I'm a socialite. My primary income comes from a trust and is currently capped at $43,655/month, which covers modest living expenses. Everything I make doing product endorsements and from making special appearances, speaking engagements, etc. I donate to the Iroquois Nation's Little Indian Club, Animal Shelter, and Clean Plate Club.
I'll answer honestly, with the understanding that there will be some manure flipped back at me for saying this.
When we lived in California, our combined income was in the range of $1.3 million a year at its peak. I got tired of working so much and having that level of pressure just to make someone else even richer so I went solo, then started a non-profit, and my income dropped by about 90%. My wife was a bit late to that way of thinking and she was the one pulling in more than half of the income, but she also got tired of living her life so others could be billionaires (and she was working longer hours than I was, with a 3+ hour commute each day).
So she's now mostly retired and most of my work is non-profit. We make less than 10% of what we used to, but we have WAY better quality of life in Montana, lower costs of living, lower taxes and more freedom.
There's a time and place to put up with the rat race, but if you spend too much of your life chasing wealth you won't be happy.
I am a high school teacher with my master's degree and 27 years of experience in Fairbanks, Alaska. I work in June on a Per Diem basis and my annual salary is 125,000 per year. A lot of that goes to Uncle Sam. I also work 20-30 hours per week as a camping associate at Sportsman's Warehouse with a top salary that I can't publish without getting into trouble but I can tell you that I make about 14K on that job. My wife is an artist and runs a gift shop that generally makes about 10K per year. It is expensive up here and I am stacking money into savings and into commodities. I have a dividend yield 501 K that is low six figures that is heavily leaning towards energy stocks. I have a paid off pickup and a suv. I am still paying on the mortgage but I abide.
Remson, your truthful reply I find very interesting.
My sister is a lawyer in the bay area and she used to make major cash. But she tired of the crazy calls at 2AM from the higher ups and finally couldn't take it any longer.
She now has a M-F job where she does legal work for one of the counties down there and she is much happier.
Same deal with my brother. He is a dentist and went from running his own practice in southern CA to working for a practice in South Dakota. He is also happier.
Retired I make about half of what I used to. But I live better now and have more in my pocket then I ever did. If your lucky enough to live long enough to pay everything off, it don't take as much.
I was raised, like probably a lot of folks here, to believe that it's taboo to discuss how much money one earns. It's just not something that folks did. I'm still very uncomfortable discussing it, but I guess I can't really think of a reason why. So screw it, if you're really interested, here goes. I retired from the military and my pension is around $33k/year. I work as a program manager for a shipyard that works on Navy ships and my salary is $125K with a 6% 401K match and an annual incentive bonus that usually falls around 10% of my salary. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. I've been fortunate and pretty frugal, so my monthly bills are covered by my pension. My only debt is my mortgage, so I'm able to sock a good bit away for retirement. I turn 55 this Wednesday and plan to probably keep working for 5 more years. I guess that's a bit more info than you asked for, but that's it.
More important than all that is I woke up today, I'm pretty healthy, my kids and grandkids are doing great, and I have a good woman that loves me. And a couple of really good dogs.
Retired I make about half of what I used to. But I live better now and have more in my pocket then I ever did. If your lucky enough to live long enough to pay everything off, it don't take as much.
SamOlson: Long since retired but I will bring in ($82,000.00 after taxes!) this year from pensions and small investment. VarmintWife will add another $36,000.00 to that (after taxes) from her pensions - so I am gonna go spend some! And as an additional comment - my monies go a LOT farther here in Montana than where I spent my "working life" earning it! Bought my wife a new Toyota whoop-de-doo Highlander last month - NEVER gonna worry about "car fatigue" (older tired cars) ever again. Good planning PAYS off in the long run! Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
Sam , I make about what you make counseling women in The Sex Workers Unions in the Las Vegas and Reno districts. Many of them need assistance with retirement planning and Medical Savings Plans.
Not an attempt to make you feel bad , but our take home together is considerably less than the average Female sex worker.... in Vegas anyway.
Hello Sam. Great topic. I get $7K monthly from my retirement. Worked for Procter & Gamble since I was 18 YO until I was 59 1/2 YO. 41 1/2 years total & still a part time small farmer. I get $1800. monthly from SS but pay $300. back monthly due to our combined income. Wife retired as a Registered Nurse in 2020 after 40+ years of service. She collects $1500. SS monthly. We are in the Marcellus Gas play and collect pretty good royalties also. We're living comfortably & help our family out with expenses when we can & help at the local food pantry in town 6 miles away. Good thing we have farmers like you to work your a$$ off to feed the world.
Remson, your truthful reply I find very interesting.
My sister is a lawyer in the bay area and she used to make major cash. But she tired of the crazy calls at 2AM from the higher ups and finally couldn't take it any longer.
She now has a M-F job where she does legal work for one of the counties down there and she is much happier.
Same deal with my brother. He is a dentist and went from running his own practice in southern CA to working for a practice in South Dakota. He is also happier.
It's all about perspective. My mom arrived in the US with what she was wearing and twenty cents (I don't recall the story of that, but it was given to her before she was released from the concentration camp) and my dad's family had a similar story. We all worked hard when we were kids, from paper routes to delivering furniture and hauling scrap metal. I used to get a $3.50 paycheck for the paper route (weekly) and I got paid $20 a day for the delivery/scrap metal work. My first real job after college paid $15k a year in the late 1980s. When I got out of law school, I was making big bucks at the time $60k to start, and when I left NYC I was making over $300k a year, then it went up from there in CA. The price for that was, as your sister experienced, 24/7 working and ridiculous amounts of stress.
It's nice to be able to do something like walk into a car dealer and drive off with a $140k car without even thinking about whether the check you just wrote will clear. It's even nicer to wake up in the morning knowing that whatever you have is paid for and you are happiest driving your older pickup to go hunting and never having to give a second though to how many emails/texts/voicemails will be waiting for you when you get home. I wouldn't change a thing about the years working my butt off for big money, but that's something folks should do between about age 25 and 50. If you keep chasing money after that age, you have lost the game.
I built an electronics systems company and sold it about 15 years ago. Now I let a professional management company manage my investments and earn more by doing nothing than I ever did while working. My income fluctuates but was in the 7-figures according to my 2021 tax return. I have no debts and buy whatever I want.
I wish I'd done more hunting earlier. I've been to Africa three times. Now arthritis limits that. I wish someone would invent a "happiness meter." While I'm pretty happy, it would not surprise me if Jim Conrad and some others might score higher than me.
I was raised, like probably a lot of folks here, to believe that it's taboo to discuss how much money one earns. It's just not something that folks did. I'm still very uncomfortable discussing it, but I guess I can't really think of a reason why. So screw it, if you're really interested, here goes. I retired from the military and my pension is around $33k/year. I work as a program manager for a shipyard that works on Navy ships and my salary is $125K with a 6% 401K match and an annual incentive bonus that usually falls around 10% of my salary. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. I've been fortunate and pretty frugal, so my monthly bills are covered by my pension. My only debt is my mortgage, so I'm able to sock a good bit away for retirement. I turn 55 this Wednesday and plan to probably keep working for 5 more years. I guess that's a bit more info than you asked for, but that's it.
More important than all that is I woke up today, I'm pretty healthy, my kids and grandkids are doing great, and I have a good woman that loves me. And a couple of really good dogs.
About 8500 to 8800 a month combined after taxes and med insurance. With me bringing in 4980 of that amount after taxes and the med ins.
Me work since 2015???🤣🤣🤣 Khanarella moving up food chain HR for the 2 largest Daycares in town Via a degree I paid for......
Used to be combined gross around 195 to 210k per yr my last couple of years of civilian work. Being in the 20 + % tax bracket sucked azz.... And only the 2 of us.....
12 % now sucks azz IMO.
Just wait till the Trump brackets expire in 2025 and the liberal socialist Democrats go ape schit raising em again...
Bohica... April 15 is coming.
Smile Do your part Pay your taxes
10,s of millions of Liberal Socialist Democrat voters on welfare as a way of life depend on you...
I enjoy tax return commercials this time of year.......
Oh and Pray for Ukraine also.😏😏😏 Let's send em some more Benjamin's......
All seriousness though, wife and i do well. Not nearly as well as some of you, but more tha good enough to live a fun life amd own some fun chit. Key is to be happy no matter your financial situation
I wait for the phone to ring or email to chime so I can fix other peoples multiple fu.ck ups that have reached critical mass and are about to cost employer "someone is getting fired" money.
For this they pay me the princely sum of around $94,000 and benies this year.
Remson, your truthful reply I find very interesting.
My sister is a lawyer in the bay area and she used to make major cash. But she tired of the crazy calls at 2AM from the higher ups and finally couldn't take it any longer.
She now has a M-F job where she does legal work for one of the counties down there and she is much happier.
Same deal with my brother. He is a dentist and went from running his own practice in southern CA to working for a practice in South Dakota. He is also happier.
It's all about perspective. My mom arrived in the US with what she was wearing and twenty cents (I don't recall the story of that, but it was given to her before she was released from the concentration camp) and my dad's family had a similar story. We all worked hard when we were kids, from paper routes to delivering furniture and hauling scrap metal. I used to get a $3.50 paycheck for the paper route (weekly) and I got paid $20 a day for the delivery/scrap metal work. My first real job after college paid $15k a year in the late 1980s. When I got out of law school, I was making big bucks at the time $60k to start, and when I left NYC I was making over $300k a year, then it went up from there in CA. The price for that was, as your sister experienced, 24/7 working and ridiculous amounts of stress.
It's nice to be able to do something like walk into a car dealer and drive off with a $140k car without even thinking about whether the check you just wrote will clear. It's even nicer to wake up in the morning knowing that whatever you have is paid for and you are happiest driving your older pickup to go hunting and never having to give a second though to how many emails/texts/voicemails will be waiting for you when you get home. I wouldn't change a thing about the years working my butt off for big money, but that's something folks should do between about age 25 and 50. If you keep chasing money after that age, you have lost the game.
A good friend of mine paid for a house on a lake and a pole building full of toys junking.He would before work fill up a 7' X 16' trailer with 4' sides with scrap metal from cruising alleys in Milwaukee before work .Guys would criticize and cut him down behind his back. Little did they know how his junking paid off.
Turn 60 in june. Then 24 months till that SS pocket money... Then start getting fuuked with Medicare or Medicaid What ever the fuuk it is called mandatory payments outta that schit.....
And fuuking getting bumped up into another fuuiking tax bracket probably.
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
do you hire illegal aliens? If so do you pay them under the table? Write them a check? Do you take 10% of their pay and "Donate" it to the local church??
Will a pard be a pard and quote this please, wabigoon is a twat and has me on ignore.
$80k per yr. Facility Manager for a gelatin capsule plant. Handle all maintenance and outside contractors. Been there 30 yrs. I am considered management according to my job title but tell them to let me know what happens in meetings. I hate conference rooms and and the ass kissing mofo's in there. Rather get my hands greasy.
About 8500 to 8800 a month combined after taxes and med insurance. With me bringing in 4980 of that amount after taxes and the med ins.
Me work since 2015???🤣🤣🤣 Khanarella moving up food chain HR for the 2 largest Daycares in town Via a degree I paid for......
Used to be combined gross around 195 to 210k per yr my last couple of years of civilian work. Being in the 20 + % tax bracket sucked azz.... And only the 2 of us.....
12 % now sucks azz IMO.
Just wait till the Trump brackets expire in 2025 and the liberal socialist Democrats go ape schit raising em again...
Bohica... April 15 is coming.
Smile Do your part Pay your taxes
10,s of millions of Liberal Socialist Democrat voters on welfare as a way of life depend on you...
I enjoy tax return commercials this time of year.......
Oh and Pray for Ukraine also.😏😏😏 Let's send em some more Benjamin's......
JFC.......
Dang I bet you guys makes forbes magazine this year top 100 billioniares in the world- Nugget is Jealous.
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
do you hire illegal aliens? If so do you pay them under the table? Write them a check? Do you take 10% of their pay and "Donate" it to the local church??
Will a pard be a pard and quote this please, wabigoon is a twat and has me on ignore.
About 8500 to 8800 a month combined after taxes and med insurance. With me bringing in 4980 of that amount after taxes and the med ins.
Me work since 2015???🤣🤣🤣 Khanarella moving up food chain HR for the 2 largest Daycares in town Via a degree I paid for......
Used to be combined gross around 195 to 210k per yr my last couple of years of civilian work. Being in the 20 + % tax bracket sucked azz.... And only the 2 of us.....
12 % now sucks azz IMO.
Just wait till the Trump brackets expire in 2025 and the liberal socialist Democrats go ape schit raising em again...
Bohica... April 15 is coming.
Smile Do your part Pay your taxes
10,s of millions of Liberal Socialist Democrat voters on welfare as a way of life depend on you...
I enjoy tax return commercials this time of year.......
Oh and Pray for Ukraine also.😏😏😏 Let's send em some more Benjamin's......
JFC.......
Dang I bet you guys makes forbes magazine this year top 100 billioniares in the world- Nugget is Jealous.
🥴🥴🥴 Schitt dude.... Homie knows you and your Ole lady are comfortable also.
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
do you hire illegal aliens? If so do you pay them under the table? Write them a check? Do you take 10% of their pay and "Donate" it to the local church??
Will a pard be a pard and quote this please, wabigoon is a twat and has me on ignore.
About 8500 to 8800 a month combined after taxes and med insurance. With me bringing in 4980 of that amount after taxes and the med ins.
Me work since 2015???🤣🤣🤣 Khanarella moving up food chain HR for the 2 largest Daycares in town Via a degree I paid for......
Used to be combined gross around 195 to 210k per yr my last couple of years of civilian work. Being in the 20 + % tax bracket sucked azz.... And only the 2 of us.....
12 % now sucks azz IMO.
Just wait till the Trump brackets expire in 2025 and the liberal socialist Democrats go ape schit raising em again...
Bohica... April 15 is coming.
Smile Do your part Pay your taxes
10,s of millions of Liberal Socialist Democrat voters on welfare as a way of life depend on you...
I enjoy tax return commercials this time of year.......
Oh and Pray for Ukraine also.😏😏😏 Let's send em some more Benjamin's......
JFC.......
Dang I bet you guys makes forbes magazine this year top 100 billioniares in the world- Nugget is Jealous.
🥴🥴🥴 Schitt dude.... Homie knows you and your Ole lady are comfortable also.
I don't make any money. That's called counterfeiting. They send you to Leavenworth for that silly crap. Though our monthly income is nothing to brag about, we're not desperate enough for "3 hots and a cot" to start counterfeiting......yet! 😜 If "Brandon" keeps it up, who knows!
Retirement. Honey bees. Milling grain.
Keeps us busy, ain't hard work and keeps us in spending money and some small investments.
This thread is better than I thought it might be. It reminds me of a time the boys, and girls were talking about meeting, girls, and telling what they did for a living.
The first plucked the chickens at the rendering plant, and it went either uphill, or down after that.
Can I get a burger when I want? Can I get the hunting tags I want? Can I afford primers, 1k at a crack - 2022 prices? Can I buy my kid chit he don't need but I know he likes from time to time?
wabigoon: Reminds me of the story of the first grade teacher who was doing a unit on occupations. Began row by row asking the boys and girls what their parents did for a living. Electrician, beautician, cook, nurse, banker, trucker, accountant, factory worker and on and on till she got to Johnny. “He plays piano at a whorehouse!” Aghast, she runs to the principal and demands that he has social services immediately start an investigation to see if Johnny’s father is an unfit parent. The principal decides to call Johnny’s father in for a conference. They wait, looking out the window and in about 25 minutes a big black Mercedes parks out front. A well dressed man in a 3 piece suit and alligator brief case walks up the sidewalk to the Office. The school secretary shows directs the man to the principal’s private office. Introductions are made and the principal gets right into reason for the called conference. Do you know why you were called in? I assume it has something to do with my son, Johnny. The teacher blurts in that she was doing a unit on occupations and what do you think he said you do for a living? SAID YOU PLAYED PIANO AT A WHOREHOUSE! The man turned beet red and said I can explain! I can explain!The boy is only 7 years old and I’m a single parent. I couldn’t tell him I’m a LAWYER! 6
REtired after 31 years, wife retired after 25 years , both have pensions and draw SS and I have a part time hobby that puts us over 6 figures. Good investments, don't need any of it, as those are for my kids, and grandkids. When you owe nothing to nobody, no home mortgage, no car payments, just monthly expenses, it's a nice comfortable life. Being self employed even part time at 78, Self Employment Taxes suck, somewhere around 23%, if I didn't enjoy it I'd quit. Still able to walk into my local Lincoln Dealership last March and wrote a check for over $67K, gave the blank check to the Salesperson to fill out, the lines on the check were to small to write that amount with my big writing style. College Education, (both), one marriage, three kids (all college grads) good health, wise investing, good health and luck, life's been good to use..
$25 an hour for 40 hours a week is around 50K a year. I had the impression that you were on the clock nearly all the time, or is that just calving season?
Regardless, if you're happy, then that's all that matters.
I'll answer honestly, with the understanding that there will be some manure flipped back at me for saying this.
When we lived in California, our combined income was in the range of $1.3 million a year at its peak. I got tired of working so much and having that level of pressure just to make someone else even richer so I went solo, then started a non-profit, and my income dropped by about 90%. My wife was a bit late to that way of thinking and she was the one pulling in more than half of the income, but she also got tired of living her life so others could be billionaires (and she was working longer hours than I was, with a 3+ hour commute each day).
So she's now mostly retired and most of my work is non-profit. We make less than 10% of what we used to, but we have WAY better quality of life in Montana, lower costs of living, lower taxes and more freedom.
There's a time and place to put up with the rat race, but if you spend too much of your life chasing wealth you won't be happy.
That is a concept that many find extremely difficult to grasp.
At my old job, I was making $88,500 plus bonus (IF we got it. Depended on the year)
Myself and 49 others were let go in April of 2020 (covid hysteria) when corporate sharpened their pencils. 27 years of loyalty down the drain. I did get a nice severance package. That helped.
Now I work 6 rural miles from home at a job with 150% less stress, making just over $54k and happier than I have been in my adult life.
I’m bringing home $4,200 a month after insurances, retirement and taxes. Currently able to stash away more than a quarter of that against getting hit before too long with home renovation and eventually dental and probably medical expenses.
No complaints since I haven’t actually worked for a living in so long it’s hard to recall, and I only have to show up at “work” 190 days a year.
As a farming operation, the redhead and I each draw a modest (35K) salary, health insurance and retirement deal. We’ve been plowing just about all the profit back into the operation, so though we “make” well into six figures, we don’t take that home. Not sure I could figure out how to spend another 100K every year on “stuff”. Pretty content with the setup we have.
Between the paid off house, kids off the payroll, and driving a farm vehicle, there’s not much in expenses. Neither of us are spenders, and the cost of living is low with buying our pork and beef from local farms, so there’s always money left in the budget we have to figure out what to do with. It’s about time to go to the old country this summer for my mom’s 95th, now that the Covidiocy has died down. May go see Prague or Vienna, never been that far East. As long as we’re back for sharp tail season…..
Remson, your truthful reply I find very interesting.
My sister is a lawyer in the bay area and she used to make major cash. But she tired of the crazy calls at 2AM from the higher ups and finally couldn't take it any longer.
She now has a M-F job where she does legal work for one of the counties down there and she is much happier.
Same deal with my brother. He is a dentist and went from running his own practice in southern CA to working for a practice in South Dakota. He is also happier.
It's all about perspective. My mom arrived in the US with what she was wearing and twenty cents (I don't recall the story of that, but it was given to her before she was released from the concentration camp) and my dad's family had a similar story. We all worked hard when we were kids, from paper routes to delivering furniture and hauling scrap metal. I used to get a $3.50 paycheck for the paper route (weekly) and I got paid $20 a day for the delivery/scrap metal work. My first real job after college paid $15k a year in the late 1980s. When I got out of law school, I was making big bucks at the time $60k to start, and when I left NYC I was making over $300k a year, then it went up from there in CA. The price for that was, as your sister experienced, 24/7 working and ridiculous amounts of stress.
It's nice to be able to do something like walk into a car dealer and drive off with a $140k car without even thinking about whether the check you just wrote will clear. It's even nicer to wake up in the morning knowing that whatever you have is paid for and you are happiest driving your older pickup to go hunting and never having to give a second though to how many emails/texts/voicemails will be waiting for you when you get home. I wouldn't change a thing about the years working my butt off for big money, but that's something folks should do between about age 25 and 50. If you keep chasing money after that age, you have lost the game.
There is no other place in the world where poor refugees can go from nothing to millionaires in a generation! Even more amazing is that Remsen's family story is not unique. The simple fact that one is born as an American means you have already won the lottery of human history.
I make about $55k/annual with about $20k in housing benefit that is not considered taxable income plus health insurance for me and the family and an 11% pension. One could argue that I'm the CEO of a small non-profit. For those of you who actually know what I do, I hope you're chuckling. I hold a Bachelor's Degree of Music Education and a masters degree.
I make $45 per hr. and work about 1,100 hrs. a year. Once in a while I get a good job on my own and make between $60 and $80 per hour. I have been a carpenter for 41 yrs. I could work more, but I am darn tired after 6 hrs. Hanging drywall and doing tile floors are just getting to be too much at almost 60 yrs old now. I dont even want to completely retire though. I want to make enough money to keep myself from burning up all my dividneds from our retirement accounts.. I work about 24 hrs a week?? Many times I only work a few days. Depends on the weather and sometimes I finish ahead of time and go home early. If I am not tired and the weather is ok, I go fishing, hunting, scouting for deer or cut firewood. After dark, I read up on investments and go on the 24 hr. and wonder how so many people make so much money..
I make about $55k/annual with about $20k in housing benefit that is not considered taxable income plus health insurance for me and the family and an 11% pension. One could argue that I'm the CEO of a small non-profit. For those of you who actually know what I do, I hope you're chuckling. I hold a Bachelor's Degree of Music Education and a masters degree.
My earned income is $ 50 a month. My positive net cash flow from my business is about $14k a month, wife's income is about $2200 a month. Appreciation is about $10k a month. I work 2 hrs a month. Next year I get Social Security... woohoo
This was a good year for me. I had a unique situation where I was fired for calling out a bad confined space entry 4 years ago. I filed with special Councel and was awarded 4 years of backpay plus interest. My typical salary is 120k.....but this year was considerably better.
Turning wrenches in the biggest powerhouse in America....I am a blessed sob to be where I am.
Low - 6 figures before 99.99% retirement last October. Transportation engineer - private sector/consulting. My company gave me a $10/hr increase to be available on-call a couple hours a week over the next year which is essentially paying our medical insurance.
Word on the street is I could have doubled my income by leaving Montana to live in some chithole big City. Likely a good career move but huge quality of life trade-off. I'd rather flip burgers here than be miserable chasing $ in my field.
Are you farming with the Ford Maverick still, Dutch?
Lol, you think I broke it in two months, eh? Not so far, 5K miles and I enjoy driving it. It’s comfortable and zippy, but I’d love to trade the back seat for a longer bed. Not enough room for much of anything with some length, and fuel economy while towing is abysmal. On the other hand, it’s been much better in the deep snow we’ve had than I thought it would be. The AWD is pretty flawless.
Low - 6 figures before 99.99% retirement last October. Transportation engineer - private sector/consulting. My company gave me a $10/hr increase to be available on-call a couple hours a week over the next year which is essentially paying our medical insurance.
Word on the street is I could have doubled my income by leaving Montana to live in some chithole big City. Likely a good career move but huge quality of life trade-off. I'd rather flip burgers here than be miserable chasing $ in my field.
Iwe get by ..owe nothing other than power phone and fuel ... I did take OFF for a year plus back in in o6/o7 , cut fire wood for me and sold sum to ....I was hunting and fishing alot I took out so many grouse one week my kids were pizzed ..there wasn't going to be any for them to wack come the weekend !
Youse guys would start a 'go fund me' for me if I had the balls to tell you what we live on.
If'n you folks get real hungry, I've got some taters in the well house I can send over.
I can tell these folks something you can relate to................It costs a whole lot more to live in this fudged up State than a good number of other places we've lived. Vehicle registration, fuel costs, TAXES, etc etc etc
Only good thing is Prop 13 and the restrictions it put on property taxes. They've figured out plenty of other ways to get it out of our wallets.
Sam,
of the top of my head figuring, no pencil or nothin, wife and I probably together bringing in $50k - $60k from our retirements, I don't keep track.. Low mortgage payment on the 7Acre RANCH! and it's only got another 5 years to pay on it. Both vehicles paid for, I posted our whopping $70 electric bill the other day, no nat gas or propane bill, heat is with wood at $170 or so per cord, usually 3 cords a year heating between Sept and June.
We ain't doing bad, wish we had a bit more so we could consider moving, but this place is cheap compared to about anything on the market, even in scheidthole towns. And we even manage to save a bit into a joint account for the house fund.
At my old job, I was making $88,500 plus bonus (IF we got it. Depended on the year)
Myself and 49 others were let go in April of 2020 (covid hysteria) when corporate sharpened their pencils. 27 years of loyalty down the drain. I did get a nice severance package. That helped.
Now I work 6 rural miles from home at a job with 150% less stress, making just over $54k and happier than I have been in my adult life.
Money isn't everything.
Cock A Doodle Do!
Rooster, that means congratulations I think. At least that's what El Feo the rooster was trying to tell me when he was in the Gulag if I understood him correctly.
This was a good year for me. I had a unique situation where I was fired for calling out a bad confined space entry 4 years ago. I filed with special Councel and was awarded 4 years of backpay plus interest. My typical salary is 120k.....but this year was considerably better.
Turning wrenches in the biggest powerhouse in America....I am a blessed sob to be where I am.
Are you farming with the Ford Maverick still, Dutch?
Lol, you think I broke it in two months, eh? Not so far, 5K miles and I enjoy driving it. It’s comfortable and zippy, but I’d love to trade the back seat for a longer bed. Not enough room for much of anything with some length, and fuel economy while towing is abysmal. On the other hand, it’s been much better in the deep snow we’ve had than I thought it would be. The AWD is pretty flawless.
I think in your other post you forgot to mention all the "farm product" you can eat?
I have never fooled myself about where I am at on the socio/economic scale...but this thread has been a pretty harsh reality check. Many men here pay way more tax than I have ever grossed in my life. But on the other hand, I live where people dream of coming for outdoor vacations, we eat way too well, no debt since 1990, decent reliable transportation, medical covered...I don't know what we would do with it if our income tripled. A few years back I shared a story here of a truly good hearted woman who worked at the local grocery for 30 yrs that won a lottery ticket, I forget but it was darn near 3 mill. I ran into her before Christmas at the PO, all is well, but of all things, she talked like she and her husband were still a bit bewildered about how to enjoy the money. They paid all their blood family's debts and mortgages, they are not big travelers, and they have a very nice house is about all. So all the stories of disaster when folks get windfall money are not true in every case.
Low - 6 figures before 99.99% retirement last October. Transportation engineer - private sector/consulting. My company gave me a $10/hr increase to be available on-call a couple hours a week over the next year which is essentially paying our medical insurance.
Word on the street is I could have doubled my income by leaving Montana to live in some chithole big City. Likely a good career move but huge quality of life trade-off. I'd rather flip burgers here than be miserable chasing $ in my field.
Yeah....but Helena??
Lol - good point! I'm no longer tied to Helena job-wise but with kids and grandkids here, it'd be hard to move too far away (we have discussed the idea). I'm sitting in a motel in Shelby at the moment and will be ice fishing on Tiber tomorrow. I spent most of hunting season around Choteau. This part of the state could start to grow on me, but it's too fuggin windy!
Been a commercial fisherman for 40+ years, so no retirement pension. I make less than a $100k including SS. We live redneck and don't owe anyone anything. But I look at the news and realize we're rich. Our kids haven't been in jail and are normal, one's a teacher, one's a radiologist and the other has taken over the commercial fishing operation. Work hard, stay out of trouble and don't get divorced, even a dummy can do good in the US of A.
Been retired since mid 40’s. Did good on a few things along the way and now just play the rental game. I volunteer a lot in my community now which is cool.
Are you farming with the Ford Maverick still, Dutch?
Lol, you think I broke it in two months, eh? Not so far, 5K miles and I enjoy driving it. It’s comfortable and zippy, but I’d love to trade the back seat for a longer bed. Not enough room for much of anything with some length, and fuel economy while towing is abysmal. On the other hand, it’s been much better in the deep snow we’ve had than I thought it would be. The AWD is pretty flawless.
I think in your other post you forgot to mention all the "farm product" you can eat?
It’s hard to admit publicly to being reduced to eating fish three or four times a week….. .
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
Sure you do.
Ever do YOY averages?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wabi turned out to be another RoundOak. But, I think a few members have met him in the flesh.
That’s something RoundOak couldn’t do.
🦫
There are many ROundoaks on this board. I am quite sure Wabbi is not one of them. Stop and think if Roundoak got away for 10,000 posts , and 10 yrs of bs before he was really caught , how many here are full of BS when they post their wages. I have so many times caught guys here posting picks of their wives , smoking hot ,, just to remember a pick of their wife 5 yrs ago , and the other woman was nothing like the smoking hot one. How many times have we all heard they dated smoking hot babes,, ,, but dumped them cause they were nuts??? Truth, you got dumped!! How many guys here go on the girly page and post " I would tap her in a heartbeat, " when that woman would snub them faster than they can slap a tick. LOTS of BS , not just here but on some other boards. How ROundoak got away with it, I am not sure. His bucks were plausible if he really did live in Grant co. Wis. Bucks are huge there. Had me fooled. Only one time did I think he was BSing, when he shot a REAL dandy in Dickinson co. Upper Mich. They just dont grow them that big in that sand country up there. As for me, I posted I make about $55,000 a yr. I'm self employed carpenter. I cant imagine making what many say they make here. I am likely avr. american wage. My wife makes less than me . Because of my low wages I am very frugal , cause my last day of work is one accident away. I drive 09 Impala I bought for $9700 with tax 14 months ago , 44,700 miles on it. The Truck is an 06 GMC diesel, 301,000 on it. Boat is 32 yrs old and bought it new for $2,400 for new boat , older 25 horse Merc. and trailer. I hunt just a few miles from home 95% of the time on public . I have a cabin up north on 7 ac. on the Flambeau River in NW WIs . My dad gave me 7 ac. in central wi. on a river too. We have had some inheritance that is invested. $450K? house is payed 13 yrs ago. Kids dont need me for anything. They make more than me too. It is amazing how I have to be frugal to get to $1,000,000 in a retirement account just to get $30,000 in divies and the retirement plan keeps me poor. In all honesty, I feel left out when all the relatives run off to Arizona, , California, Ireland , and wife went to Egypt to visit out daughter. I stay home . I do hunt deer a lot cause its 5 miles away. I fish close by too. Many may say I'm whining. I'm not, strangely enough, I am quite happy. I tithe 10% to my local church, pay bills and still save 30% of my gross. However, I am eyeing up a Starcraft Freedom180T / 90 horse Yammi for $30,000 after tax. ... I am sure , I could always sell it for what I payed for it so I consider it part of my portfolio, snicker.
I just went back and re-read Sam's OP and by God he's serious so I'll play.
I got my first job out of school in 1982 for $15k/yr. Had a 4 year degree in geology and tried to get into oil & gas but that was during a downturn and no one was hiring then. So I got out the yellow pages and looked up "environmental consultants." Snagged a job with a consultant, that was just when Superfund had started and the job was taking soil and groundwater samples on hazardous waste sites. Not a lot of money, but it allowed me to buy my first new vehicle, a Toyota short bed pickup for $4,995. And see a lot of the country that I hadn't seen yet including AK.
Worked various jobs in that industry and got into managing local operations and then regional operations. Worked for engineering and construction companies that did hazardous waste site cleanup, water/wastewater and transportation design, and construction. During the best years "my" business unit had 300 people, and grossed $100M a year at around 8% profit and we had some really interesting projects over the years. Did a site investigation and determined the best way to clean up a nuclear missile accident site in New Jersey contaminated with plutonium, had a $70M project to rebuild an army base for the Iraqi army in 2004 (I went over for that one, it was like the wild west) had a $25M design project for the big toll road project for I-35 near Austin, and did a $50M re-paving job for the runway on Adak Island in the Aleutians.
I was lucky to work with some really good people because any one of those projects could have gone upside down and cost me my job, but they didn't. I don't have that job any more, for the last 10 years I've worked for a small company that does the same kind of work, just on a smaller scale, with a whole lot less wear and tear and the pay is commensurate During the best years I was in the middle 6 figures.
Low - 6 figures before 99.99% retirement last October. Transportation engineer - private sector/consulting. My company gave me a $10/hr increase to be available on-call a couple hours a week over the next year which is essentially paying our medical insurance.
Word on the street is I could have doubled my income by leaving Montana to live in some chithole big City. Likely a good career move but huge quality of life trade-off. I'd rather flip burgers here than be miserable chasing $ in my field.
Yeah....but Helena??
Lol - good point! I'm no longer tied to Helena job-wise but with kids and grandkids here, it'd be hard to move too far away (we have discussed the idea). I'm sitting in a motel in Shelby at the moment and will be ice fishing on Tiber tomorrow. I spent most of hunting season around Choteau. This part of the state could start to grow on me, but it's too fuggin windy!
Helena is a great spot.
You are so centrally located.....lots of great outdoors opportunities in every direction! And not far away either.
I enjoy listening to Dave Ramsey and he did a survey of something like 10,000 millionaires. His data indicates the vast majority are couples that both work and make professional wages, they invest in their home and 401k's in the stock market for 30 years or so. They seem to average between $1 & $3 million in assets.
While high wages are cool and something to be proud of the real story is how much you save and invest, then you have returns on those investments.
If you do the math, saving a few million while working and paying your living expense's is almost impossible to do.
I admit to being very naïve about wages as I was always a blue collar guy working in a state a with notoriously low wages and I have been out of the work force for about 15 yrs. Back in my employee days the best I made was $51,000 and I thought I was killing it and almost everyone I knew made less than me.
Todays wages in high cost states always amaze me... but then maybe there is a bunch of exaggeration? then again $1 million dollar homes seem to be the norm these days so who knows?
Kinda like asking how many acres and cows you have, right Sam?
I grossed $60K last year, used to make a bunch more but I get a pension, 4 weeks vacation, 11 holidays, 3 weeks sick leave and can I walk to work.
I was that guy. My dumb azz, in my curiosity of how big a cattle operation might be, how they work, etc….didn’t equate the question to being gauche. Sammy was gentle with me.
I’ve done a ton of different jobs. Made a bunch at times, barely minimum wage at others. Still planning on the motherload to hit!
For the first time in my life, I HAVE to hide money (legally, of course) from the IRS to avoid it being taxed at 22%.
Retirement in five weeks, retirement pension plus SS will be more than I have ever made working, Without touching 401k. We will be able to dump $2k/mo into savings. Until Bidenflation catches up to us.
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
Sure you do.
Ever do YOY averages?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wabi turned out to be another RoundOak. But, I think a few members have met him in the flesh.
That’s something RoundOak couldn’t do.
🦫
There are many ROundoaks on this board. I am quite sure Wabbi is not one of them. Stop and think if Roundoak got away for 10,000 posts , and 10 yrs of bs before he was really caught , how many here are full of BS when they post their wages. I have so many times caught guys here posting picks of their wives , smoking hot ,, just to remember a pick of their wife 5 yrs ago , and the other woman was nothing like the smoking hot one. How many times have we all heard they dated smoking hot babes,, ,, but dumped them cause they were nuts??? Truth, you got dumped!! How many guys here go on the girly page and post " I would tap her in a heartbeat, " when that woman would snub them faster than they can slap a tick. LOTS of BS , not just here but on some other boards. How ROundoak got away with it, I am not sure. His bucks were plausible if he really did live in Grant co. Wis. Bucks are huge there. Had me fooled. Only one time did I think he was BSing, when he shot a REAL dandy in Dickinson co. Upper Mich. They just dont grow them that big in that sand country up there. As for me, I posted I make about $55,000 a yr. I'm self employed carpenter. I cant imagine making what many say they make here. I am likely avr. american wage. My wife makes less than me . Because of my low wages I am very frugal , cause my last day of work is one accident away. I drive 09 Impala I bought for $9700 with tax 14 months ago , 44,700 miles on it. The Truck is an 06 GMC diesel, 301,000 on it. Boat is 32 yrs old and bought it new for $2,400 for new boat , older 25 horse Merc. and trailer. I hunt just a few miles from home 95% of the time on public . I have a cabin up north on 7 ac. on the Flambeau River in NW WIs . My dad gave me 7 ac. in central wi. on a river too. We have had some inheritance that is invested. $450K? house is payed 13 yrs ago. Kids dont need me for anything. They make more than me too. It is amazing how I have to be frugal to get to $1,000,000 in a retirement account just to get $30,000 in divies and the retirement plan keeps me poor. In all honesty, I feel left out when all the relatives run off to Arizona, , California, Ireland , and wife went to Egypt to visit out daughter. I stay home . I do hunt deer a lot cause its 5 miles away. I fish close by too. Many may say I'm whining. I'm not, strangely enough, I am quite happy. I tithe 10% to my local church, pay bills and still save 30% of my gross. However, I am eyeing up a Starcraft Freedom180T / 90 horse Yammi for $30,000 after tax. ... I am sure , I could always sell it for what I payed for it so I consider it part of my portfolio, snicker.
Whining? I don't think so! You sound like a guy who's got life figured out. You must enjoy your work or you wouldn't still be doing it. You've got a successful family and get to experience the joy of giving. You've got a cabin and good outdoor activities just a few miles from home. I'd call that the American dream. Just make sure you're charging enough for your work. Many good craftsmen undervalue their skills. Oh yea, buy the boat. You can afford it and have more than earned it. Also, good call on the Impala. Give me a call if you get tired of it. Congratulations on your choices.
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
Sure you do.
Ever do YOY averages?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wabi turned out to be another RoundOak. But, I think a few members have met him in the flesh.
That’s something RoundOak couldn’t do.
🦫
There are many ROundoaks on this board. I am quite sure Wabbi is not one of them. Stop and think if Roundoak got away for 10,000 posts , and 10 yrs of bs before he was really caught , how many here are full of BS when they post their wages. I have so many times caught guys here posting picks of their wives , smoking hot ,, just to remember a pick of their wife 5 yrs ago , and the other woman was nothing like the smoking hot one. How many times have we all heard they dated smoking hot babes,, ,, but dumped them cause they were nuts??? Truth, you got dumped!! How many guys here go on the girly page and post " I would tap her in a heartbeat, " when that woman would snub them faster than they can slap a tick. LOTS of BS , not just here but on some other boards. How ROundoak got away with it, I am not sure. His bucks were plausible if he really did live in Grant co. Wis. Bucks are huge there. Had me fooled. Only one time did I think he was BSing, when he shot a REAL dandy in Dickinson co. Upper Mich. They just dont grow them that big in that sand country up there. As for me, I posted I make about $55,000 a yr. I'm self employed carpenter. I cant imagine making what many say they make here. I am likely avr. american wage. My wife makes less than me . Because of my low wages I am very frugal , cause my last day of work is one accident away. I drive 09 Impala I bought for $9700 with tax 14 months ago , 44,700 miles on it. The Truck is an 06 GMC diesel, 301,000 on it. Boat is 32 yrs old and bought it new for $2,400 for new boat , older 25 horse Merc. and trailer. I hunt just a few miles from home 95% of the time on public . I have a cabin up north on 7 ac. on the Flambeau River in NW WIs . My dad gave me 7 ac. in central wi. on a river too. We have had some inheritance that is invested. $450K? house is payed 13 yrs ago. Kids dont need me for anything. They make more than me too. It is amazing how I have to be frugal to get to $1,000,000 in a retirement account just to get $30,000 in divies and the retirement plan keeps me poor. In all honesty, I feel left out when all the relatives run off to Arizona, , California, Ireland , and wife went to Egypt to visit out daughter. I stay home . I do hunt deer a lot cause its 5 miles away. I fish close by too. Many may say I'm whining. I'm not, strangely enough, I am quite happy. I tithe 10% to my local church, pay bills and still save 30% of my gross. However, I am eyeing up a Starcraft Freedom180T / 90 horse Yammi for $30,000 after tax. ... I am sure , I could always sell it for what I payed for it so I consider it part of my portfolio, snicker.
I’d hold off on buying that StarCraft. Give it 10 months, with the expected job lay-offs, you might be seeing all kinds of killer deals in men’s toys.
I enjoy listening to Dave Ramsey and he did a survey of something like 10,000 millionaires. His data indicates the vast majority are couples that both work and make professional wages, they invest in their home and 401k's in the stock market for 30 years or so. They seem to average between $1 & $3 million in assets.
While high wages are cool and something to be proud of the real story is how much you save and invest, then you have returns on those investments.
If you do the math, saving a few million while working and paying your living expense's is almost impossible to do.
I admit to being very naïve about wages as I was always a blue collar guy working in a state a with notoriously low wages and I have been out of the work force for about 15 yrs. Back in my employee days the best I made was $51,000 and I thought I was killing it and almost everyone I knew made less than me.
Todays wages in high cost states always amaze me... but then maybe there is a bunch of exaggeration? then again $1 million dollar homes seem to be the norm these days so who knows?
Got a buddy just went through a divorce, he's in pharma sells and his wife was a traveling nurse. He said they put away on average 50k a year no problem. After 15 years of marriage that was that. He said after all attorney fees and all that nonsense they split 600k. She went through 300k in 4 months, he still has about 260k of it. Their kids are still in private school at 18k a year for each one. They did very well, and made it a point to put it away. Its about all gone now.
I would say a lot inherit it.
My uncle is worth about 5 mil, chemical engineer. Aunt never worked. He claims he saved 33% of every paycheck he ever made. Had millions in bank and still made my aunt hang clothes out to dry on a line in the backyard. She's gone now and never got to enjoy any of it. Each of their daughters are getting 1 mil when he passes and each of his 6 grandkids are getting 500k each. Not to mention, he has given all of them the max gift allowed each year since they were born. They'll be sitting pretty.
I enjoy listening to Dave Ramsey and he did a survey of something like 10,000 millionaires. His data indicates the vast majority are couples that both work and make professional wages, they invest in their home and 401k's in the stock market for 30 years or so. They seem to average between $1 & $3 million in assets.
While high wages are cool and something to be proud of the real story is how much you save and invest, then you have returns on those investments.
If you do the math, saving a few million while working and paying your living expense's is almost impossible to do.
I admit to being very naïve about wages as I was always a blue collar guy working in a state a with notoriously low wages and I have been out of the work force for about 15 yrs. Back in my employee days the best I made was $51,000 and I thought I was killing it and almost everyone I knew made less than me.
Todays wages in high cost states always amaze me... but then maybe there is a bunch of exaggeration? then again $1 million dollar homes seem to be the norm these days so who knows?
Got a buddy just went through a divorce, he's in pharma sells and his wife was a traveling nurse. He said they put away on average 50k a year no problem. After 15 years of marriage that was that. He said after all attorney fees and all that nonsense they split 600k. She went through 300k in 4 months, he still has about 260k of it. Their kids are still in private school at 18k a year for each one. They did very well, and made it a point to put it away. Its about all gone now.
I would say a lot inherit it.
My uncle is worth about 5 mil, chemical engineer. Aunt never worked. He claims he saved 33% of every paycheck he ever made. Had millions in bank and still made my aunt hang clothes out to dry on a line in the backyard. She's gone now and never got to enjoy any of it. Each of their daughters are getting 1 mil when he passes and each of his 6 grandkids are getting 500k each. Not to mention, he has given all of them the max gift allowed each year since they were born. They'll be sitting pretty.
Interesting point about inheritance. Dave Ramsey claims very few in his survey obtained wealth through inheritance... he is probably correct, when you factor in estates getting divided up between several children , unlikely they will all be wealthy.... But getting a few hundred thousand dropped in your lap when you are middle aged and a little wiser sure gives a leg up, and helps channel more money into investments.
I sold a business in 2021. Y'all would weep at the taxes I paid for that transaction.
I feel your pain.....done that 4 times now.
Could be worse. My old neighbor/friend who was a Canadian snowbird, told me how much he paid in taxes or how much his medical Or medicine cost due to how much he makes. I can’t remember the details but I remember I about sh*t.
My pension is about $130,000. Medicare is reimbursed and my secondary ins. is no cost. My wife was mostly stay at home so her SS is $500 a month. I paid in 10.26% for the first 8 years on the job then was able to get the plan A rate of 8.05% till I hit 30 years of service. I have a little in a 457 plan. I figure if I quit motorcycles, gave up my new truck and my wife gave up her equestrian lifestyle I would have an extra, oh, $2500 a month but if I dropped dead tomorrow I would have no regrets. Life insurance and home equity would net my wife about a mil in cash. I tend to keep cars around for a while. My previous truck was 21 years old. My wife's car is a 2012. My travel trailer is an 08. $130,000 sounds like a lot but I live in SoCal and even with the equity I have I don't believe I could buy my home today. There are a few things I would do better if I could go back but I will never say I wish I hadn't gone here and done that. I wish I had done more.
As others have said, it isn't what you make, it's how much of what you make you spend.
Living below your means and investing+property will get you wealth eventually. Making tons and living on credit will get you more debt faster than someone who's "poor."
After referring to my tax forms I seem to have an annual income of about $80,000 Cdn. This is from pension, investments and government supplements. House has been paid for years and its value has increased substantially lately due to inflation. I'm wealthier than I ever was.
I worked for just shy of 40 years in a lower mid-level government job that I enjoyed. My wife never worked outside the home until our oldest child was 13 years old. From that time she only worked in retail so her income wasn't significant.
I think it is safe to say we lived a more or less frugal life. In spite of this we enjoyed annual vacations, went to local dances and had a good circle of friends. Due to health problems I no longer hunt or belong to a shooting club. It's been a good run but the string is running out. We have no regrets!
Yep, they're a competitor. We did a project side-by-side with them at Peterson AFB here in CO. Peterson has a big problem with PFAS in their groundwater, Bryce was doing a technology demonstration of a soil cleanup technology, and we were doing demonstration projects for two water treatment technologies. Steve Becker was their guy.
We've also done work with some Bristol Bay Companies, Bill Burke and Steve Johnson before him (not the guide).
I've never been hungry, or without a warm place to sleep, or good clothes, nor have I ever stressed about how much money I have.
Add to that good health and no kids on drugs, and you're filthy rich! Richly blessed is a better way to say it though.
Good health so far and 4 kids from 33 to 13. None ever in any trouble. Got one Nurse, one teacher, and one going into sports medicine. The 13-year-old is the only boy. I am just now remembering what a Neanderthal a 13-year-old boy is compared to a girl. Yes, sir I'm a blessed and happy man and I will be till I die because I choose to be.
More than sufficient for my needs. House will be paid off in 3 months. If I could just figure out the damned health insurance without going broke, I would retire as soon as the house is paid for. way too young to get medicare.
You probably never made that much, just saved and invested well, right?
Naw, I just found a collector penny..., https://www.ebay.com/itm/175550338144?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1vGuBS62FQvGWL0IXMFIF5Q81&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=175550338144&targetid=1587262742097&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9027240&poi=&campaignid=15275224983&mkgroupid=131097072938&rlsatarget=pla-1587262742097&abcId=9300697&merchantid=6296724&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuu-q76rh_AIVH8mUCR14IwNVEAQYASABEgLjqvD_BwE
Good afternoon Sam, as everybody knows, I'm a semi-retired farmer. I never know how much I/we are going to make.
Sure you do.
Ever do YOY averages?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wabi turned out to be another RoundOak. But, I think a few members have met him in the flesh.
That’s something RoundOak couldn’t do.
🦫
There are many ROundoaks on this board. I am quite sure Wabbi is not one of them. Stop and think if Roundoak got away for 10,000 posts , and 10 yrs of bs before he was really caught , how many here are full of BS when they post their wages. I have so many times caught guys here posting picks of their wives , smoking hot ,, just to remember a pick of their wife 5 yrs ago , and the other woman was nothing like the smoking hot one. How many times have we all heard they dated smoking hot babes,, ,, but dumped them cause they were nuts??? Truth, you got dumped!! How many guys here go on the girly page and post " I would tap her in a heartbeat, " when that woman would snub them faster than they can slap a tick. LOTS of BS , not just here but on some other boards. How ROundoak got away with it, I am not sure. His bucks were plausible if he really did live in Grant co. Wis. Bucks are huge there. Had me fooled. Only one time did I think he was BSing, when he shot a REAL dandy in Dickinson co. Upper Mich. They just dont grow them that big in that sand country up there. As for me, I posted I make about $55,000 a yr. I'm self employed carpenter. I cant imagine making what many say they make here. I am likely avr. american wage. My wife makes less than me . Because of my low wages I am very frugal , cause my last day of work is one accident away. I drive 09 Impala I bought for $9700 with tax 14 months ago , 44,700 miles on it. The Truck is an 06 GMC diesel, 301,000 on it. Boat is 32 yrs old and bought it new for $2,400 for new boat , older 25 horse Merc. and trailer. I hunt just a few miles from home 95% of the time on public . I have a cabin up north on 7 ac. on the Flambeau River in NW WIs . My dad gave me 7 ac. in central wi. on a river too. We have had some inheritance that is invested. $450K? house is payed 13 yrs ago. Kids dont need me for anything. They make more than me too. It is amazing how I have to be frugal to get to $1,000,000 in a retirement account just to get $30,000 in divies and the retirement plan keeps me poor. In all honesty, I feel left out when all the relatives run off to Arizona, , California, Ireland , and wife went to Egypt to visit out daughter. I stay home . I do hunt deer a lot cause its 5 miles away. I fish close by too. Many may say I'm whining. I'm not, strangely enough, I am quite happy. I tithe 10% to my local church, pay bills and still save 30% of my gross. However, I am eyeing up a Starcraft Freedom180T / 90 horse Yammi for $30,000 after tax. ... I am sure , I could always sell it for what I payed for it so I consider it part of my portfolio, snicker.
I’d hold off on buying that StarCraft. Give it 10 months, with the expected job lay-offs, you might be seeing all kinds of killer deals in men’s toys.
🦫
I was thinking that too. I just dont think boat sales are going to be all that good this year and there are more used ones at the boat shops .
I've never been hungry, or without a warm place to sleep, or good clothes, nor have I ever stressed about how much money I have.
Add to that good health and no kids on drugs, and you're filthy rich! Richly blessed is a better way to say it though.
Good health so far and 4 kids from 33 to 13. None ever in any trouble. Got one Nurse, one teacher, and one going into sports medicine. The 13-year-old is the only boy. I am just now remembering what a Neanderthal a 13-year-old boy is compared to a girl. Yes, sir I'm a blessed and happy man and I will be till I die because I choose to be.
My w-2 claims 51,000. Piss poor for a damn good carpenter with 30 years experience. But I guess the benefits, retirement account and company truck kind of make up for the low paychecks.
A bit over 100k. Driving a hazmat tractor trailer load of 20lb. propane cylinders, and tossing them in those cages in front of gas stations and grocery stores. Keeps me in shape, makes a good living. One of those jobs nobody would suspect pays as well as it does.
I’m a mechanic’s helper in a gas fired power plant Sam. So basically the shop gofer that has to do all the painting, sweeping, fire watch, hole watch, lift heavy stuff type things that nobody else wants or is too good to do. I’m also the groundskeeper, weed and pest sprayer, plumber, and road maintenance guy.
I’m the lowest rung on the totem pole. My only perk is that due to being an “unskilled” and “non essential” position I can take vacation whenever I want, the mechanics and electricians have to schedule their time off so there’s no more than 2 at a time gone.
Good news is that my foot is in the door and maybe someday a mechanic job will open. I’m actually well qualified for a mechanic position with my trade school, machine shop, and welding experience and overqualified for my current job. But I know people who’ve been trying for decades to get on here with no luck so I consider myself lucky.
The benefits are great, we get a pension plus 401k the company will match up to 12 percent. The medical is the main reason for me, I pay nothing out of my check for coverage and every January the company deposits half of our deductible amount in my HSA account. Without this we’d never be able to afford the incredibly expensive meds my wife has to have every month.
Last year with a small Christmas bonus and a couple hundred hours of overtime I paid taxes on right around $60k.
There’s an old timer mechanic who’s talking retirement in the spring. And my wife started working a few days a week at the little local grocery store here in town this week so things are looking up. It is also very cheap to live here compared to other areas of the country so we have that going for us.
I’m a mechanic’s helper in a gas fired power plant Sam. So basically the shop gofer that has to do all the painting, sweeping, fire watch, hole watch, lift heavy stuff type things that nobody else wants or is too good to do. I’m also the groundskeeper, weed and pest sprayer, plumber, and road maintenance guy.
I’m the lowest rung on the totem pole. My only perk is that due to being an “unskilled” and “non essential” position I can take vacation whenever I want, the mechanics and electricians have to schedule their time off so there’s no more than 2 at a time gone.
Good news is that my foot is in the door and maybe someday a mechanic job will open. I’m actually well qualified for a mechanic position with my trade school, machine shop, and welding experience and overqualified for my current job. But I know people who’ve been trying for decades to get on here with no luck so I consider myself lucky.
The benefits are great, we get a pension plus 401k the company will match up to 12 percent. The medical is the main reason for me, I pay nothing out of my check for coverage and every January the company deposits half of our deductible amount in my HSA account. Without this we’d never be able to afford the incredibly expensive meds my wife has to have every month.
Last year with a small Christmas bonus and a couple hundred hours of overtime I paid taxes on right around $60k.
There’s an old timer mechanic who’s talking retirement in the spring. And my wife started working a few days a week at the little local grocery store here in town this week so things are looking up. It is also very cheap to live here compared to other areas of the country so we have that going for us.
Wow! That's one sweet benefit package. A pension PLUS match up to 12% in the 401K? Is that a 1:1 match so 24% goes in with you contributing 12? If so, that's the best I've ever heard of. One you snag that promotion you be heading for early retirement. Hope it works out.
No, they match 1:1 up to 6% and then 1:2 up to 12%. So you have to put in 18% to get the full %12 but it’s still free money if you can spare it.
And unfortunately, unless there’s some medical breakthrough for my wife’s condition I doubt I’ll ever be able to retire. It’s nice to think about though.
No, they match 1:1 up to 6% and then 1:2 up to 12%. So you have to put in 18% to get the full %12 but it’s still free money if you can spare it.
And unfortunately, unless there’s some medical breakthrough for my wife’s condition I doubt I’ll ever be able to retire. It’s nice to think about though.
The real question is - How far does your money go?
$60,000 per year in Havre MT or similar places put you in a pretty good income bracket. $60,000 per year in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, etc. puts you pretty much in the homeless bracket.
Thekid, where do you live that it is cheap?? Ans yes, location means a lot . I live in an avr. expense . Way cheaper than the east and west coast , but I could go way out in the country and live a lot cheaper.
I’m lucky, my union pension, teacher retirement and SS is a touch over 100,000, wifey knocks down 160,000, so we do good, everything is paid for. She has a good bit in her 401 also.
Why would ever post this on a public forum ? Telling every crook you re a prime target. Then the IRS reads here too so you better not be hiding anything. It seems egos outweigh common sense.
Not much as an enlisted man in the military. I started at about 450 a month gross and finished ten years later at about twice that. Starting from nothing and with nothing, it seemed like more at the time.
Worked my way up to top office person without a degree in a top shelf civil engineering firm in Birmingham, AL by age 36. I was making 60k gross and Mrs. Geno made 24k as a sit down restaurant manager in a very small town a couple counties away. I owned 6 small businesses in addition with the two best performers being earth moving (we had a backhoe and a tracked loader that stayed busy) and masonry (2 masons and 4 helpers) and did pretty well. For a decade, we lived off of 50k+/- a year and my highest earnings were just under 160k. Hers was 40k as an accountant. (Different Mrs. Geno back then)
Retired for 10 years, earned a BA in underwater archaeology and an MS in Geography (GIS and fluvial geomorphology).
I am back at work as a geospatial engineer (I build 3d models of the as-constructed utilities for google, facebook and microsoft data center sites) and made 91k last year (I could make 125+/- pretty easily if I wanted to do a real job with an office and a commute but I work from home in my underwear with a cocktail in hand and absolutely love the people I work with). Mrs. Geno earned a doctorate in literature and makes 60k as a university professor. Her pay will dramatically increase over the next few years as this is her first year at it but mine won't increase much other than cost of living.
Why would ever post this on a public forum ? Telling every crook you re a prime target. Then the IRS reads here too so you better not be hiding anything. It seems egos outweigh common sense.
I make enough to be comfortable. My wife and I own our business, and we are debt free except for the commercial building that my company rents from my LLC. I have a couple mil in positive equity in the building and it's not far from being paid off. Home and cars are paid for and we have no credit card debt. Been working for 45 years and am slowly easing into semi-retirement, letting my crew run things more.
I don't live high on the hog, but we can afford to buy the things we want/need, and still save and invest for retirement. No complaints here. The harder/smarter I work, the luckier I get.
A man who I would consider a mentor, and who’s advice has ALWAYS been solid told me a long time ago your goal shouldn’t be to maximize your income, but to grow your net worth as much as possible each year. Buy a property and improve it with cash. Buy it for $100k, spend $50k and sweat equity and at the end of the year it appraises out at $200K. You’re net worth just grew by $50k and you didn’t pay income taxes on it.
What you make isn’t as important as what you’re worth. I know an MD that makes $750k a year and spends $850k a year. Always in debt and always stressed about money.
I honestly don't pay attention to what I make in a few paltry pensions and odd jobs. In less than 2 years I get SS and will fully retire. My hope is that I can build my house in TN with my 401K and the equity I have in this house. If I can do that, I think I'll clear about $4500/month with no house note. That should keep me comfortable and allow me to take a vacation every now and then.
As a factory worker who is emp,owed in one of the highest paid facilities in our area I'm well paid. Well enough that I avoid conversations about it.
But compared to many here, I'm feeling poor.
Wife makes about $7hr less, has forced direct deposit, pays all bills. The account continues to increase. Cash my checks. Use that to buy everything we need. Sometimes go 2 to 3 weeks without needing to cash a check. When cash builds up, we have to do something with it.
My dad always said he never made any money but the money he did make, made land payments, cattle payments, machinery payments...etc..
Sorta like Jim, a little cash poor but all the while building up major equity.
Spending cash on dumb chit is fun but keep it in check!
Crude math but my wife and I save probably 30-40% of our income, or at least it remains a tangible asset.
But we have no expensive little children to feed and live in NE MT in a little old house and never do anything fun, wahhhh wahhhh.....lol
We literally live on 15-20% max of our income. Rest gets put into capital improvements on the properties or capital investments in the companies, or to finance projects. All of which builds assets/net worth.
Everything is paid off, kids college educations fully funded, retirement funds above average for age, passive income from rentals equal to our average yearly expenses.
On the flip side, one reason we can live on that amount is because we work nearly every day. If I retired and was able to fish/travel as much as I look forward to doing I’ll need twice as much in retirement as I do now.
I made all my money before 50. Now spending it at same speed i made it! Might be livin in a tent on the beach when im 80 but thats about the only thing i havent done! Might be fun
A man who I would consider a mentor, and who’s advice has ALWAYS been solid told me a long time ago your goal shouldn’t be to maximize your income, but to grow your net worth as much as possible each year. Buy a property and improve it with cash. Buy it for $100k, spend $50k and sweat equity and at the end of the year it appraises out at $200K. You’re net worth just grew by $50k and you didn’t pay income taxes on it.
What you make isn’t as important as what you’re worth. I know an MD that makes $750k a year and spends $850k a year. Always in debt and always stressed about money.
Money has long grown on trees. Them skills are nicely rewarded. Hint.
Anymore,I schlep a fair to middlin' part time job. I trade 23 weeks of work,for $250K. That ain't horrid,but there's perks with the ability to shovel $65K a year into retirement,HSA flooding and charitable donations to help others. The 401K match is 7% and that don't suck. Hint.
I live modest and 25% of my take home more than pays the bills. Now and again I buy a new rifle,because I like to shoot. Hint.................
Money has long grown on trees. Them skills are nicely rewarded. Hint.
Anymore,I schlep a fair to middlin' part time job. I trade 23 weeks of work,for $250K. That ain't horrid,but there's perks with the ability to shovel $65K a year into retirement,HSA flooding and charitable donations to help others. The 401K match is 7% and that don't suck. Hint.
I live modest and 25% of my take home more than pays the bills. Now and again I buy a new rifle,because I like to shoot. Hint.................
25% of 250k would likely not cover the shipping charges on the amount of packages you receive!
The Company cares and rolls against the grain. Day one,they passed checks for $75K to 3000+ employees. That's nice. Then they tossed another $25K each,for hometown sanctity. Hint.
Next bonus is $75K each and that obviously doesn't incur one's current stand. I'm happy to scoop the 401K max and their added $40K,per year of service. Hint..................
The Company cares and rolls against the grain. Day one,they passed checks for $75K to 3000+ employees. That's nice. Then they tossed another $25K each,for hometown sanctity. Hint.
Next bonus is $75K each and that obviously doesn't incur one's current stand. I'm happy to scoop the 401K max and their added $40K,per year of service. Hint..................
How much does your commute cost... and the average cost of Alaska livin? oranges to apples .... pard... lmao Niqqer rich Coos Bay white trash livin large... lmfao
Me and the wife are both retired and live on around 64,000 a year.
We do have investments but don't touch them,just let them ride.
Did draw out some money last year to buy the deer lease i have been hunting on since 1987 or so.
I figure that the money put into land can only go up because the .gov can't get at it that easy.
The property was in the CRP program for a lot of years so with a lot of grass that needed to be cleaned up it gets grazed by some cattle when not in deer season.
Don't know how long i have to live but we are doing darn good and it's not because of the money,Family is where it's at.
This topic came up on our rafting trip, 6 days & nights with the same people it had to be discussed sometime. Suprised me how much these people had made (if they weren't exaggerating). We were the minimum wage section of that discussion. Trudie told 'em we'd never made more than $130K combined but somehow managed European trips, 5 for her, 3 for me, an Alaskan cruise and a bunch of smaller vacations, paid off 3 houses and property, nothing qualifying for Home & Garden but good rental income.
She manages our money and the good Lord takes care of us
We would be in much better shape if the stock market hadn't tanked.
A man who I would consider a mentor, and who’s advice has ALWAYS been solid told me a long time ago your goal shouldn’t be to maximize your income, but to grow your net worth as much as possible each year. Buy a property and improve it with cash. Buy it for $100k, spend $50k and sweat equity and at the end of the year it appraises out at $200K. You’re net worth just grew by $50k and you didn’t pay income taxes on it.
What you make isn’t as important as what you’re worth. I know an MD that makes $750k a year and spends $850k a year. Always in debt and always stressed about money.
A lot said right here.
My wife managed 3 practices for a pulmonary Dr until he retired.
He took a small annual salary the rest went into property and improvements.
I work half the year in the oilfield in the gulf. OIM on a floating production and drilling platform. Good insurance for 200 a month. 8% match and enough salary to pay out SS for the year, 3 weeks paid vacation.
I'm sure I did,but won't see that benefit number until near the end of the first quarter. Knew about my "regular" raise,by the start of the new calendar year. Hint..............
Always thought Ky. was about the low end of salaries, but maybe I didn't do terrible. Making about 65K when I retired, & had once quit about the best paying blue collar job in Ky., Toyota Motor MFG. Georgetown, where they used to roll up the sidewalks every night at 9PM now busting at the seams. Unskilled, $30 an hour, skilled, $40, & a hell of a bunch of perks. But an anomaly here. No wonder they come from miles/states around to work there.
I often think if I'd stayed & how my finances would be quite a bit different. But I didn't like the damn place & decided then that money wasn't everything.
$95k is average without overtime. Probably hit $140-$150k this year with overtime I don’t want.
Can you put it toward comp time? I'd prefer the time off too and avoid the tax hit on the OT
Can only comp 480 hours but can cash out at any time. The bank filled up quickly at 18hrs comped every 12 hour shift. Decent way to make a 3% return if you wait for the yearly raise.
Is what it is….allows the wife to stay home and raise the kids comfortably.
Made $103 last year, down about $12-15K from the previous three. However, it was the first year I knew when I was going to work, getting off work, and had two days off a week for 8 months. Most of the previous years I worked on call 24/7/365.
Money has long grown on trees. Them skills are nicely rewarded. Hint.
Anymore,I schlep a fair to middlin' part time job. I trade 23 weeks of work,for $250K. That ain't horrid,but there's perks with the ability to shovel $65K a year into retirement,HSA flooding and charitable donations to help others. The 401K match is 7% and that don't suck. Hint.
I live modest and 25% of my take home more than pays the bills. Now and again I buy a new rifle,because I like to shoot. Hint.................
25% of 250k would likely not cover the shipping charges on the amount of packages you receive!
I recall ordering the new IMac,McMillan and Arken 30mm,but more than a few parcels will be surprises. FishUSA has a barge coming my way and I'm missing the newest Custom 223 and 7mm RemMag's. Also another McMillan. Hint.
Should be some Metrology and Reamers enroute too. I'll hit the PO tomorrow,unless the Chrome keeps me away. Hint...............
Brother in law tells me they can’t find enough workers at the factory where he works. Starting pay $26/hr, then $34 after 2-3 yrs. Great bennies & match. Overtime too. Big money for a nice small town and the positions go unfilled.I was surprised.
Stick. The Oil Service Industry is great but I worry for ya! Teacher's really don't get great pay up here but we aren't exposed to benzene and those crooked isomers that cause cancer. We grew up 100 miles from Valdez and all of the older guys have two or three different types of cancer and a good share checked out young. My cousin just died down in Valdez. He was a heck of a guy with two cubs and a wonderful family. My other cousin is retiring soon and is happy to get out. His wife has had several run ins with tumors both cancerous and growths. Just keep getting checked.
Funny how we all judge each other based on the money we make and the jobs we do. Neither of which have any bearing whatsoever on what kind of person we really are.
Big Dumb thinks he's really something when he gets to boast of his mountain of mail that awaits him when he comes back from work camp. In reality, he's just a peon like the rest of us. <eye roll>
Why does little dick aka big stick end every sentence with the word hint? Y’all think it’s a learning disability or maybe he’s too stupid to know what the word means?
Funny how we all judge each other based on the money we make and the jobs we do. Neither of which have any bearing whatsoever on what kind of person we really are.
Big Dumb thinks he's really something when he gets to boast of his mountain of mail that awaits him when he comes back from work camp. In reality, he's just a peon like the rest of us. <eye roll>
Funny thing is, I know some people with legit FU money.
Spent time at their "winter place" down at The Hideaway golfing, smoking cigars, and having great food.
Nobody needed to talk about money.
I did hit a ball into Lindsay Buckingham's yard. 😁
FWIW, 10k a week is "travel nurse" money these days.
I've not responded to this thread because it's no ones business what I have or make. I will say now that I'm retired and don't make near what Hanco and his honey make but for where I live I do quite well and will never have to worry. Should even be able to let my kids a sizable sum of cash when I'm gone.
Make more than many but much less than many more. Perspective is a thing.
With overtime, I do very well but my wife has stayed home over the years homeschooling the kids and now g-kids. We have never been hungry, cold or without a roof over our heads, so rich (blessed) beyond measure.
We are a one income family and soon to be a one pension family. We live small so should not have any troubles.
With overtime, I do very well but my wife has stayed home over the years homeschooling the kids and now g-kids. We have never been hungry, cold or without a roof over our heads, so rich (blessed) beyond measure.
We are a one income family and soon to be a one pension family. We live small so should not have any troubles.
Congratulations. That implies some serious income. Or a big Roth conversion. Or maybe the IRS finally caught up with you. Better to write a big check than go to the big house. 😳
Money has long grown on trees. Them skills are nicely rewarded. Hint.
Anymore,I schlep a fair to middlin' part time job. I trade 23 weeks of work,for $250K. That ain't horrid,but there's perks with the ability to shovel $65K a year into retirement,HSA flooding and charitable donations to help others. The 401K match is 7% and that don't suck. Hint.
I live modest and 25% of my take home more than pays the bills. Now and again I buy a new rifle,because I like to shoot. Hint.................
I paid $190,000 in federal and state taxes last year.
Several welfare moms thank you.... naa they don't appreciate schit....
And I was throwing a fit paying another $30K last summer. I contracted in Kabul from Jul 18-Jul 19, was told it was tax free, well I paid over $32K in once I got back. They were generous to put me on a payment plan though.
Living my dream as a small-town lawyer in Alaska. In 2005 traded big-firm life and money for quality of life, and committed financial suicide leaving most my earnings, 86% to be more exact, behind taking a state job in AK. Did that gig for two years and went to work for myself. Over the coming years I found myself working more and more. Still loved where I lived, but had less and less time to enjoy it.
By 2014 I was paying six-digit in federal taxes and was finding less and less joy in my life. By the end of 2016 decided if I was going to work that much I should have stayed where I was and made real money, and was tired of feeling unhealthy and basically unhappy—especially given the paradise within which I lived. So, January 1, 2017 I made a conscious change. I took few cases, spent more time screwing off, focused on health, spending more time in the gym and hiking the beautiful mountains surrounding me. Sold my ocean boat, side by sides and wheelers, everything that had an engine other than my primary vehicle I needed to get to office and meetings.
By the end of 2017 I had lost over 120lbs. By sheep season 2018 I was down over 165lbs. Make less money but best business decision I’ve ever made. Still make more than I should or need, and take a ton of time off to enjoy my life and spend time with my youngest daughter who I have week and week after her mom and I divorced. I didn’t get as much time with my oldest as I worked 24/7, and as she finishes her final semester of law school at ASU I worry at times what path she’ll find, and only hope it is one that makes her happy. Where I am today, I don’t know if/when I ever want to retire. I do hope to do less trial work and more relaxed pace of life when I grow up. Maybe drafting wills while my ass is in the sand of Hawaii at least for the winter months. Still a little shy of 50, so still time to finalize plans down the road, at least another 7 years before my youngest graduates high school. My significant other is a director of nursing at local hospital, and we’ve talked about her transitioning to a travel position as her kiddo finishes school.
Until then, I hope to maintain focus on quality vs quantity—it’s why I moved here in the first place. Spend more time hiking high places here, WA, CO, CA and abroad.
As silly as it might sound, I really hope to work past 88. My grandfather retired at 65, screwed around for almost two years, then went right back to work. He continued to work until he had a heart attack at 88. He made a full recovery, but decided to slow down a bit and re-retired. I’d sure as hell like to beat that.
I used to be so curious about people's incomes, but I realized it's not just about the numbers. Recently stumbled upon Joy Wallet, this cool site that isn't about bragging rights but has these neat tools for sorting out your financial game. It's funny how the focus shifted from "how much" to "how well."
And I'm being serious, every other question has been asked but so far I don't believe anyone has been crass enough to ask about personal income?quote]
Sam, I did not make very far before it was apparent that most responding was not going to answer your question. Me too, but I will tell you a little. I am retired, Surveyor crew chief (formerly party chief) for a State Wide crew for ARDOT (was AHTD) for 37 years. With my retirement, Social Security, Wife's Social Security, and a small amount that my wife's Mother put in some kind of retirement fund for Her, We get about 80 grand a year. We live comfortable. Owe nothing but the regular monthly bills. No house/rent payment, no car/truck payment. No secret, government goons already know this. miles
Couldn't imagine what it must be like to manage a Buc-ee's or Walmarts etc
That $175-225K most likely works out to $15-20 hourly. But hey, you probably won't live long anyhow, so.........
Coupla my relatives said maybe they should have worked there. $125k to manage a car wash.
I said no way. You'd have to deal with azzhat employees and follow all the rules about who you can hire and fire and why. That's not even dealing with the even worse azzhat customers.
I would think competition for those buc-ees jobs are pretty fierce
they probably have a cot setup in the store room for those employees
I would think there wouldn't be a need to advertise for them if they were such great jobs/working conditions.
Would be like the old mill town jobs, or the auto plant jobs. Uncle Joe tells second cousin Suzie there's an opening down at the store, get your ass down there and you're set for life.
I would think competition for those buc-ees jobs are pretty fierce
they probably have a cot setup in the store room for those employees
I would think there wouldn't be a need to advertise for them if they were such great jobs/working conditions.
Would be like the old mill town jobs, or the auto plant jobs. Uncle Joe tells second cousin Suzie there's an opening down at the store, get your ass down there and you're set for life.
But if your pay scale is wildly outside of the "typical" scale for a C-store job, you likely need to advertise that because someone looking for a 25-30 dollar an hour job isn't thinking of their local gas station either. They advertise to get candidates that are worth 100k because 6 figure candidates probably aren't thinking of Buc-ees when looking for their next gig.
The "no experience necessary" only covers the bottom tier positions, I suspect on purpose. Locally - it's a 13-17 an hour job here.
I would think competition for those buc-ees jobs are pretty fierce
they probably have a cot setup in the store room for those employees
I would think there wouldn't be a need to advertise for them if they were such great jobs/working conditions.
Would be like the old mill town jobs, or the auto plant jobs. Uncle Joe tells second cousin Suzie there's an opening down at the store, get your ass down there and you're set for life.
But if your pay scale is wildly outside of the "typical" scale for a C-store job, you likely need to advertise that because someone looking for a 25-30 dollar an hour job isn't thinking of their local gas station either. They advertise to get candidates that are worth 100k because 6 figure candidates probably aren't thinking of Buc-ees when looking for their next gig.
The "no experience necessary" only covers the bottom tier positions, I suspect on purpose. Locally - it's a 13-17 an hour job here.
Why are six figure candidates shopping at Buc-Ees.
Shouldn't they be getting high test at the Chevron station?
I would think competition for those buc-ees jobs are pretty fierce
they probably have a cot setup in the store room for those employees
I would think there wouldn't be a need to advertise for them if they were such great jobs/working conditions.
Would be like the old mill town jobs, or the auto plant jobs. Uncle Joe tells second cousin Suzie there's an opening down at the store, get your ass down there and you're set for life.
But if your pay scale is wildly outside of the "typical" scale for a C-store job, you likely need to advertise that because someone looking for a 25-30 dollar an hour job isn't thinking of their local gas station either. They advertise to get candidates that are worth 100k because 6 figure candidates probably aren't thinking of Buc-ees when looking for their next gig.
The "no experience necessary" only covers the bottom tier positions, I suspect on purpose. Locally - it's a 13-17 an hour job here.
Why are six figure candidates shopping at Buc-Ees.
Shouldn't they be getting high test at the Chevron station?
Hello Sam. Great topic. I get $7K monthly from my retirement. Worked for Procter & Gamble since I was 18 YO until I was 59 1/2 YO. 41 1/2 years total & still a part time small farmer. I get $1800. monthly from SS but pay $300. back monthly due to our combined income. Wife retired as a Registered Nurse in 2020 after 40+ years of service. She collects $1500. SS monthly. We are in the Marcellus Gas play and collect pretty good royalties also. We're living comfortably & help our family out with expenses when we can & help at the local food pantry in town 6 miles away. Good thing we have farmers like you to work your a$$ off to feed the world.
Jobs: 1967 I was 16 years old and made $1.51/ hour boxing groceries. I talked to every house wife as I put grocery bags in her car.
Lots of other jobs
2008 I was 57 years old and made [more than the average electrical engineer made in 2008] as a contract engineer at General Dynamics. I used my table saw to build a kludged equipment rack to put in the luggage compartment of the Eclipse jet prototype. We were having back EMF sensed control loop trouble with the starter /generator in the Pratt Whitney jet engine. Working 24/7 we got the engine started at 4:00 a.m. at the Albuquerque airport.
Investing: bought GOOG 2004 bought AMZN 2011 bought NVDA in june 2023
Most major airline Captains are in the $500k-$600k total compensation range (W2 + retirement packages). Some more, some less. I hear there’s been a few go over $1 million at UAL and DAL due to special circumstances.
You bankin' all that money you makin' up there? Sending lots home?
The 101.5-hour weeks are adding up. Trudging ahead with plans laid until about May. Should've been doing this crap 30 years ago! Hope you are doing well.
Wife and I eat lunch ever day down to the Senior Center. That and the Gov dairy supplement keep us fed purty well. We don't have no mortgage on the ground but I might need a new tent come spring. Bless Biden, my student loan got paid.
Have more money than time. Could be doing real well if it wasn't for all the taxes....the amount is staggering if you add up everything you pay taxes on.
I am retired. I don't make any. I am getting SS and a pension. Have some money making money. Wife drawing SS and her pension. We are living the same as we were when I was bringing in much more. But We have no debt.
You bankin' all that money you makin' up there? Sending lots home?
The 101.5-hour weeks are adding up. Trudging ahead with plans laid until about May. Should've been doing this crap 30 years ago! Hope you are doing well.
Coolio Dude.
I know what you mean. Last job I had a good number of pay periods with 120 extra hours in two weeks.
Answer was/is dependent on the given day, and variability wide. Might be as little as zero for a spell - then, once in a while - just great.
Having traveled a long, long winding road, after those uphill switchbacks earning power can become a small issue. There have been showers of God's blessings, and we are grateful.
I make a living I never thought was possible for me. I live where I want to live, enjoy what I do, and am well respected. I will retire in 9 years and 3 weeks.
I don’t care what I make, I think it would be more fun to guess what someone else makes.
I’ll start with BuzzH. I think he makes at least $100,000/year, works probably less than anyone else since he claims to hunt over 100 days/year, and when he does what he calls work, is maybe 15 hours/week which would make him the highest paid member of the campfire…
Might have done better in life had I lived down South and worked for Buc-Ees. But, I hate people so that place would not be for me.
Pic from the other day while relatives were there. They liked the expensive 3 meat sammich though.
This is enlightening, relevant and pertinent chit right here.
2024 I'm doing the 3000 hour/$40 per schedule. Woman makes not quite same hourly and isn't quite as devoted as me...lol (but she does pay the health insurance and has a 401k)
Might have done better in life had I lived down South and worked for Buc-Ees. But, I hate people so that place would not be for me.
Pic from the other day while relatives were there. They liked the expensive 3 meat sammich though.
This is enlightening, relevant and pertinent chit right here.
2024 I'm doing the 3000 hour/$40 per schedule. Woman makes the same hourly but isn't quite as devoted as me...
They’re building one a mile from me, guess I’m giving a bu ch of raises out unless they drug test. If they do I’m golden, one upside of hiring meth addicts.
They don’t test for marijuana but do test for meth. I’m only losing half the crew. Upside, the guys using meth and weed work way faster than the ones that just smoke weed, and rarely sleep so always there on time.
Everyone is giving full disclosure, so this I my best. Just shy of $30/ hrs. $100/ wk family medical with deductible reimbursement. Shabby to some, top wages for unskilled factory worker here. Welders aren't getting that much in most of our shops. 5% raises for the next 3 years on this contract.
Originally Posted by Valsdad
Might have done better in life had I lived down South and worked for Buc-Ees. But, I hate people so that place would not be for me.
Pic from the other day while relatives were there. They liked the expensive 3 meat sammich though.
Wife runs a gas station/c-store with food service. Not sure what she makes, around $40k. Sure wish she was on Buc-Ees pay schedule!
Isn't it amazing, 25 years ago $100k was the number for high paid jobs. Our combined income was maybe 40% of that. If you had told me what I'd make now, I'd have done cartwheels figuring on being rich. Instead 401, insurance, more insurance, AFLAC....eat up more from my check than was in my check back then.
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
You bankin' all that money you makin' up there? Sending lots home?
The 101.5-hour weeks are adding up. Trudging ahead with plans laid until about May. Should've been doing this crap 30 years ago! Hope you are doing well.
Coolio Dude.
I know what you mean. Last job I had a good number of pay periods with 120 extra hours in two weeks.
WEll Sam I am 77 call myself semi retarded and semi retired. i work for myself have excavators and gravel truck ,work when and where i can. I can pull in from $80,000 to 130 a year but 30% goes to fuel $ 30,ooo a year for rent food and utilities $12,000 for licences and fees, up to $ 18,000 for repairs [tires brakes oil changes inspections ect]. no employies dont want them [headachs]. then there are construction materials over and above regular costs . I am not overly agressive in looking for big jobs anymore 7-8 hours a day are fine ,not 12 -16. own all my stuff.
Remson, your truthful reply I find very interesting.
My sister is a lawyer in the bay area and she used to make major cash. But she tired of the crazy calls at 2AM from the higher ups and finally couldn't take it any longer.
She now has a M-F job where she does legal work for one of the counties down there and she is much happier.
Same deal with my brother. He is a dentist and went from running his own practice in southern CA to working for a practice in South Dakota. He is also happier.
It's all about perspective. My mom arrived in the US with what she was wearing and twenty cents (I don't recall the story of that, but it was given to her before she was released from the concentration camp) and my dad's family had a similar story. We all worked hard when we were kids, from paper routes to delivering furniture and hauling scrap metal. I used to get a $3.50 paycheck for the paper route (weekly) and I got paid $20 a day for the delivery/scrap metal work. My first real job after college paid $15k a year in the late 1980s. When I got out of law school, I was making big bucks at the time $60k to start, and when I left NYC I was making over $300k a year, then it went up from there in CA. The price for that was, as your sister experienced, 24/7 working and ridiculous amounts of stress.
It's nice to be able to do something like walk into a car dealer and drive off with a $140k car without even thinking about whether the check you just wrote will clear. It's even nicer to wake up in the morning knowing that whatever you have is paid for and you are happiest driving your older pickup to go hunting and never having to give a second though to how many emails/texts/voicemails will be waiting for you when you get home. I wouldn't change a thing about the years working my butt off for big money, but that's something folks should do between about age 25 and 50. If you keep chasing money after that age, you have lost the game.
Always enjoy your personal stories and really enjoy the family history stories, Remsen.
I guess I'm just a "got lucky" guy. The day I got lucky was the day I told the corporate weasels to pound sand when they told me I couldn't park my SUV in their lot with my personal business' sign on the back. They needed me a lot worse than I needed them. Did waaay better on my own and never looked back. There isn't a single one of those sonsabitches that I would want to sit down and break bread with.
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
I could retire and collect Social. I can't do that. I need to stay busy.
Hard to understand how people would not be busy if they quit working. We have enough on lists work wise and play wise that we could do 7 days a week until we die right now and never run out of things to do.
Will be super glad when we don't have to waste the time of actually going to work but can get our work etc... done without working like fools after normal work hours.
Like I said elsewhere... it sure is expensive these days, just to be dirt poor.
At the same time, I'm not like many of these bums around here, that live on drugs and being high all day, never contributed anything to society.... but they get by living on welfare, under 4 to 5 different names. Those are the modern American rich.
I could retire and collect Social. I can't do that. I need to stay busy.
Hard to understand how people would not be busy if they quit working. We have enough on lists work wise and play wise that we could do 7 days a week until we die right now and never run out of things to do.
Will be super glad when we don't have to waste the time of actually going to work but can get our work etc... done without working like fools after normal work hours.
I agree, i think you can stay busy and still cash that check. I don’t know how many folks I knew that died waiting for full retirement.
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
There is something I very much like in this post.
Perfect example of an actual REAL AMERICAN Paul. An example of the type of man this nation is losing rapidly in numbers.
Kudoes to you Full3r. Thank you for your service, and thank you for your Service and dedication to what use to be a work ethic in this country, and kudoes for being a good father and husband to your family. Extended with much respect my friend!
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
Lots of interesting thoughts on this. We are low income according to talking heads, however we have 6 children, newest just born on Friday. All born after we were married. I am the only income, wife stays home and raises kids and manages the house. I work as a blue collar maintence guy, stated on tools, went to night school, became a supervisor and now a project manager since I started after the military 8 years ago.
Don’t have all the fancy toys, but have 2 newer paid off vehicles, a utility tractor, a classic car and a $475k house that we should be debt free on in 2 years. Moderate(think cheap) vacations, I do as much diy house work as possible, as well as vehicles. Try not to buy a bunch of stuff that just takes up room.
Took a gross pay cut of 25k with with project management role, but I only work 40hrs a week, not on call. As a tech I would avg 1400hrs of OT. And have way more time at home. In return I make 175% per hour that I made as a tech. Also get a yearly bonus slated to be 10%. This year company did well and we got 17.5% of gross.
Spent a lot growing up and starting out but want to be able to enjoy the kids and family, and so far that is well worth the pay cut. And no even with kids we don’t qualify for any subsidies or govt help/free ins.
OK, so I’m gonna focus on the kind of work I’ve done because it’s much more interesting than money. I got a BS in geology and started working at the end of 1982 just when the oil field took a downturn so there were a lot of unemployed geologists and no one was hiring. My first job was in Dallas as a sampling technician taking soil and water samples to investigate Superfund sites in a five state area, paid a salary of $15K/yr. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but I bought my first new vehicle, a short-bed Toyota pickup for $4,995. That was the first and last vehicle I ever financed.
Did that for a few years and caught on with a company that focused on cleaning up contaminated sites on Air Force and Army bases, worked my way up to project manager, then opened a new office for the company in San Antonio, then relocated to Colorado 25 years ago and managed a regional operation for the same company which had by then grown into a mid-sized engineering and construction company through acquisitions. My business unit had 300 people, annual revenues of $100 M, and dropped 5-10% of that to the bottom line every year. I was responsible for everything within the business unit including profit and loss and we had a pretty good incentive plan so the pay was very good. We did construction, contaminated site cleanup, transportation design, and wastewater design and engineering.
We had some really cool projects along the way. Did an $80 M construction project in Iraq in 2004, building a base for the Iraqi Army so that (we were told) the US could turn over the effort to the Iraqis and bring our men and women home. I went over for a short time, it was like the friggin’ wild wild west and we were in a relatively secure part of the country. Did a $50 M project re-paving and improving the Air Force runway on Shemya Island in the Aleutians, a $25 M project rebuilding 1,100 military family housing units at Keesler AFB after Katrina, a $30 M design project for a segment of I-35 near Austin, and managed the Austin Clean Water Program where the city replaced a lot of its storm sewer system. If anyone is in the Air Force and has had Lasik surgery recently, we also built the Lasik clinic on Lackland AFB. I was very fortunate to have a bunch of really good project managers working for me, that made my job really enjoyable.
That company was bought by one of the largest engineering and construction companies in the world, and after that the place was just not a good fit for me. Left it twelve years ago for a much smaller company that does the same thing, took a pay cut but got a big raise in quality of life. Planning to retire in a year or so, tough decision because I like my job and the people I work with. My boss is our CEO and he loves to fish. For a while there, it seemed like every time I’d visit our corporate HQ we’d take a day off and he’d take me fishing and he knows some good spots. We’re still doing really cool projects, and I’m still driving a Toyota pickup, bought it 12 years ago. Put three sons through college, one at VA Tech which was not cheap, but we’re debt-free and all the boys are too. Plenty of nicer stuff we could afford, but just can’t justify it. Probably because both my wife’s and my parents came up during the depression and their frugality rubbed off on us.
I”m 72 this year and slowly transferring clients to my partner who is 40. I have met lots of good people who have stayed with me for most of my career. Hard to let loose of the relationships, but after helping them retire, they get it and have welcomed my partner and that has been great. Biggest problem is finding good employees and that’s one reason why I’m hanging on for a little while longer. Not to mention I still get paid pretty well. Like Glen said in an earlier post, it’s all about what you put in your pocket at the end of the day.
Earlier post, 6 kids, wife is the CEO of the household, low debt, happy family. God bless them. My wife was a stay at home mom until the youngest wast in second grade and she worked part time. You make do.
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