Reply to Income 100k for 35 year old is working poor

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I believe he means that "Internet, TV, Student loans, VA Dominon Power, Cell Phone" are  $500/monthly total, and that he uses his credit card to pay for "FOOD, GAS, Metro, Drinks, going out, Door Dash" which totals $2K/month.

What's not clear is whether he's using the credit card to get points or some other rebate, etc and paying it off each month, or if those are actually costs he's carrying month to month on his credit card.

Is that a correct interpretation, OP?
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Pretty sure the credit card is for gas, groceries, entertainment etc. Not carrying cost on a balance. I pay for everything by credit to to get the points and pay off the balance every month. I also pay my utilities and phone bills by credit. As a single I easily spend 2,000 a month on the card just for everyday living. [/quote]

Assuming that , $2K does not include rent/mortgage, that's great for you, but you are a rich spender. It's certainly not essential to having a rewarding middle class life as a single. [/quote]

This is the poster you're responding to. Out of the 2k a month on credit card this is how it breaks down, typically:

800ish for groceries etc
300 for gas / commuting costs / parking on the days I go into the office
170 for internet + phone
100 for utilities, higher in winter, lower in summer, so 100 is average
100 for pet expenditures, either pet food or a once / twice yearly pet vet visit averaged out
100 a month for social F&B, the rare lunch out with a friend, a takeway one night because I've been busy/tired, a drink at a happy hour after work once in a blue moon. I rarely eat out specifically to save money.
70 for gym membership

That's up to about 1650. But there's always something else every month, like this month is a plumber's bill. Next month is installing a new kitchen fan to replace the one that broke. Little things that come up and which can't be planned for but still happen.

You seem pretty clueless if you think this is "rich spending."

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$800 on groceries for one person a month? Stop going to Whole Paycheck? Also yes, obviously if OP is renting they are doing home maintenance. The OP and you both seem pretty clueless about what working poor means.[/quote]

I'm not the OP and I wouldn't say OP is "working poor" which clearly raised some hackles. At the same time OP isn't living extravagantly either.

800 a month for groceries inclusive of cleaning supplies is not wildly unrealistic either.  Now, I do have the option of spending 800 a month on groceries and household supplies because I am not poor like some of you must be. Which is great. But I definitely watch what I spend and do not eat extravagantly. So I have sympathy for OP. There is only so much he can scale back on to save extra money without life becoming unbearable. He needs to find a higher paying job to keep up. [/quote]

$800/month for groceries including cleaning supplies for one person is certainly a lot. He has a lot to scale back on from his casual mention of Door Dash. You both need a reality check.[/quote]

We track our monthly expenses, $700-750 is what we spend for a family of 4 with two teens and a dog and whatever household supplies we buy at the grocery store.  We're not trying to be frugal and we eat healthily--it's just what the budget comes out to be.  [/quote]

So 1 person should be able to do this for $400 easily.  Cook a meal for 2-3 people, then have it again the next night or 2 nights later and freeze one meal. $800 for 1 person is ridiculous and can easily be cut in half. Then use the extra $400 to pay off that car faster.  Then save the $350 car payment, so you will have money for your next car, and use the other $400 saved (from groceries) to invest/build emergency fund. 
They are Not poor, but they are not budgeting well and likely spending a lot of extraneous $$ on wants not needs
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