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I didn't read all the posts (gotta go bake brownies before hubby wakes up, he's on the night shift right now).
We are a family of four and my husband's pay was around 32K/year for the last three years (he just got a better job a couple of months ago). For the three years before that, he worked a full-time job and a part-time job to end up with the same income. We live in a low cost of living area which helps. I haven't worked since our youngest was born 9 years ago.
So his take home is about 2300/month and the bills total about 1500. That leaves 800 for gas and groceries. Gas is about 300/month because his daily driver is a truck with a v8 (we bought the truck for 1400 on craigslist). I spend about 400/month on groceries and toiletries and kid clothes, all together. I cut everyone's hair at home, shop for clothes at thrift stores, repair our cars and appliances myself, mend and alter our clothes, groom the dogs at home...basically any service we'd be paying for, I learn how to do it myself to save money.
Wehave enough to pay our bills every month but no way to save. If we need something major, like a fridge or another old used car, he works a part time job. We get a tax refund every year of about $3,000 which goes in our savings account to cover things like dr visit copays, car registration, hoa dues, repairs that I am not able to make, etc. It is usually gone by the end of the year.
So that's how we afford to live.
yep you pop out a few dependents then you don't have to pay any taxes. 2300/month was my take home when i was making 40k :/
I just landed a "good" job finally in which I can apply the skills I've learned in school and contribute to society. This job that is in very much a in-demand position in an area that will be greatly needed in the future is paying a mere 32k/year. What's deceiving is that the statistics that I saw prior to getting into the field was that the average salary for this job was much higher (45k/year to be exact). Thinking that this might be an outlier of sorts, another job in a same area doing the same thing is paying just about the same amount of money.
So I am looking into housing and purchasing a vehicle. INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE!
My entire PAYCHECK is going to be going to be paying to simply live.
AND I'M A relatively young, SINGLE MAN with no family, animals, medical bills, etc!
I have NO idea how families are doing it. I see all these huge trucks / SUVs (I see at over 30k at the dealerships) on the road (no doubt they are gas hogs as well). I with my great job am looking at some 2001 vehicle so I can pay cash and not dig another $15k or so of debt to my tally. I could get into food, utilities, cable, internet, Iphones, etc.. I have a little used phone I got off Amazon with just about the cheapest plan available (no smart phone). Eating out? forget that.. can barely afford to eat in.
So a little rant. What's kind of funny (got to laugh about it) is that this job is a promotion from a "good pay" of $9.75/hr.. a mere $750 check give or take for a two-week pay period. For those with one of these Dodge Ram's, probably that entire paycheck is paying for the payment and gas.. not including Rent, Food, Taxes, etc..
I am amazed.. I don't know how people are doing it.. I guess the welfare system is keeping this economy a float.
All the hard work finally paid off.. as I push my rusty bucket on wheels down the road hoping to get to work.
Starting salaries are generally low, and ramp up.
At my wife's last job, she started out at 50k and was making 75k after 3 years.
As an aside, many people don't save what they are supposed to, instead they buy stuff.
Further, a couple shares the cost of things like food, healthcare, rent, and utilities. Which means more money can be allocated to fun stuff.
If your car works fine, doesn't waste too much gas (let's say around 30mpg highway or higher), and isn't costing too much to maintain or insure, just drive it till the previous conditions no longer apply.. doesn't matter if it's got 200,000 or 300,000 miles.. doesn't matter if you make $100,000+ a year and it's KBB is only $1000.
I just landed a "good" job finally in which I can apply the skills I've learned in school and contribute to society. This job that is in very much a in-demand position in an area that will be greatly needed in the future is paying a mere 32k/year. What's deceiving is that the statistics that I saw prior to getting into the field was that the average salary for this job was much higher (45k/year to be exact). Thinking that this might be an outlier of sorts, another job in a same area doing the same thing is paying just about the same amount of money.
So I am looking into housing and purchasing a vehicle. INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE!
My entire PAYCHECK is going to be going to be paying to simply live.
AND I'M A relatively young, SINGLE MAN with no family, animals, medical bills, etc!
I have NO idea how families are doing it. I see all these huge trucks / SUVs (I see at over 30k at the dealerships) on the road (no doubt they are gas hogs as well). I with my great job am looking at some 2001 vehicle so I can pay cash and not dig another $15k or so of debt to my tally. I could get into food, utilities, cable, internet, Iphones, etc.. I have a little used phone I got off Amazon with just about the cheapest plan available (no smart phone). Eating out? forget that.. can barely afford to eat in.
So a little rant. What's kind of funny (got to laugh about it) is that this job is a promotion from a "good pay" of $9.75/hr.. a mere $750 check give or take for a two-week pay period. For those with one of these Dodge Ram's, probably that entire paycheck is paying for the payment and gas.. not including Rent, Food, Taxes, etc..
I am amazed.. I don't know how people are doing it.. I guess the welfare system is keeping this economy a float.
All the hard work finally paid off.. as I push my rusty bucket on wheels down the road hoping to get to work.
I did not read the entire thread so you might have discussed this. I am curious about the ACA (Obamacare) and what impact that is having on you either now or ahead. Does your employer provide insurance? I keep hearing that OC will impact younger people the hardest.
those people who have the flashy things are most likely in debt. i drive a '99 accord. paid 5K cash for it a few years ago. i make about the same amount you do, just graduated in june. i held onto my crappy supermarket job so that brings in an extra 10K a year in addition to my new job. it sucks working 50-60 hours a week, but i am aggressively paying off student loans while putting money in the bank at the same time. find a second job or start freelancing(or both). i split rent with two other people, that helps. dont buy lunch, bring your lunch to work.
its good that youre grateful for your job, but i wouldnt care much about what others make compared to you. many people who make 100K+ a year are usually miserable anyway. its good that you dont drink, thats more money savings right there.
yep you pop out a few dependents then you don't have to pay any taxes. 2300/month was my take home when i was making 40k :/
I promise it costs more to feed, house and clothe a couple of kids than what we save in taxes Before we had kids, we lived in a 400 sq ft apartment, shared a single-cab stick-shift truck and spent $40/week on groceries. We both worked back then too. Now we need 1500 sq ft and a minivan and I spend $40/week just on fruit and vegetables. (next year I'm planting a straw bale garden to try to cut those costs)
I don't know anyone who had a kid just to save on their taxes. That would be like having a kid so you could get food stamps, one of those myths that republicans like to perpetuate.
I just landed a "good" job finally in which I can apply the skills I've learned in school and contribute to society. This job that is in very much a in-demand position in an area that will be greatly needed in the future is paying a mere 32k/year. What's deceiving is that the statistics that I saw prior to getting into the field was that the average salary for this job was much higher (45k/year to be exact). Thinking that this might be an outlier of sorts, another job in a same area doing the same thing is paying just about the same amount of money.
So I am looking into housing and purchasing a vehicle. INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE!
My entire PAYCHECK is going to be going to be paying to simply live.
AND I'M A relatively young, SINGLE MAN with no family, animals, medical bills, etc!
I have NO idea how families are doing it. I see all these huge trucks / SUVs (I see at over 30k at the dealerships) on the road (no doubt they are gas hogs as well). I with my great job am looking at some 2001 vehicle so I can pay cash and not dig another $15k or so of debt to my tally. I could get into food, utilities, cable, internet, Iphones, etc.. I have a little used phone I got off Amazon with just about the cheapest plan available (no smart phone). Eating out? forget that.. can barely afford to eat in.
So a little rant. What's kind of funny (got to laugh about it) is that this job is a promotion from a "good pay" of $9.75/hr.. a mere $750 check give or take for a two-week pay period. For those with one of these Dodge Ram's, probably that entire paycheck is paying for the payment and gas.. not including Rent, Food, Taxes, etc..
I am amazed.. I don't know how people are doing it.. I guess the welfare system is keeping this economy a float.
All the hard work finally paid off.. as I push my rusty bucket on wheels down the road hoping to get to work.
Welcome to the real world. I'm guessing your parents told you that if you got an education, you would be able to get a great, high paying job. Am I right? I bet they forgot to mention that you'd have to pay your dues to get to that job.
A college education is a start. But coming from a place of theory doesn't mean you're ready for the "real" job. Those people that DO have the high paying jobs started out where you are at. Be patient, and learn something along the way.
Your single and have no dependents. Do what many of us did and get a second job. Save that money untill you have plenty to invest. Build from there.
Yeah, when you're young enough to enjoy life, spend it working the night shift at a convenience store. Then when you have sciatica and arthritis and can't pass the eye test for a drivers license, live it up.
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