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I actually make around $20,000 a month more than I did ten years ago. After taxes and other stuff it really is not much.
I still live in the same starter home from ten years ago, drive a used car, shop at Kohls, do my own home repairs, no maid etc.
At 20K more I could afford a slightly nicer house and slightly nicer car. I cant afford any really nice home or really nice car. That would take at least 50K a month.
I do go out to dinner a bit more and let my kids buy more clothes etc but at 20K more you still are scrubbing your own home, doing your own shopping etc not much has changed.
200K more a month I have a mansion, Condo on park avenue, a fleet of sports cars. But 20K is chump change. Means once in a while you can buy something without a coupon and go to a car wash
My husband and I own a house, which we pay other people to fix when things break, we bought both of our cars new (although they are both paid off now), have a 60" TV, nice stuff, nice clothes, we never cut coupons, and we go to the car wash when we need to. In total, we spend about $24k a YEAR. So only slightly more than your pay INCREASE per MONTH. We are particularly frugal, and live in a low COL area, but STILL!
If not, you are doing something wrong. I don't know what you were making before this $20k a month raise, but just the $20k a month would be enough to put you in the 1% in most of the country.
If not, you are doing something wrong. I don't know what you were making before this $20k a month raise, but just the $20k a month would be enough to put you in the 1% in most of the country.
LOL, I did a double take when I read that 20K / month is chump change, too.
I guess, somewhere there is a car wash which has an army of vestal virgins massaging and shampooing your car. I suppose there is some amount of money that someone can make that makes the incremental need for money less appealing.. I just wish I get there one day.
My husband and I own a house, which we pay other people to fix when things break, we bought both of our cars new (although they are both paid off now), have a 60" TV, nice stuff, nice clothes, we never cut coupons, and we go to the car wash when we need to. In total, we spend about $24k a YEAR. So only slightly more than your pay INCREASE per MONTH. We are particularly frugal, and live in a low COL area, but STILL!
If not, you are doing something wrong. I don't know what you were making before this $20k a month raise, but just the $20k a month would be enough to put you in the 1% in most of the country.
I HAVE to assume she meant $20K/year NOT per month. I HAVE to assume that! Right!?! No way can somebody be this oblivious. If I even made $20K/month I sure as heck would not be cleaning my own home or clipping coupons! Hahaha!
I'm somewhat surprised by the answers here. My wife and I started out in a horrible 4th floor walkup apartment. I finished school and with my income we were able to move to a much nicer area in a better building, it was life changing for an extra $2,500 a month. Then a few years later my wife and I both got small promotions. We were no longer living paycheck to paycheck, we had an extra $1,000 a month coming in and it completely changed our life. We then started budgeting and got a few small raises probably totaling another $1000 a month and it let us move to a beautiful townhouse in a great area and life changed again for the better. Then most recently my wife got a new job and was able to remove a ton of daily cost from commuting and health coverage. Saving us upwards of $1,800 a month. It allowed us to save and buy our current "dream home" that we plan to stay in for a very long time and start a family in.
I never thought I'd be where I am today while we were living in that 4th floor walkup apartment. We did it in steps and it was life changing every time. If it takes $5,000+ to make a real change in your life you must already be totally rich.
Imagine what you could do with an extra $2,000 a month. In the first year you could, Lease a new Maserati, vacation in Hawaii, And hire someone to clean your house every week at $100 a week. That's not life changing? I mean, like I said, unless you're already rich and doing that kinda thing.
I'm somewhat surprised by the answers here. My wife and I started out in a horrible 4th floor walkup apartment. I finished school and with my income we were able to move to a much nicer area in a better building, it was life changing for an extra $2,500 a month. Then a few years later my wife and I both got small promotions. We were no longer living paycheck to paycheck, we had an extra $1,000 a month coming in and it completely changed our life. We then started budgeting and got a few small raises probably totaling another $1000 a month and it let us move to a beautiful townhouse in a great area and life changed again for the better. Then most recently my wife got a new job and was able to remove a ton of daily cost from commuting and health coverage. Saving us upwards of $1,800 a month. It allowed us to save and buy our current "dream home" that we plan to stay in for a very long time and start a family in.
I never thought I'd be where I am today while we were living in that 4th floor walkup apartment. We did it in steps and it was life changing every time. If it takes $5,000+ to make a real change in your life you must already be totally rich.
Imagine what you could do with an extra $2,000 a month. In the first year you could, Lease a new Maserati, vacation in Hawaii, And hire someone to clean your house every week at $100 a week. That's not life changing? I mean, like I said, unless you're already rich and doing that kinda thing.
If you would take that 2000.00 and save it as I would instead of getting a Maserati it's not really life changing for some time
If my income increased, I don't think it would really change my life much. I'd still be me and I would still live fairly simply. But it would allow me to stop pretending that I'm financially okay when I'm really not.
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