MovieChat Forums > The Joneses (2010) Discussion > I can afford to live like them

I can afford to live like them

posted 10 years ago by Trumerica
11 replies | jump to latest

My only fear is to lose my job and then lose it all. Which is why you see so many bankers commit suicide. The amazing thing is that when I grew up slightly poor/lower middle class, I thought to live like this you had to be a millionaire. But $100,000 per year can give you this upscale lifestyle. Even working a lot of hours at a good paying job and have a few websites that give extra income in advertising and other services can afford you this lifestyle too. Oh and of course I am referring to living like this anywhere in the south. The liberal places like New York, Chicago, and LA you will only afford a 200 year old shack that is 800 sq ft surrounded by criminals.

[–] Lady_Elaine_Fairchild 8 years ago

Maybe in Atlanta or Ohio somewhere -- where the cost of living is low and the housing marketing is fair.

Live where I live...a shack is $300k anything livable/nice is 800k-1.5m at least.

You can't get by on $100k a year unless there are 2 people in the household earning that-the taxes alone will kill you. And I am not even going into private schools.

I can't hear you over the volume of my hair.

[–] Trumerica 8 years ago

Yeah you're basically repeating what I just posted. Though you are thinking of a husband and wife with kids with that income. Me alone with that income in the south people think that I'm a millionaire.

[–] Lady_Elaine_Fairchild 8 years ago

Its all relative... in Jupiter, Florida I am considered middle to lower income class in Dayton Ohio I am Donald Trump (minus the ad hominems) so...I really need to move to a place like Dayton lol

But yes most definitely. I wonder how people do it (I will soon find out lol or not) without a safety net. One wrong move and anyone can be headed for skid row

I was I the middle of that movie when as I posted so I hadn't witnessed the tacked on ending..we had a dark satire of a movie there for a while, not sure whose decision that ending was.....

Anyway, I think its better to live below your means and use the extra if you have it to help others and travel. Sure traveling is selfish but it opens your eyes to how blessed you are and hopefully feeds the other choice (I gave) for extra cash

This movie was a definite indictment on that yuppie greed.

I can't hear you over the volume of my hair.

[–] Trumerica 8 years ago

Yup I posted this topic two years ago so I have a grasp on my limitations now.

[–] slidell333 8 years ago

Excellent point. I know so many people, including friends of mine, that live good lives, always buying this and that (like $4000 for a professional grade table saw, band saw...and something else, can't recall) but if they lose their job....its friggin curtains for them. No way will they find a job that pays the same. I couldn't live like that, I'd be terrified. And I know they don't have any savings, either. To each his own, and I sure have made some of the same mistakes when I made good money, but after living through the economic nightmare of 2008 onwards I have a whole new outlook on things.

I used to work on what people consider the "rich" side of town about 15 years ago...and when people would come in for a $10 break tag, these people in their new BMWs, etc...would want to put it on a credit card, which you're not supposed to do according to the State. Did we care? Not really but we'd have to charge tax. It blew my mind at first, how many of these "rich" people didn't have $10 cash in their pocket. Didn't blow my mind as much when I looked inside some of their houses and they either had a)little to no furniture or b)mostly patio furniture and bean bags...

[–] Trumerica 8 years ago

Yeah I think unless you have a really stable job with a high skill set like a doctor then you can feel comfortable about finding more high paying work. I wish there was some type of chart to show what you can afford at what income based on where you live and if you are single. I can buy a new Porsche and a $800,000 house easily on payments but that is if I keep my job.

The only reason I would want an expensive home is so I won't have to deal with my loud middle class neighbors. They have big dogs that bark for hours everyday, they sit outside and laugh and play music, their kids bounce basketballs for hours, their visiting friends bump loud music, etc. I am a quiet person and would like a quiet neighborhood where people have class. I have a rich friend and when I visit her it is so peaceful and quiet in her neighborhood.

[–] slidell333 8 years ago

Yea, unless you are a doctor or a lawyer is the only way I'd feel comfortable spending money like crazy and buying an expensive house around here, anyways. My friends that didn't go to college and a couple that didn't make it to the tenth grade are pulling down $140 a year in the Offshore Industry and River captains....who'd thought it? But I was told, like millions of others, to go to college...if only I'd known what I do now but such is life. When my brother was graduating college, companies were offering anyone with a four year degree jobs with signing bonuses, etc..by the time I did, only people with specialized degrees could find work and as the years went on it became more cut-throat. So from my life experience, timing has a lot to do with it and having a serious plan for a career you will find work in early, and sticking with it...I'm talking high school. And I feel even worse for these kids today, they have no opportunity. At least I had a little time with a decent economy....

But in this movie, I'm surprised they never gave a cover story for the Joneses wealth. Could have even said they inherited money, hence their ability to play golf all day and walk around. I figured as the movie went on the neighbors would start to get nosy...esp. after reading the information summary. But I've found they are wrong a lot.

[–] Trumerica 8 years ago

Yeah I've decided to not even have kids. They will grow up with their head stuck in a phone 24/7 without any skill and will be fat. I really see the world ending in about 20 years. There are more lazy idiots than smart hard working people and the idiots make bad votes there is no way we can survive.

[–] slidell333 8 years ago

Something has to give. Literally. Watch the movie "Idiocracy." There was a meme going around on Facebook recently with a picture of the President in "Idiocracy" and it said something to the effect of "This was a movie, not reality." But that's what happens when only stupid people are breeding. And around here, it's true. The dumb ones are having kids like rabbits and the smart ones are electing to not have kids.

[–] framsay1 8 years ago

This thread title sums up the way so many people think in our country. But those are the average Joes. The people who are great with money don't care what they can afford. They live way beneath their means, save, and retire early.

(No disrespect intended to the original poster. Was referring to the sentence "I can afford to live like them," not your personal attitude toward finances).

[–] Trumerica 8 years ago

Yes I agree. Since creating this topic I have paid off my house and it has gained $60,000k in equity. I still live in a normal middle class neighborhood, and my neighbors oddly volunteer their financial information to me when I just say "Hello how are you?". They have normal unskilled jobs yet they own a new F150, a $30k sportscar, and a new $20 Sedan plus an SUV even though it's just a husband and wife with one kid. Whereas I still have my car I paid cash for back in 2008 and it still looks great since I keep it washed and wax it every spring while it stays in my garage.

I do plan on upgrading to a nice neighborhood though since the other neighbors are getting loud and inconsiderate. Though I get nervous looking at large upscale houses that I could afford but I could lose too so that has me concerned.