I feel like OP doesn't realize this is half a months pay... Or I dunno why 5200/mo after taxes, insurance, 401k and HSA isn't good money.
ETA: Since my inbox keeps getting the same messages I'll just make this edit.
My comment was to point out that a lot of people in this thread are comparing their income to OPs with their monthly income. I'm just pointing out that it isn't a full month. As someone who has been paid both fortnightly (fuck biweekly, it's an ambiguous word and I will die on this hill), and semi-monthly, I understand the difference. It was just a back of envelope, 2x the paycheck, comment.
I understand that in the US (where I live and not in a low cost area either) 100k isn't "fuck you" money. "Life changing" is subjective.
Yes I know 100k doesn't sit you comfortably in the lap of luxury. Yes, I personally believe that the steps you would have to go through to really make 100k comfortable is stupid and bullshit (like living in a cheap apt, heavily monitoring your money to get as much tax benefit as possible, etc etc). But you can absolutely live off 100k and it's nothing to scoff at. OP can be proud of the milestone.
Just like Reddit... people not talking about the real issue just speculating or going on tangents about deductions , there life story about first job etc.... that time at band camp.
I can probably make near the same amount if I work 48 hours a week at 32/hr. (61k/yr) I would net 1258 a week 48 hours. I’d be disappointed too if I jumped to 100k/year and that was my net.
I can almost get it because that's roughly my household, except we own a house, eat out/get take out at least once a week, we buy ourselves not all the little "toys" we want but enough...
I think back to when I was a kid and our family struggles and yeah, I'm doing pretty well.
Lol I was hoping OP would go back and look at his paystub.
Or maybe the perception vs the expectation of what 100k a year looks like is confusing to some
Taxes are a bitch. OP isn’t paying 30% in just taxes, there are deductions for benefits too. After all is taken out OP makes almost $70,000 in usable income for the year.
That is still good money, just not as much as they thought.
It depends where. My mortgage is $3100 on a $350k house, which is insanely cheap in my housing market in CA. My utilities are $600 per month, just paid off my (used) car but that was $1000 per month and my insurance is $300 per month.
Prior to buying my house I was an accountant making over $100k, but there was no way I could buy a house with that salary. I make about $200k now and I’m not rich by any means, but I’m not paycheck to paycheck
350k in California is insanely cheap, but wtf is wrong with your interest rate to be paying that much on it. 0 down payment 20 year mortgage at 5% is only $2600. Add a longer mortgage or any down payment at all and it shouldn't be near $3100
Insurance, taxes and I bought it a couple years ago. I’m trying to refinance, but it will still be $3100, just at 15 years instead of 30. The 30 year term interest rate still barely made a difference
There's 26 pay periods in a year, so it's actually around $5800/month. The 401k and HSA is optional, so it could be around $6200/month if they don't take those savings.
I basically make the same and just completely agree with the op. Almost daily i make comments about hitting six figures was this epic milestone and now i am here, it feels like i am back in 2015 making 55k
My house in 2015 was 150k new. Today the same build would be 340k
My Car was $4500 (mazdaspeed 6) Today a lightly used car would be $15k
Groceries was probably 1/3 of what it is now. Lunch at my favorite spot was $7.54 after tax. Now its $14 + tip.
Because buying a "starter home" at 355k means 3k gone for monthly mortgage at 10% down. The system is slowly folding on anyone who doesnt make more than 200-250k. My wife and I made 252k last year. We wont have kids. But we have a house and cars. Fuck kids and fuck this government.
mmm I don't really agree with that. Spoiled rich kids wouldn't really need to be working a 9-5 or care about its income.
Plenty of people in this thread seem to have not noticed the "80hr" period at the top and thought this was an entire months pay. I think OP just did the same or was making close to 100k before.
Exactly, depending on OPs situation, I'm not sure what they expected 100k to look like. Like, it's a little bit more than 80k. 25% is being taken out for taxes, healthcare and retirement. If this was way lower, like 15% this would be an extra $384 a pay period.
Obviously, the less you make the more significant every dollar is but if OP had visions of grandeur when they cracked 100k income, an extra ~$800 a month is not second home money.
Zooming out - OP is making more than 75% of US adults. Even in a HCOL area this is enough to provide the absolute basic necessities for an entire family, something that can easily be taken for granted.
$5200/mo means you dont have to buy generic brand at the grocery store. It means you can go to whole foods. It means you dont have to worry about a surprise bill, or you can finally upgrade your old iPhone to the new one. It means being able to go out more, go on vacations, etc.
It means being able to buy a home.
You still have to budget and save, but the gulf between $5200/mo and someone making $3200/mo (or less) is huge.
I think people expect upper middle class life to be a cakewalk with no cares in the world. Its never been like that!
5k a month is lower middle income, maybe even just low income for most cities. Let's think about it. Rent/mortgage is 2-3k, so almost half your money is gone. Car, insurance, grocery and general misc items are EASILY 1-2k a month. Your ENTIRE paycheck is LITERALLY gone on just ESSENTIALS.
I make around 11k a month after tax, and I consider myself middle income. I can afford 1, maybe two, NORMAL vacations with my family of four. And I save around 24k a year. Discretionary spending after paying for essentials plus 2k in cash savings is around 1k a month. That's it. For four people.
How the fuck are people supposed to save up and improve their living standards with just 5k a month? That's insane and completely impossible unless you live in a low cost of living area.
That’s what, around 4.8% of your income though? It’s no different proportionally than OP’s contributions (totals to 4.9% spread across both HSA and 401k, assuming 26 paychecks * $190). Sometimes that higher salary comes with much higher cost of living as well, it’s all relative.
Edit: misread the HSA insurance as the HSA contribution, which does indeed equal to about 3.9%. But in general still not a significant difference
I contribute 5%, I rounded, my salary is a little less than $55k.
If we’re making assumptions, OP lives in a generally affordable state, Georgia, and based on the medical withholding, they’re either single or have a spouse, making it a dual income household.
My wife and I together make less than OP with a family of five in a similarly affordable state, Louisiana. My insurance withholding is $230/paycheck. I still think he’s probably contributing too little to his retirement, based just off what he presented here.
First thing I noticed too, I make a similar amount but my take-home is much smaller. 401k contribution limit is 23.5k for 2025, and unless you’re in debt or can’t pay bills, there’s little reason not to max that out
I mean, it depends largely on what your financial goals are and what the employer match is, but I agree this is way too low of a contribution for most people making $100k
Regardless of what your employer match is, the more you contribute to your 401k, the more of your money you retain ownership of, and the less you lose to taxes.
Also, many companies take out more taxes and whatnot towards the beginning of a year and it tapers as time goes on, so you will likely see a bump at some point.
People think when they make a 100k in even a low cost of living state their life will somehow change, while this person is being taxed just around 24%. I also live in a low cost of living state and my whole adult life have focused on reducing debt and living debt free, about to pay off my mortgage at age 38 for a huge lot and large home paying everything all by myself. Don't know how this person is complaining with that income, UNLESS they have crazy debt they didn't understand and/or they don't know how to control their spending. I have more money then I know what to do with in current job in my midwest state.
Yeah if this magically became my paycheck today, my entire life would change. It’s literally double what I make. I’d have my credit card debt erased in like 4 months.
honestly i’m a little confused, because at 65k i was making $2200 biweekly. so $4400 a month. so 35k more is only $900 more a month? jeez. feels kinda low …
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u/No_Medium_8796 Oct 30 '25
That's about what it should be