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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In came back to the DC area in 2008 after working abroad for 5 years.  My salary then was $65,000.  My DW and I bought a house near DTSS for $228,000.  We could have sold it at the peak of the bubble for about $600K.

From 2002 - 2003, we were single income as my DW went to grad school.  Our mortgage payment was $1500/mo.  In 2004, we went back overseas for four years (Korea).  During this time, and this is the only time in our 17 years of marriage, we were dual income.  We rented out our SS house for $1600/mo.  We saved enough money while overseas for a down payment on another house.  So, we bought a second home as a primary residence and continue to rent out the SS house.
We currently have a net work of $500K, $100K iinvested and available for college and $300K in my TSP.

I make approximately $140K as a Fed.  DW is SAHM.  We seem to be doing OK.  We dont' take extravagant vacations.  We drive old cars.  DD is in public schools in FFX and we are happy with them. So, it is completely doable depending on your lifestyle choices!

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Must be nice to have taken advantage of the housing boom and not have childcare expenses.[/quote]

Your children will not always require childcare costs. Just wait until braces and driver's license and college.  :)  There will always be another boom and bust cycle and you will be on the beneficial side then.  We bought at the top of the last boom (1989), 24 years later you guys are telling us we caught a "lucky" break.  It took over 10 years before our house value increased.  [/quote]

It's more than just housing and childcare expenses.  Healthcare costs have skyrocketed.  My copays look like I'm not even paying monthly premiums.  College expenses have risen exponentially, gas prices increased tremendously just in the last few years, 401k matching have gone done if you get any now.  People used to get good pensions.  So yes, I think things were overall cheaper in relation to salary 20 years ago compared to now.[/quote]

Blah blah blah, "our generation has it the worst" ...... :roll:   If you want to talk about sky rocketing gas, think 1974.  Or perhaps the double digit inflation of the late 1970's and early 1980's. Stagflation. Or maybe the devastating poverty of the 1930's.  Or all the men and women that lost their lives in WWI, or Viet Nam.    People didn't have 401k until the 90's.  College prices have always been the price of decent car - each year.  Still are. People didn't have 401ks until the 1990s.  Some people got good pensions, not everyone or even a majority - that is why so many elderly rely entirely on social security. AIDS used to be a death sentence.  Many cancers are now curable.  No polio or small pox.  All sorts of medical advancement have been made.  They cost money.

You have it so much better an you don't even know it.  Interest rates are at historic lows.  Inflation at historic lows.  Medical care advancements are astounding.[/quote]

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