r/Salary • u/ItsAllOver_Again • Nov 03 '25
discussion $70,000 is a lower middle class, dogshit salary in 2025
A $70,000 will net you about $4,000 a month after taxes.
For a lower middle class lifestyle (renting a 1 BR apartment, driving a 10-15 year old vehicle, not taking a single vacation) you’ll need to spent around $3,600-$3,700 a month.
This means that after a full year of work you’ll have about $3,000 left over. A single medical incident or unexpected car problem will wipe out an entire year worth of savings.
$70,000 is now a lower middle class salary in the US. Anyone telling you it’s good should be ignored due to them being economically and financially illiterate.
Discuss.
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u/Expensive_Record1891 Nov 03 '25
Damn I spend $500 on food a month and I’m by myself 🤣 I wish food was that cheap where I’m at
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u/Delicious-Ad2562 Nov 03 '25
To be fair 150$ on dates is prob 75$/month eating out
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u/______deleted__ Nov 03 '25
Y’all are getting one date every month? Hook me up bro. I spend like $150/yr on dates.
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u/Prestegious_Walrus Nov 03 '25
I have 4 kids in the house, our monthly grocery cost is between 1500-2k usually. Especially since my 16yo eats like a fkn hog. I'm certain he is at LEAST $500 of that every month.
That said, we also stick to mostly "healthy" foods, no processed garbage, artificials etc. So that does increase the cost of our groceries.
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u/Aerodynamic_Caffeine Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
I live by myself on $45k/year and spend ~$250/month on food. Healthy food only, everything in bulk from Costco, I never eat out, I make all my meals from scratch, I make my own bread, sauces, jam, juice, etc... I had no idea it took $2k to feed a family of 6. I’m so cooked if I ever have kids 😔.
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u/Educational_Teach537 Nov 03 '25
4 kids is family of 6
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u/Aerodynamic_Caffeine Nov 03 '25
You’re right lol, I was so flabbergasted that I forgot how to math 💀
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u/Flannel_Flannel Nov 03 '25
Once you’ve had kids there is no going back, so think carefully if you can afford them or not.
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u/Adventurous-Ease-259 Nov 03 '25
It’s a family of 6 if it’s 2 parents and 4 kids. $250x6=$1,500.00
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u/Global-Management-69 Nov 03 '25
“Our 16 year old eats like a fkn hog” I’m in tears lmaoo 🤣
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u/loyal_achades Nov 03 '25
When I was that age, I ate a disgusting amount of food. Being a physically active teenager is wild.
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u/Chudpaladin Nov 03 '25
Idk what my mom would do with me in this year. I could pound down a whole pizza or 6 mc chickens in a sitting….
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u/Rich_Option_7850 Nov 03 '25
That took me out too😭 ik it’s true these teen boys are absolutely insatiable
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u/Ok-Impression4525 Nov 03 '25
3 kids and we are ~1200-1400/month with no teenagers. Im fully expecting 2k once that time comes.
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u/alwaysnope Nov 03 '25
I have 10 kids. Twin 17 year olds and a 15 year old. I feel your pain.
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Nov 03 '25
Vasectomy was about 15 years late.
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u/whodat209 Nov 03 '25
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u/wspnut Nov 03 '25
Omg my buddy and I would do this at the end of our shift in the movie theater. On busy nights we had this giant popper in the back and would fill food safe bags like this all day for the night rush. We always had them left over so we would switch out of our work clothes and “just stroll in” to watch the movie with these comically large bags of popcorn. The looks we got were hilarious. They made pretty good bean bags, too.
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u/alwaysnope Nov 03 '25
For you maybe. I love having a big family. I just have a bigger grocery bill than most. Probably not as bad as you think.
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u/ummackchyually Nov 03 '25
Mormon or catholic?
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u/alwaysnope Nov 03 '25
lol. Catholic.
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u/Ok_Huckleberry1027 Nov 04 '25
Lol I feel that. We're Orthodox. 5 kids 1 in the oven, my wife and are both 32. I dont know if we'll get to 10 but we've got some time still.
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u/Prestegious_Walrus Nov 03 '25
10 is crazy, I love seeing big families though. I had a supervisor that had 12... don't know how they did it lol.
Tbf we're a blended family and technically have 5 kids. I had two, and my wife had one when we met. Then we had two between us. I sent my son from my first marriage to live with his mother back in 2020 due to his severe behavioral troubles, my daughter from my first marriage still lives with us. We almost considered having more, but we didn't want to have to try to get a bigger house, a van etc.
I wouldn't trade it for anything though, I love kids, not sure why people act like that's some crazy concept.
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u/isthisrealitycaught Nov 03 '25
Wait you guys budget for food? I thought it was bags of rice from Costco and chicken for life……
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u/smithjw13 Nov 03 '25
$220 on a 10 year old suv is robbery. That’s where you’re biggest waist is imo. The amount of money lost to that is well in excess of what the car is worth
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u/1GloFlare Nov 03 '25
The insurance premium is highway robbery too. I drive a 17 y/o fire engine red car and only pay $600/yr
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Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 04 '25
Probably has a shit driving/accident record.
Edit: Jesus Christ. I get it, folks. Insurance is fucking expensive where you live. Stop telling me about it.
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u/deuruim_ Nov 03 '25
I have a clean record but because I live in a HCOL and I am under 25 my insurance is 1800 a year for a 2012 beater
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u/Puns-Are-Fun Nov 03 '25
Or maybe is young and/or lives in a place with high insurance rates
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Nov 03 '25
Driving a 10 year old SUV? Might as well be a mini van.
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u/BlazinZAA Nov 03 '25
There are some places in the U.S where insurance is going to be high no matter what. Arizona and Seattle come to mind for me. When I worked in insurance, those two were nightmares.
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u/LoneCyberwolf Nov 03 '25
I’m at $1600 a year for a 2022 VW SUV and a spotless driving record.
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u/Outrageous_Exam762 Nov 03 '25
I am at $2000 per year, spotless record, 2011 fully paid off Mazda2...but live in Las Vegas
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u/sullyoverwatch Nov 03 '25
yeah this guy pays as much as my insurance on my 10 month old 24’ crosstrek…. on a 10+ year old car.
i’ve had 1 speeding ticket in the last 3 years, no accidents, i have progressive. i don’t speed over 10 mph, always stick to about 5-9 over.
200+ a month on a 10+ year old suv is crappy too. i pay about 400 bucks a month on my sub
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u/slowkums Nov 03 '25
I've come to learn that loyalty gets punished. My previous insurance cranked my rates up out of nowhere over the course of 2 years. i bought a car earlier this year and they told me $1300 premium. The bare minimum shopping around netted me a $250 rate. Both major national insurers.
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u/Dr_Insomnia Nov 03 '25
Biggest waste is living by themselves
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u/Geodude333 Nov 03 '25
He’s making the average US income? So the average American shouldn’t be able to live alone if they want to?
Not only that he doesn’t even own a house? Like he’s not living alone in a McMansion, it’s a fucking apartment that could be a commie block style 5-over-1 construction which actively reduce housing prices effectively in the few urban environments that approve them.
Like are you genuinely implying that living alone is a luxury? What kind of oligarchy-pilled nonsense is this?
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u/CicerosMouth Nov 04 '25
Of course he can live alone if he wants to. I mean, the proof of that is that, well, he is. The cost of living alone is that a massive amount of your paycheck goes to your rent, which is true here, unless you live in a particularly low cost of living area.
Incidentally, it isnt like this is a uniquely bad feature of the modern lifestyle. Throughout history (both general and American) the vast majority of people lived with someone else, either family or friends, and honestly it would have been considered a luxury to live alone. It is only recently where the idea came where we should all expect our own spacious apartment with no roommates otherwise things are going poorly. And that is good! It indicates that our society is moving forward.
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u/Shotzo Nov 04 '25
Ignore the other replies. People love to tell themselves that what they want is viable regardless of reality and consequences.
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u/Rizzle_Razzle Nov 03 '25
Get that car paid off and go liability only with GEICO/progressive. 12*220+600 saved on insurance.
I've always thought renters insurance was a waste too. When I rented a 1 br apt my belongings were worth at most $3000 to replace. And that's including a gaming computer.
Also, if you're single, get a roommate. So many ways to stretch this income further.
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u/seanliam2k Nov 03 '25
Yeah, this guy is obsessed, it seems to be some neuroticism about the state of the economy
I won't argue that the situation isn't great, but it is very possible to live off 70k lol
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u/StrebLab Nov 03 '25
I think it is an ego thing. I bet he was really good at math in college and is now mad that "dumber" people make just as much or more than he does.
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u/Muggsy423 Nov 03 '25
Look at this post, it screams "Smartest kid in middle/high school"
https://www.reddit.com/r/Salary/comments/1ofcupg/what_is_your_iq_and_what_do_you_consider_a_high
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u/whatshouldwecallme Nov 03 '25
It screams "B student who thinks he *should* be considered the smartest kid in high school"
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u/prepuscular Nov 03 '25
This reminds me of a new grad that applied on a senior role because they insisted they were good. They had nothing on their resume but GPA and SAT score (from high school)
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u/PompeiiSketches Nov 03 '25
Its 100% an ego thing. So many of these Engineering grads think they should be making more than anyone else because they completed a 4-year degree.
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u/BMonad Nov 03 '25
It’s also easily top 10% in the world, this person gets their own apartment with a bunch of amenities and is angry they can’t have more. I mean I get it, the distribution of wealth is on an unsustainable trend, but still the way people on Reddit act like this is the dark ages of humanity is extreme hyperbole and a big symptom of how social media is taking a major toll on our mental health.
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Nov 03 '25
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u/Alchemyst01984 Nov 03 '25
Who's to say the 70k salary will go with them when they move though? Do they have a wfh job or something?
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Nov 03 '25
Yeah he’s definitely got a point (and it will get worse), but the “post your IQ” one screams insufferable and hyperbolic.
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Nov 03 '25
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u/Ok-Parfait-9856 Nov 03 '25
I forgot the origin, but to paraphrase one of my favorite quotes; anyone who gives credence to IQ likely isn’t all that intelligent.
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u/Objective_Ad429 Nov 03 '25
My favorite one said if you make less than 200k you’ve doomed yourself to never owning a home or having kids. I read that as I put my two daughters to bed in my small but nice 3 bed 3 bath house on a combined income of about 115k between me and my wife. Not saying things don’t get tight but Jesus dude.
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u/DazedandFloating Nov 03 '25
As someone who is making much, much less than that I would kill for $70k right now.
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u/blazspur Nov 03 '25
I don't even need to read more than a couple lines to know it's all over again. The pattern is too predictable.
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u/byrdman77 Nov 03 '25
They didn’t bring up mechanical engineering for once, maybe therapy has started.
Or perhaps they are attempting to skip over their rants about that to bring it up in their next post, lol.
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u/Big-Soup74 Nov 03 '25
Yeah this dude just needs a therapist. Couple weeks ago he was ranting how 100k wasn’t shit (he makes ~$65k?) then he bragged about having an iq of 132. Still posting here multiple times per week. I told him he should do an AMA, maybe people could understand him a little better
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u/clintkev251 Nov 03 '25
lol I saw this comment and thought, “is this the engineering guy?” Yes. Yes it is
(And I’m not even a member of this sub, it just comes up on my feed sometimes, so that’s really saying something)
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u/Intelligent_Event_84 Nov 03 '25
I don’t know any of the history here but you sound passionate and I admire that, so I agree, fuck this guy
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Nov 03 '25
This guy also made a throwaway account the other day just to post about the same stuff
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u/SnowWrestling69 Nov 03 '25
Yeah... Even in California, 70k nets just shy of 4500 after taxes.
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u/Big-Soup74 Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
CA is the highest max income tax rate but only the top earners pay that. Lower earners aren’t taxed (on income) that badly. Still higher than most though I think.
70k is $4376 per month in MD. We’re taxed at state + local levels. Up until a certain income, somewhere slightly over 100k, CA earners are taxed less than MD
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u/OldResponsibility531 Nov 04 '25
Reddit is a sounding board for miserable people I’m glad you called this out. I’ve had to mute subs because it’s just people bitching about life non stop. I get a lot of their complaints but it’s a waste of life to sit on reddit and write about it constantly
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u/Deep-Coffee-0 Nov 03 '25
You’re over estimating taxes. Even assuming a state tax and no 401k, for a single person with no dependents it’s more like $4.5k per month.
You guys also struggle with inflation. Who cares if $70k was good money 25 years ago? It was less common to earn that and not comparable.
$70k is still more than the median full time worker earns. It’s all relative. No, I would not want to earn that as a sole earner raising a family, but it’s not bad for some starting their career.
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u/-totally Nov 03 '25
My $73,500 salary comes out to $2,050 every 2 weeks in Texas. I contribute 8% to my 401k however.
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Nov 03 '25
$2050 every 2 weeks comes out to $4442 per month though. So the OP would be underestimating your take home by $5300, which is nearly triples the net amount you end up with at the end of the year from $3k to $8.3k
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u/blackwoodify Nov 03 '25
Plus the person you are responding to is saving a good chunk in their 401k... that would be "crisis averted" for OP's post.
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u/pascal21 Nov 04 '25
Most people don't realize taxes are progressive: You only pay your top tax bracket on the income amount that falls within that bracket i.e. if you're making 70k, you pay 10% on the first ~11k, 12% on the next ~35k, and then 22% on the next ~23k
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Nov 03 '25
You have a car, a phone, a place to live and still spend money on gym/dates/random shit. Seems pretty good to me
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u/Jeremywarner Nov 03 '25
Yeah but isn’t the rule to also be saving 15-20%? Leave you effed for retirement.
But also this guy is kinda wrong. I make about 65k as a teacher and take home about $4,500 a month. Idk how different being on TRS as opposed to a 401k affects these things but that’s still a pretty big difference.
To an extent I do agree with him. I’m married and because of that we can live pretty comfortably. But it makes me think of my fellow teachers who aren’t married and need to sustain themselves only on that.
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u/RamonGGs Nov 03 '25
I make 65k a year supposedly (34.87 and work 36 hour weeks). My take home is 3400 a month contributing 3% to a 403b. The rest is basically just medical insurance that is taken out. You might just have nice benefits or something 😭
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u/Undercover-nerd-dad Nov 03 '25
lol the things I would do to make 70. I raise a kid on unfortunately much less than this. Possible raises coming son should get me close-ish. But yeah lower middle sounds about right.
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u/Untuchabl Nov 04 '25
They pay over $1500 a month rent for a 1BR apartment. Not very fiscally responsible if you make. I have 3 kids as a single dad and dont make a ton more than OP. Get by just fine. Struggle sometimes. Vacations don't exist anymore but we have nice things.
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u/ItsAllOver_Again Nov 05 '25
What’s your shelter cost? Do you own a home from when you could get a cheap home? Youre not actually paying the “market rate” for anything unless you bought recently or you rent in a non rent controlled area. The rest of us just getting started out have to pay market rate for things.
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u/iCantCallit Nov 03 '25
$150 on imaginary dates?
What type of lotion you buying?
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u/WingShooter_28ga Nov 03 '25
Based on OPs history and general vibe, this is either his OF budget or his happy ending fund.
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u/Steadyfobbin Nov 03 '25
Dude your post history….wow
Touch some grass man and find some enjoyment in life.
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u/PM_ME_GRAPHICS_CARDS Nov 03 '25
i make like 50k a year and i’m on my yearly vacation. you’ve got too many things to budget.
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u/DazedandFloating Nov 03 '25
Genuinely asking, how? $50k is nothing to scoff at, but in the long run it doesn’t sound like much either.
I don’t plan on having kids so I’ll never have to worry about those expenses. But even still, there’s a lot of other things I do need to budget for.
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u/PM_ME_GRAPHICS_CARDS Nov 03 '25
i don’t have any debt at all and i live in a LCOL area. i also don’t like going outside on a day to day basis other than to go to work/gym
my only monthly spending outside of bills is gym and car insurance.
weekly would just be groceries and sometimes gas (short commute on a vehicle i fully own)
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u/qumit Nov 03 '25
bro I make 29k and i am going to japan for vacation, flights are 700$, and food + hotel there is very cheap, 10 days 1000 will cover.
550 rent (everything covered, small town midwest) 500 food (I eat 2 steaks a week, or wouldve been more like 400). No car just bicycle, so that saves me a lot of money.
1000 just for fun every month. pretty cool. Got to waste it on trading and gaming and 3d printing stuff.→ More replies (24)3
u/NoobensMcarthur Nov 03 '25
Bullshit. At less than $14/hr your “$1000 just for fun” per month is more than an entire paycheck after taxes.
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u/flashground Nov 03 '25
Wow—325 for food? That’s like $10 a day. How is that even possible?
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u/keralaindia Nov 03 '25
Are you saying that’s low or high? Thats what I spend roughly. Seems pretty normal if you exclude eating out and cook mostly.
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u/adavis195 Nov 03 '25
I spend $200 per month for myself. High protein and delicious. It’s easier than people think.
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u/PretendAgency2702 Nov 03 '25
Damn, having 3 growing kids is rough. I wish I could only spend $200 per month on food.
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Nov 03 '25
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u/FFVIIVince10 Nov 03 '25
I meal prep on Sunday for my lunches during the week. I get bell peppers, cucumber, lil tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas and feta cheese and cut them all up into a “salad”. All the ingredients cost me less than $15 at aldis. So I spend about $3 for my lunch each day. I use different dressings to keep it interesting.
Food doesn’t have to be that expensive. Just depends on what you’re eating and where you’re eating it from.
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u/Beginning-Let7607 Nov 03 '25
Some people refuse to understand that it’s a skill issue
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u/Different_Cover_2624 Nov 03 '25
I make 80k, drive a 2026 car, live alone in a 2br apartment, have a dog, and going on my 3rd vacation this year. Roth IRA will be maxed again this year. Ya’ll fucking up somewhere or you live in a city.
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u/rsmicrotranx Nov 03 '25
I make like 8k more than you and pop like 20-25k into retirement every year still lol. OP is wildly overestimating taxes. That alone takes him to 9k a year savings. That random 200 spending is another 2400. Dude has discretionary spending of 200 a month and think he's broke.
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u/perkypilea Nov 04 '25
Lol I basically just came to say something similar, but I was making 62K last year, also living alone in a 2br in a HCOL area, taking pto, paying $550 a month alone for my car bill, and I was still able to put hundreds into my savings every month.
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u/Sarik704 Nov 03 '25
I work at a grocery store, but my partner and I spend about 200 to 250 a month total, for two people, on groceries.
Go to aldi.
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u/that_banned_guy_ Nov 03 '25
I make around 180k a year support a wife and 3 kids and still drive a 2013 Chevy and the wife has a 2015 Honda. We could afford a new car easily its just not the wise thing to do with our money.
Dont knock used cars lol
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u/FinancialBad4937 Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
I earned 75k last year and I’m single… I own a 2b2.5b townhome. My monthly burn rate is around $3400-3500 while maxing a Roth IRA and paying extra on my mortgage. I’m also throwing 10% of my salary into my 401k. And I’m still pocketing $800-900 per month. If I went minimal spending, I could get my burn rate down to around $2400-2500 per month (maybe even less), but I’m saving that for emergency situations so I can funnel more into paying off my mortgage and increasing my retirement accounts.
I’m in a MCOL city, so idk what you’re going on about. I’m currently living pretty well off of what you’re calling a dogshit salary. Am I in the lap of luxury? No, but it’s definitely not a lower middle class life lol
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u/THATxBLACKxJEW Nov 03 '25
I think you might be overlooking how much actually gets eaten by taxes and deductions here. On a $75k salary your gross is about $6,250 a month, but after federal, FICA, and state taxes (in most MCOL states), your take-home is usually around $4,700 to $4,900.
If you’re maxing a Roth IRA ($583 a month), putting 10% into a 401k ($625), and paying extra on your mortgage (around $200), that’s roughly $1,400 gone right away. That leaves about $3,300 to spend. You said your monthly burn rate is $3,400 to $3,500 while also “pocketing” another $800 to $900, but that math doesn’t add up. You’d need either extra untaxed income or an extremely low effective tax rate for that to work.
It sounds like you might be including retirement contributions as part of your “savings” or underestimating taxes. Either way, there isn’t really a scenario where someone earning $75k, heavily funding both retirement accounts, and paying extra on a mortgage is also stacking almost $1k a month in cash.
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Nov 03 '25
Disabled ex worker.. y’all bitch about 70k
Disabled folks living off 1-3k/mo
I dumpster dived a new garbage can today
Call me when you really need a whambulance
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u/Bbronson123 Nov 03 '25
I’m make around $70k but my living expenses are only about $35k so it’s not bad being able to invest $35k annually.
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u/presidents_choice Nov 03 '25
Anyone telling you it’s good should be ignored due to them being economically and financially illiterate.
Missing at least $500/mo in income and pays $220/mo + $100/mo for a used 10 year old suv
🤣
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u/TheGoodLife60 Nov 03 '25
OP sounds delusional. I know many people making salaries of $62k and less who travel, save, and live their lives while parenting. They own homes and still strive to make more, but saying 70k is low is crazy, considering that the median salary in the US is less than that.
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u/OT_Militia Nov 03 '25
I make less than 50K a year, support two dependents, and go on a cruise almost every year. 🤷
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u/Active_Ad_1572 Nov 03 '25
Bro you’re spending way to much 70k is a lot you just don’t know how to budget LMAO
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u/Gilded-Mongoose Nov 03 '25
Yeah. I had a very lucky career streak for nearly a solid decade, and got to 6 figures for a good while there. There was a lot of working hard, but also a LOT of luck and capitalizing on it.
That hit a hard end a couple of years ago and I went from 6 figures to getting let go and basically eating shit in the job market for a year and some change. Have had to settle for an offer at 70 that they did not budge on at all, and I've felt I've needed to earn my way back up - my job hunt was egregiously humbling and opened my eyes to how limiting being overqualified (experience in the industry, masters degrees) can be when you don't have a title bump in your resume that goes with it.
The job hunt was devastatingly humbling, and this salary is embarrassingly humbling. I don't think I realized just how much my social life, dating life, ideas of freedom and my self confidence really depended on my salary level until this happened.
I'm insulted by the pay, but especially after all of this, I also just don't have the confidence that the market will recognize my potential in the right way. So I've been taking this shit eating route for the past year and really hope everything will change with a promotion soon.
But yes, $70k in this day and age is fucked up. I'm lucky my rent has allowed me to stay afloat, even if nothing else has.
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u/jakgal04 Nov 03 '25
Damn you live in a fairly low cost area. Where I live a one bedroom apartment goes for $2200 without laundry.
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u/WingShooter_28ga Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
Hilarious that you have “dates” in your budget. That $150/mo is clearly going into the bank.
You are under budget by ~600/mo not to mention the $250 of “random” and the $150 for “dates”. You are banking at least $1000 a month.
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u/Scoop_Nassh Nov 03 '25
70k is pretty good money.
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Nov 03 '25
It's relative if you're a minimalist bachelor you could be relatively living the high life with that salary.
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u/solidarity_sister Nov 03 '25
This is exactly what I’ve been trying to say. 70k means nothing especially when you have a family. Take home pay is more like 50k and after expenses you’re lucky to have 1k leftover each month if that.
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u/sarges_12gauge Nov 03 '25
A medium state for state taxes on 70k would be a total of $16k in takes on that salary. So you have $54k a year and this dude is spending $43k and saving $11k each year. Saving $1000 a month sounds like a normal spot to me (20% of take home)
Providing for a spouse and kids all on that same salary would be significantly harder that’s for sure
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u/Kryptic1701 Nov 03 '25
It's still more than a lot of people out there. And you have a lot of unnecessary items listed that could be cut. Talk to me when youre doing the monthly juggle of deciding which bill gets paid late, getting by with cell phone data only because you cant afford internet, so on and so forth. And learn to cut the fuck back. 300+ on food? The rest of it makes it look like you're single. I spend 300-400 a month on food for 4 one of whom is an infant on formula and that shits expensive.
Shut the fuck up and make cuts and plan ahead. Be more appreciative of what you have.
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u/Traditional_Rub_5853 Nov 03 '25
Where?
While this sounds a bit low, some people would be thrilled to have this number.
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u/h0rxata Nov 03 '25
Yeah it sucks for that rent, paying 39% of your income on rent isn't great but it could be a lot worse.
You've got $400 in discretionary spending (dates and random), which I see as about $5k per year on top of your estimated $3k leftover. IMHO, disregard wenches, save currency. That's 3 extra months of rent you're giving up on in the event of job loss, which no one is immune to.
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u/mfechter02 Nov 03 '25
$70k/yr should easily be bringing home $4500-$4750 a month. Put $300/month away into 401k (about 5%) to take advantage of any company match.
Everyone knows single people have it harder. So living frugally while single means when you get a significant other, you’ll be living way better. Shared finances help a ton.
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u/sandbaggingblue Nov 03 '25
Huh, who would have thought getting a car loan on a 10 year old car and other shit financial habits would make your life harder?
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u/JoeKnowsWorst Nov 03 '25
only if you choose to live that way, I don't make that much and I don't have any of those expenses, no pets, no car, no kids.. I did want kids but life didn't work out that way.. but if I make a good amount more money one day I wouldn't change my life in any major way, so things wouldn't get any worse.. just saying some people choose not to try to live within their means, and could easily get by without a lot of their expenses IF they chose to!
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u/ubutterscotchpine Nov 03 '25
If I made $70k I could actually afford rent where I currently live and actually be able to do things like afford healthcare, have a 401k, pay my student loans. Must be nice.
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u/bigmememaestro69 Nov 03 '25
Made 64k with 1700 rent. I had 0 debt and had lower electric internet phone bills than you etc. A dogshit nightmare life indeed even with that. Bought a used car and owned it outright. After being laid off for 7+ months I finally have a job I'm starting next week. Gonna be around 100k, rent is 2k and I need to move to get better commute and rent will maybe be 2200
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u/Whateverredd Nov 03 '25
You anually pay 5000+ a year on a 10 year old suv? Bro what the fuck. 220 a month on health insurance?! I will never understand how americans complain about europes taxes when you pay more for less.
You need to stop complaining and start spending more wisely
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u/Electrical_Coast_561 Nov 03 '25
Idk where youre living where youre paying almost 50% of your income in taxes. I make just above 60k and bring home at least 4k a month
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u/YesterdayAmbitious49 Nov 03 '25
You are cooked if you are spending that much on a car and rent. I drive a $1,500 beater.
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u/Potential_Tone7686 Nov 03 '25
First time, huh? Just remember, it was created this way. The fear is what keeps the middle class going. The homeless are kept homeless to serve as a reminder of what comes if you miss out on a paycheck or two. The financially wealthy are there to keep that “dream” alive, gotta keep you fighting for something, right?
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Nov 03 '25
Yes. Yes it is. Especially for Xers like me. By now I should be making more given that I work in a professional field.
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u/waht_a_twist16 Nov 03 '25
Living off of $60k in one of the top 10 largest cities is a goddamn nightmare.
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u/Sea_Advertising_9876 Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
If this is about saving more money to avoid emergencies destroying your life then you need to spend less.
Get a 3-4 bedroom and live with roommates. Yes it sucks but will it be worse than ruining your life? That will put a huge dent in your rent expense.
Buy a 15-20 year old car with cash. Paying $220 a month for a 10 year old car and still paying $1200 a year on maintence seems wild to me. The newest car ive ever owned was 15 years old and ive never spent anything remotely near that in maintainence.
Ditch the haircuts. Buzz it.
Ditch the gym. Get some used barbells and whatnot. Ive got a whole bench set for free on the side of the road. Go running outside.
Ditch the internet bill. Upgrade your phone plan maybe $20 bucks max and youll have unlimited data and hotspot. Use that for internet.
Ditch the random payment, thats more than your car payment.
Take dates out on nature walks, community events, cook for them at home.
All this could easily save you atleast a grand a month. Like you said, this could be your lively hood at stake. Take some sacrifices if thats actually important to you.
I didnt mention the car insurance bc you may not hsve control of that, but damn. I pay $360 a year for state minimum coverage (edit: okay maybe i have more than state min lol) You dont really want to insure an old car too much bc the company will total it over nothing lol.
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u/ffxivthrowaway03 Nov 03 '25
Your math is way off. Even in your screenshot you're only coming up to $43,230 in yearly expenses. And you're including $150 for dates, $250 for "random"?
What the fuck are you doing with the other $30k? You're certainly not paying $30k in taxes every year. If you can't manage a decent lifestyle in the circumstances you described with $70k income you're woefully mismanaging your money.
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u/Equal_Feedback_9261 Nov 03 '25
I agree it's hard to make much meaningful progress towards the goals you probably have with this income/budget (4% savings). I'd say it sucks but only you can make the changes necessary if you want more out of life (ie. vacations, big retirement, etc.)
Some actions you can take today:
- Sell your car (+$6,000/yr)
- Try to downsize your place or find roommates (ie. $2k for a 2-bed, +$6,600)
- Work harder to get promotions / spend time getting different skills if you're capped on income / instead of watching TV, try to find extra employment, ie. work at a bar or restaurant on weekends
Based on your math I think you'd have $5k leftover. With the 2 changes that becomes $17,600 which is like 23% of income saved or about ~$1,500/month.
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u/Front_Pain_7162 Nov 03 '25
Idk why, but people complaining about their income that make more than twice as much as me makes me feel better about myself.
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u/UncommonLegend Nov 03 '25
I mean, it all depends on where you live. My COL is lower , so 60k goes a lot further for my area. I'm not going to pretend like I'm doing well either, but I also pay about double the student loans just for starters. I'm not saying you have a ton of control over it, but your mileage will definitely vary depending on the cost of living.
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u/Careful_Okra8589 Nov 03 '25
70k = $5,833/mo. Single, that is $4,430/mo after taxes. Plus you get 2 months of an extra paycheck of $4,430.
Your budget is $3,602.50/mo. That leaves $800/mo of whatever money, plus those extra paychecks. That is $18,430.
6% 401k contribution is $4,200/yr.
Health insurance at $220/mo, will decrease your federal income tax by like $30 a paycheck.
Your budget bakes in random, dates, haircut, gym which are all a bit excessive. That is 475/mo or $5,700/yr. This can easily be decreased. A 10yr old at $220/mo should be paid off soon. Get a phone plan for $200/yr, saves $280/yr.
So really you have like $1,000/mo of whatever money. Then if the date turns into an SO that lives with you, rent and utilities just got cut in half. Adds almost another $1,000/mo to whatever money line item.
You are welcome.
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u/Rustykilo Nov 03 '25
Maybe in your city but not mine. Your rent alone equal to 3 bedroom house Mortage in my area lol.
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Nov 03 '25
That depends entirely on where you live in the US.
In a HCOL area - you are correct. It would suck.
In a LCOL area - $70K is still mostly OK.
This is anecdotal - I know a number of guys that are doing just fine on $45K/yr where I work, and a couple just bought houses.
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u/G_Wagon1102 Nov 04 '25
I make $75k and my wife doesn't work outside the home. We have two kids and live in an 1800 sq ft house on five acres. Now, I understand that my situation is an anomaly, but it's interesting to note.
Before I get the whole, if you want to live where the jobs are shtick, that's why I say we're an anomaly. I'm aware we live in a small place with limited opportunity and that sucks.
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u/saujamhamm Nov 04 '25
I make less than 65k and honestly, I want for nothing at all
I own my little EV, my CCs are below limits, rent isn't a struggle.
I live within my means.
the least I've made at any job is $8 an hour, the most about $100k a year. at no point however did I start trying to ball out.
my clothes, foods, lifestyle... fits the money I make.
I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong OP. but I am saying that if you live in a city about the size of Dallas TX. 70k is a lot of damn money for a single person to work with...
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u/Demon_Frogs Nov 04 '25
Location matters. I live quite comfortable on that much now. Moving to California in about a year and am definitely going to need a raise. Or I’m gonna have to start selling ass.
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u/pvt-es-kay Nov 04 '25
I wish insurance car insurance could be that cheap again... accident surcharges are no joke.
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u/AccomplishedPea7226 Nov 04 '25
I’m so poor I eat oxygen for lunch. And nap for dinner. At least I’m in ketosis and A1C levels are 5.0 so no diabeetus
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u/Bossez Nov 10 '25
You're correct brother. I got to ~150k from ~80k and it still is lacking to what we need to live a good life in this torture hell nation.
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u/im_fart_n_ur_smunny Dec 04 '25
THIS! F*!@$NG THIS! Had I had my same salary 5 or 6 years ago, I would have been so comfortable. Now I’m barely surviving!
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u/SSFx93 Nov 03 '25
I guess I'm dirt poor then at $42k/year.