpooled, we did not buy clothes etc unless necessary and lived on 30K, while having 42K HHI. Basically, we lived like how majority of college students live. Our furniture was second hand and most of our stuff was from salvation army.

When we reached a HHI of 75K (within 5 years of marriage), we saved 35K in one year and that was our down payment to our SFH worth 350K.

We have not looked back after that. We now have a HHI of 300K, and we still live on 120K a year. Our cost structure is very low because our mortgage is very low. We are the millionaire's next door. Our retirement, insurance, and college funds are top notch. My kids have got full ride on merit scholarships to college, and we have instilled in them the lesson to live below their means.

Why are you in this thread? No one asked for advice, or your life story, we're just commiserating with others who are in the same financial situation.

God, people can be so obtuse sometime. Blah blah Money Mustache blah blah Millionaire Next Door. Get a new script.

Instead of being rude and ugly maybe you should reread the post and see if there is anything you can learn? Maybe the post is annoying but you have to give the pp credit for what his or her family has accomplished. Have you saved that much?

There are literally DOZENS of threads where posters are offering sage financial advice.

No one asked for the pontificating from someone who is NOT living paycheck to paycheck. God!

And no Einstein, obviously no one living freaking paycheck to paycheck is worth a million dollars. Hence the point of the goddamn thread.

Interesting. Seems if you don't want to be living paycheck to paycheck you should seek advice from others who do not as opposed from others who do.

If you're just wanting to complain with others who live paycheck to paycheck you should instead spend that time trying to make more money (or spend less) so you don't live paycheck to paycheck.

[Anonymous]

We do. HHI around $250k. I won't cut retirement, but will the 529s. After having kids I have no money.