How do I know if I am middle class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep coming back to this forum because it never ceases to amaze me that DCUMers who spend $30K on preschool and $4 on an organic peach can say "we're not rich" with a straight face.

Do you ever leave your leafy little neighborhoods and actually see how the vast majority of people -- even in this wildly wealthy region of the country -- live???

I hope there is reincarnation and you are reborn "middle class." You won't last a minute.

When you're reincarnated as "rich" and get to spend 7 years in school after high school, let us know how many minutes you last. Oh yeah, the 60 or 70 hour work weeks for 30 years too.

Ummm you are not special. Do you know how many people work 60-70 hour weeks just for the basics? And I mean basics as in food, water, shelter, and maybe a little for a rainy day after they've paid down their student loans- not new cars, retirement, college savings, etc Plenty of people go to school too and still make meager wages so give a rest doc.

That's not a doctor, that's a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

whole wheat or white bread?

That's the difference between working class and middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The failure of people who make 200k, 500k, etc to realize they are rich, is exactly the reason why we have such income disparity in the United States. Holy shit. Holy cognitive dissonance.

I disagree. The only reason why I make $200k (now, I started at 85k 11 years ago) is because I have two masters degrees and to do that I had to take out student loans of more than $100k. I fully recognize it is a choice to take out loans to get the degrees, but that choice came at a very high financial cost that still affects my disposable income. Gross income alone should not determine what class I am in if I could not have obtained that salary without my student loans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The failure of people who make 200k, 500k, etc to realize they are rich, is exactly the reason why we have such income disparity in the United States. Holy shit. Holy cognitive dissonance.

We make $430K. We are well off, but we are not rich because we work two full time jobs.

I think you proved the PP's point. Being "rich" doesn't imply that you don't work. You are definitely upper class, upper income, wealthy. Why are people in such denial? Do they not think that other families have two people working full time, if not more (like two people working a full time and a part time job each) only to make $50k a year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

Really? I agree pretty much agree with PP except I'd drop the low end to $80k - $275k. Of course this entire thread is subjective and how one defines middle income. I make $200k have two DCs under 4 (relevant because child care costs directly affect disposable income available) and think we fall in upper middle income for the area.

Then you need to get out more. Even in rich counties like Arlington there are plenty of low-income and middle class families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep coming back to this forum because it never ceases to amaze me that DCUMers who spend $30K on preschool and $4 on an organic peach can say "we're not rich" with a straight face.

Do you ever leave your leafy little neighborhoods and actually see how the vast majority of people -- even in this wildly wealthy region of the country -- live???

I hope there is reincarnation and you are reborn "middle class." You won't last a minute.

When you're reincarnated as "rich" and get to spend 7 years in school after high school, let us know how many minutes you last. Oh yeah, the 60 or 70 hour work weeks for 30 years too.

There are plenty of low-income people who work 70 hour work weeks their entire lives.

You make the assumption that only rich people work hard. And that's ridiculous. Why can't people admit (a) they're rich because their income is more than what over 75 percent of people in the country earn and that (b) there are plenty of poor people who work their asses off but still can't get a head.

[Anonymous]

OMG I love the bread comment.

I make $45,000 and my partner makes $70,000. Combined I think were middle class?
We live in a nice neighborhood in Moco, although house was built in 1983 and is not shiny, new and perfect.
Neither one of us went to college.
The only dept we have is the mortgage and one car. ( other car is paid for)
We just spend a ridiculous amount of money on domestic adoption, we used money we had saved, no new dept.
I get my daughters clothes from the thrift store because I like name brands but refuse to pay the price. I can afford to, I just dont want to. I cant justify it in my head.
Because I save money on stuff like that, we can go away on mini vacations when we feel like it, and go out to eat about twice a week.

oh yeah, and we have a cleaning person every 2 weeks. We have a baby, 2 dogs and both work 40 hours per week. She is totally worth it in our eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

Really? I agree pretty much agree with PP except I'd drop the low end to $80k - $275k. Of course this entire thread is subjective and how one defines middle income. I make $200k have two DCs under 4 (relevant because child care costs directly affect disposable income available) and think we fall in upper middle income for the area.

Then you need to get out more. Even in rich counties like Arlington there are plenty of low-income and middle class families.

I live in south arlington, very very south arlington. All I need to do is walk outside to understand who makes up my county and where I fit in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

WRONG. Look up the section 8 income limits for Fairfax:

For a family of 4 (which is probably the demographic on this site):

Extremely low income: 32K and under
Very Low Income: 53K max
Low Income: 70K max

You have not even begun to graze the middle with your estimate of "middle".

Really? Please show a source. I need to move to Fairfax! Free housing for the middle class!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you go on vacation, do you stay at the Ritz, a Comfort Inn or a Howard Johnson?

Comfort Inn, but I'm upper middle class.

Right! You are staying at the correct hotel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you go on vacation, do you stay at the Ritz, a Comfort Inn or a Howard Johnson?

Westin only for me. Where do I fit into the hotel test?

I think middle because we have W, Westin, and then Aloft.

Upper middle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

WRONG. Look up the section 8 income limits for Fairfax:

For a family of 4 (which is probably the demographic on this site):

Extremely low income: 32K and under
Very Low Income: 53K max
Low Income: 70K max

You have not even begun to graze the middle with your estimate of "middle".

Really? Please show a source. I need to move to Fairfax! Free housing for the middle class!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked up arlington and the"very low income" range was $53k - $62k. Makes my initial assertion that $80k was the lower end of middle class seems right on point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

WRONG. Look up the section 8 income limits for Fairfax:

For a family of 4 (which is probably the demographic on this site):

Extremely low income: 32K and under
Very Low Income: 53K max
Low Income: 70K max

You have not even begun to graze the middle with your estimate of "middle".

Really? Please show a source. I need to move to Fairfax! Free housing for the middle class!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked up arlington and the"very low income" range was $53k - $62k. Makes my initial assertion that $80k was the lower end of middle class seems right on point.

And the median income for arlington county is $102k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:above 100k below 450k

Absolutely not. In the DC area, I'd say middle class would be maybe 40-50K

WRONG. Look up the section 8 income limits for Fairfax:

For a family of 4 (which is probably the demographic on this site):

Extremely low income: 32K and under
Very Low Income: 53K max
Low Income: 70K max

You have not even begun to graze the middle with your estimate of "middle".

Really? Please show a source. I need to move to Fairfax! Free housing for the middle class!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked up arlington and the"very low income" range was $53k - $62k. Makes my initial assertion that $80k was the lower end of middle class seems right on point.

Where did you look this up? Show sources -- just like the fairfax person.

[Anonymous]

meant -- the fairfax person should show sources, too.