Crossed the threshold last month...I finally feel like I can afford a Starbucks coffee on Friday mornings without losing the house  I'm not going out and buying quad night vision, but we're also finally enjoying some slight cushion. Had we not always practiced frugality, we probably wouldn't feel that way. We have skipped summer vacations some years, drive old, paid off cars, make our clothes last, don't eat out much, furnished our homes with thrift store and facebook marketplace finds, etc. We have 3 kids, 10 and under, and just earlier this year upgraded to a bigger house from a 3 bed, 1 bath. The new monthly amount for mortgage is almost 3x what we were paying and we definitely feel that. We have also always shopped at ALDI. It's not as cheap as it used to be, but it's still better than other grocery stores. Noticed that our local ALDI is slammed now because even the well-to-do folks don't want to pay Ingles or Publix prices. |
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It’s only going by to get worse from here. We’re negative $3 trillion annually. By 2030, we’ll have over $50 trillion in debt. There’s no stopping this inflation train. And anyone that says they’re going to stop it is either a liar or is prepared to burn the entire economy down. Balancing the budget would result in a GDP loss of 10%. We’re fucked. |
“They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down."
Psalm 118:11
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He's completely correct. 10 years ago I noticed that a 150K household income felt roughly equivalent to what my $65K single earner home life felt like as a child. Not really any significant major upgrades and in fact, my parents had owned some nicer homes over the years. My wife rocketed up the ladder at work and her income topped out over mine so we are still in the higher end of middle class but only just, but another 10 years of this shit and we wont be. I already have no idea how I will replace my 12 year old truck and moving is out of the question aside from nessisity since we have ~4% interest rate on the home. New home prices are insane as are the old stock of homes. Problem is, our neighborhood, once very middle-class, is on the way downhill. Hard. |
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Originally Posted By woodsie: A CEO of dollar general should be hyper aware of exactly who his customers are. I think the point would be that someone making $100k per year is now a potential Dollar General customer where 30 years ago they wouldn't even be on their radar. Originally Posted By woodsie: Originally Posted By guyina4x4: Interesting Coming from the ceo of a company whose average employee salary is less than 20k a year. I didn't read the whole thing but I'm wondering why he would care enough to bring it up. A CEO of dollar general should be hyper aware of exactly who his customers are. I think the point would be that someone making $100k per year is now a potential Dollar General customer where 30 years ago they wouldn't even be on their radar. This is exactly right. A modest DG trip can be $50-$100 now, where as it was probably half that a decade or less ago. |
“How strange it is that man on earth should roam,
And lead a life of woe, but not forsake
His rugged path; nor dare he view alone
His future doom which is but to awake.” - John Keats
And lead a life of woe, but not forsake
His rugged path; nor dare he view alone
His future doom which is but to awake.” - John Keats
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Originally Posted By Camel: According to AI, 18% of US adults earn 100k or more per year. So it’s still high income. Arfcom notwithstanding. Dollar General CEO is trying to influence high earners to shop at DG by making them think they are just as broke as everyone else. Well, if AI said so then we who are earning the incomes and paying the bills must not understand it. All costs are rising much faster than incomes. |
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Originally Posted By Firearmsenthusiast: Well what is high income? Because I think that standard in the middle class has fallen off a cliff. My wife works as highschool teacher, pulls in about 54k a year. Here entire salary still isn't high enough pay our income taxes. That fucking hurts before we even talk about budgets. 20% goes into retirement 3/4 of that is pre-tax the rest is after tax contributions ~$60k right there. So just paying our income taxes and properly funding our retirement is 120,000K. This used to be regular middle class thing to do, now we are "high earners" or "lucky". The problem is not that we can't afford things, it's that in order to keep a relatively conservative investment plan in place, we keep forgoing buying things. I bet we spend less money than people with half our income on daily expenses. I buy second hand clothes for fucks sake. We pretty much refuse to pay for a new car. My Dad was a carpenter with a highschool education and my Mom worked in mall jewelry store for 30 years. I have about the same quality of life they did. They bough a vacation property and drove new cars they traded in every couple of years int he 1990's. Something is broken. High income is probably now $150k rural, $250k suburbia, $400k in a major city. Not wealthy. Just comfortable living. |
“How strange it is that man on earth should roam,
And lead a life of woe, but not forsake
His rugged path; nor dare he view alone
His future doom which is but to awake.” - John Keats
And lead a life of woe, but not forsake
His rugged path; nor dare he view alone
His future doom which is but to awake.” - John Keats
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Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. $100k/year is about $70k/year after the feds and state get done bending you over. You lose another 10-15% in local/property taxes. $60k/year is $5k/month. That doesn't go very far when diesel is $6/gallon and hamburger is $8/lb. Fuck all the hack politicians on every level that are never satisfied. ETA: beat by a lot, but the point is still valid. $5k/month isn't a whole lot. |
| A few years back, around ten I think, my wife read this study. What it found was that a family of four or five was happiest with a household income of $75k. Under that life was untenable. More and either they were working too much or there wasn’t enough struggle to challenge them. We couldn’t get by on that today or for the last few years. |
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Originally Posted By deanwormer: I’ve always said anyone can live on half their salary Because someone out there in similar circumstances / family size / location IS living on half that salary. Never an excuse to not live below your means and save. Originally Posted By deanwormer: Originally Posted By Commando223: Imagine for all those making half that. I’ve always said anyone can live on half their salary Because someone out there in similar circumstances / family size / location IS living on half that salary. Never an excuse to not live below your means and save. That's just absurd as there's always a line. Originally Posted By Karankawa: A few years back, around ten I think, my wife read this study. What it found was that a family of four or five was happiest with a household income of $75k. Under that life was untenable. More and either they were working too much or there wasn’t enough struggle to challenge them. We couldn’t get by on that today or for the last few years. I'm a household of 4 and that's about where we are. There isn't as much wiggle room as there used to be and that's with the house paid off. I have insurance on my house simply because I couldn't buy my house again today. |
Dollar General is hearing increasingly from shoppers who say, 'I don't feel like I'm higher income at $100,000 any longer Sure they are , I can totally see customers telling employees what they make and saying just those words. |
When debate is lost slander becomes the tool of the loser.
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Originally Posted By tifosi: I wonder why that is? 🤣 Originally Posted By tifosi: Originally Posted By Twisted10: This. GD has this wild misconception that we all live in 500k homes, drive 100k + vehicles, etc etc. Because guns are an expensive hobby
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Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. I’m one of those 100k people… I have a mortgage. No other debt. I’m not broke. I ain’t rich either. Spending $4+ on gasoline sucks balls My energy bill only knows how to go one way, up, even with “energy choice” in Ohio. Grocery bill is only going one way, up. Sure, I do all the things, save for retirement, have an emergency fund… But ain’t no life of luxury…and I consider myself lucky to be in the 100k crowd. Can’t imagine how much it sucks making half that with a family to feed. At least we are blowing Iran and cemented citizenship for illegal alien children. I vote to give republicans the entire fucking federal government and these fucks can’t even pass voter ID law. Of course they aren’t going to fix inflation. They give two fucks about the voter base. Enjoy 2 years of impeachment news and increased gasoline prices. |
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Originally Posted By DubyaB: Dollar General is hearing increasingly from shoppers who say, 'I don't feel like I'm higher income at $100,000 any longer Sure they are , I can totally see customers telling employees what they make and saying just those words. Retailers get that information through credit card companies and payment processers. |
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Originally Posted By CaliContractor: Our monthly expenses are about 5k a month, no car payments , CC paid off monthly, house is 1,400 a month at 2.875. We eat out maybe once every few months, we just did this weekend as my MIl was in town visiting, dinner was about 350.00. The bulk of our income is going into 401k, we max ours out and my wife's business matches 100%. Definitely doesn't feel like High income even double and at times triple that. Ya…max out your retirement…still can’t afford healthcare when it’s time to retire unless you wait till 65. |
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Originally Posted By billth777: $1300 mortgage, one $400 car payment, eat out once every other month maybe. Most of my streaming services are 'free' with other subscriptions (tmobile and Amex). Our largest expense BY FAR is groceries. $600-$700 a week. It's tripled since 2020. Originally Posted By billth777: Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. $1300 mortgage, one $400 car payment, eat out once every other month maybe. Most of my streaming services are 'free' with other subscriptions (tmobile and Amex). Our largest expense BY FAR is groceries. $600-$700 a week. It's tripled since 2020. How big is your family? That's a ton of money on groceries. What are you buying??  I probably spend $200 a week for our family of 3, and I'm not skimping on anything. But I also cook every meal, and don't buy much per-packaged or processed stuff. Chicken, Pork, Veggies, Fruit....$200 will get a lot of that. Hell, we get those rotisserie chickens from Costco for $5. I can make a couple of meals out of that pretty easily. |
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Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. I have a truck payment and apartment. That’s it for debt. I kinda need a reliable vehicle as a backup even though I drive a cheap beater every day. A damn Camry is 50 grand now, I said fuck it and splurged on a $60,000 F-250 with a big down payment. At least it will hold its’ value. 100 grand isn’t shit anymore, unfortunately. I’m not living some luxurious life. |
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Originally Posted By Glockman4: I have a truck payment and apartment. That’s it for debt. I kinda need a reliable vehicle as a backup even though I drive a cheap beater every day. A damn Camry is 50 grand now, I said fuck it and splurged on a $60,000 F-250 with a big down payment. At least it will hold its’ value. 100 grand isn’t shit anymore, unfortunately. I’m not living some luxurious life. It looks like the 2027 Camry starts at $23k. |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: I don’t ever see myself shopping at DG. From what I’ve seen when I’m in there, it’s not much more than a convenience store writ large. Maybe they have occasional deals on things but meh. I love them for quick trips, and they're everywhere here locally....although some are much nicer than others. |
Stuff I learned from A-Team: 1)Always pity da fool 2)Carry wire cutters (you may need to defuse a bomb or start a car) 3)Never trust a crazy fool 4)Carry grenade launcher/machine guns in the van 5)Know how to weld 6)Love It When A Plan Comes Together
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Originally Posted By bagofcrabs65: I vote to give republicans the entire fucking federal government and these fucks can’t even pass voter ID law. Of course they aren’t going to fix inflation. They give two fucks about the voter base. Yep. The Republican Party is the fucking Washington Generals. Anybody who hasn't figured that out by now is an idiot. But keep voting "R"! Someday your prince will come! |
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Originally Posted By Pallas: I remember when $50k was a lot of money. I always think of this song when I hear "$50k". BTW this song came out exactly 40 years ago.  Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: I don’t ever see myself shopping at DG. From what I’ve seen when I’m in there, it’s not much more than a convenience store writ large. Maybe they have occasional deals on things but meh. Thats what I use it for. Its closer than any of the regular grocery stores so I use it when I need to grab an item or two. Package of instant mashed potatoes, can of kidney beans, stuff like that. |
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Originally Posted By sq40: High income is probably now $150k rural, $250k suburbia, $400k in a major city. Not wealthy. Just comfortable living. For a $400,000 salary in NYC, the estimated take-home pay after federal, state, and local taxes is approximately $250,000 to $260,000 per year. This accounts for the high tax rates in New York City, including local income tax. zimyo.us thetax.us |
Live your life as you would wish to have lived, when you come to die. Confucius
When words lose their meaning, a people can move neither hand nor foot. Confucius
When words lose their meaning, a people can move neither hand nor foot. Confucius
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Truly depends on location, NYC, NOVA, SF, etc. $100k is below the median income. Yes it’s truly location dependent, and mostly dependent on housing costs, among other things. Large cities $3000 rent 1-2bedroom, $5000 mortgage, $500/month car, $1500-2000/month daycare, food probably a push or higher in big cities, gas, higher on big cities, car insurance $2-300 month. |
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Originally Posted By Norinco982lover: This is the right answer. My income was probably 53k 8 years ago and it's around 100k now and I'm in exactly the same boat and I've actually lowered my monthly expenses since then. And I'm in a low cost of living state. Originally Posted By Norinco982lover: Originally Posted By MtnMusic: Originally Posted By 0311SKI: 100k isnt high income. Its the equivalent of making 53k a year 25 years ago. That's using the government official inflation numbers. Looking at real world inflation, it's more like the equivalent of making 53k 8 years ago. This is the right answer. My income was probably 53k 8 years ago and it's around 100k now and I'm in exactly the same boat and I've actually lowered my monthly expenses since then. And I'm in a low cost of living state. Same story almost exactly. My income doubled. The cost of everything doubled, except some things tripled. $100k is “upper working class” in 2026. |
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Originally Posted By shrimpmoney: Complete BS. Who the hell goes to any grocery and convenience store and talks about how much they make? Imagine telling a cashier make $20 an hour, "I make $100k a year and feel broke." Who does that? |
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Originally Posted By kevins_garage: Shhhh. You'll ruin the narrative. Originally Posted By kevins_garage: Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. Shhhh. You'll ruin the narrative. What are you shhing? He just rehashed the ole "avocado and toast" trope. $15 a month for Hulu and buying a Starbucks coffee a couple times a week isn't putting someone into debt. |
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Originally Posted By CouncilOfDave: Imagine thinking the cashier reports directly to the CEO and he has no way of knowing otherwise. Originally Posted By CouncilOfDave: Originally Posted By shrimpmoney: Complete BS. Who the hell goes to any grocery and convenience store and talks about how much they make? Imagine telling a cashier make $20 an hour, "I make $100k a year and feel broke." Who does that? You mean that Dollar General cashiers don't pick up the phone to call DG corporate and say, "Hey, is Todd there? Yeah, just tell him its me." |
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Originally Posted By LV1976: You mean that Dollar General cashiers don't pick up the phone to call DG corporate and say, "Hey, is Todd there? Yeah, just tell him its me." Originally Posted By LV1976: Originally Posted By CouncilOfDave: Originally Posted By shrimpmoney: Complete BS. Who the hell goes to any grocery and convenience store and talks about how much they make? Imagine telling a cashier make $20 an hour, "I make $100k a year and feel broke." Who does that? You mean that Dollar General cashiers don't pick up the phone to call DG corporate and say, "Hey, is Todd there? Yeah, just tell him its me." "Why are the customers all gone Todd?" "I dont know Margo..." |
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Originally Posted By sq40: Just look at the average home price in your area, and average mortgage rate, property tax and homeowners insurance. Then look at one basic used car price and interest rate. Originally Posted By sq40: Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. Just look at the average home price in your area, and average mortgage rate, property tax and homeowners insurance. Then look at one basic used car price and interest rate. Nah bro. It’s only lattes and avocado toast and Netflix platinum package that’s pinching people’s wallets. |
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Originally Posted By DubyaB: Dollar General is hearing increasingly from shoppers who say, 'I don't feel like I'm higher income at $100,000 any longer Sure they are , I can totally see customers telling employees what they make and saying just those words. Perspective. The working poor have it pretty shitty right now. Wasn’t that many years ago that a DG manager making $20/hr. was doing OK. |
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Originally Posted By imq707s: How big is your family? That's a ton of money on groceries. What are you buying?? I probably spend $200 a week for our family of 3, and I'm not skimping on anything. But I also cook every meal, and don't buy much per-packaged or processed stuff. Chicken, Pork, Veggies, Fruit....$200 will get a lot of that. Hell, we get those rotisserie chickens from Costco for $5. I can make a couple of meals out of that pretty easily. Originally Posted By imq707s: Originally Posted By billth777: Originally Posted By imq707s: I'd love to see the budget of those six-figure earners that say they "don't feel high income"....... probably spending thousands a month on junk, going out to eat, huge car payments, 10 different streaming services, starbucks, etc, etc...... But nobody wants to ever talk about that....... No different that those people who win millions in the lottery, and then are bankrupt in a couple of years. Some people are just bad with money....no matter how much they make, they are always broke. $1300 mortgage, one $400 car payment, eat out once every other month maybe. Most of my streaming services are 'free' with other subscriptions (tmobile and Amex). Our largest expense BY FAR is groceries. $600-$700 a week. It's tripled since 2020. How big is your family? That's a ton of money on groceries. What are you buying?? I probably spend $200 a week for our family of 3, and I'm not skimping on anything. But I also cook every meal, and don't buy much per-packaged or processed stuff. Chicken, Pork, Veggies, Fruit....$200 will get a lot of that. Hell, we get those rotisserie chickens from Costco for $5. I can make a couple of meals out of that pretty easily. I’m not saying that you’re lying but a couple meals out of a chicken for a family of three? Are you mice? I have two teenage boys and it’s closer to a chicken each than making several meals out of one. |
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Here’s our budget in Reno same as Colorado. 35 married and 1 kid: $3000 mortgage $600 health insurance $400 car insurance $150 phone/ internet $500 gas $1200 food $20 streaming $60 gym $500 misc/ discretionary Total: $6430 per month. I make $100k, $6666 per month after taxes. You old people are delusional on how modern life is now. |
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Originally Posted By volwrath91: Here’s our budget in Reno same as Colorado. 35 married and 1 kid: $3000 mortgage $600 health insurance $400 car insurance $150 phone/ internet $500 gas $1200 food $20 streaming $60 gym $500 misc/ discretionary Total: $6430 per month. I make $100k, $6666 per month after taxes. You old people are delusional on how modern life is now. Nice first post. I would be sweating bullets if I was one car repair or loan away from insolvency. |
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Originally Posted By volwrath91: Here’s our budget in Reno same as Colorado. 35 married and 1 kid: $3000 mortgage $600 health insurance $400 car insurance $150 phone/ internet $500 gas $1200 food $20 streaming $60 gym $500 misc/ discretionary Total: $6430 per month. I make $100k, $6666 per month after taxes. You old people are delusional on how modern life is now. $400/month on car insurance? I pay $660/yr for a $160k car. Are you SR-22? |
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