Anonymous wrote:We make $350k and I still "feel" middle class, because we live a VERY middle class lifestyle in an expensive area... But, minus the stress and with a ton more savings in the bank, and more donations/giving.

But I very much KNOW that I'm wealthy by any reasonable standard. Not like the uber rich or even DCUM-rich, but practically speaking, there is nothing middle about my income.

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Anonymous wrote:We make $250k, live in a million dollar house with fantastic public schools, take great but not extravagant vacations, have at least one very expensive hobby (horseback riding), and two kids with all the attendant extra curricular activities (granted no travel sports yet). We also save for retirement, school, and rainy days. We are about to have an income increase and I have no idea what we will do with it. Save more I guess.

I’d say we no longer feel middle class now.

Did you have any family help to boy your house?

Yes

Then you were never middle class to begin with.

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Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

You must be referring to feeling ‘upper’ middle class. There’s no way at that hhi you would only feel middle class unless you have 10 kids or six figure debt or something.

How do you know the schools were high priced? College and medical school are not free.

We’re both doctors who went to medical school relatively late and prior to medical school worked in poorly paid positions, so basically saved nothing. We started making a combined income around $300K a few years ago. We have focused a lot on paying down debt and only have about $35K left. We just bought a $1.3M house in a HCOL area (outside NYC) last year and took out a 401K loan of $45K to afford it and we’ve been paying that loan back this year, which has been tough. We also have 2 kids in preschool and a nanny, because our hours are long and unpredictable and we don’t have any family help. We have one fully paid off car (2018 Subaru) and are putting off buying another car for as long as possible. We haven’t taken a vacation since 2019. I realize that paying off our debt (minus the mortgage) is temporary. Maybe my perspective is skewed by the fact that I came from a very middle class background (HHI under 70K, both parents routinely worked more than one job) or that I live in a very HCOL area where everyone around me seems to make way more.

You have a spending issue. You choose to go to high priced schools and then bought an insanely expensive house. You could have done cheaper housing, you could have done day care and a baby sitter. Your choices don't make you middle class.

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Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

You must be referring to feeling ‘upper’ middle class. There’s no way at that hhi you would only feel middle class unless you have 10 kids or six figure debt or something.

We’re both doctors who went to medical school relatively late and prior to medical school worked in poorly paid positions, so basically saved nothing. We started making a combined income around $300K a few years ago. We have focused a lot on paying down debt and only have about $35K left. We just bought a $1.3M house in a HCOL area (outside NYC) last year and took out a 401K loan of $45K to afford it and we’ve been paying that loan back this year, which has been tough. We also have 2 kids in preschool and a nanny, because our hours are long and unpredictable and we don’t have any family help. We have one fully paid off car (2018 Subaru) and are putting off buying another car for as long as possible. We haven’t taken a vacation since 2019. I realize that paying off our debt (minus the mortgage) is temporary. Maybe my perspective is skewed by the fact that I came from a very middle class background (HHI under 70K, both parents routinely worked more than one job) or that I live in a very HCOL area where everyone around me seems to make way more.

Anonymous wrote:reading all these reeplies makes me realize how OUT.OF.TOUCH most people on this site are.

you think you are not upper middle class or more because you don't fly on private jets? give me a break!

middle class is a little better than paycheck to paycheck. it is not being able to not work and live off of your millions of dollars in investment income. <eyeroll>

granted, housing costs are exorbitant in DC/DC area, but i don't think most people here are really trying to be budget minded about their housing either.

tldr: 200k is not middle class ... period.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of socioeconomic class around here creates confusion as realistically the average HHI is significantly higher than elsewhere in the nation or even abroad. We are among the richest people in the world, here in the DC area. And yet when you look at your life, living in a small townhouse in a regular suburb driving a practical car like Subaru and sending your kids to public school, you feel like you’re just another regular American. The money doesn’t go far. A young couple bringing in 250k feel less than when really that’s top income globally.

At what point do you feel, well, not middle class?

400k

My husband and I make $435 and I feel very middle class (we are in our mid 30s). I’d say closer to $600K.

You must be referring to feeling ‘upper’ middle class. There’s no way at that hhi you would only feel middle class unless you have 10 kids or six figure debt or something.

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Anonymous wrote:We make $250k, live in a million dollar house with fantastic public schools, take great but not extravagant vacations, have at least one very expensive hobby (horseback riding), and two kids with all the attendant extra curricular activities (granted no travel sports yet). We also save for retirement, school, and rainy days. We are about to have an income increase and I have no idea what we will do with it. Save more I guess.

I’d say we no longer feel middle class now.

Did you have any family help to boy your house?

Yes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make $250k, live in a million dollar house with fantastic public schools, take great but not extravagant vacations, have at least one very expensive hobby (horseback riding), and two kids with all the attendant extra curricular activities (granted no travel sports yet). We also save for retirement, school, and rainy days. We are about to have an income increase and I have no idea what we will do with it. Save more I guess.

I’d say we no longer feel middle class now.

Did you have any family help to boy your house?

Yes