Overall, I can't relate to much here. It might be because I live in a low-cost-of-living area.
One assumption: Middle class families will pay 10K a year in property taxes. He mentions that they're lower in much of the country, but sticks with a number you're more likely to encounter in NY and CA.
Yeah, I pay only about 2K a year in property taxes . . . and I own a house in a high-tax county and a large piece of property in a low-tax county.
And when did private schooling become something the middle class is supposed to be able to afford?!? Hasn't private school always been associated with upper class families?
Not necessarily, quite a few private schools -- especially Christian schools -- are not all that expensive for an upper-middle class family. They're in line with the cost of day care, so for families who've been paying day care, it's not a big jump. I know quite a few families who've used private schools for a number of reasons, though very few who kept their kids in private schools for their entire school career.
I suspect the real problem here is not the actual cost of a comfortable lifestule, but over-buying, as for instance buying the $35K/yr McMansion instead of a more reasonable abode.
I agree -- or, I agree that it's one of the problems facing the "middle class". All too many people "over buy" in other areas too, cars and restaurant meals probably being next in line after cars.
I know that the majority of my similar-salary friends live in houses MUCH more expensive than mine, and I think people tend to that we're poorer than we actually are (which doesn't bother me at all). They also tend to drive cars more expensive than mine, etc. . . . but I'm not the one scraping around in the bottom of my car for change on the day before payday.
Plus, I'd wager my mustache that much less DIY stuff happens nowadays than in whatever base year he was comparing to (1970ish?) Por ejemplo, not too long ago, every young girl was expected to know how to sew; thus, as they grew up, they could make their own clothes, linens, drapes, etc. Now, not many ladies my age know how (or just don't do so), so every time something sewn wears out, it's a trip to the store, and not an afternoon of patchwork.
In general, I agree that people tend to "hire out" more work today -- home repairs, yard work, whatever. But I disagree about sewing in particular. My mother made most of my clothes, especially my dresses, and I remember having particularly nice dresses as a small child (before I had so many siblings). I think she enjoyed it, but mostly it was a money-saver. I learned to sew and assumed that I would make my children's clothes as well . . . but by the time I had children, the industry had changed, and sewing a garment from scratch
had become more expensive than buying an item on sale, and sewing was monumentally more expensive than buying a gently-used item. For a while in college I worked in the fabric department of a large department store (back when department stores all sold patterns and fabric), and numerous times I'd think to myself, "That's such a cute pattern (or such a pretty piece of fabric). I should sew it up for myself", but by the time I gathered up the pattern, the fabric and the notions, I'd realize it was just too expensive. Admittedly, if I'd sewed frequently like my mom did, I would've had 1/2 a spool of pink thread or 1/2 a pack of buttons left over from a previous project.
What IS a good value in terms of sewing is making your own curtains. Quality curtains are very expensive these days, and -- unlike clothing -- no used market exists, which is natural, given the multitude of window sizes. And what IS a good value is the ability to mend small problems with clothing.