Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle class is $70K -$120K

Where? OP clearly states in the DMV and I can't imagine anyone surviving on that here. Not living comfortably.

Read the data from the US census. DCUM has an extremely warped sense of money. The median household income is nowhere near as high as people think. Yet clearly millions of people survive in this region.

Middle class is an antiquated term
A century ago there was the working class, middle class and the nobles
Working class was the factory workers, maids cooks, farm laborers
Middle class was the working professionals; teachers, nurses, artisans, mom and pop store owners
A little above that the higher paying people: Dr, lawyers, engineers, parish priests

Now the variety of careers and professions has grown and exploded, nobody lives that 70s lifestyle anymore. Families used to have breakfast together, radio was on, people had tea, coffee and sandwiches at the dinner table and the farther had time for read the newspaper before heading out to work

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not middle class lifestyle.

What do you consider a middle class lifestyle?

Own home
No retirement saving but maybe retirement from work
No college savings
Working poor
Vacation at local beach is a stretch

This but camping or cheap vacation every few years. Beach is expensive.

Almost every local beach has camping or you rent a 1 bedroom and all pile in, not on the beach.. over the bridge... there is always a bridge.