I am the squeezed middle class.

[Anonymous]

Gee, the gov't won't be giving me any middle-class credits to help pay for my son's education. That's ok, I'm "middle class in the mid two's", so I will just pay for it myself. It isn't like the tuition will be a surprise.

In the meanwhile, I remember that there's no God given right to all the vacations you want, the nicest cars to drive, and an awesome blow-away-the-Jones' house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even in DC this is not "common income." This is only common in your circle. You chose the career you have. You can choose to do something less demanding and have those holidays and weekends to yourself, but you can not blame other people who choose not to work as demanding a schedule. I imagine you still live a far grander lifestyle than most people, even if private school is such a stretch for you.

Oh piss off. We make about what the OP does and we are squeezed also. Everything costs so damn much here: food, daycare, taxes, commuting,etc. That's the price you pay and we like it here. But, I can assure you, also, we do not live "grand" in any sense of the word. You'd have a hard time withdrawing your foot from your mouth if you see the house we live in and cars we drive. Nothing fancy. We get by with a little to spare. That doesn't make us rich. I'm sorry your own financial situation clouds your judgment so much and doesn't allow you to understand that.

We have this conversation on dcum every few months.

If you are feeling squeezed because after paying taxes, contributing to health care insurance, funding your retirement, paying for your house in a nice safe part of town, paying upkeep and loan on your two working cars, finding your general savings account, putting a little aside for college for the kids and paying for the nanny/daycare -- after funding all that, you are having to scrimp a little on the food and clothing -- that's NOT middle class.

Middle class in the US is barely funding reirement these days, might not have health care insurance, and can only dream about college fundnds.

I get that you $200K earners don't feel filthy rich, and you do feel squeezed. But do recognize that if you are worried about how to pay for private school and retirement at the same time, you have worries that are not typical of the middle class in the US these days. Middle class is just trying to hang on to a job and some kind of health care.

[Anonymous]

PP at 8:24, well said. Part of the irritation I have with the OP and the "oh, piss off" PP, is that it comes across that they want credit for doing the things an adult is supposed to do:

1) work hard
2) save for retirement
3) save for college or help their kids in some way pay,
4) etc

Also, the PP's with the story of the parents put their 3 kids through college on 1 1/2 salaries by living frugally, should not be dismissed. To paraphrase AC/DC, it is a long hard road if you want to get to the top.

Can we make this thread productive and talk about ways to save for retirement? (There is a recent thread on college savings).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even in DC this is not "common income." This is only common in your circle. You chose the career you have. You can choose to do something less demanding and have those holidays and weekends to yourself, but you can not blame other people who choose not to work as demanding a schedule. I imagine you still live a far grander lifestyle than most people, even if private school is such a stretch for you.

Oh piss off. We make about what the OP does and we are squeezed also. Everything costs so damn much here: food, daycare, taxes, commuting,etc. That's the price you pay and we like it here. But, I can assure you, also, we do not live "grand" in any sense of the word. You'd have a hard time withdrawing your foot from your mouth if you see the house we live in and cars we drive. Nothing fancy. We get by with a little to spare. That doesn't make us rich. I'm sorry your own financial situation clouds your judgment so much and doesn't allow you to understand that.

You're squeezed? Tell me, do you have any of the following:
Gardener?
Maid/Housekeeper?
Nanny?
Do you have more than one car?

That isn't "squeezed".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If the OP worked only 40 hours a week, she'd be making about 125k. More than me; more than most. I bring home about $110k or $120k

I am paying $25k a year for daycare, I am a single parent. I am dreading college and the loans my kids will have to get. But, why shouldn't they have to pay to get their education? And then pay it back later? Doesn't that help teach them personal responsibility?

I pay PLENTY in state, local, medicare, and ss taxes. And I STILL don't think I am overtaxed.

I enjoy a very nice life and am grateful to live in a country that affords me that opportunity - a country that is run and defended with TAXES. My God, especially as a woman, do you have ANY idea how much better off we are here than almost any place else in the world? I am grateful that I will be allowed to send my daughters to an outrageously expensive college.

Quit yer whining and count your blessings, OP.

Best post of the entire thread.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the whining on this board makes me sick. Too many people don't realize how lucky they are to have the lives they do. What a crass and ugly sense of entitlement!!!!

My husband and I earn less than 110K between us, and I consider ourselves very very comfortable.

We own our house (recently bought, in a neighborhood many people on this board would no doubt find highly questionable, but we love it), we own a second-hand car (works marvelously), we have two kids (we manage to pay a nanny in a share situation and a cheap daycare), and we have great holidays.

Every once in a while we also manage to pay a babysitter so we can go out and have dinner/drinks with friends. We can go shopping to the organic supermarkets and buy fresh and tasty produce. We have TV, internet, and cell phones. We pay a monthly subscription to netflix so we can watch a movie whenever we want. Do you realize what a comfortable and luxurious life this is?!

We will send our kids to a public school, and when it comes to college, they'll have to take out a loan and pay for it themselves.

And if I knew my taxes would go towards helping provide universal healthcare and other services for the more needy in our society, I'd be happy to pay more taxes.

So yes, I agree with the others who say quit yer whining. It's damn ugly! You really need to get out and see how the rest of the world (i.e., over 95% of it) lives!!!! Than you'd count your blessings and appreciate how good you truly have it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even in DC this is not "common income." This is only common in your circle. You chose the career you have. You can choose to do something less demanding and have those holidays and weekends to yourself, but you can not blame other people who choose not to work as demanding a schedule. I imagine you still live a far grander lifestyle than most people, even if private school is such a stretch for you.

Oh piss off. We make about what the OP does and we are squeezed also. Everything costs so damn much here: food, daycare, taxes, commuting,etc. That's the price you pay and we like it here. But, I can assure you, also, we do not live "grand" in any sense of the word. You'd have a hard time withdrawing your foot from your mouth if you see the house we live in and cars we drive. Nothing fancy. We get by with a little to spare. That doesn't make us rich. I'm sorry your own financial situation clouds your judgment so much and doesn't allow you to understand that.

Well if you aren't living a "grand" life, then OP's brother on a government salary must be living in squalor because he only makes $120K. So why is the OP calling him the lucky one? It doesn't add up. Either you and OP didn't save what you should have, or OP's brother truly is deserving of a helping hand. You can't have it both ways.

[Anonymous]

I think some people on here think "squeezed" means "I can't quite afford to pay for the nicest version of everything I ever wanted or might want in the future without a second thought." That's a pretty skewed definition to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even in DC this is not "common income." This is only common in your circle. You chose the career you have. You can choose to do something less demanding and have those holidays and weekends to yourself, but you can not blame other people who choose not to work as demanding a schedule. I imagine you still live a far grander lifestyle than most people, even if private school is such a stretch for you.

Oh piss off. We make about what the OP does and we are squeezed also. Everything costs so damn much here: food, daycare, taxes, commuting,etc. That's the price you pay and we like it here. But, I can assure you, also, we do not live "grand" in any sense of the word. You'd have a hard time withdrawing your foot from your mouth if you see the house we live in and cars we drive. Nothing fancy. We get by with a little to spare. That doesn't make us rich. I'm sorry your own financial situation clouds your judgment so much and doesn't allow you to understand that.

Actually, our HHI is also very close to the OP, so I my financial situation does not "cloud my judgment." On the contrary, I think I live very well on a HHI of $220k and don't feel squeezed. I also live in a small house, we have one very old car, we take vacations but nothing lavish, we do not buy fancy clothes, children go to public schools and we rarely eat out. We do save a considerable amount of money and although our everyday lifestyle is very unspectacular we spend a lot of time together as a family, participate in a lot of activites, have a wide circle of friends and family and enjoy what we have and don't moan about what we don't. If you can't live on an income in the $200k range, then you are doing something fundamentally wrong. Despite living rather simply, I still feel that I also live "grander" a lifestyle than many people. I am in the position to make choices and many people are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even in DC this is not "common income." This is only common in your circle. You chose the career you have. You can choose to do something less demanding and have those holidays and weekends to yourself, but you can not blame other people who choose not to work as demanding a schedule. I imagine you still live a far grander lifestyle than most people, even if private school is such a stretch for you.

Oh piss off. We make about what the OP does and we are squeezed also. Everything costs so damn much here: food, daycare, taxes, commuting,etc. That's the price you pay and we like it here. But, I can assure you, also, we do not live "grand" in any sense of the word. You'd have a hard time withdrawing your foot from your mouth if you see the house we live in and cars we drive. Nothing fancy. We get by with a little to spare. That doesn't make us rich. I'm sorry your own financial situation clouds your judgment so much and doesn't allow you to understand that.

Actually, our HHI is also very close to the OP, so I my financial situation does not "cloud my judgment." On the contrary, I think I live very well on a HHI of $220k and don't feel squeezed. I also live in a small house, we have one very old car, we take vacations but nothing lavish, we do not buy fancy clothes, children go to public schools and we rarely eat out. We do save a considerable amount of money and although our everyday lifestyle is very unspectacular we spend a lot of time together as a family, participate in a lot of activites, have a wide circle of friends and family and enjoy what we have and don't moan about what we don't. If you can't live on an income in the $200k range, then you are doing something fundamentally wrong. Despite living rather simply, I still feel that I also live "grander" a lifestyle than many people. I am in the position to make choices and many people are not.

Very well said. Our situation is quite similar and I agree with you completely.

[Anonymous]

I have to say, OP, I'm not quite sure what you are complaining about. I'm not saying $225k around here is filthy rich, but you can't really be living in such a bubble that you think that you are "middle class" making that much. I also don't believe the posters who seem to think that you are being taxed at 50% income. My HHI is much higher than yours (we are rich making about $450k/year) and even *we* aren't taxed at that rate. After health insurance, taxes, retirement, etc., I still see about 65% of my income. So...I don't think we are being taxed to death or "squeezed". Of course I pay more in taxes than somebody in a lower income bracket, but I can afford it.

I haven't read all the posts, but I suspect OP lives in a fancy house and spends spends spends. I also suspect that OP has *not* been diligent in saving for her kids college educations. OP, this is your fault and your fault alone. At your income level, even after taxes, you should have been able to save a pretty good amount of $$ for college. If you haven't, you need to look around and ask yourself - gee, is that BMW really needed? Or the fancy vacations?

[Anonymous]

"I get that you $200K earners don't feel filthy rich, and you do feel squeezed. But do recognize that if you are worried about how to pay for private school and retirement at the same time, you have worries that are not typical of the middle class in the US these days. Middle class is just trying to hang on to a job and some kind of health care. "

That is very true. But, it is shocking that people in high earner professions (doctors, lawyers) are stressed about paying for college, when 20 years ago my blue collar worker parents were able to put my sister and I through private colleges with the help of some smallish scholarships and loans covering about 1/4 of the costs. And this is not because people are greedy or not frugal, but rather due to the sharply rising costs of things like health insurance, college tuition, housing, and saving for retirement (which for our parents generation was mostly funded by their employers).

I dislike OP's tone, but I understand the stress.

[Anonymous]

College is too damn expensive.

And something's got to give.

When you look at how great an education you can get essentially on your own, or at local community colleges, especially for the first 2 years, and then you look at the cost of many private colleges -- yeah, the education you get there may be better in some ways, but not $40K a year better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I get that you $200K earners don't feel filthy rich, and you do feel squeezed. But do recognize that if you are worried about how to pay for private school and retirement at the same time, you have worries that are not typical of the middle class in the US these days. Middle class is just trying to hang on to a job and some kind of health care. "

That is very true. But, it is shocking that people in high earner professions (doctors, lawyers) are stressed about paying for college,

I'm not surprised at all theat people in the upper classes are having trouble paying for college. I was only commenting that the OP is NOT middle class and shoudln't refer to himself or herself as such.

[Anonymous]

Ok, maybe I'm completely off here but DH and I bring home about $120K a year and I consider ourselves middle-class and very lucky. We're both professionals with graduate degrees and have good jobs. We live in a nice condo in Capitol Hill, have a car, internet, cable, everything we need or want. Our DD goes to a great preschool and we manage to take nice vacations, go out to dinner once a week, take a couple short weekend-long trips, etc... and we don't have any debt and save several thousand dollars every month. I consider ourselves VERY lucky and suggest OP takes a look outside of DC or even the US to see what most people's lives are like, especially women's...

And where I come from, people are heavily taxed and never see that money come back in any shape or form, so again, consider yourself lucky to live in a country where your money is mostly put to good use.