So, I'm not sure what Manhattan you're talking about, but you can live super comfortably for 75k a year. You guys realize how many people make do on a third of that?
Including many of those on welfare, according to this. Not trying to make this political, but your insinuation is condescending. Of course people can make do on that, but most of them want more.
If you can't live comfortably on $75k/year (individually), you're doing it wrong. My household right now is making about that (my girlfriend is in grad school and makes nothing), and we live very comfortably in an area that, while not in the San Diego/Manhattan range, has a fairly high cost of living. We take an expensive vacation every year. We put plenty of money in savings/retirement. It's easy to piss through all of your cash if you don't watch where it's going, but it's patently absurd to suggest that $75k isn't enough to live easily. It doesn't take that much effort to corral your spending and just have some awareness of what your costs are. I'm with ballsack on this - God, those words feel wrong - I'm in a position where I could ramp up to 60 hour weeks or travel a bunch and increase my salary by probably 50% or more, but I like having a life. I like taking 2 week vacations every year without having to answer calls or emails, or putting the laptop away on weekends, or rolling out a couple hours early on Friday to have a beer with coworkers.
I'm looking at changing career paths because I don't like the dead end nature of what I am doing right now. I make around 50k(before taxes) and its alright. Its enough to get by but I really can't afford to go anywhere or take a vacation. The job I'm looking at will put me somewhere in the $90k+ range which I am definitely ok with. Allowing me to live more comfortably and actually save money. Shit sucks hard when money is always a source of worry.
75K, in this day and age, really isn't very much. First things first, approximately 30% of your income will be gone in taxes, between State, Federal, City, Medicare, etc. So right there, you're at $52,500. Now if you factor in housing (let's call it two adults/no children) you're lucky if you're paying $1,500 a month in rent, depending on where you live (my wife and I pay this for our one bedroom in Philadelphia). You're down to $34,500. Now, factor in utilities (cable, gas, electric, and water), which a reasonable approximation is about $400. Now you're down to $29,700. Food: $100 a week. $5200 a year. $24,500. Student Loans: Let's call this $300 a month for both. $20,900. Car payment? Call it $250. $17,900. Health Insurance: $200 a month. $15,500. Phone: $200 a month. $13,100. So this leaves $1,000 a month for discretionary expenses: vet bills, car repair, co-pays, car insurance, clothes, etc. It really isn't all that much money. Or about $125 a week per person to cover all expenses not listed above. Say you get a car repair bill for $1,000. There goes almost a month's discretionary income. 75K is very doable, but it is not an insane amount of money. Given the average family of four is around $46,000, you can see how quickly you run out of money. Edit: My math was way off!!!
Eh, the first or second time it happens is kind of weird, but after that you get pretty used to it. It was more disturbing to me to get used to breaking ribs while doing CPR. That feels odd.
I don't understand what's with America's workforce and their refusal to go on vacation. Especially since they live in a country packed with a more eclectic variety of vacation spots than probably every other country combined. It has beaches. Mountains. Skiing. Surfing. Desert. Grasslands. Giant Urban super cities. Professional sports out the ass. Museums and history-a-plenty. Palm Trees and snow caps within a hundred miles of each other. Calista Flockhart. Booze that can be bought in corner stores AFTER 9 PM. Vacation is a vital, necessary thing for workers and a smaller percentage of Americans take them than ever. How can you make 50k a year and not afford vacation? That stresses me out just thinking about it.
So far this thread is just more incentive for me to stay put here. I'm paying $600 for a room in a 1750 square foot home in a great city, and with my $40k job can live comfortably with the student loans I'm paying. Instead of the county club my expensive hobbies are shooting competitions, hunting, and fishing, which I can do a couple weekends per month if I want to. If I stayed in my hometown I could have an apartment for half of my rent today, with half or no student loans left to pay too. Of course I left there for a reason. Highways just North of the Twin Cities are absolutely choked on summer weekends and hunting openers by people heading up to their cabins. A lot of people here (myself included) do lots of weekend trips within the state (or nearby) rather than big trip vacations.
I don't think it's the money as much as the time employers allow. When I get out of school I'll have 2 weeks/year. And there's no way I could even think about taking more than a week off at a time. Bf gets 4 weeks a year because he's in banking, but I really think 2 is the norm here.
Houston's a tricky beast. If you want to live in a not dangerous area, you will spend at least 700-800 per month in rent. When you go less than that, you are the hood and I wouldn't even get gas there. Or you have to go way out of town and live in the country. Which isn't all bad, but traffic is the worst I've been in and lengthy commutes into town aren't wise. Half of each months pay goes immediately toward all of my bills and student loan payments. Rent, car insurance, student loan, cell phone, dog food, internet and electricity. Because I already have a good 40 minute drive to work, I have to fill up a lot. It doesn't stretch as far as I would like.
First, if you're paying 1500 for a one bedroom you better be in a fucking swanky ass part of town. Hell I think my brother pays 600 a month for a one bedroom in a hip part of Atlanta (little five points). Im not too knowledgeable on home buying and the unseen cost that go into it but if you are not having kids and don't care about school districts I know you can pick up decent 2-3 bedroom houses in alright urban neighborhoods in Cincy between 80-120k. One of my buddies bought his house at 18 for 80k ten years ago, had 3-5 roommates living with through his college years which he was making basically double payments each month. I think he had it 85-90 percent paid off when he moved out of it a few months ago into his new house. He wasn't making more than 30k before he became a cop 4 years ago. He moved out to the sticks with his wife and live in this absolute palace and is renting out his old place which goes towards his new mortgage. Again there are differences in expectations I guess. Say cars for instance, you can find some damn good deals and there is enough variety to fit what ever style or function you want buying used. If you think cars are just A to B machines you can get a used Camry with 100k on it for less than five thousand. Phones. I can't speak much to smart phones, I know data plans are ridiculous. I have a non smart phone on a family plan and pay 20 bucks a month. I could pay less if I wanted to do a month to month option. Food and health insurance are my two biggest spending items. Im young and reasonably healthy, my premium is about to go up to 160 a month and Im going to start looking for a better deal when it does. I feel bad for older people who pay two or three times that.
I'm not trying to be condescending. I'm just saying I've lived in Manhattan for less than that. If you're living in Manhattan, it's really easy to get a monthly Metrocard for $112. I think. Public transportation is super fast and convenient -- that's part of why the rents are higher. Your travel expenses can easily be below 2k a year with no real loss in functionality.
Same here. We've got mountains, beaches and a world class tourist city all within 2 hours from my front door.
When I was in xray school I did cpr in a reallllllly old frail lady. Felt everything crack. They called me the angel of death as a joke for a bit. But in reality, she was already circling the drain. If you are that old and need cpr, its pretty much a done deal.
Also, I was presuming that it was a single person making 75k. Having two people obviously changes that, but there isn't a place in the world you can't live comfortably for that amount, if you're a single person who shares my definition of comfortable.