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Folks, I'm now growing weary of this thread, but you can see the point I'm getting at. In this example alone, MOST of expected expenditures were covered by the first $70,000 of the Does' income. (I know I probably forget a few that one or two will point out and try to lessen my credibility, but I still don't see how those would drain the remaining $135,000 or so of that couple's initial $200,000 take-home pay! In fact, from this scenario, it appears as if a married couple earning under $100,000 would be MORE than capable of "making ends meat." I looked at some of those homes you people gripe about in the $450,000 range in the area of Hopatcong; they are certainly more "luxurious" than those homes I showed you all for $300,000; are those homes for $299,900 beneath most of you? I still fail to see, given the scenario of the Does, how you people can be struggling to feed and clothe yourselves on $200,000 take-home pay (Assuming taxes and deductions were already taken into account). I don't care what you NJ people say; if the Does could survive on $200,000 in Hopatcong, then why can't you all? Too busy with the yoga lessons, organic foods, iPods, satellite radios, inflatable Santas, massages, and other "keeping up with the Jones's" luxuries to keep track of your checkbooks, are we?
Too busy with the yoga lessons, organic foods, iPods, satellite radios, inflatable Santas, massages, and other "keeping up with the Jones's" luxuries to keep track of your checkbooks, are we?
Before everyone starts giving me red dots and crying to have me banned for "being a poo-poo head", realize that the scenario I described is the stark truth! Well, there are a few expenses I forgot to take into account, so I'll do so now to show you that you could STILL live comfortably in NJ on $200,000.
CAR PAYMENTS: I took insurance into account, but I forgot to mention that both of our 2007 Honda Civics are not paid off. Combined, we pay $600 monthly on our automobile loans, including both principal and interest, for an annual total of $7,200. Subtracting that from our last balance will still leave us with $126,808, will it not?
OFFSPRING: Love is in the air---and apparently so was my sanity when I forgot to wear a condom one evening and my wife learned that we'd soon be having twins! We'll be paying a nanny $40,000 annually to live in our home from 8 AM-6 PM Monday-Friday and tend to the needs of our beloved Johnny and Janie while we're at work, along with taking care of a few household duties such as laundry, cooking, and cleaning. That knocks us down a peg to $86,808 left of disposable income. Formula comes into play, as does diapers, added groceries, and a bit of a higher premium on our healthcare for our two new blessings, but we'll still have $75,000 this year to spend on non-essential items.
SOLAR ENERGY: Here's an unexpected boon! Jane and I have decided to invest in solar panels to help supplement our energy usage. As a result, we've cut our home heating costs in half and generate enough excess energy in some months to sell back to a local power supplier. The profits we make off of the panels during those months is enough to cover the remaining half of the heating costs, as well as the A/C costs; that saves us, combined, around $4,000 annually, bringing us back up to $79,000 or so.
Folks, unless you can point out a BARRAGE of essential expenditures that would chew up that $79,000 in a hurry (Or even the $75,000), then I think you'll have to throw me the bone this time. A married couple with two children living in Hopatcong earning even $150,000 annually should be able to live quite comfortably! How are you struggling to feed and clothe yourselves?
Darn! And we moved all the way down to NC when we could have lived in Hopatcong and worked in Morristown?? What were we thinking?!!
I guess WE are the "poo-poo heads".
I wouldn't say that. I think it's moreso a case of people not wanting to migrate away from the neighborhoods where they grew up and established roots, even if they are still within striking distance of family and friends. I would be very happy to raise a family in any one of those $299,900 properties in Hopatcong; many others wouldn't even entertain such a notion.
if you were a married couple earning $200,000 and were looking to stop renting and finally purchase your first home in North Jersey, then here is just a sampling of homes I found in one community alone (Hopatcong) that should be MORE than affordable to you!
You're basically having an argument with some crazy demon in your head because in the past 4 pages of this thread (which covers about 2 weeks of time) I haven't seen a single person complain that they can't live on $200,000 net salary (which, btw, is probably close to $300,000 gross salary).
Who exactly are you arguing with? Because it certainly doesn't seem like you're addressing anyone but the voices in your head.
You're basically having an argument with some crazy demon in your head because in the past 4 pages of this thread (which covers about 2 weeks of time) I haven't seen a single person complain that they can't live on $200,000 net salary (which, btw, is probably close to $300,000 gross salary).
Who exactly are you arguing with? Because it certainly doesn't seem like you're addressing anyone but the voices in your head.
Actually, two replies in particular stated incomes ranging between $100,000-$200,000. I don't want to point them out in particular because the last time I brought that up I didn't even mention them by name and they flipped out on me, but I digress. Nevertheless, purchasing a house in Hopatcong for $299,900 and living comfortably on a $100,000+ salary should be MORE than possible, as we saw from the Doe example I gave, if you live within your means. Once again, I'm waiting to hear replies from those who earn median household incomes of $50,000 or so to find out how they can feed their families while others are struggling earning several times as much?
You're basically having an argument with some crazy demon in your head because in the past 4 pages of this thread (which covers about 2 weeks of time) I haven't seen a single person complain that they can't live on $200,000 net salary (which, btw, is probably close to $300,000 gross salary).
Who exactly are you arguing with? Because it certainly doesn't seem like you're addressing anyone but the voices in your head.
Really? How'd you guess? Voices in my head? Who said that? Who said what? She did. She who? Who's that? That guy? What guy? Must burn stuff! BURRRRNNNN!!! Burn, baby, burn, disco inferrrrnnoooo!!!
Really? How'd you guess? Voices in my head? Who said that? Who said what? She did. She who? Who's that? That guy? What guy? Must burn stuff! BURRRRNNNN!!! Burn, baby, burn, disco inferrrrnnoooo!!!
So let's try this again.
Who exactly are all these people who claim that you can't live on $200,000 NET salary in New Jersey?
They must be all over the place since they really seem to get under your skin since you've posted like 10 times today, even though you're suppposedly getting weary of all the discussion (half of which are your unrealistic rantings).
Who in this thread claimed that you can't live on $200,000 NET salary in New Jersey?
Actually, two replies in particular stated incomes ranging between $100,000-$200,000.
Have you ever actually held a job? When people say "I make $200,000", they mean GROSS salary not NET.
Here's a few comments from the "complainers" since you can't seem to identify anyone to whom your comments have been directed:
1. Ms Charlotte said "I agree that you don't need $200,000 a year to live in NJ."
2. Econtenor said "Though $200K goes a long way, and you can find a place to live on that salary, you do need to wonder what is happening in NJ."
Have you ever actually held a job? When people say "I make $200,000", they mean GROSS salary not NET.
I currently work at two jobs. Also, I deviate from your stereotype here; I tell people my NET income, not my gross, as that is the true amount of my take-home pay that should be used to benchmark myself with others in the field.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Onizuka
Here's a few comments from the "complainers" since you can't seem to identify anyone to whom your comments have been directed:
1. Ms Charlotte said "I agree that you don't need $200,000 a year to live in NJ."
2. Econtenor said "Though $200K goes a long way, and you can find a place to live on that salary, you do need to wonder what is happening in NJ."
Well, I didn't want to identify these two women in particular (and if they come after me again with pitchforks the gloves are coming off), but I need to defend myself here. Here are the quotes I'm referencing:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy Lynne
100K is peanuts here if you want to raise a family in a good area. I am in high tech - and as a single parent with a salary over 150K...I was struggling to keep up! I cannot imagine how I could do any better and keep up floating, given the ever increasing .......of, it seems, just about anything and everything that it takes to live here.
Well, I suppose this goes back to "net" or "gross." I assumed everyone reports their NET income to others, as I do, as that would make the most sense; who cares if you "make" $150,000 if you only "rake" $110,000? I thought Nancy was talking about a NET income of $150,000, in which the Doe example would have vastly proved her wrong. I don't know why she posted a gross income before deductions to infer from. Also, what does she mean by "keep up" and "anything and everything that it takes to live here?" I may be wrong, but I inferred a shred of materialism from that phrase, as if part of "surviving" in NJ isn't just food, water, and shelter but also benchmarking yourself to the successes of your peers (Which is unnecessary if you're truly "struggling.") I guess struggling takes on different interpretations for different people---To me it's not being able to provide for oneself or one's family with the basic essentials to live. To others, it's feeling like you're the only one in your neighborhood not cashing in somehow on some sort of high-wealth, (probably high-risk), investment opportunity; you see them getting shiny new toys and assume you're "worse off" because of it. That's entirely untrue. In my defense, several immediate replies on the first page (one from YClept and one from RyanPKull) echoed my shock that an apparent NET income of $150,000 wasn't enough to not be struggling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJMom
My husband and I make close to $200K a year and, while we aren't broke, it is a struggle to live in NJ. Also, we bought a modest 3BR home in a middle class neighborhood in 2004. NJ is one of the few places where that would set you back almost half a million dollars and cost over $10G in taxes.
What was wrong with those 3-4 bedroom homes that I submitted in Hopatcong for under $300,000? Once again, I inferred "close to $200k" as being TAKE HOME PAY (I still don't agree with people posting their GROSS all the time, as it says nothing about their spending power via their "real incomes.") She goes on to reference that she and her husband pay twice as much for a nanny as daycare as a "luxury"; well, then if you can afford an added $12,000 a year for a nanny, then that $12,000 was apparently disposable income that created an expense that could be reeled in if you were truly "struggling."
-Once again, there are two core issues here: One's definition of "struggling" (Being able to provide basic needs for your family vs. "Keeping Up"), as well as whether one's stated income is take-home or pre-deduction/tax gross income. If you were in my situation and thought everyone was posting "nearly $200,000" and "$150,000" as "take-home pay", then it truly would be mind-boggling to wonder how he/she couldn't afford one of those NORMAL $299,900 homes in Hopatcong; what's so untouchable about those, anyways?
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Combined, we pay $600 monthly on our automobile loans, including both principal and interest, for an annual total of $7,200. Subtracting that from our last balance will still leave us with $126,808, will it not? 
Also, what does she mean by "keep up" and "anything and everything that it takes to live here?" I may be wrong, but I inferred a shred of materialism from that phrase, as if part of "surviving" in NJ isn't just food, water, and shelter but also benchmarking yourself to the successes of your peers (Which is unnecessary if you're truly "struggling.") I guess struggling takes on different interpretations for different people---To me it's not being able to provide for oneself or one's family with the basic essentials to live. To others, it's feeling like you're the only one in your neighborhood not cashing in somehow on some sort of high-wealth, (probably high-risk), investment opportunity; you see them getting shiny new toys and assume you're "worse off" because of it. That's entirely untrue. In my defense, several immediate replies on the first page (one from YClept and one from RyanPKull) echoed my shock that an apparent NET income of $150,000 wasn't enough to not be struggling. 
