[kimba01]

Originally Posted by lyra33

The standard deduction for kids will get you a decent tax return of a few thousand dollars but that really should go straight into savings for emergencies, repairs, and such.

Should, yes. Truth is, it will probably go to pay off a couple credit cards that the parents had to use to buy something the jrs. needed for school or such! Or those braces!

[lyra33]

Originally Posted by kimba01

Should, yes. Truth is, it will probably go to pay off a couple credit cards that the parents had to use to buy something the jrs. needed for school or such! Or those braces!

Haha, exactly. Or new carpet, a new water heater, fixing a leak, fixing a car, mold issues, medical co-pays, a car that was in an accident.....

[olecapt]

And I have been wandering around the yard with a stick looking for something to kill...

$5,700 and another 1600 in two months to uncover them and then 10,000 more for the actual crowns.

All to chew naturally. Hell I could hire someone to chew for me...

That takes care of the house we closed last week and half of the one we got set for December.

Only thing worse than children is getting old.

I think I just committed as much as LVD or DavieJ annual income to four rear lower teeth.

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by olecapt

And I have been wandering around the yard with a stick looking for something to kill...

$5,700 and another 1600 in two months to uncover them and then 10,000 more for the actual crowns.

All to chew naturally. Hell I could hire someone to chew for me...

That takes care of the house we closed last week and half of the one we got set for December.

Only thing worse than children is getting old.

I think I just committed as much as LVD or DavieJ annual income to four rear lower teeth.

Ouch! In more places than just your mouth! Well, at least you won't be only eating mashed potatoes!

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by olecapt

And I have been wandering around the yard with a stick looking for something to kill...

$5,700 and another 1600 in two months to uncover them and then 10,000 more for the actual crowns.

All to chew naturally. Hell I could hire someone to chew for me...

That takes care of the house we closed last week and half of the one we got set for December.

Only thing worse than children is getting old.

I think I just committed as much as LVD or DavieJ annual income to four rear lower teeth.

Why so expensive??? I just had an implant/crown done for the #7 tooth. Total price: $3500...dental insurance paid $2200...net cost out of my pocket...$1300. It's great...next best thing to a real tooth.

[PinkString]

His dentist needs to upgrade his house, new cars and nice electronics.

[jfkIII]

...and I would imagine that inserting titanium implants into really old gums requires a tremendous amount of bone grafting! <- (check out this guy's implants!)

[Spraynard Kruger]

December 15th will see Brandon Flowers open the hotel.

NYE will see Coldplay and Jay Z headline. Dogs and cats sleeping together on that lineup, but its sure to be a draw.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by Spraynard Kruger

Your obsession with materials and a stupid car is going to be your Achilles heel. Nobody judges you by what you drive and if they do, they arent worth knowing. The truth is that your optimism and go gettitiveness is not really yours to control without the confidence that an education will afford you. This is a knowledge-based workforce. Soft skills, like attitude and perseverance, cannot be understated. Standing with them alone, you're a whisker away from real tragedy. It's a facade.

If you get popped for not registering your car, you can kiss your dream of staying here goodbye.

+1.

Davie, hopefully you understand that just about everyone here is pulling for you. Given what you've said about your situation, tho, you gotta realign priorities. I know your car's a big deal to you but it's also the worst investment you can make - typically the second biggest expense (after home) you'll have yet they all depreciate, usually quickly. When someone asks what I drive, I tell them "a boring car ... that has the best feature ever, it's paid for!" LVD gets by with less & it's likely a key reason he can live such a frugal lifestyle.

If you're dead-set on keeping your car, then make compromises elsewhere. Generally, I've gotten what I want in my adult life, but there's always been compromise. It started in college when I had to pick between the CD player I wanted & spring break; I had to give up spring break so I could enjoy my music at all times. Pretty much any time I've set my sights on something I've been able to attain it, but there's always been a trade-off. As time goes by, I've learned that material stuff doesn't matter to me as much - now, money gets set aside to rescue ferrets & provide for their vet bills.

You mentioned wanting to take your girlfriend to Mt. Charleston - as noble as that is, it doesn't seem prudent if you still have car & other expenses. Give yourself a budget with 'must have', 'like to have' & 'luxury' items. Hint: not everything is 'must have'. While things might seem tough right now, remember you always choose how to respond to any situation. Please don't be a victim. You can feel sorry for yourself or choose to view this as a challenge & respond accordingly. Some 'character building' will serve you now & many moons into the future.

Soooo many people here are pulling for you. Suck it up & make it work. You know you can do it. WE know you can do it.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by lyra33

60K for a family where there is only one income, a modest house payment (150,000 or less), and 2 or three kids is not rolling in the dough. You still will have to budget and won't have much left over. Health insurance, car payments, clothing, food (huge for a family)- will have you counting pennies in no time. Now, if you are single and making 60K you have more to spend.

60,000= 5,000 mth (-1250) (Subtract about 25 percent for SS/taxes)

3750 (-500) (If you are so lucky to have good health insurance)
3250 (-1250)(Subtract for a house payment/mort insurance/escrow 150,000 at 6 percent/30 yr fixed)
2000 (-800) (For food/TP, this is low btw, for a family of 5)
1200 (-500) ( Car Payment)
700 (-100) (Home Repairs/Car Repairs)
600 (-150) (Car Insurance)
450 (-250) (Gas for one car)
200 (-50) (clothing/shoes)
150 (~300) (gas/power/water/garbage/sewer) Uh...better cut some from the food budget!

*There are many things I have not included like cable, internet, car registration, cell phones....and the 25 percent tax rate may be a tad high but it was a easy number to work with.

Are these numbers supposed to be for an entire family or a single person? Certainly, one income providing for a family with 2-3 kids would mean a tighter budget. But a single person? Unless they're extravagant, a single person can live very well on 60K.

A few things on the math from my perspective:
If you're talking a family budget above, no way is 60K getting taxed at even 20 percent after mortgage interest deduction as well as dependents, possibly other itemized deductions. 15-18 percent more likely.

$800/mo for food? Really? My GF has a healthy appetite & typically we spend $100/mo for two adults, MAYBE $200 in a crazy month. She likes to cook at home so we don't go out much. It's not like we're starving, either. (Hides stomach after last batch of Jambalaya/Gumbo/RedBeans-n-Rice. Yeah, there's the odd steak or salmon dinner in there, too.)

$500/mo for car payment? Lease for $200-300/mo, worst case. Personally, I hate the idea of car payments so if I can't pay cash for it, I buy used (& then pay cash for that.) Also, $250/mo for gas? My GF's lucky - she inherited her dad's Prius, drives about 1250 mi/mo which is 15K/yr & spends about $60/mo on gas - it helps to avg 57 mpg! I don't begrudge anyone the vehicle they want, but don't have any patience for complaints about car payments or how much gas costs for their 12 mpg SuperSucker (tm) SUV. You chose it, you live with it.

$150/mo for car insurance? We must be lucky, cuz full coverage (AllState) for two newer (2008) vehicles is about $90/month - that's for both, not one. 50/100/100 with a $1K collision deductible (only filing a catastropic claim) & zero deductible comprehensive.

If the numbers above were for a single person, they're WAYY too high. If they're for a family, some are still too high but I'd expect clothing/etc to be higher with a few kids. To each his own, obviously different variables will affect each situation in a unique way.