Why is $275k hhi now so poor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

op - you need to have a serious discussion with yourself - you are poor.

“What color is YOUR Bugatti?????”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to middle class life anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.

You must be ordering the double meat at Chipotle to be spending $42 for two people. Check your spending and know that you are the problem in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a single parent making $240K with student loan payments (doing PSLF and SLRP) and a paid off car and still feel like it’s pretty tight. I do max my retirement but with home repairs /maintenance and summer activities & school year lessons for kids there’s not much leftover every month. I don’t get to put $15K/year in a 529. I don’t take vacations, seldom eat out or pay for any “entertainment” for myself, and am dreading buying a new car, mine is 7 years old.

I’ve choices. We live well on much less.

Again, probably in a house with a lower interest rate and more appreciation. The above poster didn’t post anything indicating misplaced priorities or extravagance. So you are implying there’s some inappropriate spending on no evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.

Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.

You must be ordering the double meat at Chipotle to be spending $42 for two people. Check your spending and know that you are the problem in this thread.

Come on. I just got two pager sandwiches, an iced coffee and a donut at a takeout bagel store and it was $33. Just a few years ago it would have been <$25. A 30% increase in prices affects people at every level but the wealthiest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to middle class life anymore.

I'm sorry this is so difficult for you. Please post an itemized monthly budget so we can explain to you like you are 5 what you are doing wrong.

[Anonymous]

^bagel sandwiches

[Anonymous]

People laugh at GenX but the reason we are vibing now is bc we grew up in the 70s stagflation and learned how to live without daily luxuries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!

But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.

Precisely! This poster gets it.

Wow, you struggle with money because you go out to restaurants, you take a vacation, you get your hair done, and you drink boba? How dare you live a middle class lifestyle. The fact that living a middle class life style is now extraordinarily difficult on $275k means the middle class is ruined and prices are out of control.

$275k barely affords you access to middle class life anymore.

I'm sorry this is so difficult for you. Please post an itemized monthly budget so we can explain to you like you are 5 what you are doing wrong.

+1 those people are ridiculous.

What makes you think middle class people should be able to afford Starbucks everyday, and eat out, and take vacations, and get your nail and hair done, and buy expensive clothes? Those are all the things the ^^PP mentioned as being "middle class".

Some people's definition of "middle class" is completely bonkers.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/to-be-considered-middle-class-in-the-dmv-heres-how-much-money-you-need-to-be-making

The CNBC article pegged the high end of the DMV’s middle-class income as $221,000 per year.

-- that's the HIGH END of middle class.

OP makes more than that and doesn't even have kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

Ever heard of buying a used car?

[Anonymous]

OP I don’t know what to tell you that you won’t immediately argue w but we are in our late 30s/early 40s, make about 175 HHI and have 2 kids (family of 4), max out 401k, save for our kids’ college, have an large amount in an emergency fund, etc. If you can’t have a nice lifestyle on 275 w no kids you are doing something very wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

Ever heard of buying a used car?

Or a sedan and not a minivan when you don’t have kids?

Ps my family of origin never bought a new car in my entire life and their income was >$500K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

Ever heard of buying a used car?

Hahahahahahahaha

You just showed how completely out of touch you are with modern reality. Used cars aren't cheap and are often a ripoff. Used cars are so expensive own too.


Go back to your delusional 2005 world from 20 years ago, Jen. Home prices have doubled to tripled. Cars have doubled. Insurance has doubled. Groceries have doubled. Everything is way more expensive now then the world you are living in from 2 decades ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, thank you for working hard and pissing away all your hard earned money. Economy is doing well because of people like you.
Rich people see possibilities with any left over money; poor people see what they can't have - an Audi in this case. You lost me at the Audi. I just bought a new Mazda at 0% putting half down from my older car.
I don't put my money in 401k to rot, but I did double my money inside Roth accounts in under 6 months. I'm trying to do it again the next 6 months, so twice a year.
I do budget down to a dollar as I like it so much.
I work two days a week usually. I also took the whole summer off. Seems like my earned income will be $20k a year as it has been the last 25+ years.
Work smarter, not harder.

Oooohhhhh ooooo. I'm so impressed. Congrats, you'll either be the wealthiest corpse in the graveyard or a millionaire crapping in a diaper while you let life blow by with zero enjoyment and repaing the rewards of your labor while younger.

Lame.

DP, but I really don’t think driving a Mazda instead of an Audi and only working 2 days/week with summer off is letting life blow by with zero enjoyment.

I drive a minivan and love my sliding doors and fold down seats. Anyone who thinks being able to buy an Audi is the key to a good life is someone I feel sad for. But then again I live in a walkable area near metro and can go days at a time without driving my car. If I had to spend so much time in my car that they type or car I drive was of importance to me I would be pretty depressed.

Oh the irony. Minivans now cost $50k now, Janet.

Ever heard of buying a used car?

Hahahahahahahaha

You just showed how completely out of touch you are with modern reality. Used cars aren't cheap and are often a ripoff. Used cars are so expensive own too.


Go back to your delusional 2005 world from 20 years ago, Jen. Home prices have doubled to tripled. Cars have doubled. Insurance has doubled. Groceries have doubled. Everything is way more expensive now then the world you are living in from 2 decades ago.

dp.. we are currently living in the real world. We all pay similar prices for groceries, vacation, insurance, gas.

Some of us are fortunate to have lower mortgage rates than others, but some of us also have had mortgage rates that were around 6% in the past.

Some of us have also recently bought a car.

Many of us have kids and live on less than $275K. OP is a DINK and is complaining about being "poor" with that income.

OP is entitled. But, if we are wrong, then OP should list out their expenses and prove that they are "poor".