just wondering..what is a good salary these days

Fury said:

i wish i made 20 bucks an hr

A lot of people would consider that a good salary.

did u have to stick a jar up ur ass then NO it's not

It's pretty relative. Depends what you're doing, what the standard of living is like in your area, etc.

CarrieMpls said:

My brother has a 1 bedroom in Texas for 450. The rent is triple that here in Cali

CarrieMpls said:

my wage was ok about 5 yrs ago- everything has tripled since then, but not wages

depends on your expenses and where you live, like what carrie said.

i'm asking because last september i got a $4,400 raise to take me over $42,000. in theory, it seems like i should be okay (i moved back home, thus eliminating $900 in rent,= utilities). i still have a modest car note and insure two vehicles w/full coverage at $300 per month. in theory, i thought i would have this huge overflow of cash, but it just ain't happening. not broke, but not ready to book a flight to bermuda either.

off topic, but my company fired/terminated 800 employees last week..from execs all the way down to entry level associates....i know i'm fortunate

I make about that amount and no it's not enough for me. After taxes, health, dental insurance and whatever else they take away, I'm not left with much

veronikka said:

Especially if you have kids

veronikka said:

my health insurance is $100 very two weeks...and i also have dental, vision, short and long term disability taken out. single brutha with no dependents...i think i lose almost $700 before i get my check

Fury said:

It should definitely be enough for someone who doesn't pay rent

But I think of people who make less than that and support kids on top of everything (rent, gas, car, food, insurance, utilities), and I don't know how they do it!

NDRU said:

Agreed! My bro-in-law was making a little bit more than that when he left the military, and with a wife and two young kids with all that was mentioned above, suffice to say that he ate dinner more often at my house than at home....and the area where I'm at in Arizona isn't exactly the high rent district....

I make half or that so yes it is good to me.

in california it's not enough!!! that's for sure!this state is driving me nutty with costs!

hell naw!

Fury said:

I lose about the same, my health insurance is way high

Fury said:

I wish. I make $8/hour.

prb said:

Gosh, me too. I don't even make HALF that an hour where I work. This economy totally sux!!!!!

prb said:

That's happening to everyone, I'm afraid. No one is as rich as they used to be as our money simply isn't going as far.
That and I lost a third of my 401k this year, most people did as well.

depends on your expenses and where you live, like what Anx said.

Fury said:

In my area

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

It's not triple that here, but it's not that cheap either! But you also have to look at WHERE in Texas. It's cheaper in outstate Minnesota than it is in the suburbs, which is cheaper than the city, depending on where it is, etc.

Depends: $20 x 2020 = $40,400 gross per year
In Cali on that salary: U have 4 roommates.
In Georgia, u can buy a single family home.

Fury said:

Dang. I'm very fortunate that I get great benefits. I think I pay $15 a month for health insurance now...and $10 a month for dental.

$20 an hour is decent, especially nowadays AND that you're not paying rent! I make a little less than that and I pay rent, student loans, car insurance blah blah blah and I'm doing ok. Still able to vacation and save a couple hundred a month.

I could have never imagine how my views of what 'good money' is would change.
When I was a single parent with 3 kids, I survived on VERY little. Now that I am 12 years into my career, and make more than I think I could have imagined back then, I am always thinking about how if I made more, my life would be simpler. That not true though.
$20/hr would be 'ok' here, but not enough to really give you any cushion.

Not in the Bay Area, it's not.

CarrieMpls said:

Fifteen years ago, my first apartment in Dallas was 800 sq ft with all appliances and I paid $380/month. I lived there for 5 years and ended up paying $425. The same apartment runs about $500 now. I went apartment hunting with a friend last week and in a really nice area outside of downtown you can pay about $1000/month for 1400 sq ft 3 bdrm apt. Texas, in general, except for Austin, is pretty reasonable. And when I bought my first home, 10 years ago, I was making about $15/hour on my primary job.
[Edited 1/13/09 11:46am]

SCNDLS said:

You can't rent an apartment let alone buy a house in Cali for 15 an hour. Not even in Compton!