# How to make $500,000 per year and still struggle **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866 "2019-07-10T21:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/21 "2019-07-11T14:49:37Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > On the off chance this is real: > > “As you can see, each year we have a large deficit.” > > No. They are investing **$66,000 a year** between the 401k and the monthly Vanguard contribution. I’m not saying that should be their first cut, but you do not have a “large deficit” when just the money you’re choosing to sit on could finance an above-average household in Kansas. And another $1000 a month to a college fund for kids they don’t have yet. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/22 "2019-07-11T15:04:59Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > $500 - $800 a month on wine??? Come on. We have a bottle (or two if we have guests) at least 4 nights a week. 20 nights per month (not counting restaurant meals) I’d say the average price is $50. (range 20 to 70) That’s $1,000 per month. I could be over on the average price, but probably under on number of bottles. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/23 "2019-07-11T15:10:32Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We have a bottle (or two if we have guests) at least 4 nights a week. 20 nights per month (not counting restaurant meals) I’d say the average price is $50. (range 20 to 70) That’s $1,000 per month. I could be over on the average price, but probably under on number of bottles. Damn, you must really like wine! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/24 "2019-07-11T15:28:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t for a second believe this is real. I agree. > [@Procrustus](#): > > We have a bottle (or two if we have guests) at least 4 nights a week. 20 nights per month (not counting restaurant meals) I’d say the average price is $50. (range 20 to 70) That’s $1,000 per month. I could be over on the average price, but probably under on number of bottles. As long as you can afford it, fantastic. Live like a king. But I really hope debt is not helping to pay for a luxurious lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/25 "2019-07-11T15:31:31Z")
I think my clothing costs might reach as high as $400 per decade. They do know that if you wash clothes, it’s possible to wear the same clothes again, right? Then again, people like this might be the reason why it’s possible to buy brand-new nice clothes for a buck at the thrift shop. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/26 "2019-07-11T15:39:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think my clothing costs might reach as high as $400 per decade. They do know that if you wash clothes, it’s possible to wear the same clothes again, right? Yea, I’m sure I don’t own $2000 worth of clothes in total. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/27 "2019-07-11T15:45:49Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > As long as you can afford it, fantastic. Live like a king. > > But I really hope debt is not helping to pay for a luxurious lifestyle. Agree. If we were running a deficit, it would be an easy place to cut back. (also, WTF bitcoins?) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/28 "2019-07-11T16:35:18Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …reminds me of one of my favourite twitter jokes ever. The replies are gold. > > > [@@dril](#): > > > > Food $200 > > Data $150 > > Rent $800 > > Candles $3,600 > > Utility $150 > > someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying > > [https://twitter.com/dril/status/384408932061417472?lang=en](https://twitter.com/dril/status/384408932061417472?lang=en) It took too long to get to the obvious answer, which is “spend less on food”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/29 "2019-07-11T16:45:21Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Agree. If we were running a deficit, it would be an easy place to cut back. > > (also, WTF bitcoins?) And there’s a lot of leeway in wine; there are plenty of decent sub-$50 bottles out there to choose from, without having to go to Trader Joes. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/30 "2019-07-11T17:09:02Z")
It’s rage clicking. Don’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/31 "2019-07-11T19:35:58Z")
The clothes budget is totally reasonable. I’m sure the influencer wife just controls that hot Kansas fashion scene. (Yeah, this has troll written all over it.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/32 "2019-07-11T20:10:24Z")
> [@neutro](#): > > $36k per year. Fly back and forth to Europe a couple of times, once to Hawaii and you are already there for a family (assuming you fly at least business). why would any sane person with a reasonable grasp of finances assume “at least business”? > [@](#): > > It cost me $12k to the fly the two of us to Aus/NZ earlier this year and that’s a heavily discounted fare for business class. so…don’t fly business? > [@](#): > > Basically stuff is expensive. it is only as expensive as you choose it to be. The amount you paid for two flights is more than I’m paying for a family of four to go to Bangkok, New Zealand and Hong Kong, accommodation, car hire, food, activities and spending money included. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/33 "2019-07-11T20:13:45Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We have a bottle (or two if we have guests) at least 4 nights a week. 20 nights per month (not counting restaurant meals) I’d say the average price is $50. (range 20 to 70) That’s $1,000 per month. I could be over on the average price, but probably under on number of bottles. And I’m sure you’d agree that if you were doing so whilst running a multi-thousand deficit each month, you’d be deserving of industrial levels of scorn. ETA - as I see you’ve already freely admitted, no matter it was a rhetorical question anyway as at least you had an immediate grasp on what you spend and why, not a quality abundant in the (probably non-existent) OP couple. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/34 "2019-07-11T20:31:45Z")
People always find a way to spend whatever income they earn. There’s a lifestyle for every income level. The baseline starts with your rent or mortgage payment. Do you drive a paid for beater or have a car payment? Credit card payments? It is amazing that some people find themselves short of money earning 500k a year. That’s ten times my income. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/35 "2019-07-11T22:40:23Z")
It’s MarketWatch. Perhaps the least credible place to find decent information. It’s where you go only after you have read the entire internet and are somehow still bored and need something to read. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/36 "2019-07-11T23:03:57Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > it is only as expensive as you choose it to be. The amount you paid for two flights is more than I’m paying for a family of four to go to Bangkok, New Zealand and Hong Kong, accommodation, car hire, food, activities and spending money included. No kidding. My wife and I flew to Mumbai from Chicago and back a few years ago, and it was around $2K total. Looking online right now, you can do it for under $700 a person with Lufthansa. I mean, sure, if you’ve got the money and wanna chill, pay the $6K ticket each (though no matter how comfortable, I can’t see myself paying that premium on business class), but there’s no reason you have to pay $6K a person to get literally halfway around the world. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/37 "2019-07-12T01:45:52Z")
Don’t forget there’s: $18m/ year to 401(k) $100/month to Bitcoin - an investment $4m/month to Vanguard - another investment He may be in hock now, but with saving/investing $67m/year they’ll have a good retirement! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/38 "2019-07-12T01:49:03Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Don’t forget there’s: > $18m/ year to 401(k) > $100/month to Bitcoin - an investment > $4m/month to Vanguard - another investment > > He may be in hock now, but with saving/investing $67m/year they’ll have a good retirement! I think the bitcoin is money down the drain. Time will tell ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/39 "2019-07-12T02:08:14Z")
Median home price in Kansas is around $150k even in the large cities. If they’re spending 10k a month on a mortgage its because they bought a million dollar home. Also there is no way they spend $2640 a month in property taxes. Property taxes in Kansas are something like 1.5% a year. Even on a million dollar home it should be 15k a year, which is about 1200/month. If that figure is accurate, their home is worth 2 million. Half their income is spent on housing, which is a choice they’ve made. They can easily buy a modest 3-4 bedroom home and pay it off in 2 years. Plus as others have said, 3k on flights, 2k on clothes, 1k on a kid that doesn’t exist, 1k on charity. Thats 7k right there. They’re spending about 13k/month on housing, plus another 7k on the four items just listed. Anyway, its probably fake but still interesting to read. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866/40 "2019-07-12T02:25:38Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > why would any sane person with a reasonable grasp of finances assume “at least business”? > > so…don’t fly business? > > it is only as expensive as you choose it to be. The amount you paid for two flights is more than I’m paying for a family of four to go to Bangkok, New Zealand and Hong Kong, accommodation, car hire, food, activities and spending money included. Yeah I would never pay for anything above economy class because I hate flying in the first place. Paying more for doing it would make me hate it even more. I do pay for nice hotels because I like to stay in nice places and the price difference between a cheap hotel and a nice hotel ($50 - $400) is bearable. YMMV [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-500-000-per-year-and-still-struggle/836866.md?page=3)