To those who make over 300K TC: how has your quality of life/expenses changed since you made 150K TC? How are you using your larger income now?

Also, were the sacrifices necessary (if any) to reach that income level, worth it?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

My expenses went up in tandem. Wasn’t until recently I felt I have a surplus. Things that changed was increased use of services. At about this level I had a housekeeper come 2x a week to change sheets, do laundry and ironing , take/pick up dry cleaning and other odd jobs like shopping for basics that I needed. Quality of holidays went up and I stopped looking for “deals”. Safaris, himalaya trekking, all that good stuff. Stopped flying economy long haul - use points where possible but no way am I sitting 10-12 hours in cattle. I started having clothes made rather than off the peg. There is a big difference. Also I invested in much better bed linen. That’s about it. Oh and frankly the girls got hotter.

Edit: a lot of sensible people above but you make me yawn. And yes every late night in the office was worth it for the life I now have

likefunny

I am interested in what part of the country you live in....in my city $300k doesn’t get you all of those luxuries..... I’ve been both single and single parent in my partner years and can vouch life with no kids allows for a lot more of these perks (But to be clear. Sitting home in sweats eating Mac and Cheese with the child is ultimately way more fun than all the other fun i used to have !).

like

haven’t changed my lifestyle or living costs, still in the same home, same car only more miles and my frequent flyer miles and hotel points are astronomical to the point that I don’t really know what to do with them.

I save a lot more, invest a lot more, continue to build retirement and charitable gift funds for later in life, saved for kid’s college funds. We don’t stress over money anymore as a result, we did for the first 10 years of marriage.

I focus on family, friends and enjoy my life. In my own personal pursuit of happiness, that is the American Dream ... at least my American Dream.

Considering I grew up with very little in a broken home with little to no money, I thank god everyday for the gifts he’s given and the choices he has helped me make in my life.

I highly recommend stop worrying about how other people are doing and focusing on your own well being and that of your family. Don’t let others define success for you.

likeupliftingsmarthelpful

Love this😊

likesmart
Recent IconRecent

I think you’re seeing that we all have different journeys here.

My life changed little between $150K and $300K. Had bought a condo when I was just a bit above 150. For me, the bigger changes came in the 500-700 range when I got a house and started upgrading all sorts of other things. From 700-1.5M, things haven’t changed much.

I’ve felt rich the entire time.

likefunnyupliftingsmart

I work in some combination of commercial strategy and advanced analytics. Firm profits / partner sit somewhere between B4 and MBB.

like

Booo these responses 🥱 looks like I’ll need to aim to make a lot more than $300k

likefunny

I’m not quite there but about ~350. Still not married, no kids, and renting the same apartment I did when I was at ~150 TC. Mostly just went from being cost conscious to not being concerned about what I spend on gifts, work clothes, drinks, food and hobbies (like skiing). Doing everything in my power to keep my overhead low to avoid a golden handcuffs situation, which is why I haven’t gotten a nice apartment or car or any other big lifestyle upgrades

like

Restructuring Advisory

like

I would ask yourself the same question, was there a significant change in lifestyle from 75k to 150k? For me, none whatsoever. If anything I probably lived better at 75k, first job out of college, bought a used M3 and drove it to the office like I was some boss. Regardless, it was simpler times indeed.

At 150k, I was a home owner. 3rd home infact, I’ve boughten and flipped my primary residence ever since I was able to buy my first 700k home.

Im 34yo and I’m now at the 300k TC mark (and no, I don’t work at BAH). VPs and up, maybe Principals make this lunch at BAH. Anywho, I’ve made some decent real estate investments, rode the market, and I’ve managed to lock in a 30yr fixed on a SFH under $3M a year ago. I’ve probably made about $1.5M on just flipping my homes within the past 6-8yrs. Prob should diversify my investments, but the house is not just for me, it’s houses a few little ones (and critters) also.

This might sound like fun, but I was happier at 75k driving my used M3, reporting to a mid level manager. Times were easy, the biggest stress in my life was deciding where to eat lunch, and the work was work, challenging but not hard, and I had the youth and vigor.

I would recommend to live and enjoy the moment, without focusing too much on the future. I’ve found myself turning more into the latter, and I’m missing out all the enjoyment that comes with day to day living.

like

We can trade salaries if you miss 75k so much!

likefunny

Not much has changed, only incrementally larger biweekly checks. Just saving a lot more and investing a bigger portion. Haven’t really changed lifestyle, but have only been in my new job a for less than 6 months.

like

Left for industry

I was making avoid $170 2 years ago, now at ~$280k TC.

Before I was spending half my income on my mortgage and not saving anything outside of retirement accounts and very modest 529 contributions.

Now I’m maxing out my 401k, contribute $3k a month to kids’ 529 accounts. Save more, splurged a little bit on an RV.

Agreed with folks above... doing my best to avoid increasing fixed expenses like housing to hedge my bets

likefunny

TC at the step in between was $205. Got a pretty good bump with the current role. Not my typical pattern to jump around after less than 2 years, but if you do, make it worth your while...

I grew up poor. When I was at $150k, I used to be worried if I can support my beautiful family. Can I pay for my kids college? When I was around $200k I decided not to follow the partner path. I went to business school and felt I could become an entrepreneur and do better than becoming a partner. It worked exactly as planned. Kept a low profile in consulting but started a real estate venture. Now, total income would be $500k or so. Venture could give $400K or more rest of my life after 7 years or so. I live without fear now and do the things I love. I am thinking of buying a little expensive house finally! No fancy hobby. Looking for ways to help others. I try to be in great shape so that I can enjoy what I have.

like

IBM 1 - would you be open if I DM you to learn more about your path? I’m getting started on a real estate venture of my own and would love to learn more. Thanks for considering!

This thread is so comforting and gives happiness thinking of a better future

likeuplifting

My income grew quickly from about 125k to 300k around the years 2009-2012. Joining a new field amidst a scarey economy led me to ramp up our already aggressive saving. We were already secure and good savers but we saved even more.

Built a rock solid financial foundation. We haven't worried about money jn years and will likely retire at 55.
We fixed more hassles and problems with money when we could.
Season tickets to local pro team
We added amazing vacations (life list 15k per trip stuff)
Bought a vacation home.
Planned a 55 or younger retirement.

Most of our lives don't indicate our financial status; no maid, no expensive car or watch. But our lives are great fun and not worrying is amazing.

And at 55 I'll walk out the door very comfortably.

Btw; lifestyle creep leads to hedonic adaption; which is part of why money often doesn't buy happiness.

like

Partner and I will pull in around $675K total comp this year. Early 30s no kids. 5 years ago we made half that and when we started dating 7 years ago we made about $175k (I made significantly more but now she makes nearly double thanks to her job in tech).

Honestly, not a ton has changed since doubling our income the past 5 years. We bought a condo we could individually afford at the time. We max 401k and save a lot each year. Our car is 5 years old and we’ll get a new one soon. She now likes buying used luxury goods whenever she wants and I’m into flying, which is an expensive hobby. We take very nice vacations (well pre-COVID) but a fair amount was covered by points and upgrades - no long haul coach for us - and we’ll splurge for $1k/night lodging.

Overall, we live well within our means but don’t sweat big purchases. We don’t have any major saving and purchase goals in mind.

likefunny

P3 why do you feel overshadowed?

I’d say the biggest change was moving to industry for better WLB and realizing anything above 300k you can basically do whatever you reasonably want. (Disclaimer we have no kids). I don’t see how we would ever need to make any more than we do to be happy.

like

Our yearly family (of 4) vacations (international) are now in business class. 5 years ago this would not have been possible. We both drive nice cars. We have house help daily. Wife buys designer wear more frequently. We live in the same house though. Did not upgrade and it’s nearly paid off. We are at 500k combined.

like

Not much lifestyle creep for me.

Taxes go up certainly. So has my charitable giving. I save more and worry less about normal spending. I’d rather spend time and energy trying to nail a trade than squeeze out an extra 0.00037% is a HYSA.

like

Big tech here.

Not significant difference. We started maxing a second 401k, and take vacations to europe rather than cancun.

Between taxes and a lot of that additional TC being stock it’s not that radical of a difference in my paycheck, maybe 1200 more bi-weekly. Bigger lifestyle change for sure was moving out of NYC

like

Funnily enough, I’ve been pretty much everywhere in Europe, and I really want to go to Cancun...

like

My wife and I together make about $350k TC per year.

We are in HCOL city. So at $150k we were still a little frugal. Still had to get a smaller apartment, still mindful of our spending, etc.

At $200k that really all went away. Was able to get a bigger apartment. Spend on what we wanted while still being able to save.

You also begin to take home more. After $137.5k you stop paying social security tax. So you are able to save more. You don’t notice it at $150k too much.

But there is no real noticeable difference for us past $200k. Aside from being able to pay cash for things. We were able to pay $25k cash for a car with no hesitation.

Obviously we were able to save more. So makes it less stressful in this time. We both had significant jumps to put us at this number about 9-months ago. We went from $200k to $350k almost over night. In that 9-months we have saved about $60k in cash and $30k in investments while still upgrading to a bigger apartment and not cutting back our lifestyle.

like

150K - 450K (2017- 2020)

The biggest change in quality of life is from being able to hire help to save us time and energy. Between nanny, maid, other help.. we are probably spending $1-2K a week. Obviously will be nice to be able to put those money in investment, but oh well

like

D2, actually it was 100% of the consulting skill that I developed at Deloitte that got me the job in Tech - problem solving, framework, storyboarding.. all the basic stuff. I’m not in a technical role by any means.

like

Bought a house and have a dog and 2 cats now. I don’t have kids. I grew up with pets so having mine is important to my happiness. Expenses went up with home maintenance. The one important thing for me was the ability to spend money on things that make my life easier given the hours I work. I have a house cleaner once a month. I bought a bigger bed and nice sheets. Nicer towels. Better tv and audio. Better kitchen stuff. Some nice art supplies. These are all things that make my life better, happier, and easier.

Aside from that, I save and invest a lot more and I was able to pay off my student loans quickly. Oh, and travel. I can actually afford to travel to some wonderful places now without worrying about cost.

likeuplifting

$150-$275K in recent years and my husband is on a similar trajectory. Paid off student loans and saving up a down payment so life hasn't shifted that drastically.

Like others have said, we have maxed out our 401K contributions and are also starting a college fund for future kids. I donate a lot more to charity than I used to. Tend to stay in nicer hotels when we travel now; will splurge on the really nice places if it's a beach resort and we're actually going to be there all day.

I think less about big shopping purchases but I still don't shop that much. Haven't really changed our eating out habits at all either. Probably the biggest change is the lack of anxiety about money. It's also killed my desire to earn more. I still want to be successful at work but I could honestly be happy at this relative income level for the rest of my life.

like

Related Posts

I’m trying to move to SG from the US. What industries should I target for best pay / work life balance? Considering consulting, fintech, crypto, energy (renewable/ storage)

Has anyone been able to schedule your Darden interview? Mine is asking for a temp pin

Desi people, what is your go to soul food dish ?

like

Moving to DFW in a couple of months.
What are some good agencies down there?
Is there any group for DFW creative?

How is the KPMG client in wipro? Anyone working for KPMG in Wipro? TIA Wipro KPMG

like

I have a third interview with a start up making their second legal hire. It seems like an exciting space but I’d be leaving a huge company and taking on risk if it works out. Any good questions to ask the GC as a second legal hire? I have management style, work assignments, handled but could use help on some other big ones folks typically ask!

like

Shout out to Ketanji Brown Jackson on her confirmation to the highest court in the land!

In thinking about what she said about making it, makes me wonder, other than just true diverse representation, in what other professions are we still trying to break through that glass door to the highest levels?

like

How to prepare to become program manager

like

No hate please. How do you handle the conversation with partners about depression becoming a problem and/or intervening with your performance at work? I have days where I operate at 300% and others where I struggle to even brush my teeth in the morning. And yes, I am on medication.

like

Humor me here, any chance auditors can add gun safety as part of an ESG initiative? Should everyone at every level work to make this world safer for children instead of expecting politicians to do their jobs?

like

Anybody looking for open positions in Accenture, dm me

likeupliftinghelpful

Out of pure curiosity, does anyone in here currently work in the wine industry? I’m interested to get a sense of experience levels here. (Not that it matters at all! We all learn at our own pace.)

I work in wine media now, but pre-pandemic was a Sommelier in restaurants in NYC.

Have any of my fellow corporate wine professionals made their way onto Fishbowl yet? 🍷

like

Welcome to the NYC Cycling Bowl. We can use this to discuss all things NYC cycling; including preferred routes, meetups, shop recommendations, etc. Let’s try to use Borough tags when discussing geographically-specific topics.

like

Based on your own experience or that of your friends, how would you rate Accenture, Big 4, Cognizant, Capgemini within Singapore and SEA? Looking for a holistic take considering brand, quality of work, compensation, WLB, culture etc.

like

How you deal with managers who want to constantly micro manage? I feel like this attitude is only towards me ( only woman in the team ) As much as I try to build the trust and deliver high cont'd.

like

Hi Fishes

I am earning decently here in India and have an offer for 30k in Abu Dhabi ( I got it through Linkdin😎).
Though all my formalities are done and i am set to go, i am having second thoughts about this move regarding how my life will be in a conservative country and will I be able to find people with a similar mindset. Has someone in the group faced something like this before an abroad move ?
Will really appreciate it if sm1 residing in UAE can let me know how life is like there.

like

Anyone here ever written a white paper? How common is it in our industry?

like

How much time does it take for wipro to release offer letter?

like

Sometimes like tonight I wonder why we do what we do. Working crazy hours with no purpose. Could just be the booze talking. Will be ready for my 7 AM on Monday.

like

Hello, everyone! I'm applying to an LLM program in IP/IT Law in the United States, and I'm looking for work until then. I would forward to any advice you might have for me. Thank you so much.

Additional Posts in Consulting

What is the pay increase from Staff 1 to Staff 2 for PI??

like

Dumb question, does a student who already graduated from Grad/Ph.D. program count as experienced hires?

like

Anyone sold their lease to Carvana? How was the process?

like

How has Covid impacted your fringe benefits? Travel perks (miles, points, per diem, meals, client events, etc.) we’re a major selling point in joining my firm. Our travel has been all but slashed, but I’m not seeing any consolidations to make up for these lost benefits.

like

Best consulting firms for strategy in the US besides the big 4 and MBB?

like

On the verge of quitting and taking 6mo-1yr off for a mental break. Anyone do this and regret spending your saving? Or just regret in general?

likehelpful

I just want to say this, “Hakuna Matata”

like

Hi All - I am in the last stage of interviewing for Booz Allen. I’m an aspiring consultant transitioning from industry (healthcare). BAH told me the position itself is full time but it is “attached to a contract.” Should I be worried that I would lose the job if and when the contract ends? Would love insight from current or former BAH folks

like

What other jobs pay well other than consulting and PE? Heading to MBA in the fall and thinking about paying back all that sweet, sweet debt.

like

Has anyone started their own gig on the side or freelanced while still working full time? How did you manage? Really want to take the leap and set up my own shop

like

Seat belt extender requested by the passenger sitting next to me! #ffs

like

Post lunch afternoon nap- the best part of working from home!

like

Went on three dates in last three weeks. Two of them backed out when they came to know that I travel everyweek. The one left was unhappy this morning when I got up at 4 to catch my flight. FML !

like

Do you think the next MBA admissions cycle will be more or less competitive? I can see reasons for either...

like

Where are all the amazing exits after 2-3 years? (Post-MBA)

like

How would you react - honestly - if a manager responded to your weekend request by saying “Sorry, I can’t field this request until Monday. I found out a close family member has cancer and need this weekend for personal time.”

likefunny

At what age are you officially too old to join friends on Spring Break?

like

What if people acted like the animal prints they’re wearing?

likefunny

Is it possible to travel to India and return in a month?
I have valid work visa and i94 for next 2 years. Anyone done that recently?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal