The answer is in the first few paragraphs: they live beyond their means in a high income tax state, have 3 kids and farm animals, are addicted to consumerism - and want to participate without spending the little money they have.
I agree with the GP. The following screams "out of touch with reality" to me: There are also four dogs, a bunny, a tortoise, chickens, ducks, goats and a not-so-miniature miniature pig named Squiggy.
Forget the rest of the menagerie, does a suburban family really need four dogs? Maybe they're raising the pig for an end-of-summer luau, but we don't usually eat dogs in the USA. So do they really need that many pets?
~ to when you decide you really should get off your ass and ebay off that stuff that's been sitting in the corner for a year.
And this:
> But now there's also soccer, swim team, lacrosse, broken cleats, a junior prom dress, trips to look at colleges, AP exams, SAT tests and summer camp.
How about not thinking that you have to do or supply all of that to your children to start. Here's an idea. Maybe it would be <i>more beneficial to your kids</i> if you say you can't pay for some of those things. That's right. Let them have a taste of what can happen if you don't think far enough in advance or make life choices with only a small safety net. That will certain be a motivating factor, right? Parents are brainwashed and lemmings to think they have to do things 'to show colleges you are well rounded' or 'because that's what parents do for their kids'. Maybe need to get back to think ahead and plan or you will end up delivering groceries to others as your job earning meager pay.
Here is what he IRS has determined the cost of driving is. I would imagine the costs in CA are greater due to gasoline prices, traffic, and general cost of living.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rat...
54.5 cents per mile The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued the 2018 optional standard mileage rates and beginning on January 1, 2018, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck will be: 54.5 cents per mile for business miles driven (up from 53.5 cents in 2017)Dec 14, 2017
Includes gas, oil, repairs, tires, insurance, registration fees, licenses, and depreciation (or lease payments) attributable to the portion of the total miles driven that are business miles.
"Attributable to the portion" sounds like you divide it by total miles, which is going to give you a number that's bigger than marginal cost, and possibly a lot bigger. For some cars, doubling the miles might only increase non-fuel costs 20%.
Mind you, I drive a lot of easy 55mph, in central Texas.
You're right though, all cars should have it. Cars idleing for hours puts wear-and-tear on the engine that isn't evident by the odometer.
You choose where you live. You choose what job you take. You choose to have children. Etc.
These externalities are never accounted for, and which lead our society to behave in suboptimal ways. Not to mention allowing all these on demand delivery and ride hailing tech companies to buy drivers at very low cost.
I'm going to guess that Cali's 1-minute cost is more around $1.
These are internalized to the cost of fuel at the pump. There's no need or benefit to think about them as a consumer.
That’s about the only choice I get to make, though, short of buying a Tesla.
Yeah how dare the poors live near me!/s
If I moved into a 500k house and bought 2 new cars, I'd be beyond my means.
I have lots of coworkers who do just this. I would wager they are making less than me, yet have a bigger house and better car.
Is this real? I can't for the life of me figure out if it's a trope or if it's actually the case. We try to keep housing under 20% of budget if possible. I just assume most other folks do as well, I am definitely speaking to the 500k and not the sub 150k housing scenarios since I understand at some point you have to live somewhere.
Though I guess that depends too, you can buy a 3-3.5k sq ft brand new house in the top school zones for 500k around here.