Oh boy, this thread is going to get a lot of posts. :)
There are seemingly A LOT of people on this site that earn 2-5 times as much as me and therefore there are a lot of people saving 2-5 times as much as me.
Not everyone makes six+ figures here. I'd guess the median household income here is less than the median for the country (mainly due to age, I think it's much higher than the median income for the median age group).
I make like $35k a year, I'm almost 30 years old and my current job doesn't have too many possibilities for promotion (although there is a fair amount of "extra" work to pick up".)
The wife and I are teachers. We started out making 35k, same as you (we later upped it when we got our Master's Degree - now we've been making 42k/yr. each, practically a mint!). Also no possibilities for promotion, we're on a fixed salary schedule, so we don't get bonuses and can't ask for raises. Further, due to the economy, our district froze moving up on the salary schedule (the cost of living increases) for the past 5 years or so. But, like you, a fair amount of extra work to pick up (tutoring, saturday school, summer school, etc.)
So basically the exact same as your situation. The big difference/advantage is that there is two of us. Having a partner working towards the same goals is very helpful, and is also something within your control, to a limited extent (I'd argue about the same as your income - both are based on things in your past, your natural personality and talents, can take a long time to implement a change in situation, etc.).
Despite that income gap between ourselves and other high earners here (many of whom earn double by themselves what the wife and I earn together), I'm hoping to early retire in our low 30s. Consistent high savings rate. That's what it takes.
I know its not in the cards for me but that doesn't mean that basketball still isn't fun.
That's a great statement, I love that.
I guess my point or question or whatever that I'm wondering is why people on the forums are really quick to give "face punches" to people who earn tons of money and spend a bunch too, but tend not to comment about how much people earn. Theoretically people are in control of both how much they spend AND how much they earn, no?
That's a lot less in one's control, especially on a day-to-day level, for two reasons:
1) Your past self has lots of control over it, which you can't change (if you went to college, what you major'd in, what career you chose, etc.)
2) Income changes tend to be more long term changes. You can call and cancel your cable bill today. You can spend less at the grocery store tomorrow, or the next time you go. Earning more may be an immediate thing (asking for a raise), but often it's a longer term thing - acquiring new skills, changing careers, etc.
I also would tend to give more face punches for high spending, because it tends to hurt the world (see: MMM's hidden goal of the blog) than low income, which doesn't.
I also think high spending is often a mindless choice (it is rarely a deliberate one), low income can be, but it also might be deliberate (is much more likely to be so).
I, for example, could earn lots and lots more money. But I love my low paying job. I love going to work every day. I'm on summer vacation right now, and I miss it (I tried to get a summer school position but couldn't). If someone wants to face punch me for that (and believe me, plenty of people I know do - I'm not living up to my potential just being a teacher, "wasting" my brains/talents/etc.), fine. But face punches for mindless spending versus making more income aren't comparable, IMO.
Hope that answers a few of your questions. Would love to hear more of your puzzlings on this topic and, like I said, I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses to think about.
