Reply to Poverty level is $140,000 for a family. Really.

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Reply to "Poverty level is $140,000 for a family. Really."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]140K can be rich in DC depending on your situation.

For example my kid lives in a rent controlled apt in Adam Morgan.

The women who is on site manager has two kids and is married. She does the apt showings, makes sure work is done by porter and staff. But the building is old and runs like clockwork so not really a full time job. Just has to be around for stuff like when an apt is is free to be shown and check work is actually done.

She does it for free and in return she gets a free two bedroom apartment, utilities and parking included. Kids school is up the block she walks them to and from school.

If her husband made 140K she be in my opinion rich.

[b]A dual income couple both in the office with childcare and a mortgage at 140K would be poor. [/b][/quote]

That is exactly his point.  In his article, he says the poverty line for a dual-income couple with 2 kids who need childcare and a mortgage.  This is pasted from his article:

"Using conservative, national-average data:

Childcare: $32,773
Housing: $23,267
Food: $14,717
Transportation: $14,828
Healthcare: $10,567
Other essentials: $21,857
Required net income: $118,009

Add federal, state, and FICA taxes of roughly $18,500, and you arrive at a required gross income of $136,500."[/quote]
That’s not poverty. That’s living an honest life with two cars and an apartment with healthcare and food. Trips to Va wine country and Major cities are cheap ways to have ‘vacations’ like camping. Amazing that poverty is now considered having all those things.[/quote]

100%. This thread was shocking to read. Since when is summer camp or expensive kid activities an essential? People look at how the UMC lives and assumes that means the MC gets those things too and if not, that means they’re poverty level. [/quote]

I lived in "secret poverty" growing up. My dad was in an out of work and my mom did part time stuff. They didnt own a home so we moved a few times so they could find better rent. We weren't starving by any means but we had a strict budget and by the end of the week there was usually only bread and peanut butter left. Me and my siblings never got money for yearbooks or book fair or extras. We didnt go to the movies or the mall or anywhere that had an entrance fee. We did sometimes play sports so i guess they budgeted that in or got a deal or something. We spent a lot of time at parks and playgrounds. We wore hand me downs. I never had a car. We went camping or to visit grandparents for vacation. We did not go to the doctor or dentist.

I was fed and cared for and life was mostly fine. I was smart and had friends. I played outside and went to the library on weekends.

But in retrospect we were really poor and i missed out on a lot. I dont know their actual income but it wasn't enough to happily raise a family. Im thinking this $140K number is kind of similar to that for today. I am so glad I can raise my kids differently.[/quote]

Very sweet post. Thank you for sharing.[/quote]

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