Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 12:33     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:OP is definitely doing things wrong. Family of 4 with a lower HHI and a few million net worth. If they received a college degree, they should ask for a refund.


Easy to do when you probably had mommy and daddy money to pay for your crappy English and LA degrees.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 11:56     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:Wow, so many mid people ITT who don't even realize how mid and pretty poor they are.

The entire economy requires consumption. If middle class people stopped spending like people ITT keep promulgating, then the entire economy would collapse and you'd all be out of jobs, lol.


Stay poor then with your constant spending while we pile up our assets. Just don’t cry over your inability to ever retire.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 11:34     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
OP is definitely doing things wrong. Family of 4 with a lower HHI and a few million net worth. If they received a college degree, they should ask for a refund.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 11:24     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.


Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.



Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!


The roof example was ridiculous, but lots of the other points are valid.

OP, you seem to have a very warped view of what constituted middle class. I am 52, and the child of two public school teachers - pretty much the definition of middle class. Adjusting for inflation, they made a lot less that $275. A lot of the things you apparently believe were middle class stables just weren't. My parents moved 50 miles away form my father's job in order to afford the house that they wanted in an area where they wanted to raise kids. My father drove 100 miles a day for three decades, and brought a thermos of coffee (and his lunch) every day. I didn't get on a plane until I was in high school, and the first time I flew more than once in a year I was 26 years old. I never went on an international vacation with my parents. We changed the oil in our (very old) cars ourselves, and my parents didn't buy a new car until they retiremed. I didn't get food delivered until I was in college. My mother never had a housekeeper or cleaner in her life. The list goes on.

Now, our life was good - don't get me wrong. And also, a lot of the things that they did aren't really options now, and there are significant expenses now that weren't necessary back then (everyone in the family having a cell phone, for example). And today's planned obsolescence culture means that you have to replace expensive items that 4 decades ago could be fixed, and used for much longer. I get all that.

But the point is that you have this picture of a middle class lifestyle that really isn't accurate, and it is affecting your perception of how well you are doing, and how well you should be doing.


This is a good point. People complain about how expensive rent is, but the places that are 2.5K+ for a 1 bedroom are new buildings with huge windows, a nice gym, game room, work from home pods, and "luxury finishes." While it is true that luxury apartment buildings are now 50%+ of the supply in DC, the new generation doesn't want to live in an apartment building from 20 years ago with linoleum floors. In addition, I don't think people felt required to go to the nail salon every 2 weeks, or go to Starbucks every day, or grab take-out instead of cooking yourself. These things were considered treats, not staples.

My family was middle class and we didn't take any trips until I was in middle school. The only international trips were with my family, after I went to college, and when my parents were making more. Now I take an international trip at least once a year. I think we tend to forget that, in some respects, we're doing a lot more than our parents did when they were our age.

That said, I still agree with OP. I would have thought that 275K HHI would go further for DINKs than how far it actually goes. I would have at least expected that OP could go to Starbucks every day with some money leftover after purchasing only a 650K home.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 11:21     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Wow, so many mid people ITT who don't even realize how mid and pretty poor they are.

The entire economy requires consumption. If middle class people stopped spending like people ITT keep promulgating, then the entire economy would collapse and you'd all be out of jobs, lol.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 11:14     Subject: Re:Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
LOL you don't what poor is! SMH

Appreciate what you have.
You are so blessed.
Why is all you can see lack???

This has to do with your mind, not the money.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:58     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.


Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.



Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!


The roof example was ridiculous, but lots of the other points are valid.

OP, you seem to have a very warped view of what constituted middle class. I am 52, and the child of two public school teachers - pretty much the definition of middle class. Adjusting for inflation, they made a lot less that $275. A lot of the things you apparently believe were middle class stables just weren't. My parents moved 50 miles away form my father's job in order to afford the house that they wanted in an area where they wanted to raise kids. My father drove 100 miles a day for three decades, and brought a thermos of coffee (and his lunch) every day. I didn't get on a plane until I was in high school, and the first time I flew more than once in a year I was 26 years old. I never went on an international vacation with my parents. We changed the oil in our (very old) cars ourselves, and my parents didn't buy a new car until they retiremed. I didn't get food delivered until I was in college. My mother never had a housekeeper or cleaner in her life. The list goes on.

Now, our life was good - don't get me wrong. And also, a lot of the things that they did aren't really options now, and there are significant expenses now that weren't necessary back then (everyone in the family having a cell phone, for example). And today's planned obsolescence culture means that you have to replace expensive items that 4 decades ago could be fixed, and used for much longer. I get all that.

But the point is that you have this picture of a middle class lifestyle that really isn't accurate, and it is affecting your perception of how well you are doing, and how well you should be doing.


Agreed!
MC meant you lived in a basic home, if you were lucky there were 2 bathrooms and maybe AC. You took your lunch to school daily (or had to use your allowance/babysitting money to pay for your lunch yourself). My parents always took their lunches/snacks to work. We ate out maybe once every 2 weeks, and that was take out pizza or Sizzler (where each person had unlimited food for $5-6). Our vacations were always driving with the popup camper where we used the public facilities. My parents never flew, except for a job interview (we moved a lot). I think their first flight for Pleasure trip was for my siblings wedding when they were 50+.
Their first color TV was when I was 25 (I'm the baby). They never had cable or any luxuries. I got a clothing budget of $100/year and had to make it last. I usually added to it with the $25 I got for my bday and xmas so I had $150 to spend. I had 1 pair of shoes for school and 1 pair of dress shoes for church and that was it, unless I spent my own money. I can recall having a "party phone line" when we lived in a rural area. I was in college before my parents had anything other than a rotary dial phone (it was cheaper)
The list could go on and on. But point is what many consider "needs" today are really wants and many MC people don't have them.


Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:55     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
My husbands dad was a janitor so not even middle class. But he taught my husband so much about home maintenance! We have definitely saved a lot over the years with my husband installing the water line for a bidet, maintaining our furnace, doing minor auto repairs. It scares the crap out of me when he insists on doing electrical stuff - but it’s doubtful that we could have afforded our summer house if we had to pay for things like tiling the laundry room, front foyer, etc. But even with that expertise we don’t do construction just repairs.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:52     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!


But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.


If you make $275K as a single person income your hair needs to be presentable and not have 3 inches of visible roots and dry ends to keep that job


Or just don't start coloring your hair in the first place. I make way more than that. Never colored/highlighted/done anything except haircuts and styling. You can make yourself beautiful without $500 of haircare monthly
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:50     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.


Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.



Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!


+1. Who DIY’s replacing a roof? Her house is probably a patchwork of one crap project after the other.


A person who wants a solar roof installed for the price of a typical, trashy asphalt shingle roof? DH and I only hire contractors for low-level, low-impact projects when we’ve run out of available time. Only so many hours in the day after all. There’s no such thing in our household as hiring a contractor to do something simply because we lack the skill or capability ourselves. Is this even a thing?!? Totally surprised to think this might be true. People can’t just read a book and figure stuff out?


I have the skills to put on a new roof---helped parents while growing up---dad did everything except HVAC. Sure, I can read and figure it out, and I used to when we were young. But now I happily outsource all of that to highly qualified people. It's called contributing to the economy.

My spouse makes close to $500/hour. They are defiantly not interested in spending their free time doing house repairs. So we pay people to do it. It's called prioritizing
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:42     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you're a DINK, I'm assuming that you guys are young so you haven't built any wealth yet (which takes time) and you guys either just spent a lot of money or will need to spend a lot of money very soon (wedding, buying your house, future down payment for a bigger house when you have kids in the future). If you just bought a house, maybe you're in the 8% interest rates.

There are many reasons why you're suffering compared to other couples with similar HHI but who are older. For example, maybe they bought their home when it was only worth 500K, refinanced, and now they're coasting on their 2K/month mortgage and additional 500k equity.

It's okay, OP. Just carry on for 10 more years and you'll get some raises, refinance to lower mortgage rates, and see your savings compound. And then you'll feel like you've made it and be able to brag about your retirement savings like everyone else in DCUM.



Eggxactly. So many delusional boomers and gen x jens who probably bought properties 45 years ago when it was $120k and refinanced into a 2.5% interest loan. They have no concept that a nonPOS 1 br apartment now runs $2500 per mo, and a $550k POS fixer upper home with 7% interest translates to almost $4k per mo. Delusional old people think it is still 1994.


All that overpaying 1, 2 and 300,000 over ask started with Millennial Michelle and them. Jen got everything 10% off of moved on. Now you crying about inflation? You’re in a bed of your own making



Ahhh yes.. first they blamed Millennials for killing napkins, now they blame Millennials for inflation.

Good lord, I hope one day when Millennials take over the govt they cut your boomer medicare and social security bennies in half as retribution for ruining the country.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:27     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How old are you and how long have you been making that? You should be doing fine. When we were dinks making that, we had a subscription to the theater, went out for dinner a lot, bought a lot of clothes, visited friends in NYC, flew to visit parents a few times a year, did home renovations, etc. - plenty of money that didn’t need to be spent - unless you have backbreaking student loans. Then that’s the issue.



Look Jennifer from Gen X, it isn’t 1998 anymore. It is 2024. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but car and home insurance has risen by 30% in the last 3 years. Shopping around barely saves money. Gas is never going back down below $3.50 again. Groceries are insane. Garbage chipotle food now costs $42 for two people. Imagine how bad dining out is now when friggin fast food costs $40. A new stupid minivan for soccer moms is $50k.

Everything about American life sucks AZZ. You aren’t comfortable unless you’re now making. $500k. Maybe you should retire your waffle thermals and nirvana Ts and join the year 2024, Jen from latchkey.


I don’t know if you’re trolling, but I agree lol.

Insurance costs HAVE skyrocketed - health is $2000 a month for us. Our home insurance has double to $8000 a year. Car insurance nearly doubled too. We live on the west coast and gas is always above $5.00 a gallon. We spend at least $750/mo on GAS for our vehicles. Yes our next car will be electric. Kid costs are exploding beyond anything we imagined. As a Dink, you have avoided the biggest drain on your resources - it’s nothing compared to all the things you’ve mentioned.


Leave California you idiot. Our home, car and umbrella insurance combined is under $2k. I fill up 2x a month at $60 each time.


Trust me I am planning on it…


Fine and when you move to Texas don’t pay $500k over ask because “wE hAVe ThE MoNEy” 🙄
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:21     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.


Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.



Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!


The roof example was ridiculous, but lots of the other points are valid.

OP, you seem to have a very warped view of what constituted middle class. I am 52, and the child of two public school teachers - pretty much the definition of middle class. Adjusting for inflation, they made a lot less that $275. A lot of the things you apparently believe were middle class stables just weren't. My parents moved 50 miles away form my father's job in order to afford the house that they wanted in an area where they wanted to raise kids. My father drove 100 miles a day for three decades, and brought a thermos of coffee (and his lunch) every day. I didn't get on a plane until I was in high school, and the first time I flew more than once in a year I was 26 years old. I never went on an international vacation with my parents. We changed the oil in our (very old) cars ourselves, and my parents didn't buy a new car until they retiremed. I didn't get food delivered until I was in college. My mother never had a housekeeper or cleaner in her life. The list goes on.

Now, our life was good - don't get me wrong. And also, a lot of the things that they did aren't really options now, and there are significant expenses now that weren't necessary back then (everyone in the family having a cell phone, for example). And today's planned obsolescence culture means that you have to replace expensive items that 4 decades ago could be fixed, and used for much longer. I get all that.

But the point is that you have this picture of a middle class lifestyle that really isn't accurate, and it is affecting your perception of how well you are doing, and how well you should be doing.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:14     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m guessing you eat out all the time and constantly getting Starbucks and boba without even thinking. You have multiple streaming accounts and order from Amazon whenever you need or want something without thinking.
You get your hair and nails done every 6 weeks and buy expensive clothes. It doesnt matter how your house and car is, this
kind of spending adds up fast!


But if you're arguing that someone making 275K shouldn't be getting their hair done, then it does suggest that they are no longer middle class. Certainly in previous generations, middle class people got haircuts and didn't consider them a luxury.


If you make $275K as a single person income your hair needs to be presentable and not have 3 inches of visible roots and dry ends to keep that job
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2024 10:12     Subject: Why is $275k hhi now so poor?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop blowing smoke up my arse trying to claim $275k hhi is just fine and dandy these days. It is not. We are friggin dinks with virtually no debt except our mortgage on a very modest $625k home. We rake in $275k and are super middle class, it’s insane. Right now driving an 8 year old cheap Mazda 3 bought for $20k snd is paid off. I dread the day we need a new car, because a new car payment will place huge strain on our finances. I think we can only afford a Toyota sedan next. You’d think dinks making almost $300k could afford an Audi these days, but nope. Car insurance, home insurance, taxes, groceries……all of it demolishes you. We only take 1 vacation too per year.

Ok, we might tread water, I’ll give you that. But we aren’t THRIVING. I feel like you’ll only thrive on a $500k income these days. And that’s only from a DINK perspective! I dunno how everyone else who is poorer AND has kids survives. You all survive on malk and beans? Who knew the American dream for family people meant a life of brittle bones and cutting coupons, lol. Prices are so outta control. It is bonkers.


Try rolling up your sleeves and doing some actual work instead of outsourcing everything. No doubt you have a housecleaning service, lawn service, and pay contractors for even the simplest of home improvement tasks (e.g., putting on a new roof).

DH and I both work, have two kids, have an HHI of $250K, and have no issues saving 30% of our gross HHI while also setting aside $1K net per month for college savings. We just added a new 1000sqft composite deck, 300sqft screened porch, and 2000sqft of hardscaping and water features in NOVA for only $60K. Contractors wanted $250K for the same.

Don’t be so useless and lazy and you’ll find that $275K is plenty.



Sure Susan. Let me just go replace my roof after watching some YouTube videos, lol. Absolutely nothing could go wrong working on a home repair like that with a bad spine and multiple tons of shingles to haul up 20 feet. And all alone.

I bet allmof the quality of your DIY projects are trash, and you probably violated multiple building codes that will make it difficult to unload your garbage house. Have fun!


Perhaps we’re in a different league, but we possess both the intellect and physical strength and stamina needed to take on any project. Everything always inspected and passes with flying colors. In fact, inspectors are totally blown away by the flawlessness of our work. Just installed a new 80A subpanel in our garage to run dual electric vehicle charging stations…plus a whole house surge protector while we were at it. A mere $1500 in supplies (including the $1000 needed for a couple of JuiceBox chargers). Electricians wanted $5000+ and most only wanted to install outlets running from the main panel. Idiots.

Next up is some new porcelain tile flooring with sequentially connected WiFi- and timer-controlled radiant mesh heating.

Basic stuff, people!

You’re an idiot.