People Living Paycheck to Paycheck Even With Decent Incomes

8,596 Views | 94 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by BadMoonRisin
fc2112
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My parents grew up in the 30s and yeah to all that.

Of course, I've had to break some bad habits like folding up and saving foil after cooking something on it. And using old Cool Whip containers as Tupperware.
infinity ag
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saw em off said:

I've always been pretty good at living within the means. My wife was a stay-at-home mom for 20 years. We had one kid (tried for others but no luck). I was anal about no debt early on other than house/cars. I didn't make anywhere near 6 figures, and we didn't eat sandwiches either. We went on vacations every year, I was able to save enough to where my daughter will graduate debt free in a year. She goes to Lamar and lives at home. I don't invest, but will have a nice retirement in about 6 years if we elect the right president. Retirement might be a foreign concept if we don't.

No bragging here, just say all that to say, I was constantly evaluating our household budget and finding ways not go overboard with stuff. Thanks to youtube, I do 90% of all house and car maintenance/repairs myself. Always shopping for lower insurance premiums. I've found that there are always clever ways to cut back without sacrificing too much.

Congratulations!! You have done great.
Our stories have some similarities. My wife was also a stay at home mom for 14 years and I am happy the kids had mom at home during their baby years. That put a LOT of pressure on me to keep my job especially in bad economy situations and bad bosses. In those days I was hovering around 6 figs but I did not want to get into debt outside of car/home which I aggressively paid down when possible. My son is in college and I am paying for it myself (no loan).

How did I do it? Secret is investing. Not my salary. No lottery wins. I suggest you look into investing too. They key is low fee index funds. Do not buy individual companies. Start small and gain confidence. If you can spare $5k, buy VOO or SPY and watch it for a few months. Markets go up and down but don't let that bother you. Check after 3 months and you are very likely to have made money. Don't sell, let it grow. Build from there.

Recommendations:

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VOO/

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SPY/


You know the best part?
I AM THE BOSS. If I make or lose money, I get the credit or blame. No one can fire me for some frivolous reason. There is no ageism here like in corporate America. I can invest until I have my wits about me.

Read about VOO on Vanguard's site:
https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/voo

I don't have VOO myself as it is for investors with low risk tolerance. I take much more risk so my investments are different but then I have been investing since 1999 (limited/mediocre success until 2014).

The problem I now have is a weird and a good one. I need to learn how to take money out and spend more. Decades of being frugal takes time to unlearn. My first plan is to sell about $5k of stock each month and see how that feels.
infinity ag
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UTExan said:

saw em off said:

I've always been pretty good at living within the means. My wife was a stay-at-home mom for 20 years. We had one kid (tried for others but no luck). I was anal about no debt early on other than house/cars. I didn't make anywhere near 6 figures, and we didn't eat sandwiches either. We went on vacations every year, I was able to save enough to where my daughter will graduate debt free in a year. She goes to Lamar and lives at home. I don't invest, but will have a nice retirement in about 6 years if we elect the right president. Retirement might be a foreign concept if we don't.

No bragging here, just say all that to say, I was constantly evaluating our household budget and finding ways not go overboard with stuff. Thanks to youtube, I do 90% of all house and car maintenance/repairs myself. Always shopping for lower insurance premiums. I've found that there are always clever ways to cut back without sacrificing too much.


Investing in the market is pretty much agnostic when it comes to presidential candidates except for Biden's stupidity over energy policy early on. The parties depend on a healthy economy to maintain legitimacy and if investors don't prosper, they don't invest or find alternative venues in which to park their money, which means the economy spirals down. The stupidity of people like Harris' advisor who wanted to tax unrealized capital gains quickly earned rebukes from almost every media source, shutting that down quickly, because the crazy anti capitalist and antisemitic Left will never be allowed to take power for long.

Exactly. It won't happen.
If that idiot went ahead and instituted a wealth tax or something like that, wealthy donors will complain and pull out. Now you and I don't matter, but Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Elon Musk do. They stand to lose a lot unlike us.
So it does not matter who is in power, keep investing.
maroon barchetta
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Did I click on the B&I board?
FIDO*98*
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AG
fc2112 said:


That's why we hear of people earning $40k who have saved millions. And people earning $400k who are broke.




No, you don't in fact hear about people that make 40,000 that saved millions
62strat
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FIDO*98* said:

fc2112 said:


That's why we hear of people earning $40k who have saved millions. And people earning $400k who are broke.




No, you don't in fact hear about people that make 40,000 that saved millions
yeh, except for the guy who wrote the book that a lot of people read.. no one actually did this lol.
fc2112
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Read_(philanthropist)

And before you say it's just one, you said "no one" has done it.
fc2112
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62strat said:

no one actually did this lol.
62strat
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fc2112 said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Read_(philanthropist)

And before you say it's just one, you said "no one" has done it.
that guy didn't save millions, he invested a little in the stock market which grew over several decades.
Serious Lee
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AM09 said:

Serious Lee said:

85 yr old single woman across the street from me has one of the nicest homes in the neighborhood, probably over 5K sq ft. husband left her the house in the divorce 30 years ago but no money. she hasnt worked in 40 years, quit paying property taxes 20 years ago. has charitable organizations doing her lawn/landscaping. doesnt seem to have an ounce of shame either. some people just know how to get by.
Need the blueprint on this strategy!
if youre in texas, all you have to do is make it to 65 years old. the state wont foreclose on your property after that. they just defer all the back taxes til the property is sold. in my neighbors case, she has essentially left her son with no inheritance.
Caliber
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62strat said:

fc2112 said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Read_(philanthropist)

And before you say it's just one, you said "no one" has done it.
that guy didn't save millions, he invested a little in the stock market which grew over several decades.
Ok, Adding to my Texags Retirement Planning Notes: No more relying on compound interest/growth calculations when we talk about saving for retirement.

/You didn't do that/
Brian Earl Spilner
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evestor1 said:

As a landlord ... never discount how stupid people are.

In general Hispanics are most realistic with their money. Anyone that has been in America 2 generations has potential to be bad with money.
I take it you've never been to the valley.

Crappy, dilapidated house... brand new luxury truck parked on the street.
62strat
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Caliber said:

62strat said:

fc2112 said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Read_(philanthropist)

And before you say it's just one, you said "no one" has done it.
that guy didn't save millions, he invested a little in the stock market which grew over several decades.
Ok, Adding to my Texags Retirement Planning Notes: No more relying on compound interest/growth calculations when we talk about saving for retirement.

/You didn't do that/
that's the thing though he never did 'retire'. He had money in stocks until he was in his 90s and never even sold them. He continued to live in frugality it sounds like. Think of how much growth that was from a retirement age of early 60s to 92. $9k is $1m after 70 years at typical 7%. A lot of 22 year olds could save $9k in a heartbeat if they were diligent.

But if my rough math is right, the first 40 years is only 15% of the full 70. That $9k after 40 years is $134k at 7%.
Hang on to it for another 30 and you got your $1m.

You'd have to invest 66k if you want a million after 40 years which ain't happening with any 22 year old in year 1.

All today, this guy had a lot of time on his side, because he never sold.

I believe most of the conversation on here is actually enjoying your retirement, although leaving wealth for next generation is certainly a discussion.

But how many here aren't cashing out investments ever?
Ryan the Temp
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62strat said:

Quote:

It's driving a nice Honda Accord Sport vs. a Brodozer truck.

sorry but this example doesn't fit with the others.

Some people use the capabilities of trucks. Your accord sport isn't pulling our camping trailer, and I've used the bed of my truck so many times over the years I can't even count. Yard projects, house projects, etc.

This year alone, I bet I've done 20 loads of stuff.. rocks, mulch, concrete bags, lumber, etc.

Having said that, it's a stock F150 FX4 powerboost. I don't know the parameters of your terminology.
I was going to post a similar response. I have an F-150 XLT Powerboost I bought used to do the same stuff you're using yours for, but I also have a Hyundai Elantra for commuting and long drives where I don't need cargo or towing because it gets 45-50 mpg. Sure, I can afford a lot more in vehicles, but I don't see the need to blow the money if I can get what I want for less money.

62strat
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Ryan the Temp said:

62strat said:

Quote:

It's driving a nice Honda Accord Sport vs. a Brodozer truck.

sorry but this example doesn't fit with the others.

Some people use the capabilities of trucks. Your accord sport isn't pulling our camping trailer, and I've used the bed of my truck so many times over the years I can't even count. Yard projects, house projects, etc.

This year alone, I bet I've done 20 loads of stuff.. rocks, mulch, concrete bags, lumber, etc.

Having said that, it's a stock F150 FX4 powerboost. I don't know the parameters of your terminology.
I was going to post a similar response. I have an F-150 XLT Powerboost I bought used to do the same stuff you're using yours for, but I also have a Hyundai Elantra for commuting and long drives where I don't need cargo or towing because it gets 45-50 mpg. Sure, I can afford a lot more in vehicles, but I don't see the need to blow the money if I can get what I want for less money.




Quick anaylsis here;

I get 20-25 mpg commuting. So we're talking 1 gallon a difference a day (for my 50RT mile commute), that's ~$750 a year savings for your elantra assuming $3/gal.

Insurance and registration alone is more than $750 a year, so that doesn't add up to me. Obviously every situation is different, but outside of a really long commute, this doesn't make sense.




Ryan the Temp
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AG
4 gallon difference per day between my truck and the Elantra.
62strat
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AG
200 miles a day, Jesus.
Tree Hugger
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I have a cousin (yes, one of THOSE cousins) who basically lives PtoP. They have no mortgage, but live in a crappy (but paid for) house. They do have one car payment, but other than that no debt because their credit sucks so bad no one will give them a credit card (past repos, etc.), not sure how they actually got the car loan likely very high interest rate.

Both are in their ealry 60s, he makes $70-ish, she makes $50-ish but they are routinely waiting for paychecks to pay last minute utility bills. They refuse to put any money into their house, even though they need to replace the HVAC, so they instead choose to run window units in every room as well as the inefficient central unit so their electric is routinely ~$1,000 monthly in the summer. If they had just fixed the main issue they would have broken even on it by now.

They have mentioned that they will get almost $900k when he retires from his 401k and the way they talk about it i really think they see it as a lump sum, which would likely be spent in months. They shop for things they don't need, they go out to eat almost daily and generally have no plans for retirement, aside from his 401k and social security. I just don't get it. his mom is still around (mid 90's) and I almost wonder if they are just waiting for a windfall from her estate?
Ryan the Temp
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62strat said:

200 miles a day, Jesus.

Not everyday, thankfully, but a lot. I'm also going between Houston and Austin more.
frenchtoast
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I like feeling smug about my finances.
maroon barchetta
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Will there be a windfall from her estate or is she in bad financial shape too?
infinity ag
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I just decided to let the stock market pay for my luxuries here on.

So let's say I have $ 'x' in an account. I wait for it to go up y %. Then I skim off the top until it goes back to $ 'x' and use $ y-x to go on a vacation or buy something l want.

Spent many years making money. Now let's spend it.
Petrino1
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I have a lot of friends and family that come to me and ask for financial advice. Its absolutely mind blowing to me how many people Ive talked to that have zero idea how much they have in a 401k or other retirement account. Like they have no idea if they have $1k or $50k, because they've never checked their account ever. I know a lot of women like this. And its not like these are recent grads in their 20's, most of them are professionals in their mid to late 30's.

Ryan the Temp
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AG
62strat said:

Ryan the Temp said:

62strat said:

Quote:

It's driving a nice Honda Accord Sport vs. a Brodozer truck.

sorry but this example doesn't fit with the others.

Some people use the capabilities of trucks. Your accord sport isn't pulling our camping trailer, and I've used the bed of my truck so many times over the years I can't even count. Yard projects, house projects, etc.

This year alone, I bet I've done 20 loads of stuff.. rocks, mulch, concrete bags, lumber, etc.

Having said that, it's a stock F150 FX4 powerboost. I don't know the parameters of your terminology.
I was going to post a similar response. I have an F-150 XLT Powerboost I bought used to do the same stuff you're using yours for, but I also have a Hyundai Elantra for commuting and long drives where I don't need cargo or towing because it gets 45-50 mpg. Sure, I can afford a lot more in vehicles, but I don't see the need to blow the money if I can get what I want for less money.




Quick anaylsis here;

I get 20-25 mpg commuting. So we're talking 1 gallon a difference a day (for my 50RT mile commute), that's ~$750 a year savings for your elantra assuming $3/gal.

Insurance and registration alone is more than $750 a year, so that doesn't add up to me. Obviously every situation is different, but outside of a really long commute, this doesn't make sense.
I spent some time doing the math on this one today and it turns out it is between $150 and $200 cheaper to keep both vehicles, based on costs of insurance, registration, miles driven, and fuel mileage. However, that doesn't take into account the fact I had to buy a new truck in May and got saddled with a payment again, so it looks like if I sold the Elantra and kept just the truck, I'd save a little over $20,000 over the next five years.

Maybe it's time to sell.
BadMoonRisin
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AG
this is interesting to me considering that the person that received the most votes in any presidential election in history was basically "just NOTICED" (2 months ago) at once that he was a brain dead person with dementia suddenly, and without any other discussion when he was on camera opposite of Donald Trump.

That's weird, and worth noting, right guys? Right?

Or no? we just ignore that some more.
 
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