4 ms·

Honest question, why couldn’t your family survive on 200k? High mortgage? “Break my family” seems pretty hefty and 200k is a decent chunk of change.

ke88y 3y ago
Kids are expensive and housing is intractable where the mid-level jobs are. In some housing markets, a family with 2 boys and 2 girls earning $150K/yr will qualify for government subsidized housing. It's not 1995 anymore and not everywhere is the suburban midwest.
- gamblor956 3y ago
  *In some housing markets, a family with 2 boys and 2 girls earning $150K/yr will qualify for government subsidized housing Going to need some support for that...Because that's definitely not true in one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., Los Angeles.
  - ke88y 3y ago
    Boston's income-restricted housing program is available up to 150% AMI, and 100% AMI is a pretty common cutoff. A 6 person household with $150K is 90% AMI. In fact, even $200K at 120% AMI still qualifies for some units. There's a calculator you can use that will estimate AMI and generate lists of subsidized units available: https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/ami-estimator/ https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/ami-estimator/ The limits in LA are lower, but a six person family still qualifies for public assistance at $117K: https://housing.lacity.org/housing/helping-low-income-first-time-homebuyers https://housing.lacity.org/housing/helping-low-income-first-...
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  Poverty line for a single person in San Fran is $80k/year. In pretty much any flyover state 80k a year is decent, and somewhere like Rural Kentucky, will put you into a fairly nice house. I know folks who took a big pay cut to work remotely so they could leave NoVA and head to KY. They could get a sizable house for ~$290k (and they're from KY / have fam around, a big selling point) and basically as much land as they're comfortable with. And to the parent poster's point, kids definitely change the equation. Not even talking things like private schools or fancy sports, just simple stuff like diapers, or replacing a torn backpack cuz Jr. decided he likes swinging it around as he walks home. And braces, jeez.
  - jghn 3y ago
    The difference between 80K and 600K works out to be a whole heck of a lot of diapers and backpacks
drivebyhooting 3y ago
Very high cost of living. Mortgage, 3 children, no grand parents.

ke88y 3y ago

Kids are expensive and housing is intractable where the mid-level jobs are. In some housing markets, a family with 2 boys and 2 girls earning $150K/yr will qualify for government subsidized housing. It's not 1995 anymore and not everywhere is the suburban midwest.

gamblor956 3y ago
*In some housing markets, a family with 2 boys and 2 girls earning $150K/yr will qualify for government subsidized housing Going to need some support for that...Because that's definitely not true in one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., Los Angeles.
- ke88y 3y ago
  Boston's income-restricted housing program is available up to 150% AMI, and 100% AMI is a pretty common cutoff. A 6 person household with $150K is 90% AMI. In fact, even $200K at 120% AMI still qualifies for some units. There's a calculator you can use that will estimate AMI and generate lists of subsidized units available: https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/ami-estimator/ https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/ami-estimator/ The limits in LA are lower, but a six person family still qualifies for public assistance at $117K: https://housing.lacity.org/housing/helping-low-income-first-time-homebuyers https://housing.lacity.org/housing/helping-low-income-first-...
red-iron-pine 3y ago
Poverty line for a single person in San Fran is $80k/year. In pretty much any flyover state 80k a year is decent, and somewhere like Rural Kentucky, will put you into a fairly nice house. I know folks who took a big pay cut to work remotely so they could leave NoVA and head to KY. They could get a sizable house for ~$290k (and they're from KY / have fam around, a big selling point) and basically as much land as they're comfortable with. And to the parent poster's point, kids definitely change the equation. Not even talking things like private schools or fancy sports, just simple stuff like diapers, or replacing a torn backpack cuz Jr. decided he likes swinging it around as he walks home. And braces, jeez.
- jghn 3y ago
  The difference between 80K and 600K works out to be a whole heck of a lot of diapers and backpacks

drivebyhooting 3y ago

Very high cost of living. Mortgage, 3 children, no grand parents.