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I was making around $38K to $40K when I paid off my car five months after purchase...
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Originally Posted by Randomdude
...they have to sparingly use utilities...
I said I don't do anything special. If by sparingly you mean I turn off my AC when I leave in the morning, then yah. Could I use more electricity and water? Uh I guess if I really tried but I wouldn't be using it so much as pouring it down the drain because I already use as much as I want. I also have fiber optic internet and TV, if you count that as a utility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
They have to live in a bad area, a tiny apartment, an area that lacks 41k a year jobs, or the middle of nowhere.
Hehe, I live on a secluded corner of a pretty, quiet, very safe little neighborhood, in a 1700sqft brand new house, with plentiful jobs only a few miles away, and only minutes from two major cities. Yes, I make more than $41K but when I bought my house my base income was only $44K (I received a big promotion early in the year). And the apartment I lived in before that was anything but tiny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
...little to nothing for entertainment or incidentals...
Oh give it up! Little to nothing for entertainment?? None of the conditions I outlined in my proposal bear much resemblance to what you've just outlined.
I contend that A) you haven't proved your point at all, B) it's not that difficult to earn over $41K anyway (as I said I know a third grade teacher and a nurse who's a total jackass who make more than I do), and C) you seem to have a kind of victim mentality, as life according to your insinuations appears to be nasty, brutish, and short.
Moi?I was making around $38K to $40K when I paid off my car five months after purchase...
And living in your parents basement.
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Originally Posted by Nepenthe
I said I don't do anything special. If by sparingly you mean I turn off my AC when I leave in the morning, then yah. Could I use more electricity and water? Uh I guess if I really tried but I wouldn't be using it so much as pouring it down the drain because I already use as much as I want. I also have fiber optic internet and TV, if you count that as a utility.
Your utilities are half of what the average Texan spends. So, yeah, you are doing something abnormal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nepenthe
Hehe, I live on a secluded corner of a pretty, quiet, very safe little neighborhood, in a 1700sqft brand new house, with plentiful jobs only a few miles away, and only minutes from two major cities.
Keller, TX is 40 minutes away from downtown Dallas, Forth Worth, and Arlington. It is a far reaching Forth Worth suburb, that absolutely requires a vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nepenthe
Yes, I make more than $41K but when I bought my house my base income was only $44K (I received a big promotion early in the year). And the apartment I lived in before that was anything but tiny.Oh give it up! Little to nothing for entertainment?? None of the conditions I outlined in my proposal bear much resemblance to what you've just outlined.
Your proposal outlines very little of reality. Only 9 0f 50 states have no state income tax, and the other large state that doesnt, Florida, doesnt exactly have the real estate prices found in Texas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nepenthe
I contend that A) you haven't proved your point at all, B) it's not that difficult to earn over $41K anyway (as I said I know a third grade teacher and a nurse who's a total jackass who make more than I do), and C) you seem to have a kind of victim mentality, as life according to your insinuations appears to be nasty, brutish, and short.
A. I have proven my point, you just dont accept the defense.
B. Half of the United States working population makes less then 41k, and Im sure most of those making less, would love to make more. Then again, since its so easy to make 41k, I guess they just arent trying to get a job that pays 41k.
C. Life is nasty and brutish if you dont have reasonable living income. Check any statistics on this, the less money under a certain level, the more upset, angry and frustrated people become.
Here is my point. You, and others on this board make a case for someone getting by on 41k, BUT the disclaimers are that they cant have a car payment, if they dont have very good employer sponsored healthcare, they cant have that, they have to sparingly use utilities so that they can get them to half the national average consumption. They have to live in a bad area, a tiny apartment, an area that lacks 41k a year jobs, or the middle of nowhere. They also have little to nothing for entertainment or incidentals. After all of that, they will make just enough to save in a year to cover one huge repair on their car or house.
None of this is true, even somewhere that lives in this area (one of the highest costs areas in the country) can find a decent apartment, have health care, eat well and still have a good $400~$500 to save each month.
In lower cost areas living off of $41k/year is very easy. In the mid-west you'd be able to save a good $1,000 a month.
Your proposal outlines very little of reality. Only 9 0f 50 states have no state income tax, and the other large state that doesnt, Florida, doesnt exactly have the real estate prices found in Texas.
Yep, TX actually didn't really have a bust while FL did. If anything, FL is more affordable now than places like Dallas.
Quote:
Life is nasty and brutish if you dont have reasonable living income. Check any statistics on this, the less money under a certain level, the more upset, angry and frustrated people become.
Life is great if you are lower-class here. Being poor in the US often means you still have a cellphone, a TV, a car, a DVD player etc. The standard of living in this country for all classes exceeds what you'll find in the rest of the world.
Life is great if you are lower-class here. Being poor in the US often means you still have a cellphone, a TV, a car, a DVD player etc. The standard of living in this country for all classes exceeds what you'll find in the rest of the world.
Poverty is relative, and so is connected happiness. If the average Joe can afford a Disney vacation, and you cant, that ticks you off. It does not matter if you have a can of beans in the cupboard and some Haitian kid doesnt. Relatively, the Haitian family without a pot to **** in, may be doing better then you are.
We are not a "global" melting pot. A person should be able to aspire to have all that his economy can generate for him, not aspire to have what the Chinese economy is generating for the Chinese guy. Being happy that you are not starving is a race to the bottom wrong way to look at things.
Looking a the past decades just what did up waging achieve then. Is it that americans are paid too much to compete in many jobs?Is this what has made our products too high for others to afford.Do we live at a lower standard because of it than our parents of equal employment?Should price be raised artifically by riasing some wages and raising prices to level that the poor can not afford much other than food and shelter to benefit one class.Does it make sense to raise minimum wages then raise prices to compensate for it?Do we really want to return to the age of teh company store with force choice? Not me.
As just another Current example, we now have China, India, Russia, and Canada, as added competition in the International Airplane building industry, where only a few years ago it was primarily Boeing and Airbus.
These are mostly Very Good Paying Jobs with excellent Benefits.
When you look at the Wages/benefits being paid at these new competitors, It Doesn't Take A Lot Of Thought to figure out where this is Going.
The USA is in the Process of having it's Lunch Eaten .......
Housing prices etc. will have to adjust as the Overall Standard Of Living in this Country Comes DOWN.
The adjustments will come mostly on the Labor side of the equation.
This is an ongoing process folks ..... Better get use to it.
Most have heard of Peak Oil but ... Have you heard of Peak USA ??
Last edited by silverfox; 07-19-2010 at 02:34 PM..
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None of the conditions I outlined in my proposal bear much resemblance to what you've just outlined. 
