(Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: Just Being Middle Class Is Becoming out of Reach

[Lisax 0]

I talked to my husband, his parents and some friends about how it was before and today and they all agreed the standard of living is lower then it was.

Looking for jobs around even with a degree you’re lucky if you can get $45.000 a year. My mom makes that kind of money back in Croatia and she’s a physiotherapist.

Living in the area where monthly rent average is $1700 and average price of homes $450.000 it’s not easy. My husband makes way above average (he has a really good government job and bachelors degree) and we still need to be really careful about how we spend our money. We are not sure when we’ll be able to have kids ($1000/month day care per child!!!). We can’t afford to eat out much, we cook a lot and eat at home, and we need to be really careful about what we buy at the grocery store. If we need clothes we go to outlet stores.

I know a girl who works at the store for $6/hour which I guess according to some people is her own fault because she doesn’t have a degree but the point is it’s the same hourly wage as it was 10 years ago and prices of everything went up.

This is country of opportunities but if you work hard you shouldn't be poor if you have a job.

I will not be moving to California anytime soon or in the distant future. $1000 for day care!

[jundp 191]

It's hard to say about the choices this couple made. Too many "whatifs."

But it's difficult to understand why things are so bad for them. I have 2 kids, I'm a single mom, and I'm a teacher. I have an assload of student loans I'll be paying off for the rest of my (might be a bit dramatic) and I make almost what that couple makes. No matter where you go in this country, a high school teacher isn't going to make a ton of money, even with a master's degree and experience. But I've managed to do just fine. I have some debts besides student loans, and I've worked more than one job at times to make ends meet.

LOL, maybe I should get into teaching if you make almost $75k a year at that. I guess what a 'ton of money' is is pretty relative.

It's my 10th year teaching though, I have a Master's and I'm a department head. I also work two jobs.

But my first year teaching I made $24K

My point is that with my education and experience I could be making twice what I make now in a different field. With the degrees that each of those people have, you'd think they'd be doing better.

I think I'm too tired to make much sense today....in my head it all sounds good but thus far nothing is coming out very well

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

[Amby 490]

so....is inheriting money included in keeping up?

[rebeccajo 14]

so....is inheriting money included in keeping up?

Big plans?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

O/T did you read that bit about the NYPD recently? Apparently the salary of an NYPD officer is significantly lower than it is in other states with a lower cost of living. The policeman's union has been criticised by the mayor of NYC for promoting the higher salaries available in other states.

[Amby 490]

so....is inheriting money included in keeping up?

Big plans?

I still have a few years to wait until I get the big one

Those grandparents were smart not letting me have it all at once!

[Ban Hammer 14,668]

It's hard to say about the choices this couple made. Too many "whatifs."

But it's difficult to understand why things are so bad for them. I have 2 kids, I'm a single mom, and I'm a teacher. I have an assload of student loans I'll be paying off for the rest of my (might be a bit dramatic) and I make almost what that couple makes. No matter where you go in this country, a high school teacher isn't going to make a ton of money, even with a master's degree and experience. But I've managed to do just fine. I have some debts besides student loans, and I've worked more than one job at times to make ends meet.

LOL, maybe I should get into teaching if you make almost $75k a year at that. I guess what a 'ton of money' is is pretty relative.

It's my 10th year teaching though, I have a Master's and I'm a department head. I also work two jobs.

But my first year teaching I made $24K

My point is that with my education and experience I could be making twice what I make now in a different field. With the degrees that each of those people have, you'd think they'd be doing better.

I think I'm too tired to make much sense today....in my head it all sounds good but thus far nothing is coming out very well

i thought you were an english teacher?

[Amby 490]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

O/T did you read that bit about the NYPD recently? Apparently the salary of an NYPD officer is significantly lower than it is in other states with a lower cost of living. The policeman's union has been criticised by the mayor of NYC for promoting the higher salaries available in other states.

There was an article in the paper here about how much public official make and the school superintendent made significantly more than the police chief! I guess all those kids are way more dangerous than fighting crime

[rebeccajo 14]

so....is inheriting money included in keeping up?

Big plans?

I still have a few years to wait until I get the big one

Those grandparents were smart not letting me have it all at once!

Maybe having to help your mother get up and down off the toilet or changing your father's catheter bag will give you new perspective someday.

[nivesito 0]

I talked to my husband, his parents and some friends about how it was before and today and they all agreed the standard of living is lower then it was.

Looking for jobs around even with a degree you’re lucky if you can get $45.000 a year. My mom makes that kind of money back in Croatia and she’s a physiotherapist.

Living in the area where monthly rent average is $1700 and average price of homes $450.000 it’s not easy. My husband makes way above average (he has a really good government job and bachelors degree) and we still need to be really careful about how we spend our money. We are not sure when we’ll be able to have kids ($1000/month day care per child!!!). We can’t afford to eat out much, we cook a lot and eat at home, and we need to be really careful about what we buy at the grocery store. If we need clothes we go to outlet stores.

I know a girl who works at the store for $6/hour which I guess according to some people is her own fault because she doesn’t have a degree but the point is it’s the same hourly wage as it was 10 years ago and prices of everything went up.

This is country of opportunities but if you work hard you shouldn't be poor if you have a job.

I will not be moving to California anytime soon or in the distant future. $1000 for day care!

It's actually Virginia (Washington DC Metro area) I went to check online how much would we pay for a day care.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

O/T did you read that bit about the NYPD recently? Apparently the salary of an NYPD officer is significantly lower than it is in other states with a lower cost of living. The policeman's union has been criticised by the mayor of NYC for promoting the higher salaries available in other states.

There was an article in the paper here about how much public official make and the school superintendent made significantly more than the police chief! I guess all those kids are way more dangerous than fighting crime

If I remember rightly the starting salary for a police officer in NYC is around $25K. You can get 2 to 3 times that much money in a state with 1/4 of the cost of living.

[chri'stina 190]

As for the first part of the article(which is all I read hehe), what about those who are doing better than their parents did?

I am the first in my family to graduate college. I am not working now, and true my choice of major would not help me much financially, but me and Suj are dong better than they did. Suj is in the computer field and in Tampa there is a big demand for it. My grandparents were very blue collar. My grandma a waitress, which she continued to do up until her stroke at age 69. She enjoyed it. She is still alive, depending mostly on social security money. And she got some family money a few years ago from land selling up north, that has helped her survive. Though my dad has helped her a lot. My grandfather did all sorts of jobs-milkman, salesman, food dept of a mental facility, nothing that payed very well. My dad made a leap forward in career from his parents by learning a skilled trade that allows you to work for yourself, and I made a further leap by getting a Bachelor's degree. My dad is doing ok now, but we grew up with a lot of hard times. And he says he regrets the way he did some things career-wise. I have no inheritances on either sides of the family, and no hopes for one. It's all us having to make it for ourselves and maybe then one day we will have something to leave to our kids and grandkids. It will be change for my family.

Edited May 20, 2008 by stina&suj

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

O/T did you read that bit about the NYPD recently? Apparently the salary of an NYPD officer is significantly lower than it is in other states with a lower cost of living. The policeman's union has been criticised by the mayor of NYC for promoting the higher salaries available in other states.

There was an article in the paper here about how much public official make and the school superintendent made significantly more than the police chief! I guess all those kids are way more dangerous than fighting crime

If I remember rightly the starting salary for a police officer in NYC is around $25K. You can get 2 to 3 times that much money in a state with 1/4 of the cost of living.

But... a big part of the benefits of an NYPD cop is that they only have to put in 10 (or 15?) years of service and then enjoy full pension and medical/dental for life. That's the part of the compensation that base pay does not reflect but is a real expense in the city's budget. If NYPD cops really want base pays like other states, hopefullly they will accept reduced benefits in line with other states as well.

Edited May 20, 2008 by VJ Troll

[chri'stina 190]

BTW if not for financial aid, I would not have been able to go to college unless I could pay for it all with a little help(I mean little) from my parents. Thank God for financial aid!