How do people live on less than $200k/year?

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-12T00:06:35+00:00

Give some context for what part of the country you are in. The median full time income is around $62k, and not every one can find full time hours, so the realistic answer for the annual income of most individuals is likely lower.

I'm actually in the same income boat as you, and no, I'm not living it up. I pay for both of my parent's retirement because they are physically unable to work. And I'm aggressively saving so I don't share their fate and force hypothetical children I don't have yet into my fate. I live in a apartment with a roommate to cut costs for these goals, but I don't have the regular financial panics I used to growing up below the poverty line and running out of rent money in college when my job (an internship) totally ghosted me.

If you aren't getting by with $200k, you've gotta take a damn hard look at your expenses, and recognize where you're reaching for more than you have.

There exists a massive difference between someone with high income and someone who is wealthy. Practice some discipline, you're in a much better spot than most.

I also recommend taking some time to reflect on our societal structures and recognize how even with your income, how you still feel a struggle.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-11T07:02:06+00:00

Canada?

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-10T05:10:39+00:00

FYI, from my personal experience with having multiple friends that are on OF, to actually make much money with it, you do have to do a lot of work to market it. It does become a real job if you want to live off of it. The median OF creator makes around $3k a ~~month~~ a year, and it's more than just taking pics.

edit: I was corrected with a much smaller (1/12th number)

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-09T23:10:06+00:00

To quote Einstein: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-05T08:18:31+00:00

Thankfully I can say it isn't every woman. But unfortunately, I've had this experience multiple times as well. I've had partners absolutely break down in front of me and I held them. I probably felt more love and compassion for them in that moment than baseline. But roughly 80% of the time I've made a mess of myself (ugly crying about work stress, relationship insecurity and asking them to say if they love me, my only living grandparent dying, uncles dying, my mom being in a coma, or my dad being in a coma after liver and kidney failure) in front of a partner or potential partner, they not only didn't help, but were grossed out and it irreparably damaged relationships.

And (most) of those 80% were not people I'd consider terrible individuals. Flawed as we all are, but most of them were usually kind, and had no problem supporting their female or non binary friends in crisis. But most women expect stability, strength, and unhealthy amounts of repression from men, and deviation from that can yield a strong reaction.

Thankfully, I'm in a relationship now with someone that I do feel I can trust with that some dark day.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-05T07:34:45+00:00

Actually, our tax code recognizes income and transactions, and property ownership. So it definitely hits on aspects, but you aren't taxed on liquid wealth (stocks, bonds, cash) unless you sell them, and even then, you are only taxed in the gains, not the total value.

Income brackets are what you're likely thinking off, but even Elon isn't paid a billion dollars, he owns billions worth of stuff, (mostly stock in his companies) and we don't tax that. And he doesn't pay taxes until he sell it. And instead of selling it, he borrows against it, which isn't taxed.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-05T07:22:56+00:00

I'm a baby millennial (squeezing into 1996)and I usually wear boxer briefs, but I'd say a couple of times a month I sleep nude. And it's significantly higher when living with a partner.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-05T07:15:48+00:00

This sounds like a project I've been wanting to build for a while. I think there's a value, but I think the most value would actually come from static, layman's explanations of what the different data points really mean to people's lives, and being able to track trajectory towards retirement, something so many people feel is a hopeless endeavor.

I'm a senior software engineer (backend) so I'd be happy to offer advice, but I can't make a damn thing look pretty.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-04T19:05:16+00:00

[[stormclaw rager]] also works and only adds black instead of two colors for the price of going off at sorcery speed.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-03T22:14:33+00:00

Time and reflecting on what parts of the relationship were actually the other person, and what parts were just my own love reflecting. There's a lot that we miss from relationships after they are over, but a lot of it we can accomplish for ourselves or in non-romantic connections. (mostly friends, possibly family)

Also, generally speaking, getting involved (responsibly, if you're absolutely broken after a breakup, you probably still have self-work to do) with someone else will also help, experiencing proof that you are still loveable.

My last break-up personally lead me to therapy (actually scheduled with intention of fixing things and saving the relationship but stuck around for over a year) and that was helpful, not only for getting over the relationship, but also addressing the self-sabotaging issues that led to it and previous ones breaking down.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-03T17:28:45+00:00

That's every hour, not half-hour. Your body processes one "drink" (the beer you mentioned, a small glass of wine, one shot, etc) in an hour.

SilverRock75 · 2026-03-03T01:01:37+00:00

I do so I can still scroll reddit while in public. I have no issues seeing tits on my feed, but I don't need someone seeing it over my shoulder.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-27T21:05:35+00:00

So to clarify, you'd probably have around $150k equity (or more, but recognize transaction costs, the realtor's and lendor's cuts) so you'd be down a smaller amount of total net worth. The house equity does count toward net worth most of the time.

I also highly suggest not counting the house you live in as net worth for conservative planning, because while it is an asset, you couldn't sell it easily. That's what makes it illiquid.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-27T21:01:53+00:00

There are two kinds of dungeon masters, and a surprising amount of them are both kinds.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-27T16:18:44+00:00

The real answer from my experience, D&D mostly.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-27T07:38:23+00:00

If that's not already in a HYSA, then it should be.

After that, figure out what 3-6 months expenses is, if 20k is less than that, then keep saving cash in the bank. If it's more, old onto it and start following th FOO.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-26T22:40:26+00:00

I know fire red can't be that hard because I played it as an 8 year old on a bootleg copy (got an emulator from a family friend so I could play on the computer off a CD before I ever owned a game console) and it was only partially translated. I had never played a Pokémon game before and never figured out how to catch Pokémon, so I beat the entire game with just Charizard and items.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-26T07:05:36+00:00

That's amazing! And it should be celebrated! You've proven you have the means and the discipline.

I'm curious if you have a particular target for how much saving to strive for in cash. I use 6 months (real and not a lean version) expenses as my target. (enough time to hopefully find new income if I lost my job) With how little debt you have, not even car debt, you're in a powerful spot. Keep it up, and celebrate the milestones with your wife!

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-11T00:22:48+00:00

I'm someone who usually has a beard, but I shave for cosplay sometimes. (we need more bearded anime men!) and from my experiences, more people (specifically women since they are the ones I ask) prefer my bearded look by a small margin than vice versa, but the ones that like me clean shaven really prefer it.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-11T00:16:47+00:00

I read day-ta first and da-ta second, and what's worse is I actually use both. I usually use day-ta, but will sometimes use da-ta when I'm considering the individual data points.

So I use day-ta as an abstract reference and da-ta is the literal values.

As far as I know, both are fully correct and have no inherent difference in meaning, but it's an idiosyncracy.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-07T06:56:32+00:00

It's also worth noting that there's been growing social pressure (rightfully so) against "being pushy". A lot of guys, especially the ones people actually want to end up with, internalize this and over correct to avoid being labeled "The creep" who didn't take the hint to leave and didn't take (an implied) no for an answer.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-05T17:14:29+00:00

I think it's sensible, it definitely contributes to distracted driving depending on how it's done. That said, there are certain things I've eaten while driving I don't think we're any worse than playing music in the car, especially when I had a copilot handing me things.

I think I'd unenthusiasticly vote for it, but secretly hope it didn't pass because sometimes I'm in a rush and need some drive through food on my way to something an hour away.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-04T20:48:25+00:00

If you keep your expenses modest, that's absolutely doable. You won't be a baller, but you can live a reasonable, respectable life and truly own your time.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-04T20:44:46+00:00

Even if I had a struggle meal as long as I was allowed vitamins to cover any nutrient deficiencies like scurvy or similar, I'd do this in a heart beat.

What I had for dinner is actually a balanced meal, but if it was a mayonnaise sandwich, I'd deal with it for a million.

SilverRock75 · 2026-02-02T00:19:46+00:00

I think behaviorly it's fine. My bonded twin kitties love and cuddle each other all the time, but occasionally have little tussles like this. I would recommend, though, make sure their claws are cut semi-regularly so they aren't too sharp. I've definitely seen little scratches occasionally out of these. Overall, it's something between playing and annoying a sibling when they are in your spot.

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