RTP on 37k?

[gibbie99]

Yes you can do it. My wife and I were grad students when we met. We started off small, I had a small condo near school and we were both grad students so that was about the same salary. Now, mind you we did not have children. Look into childcare at Duke, I think there is something there. Not sure if postdocs are eligable.

But yeah my wife and I were pretty happy, we didn't have the responsibilities that we do now, life was somehow less stressful.

[librarySue]

Originally Posted by Funky Chicken

This is a highly exaggerated statement. I am standing completely upright as I type this.

Personal property tax is assessed yearly on your vehicle. It typically runs between 1 to 1.25 percent of the current value of your vehicle. Got a $10,000 car? Your tax will be $125 or less. It is deductible if you itemize.

If you PURCHASE a vehicle here in NC you are charged a "road use" tax of 3% on the purchase price, NOT a sales tax which in NY runs 8 to 9 percent.

A long way from "bent over" IMO. Cheers!

You also pay the road use tax when you transfer registration of a car from out of state to NC. I thought it was the worlds most expensive license plate, but I was assured I would not have to pay it again for that car! The gal at the DMV was clearly anticipating my reaction.

OMG, i was so busy amusing myself I forgot to say: I make about that much and there are 3 in my family. I'm willing to bet my 14 year old eats as much as your wife and baby combined! It is definitely Do-able. In fact, people who make more should try really hard to live on that much and bank the rest!

Still lots better than the school/property/income taxes I paid in NY, and at least it pays for a road I actually use, rather than taxes in NY state which get flushed down a toilet in NYC.

[Sky1]

Yeah you can, Today anyway, but be careful because according to experts, we are destined to go into a deflationary spiral then go directly into hyper inflation. You do not want to take any unnecessary changes or spread yourself too thin for the next couple years.