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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think part of the issue is that most of us in the $200k-$400k range push our income to its limits.  I.e. we buy the most expensive house we can afford, get the best car we can afford, renovate the house if we can afford it, but the kid in fancy preschool/the best daycare, etc.  So none of us feel like we just have a bunch of money lying around and can do/buy anything we want, which is what we expect "rich" to feel like.

Our HHI is around $300k (one kid) and I don't feel rich at all, because after mortgage, daycare, car payment, utilities, and retirement savings we have basically nothing leftover.  I am constantly thinking about whether we should be saving more for college, moving to a district with a better middle/high school, visiting both sets of grandparents this year, etc.  None of that can be accomplished without careful planning and tough choices.  So it's hard to feel "rich" in that situation, even though objectively I know I have a very nice and comfortable life and am better off than the vast majority of people in this country.  I think the more accurate thing is just to say "you are in the top x% of earners in [area]" and not try to use normative terms like "rich" or "affluent" that seem to imply a lifestyle that most of us don't have. [/quote]

This and I'll add as a single person making around 150k I feel very affluent but my expenses are barely anything

If I get married and have kids with daycare, bigger place to live mortgage payment, more expenses with 4 people instead of 1 overall at 300k I bet I would feel much less well off than I do single at 150k.  (Still well off though especially compared to most people)[/quote]

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