Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 16:17     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Here I am as a single Mom and wants to move to McLean in the next 2 years. I thought my budget should be OK.
HHI is about $110K. Take home after tax and max out 41K is $6K.
Rent and utility $2.5k
Food for 3 people $600
Health Ins $0. Employer paid for us
Life Ins $75
Car Ins $60
Phone & Internet $50
Gas $200
Roth IRA $500
Total is $4k for all spending. $2K per month for saving ?
2 Kids in puplic school. No after school care cost.


Phone/Internet will be more than $50. I have just Internet and its $50 and the cheapest I could find. Do you have a cell phone bill? Are you planning to get cable? You don't mention a car payment. Even if you own your car, you need to start saving for a new one and/or repairs on your current one. Are you putting anything towards college? What about birthday/holiday gifts for your kids and other family. Do you receive child support?

I did stop by one of the apt this spring with assigned Sherman ES. 2 bedrooms was little than 2k before utility. The same apt is now for 2.5k
My kids are only 3 yrs. I do not need ES for 2 more yrs. I knew daycare in McLean is not cheap. There are not many apts with Sherman ES.
Rent goes up every yr but income does not. I don't want to tell my kids one day that they have to move to new ES because mom can't keep up with the rent. I have flex works that I can pick up the kids from school bus stop. Therefore, no child care cost before and after school ( I do pay for daycare at this time and the cost is not the problem ). My kids wear hand down clothes. I only buy 4 pairs of shoes per child (2 tennis style landsend brand, 1 open toes summer shoes landsend brand, 1 close toes water shoes kmart for $10 each. I stocked up all the way to size 3. I hope they will like the shoes ), new under pants, new socks. Wash clothes every other day. I have Comcast Internet for $39.95. Cox should has the same price ? I use pay per minute cell phone. My kids are 3 yrs => I don't use phone except for schedule yearly checkup. No car payment. I alway pay for new car because I don't know how to buy used car. Each car last for 10 yrs. I do have some money but I don't want to spend it. $100 per child for birthday. Friend's should be $20. But so far my kids got only 2 parties. Other family members, just cards and no money. Thank you everyone. I will think very hard before I move


All this sacrifice for your kids and when they go to school the run of the mill McLean kid will make fun of them for not having a McMansion, a BMW and designer shoes / clothes. True story.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 16:15     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Here I am as a single Mom and wants to move to McLean in the next 2 years. I thought my budget should be OK.
HHI is about $110K. Take home after tax and max out 41K is $6K.
Rent and utility $2.5k
Food for 3 people $600
Health Ins $0. Employer paid for us
Life Ins $75
Car Ins $60
Phone & Internet $50
Gas $200
Roth IRA $500
Total is $4k for all spending. $2K per month for saving ?
2 Kids in puplic school. No after school care cost.


Phone/Internet will be more than $50. I have just Internet and its $50 and the cheapest I could find. Do you have a cell phone bill? Are you planning to get cable? You don't mention a car payment. Even if you own your car, you need to start saving for a new one and/or repairs on your current one. Are you putting anything towards college? What about birthday/holiday gifts for your kids and other family. Do you receive child support?

I did stop by one of the apt this spring with assigned Sherman ES. 2 bedrooms was little than 2k before utility. The same apt is now for 2.5k
My kids are only 3 yrs. I do not need ES for 2 more yrs. I knew daycare in McLean is not cheap. There are not many apts with Sherman ES.
Rent goes up every yr but income does not. I don't want to tell my kids one day that they have to move to new ES because mom can't keep up with the rent. I have flex works that I can pick up the kids from school bus stop. Therefore, no child care cost before and after school ( I do pay for daycare at this time and the cost is not the problem ). My kids wear hand down clothes. I only buy 4 pairs of shoes per child (2 tennis style landsend brand, 1 open toes summer shoes landsend brand, 1 close toes water shoes kmart for $10 each. I stocked up all the way to size 3. I hope they will like the shoes ), new under pants, new socks. Wash clothes every other day. I have Comcast Internet for $39.95. Cox should has the same price ? I use pay per minute cell phone. My kids are 3 yrs => I don't use phone except for schedule yearly checkup. No car payment. I alway pay for new car because I don't know how to buy used car. Each car last for 10 yrs. I do have some money but I don't want to spend it. $100 per child for birthday. Friend's should be $20. But so far my kids got only 2 parties. Other family members, just cards and no money. Thank you everyone. I will think very hard before I move
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 14:28     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Are there even apartments in McLean?


Yes, there are large apartment buildings behind the supermarket downtown. High-end transient types and freshly divorced BigLaw dads live in them, mostly.


OP, who cares how much you make now, there is potential here for a big ROI on a second marriage


The residents in these particular apartment buildings generally are long-time McLean residents, often in their 60s or older. The more transient types in McLean live in the apartment buildings off Magarity closer to Tysons, some of which are expected to be torn down as part of the Tysons redevelopment. The divorced BigLaw dads either buy their own houses in McLean if they have or share custody, or they move to Arlington or DC if they want to pretend they are 30 again.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 14:15     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Are there even apartments in McLean?


Yes, there are large apartment buildings behind the supermarket downtown. High-end transient types and freshly divorced BigLaw dads live in them, mostly.


OP, who cares how much you make now, there is potential here for a big ROI on a second marriage
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 13:52     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:Here I am as a single Mom and wants to move to McLean in the next 2 years. I thought my budget should be OK.
HHI is about $110K. Take home after tax and max out 41K is $6K.
Rent and utility $2.5k
Food for 3 people $600
Health Ins $0. Employer paid for us
Life Ins $75
Car Ins $60
Phone & Internet $50
Gas $200
Roth IRA $500
Total is $4k for all spending. $2K per month for saving ?
2 Kids in puplic school. No after school care cost.


Phone/Internet will be more than $50. I have just Internet and its $50 and the cheapest I could find. Do you have a cell phone bill? Are you planning to get cable? You don't mention a car payment. Even if you own your car, you need to start saving for a new one and/or repairs on your current one. Are you putting anything towards college? What about birthday/holiday gifts for your kids and other family. Do you receive child support?
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 09:45     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:Here I am as a single Mom and wants to move to McLean in the next 2 years. I thought my budget should be OK.
HHI is about $110K. Take home after tax and max out 41K is $6K.
Rent and utility $2.5k
Food for 3 people $600
Health Ins $0. Employer paid for us
Life Ins $75
Car Ins $60
Phone & Internet $50
Gas $200
Roth IRA $500
Total is $4k for all spending. $2K per month for saving ?
2 Kids in puplic school. No after school care cost.


I think you may be able to swing a 1 bedroom apartment but it won't be comfortable on this budget. I think the following estimates are too low

food, phone and internet, utilities, and no after school care? (How old are the kids).
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 09:20     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Here I am as a single Mom and wants to move to McLean in the next 2 years. I thought my budget should be OK.
HHI is about $110K. Take home after tax and max out 41K is $6K.
Rent and utility $2.5k
Food for 3 people $600
Health Ins $0. Employer paid for us
Life Ins $75
Car Ins $60
Phone & Internet $50
Gas $200
Roth IRA $500
Total is $4k for all spending. $2K per month for saving ?
2 Kids in puplic school. No after school care cost.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 08:55     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:If you own 350k minimum


LOL
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 08:52     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
If you own 350k minimum
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 08:47     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:So would 80K be enough if I had to pay for preschool?


You mean daycare? Why do people refer to the place they leave their child from 8-5:30 as preschool? Yes, I understand there is an academic component but its daycare! Preschools don't serve breakfast and have nap time and take 6 week old babies. It's daycare.

Signed,
A working mom with 2 kids in daycare
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 07:40     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Mclean family here. HHI $150-$180k, depending on bonus. Two children in public schools. Able to save for retirement and college.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 01:03     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Multiply the weight of the children by 5000 , make sure you do this annually
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 00:53     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
We live in Mclean with two kids in public schools. Our HHI is 250k. Each month we have less than 1k leftover. So go figure.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2013 00:09     Subject: How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
I don't want to frighten anyone, but Pimmit Hills is right next to "McLean." Just cross Magarity Road, if you dare.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2013 21:48     Subject: Re:How much should I make to live in McLean, VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Having less money is no crime, but having catastrophically bad taste and constantly talking shit about any school that doesn't get a 9 on Great Schools like the Pimmit Hills cheerleaders do, is fair game for ridicule. You're just pissed that people called you on it.


I am an observer and yes the Marshall booster is over the top but so are the responses from the McLean people as seen with the person.


Ohh to add "catastrophically bad taste" is code word from the McLean people to saying your tast is bad because you didn't spend $1000 on a toto toilet and your house has home depot flooring.