Me: Paralegal, 35, $82K
H: Sales, 36, $170K

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:500k, physician, 29 yo

Lier from money and finances already here

It's not even the person who earns 500k it's his 40 yo wife lol

Yeah, as someone pointed out in another forum, what kind of doctor makes $500k after a 3-year residency in the DC area. It doesn't add up.

It takes so many more years of training for a higher-earning specialty: e.g. invasive cardiology, interventional radiology, surgery, etc...

Also, doctors often get paid more in smaller cities where there's less competition.

50 years old. Lawyer. $220K plus bonus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like everyone here makes SO MUCH MONEY and I don't get it. Are you all lawyers? We are living on a HHI of $200K and it seems like we are destitute compared to everyone here. I work at a non-profit organization and make a paltry $75K a year. Should I be looking for a new job? I've been in the workforce for almost 10 years.

HHI ($155-160k)
Me: 36, $100k (GS-13) Procurement Analyst, nearly 15 years in Contracting
Hubs: 35, $50k (GS-6) Fireifghter+$5-10k as adjunct, very part time instructor for paramedic classes

1. Why I laugh when anyone suggests or implies I become a SAHM.
2. We live no where near DC as in an entirely different region of US. We live very comfortably with housing $100/sq ft, quality childcare under $1k/mo for 2 kids under 5, & live in the best school system in the area. Your salary would go a very long way if it weren't for such a high COL in your area.

This sounds great! Where do you live?

Both 35 yo with 10-12 years experience.
Writer: $80k
Health director: $100k

Gov contractor, doing desk research in health. 36 y/o, Master's degree. $95k
Hubs is Master's educated engineer, 33 y/o working for gov, making $110k. He could make lots more in private sector but his job is low stress and he has excellent benefits and leave. That's worth a lot more to us.

I spent years and years in internships, low paying jobs and 3 years of piecing together work during the recession. It has made me realize what I really need and what is excess. In this market, $200k HHI is not really a lot, considering cost of child care and housing, but really its not what you earn, its what you spend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way the "feds" reply on this listserv make me cringe. They sound so entitled and self righteous. They don't need to explain to anyone what they do, but making $225K is totally OK. Median household income in 2014 was $51,939. That includes double income households.

I'm not saying everyone has to make $52K or even twice that $104K, I'm saying that more than 50% of Americans are paying taxes based on salaries of $52k...

Agree. The producers of the world support these leeches. The money and power headed to dc to intrude on our lives is DISGUSTING. It will be nice to see the vast majority of their useless jobs dismantled by small govt leadership. Get real jobs, folks!!!

Ok- I will stop intruding on your life, then. I will stop making sure defective airbags are tested appropriately and safely. I will stop making sure that cargo airplane shipments are in compliance and safe...yup, I really need to get a real job!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The comment about military spending being too high is laughable.

Why?

I agree that military spending is generally too high, but military salaries are not. Look up what an E-2 or E-3 is making. These are the men and women who put their lives at risk and they make less than if they'd chosen to work at McDonalds. They also are not the recipients of pensions (have to committ to 20 years for a pension, only 17% across the military do that) or any sort of retirement matching. But BAH (housing allowance), salary freezes, commissary privileges, medical care, etc. are always first on the defense budget chopping block rather than their wasteful contracts for equipment that will never be used. It's shameful.

The actual salary # might not be too high, but the tax benefits, housing allowance, food, etc add up to a cushy situation for some.

Anonymous wrote:It seems like everyone here makes SO MUCH MONEY and I don't get it. Are you all lawyers? We are living on a HHI of $200K and it seems like we are destitute compared to everyone here. I work at a non-profit organization and make a paltry $75K a year. Should I be looking for a new job? I've been in the workforce for almost 10 years.

HHI ($155-160k)
Me: 36, $100k (GS-13) Procurement Analyst, nearly 15 years in Contracting
Hubs: 35, $50k (GS-6) Fireifghter+$5-10k as adjunct, very part time instructor for paramedic classes

1. Why I laugh when anyone suggests or implies I become a SAHM.
2. We live no where near DC as in an entirely different region of US. We live very comfortably with housing $100/sq ft, quality childcare under $1k/mo for 2 kids under 5, & live in the best school system in the area. Your salary would go a very long way if it weren't for such a high COL in your area.

Anonymous wrote:500k, physician, 29 yo

Lier from money and finances already here

It's not even the person who earns 500k it's his 40 yo wife lol

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way the "feds" reply on this listserv make me cringe. They sound so entitled and self righteous. They don't need to explain to anyone what they do, but making $225K is totally OK. Median household income in 2014 was $51,939. That includes double income households.

I'm not saying everyone has to make $52K or even twice that $104K, I'm saying that more than 50% of Americans are paying taxes based on salaries of $52k...

I am not a fad, but there are skills that would command much higher salaries in the private sector. I know the young people from Google, Amazon....at USDS actually took a big pay cut to work in fed IT.

This is a myth. The vast majority of fed employees are not employable at their same rate in the private sector. A sizeable minority (small majority?) are completely unemployable outside of govt work.

It is true for lawyers, doctors, and scientists. Most of them could make substantially more in the private sector. It is also true that federal "unskilled workers" are likely making more than they would in the private sector.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way the "feds" reply on this listserv make me cringe. They sound so entitled and self righteous. They don't need to explain to anyone what they do, but making $225K is totally OK. Median household income in 2014 was $51,939. That includes double income households.

I'm not saying everyone has to make $52K or even twice that $104K, I'm saying that more than 50% of Americans are paying taxes based on salaries of $52k...

I am not a fad, but there are skills that would command much higher salaries in the private sector. I know the young people from Google, Amazon....at USDS actually took a big pay cut to work in fed IT.

This is a myth. The vast majority of fed employees are not employable at their same rate in the private sector. A sizeable minority (small majority?) are completely unemployable outside of govt work.

NP here. I worked in the private sector before coming to the Federal Government. I made almost twice what I make now. I had offers to continue on - but just wanted something with more normal hours. I usually ended up working until 8pm most nights and at least one day each weekend (sometimes both days). I decided I wanted something more family friendly - so I went to work for the government. I am a GS-14. I work in the same field, but everything is no longer an urgent rush. I am off work between 4:30-5:00pm. I do not work weekends. I telework 100% of the time. All tradeoffs I willingly accepted for a large reduction in salary.

I did work in DC for a few years. There are MANY employees who are starting to navigate to the federal government because it is more family friendly. Quite a few people I have worked with (Engineers, analysts etc) with 30+ years experience. SHARP people - who could make more in the private sector- but don't want to deal with the hassle of needing to put more than 40hours a week in.

I have also worked with some, who are completely unemployable in the public sector, but those are the exceptions - not the rule (less than 5%). It is frustrating, but it certainly isn't the norm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way the "feds" reply on this listserv make me cringe. They sound so entitled and self righteous. They don't need to explain to anyone what they do, but making $225K is totally OK. Median household income in 2014 was $51,939. That includes double income households.

I'm not saying everyone has to make $52K or even twice that $104K, I'm saying that more than 50% of Americans are paying taxes based on salaries of $52k...

I am not a fad, but there are skills that would command much higher salaries in the private sector. I know the young people from Google, Amazon....at USDS actually took a big pay cut to work in fed IT.

This is a myth. The vast majority of fed employees are not employable at their same rate in the private sector. A sizeable minority (small majority?) are completely unemployable outside of govt work.

Anonymous wrote:The way the "feds" reply on this listserv make me cringe. They sound so entitled and self righteous. They don't need to explain to anyone what they do, but making $225K is totally OK. Median household income in 2014 was $51,939. That includes double income households.

I'm not saying everyone has to make $52K or even twice that $104K, I'm saying that more than 50% of Americans are paying taxes based on salaries of $52k...

Agree. The producers of the world support these leeches. The money and power headed to dc to intrude on our lives is DISGUSTING. It will be nice to see the vast majority of their useless jobs dismantled by small govt leadership. Get real jobs, folks!!!

500k, physician, 29 yo