Reply to FAFSA - is middle-class waste time applying?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]These threads always get derailed by bickering. [/b]If there are state/federal funds involved, even if it's designated merit, the school will likely require the FAFSA just to complete their accounting, confirm there's no double dipping and no additional eligibility. This is a case where OP would complete the FAFSA. The FAFSA is less info than a tax return. I don't see how a fed household would find this intrusive, cumbersome or unexpected. [/quote]

I thought about this.  If you google  “what is middle class”, it will usually be some sort of distribution for the region area and break that up into tiers.  But if you search things like how much did you need to make to afford x or y back  when we grew up - potentially people in that middle income range could afford a home, healthcare, and if it was a good job with a pension, they also had a retirement. I live in a neighborhood where people had 4-5 kids or more (back in the 1960’s) , sometimes one income, sent the kids to Catholic school and they could retire with a pension and healthcare.  Fast forward to today and say 120K for a family of four in Alexandria is considered middle income with 49% adults in the region - what that lifestyle looks like for middle income is different now than it was when we were growing up and it’s hard to say it’s a pick 3 - do you want to buy a single family home, fund retirement, have adequate healthcare, be able to have a parent stay home, pay for college etc.  This shifts that you have to be in that tier beyond middle income to afford what back is generation ago was middle class.  And one more income tier to live the lifestyle that was x years ago considered upper middle class.  [/quote]

We have a million times more wants than families had in the 60s and 70s.

What was considered middle class back then is comparable to what is considered lower class now.

Such as 3 generations in one home, 4 to 6 kids in a 3 bedroom - 1 bathroom house with no AC, a 10x12 ft eat in kitchen, no dishwasher, 1 small TV, 1 family car, eating out only on birthdays/special occasion, no tracel sports - SAT prep - private voice lessons - dance competition team - specialized summer camps,  kids getting jobs around middle school like babysitting/mowing lawns, no flying vacations...

300K is rich and everyone posting here has a far more luxurious lifestyle than any middle class family from the 60s or 70s.[/quote]

Exactly!  Previous generations had a lot less stuff. We lived in much smaller homes, kids shared bedrooms, homes had 1-2 bathrooms not 4+, we ate 1-2 meals per month of takeout or at the restaurant, no 10-12/week, we didn't have AC (I grew up in the Midwest--we needed it), etc.

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Mowed our own lawns, cleaned our own houses, painted and did minor repairs ourselves....[/quote]

Hung our laundry on a line...[/quote]

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