Ask Lemmy

$89K + 10% yearly bonus (in theory). I’m at the high end of median household income for the southern portion of my state. This is the most I’ve ever made in my life. 5 years ago I would have thought I was rich. I just bought a house (my first) in the northern county, where the median household income is 57% of mine. The poverty here is appalling. Tomorrow or Tuesday I am knocking out half of the 30K in credit card debt that has been dragging me down. I will finally have enough to be comfortable, not have to penny pinch, buy some appliances, maybe some splurges, and maybe even save a bit. The thought of ever losing my job paralyzes me with terror.

I went grocery shopping a few weeks ago and went a little nuts because I hadn’t gone in a while (penny pinching). The cashier asked me if I was having a party. I said, “No, I just haven’t been shopping in a while, and I eat too many chips.”

Around $60k and I live in a very expensive city. I live paycheck-to-paycheck, but I’m also a trust funder, so I chose this career knowing I didn’t have to worry about retirement. Very different situation from most. I don’t feel rich, but I certainly don’t feel poor. I feel comfortable knowing I can afford whatever I need and I don’t want much more than that. I have to mind my spending a little bit but if I ever want to splurge, I can.

I make about 135K but I'm 40. I feel wealthy. But my family/friends/girlfriends all think I'm living barely above poverty level and tell me that I am a 'not doing well at life' or claim 'you lack any drive for success at life.'

It's weird af.

My wife and I combined will make about $220k USD this year. We will spend about $120k and save about $80k and pay about $20k in taxes. We have 2 kids in elementary school.

We don't have to worry about money, and that does make me feel wealthy. I am self employed and I work about 25 hours a week, and that makes for a pretty chill life.

That said, no I'm not wealthy by any standard aside from quality-of-life. We have two cars but they are 10 and 13 years old. We have a nice house in a nice area and we are lucky for that, but it is 60 years old, has a fuse box instead of circuit breakers, and is deteriorating faster than I can motivate myself to fix it.

I have no idea, but I'm better off that a lot of Americans. That knowledge makes me very sad--- i don't even make that much.

I can afford a one bedroom studio apartment on my own AND afford groceries. That is where I am at. That is better than most.

Fuuuuck...

Economic wealth is when your money works for you. If you have to work for your money, you're not wealthy.

"Wealth" isn't a matter of earned income. You can get "rich" off working, if you're smart and frugal, but true wealth takes at least one generation. Hell, even Bill Gates started merely "rich".

Anyway, my top pay was $82K American. Even after $1,400/mo. child support, I could basically do whatever I wanted, good enough, live a simple life. I should add, I have a Habitat for Humanity mortgage, small house, big yard, no interest or taxes, $575/mo. My truck was paid in cash, 2004 F150, beat to hell, runs great, Millennium Falcon of trucks.

Unemployed now, but working Lowe's got me <$30K. After child support took half, and my body was breaking into pieces with no insurance, had to quit. (They call Outside Lawn and Garden in the spring "100 days of hell".) I was bringing home ~$500 bi-weekly. I can pick free crap off the road and sell if for more than that.

Nice try digital profiling company.

Right where they want me. Treading water at way less than I'm worth.

Exact number is between 3100-3200 EUR/mo after tax. My current salary is fixed by the government and is under a preferential tax treatment (no income tax first 3 years, only social security)

Number might seem low... but in comparison, the country's median salary is like 2500-2600/mo, 2800+/mo where I live. I also don't spend a lot (I literally don't know how to spend more than half of my monthly salary at the moment) so I feel like a king here lmao

The literal same job title I had in Chicago was $61,008/yr exact before tax in Chicago and I definitely felt poor. Enough to survive, but poor

I started my career as making 12.50 an hour and felt poor. Now I run a 1 person business and my income fluctuate from 170k to 550k and I don't feel rich. Actually, sometimes I feel as poor as I did at 12.50.

Once you start making money, you end up spending more money.

60k/yr

I'm the income in my household

I feel poor as shit, we live frugally but still barely get by

Savings are not possible

$250k annually, and we feel like we can afford not to worry as much as we used to, but not wealthy. We're American.

Piece work. Typically make $130k. Hcol (literally anywhere in Canada now) and I am poor. I have my own house, can't really afford to fix it and it needs work. It's small and the taxes are $6k/yr. I have all my bills paid, money set aside for school and retirement, not enough for either thing by the time they will be needed. I haven't bought clothing for myself in 10 years. It's what I ask for when getting gifts. Everyday the same worries, the same stresses and nothing seems to get better. Just letting the timer run out at this point. Not going to date again most likely so I'll remain alone until my body breaks down from being an ast, then probably die from the all the unknown cancer ravaging my body because I can't get medical care. At least I should be done before climate change gets really bad. Might live to see the water wars though.

zero and poor. I have made six figures before and still felt poor but im single income and my wife has expensive medical issues (and I live in the us) so its like two people making 50 or one makeing 60 and another 40. I also have a bs with a dual major, a masters of education, and a laundry list of technical certification.

I make enough that I don't have to worry about things, but I had shit pay for long enough that I still don't LIKE spending a lot of money.

$2,300 dentist bill? Fine. I can pay it, but I'm not HAPPY about it. Even after the HSA card, it was still $600 in "real" money.

Under $40k a year. But, it's just me and it's enough to cover food and rent and sometimes allows me to eat out once in a while but not enough to do anything else. So, I definately don't feel rich.

I make slightly above average wage in my central European country now. Got quite significant raise in last 2 years (due to colleague leaving which also resulted in more work). I feel like I'm getting enough now, not rich by any standard, but we're finally able to finance housing loan and buying a house. I also don't see empty bank account at the end of the month like I used to (esp. when my wife was at maternity leave).

Its weird to me that while I make twice as much as I did before college I feel not that much wealthier, since I now have to pay more for insurance, student loans, rent hikes to live in a hcol area, more is drawn out in my 401k, and I've spent five figures in medical expenses in that timeframe.

It is easy to spend in a way to feel poor at every level I guess, at least below the millionaire tier. I am not poor but I check my bank account constantly anyway and I have lots of big purchase anxiety.

My net income is about 30k€ a year. I took quite a pay cut going self-employed few years back so I'm barely making ends meet right now but I'm also working less and I'm much more satisfied with what I do. It's likely that my job prospects will only improve from here so I'll probably be doing better in few years.

I don't really consider myself wealthy nor poor. My income isn't that high but I have decent amount of savings and investments so I don't really need to stress about finances. I do, but I don't need to.

In Dublin, household brings in about 150k euros altogether. I do not feel wealthy, closer to poor. The way inflation has raised up the price of everything is maddening. Lots of money comes in but then goes right back out!

78k€ plus yearly bonus. Feels like exactly what we need but not a penny more. We have three kids and live in a hcol area. My insurance is 13k yearly. One week of vacation and maybe enough to have a decent chance of retiring with enough money to live a frugal life. Not enough tobuty a house or afford any luxuries beyond taking the kids to the pool and maybe eating ice cream twice a month.

Just a bit above minimum wage in Spain, I'm lucky enough to not have to pay rent and I'm quite frugal, so I'm doing well enough. I don't feel poor because I don't lack anything but I know that I can't afford lots of stuff.

I make nothing. I can no longer work thanks to Long Covid, but I'm not getting any benefits.

I is po', to badly quote Sofia from Golden Girls.

$300 a month and obviously you can guess, and I get paid 3 times the minimum wage

4 person household now.

Gross around 200k if kids jobs included, net pay into bank though is about 7k a month and bills 5k a month (mortgage & related, electric, internet, water and trash, the fixed expenses basically) so I'd say we do fine, and have good jobs, but not loaded.