How much would you have to be paid to run for a living?

I didn't read this entire thread, so I might be repeating others' thoughts. Anyway...

I don't make a helluva lot of money to beging with, so I would definitely run for a living at $40K per year. It would represent a pay cut, but being able to set my own hours would eliminate the necessity of paying for child care.

However, I have great benefits. If my team, shoe company or whatever did not provide health benefits, a retirement plan, etc, then I'd have to get paid significantly more.

i feel like everyone here is either over-exaggerating or under-exaggerating how much they spend, etc. i say this simply i would do it for however much money would cover my cost of living, and maybe a couple thousand more. i dont need a tv since i dont watch it, i dont eat nothing like some people here claim to, in fact i eat a lot, but my costs are not really that high. i just dont eat out hardly ever and i buy store brand stuff. if someone was giving me all my clothes from a sponsorship then thats all set. they would pay for my travel expenses, health insurance, etc. thats all set. just a few thousand more for some fun adventures and covering any unexpected costs.

Opportunity cost is exactly it. I don't bring in $30k a month, but I make a comfortable living for a single guy my age - to sustain that and build my career, I work much longer hours than 9-5, and in order to still get to the gym and have a social life I decide to go for the quick and easy (and more expensive) option of eating out/ordering most of my meals. If I value an hour of free time at $50/hr (my employer values my work time at much higher than that), then it makes sense to spend $50 on a delicious meal I can enjoy rather than buying $10 worth of groceries, standing in line at the store, hauling everything back and then cooking and cleaning up when I'm beat from work.

It's sort of like flying business class or living in a nice apartment...if you are already making sacrifices in your life, as most successful people do, you are willing to pay more for certain comforts. When I was in college and faced with a 1-hour commute for an $800 room or a $2500 room right next to school/work, of course I would have taken the long commute, as I didn't have the means for such a pricy place. When two hours of commuting every day would make your life unbearably stressful and the extra $1700 isn't such a burden, it starts making a lot of sense to go for the close option.

That's great. If you realize it's possible to live on less, why did you call BS on people who do?

Back to running for a living... You wouldn't need as much money to spend on luxuries such as alcohol and eating out if you were running: You'd rarely be drinking, and you'd definitely have time to prepare meals if you just had to deal with a workout or two each day. Plus, you could probably prepare healthier meals at home than you would get at a lot of restaurants, and maintaining your body would be a large component of your job.With workouts and recovery (including meal prep/eating), you probably wouldn't be out on the town much either; it would cut into your sleep and you wouldn't want to be on your feet for too many hours anyway. There would be a lot less to spend money on if you were a professional runner.

As a college student, 20,000 a year sounds awesome to me.... I'm making probably 15,000 take home and I don't feel poor.

But I would do it now, for the same amount as i'm making. 15,000. Obviously more would make my life easier, but 15k and I would do it for a few years until my mid twenties

I feel like I have to state the obvious here since it hasn't been brought up.

Captain Obvious says every single person who claims to live comfortably at $20k a year is without children.

Captain Realistic says adults with children have an obligation to provide a comfortable life for not only themselves but their family as well.

Saul Goodman wrote:

I feel like I have to state the obvious here since it hasn't been brought up.

Captain Obvious says every single person who claims to live comfortably at $20k a year is without children.

Captain Realistic says adults with children have an obligation to provide a comfortable life for not only themselves but their family as well.

yes, but "comfort" doesn't cost that much. Kids don't each that much. And they don't really have any costs besides healthcare. Under $20k can be a very comfortable and easy life if you don't try to go out and buy $50 take out to eat in front of the tv. That's with kids also.

This is an interesting discussion. If I could make a living from running I could not see myself doing it for any length of time. I would quickly question what positive impact I am having for the general good. i would not feel as though I am contributing to anything. Even working at a low paying, unskilled job a person is usually providing a service or can at least say they are helping someone or something. With running, what are you contributing to the world?

ttyrdyjud wrote:

yes, but "comfort" doesn't cost that much. Kids don't each that much. And they don't really have any costs besides healthcare. Under $20k can be a very comfortable and easy life if you don't try to go out and buy $50 take out to eat in front of the tv. That's with kids also.

Housing a family is more expensive than housing an individual. I'm not going to live in a studio apartment with a wife and kids.

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Dr. Howard ThurmanBut you make a good point.

rucontributing wrote:

This is an interesting discussion. If I could make a living from running I could not see myself doing it for any length of time. I would quickly question what positive impact I am having for the general good. i would not feel as though I am contributing to anything. Even working at a low paying, unskilled job a person is usually providing a service or can at least say they are helping someone or something. With running, what are you contributing to the world?

I would be willing to be paid almost nothing to run for a living as long as I was not litterally starving. I think your standards are a little high and the people who make to that level have such a passion that they do not consider giving it up just because running is not the most high paying job.

housing wrote:

Housing a family is more expensive than housing an individual. I'm not going to live in a studio apartment with a wife and kids.

Housing is not that expensive. You can get a nice two-story, 4 bedroom apartment for $700-800/month.

ttyrdyjud wrote:

Housing is not that expensive. You can get a nice two-story, 4 bedroom apartment for $700-800/month.

Housing that cheap will likely be in a location that requires increased transportation expenses, though. If I have to buy a car, that's another location driven expense.

housing wrote:

ttyrdyjud wrote:

Housing is not that expensive. You can get a nice two-story, 4 bedroom apartment for $700-800/month.

Housing that cheap will likely be in a location that requires increased transportation expenses, though. If I have to buy a car, that's another location driven expense.

I've seen housing like that in cities with good public transportation and/or close-by jobs.

ttyrdyjud wrote:

I've seen housing like that in cities with good public transportation and/or close-by jobs.

I'm sure they're out there. But apartments that sell for less than $100K are going to be pretty rare in any decent neighborhood in a major city. If I'm looking for a place that I can live with kids, I'm going to need to find housing in a neighborhood with decent schools or I'm going to have to pay for private school.

200K a year minimum....I am married and have a family to support.

housing wrote:

ttyrdyjud wrote:

I've seen housing like that in cities with good public transportation and/or close-by jobs.

I'm sure they're out there. But apartments that sell for less than $100K are going to be pretty rare in any decent neighborhood in a major city. If I'm looking for a place that I can live with kids, I'm going to need to find housing in a neighborhood with decent schools or I'm going to have to pay for private school.

These types of apartments aren't that rare. I've seen them in decent neighborhoods in medium-sized/major cities. Surrounded by great schools and neighborhoods.

Saul Goodman wrote:

I feel like I have to state the obvious here since it hasn't been brought up.

Captain Obvious says every single person who claims to live comfortably at $20k a year is without children.

Captain Realistic says adults with children have an obligation to provide a comfortable life for not only themselves but their family as well.

I may be a rare case, but my sister and I were raised by our single mother who made less than 30k. We lived in a poor but decent neighborhood in a 3 bedroom duplex that cost $500/month when she moved out. We obviously never had a lot, but we certainly weren't starving. I had a computer in high school as well as a PS2 and was able to do all the normal kid things. If you can set your pride aside, you'll realize that you don't need a ton to be happy.