My family makes $100k plus a year, its not enough!!

[Ns1]

oh, this is AZ too:

Disagree away.

I'd offer you a spare seat in the Lexus when I go wheeling this weekend, but you don't sound like good company.

I actually did look at Flagstaff based on someone else's recommendation and it's better than Phoenix but the wifey can't deal with the snow.

It's most certainly better than Phoenix or Western NY though.

I make great company as long as your idea of great company is a quiet introvert who loves debauchery =P I'm not generally an asshole, I just play one on the internet.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Pick your poison. In Arizona you can have 4 months of weather so hot it's unbearable there or you could live in the midwest where you have 4 months of unbearable cold weather.

 

[vi edit]

Prescott/Prescott Valley is where it's at in Arizona for weather. Tops out around 90 in the summer, doesn't get much below 30 and very little snow in the winter. Big enough for a costco and about 90 miles to phoenix and under 4 hours to Vegas. Short hop to Sedona/Flagstaff.

It's on my retirement list.

 

[doubledeluxe]

so where did you, where are you living?!?!?

I live in the tropics. I have the same weather basically everyday. Not as good as San Diego but not bad.

 

[jlee]

Prescott/Prescott Valley is where it's at in Arizona for weather. Tops out around 90 in the summer, doesn't get much below 30 and very little snow in the winter. Big enough for a costco and about 90 miles to phoenix and under 4 hours to Vegas. Short hop to Sedona/Flagstaff.

It's on my retirement list.

Yeah, it's really nice up there. A lot of people forget there's more to Arizona than Phoenix and Tucson.

 

[zerocool84]

oh, this is AZ too:

Disagree away.

I'd offer you a spare seat in the Lexus when I go wheeling this weekend, but you don't sound like good company.

That's like saying California is a shit hole because of LA, it's the same thing here, go outside LA and you can have cheap living with no traffic and still be able to drive in a fee hours to the beach.

 

[vi edit]

A lot of people forget there's more to Arizona than Phoenix and Tucson.

It's just what happens in most states that have a huge % of their population congregated in one area. To most people there's no IL south of Chicago even though southern IL is wildly different in geography and culture. New York and New York City. Georgia and Atlanta. Ect.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Yeah but what's weird about Arizona is that people know it has the Grand Canyon and it's in the north on the other side of the state. The north side has the good weather while the south is over 100F for at least 100 days a year.

 

[Nebor]

Yea, those people stay in South OC where McDonald's gets 5 stars on Yelp. White flight pushes them ever further southbound. Anything north of Lake Forest is going to be much more ethnically diverse.

Yeah, people who live in $10 million dollar houses going to TGI Fridays for dinner because the whole area is just a giant suburb. Wut.

 

[Hugo Drax]

please explain based on your life...

Come on now you live in south florida, Don't you see the people perpetually spending more than what they earn in order to impress people.

South florida is notorious for this.

I live in South Florida half the year and I see it all the time.

Why do you think so many Lottery winners end up broke and in debt 5 years later.

 

[alkemyst]

Come on now you live in south florida, Don't you see the people perpetually spending more than what they earn in order to impress people.

South florida is notorious for this.

I live in South Florida half the year and I see it all the time.

Why do you think so many Lottery winners end up broke and in debt 5 years later.

Most of Florida's hot spots don't allow lottery winners to live there.

Good luck with your trololo.

 

[zerocool84]

It's just what happens in most states that have a huge % of their population congregated in one area. To most people there's no IL south of Chicago even though southern IL is wildly different in geography and culture. New York and New York City. Georgia and Atlanta. Ect.

Exactly like California, there's three huge cities but so much land other than that where it's actually fairly cheap to live but because no one wants to live out there.

 

[rednas]

Most of Florida's hot spots don't allow lottery winners to live there.

I dont see how that could be restricted.

 

[fleshconsumed]

The problem is Americans always have to be fronting, they have to build that big totem pole. Cause you gotta make people think your some high roller and impress those "Friends"

Most likely this is what the typical American will do who earns 100K

#1 Permalease a 500-800 a month BMW/MB etc.. forever (not just one but two or more ie his/hers and the kids), and don't forget the cost of insurance.
#2 Buy a huge zero lot McMansion box house
#3 Everyone has a 100 a month phone plan, (his/her/kids) 300-400 a month or more, annual upgrades of those iphones as well.
#4 Super cable package and super internet package (300 or more a month)
#5 if they have a small child, send them to l33t kindergarden for 20-40K a a year
#6 Murican wife usually does not cook, so spend tons of money a month on frozen food
#7 Murican wife cant cook but they buy the 2000 dollar l33t cookware to hang over the big kitchen, over the fancy unused Wolf or Garland stove/oven.

#8 if they have kids, they gotta wear those 90 dollar made in china name brand outfits.
#9 Weekend outings every weekend to entertain "Friends"
#10 yearly tv upgrades, hey that new 4K TV is out, lets get rid of that crappy 1080P. now I can show my friends our new badass 4K tv.
#12 if they have kids send them to all kinds of programs but the l33t versions, ie soccer,karate,piano,ballet,etc.. but 5-6 programs at the same time.

#13 etc.. usually the end result is spending more than what comes in, typically 40-100K credit card debts or more.

I get what you're saying, but there is no way you can afford all of this on a 100K a year. One may do so, and I stress, may since it's still sketchy, by going in debt temporarily, but you can't do that perpetually.

After taxes 100K becomes 80K assuming they have a house and kids that they can claim on their taxes. Fancy kindergarten at 20K (let's be optimistic) takes it down to 60K. There is no way anybody can afford McMansion and MB/BMW and all the other stuff on 60K net.

That's the point of this thread. 100K does not buy you as much as people think. Yes, you may afford a slightly better house, you may afford an actual vacation instead of staycation/drivecation, but in the end housing, retirement savings, kids, and other actual living expenses take majority of that 100K leaving little for discretionary spending. Yes, the difference between minimum wage and 50-60K is huge, even more so if you want to compare minimum wage and 100K, but the difference between 60K and 100K household income is a lot smaller than people think.

 

[JM Aggie08]

As a Texan, you are.

Booming economy, great real estate market, lower cost of living.

If that's hilarious, then I'm a fucking riot :biggrin:

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you get rid of following:
- Impulse buying
- going out to eat/bars
- keeping up with joneses (new car every 3-5 years......oversize house)
- not wasting money on BS Smartphone plans/games

MOST Americans would have a pretty good standing financially....at whatever salary.

Problem is, it's part of our Society and what "Americans do".

 

[PricklyPete]

I dont see how that could be restricted.

He's just trolling. He likes to think he lives somewhere special because he lives somewhat close to some "nice" parts of Florida. What's hilarious is that he openly admits in this thread that his home is worth maybe 100k and then tries to put down people living in Texas. Keep on being the alpha baller we all know you are Alke!

 

[AdamK47]

Ah ha!

Cost of Living Cincinnati, OH
Overall 88
Grocery 98.8
Health 99
Housing 69
Utilities 95
Transportation 98
Miscellaneous 96

 

[JM Aggie08]

If you get rid of following:
- Impulse buying
- going out to eat/bars
- keeping up with joneses (new car every 3-5 years......oversize house)
- not wasting money on BS Smartphone plans/games

MOST Americans would have a pretty good standing financially....at whatever salary.

Problem is, it's part of our Society and what "Americans do".

Read 'living outside of your means.'

If you can do all of the above comfortably, go nuts.

 

[cressida]

Read 'living outside of your means.'

If you can do all of the above comfortably, go nuts.

- Impulse buying
- going out to eat/bars
- keeping up with joneses (new car every 3-5 years......oversize house)
- not wasting money on BS Smartphone plans/games

The only thing I use to do on the list well was

- going out to eat/bars. ; D

 

[alkemyst]

I dont see how that could be restricted.

Associations that have to vote on new resident's makes it easy. Hard to stop someone renting though, but most of the mega mansions are usually not for rent long term.

 

[alkemyst]

He's just trolling. He likes to think he lives somewhere special because he lives somewhat close to some "nice" parts of Florida. What's hilarious is that he openly admits in this thread that his home is worth maybe 100k and then tries to put down people living in Texas. Keep on being the alpha baller we all know you are Alke!

I sometimes wonder how you even got by being so clueless in Florida.

Sorry you are mad.

Palm Beach and many other places in the country have homeowner associations where new residents are approved by that association.

It's why you don't see those with 'new money' in many places where they could afford to buy into.

I live more than somewhat close, Manalapan and the ocean is about a 5 min car ride.

My house was purchased for $256k, like many places here everything is way down. It' should slowly get back to $175k (the pre-boom) pricing, but I don't plan to live here forever; I will eventually rent this place out and move further east.

 

[alkemyst]

Booming economy, great real estate market, lower cost of living.

If that's hilarious, then I'm a fucking riot :biggrin:

Many places in Texas have people living below poverty. Texas as a whole is not booming at all.

 

[cressida]

Many places in Texas have people living below poverty. Texas as a whole is not booming at all.

This is true with a lot of the smaller towns in Texas (quite a few). However you can't argue that the major cities in TX are growing rapidly. Austin, Dallas, Houston, and even San Antonio.

 

[Rebel44]

; I will eventually rent this place out and move further east.

East from Florida? Does that mean Atlantic ocean?