a personal clicky poll

sodelish

I know it varies depending on COL in your area as well as differing opinions on comfortable, but I'm curious what you consider to be a salary range that you think of as a "comfortable" salary range. IE you're not living month to month, bills are paid and you have spending money to do what you enjoy doing.

This could be the range you're at, or maybe it's the range you aspire to be in. Or, perhaps you make WAY over your comfort range (and then we just hate you).

[Poll]

Mrs.adambabycakes

My love don't cost a thing...

sodelish

Mrs.adambabycakes:

My love don't cost a thing...

So, you voted 0-25k? ;-)

sodelish

I'm must say I'm really impressed with the person(s) who said $25k-$50k. You must manage your money very well. And, prob live in a lower COL area. But, still. Kudos!

LemonBlush

sodelish:

I'm must say I'm really impressed with the person(s) who said $25k-$50k. You must manage your money very well. And, prob live in a lower COL area. But, still. Kudos!

I voted this. I live in a low COL area. We are always shocked when watching HGTV how expensive other parts of the country can be!

SnoopyLuv

Is this a combined salary? I'm guessing so...

I live in HCOL. Last year we were just a tad over $100k, I'd say that's on the low-middle end of comfortable for here.

LittleGus

I voted 50k-75k but I'm in Grand Rapids MI where you can get a brand new, beautiful home for in the 200k range.

sodelish

LittleGus:

I voted 50k-75k but I'm in Grand Rapids MI where you can get a brand new, beautiful home for in the 200k range.

So jealous of that! Um, yeah. Even after the crash a house in a decent neighborhood (NOT new at all, probably very, very old but maybe updated) 3-4 bed, 2 bath house here is around $500k.

BTW, I LOVE the new profile pic! It took me a few seconds to connect the name with the face. Such an adorable little family!

NoCode10

LittleGus:

I voted 50k-75k but I'm in Grand Rapids MI where you can get a brand new, beautiful home for in the 200k range.

I'm on the border of IA/IL and that is about how much you would pay for a house here. I also voted 50-75k.

LittleGus

sodelish:

LittleGus:

I voted 50k-75k but I'm in Grand Rapids MI where you can get a brand new, beautiful home for in the 200k range.

So jealous of that! Um, yeah. Even after the crash a house in a decent neighborhood (NOT new at all, probably very, very old but maybe updated) 3-4 bed, 2 bath house here is around $500k.

BTW, I LOVE the new profile pic! It took me a few seconds to connect the name with the face. Such an adorable little family!

 

Why thank you!  We're the pale Adam's family.  Bah Hah.

In the suburbs of GR there are gorgeous 2000-3000 sq. ft. homes for around 350k or so.  In city limits it really depends on the area obviously, but the houses in my neighborhood average around 130k for 1500-2500 sq. ft.  I know you are factoring in COL too which is necessary.  With my former job/degree I would get paid twice as much if I lived near Chicago.

 

Mi is very affordable.  I blame Detroit.   

sodelish

LittleGus:

sodelish:

LittleGus:

I voted 50k-75k but I'm in Grand Rapids MI where you can get a brand new, beautiful home for in the 200k range.

So jealous of that! Um, yeah. Even after the crash a house in a decent neighborhood (NOT new at all, probably very, very old but maybe updated) 3-4 bed, 2 bath house here is around $500k.

BTW, I LOVE the new profile pic! It took me a few seconds to connect the name with the face. Such an adorable little family!

 

Why thank you!  We're the pale Adam's family.  Bah Hah.

In the suburbs of GR there are gorgeous 2000-3000 sq. ft. homes for around 350k or so.  In city limits it really depends on the area obviously, but the houses in my neighborhood average around 130k for 1500-2500 sq. ft.  I know you are factoring in COL too which is necessary.  With my former job/degree I would get paid twice as much if I lived near Chicago.

 

Mi is very affordable.  I blame Detroit.   

Yeah, it's crazy how much salary, COL, etc can differ. I got a job offer in Wichita, KS earlier this year for 40% less than what I make here in Seattle. For the exact same job. I know the cost of living is way lower there but I couldn't even consider the offer because I couldn't swallow that type of pay decrease.

CherryStarburst

What we have now is good but we would always take mo' money

sodelish

CherryStarburst:

What we have now is good but we would always take mo' money

Mo' money, mo' problems. P Diddy told me so.

LemonBlush

I was only voting for my salary.

kg_08

I clicked 25-50K, but with all the overtime DH is getting it will probably be just over 50K. We live........ comfortably. We can always pay our bills and somehow there's always extra for important things that may come up. We still don't go out to eat too much though or spend on random things we don't really need.

LuJackCity

I chose 25-50k although more would be awesome. We live in a veeerrrrry LCOL area right now. There are a ton of benefits to living in a an area like this but it's also almost impossible to get a good job and there isn't much to do.

Our house is a few months away from being paid for and we're actually looking at bigger houses right now. 

We're actually looking at this 4bed 3bath house right now, it has 2 acres and is around $150,00 but I'm guessing we could get it for around $130,00.

 

CherryStarburst

sodelish:

CherryStarburst:

What we have now is good but we would always take mo' money

Mo' money, mo' problems. P Diddy told me so.

I got 99 problems but a biitch ain't one.

MrsMommyQ

I voted125-150k and I wish I had clicked higher. We live v close to NYC and housing prices here are still ridic, even with the market the way it is. We currently live in a 2br condo and cannot afford a house in the county we are currently in. We'll have to go farther upstate in NY to afford a nice 4 br 2 bathroom house, costing around 400k with taxes at about 12k a year

JillAly

I'm in the middle of buying a house in the NYC area and it's not only the crazy house prices - but the crazy taxes!  Really? $14,000 for a 2100 sq foot home?  I totally cut out one town because I couldn't find anything less than $18,000 for taxes. 

Needless to say, I checked the higher end of your poll.  One bedroom apartments in NYC cost around $700,000 (in a doorman building) and fixer upper 4 bdrm, 2 ba houses in the suburbs run around the same.  My friend just bought a home for 1.7 million in the suburbs.  I can't do that!

By the way, $25,000 here barely covers my daycare expenses.  I gotta get out of here!

Edit- I did the math.  $25,000 doesn't even cover daycare!  Holy mackeral.

kcisthebombdotcom

sodelish:

I'm must say I'm really impressed with the person(s) who said $25k-$50k. You must manage your money very well. And, prob live in a lower COL area. But, still. Kudos!

We live in a HCOL (not like NYC or anything, but definitely higher than the national average) and make it by comfortably on a smidge under $50k a year. When I say "comfortable", I mean that we can afford fun things like zoo memberships for the family, we take the kids places, contribute to our 401k/savings/kids school funds monthly, have a 5 figure savings account, etc.

We bought a house in foreclosure so we got it at $100k less than what we should have paid and have no debt besides that mortgage.

On the other hand, my SIL and her DH make triple that, live in an area that is similarly priced (actually, a bit cheaper!) and live paycheck to paycheck.

It all depends on your bills and how you manage your money.

IrishBrideND

Right out of college, I lived in a semi HCOL area (baltimore) on just my teachers salary. I didn't live month to month. I built up savings and have money left over for fun stuff. However, I was fortunate to graduate from college with no debt. So that helped.

 

However, my number is much higher now in terms of what I would like to be comfortable. But it is possible to not live off much and not live month to month, in certain circumstances.

mrsz2008

I voted 25-50k, right now we make about $27,000 a year after taxes and all that (but DH JUST started making that much the beginning of June), if we made even $40,000 a year, we'd have a ton of money left over every month. We kinda just get by now.

sodelish

KC_13:

sodelish:

I'm must say I'm really impressed with the person(s) who said $25k-$50k. You must manage your money very well. And, prob live in a lower COL area. But, still. Kudos!

We live in a HCOL (not like NYC or anything, but definitely higher than the national average) and make it by comfortably on a smidge under $50k a year. When I say "comfortable", I mean that we can afford fun things like zoo memberships for the family, we take the kids places, contribute to our 401k/savings/kids school funds monthly, have a 5 figure savings account, etc.

We bought a house in foreclosure so we got it at $100k less than what we should have paid and have no debt besides that mortgage.

On the other hand, my SIL and her DH make triple that, live in an area that is similarly priced (actually, a bit cheaper!) and live paycheck to paycheck.

It all depends on your bills and how you manage your money.

Wow. Yeah, I was thinking NYC is one place that you would def need $200k + to get by. Everything is so much more expensive there. I had no idea taxes alone were so high. CRAZY!

New_MrsP

I voted for $125-$150K

DH and I, combined make about $130K, but that's before taxes. It's only about $85K after taxes. (Taxes are pretty high up here...you know, socialism and all that jazz).

Was everyone else going by pre-tax or post-tax?

HairStylinWifey

kg_08:

I clicked 25-50K, but with all the overtime DH is getting it will probably be just over 50K. We live........ comfortably. We can always pay our bills and somehow there's always extra for important things that may come up. We still don't go out to eat too much though or spend on random things we don't really need.

All of this, except DH is salary so he doesn't get paid for overtime. I'd obviously be happy to move up to the next bracket, but we're comfortable where we are and have the means to afford a few more babies in the future even if we stay the same.

LCOL really, really helps.

acesup

i chose 125K-150K. i based that on the fact that DH and I make a combined 130K and some months things are a tad tight. not tight per se, but not much leftover to spend. we live in a fairly HCOL area. not terribly high... but a touristy area and near the beach so thats adds quite a bit. and daycare alone costs just over $800/month. we live pretty comfortably though. 

delg23

I picked the 2nd to last range because I live in a VERY high COL area. Studios can cost a million 'round here. If I still lived in my home state that would be a much lower #.

saraboston

I voted more than 200k. Sadly, I'm originally from Grand Rapids, but now we're in the Boston Suburbs because of DH's job. We make very good money, but the COL here is outrageous. We're renting a tiny 2 bedroom condo that was recently on the market for 375k. Anything with land attached to it (i.e. yard) is minimum of 500k. Not to mention that even groceries cost more here than they do in Michigan. Oh how I long to go back!! 

P.S. LittleGus, your H actually looks familiar...  maybe he went to school with my sister