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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I make about $200k, and I definitely feel very rich. We can pay for any college our kids get accepted to out of cash flow - even if it's $70k a year.

We receive catalogues by mail for some crazy cruises with a price of $95k per person for a 3-week cruise. Who is taking a 3-week cruise paying $200k for a couple? Definitely nobody like us, yet that doesn't prevent me from feeling rich. I'm so far from thinking that if I can't afford that cruise, I must be a middle class.[/quote]

I don't understand how you could pay $70K a year out of $200K cash flow. Or does your spouse work?  $200K is about, what, $130K after taxes, so your net spend is only $60K annually now, so you could pay $70K for college?[/quote]

I am not the PP mentioning 200k and possibly paying 70k in tuition. However, I have an income / basic budget a bit similar to what you just described. It is possible.

My basic budget looks like this:

Mortgage, Property Tax, and Utilities:  1585/m ---&gt; admittedly, my costs here are unusually low, I drive a long way to work
Transportation (we have two car loans, drive a long way, etc): 1188/m
Food, clothes, recreation, eating out: $1560/m
Communication (cell phones, internet): 185/m
Student Loans: 855/m (gah!)
Total: $5373/m net, or $64,476/yr net

Our take-home, after payroll taxes, health insurance, and 5 percent to retirement [the least I'd ever consider] are subtracted, is roughly $9800/m or roughly $117,000/yr.

In an idyllic world, where I follow sager advice, my spending would stop at $65,000 and I'd bank 52k.

However, I have a child and education is important to me. Our relatives all live far away. As a result, the following items are also in my operating budget:

Travel to grandma and grandpas house: $2000/yr
Private school tuition and summer camp / after school: $28,000/yr [in the past we had infant care, daycare, et al]
My &quot;living large&quot; total: $95,000.

Ergo, for me personally 50-70k net equals security; 95k net buys the option for excellent private schools or a move to a better school district; anything over 95k net provides additional savings/retirement.

Could I find 70k for tuition? That might be pushing it. But I know I can find 20-30k (already been in that position for 6 yrs), and potentially I could drum up 40 to 50k if I had a good reason.[/quote]

Insurance (health, life, medical)? Vacations? Charity? Gifts?[/quote]

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