Washington Post---"Squeaking By" on $300,000? This is "Journalism?" (Reston: apartment, student loans)

[Nemesis16]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

My main point wasn't to sound jealous. My main gripe with this article is that a supposedly well-educated and intelligent business professional (whose daily job responsibilities likely entail overseeing budgets) truly has very little, if any, idea on what it means to truly sacrifice in order to keep herself afloat financially at home. Someone else in this thread was befuddled when I said I live "comfortably" on a $41,000 salary. Other than an occasional splurge for something tasty I just save money at the stores by clipping coupons, buying generic brands, using "bonus cards", etc. to get my refrigerator half-full for the upcoming week and occasionally hit up dollar stores as well for some staples. I eat a sandwich, banana, yogurt, and bottled water everyday for lunch while working. My dinners are mostly whatever frozen dinner happens to be on sale in any given week. I often skip breakfast. I own a fuel-efficient car and try to walk wherever I can to save money (hence my frequent spats on this forum about the sprawling environment of much of NoVA that makes this such a difficult feat for those of us outside the Beltway). For "fun" I come onto this forum, walk over to Barnes & Noble and read, "gawk" at stuff I wish I could afford at Best Buy, go running, etc.---I don't need to head to Reston Town Center every other night and kvetch about work with co-workers as we drown what ails us in expensive mixed drinks. My life may not be glamorous, but yes, you CAN live at least a semi-comfortable lifestyle as a single person in most of NoVA on a salary in the $40,000 range. It just boggles my mind that someone earning $300,000 annually who lives in a county not much more affluent overall than Fairfax County could have the audacity to whine about "struggling" and "sacrificing" when she is STILL living the sort of lifestyle many of the working poor could only dream of someday (and will sadly die without ever experiencing).

At least the Ashburn couple, while also clueless about TRUE budget-crunching, was a bit easier for most of us in Northern Virginia to relate to. If this woman's 12-year-old son is whining that he wants this or that, then why not instruct him to go mow some of the lawns in the neighborhood? He'd probably do it for a relatively low price, which would serve two purposes---giving this woman's fellow "struggling" neighbors a welcome reprieve from their landscaping bill while also teaching her son a bit about the value of a hard-earned dollar so he'd have a bit more respect for the hard work his mother does and be more judicious in asking for money. I grew up without having many of the same "perks" many of my peers had, but I still feel as if working full-time through high school and college permitted me to become MUCH more marketable and well-rounded in the long-term than those whose only real experience with "fiscal restraint" is not getting a pedicure or buying an Audi A6 instead of an Audi A8.

You might find comfort in being financially stable with $40k, but off the basis of your post, you're definitely struggling psychologically. When you make a choice to be frugal you're definitely not "living comfortably".

[dkf747]

It's all relative. A huge percentage of the world thinks you are very rich with that $40k salary. Don't try to impress them with your frugal lifestyle. They'll judge you the same way you judge the $300k woman.

[live_strong28]

The Washington Post is about to turn into a tabloid.

They employ reporters like Mike Wilbon who is a master of BS.

Mike Wilbon recently wrote an article condemning bad behavior after Rick Pitino was accused of rape.

Unfortunately, this same Mike Wilbon is the one who avoided any reporting, nevermind condemnation, of his close friend Charles Barkley who a few months ago was arrested for his 2nd DUI. Guess what Barkley told the cop when he was arrested and why he ran the stop sign?

He said he was in a rush to get the best #$ from a prostitute who had serviced him before.

Barkley of course, took a leave of absence from TNT during the regular season and was not fired, but returned during the playoffs.

In contrast, Marv Albert was fired after being acquitted of sexual assault charges.

Wilbon of course, cowrote a book about Charles Barkley and frequently has him appear on his sports show.

This is the same Wilbon who condemned Vick when he was charged and put in jail for dog fighting, but then recently bashed the NFL commissioner for imposing a 6 game suspension on Vick after Wilbon's close friend, Donovan McNabb pushed for his signing.

Wilbon has no credibility and obviously cannot remain objective.

These are the kind of people that the Washington Post employs.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by dkf747

It's all relative. A huge percentage of the world thinks you are very rich with that $40k salary. Don't try to impress them with your frugal lifestyle. They'll judge you the same way you judge the $300k woman.

Truth be told that in the NoVA area, a $40k salary is hard to get by on regardless of how frugal you are, and for sure, will be even tougher if married (single income) with kids.

Cost of living here, such as buying a home, is just too expensive.

That's just reality.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

Truth be told that in the NoVA area, a $40k salary is hard to get by on regardless of how frugal you are, and for sure, will be even tougher if married (single income) with kids.

Cost of living here, such as buying a home, is just too expensive.

That's just reality.

Well if you're a dually-employed couple that's only making $40,000 combined, then that's nearly unheard of. I don't even think most of the fast food/grocery workers here make under $20,000/year. Hell, I was making near that working retail in college in a MUCH less affluent area.

[Nemesis16]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

Truth be told that in the NoVA area, a $40k salary is hard to get by on regardless of how frugal you are, and for sure, will be even tougher if married (single income) with kids.

Cost of living here, such as buying a home, is just too expensive.

That's just reality.

co-sign. $40k in Nova usually means you're slummin' it.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Nemesis16

co-sign. $40k in Nova usually means you're slummin' it.

...and whining about "struggling" at $300,000 is equally worth of malign, as has been evidenced by this article. Come to think of it, the newspaper really did get what it wanted from this story---publicity.

[Nemesis16]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

...and whining about "struggling" at $300,000 is equally worth of malign, as has been evidenced by this article. Come to think of it, the newspaper really did get what it wanted from this story---publicity.

What's your point?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Nemesis16

What's your point?

What's your point?

[The Dissenter]

Sigh... here we go again