Thread: 1000$ - much or little?

I forgot to correct this post for you...

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

Yes, I see what you mean. You're right, many city-dwellers in Russia do leave for their dachas on the weekends[s:3o0nmj7z], you're right[/s:3o0nmj7z]. Mostly in summertime (one word), I think, but it depends. But not everybody has a dacha, and not everyone wants to own one. My family does not have any, and I am happy with that. Sometimes I can go to my friend's[s:3o0nmj7z]'[/s:3o0nmj7z] dacha just to have some "shashlik" there (a kind of barbecue (barbeque the way I would spell it, yet either way is fine), you know ). But as for me, I am personally a complete "urbanist", I've gotten (but you should say "become") used to the city life and I do not feel comfortably when staying [s:3o0nmj7z]out[/s:3o0nmj7z] away from [s:3o0nmj7z]of[/s:3o0nmj7z] it for more than 1 night. I start missing [s:3o0nmj7z]crowdy[/s:3o0nmj7z] crowded noisy streets, broad avenues, big supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants etc. Small towns are also boring for me.

I am finding this thread rather interesting!

Everything from how much one makes in income to housing. =)

For me (I live in MD/DC area <--- er not far from DC, so reality, MD and in the county at that). So for what it is worth, here is my take on the various things mentioned.

My husband and I both work. We make (on paper, in black and white) what would be considered, really good money. (6 figures) HOWEVER .... when you add in all of what we pay for (ie: mortgage/rent, utilities, food, health insurance, car insurance, car payments, incidentals (with 4 children), etc ...) we do not have very much left over at all to save. Living in a city, or close to a larger metropolitan area (ie: between DC and NY) makes for MD to be a very expensive state to live in. The cost of living rises yet the paychecks do not. Income is gross. The bring home (or net) is much less and then we get hit with all sorts of taxes through the year and of course the big one to the state of MD and the Federal government every year. Taxes on everything ... clothing, food, gas for your car, city tax, a piggy back tax, a county tax, etc.

Many live in various homes, I assume much like anywhere in the world. We have apartments, condos (fancy name for apartment IMHO), townhouse (or rowhome, depending on city or county)<---several homes attached to one another), duplex (2 homes attached to one another), single family. All can be owned or rented. Just depends.

Another thing with living here, while there is public transportation, many if not 90% of people have a car or truck to get around in. Even though I guess one could walk to places if you live in the city or even in the county. If you live in suburbia/rural .... you MUST have a vehicle of some sort.

So to live in MD on $1000.00 ... maybe it can be done. Reality is .... you have to find a really dank place to live or share living quarters with others, and are only surviving on beans and pork (ie: in a can).

Give an idea:
This is what I make and pay for alone. I make (just me personally) $30000.00 gross a year. I bring home net $23880.00. (So the government for State, Federal and County taxes took $6120.00 right off the top <---government no matter where you are in the world ALWAYS gets their share first! lol) I have a car payment that is $450.00, Car insurance $100.00, Phone $100.00, Mortgage $1000.00, Gas $200.00. (all of this is per month) My paycheck each month is $1990.00. My bills NOT including food or utilities (ie: gas and electric for the home) is $1850.00. That leaves me with $140.00 left over to save or apply to other things (ie: food for my kids, ). So yeah NOT a whole lot of money to go around.

This is a big reason NOW why there is a growing number of families living together. Use to be you grow up, get a job, get married and move out on your own. Now, it is much easier to have grandparent, parents, kids all living together. Cheaper. Yet harder too IF one or the other does not get along with the in-laws, heheee.

Side note here my gas for the car is high, because I work more than 50 miles from my home AND public transportation to where I work does not exist. Gas (while cheaper than most of the world) is not cheap to us. (meaning it is all relative with inflation and man gas prices rise and fall faster than people change their clothing!)

Sorry for being long winded. I just thought this was so cool to compare. =)

Another article about family living expenses in Moscow. The comments to the article are very valuable.

"We somehow survive on 80,000 rubles with my husband and two children"
http://www.gazeta.ru/money/2010/03/17_e_3339747.shtml