Jsand
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- May 6, 2019
- Messages
- 292
I aspire to not qualify for a stimulus check!
Stimulus Cheque?
- Thread starter MjK1
- Start date
I aspire to not qualify for a stimulus check!
wildcat03
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2011
- Messages
- 904
They actually will get the amount of the stimulus check back on their 2020 taxes (and will get a refund if they withheld enough taxes) when they file, if they qualify by income in 2020. (Husband is a tax CPA)
wildcat03
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2011
- Messages
- 904
Where I live daycare for an infant is a stimulus check and a half per month!!! (and no, I'm not in a major city. I'm in a suburb of a mid-size city)
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2007
- Messages
- 9,031
I refuse to believe that making $39/hour is low income.
Elizabeth35
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2011
- Messages
- 755
$75K is about $36hr if you work 40 hours a week.
If you are in rural Arkansas it is not low income.
If you live in NYC, CA or Seattle (and many other locales) it is low income in regards to being able to procure affordable housing.
It is only a number. If you are a single parent and have to pay for childcare for 2-3 kids, along with rent—you are struggling.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2009
- Messages
- 10,295
@stracci2000 exactly what Elizabeth said. It is crazy. My mom gets by on much less than that as do my grandparents and most of the rest of my family. It is definitely doable if you don't need childcare and some other things.
Rent for an apartment here is routinely $2,000+/month and more than that for a house or larger apartment, especially closer in to certain areas. Mortgages on average homes are $2,000-3,000 or more once you add in homeowners insurance and taxes. Water, garbage, sewer, and electricity come to about $400-500/month. Many areas have limited transportation so you have to have a car and insurance. A tank of gas just cost me $45. Living in less expensive areas means two or more tanks of gas per week.
Low income housing, depending on the type, either uses the federal poverty line or a percentage of the median income for the area. A woman I know bought a townhouse for "low income" where the requirement was that you had to make under $87,000/year. Seriously! I was shocked when I heard that as I hadn't realized that such a high number could be considered low income (having grown up with much much less!)
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2016
- Messages
- 12,219
We live in CT and since I stopped working in 2007 we have lived on one income nearly exclusively and most years it has been below 75k. That’s three people and several pets. We do not live in an expensive area, in fact our house was well below 200k in 2004. I drove the same car for 13 years, we don’t go on vacation, we buy as much as possible secondhand.
I would say in our state at least, a single person could live off 75k a year and have a pretty decent life. Three people and now four? It is more surviving than thriving but this is the sacrifice we made to keep our kids out of daycare.
One benefit to this lifestyle is when I did lose my job after working a month in 2020 (thanks COVID!) we were still okay. We were able to keep both kids remote rather than having to send them back because I had to work.
Our stimulus checks went towards paying off credit card debt and a down payment for a car (because after 13 years it finally kicked the bucket). I think we spent $600-$800 on misc purchases for home improvement. We are nearly credit card debt free thankfully.
I would say in our state at least, a single person could live off 75k a year and have a pretty decent life. Three people and now four? It is more surviving than thriving but this is the sacrifice we made to keep our kids out of daycare.
One benefit to this lifestyle is when I did lose my job after working a month in 2020 (thanks COVID!) we were still okay. We were able to keep both kids remote rather than having to send them back because I had to work.
Our stimulus checks went towards paying off credit card debt and a down payment for a car (because after 13 years it finally kicked the bucket). I think we spent $600-$800 on misc purchases for home improvement. We are nearly credit card debt free thankfully.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2007
- Messages
- 9,031
@TooPatient @Elizabeth35 ---I guess I'm lucky to live in a state where my money goes farther.
Between DH and I, we make way way under that 75k.
Being frugal is just my nature, and I don't pay retail for anything.
So I have survived on my really low paycheck for all these years and somehow manage to acquire bling, too.
DH inherited our house from his mother, so we only have to pay taxes which are under $3000/yr. If we had a mortgage payment, we would be screwed.
Between DH and I, we make way way under that 75k.
Being frugal is just my nature, and I don't pay retail for anything.
So I have survived on my really low paycheck for all these years and somehow manage to acquire bling, too.
DH inherited our house from his mother, so we only have to pay taxes which are under $3000/yr. If we had a mortgage payment, we would be screwed.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2003
- Messages
- 3,103
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2016
- Messages
- 12,219
@stracci2000 it definitely helps to not have a mortgage payment but you are really good with money and that is everything. That saying “it’s not how much you make but how much you spend” is so true.
Yep. In NYC rent will easily eat half of that paycheck. Add childcare, healthcare premiums, student loans, or any cc bills and you're done.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2007
- Messages
- 9,031
I used to live next door to an older man and his wife. Their house was a 1960s 3 bedroom brick ranch.
They drove a 1970s woody station wagon with older furniture in the house, and we got the feeling that they were just regular folks living on Social Security.
Turned out that he and his brothers owned half the town! They were wealthy and owned strip malls and housing developments.
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
- Messages
- 3,160
No disagreement that the people who need help on a personal level will spend it on things like rent, but keep in mind that those who don't need the money but spend it are also boosting the economy, and that's part of the plan. Think of the vendors you like doing business with, and how many of those are small businesses. Many small businesses could use the boost. When they get revenue, they can pay employees, pay rent to commercial landlords (who have been greatly affected by COVID), etc.
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2014
- Messages
- 1,700
Income is definitely relative to where you live. 75 k a year would definitely be a struggle in some places -- for instance we live way out of the city in a 1100 sq foot appartment which is noisy as it is near a train line, and rent is still more than 50 k a year here. That is just the norm here. I think we are lucky in some ways/if we worked in the city center we'd be paying far more.
I think the US printed a lot of money last year (it was a few trilllion). If they gave some of that to lower income households, than thank goodness it finally went somewhere worthwhile.
I think the US printed a lot of money last year (it was a few trilllion). If they gave some of that to lower income households, than thank goodness it finally went somewhere worthwhile.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2008
- Messages
- 56,758
Yes 100% true. It is not an apples to apples comparison at all.
Making 75K in one part of the country as opposed to another could be and usually is a completely different animal. So to speak.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2008
- Messages
- 9,443
For those who might not totally understand:
we had a house in Massachusetts that was 2 bedrooms, and just under 2000sqft. we paid nearly 12K in taxes on a yearly basis and we owned that house outright. Marinate on that for a minute.
There are people who because of location are paying that. There are people who make 75K, might have a PHD, but yet, scrape to get by based on their location, their student loans, their childcare, and other situations.
Understand that they cast a large net because they absolutely had to. If someone is making that kind of money but yet are balling, great! they'll get stimulus to help stimulate the economy. If someone who gets it, making that much and still needs more to make it, great, they'll also use that money to hopefully stimulate the economy but if not, allow them to get a bit ahead if possible.
We don't qualify but we're OK with that. My income in Massachusetts did not go as far as being where I am now, so changing one part of the equation did us (really me) a world of good.
we had a house in Massachusetts that was 2 bedrooms, and just under 2000sqft. we paid nearly 12K in taxes on a yearly basis and we owned that house outright. Marinate on that for a minute.
There are people who because of location are paying that. There are people who make 75K, might have a PHD, but yet, scrape to get by based on their location, their student loans, their childcare, and other situations.
Understand that they cast a large net because they absolutely had to. If someone is making that kind of money but yet are balling, great! they'll get stimulus to help stimulate the economy. If someone who gets it, making that much and still needs more to make it, great, they'll also use that money to hopefully stimulate the economy but if not, allow them to get a bit ahead if possible.
We don't qualify but we're OK with that. My income in Massachusetts did not go as far as being where I am now, so changing one part of the equation did us (really me) a world of good.
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2003
- Messages
- 2,856
This is why we moved from NY to NJ. Everything was expensive and we could get a bigger house with more land. Of course now we live in Delaware! Lol!
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2013
- Messages
- 5,299
Yes! All of this!! That’s on the low end where we live. $75k is not nearly enough to live the ‘American’ dream here in the NYC area.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
We are paying for it now . It is costing me $80 to fill up my car, and my food bills are much higher. These stimulus check will cause inflation thus the Fed will be force into raising interest rate very soon to slow down inflation. Remember nothing comes for FREE!.
IMO, $75K income is too high to qualify for a stimulus check it should be cut off at $50K income. People must learn to live within their means.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2016
- Messages
- 12,219
@Dancing Fire except some people who continued working had additional expenses from the pandemic. Even if they made 75k and were living within their means before, they suddenly found themselves with much greater expenses.
Schools were closed so if they had to work they had to find childcare. When schools did open it was only two days a week so they had to pay a childcare center to watch the kids so they could work. Kids home means more food, more water, more electricity.
I think it’s easy to forget that even those who didn’t lose income found themselves struggling to keep up with those additional expenses.
Schools were closed so if they had to work they had to find childcare. When schools did open it was only two days a week so they had to pay a childcare center to watch the kids so they could work. Kids home means more food, more water, more electricity.
I think it’s easy to forget that even those who didn’t lose income found themselves struggling to keep up with those additional expenses.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
And b/c of the extension in unemployment benefits ...
www.wsbtv.com
My friends who are in the restaurant business said he can't find workers whom are willing to return to work. They rather sit at home till Sept. since they will receive more $$$ for not working.
Small business owners believe unemployment benefits may be negatively affecting their businesses
Since the pandemic began last March, millions of Georgians have received unemployment benefits, but now some small business owners say too much of a good thing is hurting them.
www.wsbtv.com
My friends who are in the restaurant business said he can't find workers whom are willing to return to work. They rather sit at home till Sept. since they will receive more $$$ for not working.
Last edited:
wildcatz
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2011
- Messages
- 64
If it costs you $80 to fill up your car, maybe you should get a different car . . .
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 33,852
Will you buy me a new car? . I only get 16 MPG in town driving. Two weeks ago I paid $4.07 per gal for premium gas. My tank holds 22 gals, so you do the math.
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2014
- Messages
- 1,700
Actually since this thread started I began to tally uo my bills. Just child care, electricity, water plus rent costs me about 80 k a year.
It's not a question of living more within my means. Its a question of the country I live in (I live close-ish to the borders of this country in an area my friends dont want to visit me in as its not considered that nice. But this is an expensive city state so its expensive anyway.). Its a question of not being able to use grandparents as free child care. As they dont have the visas to live here. Its a question of not getting any subsidy as I am not a citizen of this country so I dont qualify to use any social service at a subsidised (citizens) rate. Many expenses here are offset for citizens, but I get no subsidies and also pay additional levies and things to help raise the money for citizens to get subsidies. I really dont mind, we get paid well so we can pass that on. But when people look at me and say so expensive, why so much -- I just feel like giving them a withering glare.
Could I cut some of these expenses? Yes definitely I could save 15-25 k a year. But I would possibly have to choose between giving up my job or taking my child out of kindegarten to do so (she is old enough that this wouldnt be great).
I havd a friend who made 75 k a year. He was forced to quit his job and leave the country, as it was not enough money to survive. They lived pretty frugally. It just wasnt possible.
Last edited:
Daisys and Diamonds
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2019
- Messages
- 26,333
This is why we live in Wanganui
With both of us working we could not even afford to buy even a shoe box on the very outskirts of greater Wellington and it wasn't as nice as the shoe box we were renting which wasn't actually all that nice a shoe box anyway
Now we have 4 bedrooms !!! And a big garden for suburbia- although we can see cows and sheep from out the front !
When everyone around us was downsizing and buying fancy apartments in town we had to go out and buy furniture !!
...of course i don't have a job
but we can actually just manage on Gary's pension because the morgage is so much less than our old rent was
But Its the rates (property taxes) that make it hard
Daisys and Diamonds
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2019
- Messages
- 26,333
This sux your freinds don't want to visit because they don't think where you live in nice enough
This would make me angry
....no one liked where we used to live but it was sunny and people where freindly and we liked it a lot
There is much more to a location than just how someone may perceive it by driving by or by what properties sell for
No one seems to like where we live now because they are snobs who can't see past property values and being mortgaged up to their eye balls
You got to do what's right for you and your own little family
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2016
- Messages
- 12,219
And some people collecting unemployment have had put off looking for a job because the schools are still closed or only open twice a week. I have sat with our youngest who is six every single school day, all day long for Zoom meetings and assignments. I have been collecting unemployment because I had to be home, we have nobody to help with the kids.
People need to stop being making broad statements and judgements about people who received stimulus checks and/or unemployment. Not everyone has family who can swoop in and save the day.
People need to stop being making broad statements and judgements about people who received stimulus checks and/or unemployment. Not everyone has family who can swoop in and save the day.
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2014
- Messages
- 1,700
Haha it's ok. I like where we live, its close to our work. It's just way out of the city so people ask me to come meet them closer to their homes in the center most of the time (instead of being dragged way out here!). Its normal for people to live closer to the center as this is a city state -- from their perspective we're just in a remote place.
I just miss the friends who have moved on. But they also moved on for better opportunities or a better life for their families. So this is also really not something to be sad about. It just means I tend to lose my friends every couple of years.
Daisys and Diamonds
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2019
- Messages
- 26,333
Its all relative isnt it
Where i lived growing up no one commuted
My last job i commuted aganist the flow
i got about 8 train carriages all to myself most mornings !
Ive found It is harder to make freinds as we get older
How Are Diamonds Made? Natural vs Lab-Created Explained
How Are Diamonds Made? Natural vs Lab-Created Explained - 08/05
Top Wedding Ring Brands for Every Style and Budget
Top Wedding Ring Brands for Every Style and Budget - 08/05
Where to Buy Lab Grown Diamonds: Best Places Compared
Where to Buy Lab Grown Diamonds: Best Places Compared - 08/05
300x240.png)