re: I managed to save $30k

I'm not all over the map. It would just take forever to tell you how it's done, if you don't already know.

How we worked the Garden and canned and froze stuff. When I was a kid doing that work, how I hated it, even hated the food, because I hated all of that work.

I hated wearing those same toughskin jeans to school when my friends had much cooler clothes. I hated all of that shite. I had 1 great thing though. My Dad was the coolest man alive. Not just for me, for every damn body.

He was like some kind of coolness guru for some people, and all he ever wore was gas station uniform clothes.

I guess it's all different now though.

On the other stuff, earn as much money as you can, and spend the least of it. Is that hard to figure out?
The most important thing for everybody, is figuring out what you really know and understand, and have the right stuff to go there. and enjoy it. That way, you never have to go to work, but it takes work, determination and luck to get there.

Edit to add: I guess I left out where my Dad, took us from that shack, to being a pretty major oil and car dealer, in just a few years.
When he died we had to have 3 funerals, and a riot broke out at the 1st one, because several people thought that they were his best friend.


Tell us where all of your expenses are, you might get some good advice.

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In an emergency fund over 2 years when I was making only $45k out of college, married and had 1 child. And that was with my wife staying home.

So what’s you “paycheck to paycheck” people’s excuses?

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I don't think you're even allowed to post on the OT board if you brag about peasant sums like that.

Big deference between:

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my fat wife has to keep up with the Joneses on Fake-book and my snot-nosed kids demand every iCrap in existence. Oh, and we're up to our eyeballs in debt on $50k SUVs and trucks

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and claiming to support a family on less than $1500 a month. Come on.

Desert King I think it's totally believable.

Your federal and state income taxes would be nothing (it is for any family under $50k). SS and Medicare would be minimal ($3k). Drive a couple of paid for beaters... Take home would be basically $40k... With $2k/mo in spending, that leaves $16k/yr to save.

Hypothetical $2k/mo expense breakdown...
Rent - $800
Food - $600
Gas - $120
Diapers - $150
Gas/Electric/water - $200
Clothing - $80
Cell phones - $50
Can Insurance - $80

It's tight, but believable. Went $80 over w car insurance.

Edit: Added car insurance per post below. Other suggested items are not necessities. Toiletries is part of the grocery budget. Wife gets hair cut once a year. Husband does a buzz cut. No bday gifts for one another. Limit Christmas gifts.

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Hypothetical $2k/mo expense breakdown... Rent - $800 Food - $600 Gas - $120 Diapers - $150 Gas/Electric/water - $200 Clothing - $80 Cell phones - $50

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Car insurance, car maintenance, birthday gifts, baby stuff, grooming (hair cuts etc), non food purchases ( toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products)...Christmas...all that adds a few hundred bucks to budget. It’s reasonable to expect any family to be able to put back a few months money over a couple of years..but 30k seems like a bit of embellishment.

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In an emergency fund over 2 years when I was making only $45k out of college, married and had 1 child. And that was with my wife staying home.

So what’s you “paycheck to paycheck” people’s excuses?

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Well look at the array of dumbshit comments right after your post and you can see the problem.

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Car insurance, car maintenance, birthday gifts, baby stuff, grooming (hair cuts etc), non food purchases ( toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products)...Christmas...all that adds a few hundred bucks to budget. It’s reasonable to expect any family to be able to put back a few months money over a couple of years..but 30k seems like a bit of embellishment.

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Edited my post to include auto insurance. Even if you add those items you are at maybe $2200/mo, which still leaves a savings of $27.2k... functionally the same thing.

You’re so special.

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Edited my post to include auto insurance. Even if you add those items you are at maybe $2200/mo, which still leaves a savings of $27.2k... functionally the same thing.

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It’s possible if no “emergencies” pop up for two years. A car repair or dental issue. I supported a family of 3 on 45k, but that was in 2004 and we didn’t manage to save much of anything. We were never without 5k or so in the bank (not counting retirement) but that is something I’ve maintained since college for emergencies (minimum).

I think the basic thought of families, even with meager incomes, being able to save enough for emergencies is valid. This example seems unreasonable or at a minimum extreme.

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Post a screen shot of your checking account and savings account summaries. I’m not saying it’s a massive sum of money... just that you didn’t do it

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I just think this so blows the millennials mind (of which I am technically one) that they can't comprehend the possibility that they could have been saving money.

Going out to eat multiple times a week ($500/mo), getting Starbucks or premium coffee multiple times a week ($100/mo), having a car payment ($400/mo), having premium cable and internet ($150/mo), getting iPhones and expensive cell phone plans ($120/mo), buying nice clothes ($400/mo).

This is all standard millennial (and Boomer) spending habits that are the difference between saving $20k/year and not.