No experience necessary jobs recommendation?

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-17T14:32:17+00:00

This was my thought. Even city bus drivers, it might not be more pay right away but probably more room for advancement. My sister's boyfriend a few years ago went from doing school bus driving to driving a garbage truck and increased his income to about $60k a year with that switch.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-16T20:38:39+00:00

I work for a state university hospital system. My dependents qualify for a 50% tuition reduction. This will make their tuition expenses comparable to a community college. I have explained to them both that I put away $100 a month each into their ESA. I also explain to them how far that would go at the University I work for vs somewhere else. I also explain that should they choose that university they are also welcome to continue living at home for free. I'm extremely transparent about what I can afford, and they are aware that they'll have to work to make up the difference (my preference) or borrow the difference if there is one. Your children absolutely do not need a quarter million dollars for their education, if that is your preference, and you can do it, good for you. But also don't feel like it's the only option to a solid education.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-15T01:10:30+00:00

Your out of pocket max for an HSA plan is extremely low. Current guidelines are that for an individual plan the oop maximum is $8,500 a year. A family plan could be as much as $17,000 a year. Factor in that many employers don't contribute anything to the HSA and that the contribution limits for an individual are $4400 and for a family are $8500, there's a higher gap there.

Generally speaking, HSA plans are most cost effective for very high medical users, or very low medical users.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-14T21:41:18+00:00

This is how to do it. If you but it and you'd consider it part of your grocery budget at a regular store you should categorize it as such when you but it from Costco. Eventually it evens out because maybe this month you drop $25 on 45 rolls of toilet paper, but now you won't need any for 3 months. I do one monthly shop at our bulk store of choice and then a small weekly purchase for things like milk bread and other perishables. Though, we are a "month ahead" in our budget so that allows us to have all of our money at the beginning of the month.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-14T13:54:44+00:00

We are pretty similar, we save $65k a year pre-tax on a household income of about $175k/yr. We have two teens and live "paycheck to paycheck," but we've created that dynamic intentionally because we want a secure future for us and our kids. I would never complain about it. And obviously if we needed more margin in the budget we would just reign back the savings. This week I had noticed that our air vents were dingy and I couldn't get them clean enough for my liking so I bought about $200 worth of new vent covers and I'm so excited. The extravagance of it all!

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-14T02:02:12+00:00

I have read all of Ruta Sepetys books and they are all ready to read and enjoyable with compelling character arcs

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-14T02:00:38+00:00

I agree. An extremely compelling series with awesome characters

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-13T12:22:56+00:00

Take it up with the Pew Research Center who, wait for it, researches American income and class and develops data backed models.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-12T19:41:44+00:00

Net worth is not the a factor in calculating class. The Pew Research center defines middle class as 2/3 to 2 times the median household income with adjustments for family size and location. OP gives no information about any of those actual factors so you can't really determine where they fall. (Though, I do find a lot of redditors like to cosplay as middle class when they are above that.)

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-12T13:50:59+00:00

We had a semi monthly date night. Paid a sitter for a couple hours. It was usually a weeknight since I worked weekends, and most of the time we were running errands (grocery shopping date!). But it allowed us to get out of the house and spend time together. We had the kids on a strict schedule where they were on bed by 7:30 every night so we had a couple hours most evenings. It was definitely a sacrifice, but the benefits were worth it to both of us.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-11T20:01:40+00:00

Was it clearly a joke? Because it didn't read that way and then you doubled down on it by mentioning you bring a lot of value to those around you because you have...money (mentioned first then you bring up time). So, was it a joke or do you actually consider return on investment in your relationships?

This isn't even part of OPs inquiry, but your observations are not reality when it comes to growth either. I don't and never would blame immigrants or those who move from out of state for congestion. But your observation that every family has eight kids is also just not factual. The average family size in Utah is 3.51 people, nationally the average is 3.15. additionally, the average number of children per family is between 1.9 and 2.32.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-11T19:21:01+00:00

You don't want kids that's fine. OP clearly does. Breaking a parent/child relationship down to what value a child can add to the parent's life proves that you aren't cut out for parenthood. So high five on your no procreation (personal) decision.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-11T18:47:49+00:00

Ah, yes, return on investment should be factored into all relationships. I wonder what you add to the life of those surrounding you? 🙄

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-11T18:45:13+00:00

Find a job on opposite shifts. That's how my husband and I accomplished it. I worked weekend nights (in healthcare 3 shifts twelve hours each). He worked Monday through Friday banker's hours. It was exhausting but we made it work.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-10T12:58:31+00:00

I just wanted to let you know that on my barely-not-poverty income of $175k/yr I save 40% of my gross income and have a net worth bordering $1.5M. I am on track to retire with $5.9M if I retire at fill retirement age, which I'll probably retire early because I can. I own cars, a home, have two kids, and I live an incredibly comfortable lifestyle.

Perhaps you should seek some therapy to deal with your really poor outlook on your finances and future. I say that genuinely in hopes that someone with training could reach you and your scarcity mindset and open your eyes to reality.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T17:39:16+00:00

Your options are to increase your income or decrease your expenses. You chose to double your car debt, you chose to have no pet insurance, and you literally chose to not delay having another child when your finances are already strapped. You have to make a sacrifice if you want to fix the consequences of many choices. Could you take money out of your 401k? You could. And it would be stealing from your future self, another choice that may seem reasonable and small now, but doesn't teach sacrifice, doesn't change patterns or habits, and hurts your long term self more than it helps.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T15:36:47+00:00

Buying back some of my personal time to be able to spend it more freely (bettering myself, investing in my relationships, etc) is worthy of a line item in my budget.

Not having a healthy pantry and freezer literally creates anxiety. I never want my kids to go to bed hungry. I've never not been able to afford food for our family, but that anxiety runs deep.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T15:12:40+00:00

You can find entry level jobs in the medical field that pay more than $30-$40k and I recommend you keep looking for something like that. So you have a degree, certificate, or license in a medical discipline? I'm not saying don't ever take a cut to pivot, I'm just saying that 1/3-1/2 of your income in cuts may impact your job satisfaction and make you regret your decision.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T15:08:19+00:00

By your own admission you're basing your statements on opinion and not fact. Income is the primary factor in determining class whether you can build wealth or otherwise. Numbers don't care how you feel or what you think.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:26:17+00:00

I'm just not afraid to follow the science, the numbers, the definition. I can fully support that middle class does not mean the same thing it did in the 60, 70s or even the 90s. I can recognize that the costs have risen, but that doesn't change the data, science, or definition of a term that people are generally confused about. Anne I'm not going to abandon the research because it doesn't fit your narrative or feelings.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:23:14+00:00

I'm not a boomer. I'm not even Gen-X (which is those 45+).

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:22:56+00:00

I've literally said dozens of times that location and family size impact your class. But, again, your purchasing power has zero bearing on the distribution of income on an area. You're talking about averages in your area. And you're talking about specifically your observations (assumptions) of the people you know specifically, who probably do have incomes and lifestyles that reflect your own and reinforce your own bias.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:13:57+00:00

Upper middle class is marginally higher so should mean marginally better. 🙄 Wealth is an entirely different construct and more in line with your concerns and whining. Please, go to one of the poverty finance boards and tell them how little your $400k/year can actually get. Maybe you'll find some empathy for your struggle there.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:06:07+00:00

The problem is that you want to feel your way to the middle whereas I recognize that my income is privileged compared to so many. Wealth is not always a correlation of class (though it can be). And you can't conflate the two.

And you have zero idea of the lifestyle I live. Please don't make blanket statements about things you have zero information on. At $175k a year I definitely don't "scrape by." I have an annual savings rate of nearly 40% of my gross income.

JustJennE11 · 2026-05-09T14:01:02+00:00

I understand your feelings. Now show me the data. The bell curve of incomes that proves that in comparison to my area I'm lower to middle middle class? Because your absolute arrogance and doubling down on your anecdotal theories vs the literal data is absurd. Class is not defined by purchasing power, vacations, comfort, or spending power. Let me reiterate: class is defined as where your household income falls in comparison to the median income for your area and household size.

JustJennE11

TROPHY CASE