How do households live on less than 100k a year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have $100k with 3 kids in Arlington. It's not terrible at all.

-We live in a small house rental but also own a small condo in College Park that DH lived in and paid off before we met.
-Vacations 1-2x year within driving distance, renting a cottage in the country for a few days. More often day trips like yesterday to Luray Caverns + dinner at a diner.
-Food is never Aldi. To get the good stuff but within out budget, I buy heirloom beans, grains, spices, meats from smaller suppliers - Rancho Gordo, Anson Mills, Polyface Farms.
-Clothes for kids only well made bought on end of season sale, mostly Hannan Anderson and Tea because convenient to be on their mailing lists and just wait. DH and I dress less well but I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor.
-For recreation, cheap hobbies - exploring local parks, gardening, trips to little regional museums, etc.
-Older daughter takes 6 extracurriculars (1 sport + 4 arts, reading tutor) to supplement what I think is bland APS
-old car fully paid of with regular maintenance

I've no idea how but we live within budget. No debt, credit card set to auto-pay the balance in full monthly. Somehow we have enough cash for car repairs and legal emergencies. I've no idea how it's some kind of math magic. But so far so good.

Is this a troll? If so, nice work. "I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor" and "Food is never Aldi." LMAO.

Has to be.

[Anonymous]

We live in a tiny townhome in Alexandria. DH makes 100k, I stay home with our 3 kids. Schools are not great, so we homeschool the oldest. My husband drives an old car, but I had to buy a new minivan this year to fit three kids in car seats. We have no debt besides the mortgage. We think we’re pretty fortunate. We do watch what we buy, but I’m ok with that if it means I get to stay home with the kids. I had a very stressful, but high paying job before having kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to live on that, OP. You can be a government employee - I know many that make at least $150k each and they are not that qualified. Look up the salaries, it is all public information.

Their household makes over $300k, and they both work from home!

Why do people make it sound like anyone can get into a government job? I have applied several times and never even got called for an interview.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have $100k with 3 kids in Arlington. It's not terrible at all.

-We live in a small house rental but also own a small condo in College Park that DH lived in and paid off before we met.
-Vacations 1-2x year within driving distance, renting a cottage in the country for a few days. More often day trips like yesterday to Luray Caverns + dinner at a diner.
-Food is never Aldi. To get the good stuff but within out budget, I buy heirloom beans, grains, spices, meats from smaller suppliers - Rancho Gordo, Anson Mills, Polyface Farms.
-Clothes for kids only well made bought on end of season sale, mostly Hannan Anderson and Tea because convenient to be on their mailing lists and just wait. DH and I dress less well but I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor.
-For recreation, cheap hobbies - exploring local parks, gardening, trips to little regional museums, etc.
-Older daughter takes 6 extracurriculars (1 sport + 4 arts, reading tutor) to supplement what I think is bland APS
-old car fully paid of with regular maintenance

I've no idea how but we live within budget. No debt, credit card set to auto-pay the balance in full monthly. Somehow we have enough cash for car repairs and legal emergencies. I've no idea how it's some kind of math magic. But so far so good.

Is this a troll? If so, nice work. "I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor" and "Food is never Aldi." LMAO.

Has to be.

Most parents want their kids to have nutritious food and to be given a fair chance without prejudice. Odd you think anything troll about that. The nice thing with age of internet is easier to be resourceful and get the good stuff for less than retail.

[Anonymous]

I love these threads because the OPs always sound delusional.

Plenty of people are making $80-$100k work and yes they live in the DMV. Some even own houses *gasp*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have $100k with 3 kids in Arlington. It's not terrible at all.

-We live in a small house rental but also own a small condo in College Park that DH lived in and paid off before we met.
-Vacations 1-2x year within driving distance, renting a cottage in the country for a few days. More often day trips like yesterday to Luray Caverns + dinner at a diner.
-Food is never Aldi. To get the good stuff but within out budget, I buy heirloom beans, grains, spices, meats from smaller suppliers - Rancho Gordo, Anson Mills, Polyface Farms.
-Clothes for kids only well made bought on end of season sale, mostly Hannan Anderson and Tea because convenient to be on their mailing lists and just wait. DH and I dress less well but I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor.
-For recreation, cheap hobbies - exploring local parks, gardening, trips to little regional museums, etc.
-Older daughter takes 6 extracurriculars (1 sport + 4 arts, reading tutor) to supplement what I think is bland APS
-old car fully paid of with regular maintenance

I've no idea how but we live within budget. No debt, credit card set to auto-pay the balance in full monthly. Somehow we have enough cash for car repairs and legal emergencies. I've no idea how it's some kind of math magic. But so far so good.

I make 50k and my kids only wear Moncler and Golden Goose. Won't have them mistreated for looking poor!!! We also do 10 extracurriculars per kid.

Hannah and Tea cost $10-$15 new on sale, nothing especially extravagant about that. Worth the wait for sale because fabrics are sturdy and don't sag like target, old navy, etc.

And yes - extracurriculars are a tradeoff - put $ into college savings or spend on training while child is young? I thin training while young makes far more sense. I expect my kid to have competent marketable skills by the time she's 16 and largely on her own for college payments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gotta think it would be tough with 2 x $50K incomes and two kids in daycare. Say $1.5K per month each on the low end you're spending $36K per year of post tax monies on childcare alone.

That’s why one person stays home with kids

PP here then you've got one $50K income. Say $5K taxes, $5K health and dental insurance, 24K total rent + utilities, $6K food and you've got $10K left for everything else (clothes, gas, car insurance, etc.). I think that would a tough situation as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in a tiny townhome in Alexandria. DH makes 100k, I stay home with our 3 kids. Schools are not great, so we homeschool the oldest. My husband drives an old car, but I had to buy a new minivan this year to fit three kids in car seats. We have no debt besides the mortgage. We think we’re pretty fortunate. We do watch what we buy, but I’m ok with that if it means I get to stay home with the kids. I had a very stressful, but high paying job before having kids.

Why didn’t your husband stay at home if you were the high earner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We're a family of four living on 100K a year in close-in DC burbs. Kids go/went to public school. One is in college.

This board is a bubble.

Boomers and gen-x live in a bubble. You have no idea how much costs have skyrocketed since you were starting out decades ago.

You're talking to me, with my college freshman? DO YOU KNOW WHAT COLLEGE TUITION IS, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT? Don't talk to me about costs that have skyrocketed. I am aware, thank you. And I'm 40, so not as old as you think.

Unhinged.

[Anonymous]

Don't have kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have $100k with 3 kids in Arlington. It's not terrible at all.

-We live in a small house rental but also own a small condo in College Park that DH lived in and paid off before we met.
-Vacations 1-2x year within driving distance, renting a cottage in the country for a few days. More often day trips like yesterday to Luray Caverns + dinner at a diner.
-Food is never Aldi. To get the good stuff but within out budget, I buy heirloom beans, grains, spices, meats from smaller suppliers - Rancho Gordo, Anson Mills, Polyface Farms.
-Clothes for kids only well made bought on end of season sale, mostly Hannan Anderson and Tea because convenient to be on their mailing lists and just wait. DH and I dress less well but I won't have my kids mistreated for looking poor.
-For recreation, cheap hobbies - exploring local parks, gardening, trips to little regional museums, etc.
-Older daughter takes 6 extracurriculars (1 sport + 4 arts, reading tutor) to supplement what I think is bland APS
-old car fully paid of with regular maintenance

I've no idea how but we live within budget. No debt, credit card set to auto-pay the balance in full monthly. Somehow we have enough cash for car repairs and legal emergencies. I've no idea how it's some kind of math magic. But so far so good.

I make 50k and my kids only wear Moncler and Golden Goose. Won't have them mistreated for looking poor!!! We also do 10 extracurriculars per kid.

Hannah and Tea cost $10-$15 new on sale, nothing especially extravagant about that. Worth the wait for sale because fabrics are sturdy and don't sag like target, old navy, etc.

And yes - extracurriculars are a tradeoff - put $ into college savings or spend on training while child is young? I thin training while young makes far more sense. I expect my kid to have competent marketable skills by the time she's 16 and largely on her own for college payments.

Lmao your kid still looks saggy. The sadness of being a poor kid with a striver mother.

[Anonymous]

Public schools, used car, bargain shopping at stores like walmart, if kids want to go to college they get scholarships and/or loans, no fancy vacations/any vacations, small house/condo or renting somewhere smaller, no where close to max retirement contributions, pray there’s no unexpected expenses.

These seem like the biggest lifestyle differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public schools, used car, bargain shopping at stores like walmart, if kids want to go to college they get scholarships and/or loans, no fancy vacations/any vacations, small house/condo or renting somewhere smaller, no where close to max retirement contributions, pray there’s no unexpected expenses.

These seem like the biggest lifestyle differences.

Financial aid means a family making 50k is better able to afford private than many making 200k.

[Anonymous]

I think there's a few things here -- so, for instance, $100K total with two working parents is much worse than $100K total with no kids, or with only one working parent. Because if both parents are working, you're losing a big chunk of that to childcare.

I wonder also how PP upthread is going to do when her kids hit the teen years. I was so good at bargain shopping for kids clothes/shoes, but you just can't do that for teens. The sneakers are insane, especially if they play sports. I have three and they literally wear holes in their sneakers; we buy them on sale at DSW and I'm still probably spending $1K/year just on sneakers and athletic shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public schools, used car, bargain shopping at stores like walmart, if kids want to go to college they get scholarships and/or loans, no fancy vacations/any vacations, small house/condo or renting somewhere smaller, no where close to max retirement contributions, pray there’s no unexpected expenses.

These seem like the biggest lifestyle differences.

Huh? We can comfortably afford a state college and grad school no debt. We spend a fortune on activities. And, have plenty in savings. It’s all about choices. And, new cars when the old ones die but we keep them forever.