Can't speak for SoCal, but in the NY-Boston area, 150K is a good starting point, even managed planes are paying captains that. We just had a guy leave for an offer seriously above 150K.

GF

OK, here goes:

Claiming married and using Federal Withholding of 4 in SoCal at $12,500/month will net you $8,659.82 per month.

California Salary Paycheck Calculator | Payroll Calculator | Paycheck City

I'll use Huntington Beach as a guideline, and let's settle for renting a 3 bedroom townhouse - $2500/month (a bit on a higher side of average, but OK). In SoCal, rent usually includes water and trash service.

You're down to $6,100 - roughly. Home utilities (cable, gas, electric) $500 - one good thing about living in coastal SoCal - nice breeze and no need for a/c.

Down to $5,700.

Now... decision time. Do you buy an SUV with all the bells and whistles or do you "settle" for a Camry or something more down to earth? Personally, I don't drive a brand new car - I let someone else take pay the "drive-off-the-lot" penalty. I'll take a quality preowned car. For example, I bought a 1 year old Dodge Ram 1500 with long bed that only had like 12,000 miles on it, and still under warranty. My payment was little under $400/month. My other car was 4 years old and paid off... but let's say you get something fancier that runs you say $700/month. Throw in full coverage insurance on it, let's call it $1,500/month for transportation. Now you're down to $4,200.

Food/groceries for a family of 4 - $1500/month.

Down to $2,700/month remaining.

These are rather rough figures, and erring on the higher side. I don't see mingling with the migrant workers on this budget... :rolleyes:... unless you're hiring them to do some manual labor for you.

But as you said, to each their own... some are happy making 75k a year pushing an Excel and are absolutely happy with their lifestyle, others make $200k a year as large cabin PIC and are absolutely miserable. It all boils down to an individual and his/her choices.

Good start man!....now go account for the other 75% of my rough list.

Guess you dont save for retirement, college, or plain old savings? Hope your flying job never goes away. Long term plans? A paid off house is a LARGE percentage of a retirement egg. You are a renter. Anyhow, I guess lets not worry about the future?

Guess your company pays 100% of medical/dental/vision? My share at a Fortune 5 department was approx 8k/yr for a family of 4. Do you have life insurance?

Guess you dont put $5/gal SoCal gas in your 8mpg truck? (1k+/month?) Guess you dont register it (is that now approx $1000 in SoCal?) does a Dodge pickup ever break? need tires? (tap that savings we never accounted for?)

Guess you dont have Xmas, vacations, socialize? do you buy clothes? Are these optional items these days?

When did your $2700 extra dollars run out? might wanna cancel the yacht club social with the Joneses and forget hiring the farm workers, in fact you might to ask them if you can fill in during strawberry season.

But of course this back and forth can go on all day and accomplish little....just try to have a grasp of reality before you play the underpaid pilot martyr denouncing all the frivolous SoCal spenders in todays crazy world....:rolleyes:

You are currently only accounting for about 1/2 of what most normal people need to have what is considered a decent living......and I disagree 100% - the missing items aren't "choices" - they are required basics.

Again, to each his own is likely the best way to leave it....;)

Right off the bat--$2700 is a ball park figure for savings monthly--college, 401(k) and emergency fund. So RJS is out of pocket for "out of pocket" expenses.

GF

LEAVE?!?!

You had better clear out your inbox GF :D

USMCFLYR

NowCorporate -

Can you show us an example budget including all of the items that you detail and give us a figure of what YOU think would be required to live in SoCal using whatever QOL you are trying to use as an example?

USMCFLYR

???

I gave my list of the basics in my 2 posts...anyone can figure out what they cost, and to what level they want to fund them....or just leave them out an call them luxury/frivilous items...:eek:

You know, minor stuff in life like retirement, savings, college, medical, auto repairs, gasoline, clothes, holidays, vacations, emergencies, hobbies, etc etc....nevermind the fact that you will never own a home there. Call me old fashioned, but I want to raise my family in a home, not a freaking apartment. Some call that extraneous I suppose...:o

Since when did thinking about the future, preparing for the downturns, and god forbid getting ahead a little (none of these were considered here) become "keeping up with the Joneses"

Martyr pilots...no thanks, they can keep it. I have worked too hard to accept that....but to each his own. No shortage of experts on the internet, right?

:)

USMCFLYR

There was some specifics to this individual, experience, management offer, etc that led to leaving. Let's just say an offer he couldn't refuse, in a good way. Not sure if we will hire, too soon to say.

Funny thing about corporate, some guys get calls out of the blue with good offers!

GF

I just wanted to hear your thoughts about requirements of income that met with your expectations. You asked the other poster to throw down some numbers so I asked the same. This is not bickering, I'm wondering if you have the numbers that you asked for. House or apartment? Why does that matter? You've been to many big European cities - you know that people are raising families and very happy in some apartments. I know of apartments much larger than the house I grew up in.

So........would you like to throw out some numbers that make sense and add to your point of view? You seem to be taking my post as some sort of an affront to yours'. It isn't.

I do view it somewhat in this manner though. If I were a multi-millionaire and read a post from you detailing your expenditures - bills, mortgage, savings, investments, vacations, cars, etc.... and then told you that you weren't living in a home/apartment that I would be satisfied living in, driving a car that I wouldn't give to my 16 year old daughter, sending my kid to a school that wasn't in the top 10 in the nation, going to vacation only in the US, or saving NEARLY enough for the future (but your obviously do), how would you answer such a reply?

Yes.....experts on the internet really do come in every size and flavor!

USMCFLYR

Disregard NowCorporate he is the same guy that is Gulfstream 200 from flight info, same blow hard nonsense, new name. He makes $300k/yr and works only 3 days a month (his choice of days, of course), he'll be happy to tell you about how crappy your job is and how great his is, he knows everything, just ask him. Hell, you don't need to ask him, he'll just tell you.