mjflagg - I know what you mean about the SoCal mortgage thing. It's a real pain, but I guess that's the price we pay for living here. Arizona here I come!

voodoochyl - Thanks, I thought about the whole diaper party thing, my wife want's to do the reusable cloth diapers, but we'll see if that lasts. I am one child of 8, so I know a little something about diapers, my wife however is an only child, so this might be fun/interesting.

 

either way rammer good luck and what if u and twisn or triplets have u thought about that ?

 

Not that I am mr. wisdom by any strectch of the immagination, but i think the more you make the more you spend, your toys get bigger and better, as does your house, and like previously mentioned about debt proportional to income...it's the truth. What I did.....as I am in the military....I was living pretty good as an E3...got promoted, but was doing fine so I put that extra money into savings.....still lived on E3 pay...got promoted again....same thing,,,,kept living on E3 pay, put the difference in the bank.......my wife has always worked, but we survive well on my pay alone, so every dime she makes, we put in the bank....now, IRA's, the 401K, it's all paying off big-time, been promoted several times, lots of bonus pay, re-enlistment bonus' and such, but any extra goes into an investment, IRA or the bank, and I'm sitting pretty well, got nice trucks, bike, boat, nice firearm collection......just took a step back a long time ago and decided to plan ahead and be smart about it. Got three boys, I can agree about them being the money hole, but they do allot of stuff that I do, shoot and hunt/fish, boating, and that really doesn't cost much for them to go along, The more you make available, the more you spend. I spent most of my free funds on booze, women and guns...the rest I just wasted as the saying goes....

 

You guys need to do what I did- marry a sugar momma. I got married 6 months ago to a girl that makes twice as much as I make. I am a college grad and make OK money, but she makes the bomb. Since we got married, she bought me a new computer and a 42" plasma flatscreen. She also gives me $200 a month to spend on whatever. She also pays the mortgage. All I gotta do is pay all the other bills... I thank my lucky starts every day for her!!! I'm sure it will all stop when we have kids tho, but I'm hoping to wait at least another year before we shoot out little babies.

 

thats big pimpin tennessee.

guess im in the same boat with you guys, no kids yet, but an *** ton of bills. however i always manage to spend here and there. going to the bar, buying new this for the rocket, and i happen to have alot of expensive hobbies, like fish keeping (now that will break you). you never realize how far you can go on so little, until you actually have so little. sometimes i will be thinking, $300!?! how am i going to make it the next 2 weeks, then there are times i only have $50 for the next 2 weeks and i make it. as for the living in socal, i know the houses and cost of living is way up compared to here, but you have to also look at the pay out there versus here. min wage in cali is what $7-8? it is $5.15 here. doing my job i could make 3 times as much in california, but what is the point when it costs 3 times as much to live?

 

rrasco,
You should move to Oregon where it is about $8/hr (min wage) and it is relatively cheap to live. Hell, the guys working the yard where I work (United Rentals) probably make $12/hr to start. I do sales, so I don't know exactly, but it is pretty good to start...plus full benefits!