U.S. Middle Class nearly gone

[BoFox]

BoFox, you're just used to urban pricing and cost of living. A family with $70K annual income probably gets $55K take home because they're not in a very high tax bracket, and have 3 kids for deductions.

I picked a random town of 12,000 people in Wisconsin, and did a quick search, didn't even bother shopping:

http://www.firstweber.com/homes/1506956_...calculator

First house I looked at has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 3 car garage, cul de sac lot backing up to woods, and costs $1000/month on a thirty year with a 10% down payment.

That leaves them $43K, and when you live on that you buy cars like this:

http://www.carsoup.com/details/used/2014...mwU9S_SkY0

Even at asking price, it's $223/mo for 60 with 20% down. Multiply that by two and add insurance/gas and that's another $1000 month. Those aren't POS cars, they're low miles used full size cars with lots of drivetrain warranty left.

Still have $31K a year left, which I think the family can live on pretty easily.

They're probably not flying to Disney World to stay a week at the Wilderness every year, but that's not everyone's idea of a good vacation either. It's probably my least favorite vacation, because when you're not from a high population density area going to Dizzy World's long lines and millions of people wandering around is sort of like what you imagine Hell will be like when you get there.

People in this bracket go camping for vacations, or do what I do less frequently.

I wouldn't consider a family living in that house, driving those cars, and going camping a week or two every year "poor". I'd consider them "middle class America".

They're probably not saving much for retirement, but frankly, most people don't.

Hmm, maybe in a rural or near-rural town a family with 3 kids would live financially comfortably.  It's a pretty nice home.  However, a mortgage requires $$$ up front.  What if the family didn't have $ up front (due to being able to save up $ in the first place) - and maybe bad credit like 40% of the Americans?  They'd be renting like losers.  Utility costs go through the roof for a big family like that - unlike living in an apartment where you don't have to pay for some of the utilities.  Electricity (and gas), water/sewage, garbage, internet and cable, cellphone service for the older kids, TV's and computers/laptops, etc..  they all add up quickly.  Food is another thing unless one of the parents stays home to cook canned beans, spinach, corn, potatoes for dinner everyday.  Clothing...  if these are teenage girls who do not want used clothes from a thrift store, then OUCH!!!!  My boys must have awesome Nike shoes just because other boys have it too at school, so I have to let my wife buy the coolest Nike shoes they can find...  bummer.  Then things break down like used cars, appliances, electronics, lawn mowers, bicycles...  maintenance can be a bitch at times unless one has costly comprehensive warranty/insurance on everything.

Kids aren't THAT cheap.  Any good parent who doesn't want their kids to hate them earning $70K/year will be pushed to the limit with 3 kids growing up as teenagers.  My Dad was making $72K/year back in the early 90's ( inflation-adjusted for now would be much higher) had 3 kids and had to stop saving $ for our college tuition for a while when my brother and I were teenagers - but he was rather thrifty by American standards, only buying one brand new car in 1996 for the first time.  It wasn't bad though, but it wasn't easy - I wanted Nike shoes so badly but never got the nice ones..  even had Payless shoes causing quarter-sized blisters on my heels   :(