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Old 04-18-2012, 10:14 AM
 
Location: New England
8,155 posts, read 20,999,179 times
Reputation: 3338

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo View Post
Try buying a 3BR townhouse or house in southwest CT without a six figure income.

Not going to happen.
Exactly. Try paying $2100 per month for two kids in a quality daycare (The leave them home alone while mom works thing doesn't go over so well with dcf), a modest home mortgage of roughly $2000 because you didn't have $100K to put down on a house and all the related expenses that go with it without 6 figure HH income. Toss in a car payment or two (You know, we're big balling in that VW Sportwagen. lol ), healthcare insurance and copays, life insurance, utilities, vehicle taxes, food bill, clothes for yourself and the kids, (I havn't gone clothes shopping in a very long time, but the kids grow so...), diapers, fuel, God forbid things like "high speed internet", some form of school/retirement savings and ah...yea, good luck.

I mean, some of us like to shop for groceries at those exclusive places like Stop and Shop, so forgive...
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Old 04-18-2012, 10:18 AM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,913 posts, read 56,893,272 times
Reputation: 11219
Minmum wage was never suppose to be the amount it takes to raise a family. It never has has been. The article is misleading and I know many people in both Fairfield and Hartford that have families that don't make anywhere near the amounts quoted and they are doing fine. This is a propoganda piece to get the minimum wage raised. Maybe it is needed, maybe not. Just don't use it to start preaching that people cannot afford to live in Connecticut any more. The topic has been talked to death here. Jay
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Old 04-18-2012, 10:29 AM
 
Location: New England
8,155 posts, read 20,999,179 times
Reputation: 3338
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT View Post
Minmum wage was never suppose to be the amount it takes to raise a family. It never has has been. The article is misleading and I know many people in both Fairfield and Hartford that have families that don't make anywhere near the amounts quoted and they are doing fine. This is a propoganda piece to get the minimum wage raised. Maybe it is needed, maybe not. Just don't use it to start preaching that people cannot afford to live in Connecticut any more. The topic has been talked to death here. Jay
Jay, you are making blanket statements without specifics. Sure, I know people too. I have a friend who is an electrician and his wife is a teacher...er, bad example as they are over 100K HHI, but still they have a brand new 3500sf house in Marlborough, he drives a 60K work truck, has a new supercharged Mustang, wife has a luxury suv AND a Tdi Jetta, they go on vacations all the time, spend money like water...

What you don't know is that his family owns about 60 acres in town, he was gifted land to build on, and had a nice chunk of change to get his business off the ground, combined with the public employee benefits. Yea, they are doing just fine.

You'll see in the text quoted above, we are talking about a segment of people just starting out, or who don't have that "leg up". It's damned near impossible in the current times in CT to "thrive" for that segment.

Quote:
Originally Posted by belleislerunner View Post
I live in Norwalk and am rather embarassed to admit such in casual conversation - so I typically say near Westport, Wilton or Darien. Average schools, poor roads, poorly designed traffic flow, older housing stock.
//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...l#post19617384

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Old 04-18-2012, 10:35 AM
 
Location: Stratford, CT
30 posts, read 76,390 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by JViello View Post
Exactly. Try paying $2100 per month for two kids in a quality daycare (The leave them home alone while mom works thing doesn't go over so well with dcf), a modest home mortgage of roughly $2000 because you didn't have $100K to put down on a house and all the related expenses that go with it without 6 figure HH income. Toss in a car payment or two (You know, we're big balling in that VW Sportwagen. lol ), healthcare insurance and copays, life insurance, utilities, vehicle taxes, food bill, clothes for yourself and the kids, (I havn't gone clothes shopping in a very long time, but the kids grow so...), diapers, fuel, God forbid things like "high speed internet", some form of school/retirement savings and ah...yea, good luck.

I mean, some of us like to shop for groceries at those exclusive places like Stop and Shop, so forgive...

Lol JViello - thanks for this - Bellislerunner's post was a bit amusing. I'll throw student loans into the mix too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by belleislerunner View Post
You don't need 6 figures to survive in CT. Have you ever driven down Post Road and looked at all the big box retailers? You might need six figures if you want to send your kids to a daycare chain from 8-6 every day, drive an imported leased car, grocery shop at Whole Foods or Stop & Shop, eat out 2-3 times a week - but that's not how the majority of CT residents live. The median household income in CT is around 67K List of U.S. states by income - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia so the "majority" of people seem to make it works. Goes to show you that happiness is really dependent on your state of soul and not a matter of circumstances (i.e. income).
ALL daycare is expensive - chain or no chain (your comment leads me to believe that you take issue with parents sending their kids to daycare in general and not just because it's expensive). And the difference is nominal in price whether you send your kids 3 days or 5 days which makes it economically impossible to only send them 3 days since you pay a ton still but now make less.

Grocery shopping at Stop & Shop is considered frivolous?? I suppose I could drive around to all the different grocery stores looking for the best deals if I didn't have to work.
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Old 04-18-2012, 10:37 AM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,913 posts, read 56,893,272 times
Reputation: 11219
Quote:
Originally Posted by JViello View Post
Jay, you are making blanket statements without specifics. Sure, I know people too. I have a friend who is an electrician and his wife is a teacher...er, bad example as they are over 100K HHI, but still they have a brand new 3500sf house in Marlborough, he drives a 60K work truck, has a new supercharged Mustang, wife has a luxury suv AND a Tdi Jetta, they go on vacations all the time, spend money like water...

What you don't know is that his family owns about 60 acres in town, he was gifted land to build on, and had a nice chunk of change to get his business off the ground, combined with the public employee benefits. Yea, they are doing just fine.

You'll see in the text quoted above, we are talking about a segment of people just starting out, or who don't have that "leg up". It's damned near impossible in the current times in CT to "thrive" for that segment.



//www.city-data.com/forum/conne...l#post19617384

I am not sure why you are quoting some old Norwalk post but as far as I know it has always been hard to "get a leg up" when you are starting out no matter where you live. This whole article and thread is blanket statements so why are mine any different? Just another thread to gripe about Connecticut. It get tiring. Jay
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Old 04-18-2012, 10:46 AM
 
Location: Stratford, CT
30 posts, read 76,390 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT View Post
...Just another thread to gripe about Connecticut. It get tiring. Jay
I'll agree with that although it is hard to not get defensive when people make statements telling others what quality of life they should have if you have a certain income. It is all relative and perspective I guess.
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Old 04-18-2012, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,722 posts, read 28,048,669 times
Reputation: 6699
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT View Post
The article is misleading and I know many people in .... Fairfield .... that don't make anywhere near the amounts quoted and they are doing fine.
In what towns?
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Old 04-18-2012, 12:31 PM
 
Location: NJ
18,665 posts, read 19,962,294 times
Reputation: 7315
Quote:
Originally Posted by JViello View Post
Exactly. Try paying $2100 per month for two kids in a quality daycare (The leave them home alone while mom works thing doesn't go over so well with dcf), a modest home mortgage of roughly $2000 because you didn't have $100K to put down on a house and all the related expenses that go with it without 6 figure HH income. Toss in a car payment or two (You know, we're big balling in that VW Sportwagen. lol ), healthcare insurance and copays, life insurance, utilities, vehicle taxes, food bill, clothes for yourself and the kids, (I havn't gone clothes shopping in a very long time, but the kids grow so...), diapers, fuel, God forbid things like "high speed internet", some form of school/retirement savings and ah...yea, good luck.

I mean, some of us like to shop for groceries at those exclusive places like Stop and Shop, so forgive...
Great post, Jviello. Weicker often talked of the 2 Connecticuts, and the wealthy one won, leaving the former middle class in shambles. The reality is Ct is losing more of its home grown 18-30s than it imports, and those are tomorrows tax base leaving. Imagine adding to the list above $500 or more in student loan monthly payments, imagine what the HH income must be to withstand your list plus that.

Love your keen sense of humor!.

Last edited by bobtn; 04-18-2012 at 12:45 PM..
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Old 04-18-2012, 01:13 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,913 posts, read 56,893,272 times
Reputation: 11219
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo View Post
In what towns?
In Fairfield County: Stamford, Fairfield, Trumbull, Bridgeport, Stratford, Monroe, Newtown. Jay
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Old 04-18-2012, 01:14 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,913 posts, read 56,893,272 times
Reputation: 11219
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtn View Post
Great post, Jviello. Weicker often talked of the 2 Connecticuts, and the wealthy one won, leaving the former middle class in shambles. The reality is Ct is losing more of its home grown 18-30s than it imports, and those are tomorrows tax base leaving. Imagine adding to the list above $500 or more in student loan monthly payments, imagine what the HH income must be to withstand your list plus that.

Love your keen sense of humor!.
Don't you think this is a bit dramatic? Connecticut still has a large middle class and will continue to have it. IT is not the doom and gloom you keep posting it is. Give it up already. Jay
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