standard of living and how well are you doing.

[HKUSP45C]

I view that as personal information and it's nobody's business.

Smoke

Is it just me, or are posts like this completely inane?

I know some of us are paranoid freaks living in castles that could withstand a small British onslaught. Also, that our identities and bank account are subject to review by "the authorities" and public at large. That our lives are only left secure by keeping as much "intel" as close to the vest as possible.

But, most of us are just "gun nuts" posting on a forum. Replies like this, IMHO, further the idea, to everybody that "gun nuts" are the former.

So, you think it's personal? Don't hit the reply button.

It takes more effort to say "I won't participate because I disagree with the premise" than to simply not participate.

Gah, I appologise to the quoted member, but sheese, let the forum "become" before stifling it with silly quips about how you're "above it" or "better than that" or that your "privacy" is more important (whether you were asked to chime in or not) than discourse.

[/rant]

My lovely lady and I pull a decent living, Upper-middle Class, I still don't have all the toys I want. Neither does she. It's not from the lack of trying on either of or parts.

 

[Joey2]

I am where I am because of a good wife and the grace of God. We raised 6 children, all grown now thank God!.

I am retired military after 26yrs. and worked as a union carpenter until May31,l995 when I retired. My military injuries forced me to stop working.

We are very comfortable. We can pretty much spend what we want without pinching pennies. I spend a lot on reloading. We live the farm life. She has chickens for eggs and meat, a large garden for fresh vegetables to eat and can. She bakes her own bread and basically makes everything from scratch.

I have 7 pet goats that do cost me a lot to feed and maintain. They are my pets and off limits other ideas of raising goats.

 

[SalTx]

For the past several years I was doing okay..lower middleclass I think. Then I decided to be happy, get married, and make a home. I left my "career" with the government and going to school now. Wife just became an LVN. I now work part-time, full time school for two years. In a year or two, we should be back to being okay...and a lot happier. I just wish I had done this from the beginning, wasted several years working in places I never wanted or intended to live and die in. So presently, can't afford any toys of any kind, but I'm doing great.

 

[backphil]

I owe more to Sallie Mae than I make in a year. That's not counting the other debts I have accrued by starting a business (since closed). Gas prices have NOT been helpful in this regard.
It's all I can do to bring my used Jeep back up to spec (not much vital maintenance of ANY kind was done for it- should have made a lower offer) bit by bit every paycheck.
I'm still living at home, working for $9.50-11.00 an hour.

Not much on the horizon either. My college degree is vastly different from anything I have grown toward lately, and beyond my hobbies there are few things I really excel at.

Pretty much the couple-years out of college doldrums.

My advice

 

[Ellie]

Also helps that I have neither kids nor an expensive harem to support.

dang, I was hoping I could move in

Me an' husband are doing good because we have two good incomes and no kids. It's weird her in Kali bc the property values have gone up so dramatically in the past 10 years, and property taxes are frozen at purchase value (thank gawd, but still, it squeezes the young folk),

 

[SamlautRanger]

Doing well right now, thanks to the grace of God.

Am 37, single, and hopefully Lord willing will have my house paid off in 6 months and be able to retire at age 40.

Of course working overseas helps out. Tax free and my company pays for all my living expenses and gives me Per Diem.

But, after living and working overseas for so long. I can tell you that you are very wealthy if you have the following:

Roof over your head, food to eat, medical care, and can afford some recreational activites and hobbies. You got it better than most in the world.

Most of the people here in Cambodia would do anything to have the opportunity to work at a McDonalds for minimum wage in the USA. Their pay, medical, children's education would be so much better.

I give thanks to God everyday that I was born in America and the opportunities that we have as Americans.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Well said, Samlaut.

I'm doing okay. Not as bad off as I have been, nor as well off as I'd be if I'd had steady employment, but I really can't complain.

Health care costs, though, scare the bejeebers out of me.

 

[FXR]

I am wealthy beyond all imagination

I am graced with good health, a wonderful marriage, and two perfect children. Any other measure is irrelevant to me!
K

 

[Ryder]

I would say my standard of living is relatively low. Roof leaks, basement floods, dog eats better than me, and no health care.

Oh money? Never better. Don't need anything. No debt. Paychecks are above average and piling up in the bank.

 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Has anyone else noticed that almost none of us are complaining about our lot in life?

This can't be normal. Optimism is not a very common trait in the general population. How many other groups of people would show such a universal sense of contentment and satisfaction with their lifestyles?

 

[HKUSP45C]

Has anyone else noticed that almost none of us are complaining about our lot in life?

This can't be normal. Optimism is not a very common trait in the general population. How many other groups of people would show such a universal sense of contentment and satisfaction with their lifestyles?

I think alot of that comes from the same place most of us got our "gun nuttieness." I think most of us here are independent, hard working, freedom loving Americans. That leads to the attitude that we aren't owed anything, therefore we made our own lot in life. I don't know about y'all but I'm proud of all the things I've made, even if it turned out worse than I'd hoped.

I belive that is why there is so little whining, that, and coupled with the fact that most of us know we have it better than the majority of the world.

 

[LAWDOGKMS]

I'm 34 and my wife is 32..

2 kids, a 5 y/o and 13 y/o

I've got a real nice big brick house (2600 sf), with 4br/3ba, 2 car garage, workshop etc....with inground pool and hottub, in a great neighborhood, in a wonderful town, and some great friends..

We have bills..

We have 75K left on mortgage, one vehicle payment (wife's Z71 Suburban, I drive a 93 F150 that is paid for), and one loan payment on my fish/ski boat (Cajun 19').., and one credit card.

Yes, we have bills, but we're making ends meet, driving safe vehicles, and have enough money to get away for the weekend when we want to, and take a 2 week vacation every year..

Sure...I could go the "Dave Ramsey" route, sell my wife's Suburban and buy her a beater, sell my boat, move into a little apartment etc...

What fun is that though?

As long as I am not sinking "deeper" into debt, these are probably my best years 30-40's, and I plan to enjoy them!!

I can be "frugal" later, when the kids are gone..

I make about 70K, and my wife makes 25K..

I don't know where this places us in the "class" category, but I know we're doing fine and enjoying life..

I'll assume the income makes us "lower middle class",..

Correct?

 

[NCP24]

I'll assume the income makes us "lower middle class",

The last time I checked it would be “upper middle class”.

 

[sumpnz]

I'll assume the income makes us "lower middle class",

The last time I checked it would be “upper middle class”.

Depends. With $100k combined income that would be "lower middle class" in some areas like SanFran, LA, Seattle, NYC. In others, like Alabama, most of AZ, heck most of "flyover" country it would be "upper middle class".

I'd say that as long as you're living a life style that keeps you happy, whatever that may be (without going into heavy debt), and you can save enough to have at least some kind of retirement, you're pretty darn well off.

 

[LAWDOGKMS]

Depends. With $100k combined income that would be "lower middle class" in some areas like SanFran, LA, Seattle, NYC. In others, like Alabama, most of AZ, heck most of "flyover" country it would be "upper middle class".

I'd say that as long as you're living a life style that keeps you happy, whatever that may be (without going into heavy debt), and you can save enough to have at least some kind of retirement, you're pretty darn well off.

I'm in West Texas (Midland/Odessa area), and it's pretty darn inexpensive to live here..

I'm a Fed employee, and have a pretty decent Thrift Savings Plan (basically a 401K) that I contribute 13% of my salary to annually. The TSP and my govt. pension should set us up okay in the future. My wife was contributing to a Mutual Fund monthly, but stopped it when she gained a 401k with her latest job..

Who knows how the economy will be when I retire, or if I'll even have any of that money I invested in the 401K?

Hopefully, when the G forces me out at the mandatory age 57, I will be able to go fishing for the rest of my years..

Unfortunately, my peers in my career field that are currently retiring, seem to be looking for odd jobs even after they retire.. I think it's to fend off boredom, and not for the $$ though..

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy my life..

Like the Tim McGraw song "my next 30 years", I'm going to enjoy these years!!

That said, I leave in about an hour for a 2-day 4-wheeling and camping trip at Terlingua Ranch..

See yall next week...

 

[seansean]

well, I'm an actor, that's how I make my living, I literally live in hollywood,I'm 36, single, no wife or kids, decent apt, good car, income last year was 57,000 this year it's in the 40's. I don't own anything yet, hoping to get a condo next couple of years. housing prices in L.A. are unbelievable, there's a 2br house on my corner going for $869,000 Same house in middle america MIGHT crack 100,000.

 

[iamkris]

Quote:
I'll assume the income makes us "lower middle class",

The last time I checked it would be “upper middle class”.

Agree with other posters...depends on where you live.

$100K combined income in the north chicago suburbs where I live would not be considered upper middle. Not when average (yes that's average) housing price is $500-600K. Places like SF, NY, Seattle are even worse.

My wife and I were deciding whether to move to a new house or add on to our Victorian, we found we couldn't touch anything that would fit our family for under $800-900K. We decided to add on.

 

[wingman]

I think alot of that comes from the same place most of us got our "gun nuttieness." I think most of us here are independent, hard working, freedom loving Americans. That leads to the attitude that we aren't owed anything, therefore we made our own lot in life. I don't know about y'all but I'm proud of all the things I've made, even if it turned out worse than I'd hoped.

Wow, I'm very pleased with all the post, I also believe that people who enjoy
there hobbies, guns, cars, airplanes, etc, tend to be more stable, happy.
I am suprised by the optimism. In my younger days I did consider myself
middleclass however with age and inflation I feel that has changed in terms
of money but like Art I purchased hobby gear in the days it was lower priced
and I feel lucky on that scale and in terms of my children who are doing
very well.
Thanks for all the reponse guys and I hope everyone continues to enjoy
there hobbies and do well in life.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Most of my neighbors here in my part of Milwaukee make about $70,000 to $100,000. But that's with both spouses working.

Houses in the area range from 1,300 square-foot brick homes like mine to 2,400+. They're all older homes with character. Prices are $150,000 to a bit over $200,000.

A neighbor of mine sold her home for $180,000 and moved to San Diego to work for Cisco. She quickly found out that she couldn't afford a house, and she's very, very well paid.

 

[petrel800]

Call me old fashioned, but my parents told me it was impolite to ask or talk about peoples personal finances in Public.

 

[odysseus]

From today's Yahoo Finance page titled "A Scientifically Proven Way to Be Happy"

...from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

"When I have a toothache, I discover that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing," he writes in "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching." "I had to have a toothache in order to be enlightened, to know that not having one is wonderful. My nontoothache is peace, is joy. But when I do not have a toothache, I do not seem to be happy. Therefore, I look deeply in the present moment and see that I have a nontoothache, that can make me very happy already."

...As Aristotle wrote, "The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else."

 

[Soap]

I'm technically right out of the gate since I just graduated a year and a half ago. However, I'm doing very well considering how new I am to the job market. I feel very blessed to be in my current position. The wife brings in more than her major in school said she would and so do I. The current plan is to stay financially stable then hit the books again for an MBA.

 

[wingman]

Call me old fashioned, but my parents told me it was impolite to ask or talk about peoples personal finances in Public.

Please note in original post that I stated "not looking for pay stubs".

 

[beaucoup ammo]

I Could Give A Flip Less About The Jones'

..and hope it's vice-versa. Let's hear it for relativity...compared to where I expected to be at this point in life, all is well. Better than expected. As good as any and better than many.

The criteria I attach to a good life doesn't match many, or most, who've posted here. If getting more toys is your motivation for getting out of bed, more power to you! I hope your pile of goodies grows every day! Seriously.

I prefer being on "Beaucoup Ammo Standard Time" and good health to anything else. With very modest income, but zero debt, Mrs Ammo (of 35 years!) and I can be working in the vegetable garden..look at each other with the same thought, and hit the road for weeks at a time, anytime...both retired 9 years ago and still in our 50's (for another 2 months anyway!).

Having raised three children who are doing well..expecting 1st grandchild in 3 months..I'm a happy man and a lucky skunk. A Charter Member And At The Vanguard Of The Baby Boomer Generation!:O)

Take Care

 

[gm]

the average wage here is 7.50 an hour..I left a 14 dollar an hour job of 8 years and no future that was an hour and a half away to a temporary one that is 15 minutes but pays 7.50 an hour, which is the higher income most places pay here...but am going back to college,taking up the health field and have a 4.0 cumlative average in my final 2 years, I have a degree in LE but here, they are letting them go because of no money.

My wife makes 11 an hour but her place "lays off" every single year and employ a bunch of wannabes.Its my goal to graduate,get a decent job and offer my wife the choice to quit.