CF34-3B1
Well-Known Member
To those of you touting the “live within your means” statement, I agree that a majority do not live within their means. Too much house, too expensive of cars, lots of toys (boats, extra cars, vacation houses ect) too many divorces...BUT, try living in the Dallas area married with kids. I don’t know how the envoy peeps make it work. It might not be as expensive here as SEA or any part of CA, but 30K a year here doesn’t cut it without outside help. Honestly, i could not live here long term for any less than I’m making now.
We live very frugally and a few months ago just finally started to make a very small amount more than our break even point. The first year I was here I had to spend a large portion of my savings to supplement the difference of what we needed vs. what I was paid. The second year we climbed our way to the paycheck to paycheck life.
All that to say anything less than about 75-80k a year in Dallas is not enough for us and we don’t spend like 99% of Americans.
***And health insurance/retirement contributions are necessities not “wants” because who will take care of you when you don’t/can’t work anymore? So I do factor that into our expenses. If you don’t budget for retirement something will inevitably always come up that prevents you from contributing towards it.
We live very frugally and a few months ago just finally started to make a very small amount more than our break even point. The first year I was here I had to spend a large portion of my savings to supplement the difference of what we needed vs. what I was paid. The second year we climbed our way to the paycheck to paycheck life.
All that to say anything less than about 75-80k a year in Dallas is not enough for us and we don’t spend like 99% of Americans.
***And health insurance/retirement contributions are necessities not “wants” because who will take care of you when you don’t/can’t work anymore? So I do factor that into our expenses. If you don’t budget for retirement something will inevitably always come up that prevents you from contributing towards it.