[pdoherty972]

Originally Posted by moonrider

That article is 15 years old!

Good point, didn't see that. Do you think their average wage has doubled since then? No one else's has. In fact most wages for 80+% of occupations haven't budged after inflation in 40 years.

EDIT: In case that blurb above was news to anyone...

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank...d-for-decades/

For most workers, real wages have barely budged for decades


But a look at five decades’ worth of government wage data suggests that the better question might be, why should now be any different? For most U.S. workers, real wages — that is, after inflation is taken into account — have been flat or even falling for decades, regardless of whether the economy has been adding or subtracting jobs.


Cash money isn’t the only way workers are compensated, of course — health insurance, retirement-account contributions, education and transit subsidies and other benefits all can be part of the package. But wages and salaries are the biggest (about 70%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) and most visible component of employee compensation.
According to the BLS, the average hourly wage for non-management private-sector workers last month was $20.67, unchanged from August and 2.3% above the average wage a year earlier. That’s not much, especially when compared with the pre-Great Recession years of 2006 and 2007, when the average hourly wage often increased by around 4% year-over-year. (During the high-inflation years of the 1970s and early 1980s, average wages commonly jumped 8%, 9% or even more year-over-year.)


But after adjusting for inflation, today’s average hourly wage has just about the same purchasing power as it did in 1979, following a long slide in the 1980s and early 1990s and bumpy, inconsistent growth since then. In fact, in real terms the average wage peaked more than 40 years ago: The $4.03-an-hour rate recorded in January 1973 has the same purchasing power as $22.41 would today.

[IntricateDetail]

Originally Posted by Muscle Car Lover

Rules of The Internet and how to adjust information:

1. Anytime someone tells how much they make = take off 20-30%, maybe 50%
2. Men give # of women they have slept with = cut in half
3. Women give # of men they have slept with = times 2 minimum
4. Financial advice = not worth it, especially stock tips (some guy on C5 was so happy about GPRO he bought last summer, man I HOPE he sold that turd)

Not saying people don't do it, because I'm sure some do. But if you need to lie about your income and status when it's anonymous anyway...that's just silly.

[hms2488485]

I'm definitely splurging. 24 years old, work full time as a paramedic and make $34,000 per year with overtime. Saved up the entire summer to put $4000 down. All said and done, I financed $33,800 for a 1SS.

[VividPsychosis]

Cant take money with you. I am enjoying myself while I am here. 3rd Camaro, I am 29 and finishing my Doctorate. Currently broke as **** because I just worked 3 years for free and now I work for 18k. Next year, 50-70k so I figure since I will be making more than the average median household income by my self I should be ok. If not, I will cry, sell it, be upside, and learn from my mistake. However, what is better motivation to kick my ass into gear and get that 70k/yr salary in August then to have a Camaro in my driveway and money on loan.

[Tara Martin]

I'm an old retread. I was a deputy sheriff for 28 years and retired almost four years ago. I only retired to take a federal job that utilizes a lot of my acquired skills from a lifetime in LE. I've owned at least one Camaro since I was 19 years old. I had some pretty lean years, but I managed to hold on to the first one I bought new, my '79 red Z-28. It's not a particularly choice year, but it represents my youth, I suppose. It still has the original engine, but it's making internal not-so-nice noises lately. After I settle down from buying my 2016 SS, I'm going to have the engine replaced in the '79.

My 2016 is my tenth Camaro, btw. Yeah, I love Camaros! The 2016 is a luxury expense, I suppose, but my daughter ran off with her boyfriend/fiancé, so I don't have to spend money on her anymore. The reason my build is kind of a "budget" build is because I wanted to be able to buy it without financing. With my trade of my 2013 1LE and the rest in cash, I own my 16 SS clear and free!

[cbr1100xx]

Originally Posted by VividPsychosis

However, what is better motivation to kick my ass into gear and get that 70k/yr salary in August then to have a Camaro in my driveway and money on loan.

[enzia35]

Definite splurge, 32-33k/yr.

[Mjae]

Ha! Me too I splurged. I make around 35k and and i bought my 1ss for 37k otd. Im a waiter so i pretty much work for tips.

[MovieGuy]

Anytime you buy a brand new car you are splurging. You can get a really nice 5 year old car for half the cost. Anytime you buy an "impractical" car you are splurging. Especially if it is in addition to a car you use as a daily.

That said, my car payments do sting just a little bit, but I am not over my head. I would have been much better off to have kept my 02 firebird a couple of years ago. It was paid off and only had 76,000 miles. But going into retirement I wanted to treat myself to a brand new car. In 2014 I drove a Camaro and a Mustang. I bought the Mustang. After it accumulated a month in the shop over 22 months, and had the takata airbag with no idea of when it would be fixed, I traded it for my Camaro. My payments are roughly 1/7th of my monthly income.

Absolutely I splurged. But it is nice to have a reliable vehicle to take off in and drive across the country now that I have time to do so.

[cbr1100xx]

OMG. People making $40K or less buying $40K cars. Even I wasn't that irresponsible in my 20s. Hope you at least live with your parents. I make almost 3x that and would only buy one at least $30K down or in cash......which is still a lot of money to see leave my bank account.....especially after the honeymoon period ends.

[Whis]

Originally Posted by Tara Martin

I'm an old retread. I was a deputy sheriff for 28 years and retired almost four years ago. I only retired to take a federal job that utilizes a lot of my acquired skills from a lifetime in LE. I've owned at least one Camaro since I was 19 years old. I had some pretty lean years, but I managed to hold on to the first one I bought new, my '79 red Z-28. It's not a particularly choice year, but it represents my youth, I suppose. It still has the original engine, but it's making internal not-so-nice noises lately. After I settle down from buying my 2016 SS, I'm going to have the engine replaced in the '79.

My 2016 is my tenth Camaro, btw. Yeah, I love Camaros! The 2016 is a luxury expense, I suppose, but my daughter ran off with her boyfriend/fiancé, so I don't have to spend money on her anymore. The reason my build is kind of a "budget" build is because I wanted to be able to buy it without financing. With my trade of my 2013 1LE and the rest in cash, I own my 16 SS clear and free!

Do you receive your government retiree paycheck/pension from being a deputy, while on top of also raking it in as a fed?

[MiamiBlueCamaro]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

Funny stuff!

[enzia35]

Originally Posted by Mjae

Ha! Me too I splurged. I make around 35k and and i bought my 1ss for 37k otd. Im a waiter so i pretty much work for tips.

I bought my 1SS for exactly 37k too! haha.

[enzia35]

Originally Posted by cbr1100xx

OMG. People making $40K or less buying $40K cars. Even I wasn't that irresponsible in my 20s. Hope you at least live with your parents. I make almost 3x that and would only buy one at least $30K down or in cash......which is still a lot of money to see leave my bank account.....especially after the honeymoon period ends.

You make ~120k a year, and 30k would be a large hit to your bank account? Must be that living in CA thing.
You tell me how living in CA is a good thing.