Does having a 'six figure' salary mean what it used to mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. I was making 100k before I got married, or just around there. Maybe more like 90. I was living with three roommates in a townhouse in south arlington with one car payment and a dog and not having to budget or really think about spending at all but not really accumulating savings. I certainly have nothing to complain about, I've been very fortunate and our current HHI is like 230 so we're doing great. But I guess in the past you'd think of that as like, wealthy. And here its like, enough to own a home, have a kid in daycare and live comfortably without tightening the purse strings.

Well, then this is really about expenses going up, especially if you have kids.

Then don't have kids.

My op and this post weren't really complaining just thinking. I think in my mind growing up a six figure salary meant you could comfortably raise a family.

Sure, for a kid $100K sounds like a lot especially when a kid's allowance is like $20/week or something. But, hopefully, as you grow up, and realize the cost of things, you realize that even $50k/yr isn't that much around here.

I had a conversation with my 10 yr old about cost of living. I laid it out for him; how much our mortgage was, food bill, utilities, taxes, etc... He conceptually understood, but he won't really "get" it until he becomes an adult and has to pay for things himself.

[Anonymous]

Guys. Only 25% of workers earn exactly 100k in this country. It's still a lot of money in many areas in THIS country. Get out of your DC bubble and think. 6 figures means a lot to most outside of 5-6 major metro areas.

[Anonymous]

^ absolutely. But we happen to live in one of those metro areas so for those here it is not.

[Anonymous]

This is one of those typical "we're all middle class" threads where people with HHI's of 300, 400, 500k come in and claim that they're average, medium, and middle class when they're in fact the top 1%.

If you have a 401k at work or own stocks at all, you're already ahead of 50% of the country, think about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It is weird to commiserate openly about the cost of living with others making 200k, and not appreciate the struggles of people making 30k.

Can we ever just live our lives without this constant self-flagellation?

Pretty sure most rich people do just that. The Bernie bumper stickers make up for it, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guys. Only 25% of workers earn exactly 100k in this country. It's still a lot of money in many areas in THIS country. Get out of your DC bubble and think. 6 figures means a lot to most outside of 5-6 major metro areas.

True, but the reality here in DC area is that $100K isn't that much. Folks that live outside the high COL also need to understand this. That's why a lot of companies give a salary bump if they ask you to move to one of the high col areas. $80K in podunk NE won't get you the same quality of living as here in DC for the same amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guys. Only 25% of workers earn exactly 100k in this country. It's still a lot of money in many areas in THIS country. Get out of your DC bubble and think. 6 figures means a lot to most outside of 5-6 major metro areas.

Great, but we live in a major metro area