Is 100k a large salary for Long Island? (job market, weddings)

[freerunner]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

That said, aren't we long past the days where it's anywhere near normal to only have one full-time income earner per household?

I really shudder to hear "stay at home mom". Too many women find themselves, widowed, divorced, or just plain never marry. Sometimes a spouse just gets very sick and the other spouse needs to support the family. ALL WOMEN owe it to themselves to be able to support themselves and another person. I work with someone who has retired, I asked if his wife was retired also and he said "no she stayed home and raised the kids, we didn't DO that." WTF, excuse me, thank God she won the no-skills lottery and he didn't drop dead.

[Goodnight]

Originally Posted by MikeyKid

Not many and one of the biggest driving factors to my relocation... I didn't want my wife working because we needed the income and besides daycare makes me insanely uncomfortable. I remember when we were shopping higher priced homes considering being a dual income family and them explaining how the sharing of cribs worked for naps. I actually left feeling a bit nauseous of complete strangers being with my baby like that. No clue how people do it.

So now my wife chooses what she wants to do part-time for her play money and we don't count any of her income to the monthly nut.



You're exactly who I would figure would vote 'Yes' for all the reasons you lay out. In fact, I would have been surprised if you didn't.

However... even with one kid, you need some type of arrangement with both parents working for daycare... I know you think it's no biggie now and I'm with you. But, you won't know how you'll feel until you drive away from that kid at daycare or having to skip out on your job because the kid's sick - etc, etc. Then the icing on the cake is that you end up spending 3/4 of the second income on that daycare anyway. You'll tell yourself it's just until they start school... then you'll realize that's the time more then earlier that you want a parent home full time.

Who knows... maybe I'm old skool and silly. But if I'm going to have kids they should be raised by us (the parents) - not the help.

The original question was is $100K high for this area, your are adding in that you want a house worth $300K and have 1 or 2 children. Those things can happen over time but then you will need to make tradeoffs. Maybe you don't have children until later in life and you rent an apartment, save up a larger down payment. Once again the median single earner wage is $60K, there are people that get by but it may not be Norman Rockwell picture.

[NHP Guy]

Originally Posted by freerunner

I really shudder to hear "stay at home mom". Too many women find themselves, widowed, divorced, or just plain never marry. Sometimes a spouse just gets very sick and the other spouse needs to support the family. ALL WOMEN owe it to themselves to be able to support themselves and another person. I work with someone who has retired, I asked if his wife was retired also and he said "no she stayed home and raised the kids, we didn't DO that." WTF, excuse me, thank God she won the no-skills lottery and he didn't drop dead.

With full acknowledgment on my part that you never know what life will throw at you and that you make some decent points (albeit in an all or nothing fashion)...it sounds like you're saying that we should frown upon a parent that decides to raise their own kids instead of farming out the work to somebody else. Plenty of people that decide to stay home have employable skills; they just come to the conclusion that some things are more important to them.

[MikeyKid]

Originally Posted by freerunner

No one should be paying P&I. I think if they can't save the money they shouldn't be buying. This is part of what fueled the high prices.

Are you really saying that nobody should have a mortgage - period?! lol

[MikeyKid]

Originally Posted by Goodnight

The original question was is $100K high for this area, your are adding in that you want a house worth $300K and have 1 or 2 children. Those things can happen over time but then you will need to make tradeoffs. Maybe you don't have children until later in life and you rent an apartment, save up a larger down payment. Once again the median single earner wage is $60K, there are people that get by but it may not be Norman Rockwell picture.

LI is THE suburbia example to end all examples - it is a text book suburb... So I believe it is more then reasonable to consider family and raising kids when talking about income on LI. That's the reason people live in the suburbs to start with.

If I am going to rent and put off kids until later in life, why in the world wouldn't I just live in the city?

[SilverBulletZ06]

Originally Posted by MikeyKid

Are you really saying that nobody should have a mortgage - period?! lol

No, but if your not putting a whole lot down on a house you should probably reconsider the offer and save a bit more.

Originally Posted by MikeyKid

LI is THE suburbia example to end all examples - it is a text book suburb... So I believe it is more then reasonable to consider family and raising kids when talking about income on LI. That's the reason people live in the suburbs to start with.

If I am going to rent and put off kids until later in life, why in the world wouldn't I just live in the city?

Some people don't like the city. Some people don't want to pay $2000 for a shoddy little apartment.

As far as text book suburb, I wouldn't say so. Our infrastructure is old and out dated. Our roads aren't capable of handling the traffic. Mass transit is a joke. Sprawl is becoming a reality to the Nassau border right now. Prices are high, jobs are low, and many people are stuck. Maybe if we were talking about 60's-70's-80's LI, but Grumman leaving was a big tell-tale sign for LI needing to get its act together.

[MikeyKid]

Originally Posted by SilverBulletZ06

No, but if your not putting a whole lot down on a house you should probably reconsider the offer and save a bit more.

Some people don't like the city. Some people don't want to pay $2000 for a shoddy little apartment.

As far as text book suburb, I wouldn't say so. Our infrastructure is old and out dated. Our roads aren't capable of handling the traffic. Mass transit is a joke. Sprawl is becoming a reality to the Nassau border right now. Prices are high, jobs are low, and many people are stuck. Maybe if we were talking about 60's-70's-80's LI, but Grumman leaving was a big tell-tale sign for LI needing to get its act together.

Good points all... showing my age I think. =(

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by SilverBulletZ06

No, but if your not putting a whole lot down on a house you should probably reconsider the offer and save a bit more.



Some people don't like the city. Some people don't want to pay $2000 for a shoddy little apartment.

As far as text book suburb, I wouldn't say so. Our infrastructure is old and out dated. Our roads aren't capable of handling the traffic. Mass transit is a joke. Sprawl is becoming a reality to the Nassau border right now. Prices are high, jobs are low, and many people are stuck. Maybe if we were talking about 60's-70's-80's LI, but Grumman leaving was a big tell-tale sign for LI needing to get its act together.

Cant argue there.
Except the sprawl now encompasses W. Suffolk too out to 111.

Only thing thats changed since Grumman is.
Telecommuting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I feel bad for the debt slaves on the LIRR returning in traffic to 40x80 @12k a year in taxes thinking they got something special.

Nassaus now Queens, Suffolks now Nassau and we look like LA in our Megalopolis Sprawl.
LI 2.0 is coming...the question is is it what we want?

75%



Crooks

[Flavito]

100k isn't alot but it is certainly doable if your priorities are correct. The average Chinese savings rate is 30%; of which more more of their income goes towards food and basic necessities. If a peasant making 200 dollars a month can save 60 dollars of it, I assure you 100k is more than enough for a family of 5 o LI. Sadly, you may have to do your own landscaping and eat out only on special occassions. I won't say have only one automobile because I know my ex fellow LIers are a sensitive bunch who are always worried about impressing their "friends' and keeping up with them. If one of the parents takes the train to work everyday, the other spouse can drop them off at the train. If thats not doable you can get a cheap train car for 3 to 4 grand to take you from home to the LIRR. I know being frugal is sooo not in on LI, but there are many benefits for a child to grow up that way.

[hotkarl]

Gotta have the 100k plus to keep up with Jones'

Material stuff. yeah.
Must haves: Motor boat with 3 props. 2 props is just ghetto.
Don't forget the granite kitchen, inground pool(above ground is so white trash),
(1)very large SUV (1)luxury sedan
6 person Hot tub(4 person is for the poor people)
Paver driveway and backyard with outdoor living room, fireplace(again, firepit=ghetto),
Master bedroom must have walk in closet, master bath must have jacuzzi tub and separate shower(very important)
Housekeeper, landscaper, pool boy,
all homes must have "bonus room"
finished basement, and no matter what, the most important thing of all...you must have more than 1 bath...
etc...etc...blah blah blah...

God forbid you live modestly and actually raise your kids.

Feel free to add...