Tabrett Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 To live a moderate life style which I define as- 2 serviceable cars with at least one car that the entire family can fit into a home with no more than 2 persons per bedroom feeding you family healthy meals average amenities like a cell phone, internet, cable no government subsidiaries are received able to live with our the need of a credit card How much would a person need to make to support this lifestyle? I'm not intrest in what you would consider "survival mode" income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) $80,000 to $100,000 Which would include tithe money, savings, taxes etc., being able to pay car payments, insurance, mortgage payments etc. Edited February 7, 2009 by katemary63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 To live a moderate life style which I define as- 2 serviceable cars with at least one car that the entire family can fit into a home with no more than 2 persons per bedroom feeding you family healthy meals average amenities like a cell phone, internet, cable no government subsidiaries are received able to live with our the need of a credit card How much would a person need to make to support this lifestyle? I'm not interest in what you would consider "survival mode" income. That all depends on where you live. A number that might work in rural Montana would not work in New York city or anywhere in the state of CA, kwim. It is all relative...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 80-100K would not do it in NYC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in Mo Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Well, I had to chuckle at life without cable qualifying as survival mode, but we do it on about $38,000, give or take. Everything but the cable. We do use Netflix - does that count? I live most contentedly in rural Missouri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 about $38,000, give or take. Everything but the cable. We do use Netflix - does that count? I live most contentedly in rural Missouri. I think it would come out about the same here in rural upstate New York, too, although much would depend, in our housing market, on which neighborhood you wanted to live in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 All depends on where you live and what you want. When my ex husband and I were married, we were a family of 3 with two cars that were paid off, a 3 bedroom house (only one child, so we could have had a bedroom each), no credit card debt, both college graduates, and we lived WELL on 38K a year in a rural town in TN. By living well, I mean we ate out about 4 times a week, spent $300 on clothes whenever we wanted, and so on. Those were the days. However, now, I can't imagine living on that. I am remarried with a family of 4, we have more debt, a much bigger and more expensive house, and we live in a different area. For all we have now, and that is with doing without cable on purpose...suffice it to say that if dh only made 100K with no extras and such, we wouldn't survive very long! Now, if the debt and expensive cars/house were gone, then we could probably make it 100K easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I'm in Tacoma, WA and we can pretty much live that way on $55,000 - $60,000 gross income. We almost met all of your factors on $50,000. We were only missing cable TV (which we just don't want) and kids are on state medical. If we added the kids to my individual insurance, it would cost an extra $152 a month, or $1800 a year. My total above factors in adding cable TV, putting the kids on my insurance, and a $5,000-$7,000 extra a year for a cushion. Interestingly (to me at any rate), a family of 6 can make up to $56,000 and still qualify for children's free state medical and WIC and up to $70,000 and still qualify for children's low premium state medical. I find it interesting because I think $60,000 is plenty of money for a family of 6 and $70,000 is more than comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 It does depend on where you live. I know it can be done for about $45,000. I would say $55,000 would make it just a smidge more comfy. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Two adults and 4 kids? I'd want to be making a minimum of around $150,000. Maybe 130,000 if we lived somewhere rural. ETA - when I say rural I mean outside of a larger city. Maybe a half hour outside a larger city. Basically more suburbia I guess. I don't mean rural like a lot of people mean rural. When we lived 25 minutes from downtown San Antonio, in a major subdivision, I considered that rural. Edited February 7, 2009 by Renthead Mommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I second the $80-100k figures. Your example describes our situation minus the 2 person per bedroom limit. We no longer use credit cards, but we do have debt we're paying off, including one car payment. Once we're out of debt, we should be able to completely fit the description in NJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 In my rural area, assuming you weren't also servicing other debt, you could have all of that for around $30,000CDN/year. Plus, here, you have the added bonus of not having to pay for health insurance. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) In NJ, with no debt (cars paid off, smallish mortgage) I would say 85,000 is good. 2000/mo mortgage (including taxes and ins.) 1250/mo grocery bill for healthy eating (includes toiletries etc. 170/mo for two iphones 125/mo cable/internet/phone 115/mo car insurance on 2 cars 275/mo average utilities: heating/cooling/electric/water hmm... I'm not sure how much oil/gas would be... I have electric heat/well water so this could be off. Where I live, there is no gas/water but some do have oil heat. 350/mo Y memberships/kids lessons and sports, etc 500/mo into savings/misc. stuff like for example Netflix and school supplies. That is a take home pay of about 1200 a week or an annual salary of about 85,000. :) That is not including health insurance. I don't know... my dh's job covers it 100% but you may have to take a contribution out of the 500/mo savings or make more money! Edited February 7, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Out here, around 45-50,000 a year. We are really rural, septic tanks, no sewer, no high speed internet access once you're past our neighborhood, well-water, etc. So, the expenses are very different, there's no public works fees (the county does not do trash pick-up, you'd have to find a private owner/operator), no sewer bill, some people don't have to pay a water bill either, and since there's no high speed internet further out, people there either don't have internet, or else they have suuuper slow, cheaper internet. Cell service has gotton better, but land lines remain a necessity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Two adults and 4 kids? I'd want to be making a minimum of around $150,000. Maybe 130,000 if we lived somewhere rural. Yeah, but you've got that Starbucks habit!!:blink: Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 To live a moderate life style which I define as- 2 serviceable cars with at least one car that the entire family can fit into a home with no more than 2 persons per bedroom feeding you family healthy meals average amenities like a cell phone, internet, cable no government subsidiaries are received able to live with our the need of a credit card How much would a person need to make to support this lifestyle? I'm not intrest in what you would consider "survival mode" income. In Northern Colorado (not rural) we live like this (except we have three kids in one bedroom) for about $80,000 net. We have no debt (except our mortgage) and are most definitely comfortable, although there are things I want to do (extracurriculars, travel, etc.) that we don't have the money for. We are saving for retirement, but not close to the 10% dh and I both want to save. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Yeah, but you've got that Starbucks habit!!:blink: Jennifer That's where the 20 grand difference is! Living more rural I wouldn't drive to get my coffee as much! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCoppock Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I think down where I live you would probably need close to $100,000 for 2 adults and 4 children to live "comfortably." I would love to live in an area where $30-35,000 would support my family of 3 even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 To live a moderate life style which I define as- 2 serviceable cars with at least one car that the entire family can fit into a home with no more than 2 persons per bedroom feeding you family healthy meals average amenities like a cell phone, internet, cable no government subsidiaries are received able to live with our the need of a credit card How much would a person need to make to support this lifestyle? I'm not intrest in what you would consider "survival mode" income. We lived very comfortably in the SF Bay Area from 1994 to 2004 on $32K to $34K a year. We did use WIC though on years our income dropped below $30K and our family grew to six. We never had cell phones because we didn't want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 That all depends on where you live. A number that might work in rural Montana would not work in New York city or anywhere in the state of CA, kwim. It is all relative...... I mean to say where you personally live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I agree on the area. I'd say about $80K here (large metro area). But really so much depends on so many things: are the vehicles paid for, are you a bargain-hunter, do you want land with the home, etc. I consider our life "comfortable," yet I know others who would think it is survival mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Well, I had to chuckle at life without cable qualifying as survival mode, but we do it on about $38,000, give or take. Everything but the cable. We do use Netflix - does that count? I live most contentedly in rural Missouri. Do you have health insurance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 In my area, and us having one car payment and a pretty good sized mortgage for a very small house - I would say we live somewhat comfortable but not quite on one income here. We can't afford a Disney vacation (our kids have never been on a plane) and the thought of having to pay for preschool is a major bummer. Our mattress is still on the floor without a frame and we actually just bought our first couch - the first 8 years was a couch my husband had growing up! Comfortable for us would look like - $175K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) I mean to say where you personally live. It is still relative :) Where I live, far burbs of Chicago, when gas prices were high I would have said 75, to 100, but you might could do it for 65. Chicago had the highest gas prices in the lower 48. Move 10 to 15 miles to the north east and no way would you be able to do it for 65 and maybe not even for 75. We make less than 50 and struggle. We have 3 cars all 20+ years old, one bath, 2 bedrooms, and 450 sq feet of living for the whole house, teeny tiny house old house, with one closet and no dining room, utilities are high, taxes of all types are high, cost of living is high, ect....... In the late 90s for two years dh made 60 and then 80 and we were comfortable. Now I would say 65 to 100. Here is a fun link to play with http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html Edited February 7, 2009 by RebeccaC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 In my area, and us having one car payment and a pretty good sized mortgage for a very small house - I would say we live somewhat comfortable but not quite on one income here. We can't afford a Disney vacation (our kids have never been on a plane) and the thought of having to pay for preschool is a major bummer. Our mattress is still on the floor without a frame and we actually just bought our first couch - the first 8 years was a couch my husband had growing up! Comfortable for us would look like - $175K. LOL the last vacation of any sort we went on was our honeymoon 14.5 years ago. Yup, I'm thinking my "comfortable" is others' "survival mode.":lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hmmm, I could swing all that if I didn't have our student loan payments. So I'm thinking 60K would serve you well in my neck of the woods. You won't be buying Gucci but you could take a weekend to the beach every now and then. Bakersfield, CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 In my rural area, assuming you weren't also servicing other debt, you could have all of that for around $30,000CDN/year. Plus, here, you have the added bonus of not having to pay for health insurance. :D I'm moving to Canada. Who's w/ me? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) It really is all relative. We have two paid for cars, cable (with all the works - sports fans here!), phone, cable internet, cell phones, 4 bedroom house (our only debt), etc, etc, etc. We vacation big once/year and take a couple weekend trips here and there. I feel like we are living the American dream! It's so much more than I grew up with and I'm so incredibly greatful!! I also realize that it can all change in a day given the current economy. So, we have back up plans (and savings) just in case. BUT, we do a LOT of scrimping and saving to do that. I use CVS bucks (so all of our toiletries and some snacks are free), Rite Aid rebates, budget VERY carefully for food (good food!), don't buy new cars, keep the heat down low, don't eat out (seriously - unless we're on vacation - ever), etc, etc, etc. All that to say, I think we do it all on a salary that many people would be surprised to see. But, dh is also an Episcopal priest, so our housing expenses are tax free. That is a HUGE savings. We also pay nothing toward our health insurance. So, not only is it dependent on where you live, but how you spend it! Edited February 7, 2009 by Jennifer in MI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I think it is also dependens on what "comfortable" means to you. For us, if all debt was paid, I would want enough money to just go out and buy, say, a flat screen TV on a whim. In order to have that kind of money, there is no way my dh could make less than what he currently makes with our family of 4. If comfortable to you is having what you want but not wanting the "extras," then it just all depends on what you mean by "comfortable." And what about savings/emergency fund/retirement? We put a lot into that because we want to continue to be comfortable. If dh made less than 100K, then taking out those things would take his bring home pay way down as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I guess it depends on where you live. Here? $35K could do it with your requirements. $50K would be a bit easier. I live about 20 min outside Dallas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I guess it depends on where you live. Here? $35K could do it with your requirements. $50K would be a bit easier. I live about 20 min outside Dallas. I've lived in Irving almost my whole married life. I think it would be hard to make it on $35K, much less "comfortably." Housing: From what I've seen (of areas I know well enough to look in), housing is $1000/mo + for a family, even w/ only 2 dc. We did manage to do it for less, but only by living w/ ils while we saved quite a bit of $, buying a fixer-upper w/ only 1 bathroom, & still living in a bad neighborhood. Utilities: I can't remember what those were, but I'm thinking min. $200 for gas, water, electric. We only had 1250 sf. Car: Our car pmt was under $200 at 5%, but I think that's pretty low. Even if both cars were paid off, I assume there would still be a fund that one puts $ into ea mo to save for repairs & replacement. Food: I've come to think I'm not very good at estimating this one. W/ our current family size, I figured we'd need $200/wk, but so far, we haven't spent 1/2 that. But we're *trying* to scrimp right now, & we're not buying the healthiest foods. When you add in clothes, gas--& everything is far from everything here, lol--etc., I'm just not sure that less than 3K take-home pay is realistic for describing "comfortable" accd to OP's definition--cell phones, internet, cable TV, 2 cars. I assume she means a reasonably safe neighborhood & a reasonable commute (say less than an hr). Not that one *needs* all those things, just that comfortable is being able to say no to them w/out *having* to for survival. For our area (DFW), I'd guess closer to $120K. Not that one couldn't make ends meet on less--I'd be doing a HAPPY DANCE at half that. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) $100,000-$125,000 It really depends on where you live, types of food you eat, housing and clothing preferences, etc. DH & I made $45,000 as newlyweds, and had a difficult time stretching money to meet our 'needs'--and housing was free. It all depends on your expectations and the cost of living in a given area. ETA: We couldn't make it on $125,000/yr in our current community. Edited February 8, 2009 by Tracey in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Well, I had to chuckle at life without cable qualifying as survival mode, but we do it on about $38,000, give or take. Everything but the cable. We do use Netflix - does that count? I live most contentedly in rural Missouri. That would work well here in northern MS, also. We've also lived in central PA, northern MD, and the DC suburbs. My answer for those places would be about $40,000, $45,000, and $75,000 respectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 To live a moderate life style which I define as- 2 serviceable cars with at least one car that the entire family can fit into a home with no more than 2 persons per bedroom feeding you family healthy meals average amenities like a cell phone, internet, cable no government subsidiaries are received able to live with our the need of a credit card How much would a person need to make to support this lifestyle? I'm not intrest in what you would consider "survival mode" income. I think that if we made $55,000 we could live that way here in PA. This is a pretty average area, expense-wise. It's not extremely cheap, or extremely expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Hmmm...I honestly don't know. There are 5 of us living on between 65000 and 75000 gross income in ruralish Texas. We have all that is on your list (minus cable by choice), and we vacation out of state at least once a year with many weekend trips, and we are paying for medical bills for our son (with the help of wonderful ins.). We don't have much debt, cars are paid for that sort of thing which makes a big difference. The budget also has savings for emergencies, retirement and the kids futures in it. We are living smarter these days by swapping clothing, shopping at garage sales, looking on freecycle for things, and only replacing things that are very worn out. That has gone a long way in allowing us to live more on less. It just took us a while to discover how others were having so much family fun with less money lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I think, in non-rural North Dakota, you could have a moderate lifestyle on $60,000 with four kids. Of course if you were a spender you would want more and if you were more frugal you could do it on less. That includes (or dosen't as the case may be) a vacation once a year, saving for retirement, no debt repayment, no designer clothes and a moderate sized house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 It really is all relative. We have two paid for cars, cable (with all the works - sports fans here!), phone, cable internet, cell phones, 4 bedroom house (our only debt), etc, etc, etc. We vacation big once/year and take a couple weekend trips here and there. I feel like we are living the American dream! It's so much more than I grew up with and I'm so incredibly greatful!! I also realize that it can all change in a day given the current economy. So, we have back up plans (and savings) just in case. BUT, we do a LOT of scrimping and saving to do that. I use CVS bucks (so all of our toiletries and some snacks are free), Rite Aid rebates, budget VERY carefully for food (good food!), don't buy new cars, keep the heat down low, don't eat out (seriously - unless we're on vacation - ever), etc, etc, etc. All that to say, I think we do it all on a salary that many people would be surprised to see. But, dh is also an Episcopal priest, so our housing expenses are tax free. That is a HUGE savings. We also pay nothing toward our health insurance. So, not only is it dependent on where you live, but how you spend it! This is so very true. I remember when we lived in the SF Bay Area people would lament about how impossible it was to live on less than $75K a year. Well, we lived on ~$30K and had no complaints. We bought everything at thriftstores (shoes, kitchen stuff, clothes, furniture - EVERYTHING) and really scrimped. I could have gone to Whole Foods and paid $4/pound for fresh green beans but instead I'd visit the farmer's market at the end of hte day and take away pounds of organic fresh green beans for free - they just wanted them gone. I bought the bruised and highly discounted fruit at the grocery stores. I shopped 5 different stores to get the best prices on certain items. We drove 1985 VW Vans and had no car payments. Since our cars were so old and big we could not only do our own work (no mechanic bills - we even swapped out the engine on one) - we could use them to pick up free manure and other large object people would give away. I could go on and on. It took time and planning to live as we did, but having one parent home was the most important thing to us so we made it work on that salary. I also had turned my front yard (south facing) into a veggie garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 In northern Virginia, $100-150,000. Depending on how far north and in what area you live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) This is so very true. I remember when we lived in the SF Bay Area people would lament about how impossible it was to live on less than $75K a year. Well, we lived on ~$30K and had no complaints. We bought everything at thriftstores (shoes, kitchen stuff, clothes, furniture - EVERYTHING) and really scrimped. I could have gone to Whole Foods and paid $4/pound for fresh green beans but instead I'd visit the farmer's market at the end of hte day and take away pounds of organic fresh green beans for free - they just wanted them gone. I bought the bruised and highly discounted fruit at the grocery stores. I shopped 5 different stores to get the best prices on certain items. We drove 1985 VW Vans and had no car payments. Since our cars were so old and big we could not only do our own work (no mechanic bills - we even swapped out the engine on one) - we could use them to pick up free manure and other large object people would give away. I could go on and on. It took time and planning to live as we did, but having one parent home was the most important thing to us so we made it work on that salary. I also had turned my front yard (south facing) into a veggie garden. I am not sure but this does not sound like comfort it sounds like a lot of scratching, scrimping, and stretching. Which is what we do and some times I like the challenge and others I wish I could just go to the store and buy the beans at my convenience with out worrying about the money and...... I do the thrift store thing but my boys and dh are all well over 6 feet tall and finding pants to fit then is usually more than one visit to more than one thrift. Some times I think I long for convenience but I seldom voice those longings and am thankful for the prices at the thrift shops. But then I guess one person's comfort is another's scratching, scrimping, and stretching which might be translated to surviving or just getting by and I imagine that the OP would not count what we do or have done to be comfort level living. Edited February 8, 2009 by RebeccaC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 For our area (DFW), I'd guess closer to $120K. Not that one couldn't make ends meet on less--I'd be doing a HAPPY DANCE at half that. As would the other 95+% of people who live in DFW and make under that, often WAY under that. We have four cars (one car payment), each of us have cell phones. We have a 2400 sq foot house. We have 3 bathrooms. We don't live in THE area of town to live (generally considered north such as Plano, Irving, etc) though. My hubby commutes to work in well under an hour (and I can get to the medical center in 40 minutes during most times of the day). We have NEVER had a credit card. We are terribly irresponsible with money and have the WORST of times (chronic illness, crises, etc), but we more than "just survive" on $50K and did pretty decently on $30K also. Really, I SOOOOOOOOO couldn't see ANY responsible person not being able to do it under $75K and I would guess many of them could at least do as the OP said with $50K. Sure, 120K would be nice. But it so isn't necessary. Good thing or the great majority of us would have to move into a shack 2 hours from town. Of course, I do think it's a matter of perspective. I came from well off and it took me years to accept a different situation. I'm very content. Sure it'd be great if hubby could make $70K. I really can't even fathom much more than that anymore though. I'm very content :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteB Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 We've accomplished that with nine children on less than $60,000 a year. It is tight, though, and a little more would make dental bills and household repairs more doable. We haven't been able to put anything aside for retirement. We tell the kids that we will just travel around visiting them for a couple of months each and then move on to the next. We suggest that they all live about a day's drive from each other:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Here, just north of San Fran- 150k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Here, just north of San Fran- 150k. Hey, we just drove back home from just north of San Fran today.:) In Orange County, CA you'd need a minimum of 75K to 80K for what you describe IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 As would the other 95+% of people who live in DFW and make under that, often WAY under that. We have four cars (one car payment), each of us have cell phones. We have a 2400 sq foot house. We have 3 bathrooms. We don't live in THE area of town to live (generally considered north such as Plano, Irving, etc) though. My hubby commutes to work in well under an hour (and I can get to the medical center in 40 minutes during most times of the day). We have NEVER had a credit card. We are terribly irresponsible with money and have the WORST of times (chronic illness, crises, etc), but we more than "just survive" on $50K and did pretty decently on $30K also. Really, I SOOOOOOOOO couldn't see ANY responsible person not being able to do it under $75K and I would guess many of them could at least do as the OP said with $50K. Sure, 120K would be nice. But it so isn't necessary. Good thing or the great majority of us would have to move into a shack 2 hours from town. Of course, I do think it's a matter of perspective. I came from well off and it took me years to accept a different situation. I'm very content. Sure it'd be great if hubby could make $70K. I really can't even fathom much more than that anymore though. I'm very content :) I don't know where you live, but I am *so* glad to hear that this is possible. It gives me quite a bit more hope for the future. As far as desirable places to live...yeah, I know Plano is *the* place to be, but...Irving? You must mean Las Colinas or Coppell. Irving proper is a slum, sadly. Poor zoning & other problems have led to bad housing conditions & a drying up of almost all the commerce. Years before all of this economic downturn started really happening, we watched almost every business we shopped at close up. I taught in the Irving school district & was shocked. I thought that w/ the $ from N Irving, the schools would be a *little* better. Those kids go to the Coppell schools, though. I've wondered, watching this discussion...people who don't have enough probably don't know what it takes to get by. Either they underestimate because they're used to scrimping & they don't realize what's normal, or they overestimate because they've never had a chance to see how far $60K could go, much less $120K. Dh made $40K when we lived in Irving. We had 1 car, 1 bath, 1250 sf, & gang violence creeping in around us. If there were nicer houses for less $ somewhere else in the metroplex, I sure wish we'd known. When we moved, we looked for *anything* below $80K that we could find, from Denton to HEB. I think our realtor was glad when we were gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba2nite Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I'm going to chime in here living in the big tomato in northern CA. I would say between $75K - 100K. I would say here in CA the biggest cost is housing. You can live here in the big tomato, for under 2000K grand a month but it will not be the greatest neighborhood in town. It will be a working class starter neighborhood with a weak elem school which will keep values down. But as a HS....that small detail is not important. So pack your bags and head for the tomato :-):lol: Now we manage just fine on 80K but that included second hand store clothes (which I love) ebay, craigslist and shopping at the famers markets, walmart and the grocery outlet. I am the queen on bargin hunting and while I could pay more----I do not wish too! Prices here can be expensive if you are not shopping savvy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I am not sure but this does not sound like comfort it sounds like a lot of scratching, scrimping, and stretching. Which is what we do and some times I like the challenge and others I wish I could just go to the store and buy the beans at my convenience with out worrying about the money and...... I do the thrift store thing but my boys and dh are all well over 6 feet tall and finding pants to fit then is usually more than one visit to more than one thrift. Some times I think I long for convenience but I seldom voice those longings and am thankful for the prices at the thrift shops. But then I guess one person's comfort is another's scratching, scrimping, and stretching which might be translated to surviving or just getting by and I imagine that the OP would not count what we do or have done to be comfort level living. I agree, I was not saying $30K was comfort but that when people in the area i lived asserted it was impossible to live with a income under $75K, I found it quite possible at 1/2 their "bottom line" income. I would say $38-40K. But one person's comfort is different from another's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 boy I fell so poor after reading all your posts. we live of my husbands disability pension of around $20k a year. and my fammily benifit money of around $15k a year. we have 2 cars and no mortgage. we never eat out, get coffee's, etc. we don't have mobile phones, or cable. we have only had the Internet for a year. we don't have to worrie about health insurance here. we grow all our own meat, and veggies. we live very frugally. and it has become so natural to us that we forget that everyone isn't living like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 i live in south florida, we are a family of 4 and we survive on 35,000 since the economy went down.... were theres a will, theres a way :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I've wondered, watching this discussion...people who don't have enough probably don't know what it takes to get by. Either they underestimate because they're used to scrimping & they don't realize what's normal, or they overestimate because they've never had a chance to see how far $60K could go, much less $120K. :iagree: I remember a discussion here during the election that $250,000 (defined middle class) wouldn't really be middle class in NJ! :001_huh: Yes, property taxes and home prices are high here but I couldn't believe that people don't think you could be comfortable on less than 100,000 - like, there's no way to even live here! I think this is because of EXACTLY what you said, they do make a lot of money so they don't know how you can stretch 60,000! Although my husband makes considerably more than that, there was a time when he made 55,000/year and we were saddled with debt. That was a lot of scrimping, rotating bills, eating pasta and worry. If we had no debt(mortgage only)... 55,000 would have been comfortable for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 If there were nicer houses for less $ somewhere else in the metroplex, I sure wish we'd known. Go east and/or south :) However, the only reason we got our house for under $80K was because it was a foreclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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