Confidential poll: What is your household income?

[Boomer's Mom]

Hello, everyone!

Food Girl started to post a poll, but it didn't take. I thought I'd try it, myself. (By the way, there's a box on the lower left, at the bottom, entitled Yes! Post a Poll!, which you check.)

So, what's your household income? I've tried to give some good choices. Here's hoping we're all millionaires! (Gasp! Choke! Cough! Cough!)

[LaraW]

Its like that Barenaked Ladies song...If I had a million dollars....

[JHolcomb]

We realized last night that we are, indeed, young professionals. We live in a gated community. We have cell phones. We go out for sushi. We make more money in a year than my parents do (he makes 3xs what I make, BTW). The only thing that keeps me from killing myself (JK!!!) is the fact that my car has no hubcaps :p

[emily]

I too have recently come to the conclusion that even though I wear my vans whenever I can and belong to a CSA, I am in fact a closet yuppy. We all know about my addiction to kitchen gadgets, but, well, my cell phone and pda are one in the same unit and I have these sleek little Sony noise reduction headphones that I pull out the instant I get on a plane ... :eek: So I guess I'm a sucker for all sorts of electronic gizmos :o Yet I don't have a computer at home so I have yet to get Mastercook :confused: ;)

emily

[LaraW]

DH says that we are "suburbanites". We live in a housing development in the 'burbs, 2 honda's - both in the garage, etc.

I'm not sure how I feel about being a suburbanite.

[JenZen]

Holy Mackerel.

I'm just amazed that the most popular category right now is the $100,000 bracket! I am all of a sudden feeling poor. :)

[AndreaU]

I'm Andrea & I, too, am a closet yuppy. DH's brothers & sisters call us yuppies (though most of them are, too)- the Subaru outback, 2 dogs, professional careers, big tv with surround sound, kayak fetish, L.L. Bean obsession, etc.

Actually we're DINKs (dual income, no kids). With DH's full-time management job with the family business (he gets quite a few bonuses based on sales) and part-time college teaching job AND my teaching job, we made too much money last year! We got killed on taxes. :mad: Not that we even saw all that money- we did manage to squirrel away a good chunk for our down payment on the new house and we continue to invest and save aggressively.

[MKSquared]

:( All I've learned from this is that I am worth a whole lot more than what I'm currently making. Sigh ....

[kima]

Well I wondered when someone would be brave enough to start a polll about income!
I have always felt the people here seemed quite affluent(and well-educated). I worry though that a poll about income will make some of us feel inadequate. My DH and I would definatley fall in the middle of the pack but as our income fluctuates wildly I have been at both ends of the spectrum! For those of us on the lower end- remember its not what you make its what you spend- and I know my own happiness has never been based on how much money I had but on my good health and good relationships. It is fun to see what the incomes of people are but no should feel bad about their's.... hope this doesn't put a damper on things ....

[beejayw1]

I second what Kima said. Also, keep in mind that buying power varies considerably, as well, so someone who makes $1,000,000 and lives in Los Angeles might live no better than someone who makes, say, $250,000 and lives in the boondocks.

Also, having lost my job and had to pound the pavement one memorable year (I couldn't move when my employer moved because I had to help care for some elderly relatives), I learned that money is not essential to happiness or peace. (Though it doesn't hurt. ;) )

[KValley]

Originally posted by kima
Well I wondered when someone would be brave enough to start a polll about income!
I have always felt the people here seemed quite affluent(and well-educated). I worry though that a poll about income will make some of us feel inadequate. My DH and I would definatley fall in the middle of the pack but as our income fluctautes wildly I have been at both ends of the spectrum! For those of us on the lower end- remember its not what you make its what you spend- and I know my own happiness has never been based on how much money I had but on my good health and good relationships. It is fun to see what the incomes of people are but no should feel bad about their's.... hope this doesn't put a damper on things ....

This is why I love you so much. :)

I'm married to a man who is currently a part-time teacher, part-time grad student, part-time custodian. I work in higher education. 'Nuff said about our income potential. :rolleyes: This may be a thread I avoid, lest I feel that I'm missing out on the good life, driving my 16 yr old Honda Accord... ;)

[kima]

I just came back to say that I don't in any way mean to imply that the people with high incomes are bragging or feel that they are better than anyone else. Not at all! In fact it is a testament to the goodness of everyone here that income, race ,religion etc. are not factors in making this a great community. We all share a love for healthy living and good food. I hope that those in the higher income brackets don't think I was being critical of them I just would hate for others to feel inadequate.
Enough said- and Julie I love you too!:)

[Natasha]

Atta girls Maureen and Julie! I too was wondering when such a poll would start and while my SO and I are not hurtin', nor are we living the HUGELY lavish life! And I don't really care for the most part, since we all have our health and love and great careers, and basically don't want for anything much at all...but there are times here when I hear about all the STUFF some of you guys have and - wow! No, not all lawyers make seven figures (though of course we all deserve to). :p Though frankly even if we had the $$ to buy all that stuff I truly doubt we would. We'd buy a few more toys that we'd particularly enjoy, sure, and travel a bit more often, and that's about all the lifestyle changes we'd make. Not that there's anything wrong with doing otherwise - it just ain't us.

Plus if I had always been given everything on a silver platter, how would I know to appreciate it? In my last position, I met many people whose individual net worth was $100 million and more, and they were even younger than I was, but that was certainly noooo guarantee of happiness!

Bottom line, friends - no matter how much or how little we make/have, let's keep goin' for QUALITY of life! Good health, great food, awesome friends and family, peace of mind and a good night's sleep more often than not - we've ALL got the important stuff, right? :)

Smiles,
Natasha

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Natasha
Bottom line, friends - no matter how much or how little we make/have, let's keep goin' for QUALITY of life! Good health, great food, awesome friends and family, peace of mind and a good night's sleep more often than not - we've ALL got the important stuff, right? :)

Amen, Natasha.

You Rock!!!

[aggie94]

Originally posted by Natasha
No, not all lawyers make seven figures (though of course we all deserve to). :p

Seven figures??? :eek: Heck, not all lawyers even make SIX figures. Then throw in the debt they've usually got from 7+ years of school. It's not such a glamorous life. If only I had known... ;)

DH & I are also DINKS (for now - DH starts grad school in the fall), and right now, we make a pretty modest living. BUT see aforementioned student loan debt. :mad: We live comfortably and have everything we need but we're certainly not living it up or anything.

[kima]

You are not a dink Eva! I know a real dink when I see one! They all went to my highschool!:D

[HeidiD]

Originally posted by aggie94


Seven figures??? :eek: Heck, not all lawyers even make SIX figures. Then throw in the debt they've usually got from 7+ years of school. It's not such a glamorous life. If only I had known... ;)


You've got that right! My husband is a lawyer who put himself through school, so between his student loans and mine, we didn't have a positive net worth for years and years. He now works in a small firm and draws the same salary he did 10 years ago, with bonuses thrown in when times are good and clients pay their bills in full, which happens less often than you think. We are not in a big-time tax bracket but the automony has allowed my husband to coach our kids' sports teams, be home at a reasonable hour for dinner (but only because he works for 2 hours every night after the kids are in bed), and I can drop kids off with him when I have meetings downtown. I would love to be making what other people THINK we are taking in! It's nothing like what you see on TV.

[Natasha]

Absolutely agreed, Eva (that not all lawyers even make six figures)! :) I was just saying that because some people I've met assume all lawyers are waaay rich. :rolleyes: Nuts. Moreover, as you've pointed out, it's not the cheapest education to obtain, is it?

Natasha

[food girl]

Thanks for the help with the poll! I check the poll box on the thread starter screen but it just posted the message.

I guess I am a little surprised by the poll so far. I wouldn't have guessed so many 100K+!

DH is also a lawyer and I can relate to the misconception about salary! When I met DH he didn't even have a t.v. A man without a t.v. - that's poor!

We do ok. If you can't tell from my other controversial posts I don't like being labeled (or lableing)! We try hard to just be ourselves and not submit to the pressure of our other attorney friends. We live in an old neigborhood where we are the "alternative lifestyle" as we are about the only heterosexuals! (Am I lableing here?) We drive 8 year old cars, we have no cable t.v. (too expensive), we don't vacation in the most exotic places, we don't golf, symphony or junior league - ok I'm labeling here right?! I guess we are just who we are and money has nothing to do with that except that I can buy $2 red bell peppers without flinching!

I have a wonderful husband, a loving, supportive, non-dysfunctional family, I have 3 really good friends that I can count on absolutely, I have a large circle of interesting friends, I am healthy, my whole family circle is healthy, I am not in trouble with any legal matters, I do not live in fear, I worship my God with freedom, I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head and food in my stomach. So, I feel rich no matter what box I check!

Lisa

[boisewinesnob]

Hey,
maybe somebody ought to start a poll about how much debt we have or don't have!!!
So many people buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't know. ;)

BTW, I have to agree with where you live has a lot to do with your income and lifestyle. My income was just about cut in half when we moved to Idaho, but the houses, property taxes, etc. sure are a lot cheaper here than in Seattle!!! :p

Suzy

[BosunsWife]

Wow, I started to feel woefully inadequate (so many $100K salaries here) until I started reading some of your responses.

I posted over on the other thread that while DH might not make much money being in the military, he feels very fulfilled by what he does (usually LOL)and where else can he sail to different places free of charge. We live within our means and that means that I am able to be a SAHM to our one soon-to-be two children and that means the world to both of us.

At one time we were in another bracket on this poll when I worked and we had no children. It didn't make us happier, just bought us more things and fancy vacations.

One day (in the next 5 years or so) DH will retire from the military (still only being in his mid 40's) and hopefully the skills he has learned will give him a salary in a higher range, but if it doesn't, oh well.

[memartha]

Suzy, I like your sentiment about people who buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't know... wow, do we have a lot of that around here. Every now and them someone tells me how much in debt they are (actually, this has only happened twice, but...) and I'm blown away. And let me say, the 2 people were 100s of thousands of dollars in debt from CREDIT CARDS... not student loans, not car payments... they were buying, buying, buying everything they saw. Just so they would HAVE MORE. I could go on and on about the ridiculous amount of clothing, shoes, children's toys etc. these people have.

It seems sometimes we get really caught up in material stuff, and it's too bad. I walk through the mall or read this BB and sure, I wish I had A LOT of the things I see or hear about. Fact is, living a simpler life is a lot easier and much more rewarding. Lets me focus on what really matters - family, friends, all that God has given us. (And my life ain't that simple... I am comfortable, just don't have a lot of disposable income at the moment.) Martha

[MrsReber]

How funny, DH and I were talking last night about how my sister and her family are always struggling. They used to make very good money then they both got laid off at the same time! They like to spend spend spend! Then here's me and DH, living quite modestly. We were laughing because last week, DH brough home leftover pizza from work! He told the guys that when I saw it in the fridge, I'd say "hey, free pizza for dinner!! Alright!!" Which is exactly what happened. We're cheap (I prefer "frugal") and we really don't have to be. We just tend to look at the big picture and we're concerned about the future.

Location makes all the difference in the world, too. I don't think I'd make such a good salary in other parts of the country. Actually, there may not even be a need for my job in other parts of the country.

One thing that does make me angry, though, is the assumption that all men make more money than their wives. I have heard this on call in shows on the radio several times. I'm interested in how many wives are the bread winners in their families!! I have always earned more than DH and he has no problem with that. As a matter of fact, he is proud to tell people. It certainly has its downside, though. If one of us were to stay home with the kids, it would have to be him and not me. Too much pressure for a mom.

[Boomer's Mom]

Originally posted by food girl
I guess I am a little surprised by the poll so far. I wouldn't have guessed so many 100K

I think I should remind everyone that we aren't talking salaries so much as household income. A household with seven people each earning $20,000 fits the over $100K mark. Someone who is living off a trust fund that pays him/her $50K per year has no salary at all.

Originally posted by food girl
Thanks for the help with the poll! I check the poll box on the thread starter screen but it just posted the message.

The message comes up, you fill it out and submit, then the poll comes up, and you fill that out. Confusing, I know.

[funnybone]

Originally posted by boisewinesnob
Hey,
maybe somebody ought to start a poll about how much debt we have or don't have!!!
So many people buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't know. ;)


Suzy

Good one - I think that is referred to a "ALL FLASH AND NO CASH".

[slknight]

Originally posted by MrsReber

One thing that does make me angry, though, is the assumption that all men make more money than their wives. I have heard this on call in shows on the radio several times. I'm interested in how many wives are the bread winners in their families!!

I'm the bread winner in this family. DH used to be, but we've sort of swapped places in the past few years. We both have no problem with this either. If we ever do have kids, he has volunteered to stay home as well and be "Mr. Mom." I think he'd be great at it and encourage him to do so. Of course since I work from home anyway, then we'd all be in the house together every day. Don't know how that would work out!

:rolleyes:

[Mandy]

Originally posted by boisewinesnob
Hey,
maybe somebody ought to start a poll about how much debt we have or don't have!!!


I was thinking the same thing! As my mom says, "More money, bigger bills."

About my family income, DH and I are poor! But at the same time, I'm much younger than most of you here, so I'm sure in 10-20 years we'll be doing just fine! DH went straight from high school to do full-time volunteer work for 5 years. When he quite that, he met me, we got married 6 months later. Then shortly after we got married he started college. But besides a few small school loans, we don't have any debt. A lot of his schooling is being supported by grants and scholarships.

My parents are a wonderful example of starting from the ground up. My dad was raised on a farm in rural Ohio, and my mom was raised in a military family. Neither of them had any money when they got married. Actually two weeks after they were married, my dad left for Vietnam for a year. :eek: After he got back, my mom supported my dad through school. My parents were so smart with their money, they were NEVER in debt. My dad learned how to invest what little money they had. As a result once they had kids my mom never had to work, she was able to stay home with us kids.

Anyway...I find this poll and everyone's responses very interesting!

[mochadelsol]

I don't mean to sound corny but it's what's in your heart and soul, who you are. Are you growning and learning,treating others the way you want to be treated? I've been at both ends of the poll, in my life. I feel very blessed to be in the position we are, my DH & I keep our life simple. Stay out of debt, only buy it if you can pay for it. We don't own alot of toys or go away on trips. We love our home and town, and work hard at our business.


My Motto: Live well, Laugh often, Love much!!

[linsleyd]

This is timely!
Dh just had an epiphany last night - he said he doesn't care how much money we have as long as the bills are paid and we are happy. It's about time he reached this point.
DH is starting his own business so in the last year we put a lot on credit cards because I was also unemployed. So now we are paying all that off and looking to move. But we also own a rental property that when we move it will pay its own mortgage and the mortgage on the new home, or at least a good part of it. We also invest ALOT of my paycheck.

We live now to have fun and enjoy life and travel as much as we can. Especially because we know that if we decide to have kids it will be harder to do the things we want.
We used to worry alot about bills and money and could we afford something. We tend to worry less now and really only spend money on either a night out and the grocery store (don't want to get me started on how much two people can spend at a grocery store!)
We don't spend anything on the house except for the tenants part because we won't live here forever. Course when we move that will be a different story!:p

Anyway, enough of my rambling, I agree with Lisa (foodgirl)

I have a wonderful husband, a loving, supportive, non-dysfunctional family, I have 3 really good friends that I can count on absolutely, I have a large circle of interesting friends, I am healthy, my whole family circle is healthy, I am not in trouble with any legal matters, I do not live in fear, I worship my God with freedom, I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head and food in my stomach. So, I feel rich no matter what box I check!

[Molli526]

A poll about how much you owe would be interesting. Student loans are so great at the time ;)

I am the breadwinner in the family. I make about 2x what DH makes. He is going back to school part-time and deivering pizza. We are no where near rich. We invest some, but is essentially enough to cover our bills. It is frustrating sometimes though. I have 2 good friends whose boyfriends both make more (one at least 2x) as much as our household income! Their boyfriends pay for everything so it is hard when they want to go away for weekend, shop, go out to eat etc. and I have to decline. I will say though, money doesn't buy happiness. As much as their BF's pay, DH and I are so happy and in love, there is no place I would rather be.

I can't wait for the day when DH has a "real" job. then we can pay off those nasty student loans! :D (Babies come then too :) )

[BlueMoose]

but I felt compelled to to help balance it out a little! We don't make a lot of money, but like has already been stated, $ goes a lot farther up here than it does in other areas of the country. Heck, you couldn't even spend $100 on a dinner for 2 people around here if you tried! And we have friends and family in places like Chicago, Sacramento, and LA who have to spend 2-3 times as much as we did to get an equivelant house.:eek:

We live comfortably and are debt free (except for our mortgage) and we're happy. We don't buy really expensive things and don't take expensive vacations (I don't feel the need to, but DH would disagree with me a little on the vacation thing). My SIL and her husband used to tease us about being cheap and not buying top of the line things but they're in debt up to their eyeballs and are now getting divorced!

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm happy with the way that we live (not that I would tell my DH to turn down a raise;) ....I'm not stupid!:D )

[KAC]

I too must admit I felt a little inadequate when viewing these results until I read some of the responses. I do think I am among the minority here though. I am single and live with a roommate (my best friend since High School) and without her sharing the rent I think I'd be on the street! We have little in our wallets and very expensive taste - A dangerous combination! But for now I am just thankful to have my health, strength, sane mind and good friends and family. The right job will come to me eventually so I have to be patient! But I'll still keep my fingers crossed! :)

Kelly

[Laura]

You know its interesting, about 6 years ago I was with a mid-size law firm in Newport Beach, CA, was making lots of money, and was miserable. I quit my job (even though I probably would have made partner the next year), and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and took a 60% pay cut. My life only got better. I now work from home and make about what I started out at 13 years ago. However, I am here for my kids, we still are able to go out and have fun, and I am a much happier person. I think it is great if you can make lots of money, and still have the right focus. It seemed for me that making as much money as I did only made me want to me have more. Yes, I wish things weren't as tight sometimes, and I wish I had extra money to put away, but for me, my life now is so much better than it was.

[Abby]

DH and I do pretty well financially, and we think we are pretty smart about the way we handle our finances. We have no debt besides our mortgage and save approximately 60% of our income. We don't live extravagant lives but feel that every now and then we should be able to reward ourselves by taking that fantastic trip or buying ourselves a spiffy outfit, even if it isn't on sale (although most of the time you'll catch me at TJ Maxx ;) ). After all, isnt' that why we are working so hard anyway? A lot of our friends may have the newest model car or live in the ritzier areas, but I guarantee you they probably won't be ready to retire by their mid-fifties, which is our goal. Their income statements may be pretty impressive, as is our's, but I'm sure our balance sheet would beat the socks off of their's (i.e. we own what we have)! Add to all this the fact that we have wonderful families who love us and would do anything for us, as we would them, then I'd say we are filthy rich! :D

[dulcecoeur]

Well, it looks like I am one of the poor ones - even sadder is my income is in CANADIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But, I am still young and just starting out in the career world, so I have plenty of time and for right now my salary suits me...I live on my own in a nice one bedroom apartment in a nice building downtown and very close to work. I love my life right now and I pay my bills on time and have a very small amount of debt now. I am very careful with my credit and spending habits, and keep a budget. I have no car, but only have a five minute walk to work and there is a pool and gym in my building so I don't need to travel to the gym. If I NEED a car, DBF lends me his.

I don't have extra money left over, I do have a small RRSP (that's the business I am in, I had better!) but no savings (yikes, i know that is kind of scary)

My DBF is a student just finishing up his B.Comm in the next couple months and lives with his roomate in a 2-bedroom, so I am pulling in more than him right now, although that won't last long!
We've been together about 5 years now, and are planning to move in together (hopefully to my apartment ;-) ) so it will be nice when I can split the rent and start saving for a downpayment on a house (although DBF has enough for one now, I want to be able to put in a substantial amount as well, so its ours not his)

[Luiza]

Hey, where are all the students? I guess I was expecting to see more hits in the very low range. I'm one of the poor ones, but after DB and I graduate we'll probably be among the richer. I've lived for so long on nearly no money that over 100000 combined income sounds like a humongous amount. Sometimes I wonder if I'll know what to do with all these money. But I'm sure I'll come up with something when (if?) the situation arises... :p

And now the question of an ignorant Canadian: what is a gated community, and what are the advantages of living in one? As a matter of fact, are there gated communities in Canada?

[Natasha]

Originally posted by Luiza


And now the question of an ignorant Canadian: what is a gated community, and what are the advantages of living in one? As a matter of fact, are there gated communities in Canada?

I've never seen one here, not even in the ritzy neighbourhoods, but it's probably only a matter of time. I have seen lots of them in the U.S. though. I like the fact that so far we don't seem to have too much of a need for them!

Natasha

[aggie94]

I've only ever seen gated apartment complexes, but I imagine it's the same idea, but with a whole neighborhood. Is that it?

[Dewey]

Originally posted by aggie94
I've only ever seen gated apartment complexes, but I imagine it's the same idea, but with a whole neighborhood. Is that it?

Yeah, that's the idea. You tend to see them in areas where there are really fancy neighborhoods right next to lower-class neighborhoods. I've seen a lot of them in CA, both northern and southern. I know of two in Denver, but I've never seen one in Colorado Springs.

[beejayw1]

Let's not forget, as well, the various chunks that are taken out of our paychecks before we even get them to pay for:

National Income Tax
State income tax
Social Security Tax
City Wage Tax
Insurance coverage through your employer (comprising medical, dental, long- and short-term disability)
Any off the top charitable contributions
Medical or Child Care Reimbursement Accounts


In the case of most people I know, their take home pay, on average, is 60% of their salaries.

[SusanPC]

Being in my mid 20s and being "Dinky" before separating from my DH and now probably just comfortable and perhaps a tad "yuppie", I can assure you that just because people have nice and flashy things doesn't mean a lot. All of our group of friends are "Double Income, No Kids" and everyone drives a nice car, nice clothes, etc. However, one couple comes to mind. They have in the last two years purchased an Eddie Baur Expedition, a fully loaded Audi A-4, built a $500K plus house, etc. The husband, whom I initially met through work, was sitting in my office recently complaining about how much debt they were in and how expensive it was to live in DC. I may have been out of line but I said you know, no one forced you to build that huge house for the two of you. You could have bought a nice townhouse and been fine. In my opinion, there is something to be said for sleeping at night. I think people in my generation are used to getting things the easy way. People look at credit cards as money and buy now and worry later. I think the majority of people that are truely well off in this country would be surprising. It is probably the family with the older car and the not so huge house. And they are probably a lot happier than the idiots so maxed out that they have to sit and wait for their paychecks to float the bills that are due. Just my opinion. For those who haven't read it yet, "The Millionaire Next Door" is really a great book on this topic...

[Nirak]

I think I was the only one who answered "no income" but that is because I am a SAHM and DH is unemployed. Thank goodness we lived within our means and have very little debt, plus a savings account that we are now living off. Since he is looking nationally, I haven't done much about looking for a job, plus I still need to take care of the kids when he is interviewing, etc. So far, I see my job as saving as much as I can by not spending. It truly is about friends and family over money.

[Luiza]

Thank you for the replies. So would a gated neighbourhood have any kind of stores in it, or it's just houses? Somehow I'm having a really hard time imagining this. There must be some real security issues out there.

[Laura]

Originally posted by Luiza
Thank you for the replies. So would a gated neighbourhood have any kind of stores in it, or it's just houses? Somehow I'm having a really hard time imagining this. There must be some real security issues out there.

Most of the gated communities that I am aware of seem to have more of a feel of "prestige" than actual security. Of the ones here in Colorado Springs (actually Dewey there is one that is not too far from you), they have these beautiful entry ways, and a guard that opens the gate to let you in, but generally are not fenced all around. Most of the ones that I have been don't have any stores in them. At best, they might have a golf course and associated restaurant.

[MrsReber]

My dad lives in AZ and there are plenty of gated communities in Scottsdale. Of course, my little brother (13) frequently rides his bike through these communities, so you can see how "safe" they really are. I agree, it's more prestigious than anything. It's not like someone couldn't get past the gate or over the gate or through some back way. As a matter of fact, when I was out in AZ, my little brother showed me the back way in the gate and we rode around on bikes for a while. I don't see it as being such a security issue. It's really just the appearance of security.

I agree about the big $500k houses, too! Ridiculous for two people. DH and I live in a very modest 3 bedroom ranch. My mom is always saying how we can afford more or we should move to a "nicer" neighborhood. Why? What for? To spend more money on a mortgage? So we look good to other people? Who needs it.

[JHolcomb]

Our gated community is an apartment complex. When we were looking for places to live, DH's company assigned us an agent to help us find an apartment (We're both just out of school-no way could we afford a down payment on a house, besides we didn't know if we'd like Raleigh enough to stay here). Anyway, the agents wouldn't show us any apartments that were even in marginal neighborhoods, even though I begged. The response "Oh, you don't want to live there. Well, yes, I did, because I felt guilty living in such a nice place and I wanted an ecelctic neighborhood. We were actually embarrassed for our families to come see where we live because it's too nice. Anyway, our apt complex is in a nice, expensive neighborhood. No need for the gates, just to look snobby, I guess. I HATE them!!!!! Our university was gated, too (Wake Forest). They said it was for safety, I thought it was for snobbery. Anyway...some of the communites are gated and self contained with shops, schools, churches, houses, townhomes and apts all in the same place. And they give me the creeps.

[pammy]

Not enough.

Hee, hee. Not really, we are on solid ground financially, but it just feels otherwise because we are remodeling our kitchen right now. I always feel a little uncomfortable spending what seems to be large sums of money, but this is an investment. I agree with the comments that people have made about living within your means and avoiding unnecessary debt. DH and I like nice things, but we try to make good choices and get alot of bang for our buck. That means doing research about products before we make a decision to buy, and really considering whether we need something or not. That is how I actually resisted the urge to purchase a KA icecream maker when there were a bunch of threads about them last year - I would have used it a couple times, then down to the basement. Also, it doesn't hurt to wait to buy things until you actually have the cash to pay for it. We have lived in our house for 5 years (boy, does time fly). We really didn't have any furniture when we moved in (other than our bedroom and my old IKEA apartment stuff), and we agreed that we would only furnish rooms as we had the cash to pay for furniture. It didn't make sense to go into debt just to have a couch in the living room right away.

I'm glad that we have a common-sense approach to money. I work for a non-profit, enough said. DH is in the computer industry, and boy, was the time right after 9/11 a real eye-opener in terms of job security. Like, here today, gone tomorrow. Thank God, he was one of the lucky techies who got to keep his job, but we know tons of people (who by the way scoffed when we bought a 30 year old house that needed some TLC, and drive VW's rather than BMW's) up to their eye teeth in debt, suddenly out of jobs. We were scared, but felt pretty confident that if he lost his job, we would be able to make it on my salary for a while without having to decimate our savings. So, in a nutshell, we make enough to be comfortable, to make our house into a home, to feel secure, and to save some money. But, that truly is a transient (is that the right word?) thing. Another blow to the economy can happen at any time, I think that is why it is so important not to let money and material things be the center of the universe, because unless you are born wealthy, depending on that for happiness is a pretty shaky proposition.

[Tina_B]

Personally, I value money for the security and choices it provides. Ultimately however, people tend to end up in the same financial position, regardless of income. The ability to manage money does not often change with an increase in income. I have always been very fortunate. I was able to support my DH through medical school with very little debt. We chose to live a much more modest lifestyle than we could have financed. But, that's our personal comfort level. Now, I was able to turn down an 80K a year job to be a Stay At Home Mom to my one year old. To me, that's the best job in the world.

[Luiza]

Ok, now I understand; thank you all. Somehow when I heard the term "gated community" through my mind flashed this post-apocalyptic picture of electric fences and mean-looking burly guys at the gate. Clearly I've been watching the wrong kind of movies... :rolleyes:

Still, it seems a bit strange to count prestige by the number of walls you have surrounding you.

JHolcomb (Jen?), I found your post very funny. I can just imagine the situation. We might be moving to the US for a year or two, and if something like that happens to us, we'll probably die of embarrassment. And it's not like you can say to an agent "No, we want to live in a bad place. Really.".

[JHolcomb]

Originally posted by Luiza
Ok, now I understand; thank you all. Somehow when I heard the term "gated community" through my mind flashed this post-apocalyptic picture of electric fences and mean-looking burly guys at the gate. Clearly I've been watching the wrong kind of movies... :rolleyes:

Still, it seems a bit strange to count prestige by the number of walls you have surrounding you.

JHolcomb (Jen?), I found your post very funny. I can just imagine the situation. We might be moving to the US for a year or two, and if something like that happens to us, we'll probably die of embarrassment. And it's not like you can say to an agent "No, we want to live in a bad place. Really.".

Yeah, we miss our old neighborhood...we had some really nice historic houses there and lots of yuppies, but we also lived near a strip joint and had lots of hookers around and even saw a guy get arrested at gunpoint in front of our apartment. Lots of color. The house we lived in was 60 years old, tons of windows, hardwood floors (our landlord was an idiot and we had no washer/dryer hookup or dishwasher and tiny closets, though). We really miss it.

Our new place is nice, but sometimes I feel like I sold my soul for a dishwasher...

[Dewey]

Originally posted by pammy
Thank God, he was one of the lucky techies who got to keep his job, but we know tons of people (who by the way scoffed when we bought a 30 year old house that needed some TLC, and drive VW's rather than BMW's) up to their eye teeth in debt, suddenly out of jobs. We were scared, but felt pretty confident that if he lost his job, we would be able to make it on my salary for a while without having to decimate our savings.
DH and I are both in the computer industry too. Three years ago, when we were going to buy a house, we got pre-approved for a loan before we started looking. They approved us for a loan up to $800,000! That would have meant mortgage payments of over $5000/mo!:eek: DH and I decided that we should make certain that we could cover all of our bills with only one income, in case the market ever turned down. Boy are we glad we did. DH was out of work for 8 months (has only been back to work for the last month.) Yet we never had to touch our savings, nor build up credit card debt. A good friend of ours also got laid off at the same time. Unfortunately, his wife makes very little compared to him. This is one of those couples that thought the bubble would never burst in the tech industry. They had three expensive cars (for two people!), ate out every night, all the electronic toys, and NO savings apparently. He just told DH that one of the cars got repossessed. The friend had now found another job, but he's credit report is going to look awful, and he's now got a mountain of credit card debt to get rid of. Yet he learned nothing! As soon as he was offered a job, before he even started and received his first paycheck, he told DH that he wanted to buy a motorcycle! Some people never learn.

[Lynn B]

Why is this poll "closed"?!!

This isn't the first time I have seen a recently posted poll that is "closed" (unable to "vote"). :confused: :confused: :confused:

Lynn