Is a 50k job pretty much minimum wage for adults?

My wife and I make a bit over 100k/yr. We both have college degrees (her: BS, me: M. Ed.), and we both were in healthcare (her: echo tech, me: CT tech). We live in a small town outside of a city in central Illinois and drive 30 minutes to work. We have two children under age 10, one of whom has Down Syndrome and associated health issues. Between after-school care, hospital bills, braces for the oldest, cars, maintenance, mortgage, groceries, etc. We are doing well to keep more than a few thousand in savings.

We could definitely do more to spend less in some areas, but trying to get my wife to stop buying frivolous stuff is hard to do when still puts out on a regular basis.

MKajKathi wrote:

My wife and I make a bit over 100k/yr. We both have college degrees (her: BS, me: M. Ed.), and we both were in healthcare (her: echo tech, me: CT tech). We live in a small town outside of a city in central Illinois and drive 30 minutes to work. We have two children under age 10, one of whom has Down Syndrome and associated health issues. Between after-school care, hospital bills, braces for the oldest, cars, maintenance, mortgage, groceries, etc. We are doing well to keep more than a few thousand in savings.

We could definitely do more to spend less in some areas, but trying to get my wife to stop buying frivolous stuff is hard to do when still puts out on a regular basis.

cool story bro

MKajKathi wrote:

My wife and I make a bit over 100k/yr. We both have college degrees (her: BS, me: M. Ed.), and we both were in healthcare (her: echo tech, me: CT tech). We live in a small town outside of a city in central Illinois and drive 30 minutes to work. We have two children under age 10, one of whom has Down Syndrome and associated health issues. Between after-school care, hospital bills, braces for the oldest, cars, maintenance, mortgage, groceries, etc. We are doing well to keep more than a few thousand in savings.

We could definitely do more to spend less in some areas, but trying to get my wife to stop buying frivolous stuff is hard to do when still puts out on a regular basis.

Last line made me LOL

You're just jealous that I still get action and you're posting in the post-nuptial shut-off thread.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1740988

Police, firefighters, teachers, nurses all start at 50k or more.

$50k is most definitely NOT minimum wage for adults. Kids now days think it's all going to be handed to them as long as they go to college. It's NOT.

Graduated college with honors, 1st job $24k a year and I had too look long and hard just to find a job!

10 years later I was an upper manager making $65k a year.

11th year; quit and started my own company which has nothing to do with my college degree.

3 years later I'm making much, much, much, much more $$$ and hardly working.

Biggest regret I have in life was to swallow the college pill. I should have just graduated HS and started my own company. I'd be a multi millionaire by now had I done that.

I have a stay at home wife, 3 kids, house paid off in the last two years and unless they want to be a doctor or something the like, I will FORBID my children from going to college. Biggest waste of $ ever.

Moral of story, start your own business. I'm working on launching a subsidiary co. in 2017 and have plans on a 3rd in 2020 so that each of my children have their own co. to run when they are older.

I kind of agree with everything this person is saying. College loan debt has crippled me. There are other ways to get ahead.

MKajKathi wrote:

You're just jealous that I still get action and you're posting in the post-nuptial shut-off thread.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1740988

you're poor and crippled by your unwanted responsibilities. what else is there for you to do besides pumping your fat wife

Glad you said it wrote:

I kind of agree with everything this person is saying. College loan debt has crippled me. There are other ways to get ahead.

Key is to not jump into college unless it's a good deal. Obviously tougher to have that foresight as a 17 year old.

My dad was a teacher making like 70k, and mom was a housewife. I got great financial aid to go to a private school (55k-60k yr). They did an awesome job paying off loans, etc.

I graduated with like 15k debt. 70k starting salary in a high cost area, yet found a great spot for 600/month.

Currently have 37k in the bank, with 6k left in loans. No car, live decently frugally yet will go out every 2 weeks or so. I'm 24 currently.

Not having a car is kind of lame, but I can wing it like this currently. Downsides are that it sucks in the winter, can't just drive to cool places on the drop of a dime, and generally girls aren't that impressed (but who gives a fk).

What industry does your company specialize in? As for us, we make $115k/year. To get ahead we chose to stay in our modest home an hour away from the city and from work. We hate the commute but have money in the bank. To answer the OP's question, I started at $14/hr and were able to make it work. 13 years later, I'm at $80k but the lifestyle seems the same...except for buying a new car...

It should be, but most bachelor degree people major in useless things so they don't even make 50k. Plus some of them are idiots.

Mmmmm.. wrote:

What industry does your company specialize in?

Landscaping. Yes.... LANDSCAPING.

I make 19.84/hr, or about 41k a year. Was at 36k a few years and got a bump.

Live in Columbus. Single, no kids. I'm 32. In healthcare sector. Was in journalism and made slave wages, then got smart. Healthcare is the future.

I have about 58k in savings, plus another 45k in investments. I make it work by:

1) I don't drink often and eat out sometimes, but not every night.

2) Brown bag lunch.

3) Drive a reliable '07 Corolla and keep it in shape.

4) Single efficiency apt. in Cbus for $490/month, but it's all I need!

I could easily live on a job paying 12-13/hr gross, but that's my threshold...19-22/hr is a comfortable wage for me!

andicamp wrote:

If you make 200k for a family of 4 and have no savings, it's because you have chosen a lifestyle that doesn't allow you to save.

Live in a modest house, keep your car til it has 200,000 miles on it, don't buy tons of dumb stuff that you don't need or even enjoy, don't buy things on credit, have your kids get part time jobs to earn their spending money and contribute towards school money... it's not that hard, just make different choices.

College is 64k per year per kid if you want to go to a top notch institution. Clearly you have no concept of what things actually cost. A part time job amounts to a drop in the barrel.

I have no cc debt. The reason I have no savings is I refuse to take out loans for everything (unlike 90% of the population) and I'm not letting my kids accumulate debt. Over 150k per household and your financial aid options are low. My kid is in one of the top schools in the country for her major. She deserves it. She worked hard for it and now I work hard for her.

But I also work very hard to support Uncle Sam. I get very tired of that. Yes, I make 100k but it's doing back breaking work that others are not willing to do. That's why I get so much. I really don't like giving half of it away.

Your all paying way more in taxes than you may think. Sales tax, extra gas taxes, property taxes, income taxes, tolls, etc.... You name it. We are getting screwed.

In my state, a high school student can get the first two years of college for free if they take community college classes during their junior and senior years. Then let's say they join the Air Force after that and do essentially a desk job for the next for years. They can get tuition assistance during their time in the AF. So let's say they take a year of classes by being a part-time student during four years in the AF. They get out and the GI Bill gives them tuition and living expenses, which will be enough for that last year and maybe it could also pay for graduate school.

You don't have to just give college to your kids and then say you have no savings. It's a choice. It is not like the old days when you're middle class parents could pay for college without a problem. You have to realize this and not throw money at the universities.

*for the next four years

Lmao 64k per year for undergrad? I hope your kid starts at 120k per year cause that's how much I made after grad school and I paid way less than that. I had zero help from parents for both undergrad and grad school. It only took me 2 years to pay back my loans.

*your middle class parents

Oreeegoooonnnn wrote:

Mmmmm.. wrote:

What industry does your company specialize in?

Landscaping. Yes.... LANDSCAPING.

I believe it. Rich people pay for landscaping...I pay for landscaping.