Income 100k for 35 year old is working poor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?

Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living.

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single.

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either. Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up.

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.

Maybe if you are poor, which you must be. In my case I don't need to nickle and dime myself into a miserable life so I can shave $100 off the food budget and eat nothing but rice and beans.

You're telling OP to save money by acting as if he is poor. I suppose that's one way of doing it but it is pretty miserable. But I guess he does have the option.

But it will be easier to find a better paying job than being miserable in a basement studio eating rice and beans.

OP is spending $800 on food and groceries and then going out to get drinks AND doing doordash on top of all that. They won't have to eat "rice and beans" to save money, or get a roommate, they just need to quit doing doordash and cut down on drinking.

Doordash is super expensive. Drinking out in DC is super expensive. And $800 in groceries and cleaning supplies for one persona month?

We spend about that for two people in a sfh, eating grass fed beef and organic produce.

+1
Cook well and eat at home. Invite friends over for a "night out" and do dinner that way---potluck or one person cooks and switch where you go each week. Then drinks are much much cheaper at home. I can make excellent cocktails for 6 people for what one costs in DC restaurants/bars. A good $40 bottle of wine is not $100-120, it's only $40.

[Anonymous]

When I was in grad school I lived on $300/month after I paid for rent/utilities/car. That included all my groceries, clothes and eating out. Even if you tripled that it would be $900, not $2k!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?

Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living.

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single.

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either. Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up.

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.

Maybe if you are poor, which you must be. In my case I don't need to nickle and dime myself into a miserable life so I can shave $100 off the food budget and eat nothing but rice and beans.

You're telling OP to save money by acting as if he is poor. I suppose that's one way of doing it but it is pretty miserable. But I guess he does have the option.

But it will be easier to find a better paying job than being miserable in a basement studio eating rice and beans.

Yes poor people eat $700 a month per person of rice and beans. That is the definition of poor.

You and OP are having a difficult time acknowledging you live beyond your means, and both of your means are in no sense of the word poor.

[Anonymous]

Get a room mate in a 2 bed room. You’re too poor to be living in a 1 br paying 2100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?

Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living.

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single.

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either. Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up.

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.

Maybe if you are poor, which you must be. In my case I don't need to nickle and dime myself into a miserable life so I can shave $100 off the food budget and eat nothing but rice and beans.

You're telling OP to save money by acting as if he is poor. I suppose that's one way of doing it but it is pretty miserable. But I guess he does have the option.

But it will be easier to find a better paying job than being miserable in a basement studio eating rice and beans.

Yes poor people eat $700 a month per person of rice and beans. That is the definition of poor.

You and OP are having a difficult time acknowledging you live beyond your means, and both of your means are in no sense of the word poor.

I imagine for a poor person on the spectrum happily living in a basement studio, everyone else is living beyond their means. OP is not incurring debt, so he can't be living beyond his means. He's not saving as much as he hopes to, which is different from living beyond his means. Your attitude is not one of frugality, it's one of being poor with no money, or living like someone with no money. If you are the person who boasted about never making more than 40k in your life, I can see where your experiences are coming from. You haven't figured out the opportunity costs of some of the advice given to OP, which is telling him to have no social life and not to enjoy any of life's little pleasures.

I do agree, as I have always made clear, that there is scope for cutting back on spending in the form of takeaways and doordash. But other than those things his expenditures are not unrealistic nor extravagant for a single person in his mid 30s trying to have a decent life with some comforts in the DC area, in other words, a middle class existence. He is a working stiff in a high cost region and 100k isn't what it was 10 years ago. He rents, so he didn't benefit from buying a house 10 years ago the way some of you did. He's single so he doesn't benefit from the economies of scale that comes from a relationship, affecting both household expenses and groceries. The best real advice given to OP is to find a higher paying job. That's how people get ahead, not by being superfrugal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?

Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living.

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single.

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either. Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up.

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.

Maybe if you are poor, which you must be. In my case I don't need to nickle and dime myself into a miserable life so I can shave $100 off the food budget and eat nothing but rice and beans.

You're telling OP to save money by acting as if he is poor. I suppose that's one way of doing it but it is pretty miserable. But I guess he does have the option.

But it will be easier to find a better paying job than being miserable in a basement studio eating rice and beans.

Yes poor people eat $700 a month per person of rice and beans. That is the definition of poor.

You and OP are having a difficult time acknowledging you live beyond your means, and both of your means are in no sense of the word poor.

I imagine for a poor person on the spectrum happily living in a basement studio, everyone else is living beyond their means. OP is not incurring debt, so he can't be living beyond his means. He's not saving as much as he hopes to, which is different from living beyond his means. Your attitude is not one of frugality, it's one of being poor with no money, or living like someone with no money. If you are the person who boasted about never making more than 40k in your life, I can see where your experiences are coming from. You haven't figured out the opportunity costs of some of the advice given to OP, which is telling him to have no social life and not to enjoy any of life's little pleasures.

I do agree, as I have always made clear, that there is scope for cutting back on spending in the form of takeaways and doordash. But other than those things his expenditures are not unrealistic nor extravagant for a single person in his mid 30s trying to have a decent life with some comforts in the DC area, in other words, a middle class existence. He is a working stiff in a high cost region and 100k isn't what it was 10 years ago. He rents, so he didn't benefit from buying a house 10 years ago the way some of you did. He's single so he doesn't benefit from the economies of scale that comes from a relationship, affecting both household expenses and groceries. The best real advice given to OP is to find a higher paying job. That's how people get ahead, not by being superfrugal.

He could benefit if he got a roommate. That's an easy way to cut housing costs way down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?

Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living.

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single.

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either. Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up.

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.

Maybe if you are poor, which you must be. In my case I don't need to nickle and dime myself into a miserable life so I can shave $100 off the food budget and eat nothing but rice and beans.

You're telling OP to save money by acting as if he is poor. I suppose that's one way of doing it but it is pretty miserable. But I guess he does have the option.

But it will be easier to find a better paying job than being miserable in a basement studio eating rice and beans.

Yes poor people eat $700 a month per person of rice and beans. That is the definition of poor.

You and OP are having a difficult time acknowledging you live beyond your means, and both of your means are in no sense of the word poor.

I imagine for a poor person on the spectrum happily living in a basement studio, everyone else is living beyond their means. OP is not incurring debt, so he can't be living beyond his means. He's not saving as much as he hopes to, which is different from living beyond his means. Your attitude is not one of frugality, it's one of being poor with no money, or living like someone with no money. If you are the person who boasted about never making more than 40k in your life, I can see where your experiences are coming from. You haven't figured out the opportunity costs of some of the advice given to OP, which is telling him to have no social life and not to enjoy any of life's little pleasures.

I do agree, as I have always made clear, that there is scope for cutting back on spending in the form of takeaways and doordash. But other than those things his expenditures are not unrealistic nor extravagant for a single person in his mid 30s trying to have a decent life with some comforts in the DC area, in other words, a middle class existence. He is a working stiff in a high cost region and 100k isn't what it was 10 years ago. He rents, so he didn't benefit from buying a house 10 years ago the way some of you did. He's single so he doesn't benefit from the economies of scale that comes from a relationship, affecting both household expenses and groceries. The best real advice given to OP is to find a higher paying job. That's how people get ahead, not by being superfrugal.

Bet if he shopped he could cut that car insurance in half. Could also save money on the phone bill with Mint Mobile. Finally cut cable and get Netflix/Hulu and maybe one other package like HBO would also save a decent amount. In total a few hundred dollars of savings from these painless cuts.

A little more effort but I think the food bill could be trimmed easily too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who make 1/3 what you make are working poor. Working poor do not have $2k per month rent and credit card bills for food and eating out.

Exactly. You just don't know how to manage yourself. Door dash? Eating out? You need to learn how to eat and cook at home.

[Anonymous]

OP: I am barely saving any money living a middle class lifestyle while making 100K a year.

DCUM: Have you thought about adopting the lifestyle of an impoverished hermit to save 3 more dollars?

In all seriousness, you're right OP. 100K isn't what it used to be. You need to make more money to get everything you want. Alternatively, you'll need to cut back on fun stuff for yourself to afford fun stuff for a family.

That said, saving 10K a year for retirement and 300 a month is perfectly fine. Put it in a retirement calculator and you'll see that you'll get to live a fine life at age 65 with social security.

Regarding buying a house, it's not really worth it to buy a house nowadays. The price to income ratio is ridiculously high, meaning that prices can't really get higher and you're a lot better off renting. C'est la vie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you trying to start a family alone?

Your credit card bill seems high, plus rent is pretty high. If you have a car, are you able to move further away into the suburbs?

Agree with this assessment.
It’s not that your income is too low.
It’s that your choices have you living beyond your means.
You don’t need a $2100/month apartment when you can have a roommate and cut that nearly in half. Or get a studio for $1800 that has a washer dryer down the hall instead of in the apartment.
Basically you need to look for some ways to cut some expenses so that you can save some money.
You’re indulging.
Eat at home. Don’t buy new clothes every month or even every other month. Just replenish basics twice a year—once for winter and once for summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: I am barely saving any money living a middle class lifestyle while making 100K a year.

DCUM: Have you thought about adopting the lifestyle of an impoverished hermit to save 3 more dollars?

In all seriousness, you're right OP. 100K isn't what it used to be. You need to make more money to get everything you want. Alternatively, you'll need to cut back on fun stuff for yourself to afford fun stuff for a family.

That said, saving 10K a year for retirement and 300 a month is perfectly fine. Put it in a retirement calculator and you'll see that you'll get to live a fine life at age 65 with social security.

Regarding buying a house, it's not really worth it to buy a house nowadays. The price to income ratio is ridiculously high, meaning that prices can't really get higher and you're a lot better off renting. C'est la vie.

The mistake comes in misunderstanding what a middle class lifestyle is. What OP is describing is not working poor, it's middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: I am barely saving any money living a middle class lifestyle while making 100K a year.

DCUM: Have you thought about adopting the lifestyle of an impoverished hermit to save 3 more dollars?

In all seriousness, you're right OP. 100K isn't what it used to be. You need to make more money to get everything you want. Alternatively, you'll need to cut back on fun stuff for yourself to afford fun stuff for a family.

That said, saving 10K a year for retirement and 300 a month is perfectly fine. Put it in a retirement calculator and you'll see that you'll get to live a fine life at age 65 with social security.

Regarding buying a house, it's not really worth it to buy a house nowadays. The price to income ratio is ridiculously high, meaning that prices can't really get higher and you're a lot better off renting. C'est la vie.

The mistake comes in misunderstanding what a middle class lifestyle is. What OP is describing is not working poor, it's middle class.

Maybe the real mistake is people taking things literally. I'm sure the OP didn't really mean he was impoverished. But he is expressing a common frustration these days, that a good salary on paper is barely enough to live a decent middle class life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I rounded your take home to $5400. Here's what you are going to do:
Get a studio with all utilities included. Found one in lovely area and building in NWDC for under $1500 all utilities included. I'm sure there's one in VA cheaper than that.
Phone.internet, Netflix can be had for
$100 a month.
Get rid of the car and invest the money.
$200 for commuting now that the car is gone.
Our lovely building has a gym, pool, and trails - all free.
$100 student loans.
$500 for groceries which is generous for one person.
All else:going out, eating out,clothes, toiletry,haircuts-,$600.
You would have $2400 left every month.
You had no business getting a pet. Pet is a luxury.
Also, don't save, you invest. Stock market was up last year, a lot. The $400 a month you saved, should be $6600 right now.
All stocks I have doubled this year alone. You are clearly not in the market so you don't know what's happening. I'm not convinced not knowing/being in it is a plus. I learned a lot even when I lost some.
Can you see that you concentrate on things that take money instead of things that make money. You chose it and I don't know why. You are not getting younger.
You are getting a second job in a restaurants at nights from 5/6-10pm or two brunches. The second job gives you extra $1000 a month at minimum. They also feed you and keep you from spending money because you are too busy working two jobs.
You are going to invest in S and P ETF long term and learn to manage your own money.
There is so much money to be made while you are talking about the credit card points you get. Did you know that some utilities charge you for using credit card for payment. More than the 2% you get back.
You didn't tell us if yours do or don't. Look them up, please.
I have made over $40k twice in my life. I never had the luxury to upgrade my life. I had to learn to make my money work for me. I don't have to work anymore at the age of 46. Being working poor making $100k is a choice.

Your life sounds pretty miserable. Some people thrive off living like they're dirt poor. I don't find virtue in it. OP probably works 45 hours a week for his 100k and telling him to find a second job on weekends? Ok. Easier said than done.

I do agree OP can be a bit smarter about some of his budgeting choices but screaming that he's living "rich" isn't going to help, because he really is not. And some of you need to read more carefully as it's another poster who has the pet, not OP.

I had a feeling that someone will consider my life miserable. I don't think it is. I have been to EU 10 times, Miami 6 times, Orlando and Disney 3 times I think(not my favorite), Key West 3 times, Puerto Rico, Kansas City, NY. I thing I've traveled a lot more than most Americans. I take a lot of time off to do whatever. I bought a new car. that I paid off early and two home. I live normal life. Well, I hope he won't get a pet. He is just really bad at budgeting. And working over 45 hours isn't a big deal for a young person without kids. He has to do it only for a year or two. His $100k he can make and invest into invest into would get him out this paycheck to paycheck thing. It's not complicated. By the way, Paris is still nicer than Amsterdam. Been to both twice in my miserable poor life.
Also, I'm working on my next $100k using $100k. I know it takes some work, but again, he'd learn a lot. Remember, first $100k is hard because you most likely working for it, second one is much easier.

[Anonymous]

I see nothing unusual about the op’s situation. I think he could probably squeeze another $500 a month out or get a room mate. I would probably be in a similar situation if I wasn’t married and having a 2nd income there.

[Anonymous]

We should close this thread and put a sticky saying “no, 100k a year is not ‘working poor’ “