Do You or Your Spouse Make More Than $200K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse makes nothing but saves us $50k in childcare. I make $450k base, can be 2x in a good year. I'm highly educated, but I could do my job with a GED.

No, she saves you $25K in childcare and saves herself $25K in childcare.

NP. Which would mean she saves "us" $50k, right? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Self: 8 years IT with Masters from JHU only 90.
DH: 10 years Law enforcement with MD only 40.
Passive income: 50k.

We live hand to month, most month.

Hand to mouth on $180k?

what's surprising? it is high COL area after all
with our HHI ~200K and 3 kids - we're in the same boat

Are you in too much home? $180k/yr is a LOT. Are you truly hand to mouth, or are you saving a lot, investing in 529s, investing in 401ks, etc., and then are "hand to mouth"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Self: 8 years IT with Masters from JHU only 90.
DH: 10 years Law enforcement with MD only 40.
Passive income: 50k.

We live hand to month, most month.

Hand to mouth on $180k?

what's surprising? it is high COL area after all
with our HHI ~200K and 3 kids - we're in the same boat

Are you in too much home? $180k/yr is a LOT. Are you truly hand to mouth, or are you saving a lot, investing in 529s, investing in 401ks, etc., and then are "hand to mouth"?

Are you posting from west virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, I do. Marketing.

He's close to that - Journalist.

WHAT????? What kind of journalism job does your husband have that pays close to $200k? Most journalists I know are lucky to make $60k.

Newspapers. Almost 20 years of experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Self: 8 years IT with Masters from JHU only 90.
DH: 10 years Law enforcement with MD only 40.
Passive income: 50k.

We live hand to month, most month.

Hand to mouth on $180k?

what's surprising? it is high COL area after all
with our HHI ~200K and 3 kids - we're in the same boat

Are you in too much home? $180k/yr is a LOT. Are you truly hand to mouth, or are you saving a lot, investing in 529s, investing in 401ks, etc., and then are "hand to mouth"?

We might be in too much home for our income, however with 3 kids and MIL living with us not too many choices available for us in this area.
House that could accommodate family of 6 in good school district outside of the beltway, but still relatively close to our jobs starts from 800K (read - need renovation). I can say that our savings are insufficient, we don't max out 401K not saving in 529s. Day-to-day expenses just high - mortgage, utilities, kids activities/afterschool care, house repair/maintenance. I would say we live comfortable, but still have to watch our expenses, e.g. we're rarely eating out, I do follow grocery adds and never buy groceries @ full price, buy kids clothes @ Kohls/Childrens place on clearance, we mostly have budget vacations - eg campgrounds in driving distance.
Tell me how it's not hand-to-mouth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We might be in too much home for our income, however with 3 kids and MIL living with us not too many choices available for us in this area.
House that could accommodate family of 6 in good school district outside of the beltway, but still relatively close to our jobs starts from 800K (read - need renovation). I can say that our savings are insufficient, we don't max out 401K not saving in 529s. Day-to-day expenses just high - mortgage, utilities, kids activities/afterschool care, house repair/maintenance. I would say we live comfortable, but still have to watch our expenses, e.g. we're rarely eating out, I do follow grocery adds and never buy groceries @ full price, buy kids clothes @ Kohls/Childrens place on clearance, we mostly have budget vacations - eg campgrounds in driving distance.
Tell me how it's not hand-to-mouth?

Marked it for you. That's why it's not hand to mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse makes nothing but saves us $50k in childcare. I make $450k base, can be 2x in a good year. I'm highly educated, but I could do my job with a GED.

No, she saves you $25K in childcare and saves herself $25K in childcare.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We might be in too much home for our income, however with 3 kids and MIL living with us not too many choices available for us in this area.
House that could accommodate family of 6 in good school district outside of the beltway, but still relatively close to our jobs starts from 800K (read - need renovation). I can say that our savings are insufficient, we don't max out 401K not saving in 529s. Day-to-day expenses just high - mortgage, utilities, kids activities/afterschool care, house repair/maintenance. I would say we live comfortable, but still have to watch our expenses, e.g. we're rarely eating out, I do follow grocery adds and never buy groceries @ full price, buy kids clothes @ Kohls/Childrens place on clearance, we mostly have budget vacations - eg campgrounds in driving distance.
Tell me how it's not hand-to-mouth?

Marked it for you. That's why it's not hand to mouth.

Agree. For me, it's the use of "hand to mouth" - which is really just barely surviving. You are tight on money, but comfortable. You are paying for more than the bare necessities. This is not "hand to mouth."

[Anonymous]

I figured out who the rich journalist is! It's the ghost of K. Graham trolling DCUM! There's your million dollar book idea! The ghosts have infiltrated the listserve!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We might be in too much home for our income, however with 3 kids and MIL living with us not too many choices available for us in this area.
House that could accommodate family of 6 in good school district outside of the beltway, but still relatively close to our jobs starts from 800K (read - need renovation). I can say that our savings are insufficient, we don't max out 401K not saving in 529s. Day-to-day expenses just high - mortgage, utilities, kids activities/afterschool care, house repair/maintenance. I would say we live comfortable, but still have to watch our expenses, e.g. we're rarely eating out, I do follow grocery adds and never buy groceries @ full price, buy kids clothes @ Kohls/Childrens place on clearance, we mostly have budget vacations - eg campgrounds in driving distance.
Tell me how it's not hand-to-mouth?

Marked it for you. That's why it's not hand to mouth.

Some people have standards for living

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse makes nothing but saves us $50k in childcare. I make $450k base, can be 2x in a good year. I'm highly educated, but I could do my job with a GED.

No, she saves you $25K in childcare and saves herself $25K in childcare.

NP. Which would mean she saves "us" $50k, right? What am I missing?

Thanks, NP! I am the poster who said she save "us" $50K in childcare, and I have no idea what PP is saying with the two chunks of $25K edit.

It seems the editor has circled back and added "+1" to her own post to imply that others understand, but I still don't get it!

[Anonymous]

No