S/O How old are you compared to your parents and how well off?

[Thystle]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?



Now how old were you for both?




Are you better off than they are then or now?

[lach]

My parents married when they were 29 and 31, though they had been living together for many years before. They got married when they decided to TTC. They were quite poor when I was born, though now they are very well off.

DH and I married when we were 23 and 25, also after living together for about 4 years. We also got married when we decided to TTC (though it took us considerably longer than my parents!). We are lower upper middle class. However, we live in a very wealthy area so I always feel very poor! Then I come online and talk to people from all over the country and get a reality check. Things are definitely tight for us, but I have no real reasonable reason to complain.

[dsaucone]

Originally Posted by Thystle

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?



Now how old were you for both?




Are you better off than they are then or now?

My parents were 25 and 21 when they got married. They were 25 and 22 when I was born. They were okay. Shortly after I was born they had a house. But I know they did end up with a lot of debt. To this day.

My husband and I were 25 and 17. When our first was born we were 25 and 18. I feel like we're better of. We probably make less than they did, but we don't use daycare and have minimal debt (a small student loan).

And even still. My dad is on UI (has been for a while) and is withdrawing money from his 401K to make up for it. My mom has no 401K (divorce) and more monthly debt than she can afford. So while she makes double what our family does in a month, she has $200 for food and extras a month.

[rubelin]

my parents met in college, were married at 22, parents by 23. My ex & I met at 24/26 (I'm 2 yrs older), married at 25/26, parents at 26/29. IF we'd stayed together (split 2 yrs ago at 34/36), we'd be way better off than my parents were at our age. We'd actually be better off in some ways than they are now, BUT they own their house and both cars and we'd be renting and making car payments.

[katheek77]

My parents were 20 (mom) and 34 when they married. Had me 11 months later. Sister was born when mom was 23.

Dh and I married at 28 (me) and 24 (DH). DD was born 1yr 2days later.

We are in a much better financial position than they were.

[Porcelain Interior]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you? 19 and 20. When I was born my mom was 23 and my dad was 24.



Now how old were you for both? Married at 16, first dd born when I was 17. DH is 2 years older than me.




Are you better off than they are then or now? My parents both worked menial labor jobs with health side effects, my mom has no sense of smell or feeling in her fingers. My dad is missing part of a foot and can barely move his head due to injuries on the job in a mill. Back then we were pretty poor because cigarettes and beer were priority #1.

Comparing that to how my husband and I live today we are 100x better off- priority wise and work wise. My husband makes probably what both my parents were making and we have no vices. I'm a SAHM and we own a house. My parents never owned only rented (not that that's bad, but it was because they were broke- they wanted to buy and couldn't save.)

My parents now (divorced when I was 9 but lived similar crappy lifestyles) are both dirt poor on social security (mom who lost a lung due to her job) and my dad tried to commit suicide several years ago and pulls early retirement becuase he's massively handicapped. They can eat, barely.

(Dh's parents were both hardworking, his mom worked part time, but again cigarettes and beer were a priority so they never really had anything, plus dad was a drunk.)

I think the differences between us and our parents is on both sides they had multiple substance abuse issues, and a really crappy life that they couldn't find their way out of. It's sad, but we avoided that trap by staying addiction free, and living within our means (we aren't totally debt free, but we tend to save before we buy.)

[major_mama11]

My parents married at 20 (mom) and 24 (dad), and had my sis and I when mom was 21 and 23.

DH and I married at 23 (me) and 27 (dh), first child born 18 mos later.

I think we are in a comparable place to where they were after 5 years of marriage. Mom had a nursing degree already at age 20, so decent earning potential, but they didn't buy their first house until a couple years into the marriage. Also, my dad brought cc debt into the marriage. My dad eventually made good money for someone with no college degree, but it took him several years to work his way up to a management position at his company.

When DH and I married, DH already owned a fixer-upper home, and neither of us had cc debt when we married, so one step ahead there. However, DH's job does not pay comparably to what my dad's did, so I don't have the option of being a 100% SAHM like my mom was. We now own 2 cheap fixer-uppers, and the property taxes kill us, but once they're paid off or one is sold we will be in a good place financially.

Overall I think we're in roughly the same place they were at this stage (lower middle class income, but living below our means to try to pay off debts, just like they did).

[Mamatoabunch]

My parents married at 16, mom and 26, dad. Oh yes they had me, the first at 20 and 30.

I married at 18, dh was 21. We are now 35 and 39.

We are better off than they were at this age. They divored when my mom was 34. We have a home, nice one, and all we need and much we want.

[mightymoo]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?

My parents got married at 24 (mom) and 30 (dad), they had me at 28 (mom) and 34 (dad).

Now how old were you for both? I got married at 24, DH was 27, and I had DD at 26 and DH was 28. - The kids are 6 and 4 now.

Are you better off than they are then or now?

We are better off. They made decent money, probably about the same as us relatively but were not good savers and my dad started a business when I was a kid that eventually went bankrupt. He also lost his job and was unemployed for almost a year around the time I was 5.

[kirstenb]

My parents were 26 and 23 when they were married. They had me at 28 and 25.

DH and I were both 22 when we were married and had DS when we were 24.

I'd probably say we are about even in different ways. My parents didn't have a lot of money when we were little though we weren't lacking for anything- we just couldn't have all the extras. They did own a house (the house I grew up in and they still live in) but I remember there being no furniture in some rooms for a long time. We don't own a home but we have no debt with the exception of our car loans. We have nice cars, quality furniture that will last us a long time, money in savings and money put away for retirement. My parents have a really comfortable life now and I use them as my benchmark for what I want.

[Amylcd]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?

My mother had me at 24, she was married at the age of 29


Now how old were you for both?

19 when I had my first child, 20 when my husband and I got married.


Are you better off than they are then or now?

We are much better off than they were then and now.

[velochic]

Parents were 33 and 30. Dh and I were 31 and 46. Growing up we were not poor, but not really middle class, then after the divorce mom and I were kinda poor, but dad paid child support, so we made ends meet. Dad bought most of the stuff I had. Dh grew up poor with a father that was a cobbler (in the Middle East), but had a wealthy uncle that put him through private school that eventually brought him to the US.

Then my grandpa died and my dad and I became land-wealthy (farming), but it doesn't do much good because we'd have to sell the land to have the cash in hand. The cash rent isn't much and for now, it all goes to my dad until I inherit the kit and kaboodle. That being said, even without that, we're much, much, much better off than I was as a child. I'm still a frugal tight wad.

[ChampagneBlossom]

I have no idea when my parents got together; sometime in my mom's mid-twenties. They had me when she was 30 and he was 48. Then he divorced his first wife and married her.

Also, my sisters are like... I don't know how old but they were only a few years younger than my mom was. Like maybe five years' difference. (ETA: The reason I don't know how old they are is because I only met them once, at my father's funeral, go figure.)

[Purple Sage]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?

My parents were 17 and 20 when they got married. They were 21 and 24 when I was born (my older brother is 2.5 years older than me, though).



Now how old were you for both?

I was 19 when I married my exhusband, almost 21 when my first dd was born, 23 when ex and I broke up. I've been with DH since I was 23 and he was 21 (we got married 2.5 years ago)...see signature for dates of when our children were born.




Are you better off than they are then or now?[/QUOTE]

I'm better off than my mom has ever been, but not as well off as my father. They've been divorced since I was 5 or 6.

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by Thystle

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?



Now how old were you for both?




Are you better off than they are then or now?

My parents got together when my mom was 16, they got married and mom got had me right when she was 18. They divorced the next year and she got with my step (ahole) father when she was 23, she's still with him.

I got together with DX when I was 17, we got married and had DS1 when I 19. We were together 11 years before we split up.

I'd say I'm better off but that is because there is no abuse or adiction in my life. I'm sure my mom and stepfather would have been just fine if they could have stayed clean. we are all lower middle class. There problem is that by the time they would get back on their feet again, they would lose it all and eventually have to start all over.

[emaye_to_2]

My parents were "old" when they had me. Now it's not unusual but they were 34 with their first and 36 with with my sister. They lived up their married-no kids life well. They both had graduate degrees and jobs and sports cars and took international trips.

We had our first child at 27. We are living frugally but yet comfortably. We don't have much but we have what we need. Definitely could never ever afford my parent's home (or any home) in the town I grew up in.

[KayleeZoo]

Ok how old were your parents when they married (or got together) and how old were they when they had you?

My parents were 20 and 19 when they got married and had me 3 years later.



Now how old were you for both?

DH and I married at 30 (him) and 24 (me). DD#1 was born 3 years later.




Are you better off than they are then or now?

We were way better off than them when we started out; we waited till we both had our BS degrees, DH had a really good job offer, and we were able to buy a house 6 mos after we married. My parents worked several jobs to get my dad through college (DH and I did it with loans and scholarships and he had the GI bill). Now, my dad makes between $50 and $60K and DH made just over six figures last year. My dad has an Associates degree, and my DH has a BS and Masters. My mom was a SAHM the entire time I was at home (and still is) and I've been a SAHM since our first child was born in 2000. I have a BS and my mom doesn't have a degree.

[Kirsten]

My parents were 18 when they got married (a few months after they met) and 26 when they had me (I'm the oldest of three).

I was 22 and dp was 25 when we got married. We were 27 and 29 when dd1 was born. (She is the oldest of three).

I think we do about the same as my parents did, if you adjust for the times.

[EmmaJane]

My mother was 27 and unmarried when she had me; father never, ever involved. She moved back in with her parents, and they basically raised me.

DH and I married at 26/24, but didn't have DD1 until 37/35. I'll turn 39 within a week or so of giving birth to #2.

We are a hell of a lot better off than my mother was (but I'm never sure if I should view my social class of origin as where her insanity put her, or where her parents were when she was little, or where they ended up after bankruptcy and having to take care of children who never became independent... she wasn't the only one). But probably not doing so well as DH's parents (lawyer dad, SAHM, 3 boys, nice house near a nice city, maybe 8 years younger than we were when they started having kids).

[LaLaLaLa]

I'm pretty similar to my parents.

My parents met when they were both in high school, at a summer program. They married just after college graduation, when they were both 21.

DH and I met when I was in high school and we married just after my graduation from grad school, when I was 22.

My mom had my brother when she was 26 and me when she was 28.

Ditto for me; I had DD at 26 and DS at 28.

My parents had a few years of real scraping early on in their marriage. They put every penny into their house when they first owned it, and really had to scrimp. By the time I was old enough to be aware of things, all was fine. We took family vacations, lived in a decent house in a decent town, and had money for activities, new clothes, other necessities and luxuries. They paid for my college; they bought me my first car. Right now I would consider them quite well off. My dad is close to retiring; they own a gorgeous house overlooking water in a lovely community; they golf and cruise and vacation when they like and my dad has his dream sports car.

DH and I have not had to struggle in the same way my parents did at the beginning. Circumstances have allowed us to own a house without hitting rock bottom, mostly because we've inherited money after the deaths of two beloved family members. If not for this windfall, we would probably be in approximately the same situation my parents were in. We plan on paying for our kids' college and supporting them in the same way my parents supported me. And, hopefully, when I get older I will have the same financial freedom my parents have built for themselves.