Poll: What's your household income?

[TranscendentalMom]

Since we've been talking about how much wealth the typical AP families have - why not find out? What is your annual household income?

[Piglet68]

Well, I voted but I'm not going to say what my vote was. When it comes to such matters, I'm not comfortable with asking or telling...

[mirlee]

I voted. Let's say if you had asked me this two years ago, I would have had to answer nearly double what I did. Since dh lost his job and just does a teeny teeny bit of consulting, our income level is basically my salary.

I heard on the news last night that nearly 1 million people are out of work and at least another million have actually given up looking for work. Things aren't so good these days.

[Marlena]

I know quite well what it's like to live on an income of under $10,000 per year, but that's nowhere close to what our present income is anymore!

[LunaMom]

I voted, but I also don't "earn and tell!"

[Starfire]

I would love to see or ask for the people willing to tell what they earn, what the cities cost of living where you live?

For instance i make $34,000 a year, and Dp watches kids and works pt and brings in $6-7,000/yr, but cost of living here is on the higher end. Not as high as LA or some where bigger but higher. Three bedrooms here go for $1,200 a month and the cheap end would be $950.00.

I just like to see that because some one could "look" like they made a lot of money when really they have no Extra money.

We figured out that in order to have $200 a month to spend on food, movies, going out, or whatever our combined income would have to get upto $52,000.00 a year because of car insurance, mortgage, heat, water, bills, and every thing else you pay monthy, costs so much here.

[Starfire]

I would love to see or ask for the people willing to tell what they earn, what the cities cost of living where you live?

For instance i make $34,000 a year, and Dp watches kids and works pt and brings in $6-7,000/yr, but cost of living here is on the higher end. Not as high as LA or some where bigger but higher. Three bedrooms here go for $1,200 a month and the cheap end would be $950.00.

I just like to see that because some one could "look" like they made a lot of money when really they have no Extra money.

We figured out that in order to have $200 a month to spend on food, movies, going out, or whatever our combined income would have to get upto $52,000.00 a year because of car insurance, mortgage, heat, water, bills, and every thing else you pay monthy, costs so much here.

[Bladestar5]

I just hope those of you who are making above $50,000. are being responsible with your money. I cannot talk for anyone else, but I would definitely have better living conditions and food if we made that much. Hopefully once dh takes over his dad's business, we will be financially stable and have some money for extras. I have learned some good things from being poor. Material belongings are WAY overrated, and there is always somebody more poor than you. We are in the 20,000.+ category, although we barely make above 20, but dh is getting even better pay than some others we know. Vermont's economy sucks right now.

[Lucky Charm]

Blade...
I can assure you, we are being responsible with our money. Our living conditions are very nice, we have a great house. Our income also affords us reliable vehicles and private school for our youngest.

like alot of folks though, its not like we are rolling in dough. we have mortgage payments, car payments etc. not a whole lot left over and i still have to watch what i spend.

[bamboogrrrl]

I'm seeing an interesting disconnect in the information between this poll (which basically says that over 60% of people on this board earn $50,000 or more), and the thread about AP parents being low income.

It seems like the FACT is, that much of the board is financially comfortable (whether we live within our means is another story - and of course 50k in NYC is different than 50K in Lawrence, KS). But the FEELING is that AP parents are generally lower income (probably because in so many cases one parent works outside of the home fulltime and there is so little support in this country for choosing to be an "underconsumer" and SAHP).

[TranscendentalMom]

The thing is that if you don't make $50,000 plus it sounds like a lot but when you do it doesn't *feel* like a lot - not for a family of three or more. I wouldn't judge the way any people spend their money because everyone is rich relative to someone else. People in Africa think $400 a year is a lot and look at ANYONE in America as rich even if they only make $15,000 a year!

[oatmeal]

I gotta say, where I live in California $50,000 with kids in the house is a pittance. Going out at that eschelon is a luxury and people with that income here think 3x times going out to a $15 movie. We were lucky to get a 2 bedroom house which we share with a roommate for $1800, that's unheard of...

I think the perspective has to be where we live, not just what we make. If I made 50K in Arizona or Kansas I'd probably be in a diferent category that here where the debris meets the sea.

[Carla]

I can appreciate the etiquitte rules regarding this subject, but I also think its great to get this out on the table. This causes so much judgement and bad feelings between people.

That said, if you would have told me when I was 18 what my future husband would be making I would have celebrated, but the reality is living in Denver, that got us a modest 3 bedroom home, one car and our luxuries were that we contributed monthly to our retirement and childrens college savings, I stayed home and we could buy organic. We didn't suffer but we watched what we spent to avoid debt. I realize many people can't even have what we did and I'm extremely grateful.

We recently moved to northern Michigan to raise our kids close to family and in a more rural environment. It's somewhat cheaper but very much a summer resort getaway feeling which drives prices up. Average price of 3 bedroom home around 150,000 - 200,000. Unless you can see the water, then add more zeros...:

[MysticHealerMom]

along the lines of making life choices (or sacrafices, but I don't consider it that, some might) we drastically changed our lives and are now living on 70% less than we were. That includes my whole salary and a chunk of dh's. Priorities are different. I know we could not have AP'd (w/a sahp) in our previous lifestyle b/c at that rate we were living paycheck to paycheck. Now we're quite comfortable. And scaling back all the time. It's a much more reasonable life and even if it didn't include the tenanats of AP and natural family living, it coincides with my spritual path, if you will, and eliminating areas of affluence and desire that really have little to do with AP choices, only. But have a lot to do with my and dh's growth and humanity. And, I think it will make us better parents.

So, in a sense, we're "poorer" b/c we're fitting into the AP lifestyle, but we're much better off b/c we have less debt and are no longer slaves to the economy, etc.

[Bladestar5]

I didn't mean to be judgemental about those with more money than us, and I realize that 50,000. is not alot depending on where you live, but I am talking about those where it IS alot. Right now, if we were making that kind of money, it would mean a livable house with windows that didn't have a breeze coming through in 0degrees weather. It would mean clothes that actually fit me. I guess I could give up internet, but then I would REALLY have no outlet. Just talking on here gets my mind off the stresses of our lives.
But, that being said, I think it would be good for EVERYONE to be poor, just once, and for a few months. It really puts things into perspective.

[mom2connor]

I live in NYC and am a single mom and make about $32,000 a year...We barely get by. Rent here is insane.. My ds is in a private nursery school on scholarship (his tutiion would be $15,700 if we paid the full amount)

I think it is all very realtive to location. While we struggle here, we would probably do quite well in another area of the country. Something I need to consider..

peace mamas...

[CerridwenLorelei]

I didn't vote but part of our "income" isn't really

"ours"
X amount of what is actually on the w-2 is dh's business trips that HIS co sends him on
They get a tax break by not claiming it and we get stuck in a higher bracket than we truly are
Personally we would love to have that "extra" income LOL
However Dh worked his butt off for many years to get where we are today and we came up from squeaking to make it to here..
That said we are not rich by any means but comfortable enough for me to stay home with the kiddos
(which with my health problems is a good thing I could never remain employed at this point )

[simonee]

We made 34K last year for a fam of 3, of which about 25 in the first half and then I lost my job. The first 6 months were the richest of our lifes in financial terms, and we really enjoyed a while of healthcare and a trip to the inlaws that ddidn't have to go on the credit card.

We would get by just fine on 2.5K a month in one of the most expensive parts of the country, but never owned a car, rented cheap, and never buy home stuff or new clothes. Now we have to move out of SoCal because we can't afford it anymore.

I don't see myself ever thinking that 50K is very modest, but then owning a house and/or multiple vehicles in an urban area. However, I'm truly happy for those of you that do. I'm esp happy that some mdc parents are in the high income classes, it goes to prove to me that not all rich people are bad (I'm not being flippant here).

I've been in poor countries. I'm not poor, but I sure have to feel guilty about having highspeed internet now that dh lost his websurfing gig and we don't really need it anymore.

I don't know the ethnicities of the posters here. But I'm white, and I know that down here I'm one of the poorest white people I know, while many AfrAm's and Hispanics are way worse off than me. This country has a long way to go.

[LunaMom]

Well, the salary is dh's, not mine, so I didn't feel comfortable telling, but I will say that I am one of those people who lives in a location where supporting a wife and child on $50,000 a year would be tough. Our income is in the six figures, but the median home price in our area is more than double dh's yearly salary before taxes - and that is not for a McMansion, trust me. Even apartment rentals, of which there are not many (most residences here are private, single-family homes), are very expensive - a two-bedroom in a middle-class neighborhood is $2000 a month on average. Dd goes to a parent co-op preschool, which is a good deal cheaper than the rest of the preschools - and it is still $3700 a year.

I understand that people have a choice about where to live, but you know how it is - you grow up in an area, you have family and friends, and that's where you stay...

[Piglet68]

Just wanted to point out that salaries often reflect location, too. The salaries offered in my DH's field are typically six figures in expensive cities like Boston or San Francisco, but in Pittsburgh they would be about $30K/year less.