Poll for those with 2ct+ diamonds: What is your combined annual income?

[jaysonsmom]

I have a sensitive (read: nosy) question.....what kind of annual household income do you and your spouse bring home? I have serious diamond hobbie, and want a 2+ carat honker, but my husband thinks that it''s beyond our means....so, if you don''t mind, please answer this poll anonomously:

Annual combined household income:

 

[jaysonsmom]

I really appreciate the feedback so far. Keep voting! So far it looks like 100-199K is the majority, and that''s great because that''s where we fall.....

Guess who''s going to be showing her hubby this poll?

 

[Mara]

hehe you go girl!

 

[jldunn]

Perhaps you could do a poll as to in how many couples with an engagement ring over 2 carats is the male typically in posession of the remote control? I did a search for average engagement ring costs once and most results put it at around $3,000. I don''t think PS''ers are a normal market sample. A lot of people I work with are in the 100k+ salary range and pretty much all of them thought I was pretty foolish to be dumping so much cash on a shiny rock.

That being said, stack the deck on this poll and get yourself a huge shiny rock. I dumped the cash for the big shiny smile on my girl, the rock is just an ends to a means.

 

[Dancing Fire]

J''smom

where is the....i don''t know box?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 2/27/2006 11:38:11 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
J''smom

where is the....i don''t know box?

ROFL. Oh DF you crack me up!! OT is your wife still going to buy that dog???

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/27/2006 11:41:42 PM
Author: kaleigh

Date: 2/27/2006 11:38:11 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
J''smom

where is the....i don''t know box?

ROFL. Oh DF you crack me up!! OT is your wife still going to buy that dog???

Kaleigh
shhheee..... be quiet. she haven''t talk about it in last 2 weeks. if the dog subject comes up again,i''ll buy her one those electronic ones from japan.

at least they don''t poop. hee,he

 

[AGBF]

Date: 2/27/2006 7:00:38 PM
Author:jaysonsmom
so, if you don't mind, please answer this poll anonomously

When I got down to the amounts you had decided to put in for annual combined yearly income, my jaw nearly dropped! I think that if one makes over $100,000 a year (or it used to be that) one is in the top 2% of households in the US. I keep telling my daughter that so that she knows that even if we are poorer than some of our neighbors, we are among the very, very lucky of the US, never mind the world!!!


Deb

 

[jetmal]

ok, the majority of you people are considered RICH, (where I come from at least.) My hubby is a firefighter, EMT, saves lives and we just barely exceed the $50k.

no wonder I am having such a hard time finding a "close to" 2 carat.......
I keep getting advice from you guys for a near perfect 2 carat.....and you are advising against my attempts to find a decent, but not perfect, 2 carat

I wish I had the funds for a perfect one........I guess I just need to either a) get over not being able to get a decent 2 carat and accept a smaller one of better quality or
b) just buy the not so perfect 2 carat anyqway, and enjoy it!

anyone ever been in my shoes?????
what did you do?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/28/2006 9:10:50 AM
Author: jetmal
.I guess I just need to either a) get over not being able to get a decent 2 carat and accept a smaller one of better quality or

b) just buy the not so perfect 2 carat anyqway, and enjoy it!


anyone ever been in my shoes?????

what did you do?

Find a vendor with a good upgrade policy. get what you can afford now and save up to move up to the 2 carat later

Don''t settle. Most people end up paying for the "deal" and then paying again when the "deal" wasn''t what they wanted. Should of just waited and got it right the first time

 

[AGBF]

Date: 2/28/2006 9:10:50 AM
Author: jetmal
ok, the majority of you people are considered RICH, (where I come from at least.)

In my book, too! As for your diamond...where is the thread where you ask for advice? I don''t read every forum and I haven''t seen it yet!

Deb

 

[coda72]

Date: 2/28/2006 9:10:50 AM
Author: jetmal
ok, the majority of you people are considered RICH, (where I come from at least.) My hubby is a firefighter, EMT, saves lives and we just barely exceed the $50k.

I make just over $50K, and there''s no way I''d be able to afford a 2 carat diamond. I''m trying to justify buying myself a $5k rolex, and I know a well-cut 2 carat diamond costs more than that. If I were you, I''d take Mrs. Salvo''s advice and buy from a vendor with a good trade-up policy. That way you can get your ultimate diamond eventually, but not put out as much cash up front. You can also keep saving for your 2 carat ring all the while admiring your beautiful 1.25 carat or 1.5 carat or whatever you can afford right now. I would definitely rather have the well-cut smaller diamond than a badly cut 2 carat one, but that''s just me.

 

[Lorelei]

I agree with Mrssalvo and Coda. That sounds like a good plan. That way you can trade over time to get what you want. As we know, there isn't any point if it doesn't sparkle, a dull diamond robs any joy you might have of wearing a certain carat weight - guaranteed!

I will compromise on colour and clarity, but never ever cut

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/28/2006 9:10:50 AM
Author: jetmal
ok, the majority of you people are considered RICH, (where I come from at least.) My hubby is a firefighter, EMT, saves lives and we just barely exceed the $50k.

anyone ever been in my shoes?????
what did you do?

yep....in the poor city where we live,$100k household income is very RARE !!!.

J''smom whom started this thread i think she lives in the L.A. Ca area. i guess to them $200k household income is very common.

 

[fire&ice]

I think net worth is more relative than salary as to affordability of a luxury item. For example one can live in a town where nice homes can be had in the 100,000, low taxes, etc & have more disposable income than someone who may live in an area that has exhorbinant housing prices, etc w/ significantly more income. just my 2cents

 

[Mara]

heck i wanna know who our resident 6 millionaire a year salary people are! will you adopt me?

PS is definitely a microcosm of the diamond buying world....I''m not surprised to see so many high-ish salaries on here esp due to the nature of the product we all covet...diamonds are spensive!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/28/2006 12:11:18 PM
Author: Mara
heck i wanna know who our resident 6 millionaire a year salary people are! will you adopt me?

PS is definitely a microcosm of the diamond buying world....I'm not surprised to see so many high-ish salaries on here esp due to the nature of the product we all covet...diamonds are spensive!

yeah...if any one of those 6 are... single, female and available, please let me know.

Mara...nobody wants to adopt you b/c you're high maintenance.

 

[finerthings]

LOL!!!!

 

[Mara]

Date: 2/28/2006 12:30:26 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 2/28/2006 12:11:18 PM
Author: Mara
heck i wanna know who our resident 6 millionaire a year salary people are! will you adopt me?

PS is definitely a microcosm of the diamond buying world....I''m not surprised to see so many high-ish salaries on here esp due to the nature of the product we all covet...diamonds are spensive!

yeah...if any one of those 6 are... single, female and available, please let me know.

Mara...nobody wants to adopt you b/c you''re high maintenance.

At least I don''t buy expensive FISH to get eaten by my future golden retriever.

 

[decodelighted]

Ooops. Me no read so carefully

. I voted but I''m not a member of the 2 ct. club. (And I don''t really aspire to be actually.)

The Oprah Debt Diet series really has gotten me thinking though about how many people are living a lie & budgeting to their gross salary rather than the net. For the 50K/year folks who want (right now) a 2ct ring - or a 5K watch ... can you afford it? I ask myself that question CONSTANTLY about EVERYTHING. I think, as Oprah was saying, if more people asked themselves that question and answered it honestly the debt problem in America would take care of itself.

 

[Mara]

good point deco....we make a very good living for our area but i wouldn''t even think about buying a $5k watch, it''s just not my thing. of course a diamond upgrade, no big deal...hahaa.

so much of america lives in serious debt. we see tons of BMW''s and mercedes all over our complex, we could afford one but we don''t really want a $800 month car payment! we have the biggest version of townhouse and we were able to do that because we don''t have fancy cars. we''d rather have a larger and more attractive living space with more perks than a smaller interior unit and a BMW convertible. it''s just about priorities. but i can guarantee that alot of my neighbors didn''t pay cash for their cars and some of them are single, i don''t know how they ''afford'' a $500-600k townhouse with all the expenses attached AND something like that car and all the trappings on one salary!!

 

[Julian]

I don''t think many people would buy a 2+ carat ring if they couldn''t afford it. Would they?

I know I''d march my man back to the jeweler if he bought a honker on credit that we couldn''t afford. Life is too short to be worried about money while blingin'' for the Joneses.

I wouldn''t be able to look at my ring if I had to see my fiance break his back to pay for it every day. (Yikes! Poor baby!)

I think there are just a lot of high income people out there. Family money, for one, is a significant factor -- many of my friends received large down payments on their homes and cars from their parents. My guy is a finance whiz so he is very good with money. He is smart about it and makes wise investments in real estate with our savings. Security and financial freedom is more important to us than blowing it all on toys we can''t afford. Still, we live very comfortably for an under-30 couple.

As long as we and our loved ones are healthy, we are blessed.
That''s where our true wealth lies -- love & family. Diamonds don''t matter one whit if your loved ones are sick. I''d give it all up if I could ensure my loved ones would always be happy and healthy.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 2/28/2006 11:37:39 AM
Author: Dancing Fire


J'smom whom started this thread i think she lives in the L.A. Ca area. i guess to them $200k household income is very common.

Yes, unfortunately our combined incomes (which is towards the middle end of the 100-199K range) doesn't buy much in So Cal. Housing is out of control! We are still trying to move out of our $650K TOWNHOME to a real single family detached house, and that means buying something about 2000 sq ft (4 bedrooms!) for close to a million bucks.

My husband and I call ourselves the hillbillies of our town because there's so many people around us with the latest import cars, trophy wives and foreign nannies! It's sad....

As for the upgrade thing, I already have 3 diamonds in the 1-1.5 ct range, so I can't just gradually upgrade. It seems like a 2+ ct IS the next jump.

I edited the above to 3 diamonds in the 1-1.5 ct range. I keep thinking I had 4 diamonds because included my fakey!

 

[MissAva]

Whoops Deco! I did the same thing…can I take back my vote


. I think different people have different priorities. My family home is what I consider to be fairly large, I sent pictures of the public spaces to another PS and she said it was lovely and clean. (Which I had to laugh at because with 3-4 dogs and two live in children and two sometimes live in children she would be thrilled to hear it!)
Anyway I think we all like different things, I personally like smaller living spaces. If I have to live with in a city proper then I want a town house, no yard. I only want the town house because darling FH and I have a massive book collection. If I were to live in the country I would rather have a smaller ranch style house
and property to hike on. Either way a large house is not of interest to me.

I don’t need the newest electronic gadgets and I don’t shop much. I do have an expensive watch, but it will never need replacing. My favorite forms of entertainment are reading, board games and hiking, which tend to be inexpensive. So if I wanted to splurge on a diamond I would not feel too bad, but I would NEVER go into debt for one or expect FH to do without so I could have something I wanted.

I just think it is how you live day to day, do you wear 80$ jeans? Eat out often (ie don’t bring lunch to work or pick dinner on the way home? Do you buy multiples of the same thing (ie does you dog have a seasonal wardrobe too? If so your spending habits lean more towards a lot of money spent a little at a time, while others may hoard and then splurge on one or two larger items, ie engagement ring or a car they will drive for 15 years.
And now I have no idea where I was going with this….oy! too many tests in too few days.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 2/28/2006 2:16:47 PM
Author: jaysonsmom

Date: 2/28/2006 11:37:39 AM
Author: Dancing Fire


J''smom whom started this thread i think she lives in the L.A. Ca area. i guess to them $200k household income is very common.

Yes, unfortunately our combined incomes (which is towards the middle end of the 100-199K range) doesn''t buy much in So Cal. Housing is out of control! We are still trying to move out of our $650K TOWNHOME to a real single family detached house, and that means buying something about 2000 sq ft (4 bedrooms!) for close to a million bucks.

My husband and I call ourselves the hillbillies of our town because there''s so many people around us with the latest import cars, trophy wives and foreign nannies! It''s sad....

As for the upgrade thing, I already have 4 diamonds in the 1-1.5 ct range, so I can''t just gradually upgrade. It seems like a 2+ ct IS the next jump.

Could you maybe trade up from on of those? Do you need to keep them all?

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 2/28/2006 2:30:03 PM
Author: Matatora
Could you maybe trade up from on of those? Do you need to keep them all?

I''m not sentimental, and I want to put some of my existing jewelry towards a new one. I just have to figure out how.

 

[qtiekiki]

Date: 2/28/2006 2:16:47 PM
Author: jaysonsmom

Yes, unfortunately our combined incomes (which is towards the middle end of the 100-199K range) doesn't buy much in So Cal. Housing is out of control! We are still trying to move out of our $650K TOWNHOME to a real single family detached house, and that means buying something about 2000 sq ft (4 bedrooms!) for close to a million bucks.

My husband and I call ourselves the hillbillies of our town because there's so many people around us with the latest import cars, trophy wives and foreign nannies! It's sad....

As for the upgrade thing, I already have 4 diamonds in the 1-1.5 ct range, so I can't just gradually upgrade. It seems like a 2+ ct IS the next jump.

Maybe you and your husband can compromise and trade in one of the 4 diamonds toward the 2+ ct. Then you don't have to put out as much cash.

ETA: I was posting at the same time that you posted about trading your old stones in.

So you and your husband have different views on the 2+ ct stone. Why does he thinks it's beyond your means? Is it because he thinks it's more important to get into a single family home or is there other reasons? I don't think the poll will convince your husband because diamonds is not a priority for him and that's understandable. Plus the poll doesn't take into account of many factors such as lifestyles, locations, etc which affect someone's priorities, and IMO because of that the poll is just numbers without meaning.

 

[Mara]

Also this is just a random thought I had Jaysons Mom, but if you guys say make $190k then it doesn''t really compare as much to someone else who makes $190k but doesn''t have kids or responsibilities like that, and also it seems like a 2 income household vs a 1 income household may have a different lifestyle and priorities as well. I know if we had a 1 income household we''d save more than we do now because if the main breadwinner lost their job, it could be potentially more devastating than if the other had a job that could pay all expenses as well. Just some random thoughts...it is really hard to compare apples to apples. I''m sure if I had a few kids running around as well I''d have way less time to think about my diamond being small. Well maybe not. Hee hee.

 

[belle]

Date: 2/28/2006 4:03:59 PM
Author: Mara
Also this is just a random thought I had Jaysons Mom, but if you guys say make $190k then it doesn''t really compare as much to someone else who makes $190k but doesn''t have kids or responsibilities like that, and also it seems like a 2 income household vs a 1 income household may have a different lifestyle and priorities as well. I know if we had a 1 income household we''d save more than we do now because if the main breadwinner lost their job, it could be potentially more devastating than if the other had a job that could pay all expenses as well. Just some random thoughts...it is really hard to compare apples to apples. I''m sure if I had a few kids running around as well I''d have way less time to think about my diamond being small. Well maybe not. Hee hee.

right. there are sooo many variables here. it seems like it should be fairly straightforward...either you can afford it or you can''t. there is no one blanket annual income to what you should be able to spend ratio. everyone''s situation is different.

wow..there are alot of 2ct. owners here!

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 2/28/2006 4:12:53 PM
Author: belle

Date: 2/28/2006 4:03:59 PM
Author: Mara
Also this is just a random thought I had Jaysons Mom, but if you guys say make $190k then it doesn''t really compare as much to someone else who makes $190k but doesn''t have kids or responsibilities like that, and also it seems like a 2 income household vs a 1 income household may have a different lifestyle and priorities as well. I know if we had a 1 income household we''d save more than we do now because if the main breadwinner lost their job, it could be potentially more devastating than if the other had a job that could pay all expenses as well. Just some random thoughts...it is really hard to compare apples to apples. I''m sure if I had a few kids running around as well I''d have way less time to think about my diamond being small. Well maybe not. Hee hee.

right. there are sooo many variables here. it seems like it should be fairly straightforward...either you can afford it or you can''t. there is no one blanket annual income to what you should be able to spend ratio. everyone''s situation is different.

wow..there are alot of 2ct. owners here!

...and me thinks a few fibbers.

Yes, so many variables. Also, how long the income level is sustained? Will the income flucuate? Will you have unexpected expenses? Are both people happy in their jobs? When do you want to retire?

In the end, you are correct - it is straight forward - either you can or you can''t - and what other sacrifices would the expenditure cost?