Feel poor at 300k HHI

[Anonymous]

Well come on. Of course it depends on context. If you're constantly hanging around people who all make double or even triple what you do, then yeah it makes sense that you'll feel poor. Because compared to them, you are. You can't comfortable spend 85k on a car or 110k to join a CC or drop 50k on travel every year. But you must know you aren't actually poor in an absolute sense.

If it really bothers you that much, try making more strictly MC friends.

[Anonymous]

The insecurity in these responses is epic.

[Anonymous]

Here's a secret some of your lavish friends aren't mentioning - they barely pay the minimum on their maxed out credit cards, their parents are still funding their lifestyles into their 40s, they have high paid jobs that they hate and spend on luxuries to have something to enjoy, or they're saving zero for their retirement or kids' education.

The grass is not always greener, continue to make responsible choices and things will work out well for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Our mortgage payments are fixed at about 3750/month. Student loans of 1k/month (one lawyer), and we have a nanny because we can't make our work schedule fit with daycare and have no local family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a secret some of your lavish friends aren't mentioning - they barely pay the minimum on their maxed out credit cards, their parents are still funding their lifestyles into their 40s, they have high paid jobs that they hate and spend on luxuries to have something to enjoy, or they're saving zero for their retirement or kids' education.

The grass is not always greener, continue to make responsible choices and things will work out well for you.

Thanks. Not OP, but hoping you are right.

[Anonymous]

There's a TON and I mean a TON of family money and family-subsidized lifestyles in the greater NW DC area. I live in upper NW and can think of at least 30 families who get (or got) money from their parents---be it through giant downpayments (think $500K or more), annual distributions to the gift max x 2 parents x every member of the family, actual trust funds, college accounts paid in full, vacations paid for by grandparents or all of the above.

I've never encountered this anywhere else I've lived besides NW DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're doing something wrong OP. We make 225k and feel rich. And that's with two kids! Pay off your loans and maybe you will feel better.

Yes, but where do you live...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Our mortgage payments are fixed at about 3750/month. Student loans of 1k/month (one lawyer), and we have a nanny because we can't make our work schedule fit with daycare and have no local family.

How is that so surprising for the DC area?

[Anonymous]

After nanny, student loans and mortgage, OP should still have roughly $6k a month to finance whatever lifestyle. You can't save a few hundred per month in a vacation fund with $15k net income?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a TON and I mean a TON of family money and family-subsidized lifestyles in the greater NW DC area. I live in upper NW and can think of at least 30 families who get (or got) money from their parents---be it through giant downpayments (think $500K or more), annual distributions to the gift max x 2 parents x every member of the family, actual trust funds, college accounts paid in full, vacations paid for by grandparents or all of the above.

I've never encountered this anywhere else I've lived besides NW DC.

Have you lived in Ny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UGH. UGH. Go away.

+100000

- HHI of 130,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a secret some of your lavish friends aren't mentioning - they barely pay the minimum on their maxed out credit cards, their parents are still funding their lifestyles into their 40s, they have high paid jobs that they hate and spend on luxuries to have something to enjoy, or they're saving zero for their retirement or kids' education.

The grass is not always greener, continue to make responsible choices and things will work out well for you.

Thanks. Not OP, but hoping you are right.

I don't think this is right. At least not about the credit card mins. There is just a lot of $ around here. Lots of people have family money. Or just make a lot. If it makes you feel better to believe they have no savings and are in debt up to their eyeballs, proceed. But it likely isn't true. They just have more money. Either from family or work.

[Anonymous]

We just paid 900k to teardown a shitbox and build new. The location is in good public schools full of midlevel lawyers. In dws home town the same comparable area full of rich doctors would be 700k on 2 acres brand-new. This area is full of dual incone people make 150k a year so much so it's average and pusges up housing prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just paid 900k to teardown a shitbox and build new. The location is in good public schools full of midlevel lawyers. In dws home town the same comparable area full of rich doctors would be 700k on 2 acres brand-new. This area is full of dual incone people make 150k a year so much so it's average and pusges up housing prices.

900k was the teardown, total cost is 1.5m.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a secret some of your lavish friends aren't mentioning - they barely pay the minimum on their maxed out credit cards, their parents are still funding their lifestyles into their 40s, they have high paid jobs that they hate and spend on luxuries to have something to enjoy, or they're saving zero for their retirement or kids' education.

The grass is not always greener, continue to make responsible choices and things will work out well for you.

Really don't know anyone who lives lifestyles subsidized by maxed out credit cards. That may have been the case when you were younger without families. No one does this now. You can't sustain it.

We have a low key lifestyle but we earn a 7 figure income.