7 ms·

In a single worker house, no daycare - so strike that. $2000 for health insurance in the US? Not from a professional job. Normal employee copays for a famils

In a single worker house, no daycare - so strike that. $2000 for health insurance in the US? Not from a professional job. Normal employee copays for a famils are in the $200-$400 per month range. $2000 rent? No way. Move. You can live for $1000 or less in many areas of the world with great jobs. $1000 groceries? No way, try more like $500. here is the spending report of a family of 3. It is about $25,000. http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/01/16/exposed-the-mmm-familys-2014-spending/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/01/16/exposed-the-mmm-fa... That should be the baseline for where you think. Not some crazy fantasy land with a $2000 mortgage and $2000 daycare (despite 1 parent being stay at home)

Arizhel 10y ago
>Normal employee copays for a famils are in the $200-$400 per month range. Completely wrong. Mine is about $850 for two people, no kids.
- brianwawok 10y ago
  Total cost on the open market for that kind of plan is 1k - 1.2k, so your work basically has no health benefit? I have never had that experience...
  - eli_gottlieb 10y ago
    Yeah, my health insurance costs about $800/month before the employer portion, for two people, no preexisting conditions, no children.
  - st3v3r 10y ago
    The guy telling others how to live their life has no experience contrary to their own, and thus no empathy? Fancy that.
ashark 10y ago
MMM's posts are all from the perspective of someone who: 1) has a paid off house, 2) has a lot of money in the bank, can get a job with benefits easily on short-ish notice and has no-one with chronic illnesses in his household (= incredibly low health insurance costs). He also gains all kinds of savings by not being dependent on a 9-5, like having enormous choice in housing location, lower transportation expenses, and so on. This is the end state of someone who's made it, and spending at that level's not realistic for a family that's still working, because their spending is necessarily much higher due to having fewer options to reduce costs. I like the general attitude of that blog, but after going on a reading binge of it a couple years ago I came away with the impression that it's subtly misleading and kinda scummy. Stuff like "how I thrive with no job (by already having a ton of money, and actually having 3 part-time jobs, one of which is getting you to click affiliate links on this very blog)", or "Why are you paying so much for health insurance, really guys, it's cheap (if you're in an exactly perfect life situation, what, are you not?)" Clickbaity humblebragging and condescending wankery mixed with good advice about frugality (some of which is actually useful to people who don't already have a ton of money in the bank), in service of making him money via one of his not-jobs. > Normal employee copays for a famils are in the $200-$400 per month range. No. Maybe for one person, not a family. Yes, there are companies that deliver great benefits on health care (I'm at one) but they're exceptional. $2000 seems high, but $200-400 is low by at least half.
- RUG3Y 10y ago
  I agree. MMM is completely unhelpful for someone who is not already in a great position. If you have great income and you want to retire early by saving on some big expenses, MMM probably has some good advice for you. If you are relatively poor and you're trying to figure out how to pay off your student loans, fix your beater that you need to get to the office, and afford health insurance, while having essentially zero money left over, MMM's advice is essentially worthless. It's like telling a homeless guy with no jacket, "Why are you cold? Just put a jacket on."
- laughfactory 10y ago
  Or find a company which pays the entire premium for the entire family. They do exist. I work for one and it's awesome.
st3v3r 10y ago
I stopped taking you seriously when you said "move".
- laughfactory 10y ago
  LOL and I just said the same thing.

Arizhel 10y ago

>Normal employee copays for a famils are in the $200-$400 per month range. Completely wrong. Mine is about $850 for two people, no kids.

brianwawok 10y ago
Total cost on the open market for that kind of plan is 1k - 1.2k, so your work basically has no health benefit? I have never had that experience...
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  Yeah, my health insurance costs about $800/month before the employer portion, for two people, no preexisting conditions, no children.
- st3v3r 10y ago
  The guy telling others how to live their life has no experience contrary to their own, and thus no empathy? Fancy that.

ashark 10y ago

MMM's posts are all from the perspective of someone who: 1) has a paid off house, 2) has a lot of money in the bank, can get a job with benefits easily on short-ish notice and has no-one with chronic illnesses in his household (= incredibly low health insurance costs). He also gains all kinds of savings by not being dependent on a 9-5, like having enormous choice in housing location, lower transportation expenses, and so on. This is the end state of someone who's made it, and spending at that level's not realistic for a family that's still working, because their spending is necessarily much higher due to having fewer options to reduce costs. I like the general attitude of that blog, but after going on a reading binge of it a couple years ago I came away with the impression that it's subtly misleading and kinda scummy. Stuff like "how I thrive with no job (by already having a ton of money, and actually having 3 part-time jobs, one of which is getting you to click affiliate links on this very blog)", or "Why are you paying so much for health insurance, really guys, it's cheap (if you're in an exactly perfect life situation, what, are you not?)" Clickbaity humblebragging and condescending wankery mixed with good advice about frugality (some of which is actually useful to people who don't already have a ton of money in the bank), in service of making him money via one of his not-jobs. > Normal employee copays for a famils are in the $200-$400 per month range. No. Maybe for one person, not a family. Yes, there are companies that deliver great benefits on health care (I'm at one) but they're exceptional. $2000 seems high, but $200-400 is low by at least half.

RUG3Y 10y ago
I agree. MMM is completely unhelpful for someone who is not already in a great position. If you have great income and you want to retire early by saving on some big expenses, MMM probably has some good advice for you. If you are relatively poor and you're trying to figure out how to pay off your student loans, fix your beater that you need to get to the office, and afford health insurance, while having essentially zero money left over, MMM's advice is essentially worthless. It's like telling a homeless guy with no jacket, "Why are you cold? Just put a jacket on."
laughfactory 10y ago
Or find a company which pays the entire premium for the entire family. They do exist. I work for one and it's awesome.

st3v3r 10y ago

I stopped taking you seriously when you said "move".

laughfactory 10y ago
LOL and I just said the same thing.