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The New Coffee Room

  1. TNCR
  2. General Discussion
  3. Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?

Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?

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  • JollyJ Jolly

    49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

    Maybe, but doubtful...

    LuFins DadL Offline
    LuFins DadL Offline
    LuFins Dad
    wrote on last edited by
    #9

    @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

    49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

    Maybe, but doubtful...

    May I ask what county?

    The Brad

    JollyJ 1 Reply Last reply
    • JollyJ Jolly

      49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

      Maybe, but doubtful...

      MikM Offline
      MikM Offline
      Mik
      wrote on last edited by
      #10

      @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

      49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

      Maybe, but doubtful...

      Not and live in any comfort at all.

      โ€œI am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.โ€ ~Winston S. Churchill

      1 Reply Last reply
      • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

        @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

        49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

        Maybe, but doubtful...

        May I ask what county?

        JollyJ Offline
        JollyJ Offline
        Jolly
        wrote on last edited by
        #11

        @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

        @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

        49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

        Maybe, but doubtful...

        May I ask what county?

        None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

        โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

        Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

        LuFins DadL MikM JollyJ 3 Replies Last reply
        • LuFins DadL Offline
          LuFins DadL Offline
          LuFins Dad
          wrote on last edited by
          #12

          Modest yet adequateโ€ฆ Those are the key wordsโ€ฆ Ax titled it as middle class but that phrase is wide open to interpretationโ€ฆ

          The Brad

          1 Reply Last reply
          • JollyJ Jolly

            @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

            @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

            49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

            Maybe, but doubtful...

            May I ask what county?

            None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

            LuFins DadL Offline
            LuFins DadL Offline
            LuFins Dad
            wrote on last edited by
            #13

            @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

            @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

            @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

            49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

            Maybe, but doubtful...

            May I ask what county?

            None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

            Okay, Parish, smart assโ€ฆ

            The Brad

            1 Reply Last reply
            • JollyJ Jolly

              @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

              @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

              49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

              Maybe, but doubtful...

              May I ask what county?

              None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

              MikM Offline
              MikM Offline
              Mik
              wrote on last edited by
              #14

              @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

              @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

              @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

              49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

              Maybe, but doubtful...

              May I ask what county?

              None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

              Parish the thought.

              โ€œI am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.โ€ ~Winston S. Churchill

              1 Reply Last reply
              • JollyJ Jolly

                @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

                Maybe, but doubtful...

                May I ask what county?

                None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

                JollyJ Offline
                JollyJ Offline
                Jolly
                wrote on last edited by
                #15

                @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                49k for two people, no children in my area. I assume that's take home pay, after all deductions.

                Maybe, but doubtful...

                May I ask what county?

                None. We don't have counties. ๐Ÿ˜›๐Ÿ˜›

                Seriously...That would be North and Central Louisiana, or maybe most of the state north of I-10, excluding the metropolitan areas.

                I've never figured out why we don't aggressively recruit retirees. We have Homestead Exemption, which keeps property taxes low or nonexistent. We have a state income tax, but it doesn't apply to state pensions, federal (I think) pensions or Social Security. We do have a fairly high sales tax. In the more economically poor areas of the state, you can still find land reasonable...Right now, I know of a 3/2 brick veneer for $650,000...With barn, outbuildings and 80 acres of mixed woodland and improved pasture.

                โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                1 Reply Last reply
                • LuFins DadL Offline
                  LuFins DadL Offline
                  LuFins Dad
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #16

                  I think the disagreement has a lot to do with our own definitions of "Middle Class" as Ax described it or "modest yet adequate" as expressed by EPI. This isn't perfect, but it's light years ahead of the Federal guidelines used in legislation...

                  My wife grew up in Brown County, Ohio. These are the numbers from EPI:

                  Brown County, OH
                  HOUSING $738
                  FOOD $725
                  CHILD CARE $1,131
                  TRANSPORTATION $1,215
                  HEALTH CARE $1,068
                  OTHER NECESSITIES $530
                  TAXES $517
                  MONTHLY TOTAL $5,924
                  ANNUAL TOTAL $71,090

                  So let's start with housing since that's likely to be the biggest variable...

                  I used $750 just to make things easier calculations. Most online calculators using $750 as a base payment with 20% down came up with a housing price of between $165K to $190K as being in that budget. $180K gets me - https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1205-S-2nd-St-Ripley-OH-45167/78963340_zpid/

                  I'd say that's modest but adequate.

                  The Brad

                  AxtremusA 1 Reply Last reply
                  • JollyJ Offline
                    JollyJ Offline
                    Jolly
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #17

                    I would agree.

                    โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                    Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                    LuFins DadL 1 Reply Last reply
                    • JollyJ Jolly

                      I would agree.

                      LuFins DadL Offline
                      LuFins DadL Offline
                      LuFins Dad
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #18

                      @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                      I would agree.

                      Picked at random - Beauregard Parish, LA
                      MONTHLY COSTS
                      2 adults and 2 children
                      Beauregard Parish, LA
                      HOUSING $725
                      FOOD $787
                      CHILD CARE $643
                      TRANSPORTATION $1,272
                      HEALTH CARE $1,545
                      OTHER NECESSITIES $548
                      TAXES $603
                      MONTHLY TOTAL $6,122
                      ANNUAL TOTAL $73,462

                      https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/107-N-Division-St-Deridder-LA-70634/106017626_zpid/ That's actually pretty nice...

                      The Brad

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

                        I think the disagreement has a lot to do with our own definitions of "Middle Class" as Ax described it or "modest yet adequate" as expressed by EPI. This isn't perfect, but it's light years ahead of the Federal guidelines used in legislation...

                        My wife grew up in Brown County, Ohio. These are the numbers from EPI:

                        Brown County, OH
                        HOUSING $738
                        FOOD $725
                        CHILD CARE $1,131
                        TRANSPORTATION $1,215
                        HEALTH CARE $1,068
                        OTHER NECESSITIES $530
                        TAXES $517
                        MONTHLY TOTAL $5,924
                        ANNUAL TOTAL $71,090

                        So let's start with housing since that's likely to be the biggest variable...

                        I used $750 just to make things easier calculations. Most online calculators using $750 as a base payment with 20% down came up with a housing price of between $165K to $190K as being in that budget. $180K gets me - https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1205-S-2nd-St-Ripley-OH-45167/78963340_zpid/

                        I'd say that's modest but adequate.

                        AxtremusA Away
                        AxtremusA Away
                        Axtremus
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #19

                        @LuFins-Dad said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                        I think the disagreement has a lot to do with our own definitions of "Middle Class" as Ax described it or "modest yet adequate" as expressed by EPI. This isn't perfect, but it's light years ahead of the Federal guidelines used in legislation...

                        Exactly, the primary reason I share it here is because I think the EPI's method is more useful than the Federal guidelines.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • JollyJ Offline
                          JollyJ Offline
                          Jolly
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #20

                          Hey, D'Evereaux is for sale... Comes with 12 acres...

                          https://www.trulia.com/p/ms/natchez/160-devereaux-dr-natchez-ms-39120--2155767171

                          alt text

                          โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                          Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • George KG Offline
                            George KG Offline
                            George K
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #21

                            $1.9M?

                            That's more than I earn in 6 months.

                            "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                            The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • JollyJ Offline
                              JollyJ Offline
                              Jolly
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #22

                              Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                              โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                              Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                              George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                              • JollyJ Jolly

                                Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                George KG Offline
                                George KG Offline
                                George K
                                wrote on last edited by George K
                                #23

                                @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                ETA: They are!

                                "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                KlausK JollyJ 2 Replies Last reply
                                • George KG George K

                                  @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                  Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                  Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                  ETA: They are!

                                  KlausK Offline
                                  KlausK Offline
                                  Klaus
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #24

                                  @George-K said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                  @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                  Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                  Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                  ETA: They are!

                                  And you would have space for a workshop!

                                  George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                                  • KlausK Klaus

                                    @George-K said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                    @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                    Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                    Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                    ETA: They are!

                                    And you would have space for a workshop!

                                    George KG Offline
                                    George KG Offline
                                    George K
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #25

                                    @Klaus said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                    And you would have space for a workshop!

                                    Yup!

                                    But...

                                    It's Mississippi.

                                    (@klaus probably won't get this)

                                    Q: Why does Alabama exist?

                                    A: To keep Georgia from getting its border dirty.

                                    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    • George KG George K

                                      @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                      Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                      Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                      ETA: They are!

                                      JollyJ Offline
                                      JollyJ Offline
                                      Jolly
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #26

                                      @George-K said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                      @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                      Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                      Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                      ETA: They are!

                                      You want low taxes? You want character?

                                      https://www.trulia.com/p/la/alexandria/222-florence-ave-alexandria-la-71301--2203390894

                                      alt text

                                      โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                                      Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                                      George KG LarryL 2 Replies Last reply
                                      • JollyJ Jolly

                                        @George-K said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                        @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                        Yeah, but it's bigger than your condo...

                                        Taxes are probably lower, LOL.

                                        ETA: They are!

                                        You want low taxes? You want character?

                                        https://www.trulia.com/p/la/alexandria/222-florence-ave-alexandria-la-71301--2203390894

                                        alt text

                                        George KG Offline
                                        George KG Offline
                                        George K
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #27

                                        @Jolly said in Middle Class? How much income needed to live modestly and adequately?:

                                        You want low taxes? You want character?

                                        https://www.trulia.com/p/la/alexandria/222-florence-ave-alexandria-la-71301--2203390894

                                        Wow.

                                        Pour another $250K into that and you'd get something really spectacular!

                                        How far away is the nearest grocery store WalMart?

                                        "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                        The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        • JollyJ Offline
                                          JollyJ Offline
                                          Jolly
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #28

                                          Which one?

                                          There's three Super Walmarts and two neighborhood markets within a five mile circle.

                                          โ€œCry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!โ€

                                          Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terroristsโ€™ "due process". โ€” Buck Sexton

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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