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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree.  Just for a point reference so we are all on the same page--what in your book qualifies as middle class?  It seems like peoples definition of middle class runs the gamut especially in DC.  [/quote]

In NW DC, Middle class is : college educated , earning between 75 K and 300K a year ( oro slightly less than 75 K if you are a teacher or gov't employee . [/quote]

I'm a college educated teacher (with a Master's) who makes more than slightly less ($60K).  Do I qualify as middle class?  If so, what in God's name do I have in common with people who make $300K?[/quote]

I was wondering the same thing. I am married to a teacher who is in the exact same position as you education wise and salary wise. I am a government attorney so our HHI is close to $175K. His coworkers (who don't know what I do for a living) constantly question how he can afford to live where we do (which is not some rich fancy area) or how he can afford to drive the car he does (a 2005 car with 200,000 miles). When he tells me this I seriously wonder how a single teacher or even two married teachers are living a so called middle class lifestyle? Sorry, but $75K a year is NOT middle class. I do consider my husband and I to be middle class, but given our student loans (over $300K) we are teetering on the lower middle class side. The only thing I have in commone with someone who makes $300K is that my student loan bill is that high. LOL

That being said, as you commented in your most recent post we too are committed to sending our DC to private school even if that means working a second job to make it happen. [/quote]

New poster here.  I just read the thread above and wanted to offer a little advice to the poster (the government attorney married to the teacher).  They have an HHI of 175K, and they have students loans of $300K!  That student loan figure is staggering.  Nevertheless, they say they are committed to sending their DC to private school even if working a second job to make it happen.

I work as a financial planner.  Forgive the unsolicited advice, but it is imperative that you not spend any money on private school tuition.  Instead, you should be focusing on the student loans.  If you can get full financial aid for your children, then go ahead and send them to private school.  But with that amount of student loans, you'll greatly regret it later if you spend money on tuition.  If your public schools are not good where you live, then you should move.  At your salaries, it's not like you're making a great income now as it is.  I would just try to move to a place where there is a lower cost of living.

What kinds of colleges/universities did you attend?  Was it worth it to go to those particular schools?  Perhaps not for the income you're making.[/quote]

While I appreciate your advise as a financial planner it's not what we are going to do. First, we don't anticipate ever being able to zero out our student loan balances. So we will pay on them what we can and have accepted it's a lifetime debt we are going to have. However, to the extent we can make other sacrifices to afford a good education for our children then we will make them. That being what it is, We would move if it where a reasonable option but it's not. We wouldn't reduce our monthly mortgage amount even if we moved. Relatively speaking our mortgage is reasonable. I checked current rent prices in the surrounding areas and to move into a better school district would actually cost us more per month even if we were renting a 2 bedroom apartment.

We both went to top 25 universities for undergrad and law/graduate school. In hindsight no it wasn't the best decision given the career paths we chose. However, as first generation college students we didn't know any better. We certainly wouldn't advise our
Children to do the same. The bulk of the loans are mine from law school. We do hope to pay down my husbands at some point (a portion will be forgiven after a certain time period) but that's only going to move the needle marginally. Either way I won't be held hostage by my student loans and I'm certainly not going to move my kids in a ghetto over them.[/quote]

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