Good Salary?

DD’17 in Iowa is living comfortably on about $32,000. Nice 2bed/2bath apartment in an up and coming suburb with roommate, about to pay off her car, no student loans, can afford to go out as desired, 2 mile commute, bank account continues to grow. (We do still have her on family cell phone and health insurance though, but that’s it.)

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Yes it is. That is in LA and SF

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Shocking !!
I think I know what my retirement profession is.
I always thought I wanted to go into plumbing. I was wrong !

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:flushed: :flushed: :flushed:

Then I can’t begin to fathom what I’ve saved my family over the decades by doing their hair and my own. Maybe that’s how we retired? :woman_shrugging:

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a salon that charges that much, and I know I don’t know any woman who would pay that price. And I’ve lived in Chicago, Boston, and Scottsdale. Just wow.

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I think younger people look at this differently. That’s why I was curious to understand what they spend.

Maybe this is why they’re having trouble buying houses.

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I know my son is a saver because he didn’t have a hair cut for a year. I think more because he was lazy. He looked like a musician. My wife was after him for many many months.

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You can’t find haircut here for less then $65. And that would be basic haircut. For young people it’s more important to look good so as long as they spend their own earned money I see no problem with it.

:flushed::flushed::flushed: is right! I live in a very expensive area (not necessarily NYC/SF/LA) and I don’t pay anywhere near that, nor does any woman I know, including those who do live in those areas.

For perspective, I pay $80 every 8 weeks for a nice haircut at a nice salon located in a nice location. If a woman gets professional coloring (I don’t) it’s more expensive. But not $350!

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Maybe I’ll finally make lottery money teaching women how to have terrific hair/style for under $50. Thanks CC! :grinning:

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I live in a Boston suburb. My wife pays $105 for a haircut & color. If she was paying $350 she’d expect a massage, mani-pedi and some Prosecco…

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That’s depends on how much they make. My DD works two jobs and brings in 10k per month after taxes and maxing her 401k so she can afford it.

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We are happy that both daughters were able to afford to live on their own (not with parents) after graduating university. Basically “enough to live without help from the parents” is my definition of a good salary for the first couple of years after getting a bachelor’s degree. I would expect that in most cases this implies living in some form of shared rental situation.

Just what constitutes “enough to live” will depend upon where you are working. Not having any college debt will make this much easier.

Contributing to an IRA or 401k or 403b might be a good idea for a recent graduate if they can afford it. If the employer does some form of employer match for 401k contributions it could be very valuable in the long run to take advantage of this. I would be surprised if many could afford this without some help from the bank of Mom and Dad.

I cannot imagine a recent university graduate being able to purchase a home unless they get quite a bit of help from the bank of Mom and Dad. In the current inflationary environment, and having experienced the inflationary environment from the 1970’s, this might IMHO be a good idea if Mom and Dad can afford it and if the recent grad intends to stay in the same place for multiple years.

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I make a huge distinction between what someone can pay for and what they can actually afford. There are some things I don’t think even Bill Gates can “afford.” But I do agree that people are free to do whatever they want with their money no matter what they make. I just don’t know anyone who places that kind of value on a salon visit. But, we’re getting far off topic…

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Much of the expenses that have been discussed in this thread are highly variable. Yes, one could pay $350 for a haircut, but one could also pay a small fraction of that. The place I go to is dual gender, was <$20 before pandemic, and has chains in the CA cities listed with similar prices. Similarly one could pay $1600/month from on a few social outings per month in a major city, but one could also pay a small fraction of that price. Different people located in the same city often choose to spend wildly varying amounts on expenses like this.

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No judgement, but just a side note. I’m amazed that folks here know what their adult kids are spending on things like dinners and personal upkeep. :slight_smile: Ours don’t share such details. I only know what we personally spend. My haircuts: $50 to trim the ends once a year. Mr. B spends $50 every couple of months at a nice local non-chain place. We are north east of Seattle.

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I know the Army cuts our son’s hair for free. It looked better when I did it.

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My younger son just graduated from high school. I got him a summer job working at the company I work for. He makes $1,000+ per week. I think that’s quite good for an 18-year-old. The recent college graduates that work with us year round in the same position make $60,000 - $67,500 with free healthcare, 401k with match, and profit sharing after 5 years.

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I would be livid if the Army charged $$ for their haircuts! :wink:

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My girls both live and work here in San Diego and they go to the same hairdresser at an upscale La Jolla salon and only pay $75 for a haircut. They both have thick hair and wear it long with long layers. I’ll tell them they are getting a great deal!

I could afford a $350 haircut, but would never pay that.

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