Reply to How the shit do normal people afford to live here?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you don't care much about social status, you can live a middle-class lifestyle on a moderate income here -- with some frugality and creativity.

This is how we do it on $70k combined (both self-employed with no employer benefits):

Housing: Hyattsville Historic District (3200 sf Victorian just reassessed at $240k)
Education: St. Jerome Academy ($7200 combined for 3 kids, including need-based financial aid)
Transportation: Two 12+ year old paid-off cars, the second bought used; we both work from home so no commuting costs
Clothing: Thrift stores (what wealthy Washingtonians wore a few times last year and then gave away)
Food: Aldi's and what we grow in our backyard garden
Dining/Entertainment: Gift cards from recipients of some of our volunteer work (which we have time to do since we're not working 70-hour weeks)
Health Insurance: Md. Health Insurance Program (a "Cadillac plan" but subsidized heavily for those of moderate incomes)
Telecommunications: FiOS Internet+Phone $50/month after much haggling; PagePlus Cellular $30/month x 2 (1200 minutes/1200 texts/200mb data)
Retirement: Plan to live with the kids as my parents and their parents did

Obviously Washington is an expensive area to live in.  But the flip side is that you can make what would be an average income elsewhere, and here it puts you into the subsidization categories.  And if your self-worth is not dependent upon where you live or what toys you have, then you can enjoy a pretty decent quality of life for well under the Washington median -- including living in a large, charming home in a safe, vibrant community and providing your kids with a great education.  
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I'm the poor person from up top. I like you guys! lol [/quote]

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