How much money should you have to make

[Guest MrRant]

The reason for this topic is that on another board I go to there were some people there that were saying that you should be making like $50,000 + to be able to raise afford a child.

 

I thought this was ridiculous because sadly even if you make $30,000 a year you are considered low-income.

 

Their reasoning was that parents shouldn't get that $400 dollar credit because they should be making more in the first place to support their children. WTF? I make around that amount and can pay all my bills and my child is comfortable and don't NEED the credit but it help out a bit. But I am too poor in their opinion.

 

I can understand someone making $10,000 dollars a year should rethink their options but Jesus Fucking Christ.

[Guest TheGame2705]

What's funny is I'm fine and living comfortably with a bunch of diff. stuff (call intercept/id, broadband cable, etc.) and my mom makes probably $15,000 a year. People who say anything below $50,000 is low income are just spoiled and don't know how to budget.

[Guest cynicalprofit]

im all for licenses to have kids, so lets set it at a total house income of 24,000+

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

The reason for this topic is that on another board I go to there were some people there that were saying that you should be making like $50,000 + to be able to raise afford a child.

 

Maybe they mean one FAMILY, making $50,000. I sincerely hope they don't mean both spouses making that (or a total over $100,000 in any combination) - otherwise, only about 8% of all homes in the nation would be able to "afford" kids.

 

Their reasoning was that parents shouldn't get that $400 dollar credit because they should be making more in the first place to support their children. WTF?

 

Yes, seriously, WHAT THE FUCK? This is snobbery of the worst kind.

 

What sort of board was this, Rant?

[Guest MrRant]

It was the TivoCommunity board.

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

Yeah, I was raised by a single mom and did not have the best of things growing up. Income wise, not much has changed and I go to a $40,000 a year school, have a new computer, my own car and I lived in Australia for six months.

 

Granted the government paid for a lot of that stuff, but the fact of the matter is those people are morons...

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

It's all about love and how good of a person you are, not how much money you make. A kid turns out good because of the morals taught to them by their parents, and the love of the household, not by the checkbook.

[Guest Some Guy]

One child isn't the problem, it's having multiple kids when your income isn't going up.

 

So let's say that someone has a household income of $25K, that may be enough for one kid and the parents to live off but wouldn't be enough for 2 or 3 kids. That's where I have the problem, all you are doing there is hindering your children's oppurtunities and possibly having to leach off the Gov't when you otherwise wouldn't have to.

[Guest Choken One]

Since I make good bank...I know I have money well secure for my kids should I ever have any.

 

Me and My wife make exactly $92,000 and that is good for us two. We hope to have two kids only.

 

We plan to spoil our kids...but we're smart.

 

It is in my opinon that Parents need to make at minimum of $15,000 just for one child...

 

I was lucky and grew up with a WEALTHY up bringing...So my viewpoints are shady...

[Guest SweetNSexyDiva]

Well, we did a study for San Diego, CA (where I used to work before I got layed off...the bastards) and for a single person with no kids, the living wage to live comfortably is $11.58 (or something like that). Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

 

C'mon now, honestly:

 

How many people do you know working minimum wage jobs who are supporting two or more kids by themself?

[Guest Choken One]

Alot of Minimum wage workers are in that boat right now Blacklight

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

I'd love to see the figures.

 

And in most cases, I'd be willing to say that these folks aren't that bright to begin with.

[Guest ISportsFan]

Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

 

C'mon now, honestly:

 

How many people do you know working minimum wage jobs who are supporting two or more kids by themself?

That he knows? Probably not a lot.

 

That I know? Probably not a lot.

 

That you know? Probably not a lot.

 

That live in the major cities or have problems speaking English or are illegal immigrants or have problems keeping their penises or vaginas away from others at a young age? A lot.

 

Jason

[Guest MrRant]

Also take into consideration we are talking about at least having enough money for bills, clothes, food, medical care for the child.

 

We aren't talking about making sure the kid has a XBOX etc.

[Guest Ripper]

My mother was a single woman, making min. wage and working ajob on the side (at the time min. wage was 4 something) and raised me and my sister. She wasn't clearing 12,000 and there wasn't one night that I went hungry, or didn't have clothes on my back.

 

To say that people aren't to bright to have multiple kids without that much income is just stupid. You can live and raise kids off small amounts of money if you are willing to sacrifice and not try to keep up with everyone else. That is what the Goodwills and such are for. There are outlets for low income families.

 

I am from a town where a majority of the people make 15,000 or less and raised their kids just fine. Morals is what raise healthy kids not how much money and play things you have laying around.

 

"QUOTE (Blacklight Angel @ May 31 2003, 09:36 PM)

QUOTE

Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

 

 

C'mon now, honestly:

 

How many people do you know working minimum wage jobs who are supporting two or more kids by themself?

 

That he knows? Probably not a lot.

 

That I know? Probably not a lot.

 

That you know? Probably not a lot.

 

That live in the major cities or have problems speaking English or are illegal immigrants or have problems keeping their penises or vaginas away from others at a young age? A lot."

 

 

That is a pretty ignorant statement to make. Everyone is not met with blessed lives. My mother began working when she was 10 as a cleaning peoples home so that tells you how tight money was in their household when all of the children had to go and get jobs. She didn't have the opportunity to go to college because that was not a option. She got married at 28, had my sister at 30 and me at 34. Sadly she was married to a cheating, soon to be achoholic asshole and left him(thank god). She was in that situation to give us a better life. Now if she had stayed with my father, yeah, alot more disposible income would have been around, but what kind of person would I be now if my male role model was a piece of crap. Life might have been tougher but it was better. Not only do I know of DOZENS of situations like this, I imagine there are plenty out there...more that just the non-english speaking immigrants and the ones that couldn't keep there penis's and vagina's to themselves.

[Guest Blacklight Angel]

Don't take this the wrong way, Ripper.

 

You're an anomaly.

[Guest Ripper]

Not even close to being one.

 

I get the feeling that not many have been raised or lived in low income communities or cities. To alot of people low income is 18-20k...not where alot of people are from. It isn't a rarity to hear stories such as these in alot of cities. I also think it is an insult to all the hard working single parents out there to say that they just couldn't keep their legs closed. It might be really rare where you guys are, but not at all to others.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Ripper your mom should be applauded. More single parent families need to follow her example.

[Guest MrRant]

I agree Verne.. and that is why I don't understand how them getting $400 bucks is a bad thing. It's not going to do much outside of maybe help them catch up on some bills of perhaps have some emergency money.

 

I noticed all the people that have issues with it seem to be ones that are making 50K+ each.

 

WHICH IS ABNORMAL for most people without a college education and even still they would need a really good job.

[Guest Choken One]

My father made 6 digits on his normal job without a College degree (never went)...So it's not un common...People without College degrees sometimes make more then people who went for 6 years or something...

[Guest Cancer Marney]

Yeah, average pay for ILWU dockworkers was over $140k last time I checked. Highest was more than twice that. Anyway, I've got to agree with Ripper here: the people who were arguing with Rant on the other board are morons. It's perfectly possible to raise a child properly while working for the minimum wage. Of course it's easier with more money. Of course. But this isn't about convenience. It's about having the intelligence to put food, clothing, medical care &c before an X-Box, the humility to accept uncoerced charity, and the self-respect to avoid abusing welfare entitlement crap.

Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Of course.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Well this all has to do with this notion sweeping our nation that we are judged by the money we waste. What exactly do kids NEED for a decent upbringing? If there is food, shelter, health, what other BASIC NEED does one need to be raised well? No one said they are glad they can't afford an Xbox for their kid, but does that make their child's upbringing less in quality than a kid with an Xbox?

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Stuuuuuupid! But if it's the avforums.com board, I'm not suprised. They probably think you need to make $50K to have children because they expect you to spend $30K of that on HD-ready TVs and 5.1 surround.

 

My family... Eh, we live in an old house. We were making 50K at one point but with layoffs we likely won't ever make that much again. I have a decent computer and all three video game consoles and eat fast food now and then. We have our ups and downs. So I don't think it's impossible. We were also taking multiple vacations in a year in 2001-2002 (when the money really piled in) when previously we took one vacation every five years.

 

My old best friend, however, was raised in a family where his dad is a media honcho and they live in a very new house and he brings in so much money that his Mom doesn't have to work. Everything is nice and new and smells good (he even told me once I live in the slums, which got me rather upset) but his parents don't nearly give him the unnecessary luxuries of life like mine have given me. *shrugs*

 

 

Also, those parents suck. I see him once a year on average now because of them.

[Guest Lemon Drop Kid]

Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

 

C'mon now, honestly:

 

How many people do you know working minimum wage jobs who are supporting two or more kids by themself?

Keep in mind, he said $11.58 for a SINGLE person with NO kids. Therefore you'd have to have a signifigantly-better-than-minimum-wage job to support two or more kids.

[Guest My Eyebrow is on fire]

What's funny is I'm fine and living comfortably with a bunch of diff. stuff (call intercept/id, broadband cable, etc.) and my mom makes probably $15,000 a year. People who say anything below $50,000 is low income are just spoiled and don't know how to budget.

Agreed. A child needs loving parents who spend time with them, not a bunch of fucking toys and name brand clothing.

 

The child will resent you at first for not being a superstar brat growing up, but will thank you when they enter into their $100,000 starting salary at their career job.

[Guest My Eyebrow is on fire]

Pretty sad since min wage is $6.75.

 

C'mon now, honestly:

 

How many people do you know working minimum wage jobs who are supporting two or more kids by themself?

I know a local minister who works for $7.00/hr at a local pet store. He raises 3 kids home-schooled. I don't know how much his congregation gives him, but...there's one example.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

My sister and her boyfriend currently live in lower-middle class housing. My sister's boyfriend, the father of 3, works hellacious hours for Derry's Hardwood Floors. My sister takes care of her 10-month-old daughter, her boyfriend's 9-year-old daughter, and her boyfriend's 8-year-old son. She has no job, she's a full-time home worker. And you know what?

 

They're fine. Why? Because people are willing to help out.

 

As long as they have people willing to help out, money isn't much of an issue. At least not as much as many of you are making it out to be.

 

Parents raise kids. Money doesn't.