Gross income? Why not net income?

[debtmonster]

Wow, nice story. Without a doubt, you will recover from this and be fine again. Did you have a family along the way? Cause you are a great role model.

After reading my messages, without a doubt, you know I will not recover from this. Death is probably the easiest way out for me. It would probably be better on society if I did not exist above ground anymore anyway. Lots of people here will agree. I just don't want to go alone.

[Doghouse]

Wow, this thread is still ongoing. DM, fyi, only 5% of Americans make over $250,000. Again, most of us don't make that kind of change. And here in California, the median household income is just onder 60,000. Yes, there are a lot of wealthy folks but also a lot of poor folks too.

You are a web programmer. I am also a programmer (contractor doing mainframe/print technology) but do not make crazy money. Times are different. I know doctors that make over 200K but I am not interested in medicine or going back to college for eight years at my age. I know State of Calif. employees that made over 140k (salary plus serious OT as a correctional officer) but I am not interested in watching over hardcore criminals in a prison like he does. Heck, a buddy of mine who's also in the IT field was billing over $120/hr (that's appx 240K per year). But his area of expertise (SAP) is different than mine (mainframe legacy). Another I know bills $100/hr as an Oracle DBA. I have billed out at $60/hr or more myself when I am working (which I currently am till my contract ends in next few days) but a lot of IT jobs have been outsourced to India so the projects and pay are not as they were years ago.

So, knowing what people make is meaningless if your skills, experience and capacity isn't there to pursue same job. As many have said, it's not the money but the capacity to live within your means and be happy.

[scubaman]

Wow, nice story. Without a doubt, you will recover from this and be fine again. Did you have a family along the way? Cause you are a great role model.

Thank you for the feedback. No I don't have children but I have a large extended family and friends and we are very close. And very real, no bull$##%. They have been very supportive and nurturing during this time. That is more than money could ever give me. Not to say money isn't a good thing but not the most important thing. Again thanks for the note!
Scubaman

[debtmonster]

Thank you for the feedback. No I don't have children but I have a large extended family and friends and we are very close. And very real, no bull$##%. They have been very supportive and nurturing during this time. That is more than money could ever give me. Not to say money isn't a good thing but not the most important thing. Again thanks for the note!
Scubaman

I have no friends or family who are being supportive for anything. That's probably half of my problem right there. The people who cared about us the most have past away already.

I know money isn't everything, but the majority of every house I see is priced above what the median income can support. When you buy a house, it's not supposed to exceed 3x your income. If the median income in California is $60k, that means the median price of a home in California should be $180k. This is all out of wack and this is why money is everything now.

Somebody needs to press the BIG RESET BUTTON and bring us back to how we were able to survive in the 70's and 80's. I don't remember it being such a big problem then as it is now.

[GreenInkOnPaper]

<sigh>
Who has time to write a book? And it's spelled, "Bimmer", not "Beemer".

You're barking up the wrong tree, Cap'n.

There's not enough information here to write a book. You would need personal information. Everything here is 100% anonymous, otherwise people would not be posting all of the stuff that they do.

It's B-E-E-M-E-R.

[Cali]

Now I know I posted what I spend on 3 bedroom rent in San Diego, did you not believe me or do you think it's going to change because you asked again?
And there are many jobs that make 120k-150k year.

What kind of income does a person need to be able to afford to live San Diego to rent a 3 bedroom house? I remember reading about the guy making $80k in Santa Clara while he lived at the Salvation Army. I don't want to do that. Do they have a lot of $120-150k jobs in California so people can live the same as other people in the rest of the country who live in a meager $40-50k?

If California is that beautiful, then maybe I should move there. I just don't want 80-90% of my net income after taxes paying the rent.

[Cali]

California doesn't have one set median household income, it depends on where you live.
And there is no way anyone could make it where I live at on only 60k yr.

Wow, this thread is still ongoing. DM, fyi, only 5% of Americans make over $250,000. Again, most of us don't make that kind of change. And here in California, the median household income is just onder 60,000. Yes, there are a lot of wealthy folks but also a lot of poor folks too.

[Cali]

It's BMW.

It's B-E-E-M-E-R.

[debtmonster]

It's B-E-E-M-E-R.

So just why is a BMW car called a 'bimmer' not a 'beemer' or 'beamer'?

The answer in part lies in knowing some BMW history and what came first.

All real BMW enthusiasts know that BMW got a big start on two wheels, what many call the real BMWs.

In those days, BMW motorcycles were quite active in racing, and one of their competitors at the track was often the BSA bikes.

Well as things would have it, a track slang developed, and the BMWs were usually referred to as 'beemers' and the BSAs were referred to as 'beesers'.

So, of course for any true enthusiast, there is no way that a BMW car could be called a 'beemer', so they were called 'bimmers'.

Unfortunately, in the US and Canada, and perhaps other countries, there was a time (kind of still is) where for various reasons, a BMW owner was considered an upwardly mobile person, and of course due to the fun in driving their BMWs most all of them had big grins on their faces.

Hence it is little surprise that the non enthusiast types out there incorrectly labeled BMW cars and their owners as 'beamers' or 'beemers'.
Source: http://www.bmwccbc.org/misc/tech-and-trivia/bimmer.html

[debtmonster]

Now I know I posted what I spend on 3 bedroom rent in San Diego, did you not believe me or do you think it's going to change because you asked again?
And there are many jobs that make 120k-150k year.

As long as people are grossing $10,000 to $12,000 per month before taxes, then paying $3000/mo. rent does not sound unreasonable. But when people start earning $40-60k with those rents, it makes no sense to live in those areas.

[hereforinfo]

DM, your math is fuzzy. I don't think you understand what median means. If a median home price is $300k, it simply means half the homes sold for more than that, half sold for less. If the median income is $50k, that means half the people are making more than that, half are making less. Those figures also don't account for rents.

[Cali]

And again, that is why I doubt anyone making that amount of income lives in the community I live in.
I don't know anyone that makes under 100k.

As long as people are grossing $10,000 to $12,000 per month before taxes, then paying $3000/mo. rent does not sound unreasonable. But when people start earning $40-60k with those rents, it makes no sense to live in those areas.

[debtmonster]

And again, that is why I doubt anyone making that amount of income lives in the community I live in.
I don't know anyone that makes under 100k.

I don't know anyone who makes that kind of money. None of my family or friends even make close to that.

If we made $150-200k here, we'd all be so rich.

[ansky0007]

I don't know anyone who makes that kind of money. None of my family or friends even make close to that.

If we made $150-200k here, we'd all be so rich.

The problem is this world is now for dual incomes. Mothers can no longer stay home with the children and not work. Both parents need to work and combine their incomes. We are on the opposite coast and homes go for $300k to $500k, The one I am trying to save in my Chapter 7 was two years ago appraised at $630k, and just recently appraised at $470k. At $470k you definately need two incomes to support a mortgage in these price ranges. This would explain why there are 7 daycares within 10 miles from us.

[debtmonster]

The problem is this world is now for dual incomes. Mothers can no longer stay home with the children and not work. Both parents need to work and combine their incomes. We are on the opposite coast and homes go for $300k to $500k, The one I am trying to save in my Chapter 7 was two years ago appraised at $630k, and just recently appraised at $470k. At $470k you definately need two incomes to support a mortgage in these price ranges. This would explain why there are 7 daycares within 10 miles from us.

Those are nice problems to have though. I wish I could have the problem of earning a household income of $200k so I could afford a $600k home.

The average household income in my state is $51,000/yr. I don't know how people are affording $300-500k homes here with that being the average income. It doesn't make sense.