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Living Wage

Yeah but I’m 20 so we aren’t talking about 30 years ago ! My family does fine on around 60k these days . It doesn’t even feel that tight , tbf of course I work as well and take care of whatever expenses ( school included ) related to me that I can . Been doing that since high school. 50k is different though , that was tight check to check stuff .
You're also 20 and your parents aren't paying for your daycare like I am for mine. I drop 1500 a month in preschool alone.
 
You're also 20 and your parents aren't paying for your daycare like I am for mine. I drop 1500 a month in preschool alone.
Hmm. I was poor enough to get preschool for free ! Idk what kind of lifestyles are considered comfortable to y’all which could be part of the discrepancy, don’t destroy me here but I think part of it is living larger than your budget allows . I honestly think if my family made a few better choices when we were living check to check even 50k would have been more comfortable than you would think. Something as simple as a smaller and cheaper house than the one they bought out here ,insulating the home for cheaper electric ( wake county was doing it for free at one point I recall and they still were lazy and didn’t do it !).
 
Hmm. I was poor enough to get preschool for free ! Idk what kind of lifestyles are considered comfortable to y’all which could be part of the discrepancy, don’t destroy me here but I think part of it is living larger than your budget allows . I honestly think if my family made a few better choices when we were living check to check even 50k would have been more comfortable than you would think.
You also aren't married yet, and when you do you are no longer in charge of the decision of level of comfort. Your wife decides that for you!
 
You also aren't married yet, and when you do you are no longer in charge of the decision of level of comfort. Your wife decides that for you!
Shoot my woman better understand I could care less about how new the car is or pairs of shoes . All my extra money is for my kids future , our future retirement , and experiences !
 
I think federal poverty level for a family of 5 is 31k a year so unless it was that low when I was a small child my family technically wasn’t ever in deep poverty . Not sure how realistic it is though.
 
Shoot my woman better understand I could care less about how new the car is or pairs of shoes . All my extra money is for my kids future , our future retirement , and experiences !
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I used to think it was a lot of money also but I realized most of that goes to Taxes so it's really not that much
Yeah but it’s more than enough to live comfortably ( pay all the bills without sweating or picking which ones to pay , which ones to hold off ) , save a little in emergency funds , and live in a modest enough area . To be fair I don’t have my own family or kids yet , so I’m basing this off what I experienced growing up .
 
Cost of living has really gone up however . Now gas prices are rocketing , thanks ... well this ain’t the politics thread . The working man got to suffer for the whims of these god dang soulless people in power . Wonder when inflation will pick up again since we printed tons of money .
 
When you find out what people are making out there its pretty eye opening. You can live a nice modest life in Greenville, SC with a household income of 80k, but you're driving cars that cost lest than 20k and living in a sub 200k house, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you have a child who is coming through their teen years (no kids here) I would heavily influence them to get into banking or healthcare. Nurse anesthetists are making north of 150k depending on the type of gig they choose and they work as little as 30 hours or as much as 50. All the ones I know are in the Baja every other month and drive 75k cars. Commercial loan underwriting is another good avenue to go, they are all making 80-150+ for a basic 40 hours a week job. It doesn't take much to make 60k in a household, like others of mentioned, duel $15/hr incomes is 60k. A good benefits package can outweigh extra salary depending on what your needs are too. My dad has worked for a small construction company that is based out of Las Vegas, his salary isn't terribly high in the low 100s, but he also got a 50k bonus last year. Each company offers different types of perks, but this is why you better yourself with education, work ethic, and not be a whining ---- that complains about his or her situation. For those that want a simple life making 25-30k per year, absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I should preface that I grew up lower middle class. My mom cleaned houses and my dad did vinyl siding, but they had their home paid off in their early 30s from working hard and remodel flips. They haven't had a mortgage in 30 years, and my father finally went to work using his skills in project management about 25 years ago. Its all about choices, work ethic, and IQ. We all can't be smart, I'm sure as average as they come, but we can all work harder to get a comfortable life.
 
Shoot my woman better understand I could care less about how new the car is or pairs of shoes . All my extra money is for my kids future , our future retirement , and experiences !

Seriously tho, She'll zero in on the kids being an Achilles Heal. Next thing you know she'll be texting you from the grocery store parking lot on a cold Jan day, or a hot July day about how the car isn't acting right. And she'll slowly lead you to think about the baby in the hot car while she waits for a tow truck... and boom, next thing you know you're worried about them stranded and you're buying a newer vehicle.
 
Yeah but it’s more than enough to live comfortably ( pay all the bills without sweating or picking which ones to pay , which ones to hold off ) , save a little in emergency funds , and live in a modest enough area . To be fair I don’t have my own family or kids yet , so I’m basing this off what I experienced growing up .
Most generations want more for their kids than they had... I'm sure you can get by on less, but it really depends on where you live.
 
Seriously tho, She'll zero in on the kids being an Achilles Heal. Next thing you know she'll be texting you from the grocery store parking lot on a cold Jan day, or a hot July day about how the car isn't acting right. And she'll slowly lead you to think about the baby in the hot car while she waits for a tow truck... and boom, next thing you know you're worried about them stranded and you're buying a newer vehicle.
Shoot ! Man come to think of it looking back on my mom thats exactly what she does . She even recently convinced my dad that HE needs a new car . Though I’m suspicious SHE will end up with the new car while he takes he older one. All the times she has used terms like “ we NEED to” or “we HAVE too” such definitives! Why hasn’t this level of manipulation by women worldwide not been brought forth in front of an international court for war crimes !
 
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My wife and I made it work with one child making around 60k while she stayed home. With a mortgage it was tough as my old truck needed constant work and her little Hyundai required a loan too. We weren't able to save at all as something always came along to eat up any money we had. I broke into the management ranks when my daughter was born and it became a little easier with better income and a company truck. She's back to work now and it's unbelievable how nice it is to have duel incomes.
 
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