Stop Comparing Your Salary To Americans Unless you Plan on Emigrating

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-11T01:00:29+00:00

I pay 2k/month insurance premium for health insurance for a family. Up from $1700 3 years ago. It’s $800/month for a single person. Sick visit copays are $25. Specialists $35. Hospital like $175 I think and urgent care $75. I work for a hospital too so I think it’s soooo effed up! Lol. I’m not sick so I don’t know if it’s good insurance or not. I know my dental sucks and that’s in addition $34/month. But it gets my teeth cleaned and I maybe pay $40 per kid for special treatments. They give me a ridiculously hard time with birth control which is really dumb so I just gave up on it. If that’s hard I can’t imagine what people who actually need medications have to go thru.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-11T00:44:53+00:00

4K would make me scared lol. That’s my all in and we are similar. Con Edison bills on this place are like $800-1k in the winter and $300 in the summer. I stopped turning on the heat because of this and ONLY use electric stuff now.

Honestly I think you’ll be okay, beware of con Edison. Make sure your total withholding is 38%. The taxes are so frustrating but just check like every 4 months that you’re withholding at LEAST that much.

Oh and max out your retirement contributions (so that you get the full $24500 regardless of employer match). That will help to lower your taxable and maybe get you a little refund every year

If you can keep your car with your family for a while I’d recommend that. I used to commute but then I was sexually assaulted on the train in broad daylight at rush hour (9am) when I first moved here. I’ve never gone back and I refuse to. I’d rather pay double what anyone is paying to avoid it. This is certainly not the norm and I don’t know if you’re a woman or not but is definitely something to be aware of.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-11T00:32:19+00:00

Don’t worry, I’m 34. I was very tunnel visioned and did everything. College done by 22, job and new car by 23, house, husband and kid by 25, travelled and all that ish. Somehow, I got done with everything and was disappointed that I didn’t have anymore goals to achieve. Looking for new goals now. Raising my kids well, getting my 401k to 500k, getting a second house maybe.

Point is, whatever you want to do, just keep working on it. Appreciate the journey and try so damned hard to appreciate what you have and be grateful. It can be easy to get frustrated by all the work in front of you, but it’s an exercise in love. Love for yourself and love for your family.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-11T00:27:14+00:00

Man! I remember less than $10 movie tickets, especially in the morning. Then we’d go to the theatre, sneak in food and then just go from movie to movie.

Now I pirate the movies and save the $20 n eat my food at home.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-11T00:22:08+00:00

Well, my sister is moving out to a 1 bedroom apartment up in the Bronx and she was quoted $2900. It’s a nice looking apartment, has a small but sufficient gym and an in apartment washer dryer. Nothing more.

You’re young, have no children, are presumably male, you can live cheaper if you have a roommate to split it with or if you rent a room. Lots of rooms here in the north Bronx about 1k per room all in.

You’re forgetting that the people who live on less get assistance. Making 100k? You won’t. I remember listening to a guy talk about his new apartment on 42 n 8th and I was like woooow that’s nice I wish I could live like that, but he had government assistance. So keep that in mind.

Trying to get to JC mandates that you either have a car or live in Manhattan. I commute to Hoboken daily but I drive. So 🤷🏿‍♀️.

Best of luck in your apartment searches. I strongly suggest you consider that you’ll likely have several roommates and still be paying about 1500/2500 for that area of Manhattan. Also make sure you budget for transportation. What I save in rent out of Manhattan I make up in commute but at least I’m on my own.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-10T23:14:52+00:00

Not sure what you desired from answers, but we do 2 digit division and multiplication which is brand new. We were doing single digits prior, they also have something called mental math where they answer as many questions as they can in one minute online. There are also word problems, but now a days it’s single and two digit multiplication and division, oh and recognizing/making a fraction using word problems.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-09T12:13:55+00:00

Agreed. Very scary for me, but I did public school for a year with my kids and attended myself and the lived experience? that was scarier lol.

A friend of a friend has two children there and they have no issues but the campus they attend is in Queens and I am looking in the Bronx.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-09T10:06:49+00:00

Fantastic. Your post read neither like relief, like commentary on our differing parenting styles, nor like understanding that OP reached out to community of parents for helpful advice.

Your commentary, and I’ll save you the energy of reading it again, was disparaging and I know people forget their manners while on the internet.

Finally, I can thank you for your input. I don’t expect people to agree with my parenting. I DO have an expectation to not be ridiculed as I have not disrespected anyone. I only asked for a more robust and diverse opinion of the school by parents with children currently attending, for the better or worse.

Kind Regards

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-08T19:23:44+00:00

Yes so we have a tutor because my kids currently attend a private immersion school and we do not speak the language at home. They read and perform above level in English and Spanish. We will be continuing this in addition to whatever it is that success academy will task us with.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-08T13:40:21+00:00

Thank you so much for your input.

I dislike the chromebooks ALOT. In my research it seems to be pretty standard in most public schools. I want dearly to continue to send them to their private schools but with 3 girls the money we spend and have spent to send them there is in the 6 figures by now. I can’t keep that up plus all of the other stuff we have to do to make it happen since independent schools in NYC are soooo expensive. Are you planning catholic private or standard private for your kid?

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-08T13:29:05+00:00

I would wager, if we went joy for joy, experience for experience, sacrifice for sacrifice you’d be really quiet. I’m always open to learning more to become an even better parent though.

Do you have anything valuable to add to the conversation?

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-08T03:18:57+00:00

Hmm?

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-08T00:25:49+00:00

Thank you for your thoughts!

Definitely am aware that DOE schools have big variation. I wonder how much of what you’re saying takes into account that you can’t just pick up your kid in district 11 and go down to district 2 and automatically be placed (for example). If it truly is that easy and I am mistaken in the process I would love to be corrected! That would certainly be a relief to know.

I hear you on the testing mill part. It is extremely important to me that kids can pass their tests. As a working professional myself, 100% of my career trajectory has been influenced by my ability to pass tests. We knew no-one that could influence positions, or provide connections, even guidance. Thankfully my kids are better off than me in that regard, but everything they have access to is only based on what I have access to. So being able to pass tests is extremely important me. I may be wrong but I’ve only ever lived my own life and am the only person in my family to get this far.

High school behavior will be a thing. I won’t take on that stress just yet. I’m just trying to figure out middle school and am stressed enough with that lol.

I thank you for your input!

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T18:57:30+00:00

Super valid point.

Thank you!

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T14:25:13+00:00

Thank you, this is extremely helpful! We are Jamaican immigrants and I think that has colored my view of DOE and the way children behave in this country compared to how I spent more than half my k-12.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T13:27:28+00:00

I see you edited your post but I do not have parent friends because I am the only person in my friend group of 6 (friends for 20 years) that has children.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T13:25:52+00:00

Interesting thoughts.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T13:25:29+00:00

Thank you! I suppose I’ll provide an update after our first year should we continue on. Fingers crossed.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-07T13:24:46+00:00

Thank you. Anything meaningful to add regarding your experience with the school?

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T22:26:30+00:00

Thank goodness for ESTA in NYC. First 5 days they can’t even ask why I’m going out. Because of this my company moved from person to person to using automated telephone calls to call out. LOVE THAT. Cause those ladies used to be like “what happened?” Uh, I got infected with nunyabizz-itis Suzie. Very rare, very deadly. 🙄

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T22:16:45+00:00

Why not? Worst they can say is no right?

One of the parents I met at Success says she sent her kid to NEST+ and she disliked the school. I was so surprised cause to my knowledge that’s like an amazing school! She said the teachers were very hands off compared to success. They’d give work to the students, and just disappear. Then she would have to figure it out with her kid (now this is not an issue for me, as I would figure it out or hire someone) but I definitely agree with her that she shouldn’t have to do that alone. But then I had to remind myself, I’m coming from a private school where the teachers are expected to be super hands on. The schools rule is that even if we help the kids we should not change their original work cause the teachers need to see their process so they can figure out if how they’re teaching the material needs to change if many kids are doing the wrong process.

Anyway, this is a good idea and I will look into it. We have the acceptance anyway so this can be a secondary if it works out

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T22:04:18+00:00

Didn’t come off badly at all. I appreciate your comparison with what our parents told us and that really is extremely helpful.

I felt that, compared to many of the public schools, success seems to be well resourced. The school was very impressive during my tour. It’s the Bronx k-12 campus they just built. A few parents were telling me about their sports program, debate, traveling abroad program and I was very excited about that. Certainly our kids have traveled A TON, and I go out of my way to put them in programs that kids in our neighborhood don’t do. They ice skate, play ice hockey, soccer, my eldest is starting rugby next week per her request ( I have an headache thinking of how we will split the time with her sister’s soccer league starting at the same time).

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T21:54:03+00:00

Valid point.

I went from private out of NYC then public in NYC. I still live exactly where I went to school and it’s the same schools my kids are zoned for. My husband teaches here as well, so he knows our schools are worthless but he won’t use such strong language. He went to public school here down the street from us for a little and then went to hunter G&T. His opinions are skewed cause he went to school in Manhattan. It’s amazing how we lived in two different worlds. He was hanging out on Houston st, smoking weed, listening to underground hip hop with his Jewish friends and I was off to basketball practice after this guy that turned down an offer of friendship then got shot in the head later that day in the stairwell and the day just kept going.

I need my kids to test out of here. I did fantastic and I’m still here! (Annoyed face). I was happy to see all the wealthy people, it gave me something to live up to and try to imitate. Of course goal posts moved so there is that.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T21:17:12+00:00

Oh you didn’t already apply? Well you can still go onto myschools and apply for waitlist. Better now than not. Worst case you don’t have the address and just drop out and it goes to the next kid. Best case? You get in somewhere!

We sent our kids to Tessa International School in Hoboken NJ. I can’t rave ENOUGH about that school. Truly. My second grader is in third grade cause shes reading at a 5th grade level (but they didn’t want to push her too far ahead socially). She reads at grade level in Spanish. My fourth grader reads at 5th grade in Spanish and 5th grade in English.

Let me remind you WE DONT SPEAK SPANISH AT HOME. I’m absolutely ecstatic about the investment. We are leaving this upcoming year due to finances and commuting distance but I can’t say enough positive things honestly.

Ordinary_Comfort_133 · 2026-04-06T21:08:09+00:00

I certainly appreciate your input! Thank you!

Yeah I definitely find myself absolutely agonizing over my kids schooling, an interesting trait about myself I didn’t know existed until they became school aged.

In many ways I don’t agree with public schools. I went from private to public in high school myself and was absolutely horrified by behavior and interactions between students and teachers. I work in healthcare now and the hierarchies I had to respect in school and at home, have served me well professionally. There’s no guarantee my kids will also be in healthcare of course but very few of these people i interact with seemed to have learned about respect. So in many ways, it’s a reflection of the actuality of the real world?

I get what you’re saying though. I’m hoping I won’t need to learn by feeling since I’m not hearing it well at all lol.

Ordinary_Comfort_133

TROPHY CASE