new post »
see more posts »
Financial aid for private schools - NYC. My family makes about 80K a year-- adjusted gross income. We live modestly. Our 2 bedroom apt is $5K a month, and all expenses total about $175K a year, if we include private school (33K), food, rent, insurance, the occassion vaca etc. That means to break even we really need to earn $350 before taxes. Again, we earn more like 80K. The question is whether to apply for financial aid. I want to, but my husband thinks it's inappropriate because in truth we do have a lot of money in the bank -- specifically 2 million or so. However, it is not easy to make even investment income in this economy and each year we are down $200K. We don't own an apt, summer home, or any of that. Thoughts? Apply for financial aid or no?
84 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]-
-
-
-
-
No kidding. "There is no cheaper" - what a load of BS. I make several times what they do and I don't pay $5000.
[ Reply | Options ]
-
-
-
-
hahahahahaha! i can't believe you had me up until the "two million in the bank"! is this a joke or do you really think you deserve fa with those kinds of assets?
[ Reply | Options ]well, we don't own, but hope to. if someone owned an apt (2 beds go for 1.5 million) but made 80K there money would be tied up. we try to make money work for us, but stock market sucks and in 10 years at this rate we'll be through the 2,000,000. prob should move to suburbs! but this is the reality of expenses in NYC. I think 350K is needed to make a lifestyle work. We don't have a housekeeper or nanny.
[ Reply | Options ]
-
Thoughts? How do you sleep at night when you have the audacity to expect another family to pay for your child's education when you have 2mm in the bank?
[ Reply | Options ]Wait...you earn $80K a year but spend $175K? This has GOT to be fake. NO ONE is this out of touch with reality.
[ Reply | Options ]fact is with 2MM in the bank, there is no way you are getting aid. I work in FA and can say that with certainty. like it or not, if you owned an apt., yes, that would not be as big a factor, but that is the difference between a liquid and illiquid asset. SSS only takes into account the equity. however, most independent schools will not award FA to a family with a $2MM apartment anyway. there is qualitative analysis that goes into this too.
[ Reply | Options ]Is the $2M accumulated through time (ie you've been working for like 30 years)? What is wrong with you as an employee that you only make $80k after 30 years?
[ Reply | Options ]part of it was inheritance. also that is what i make or anyone in publishing makes. and my life is modest. i pay rent that is average for nyc - equals 60K a year. private school 35K a year. groceries 1500 a year. vacations which means travel to inlaws 5K a year. summer camp for kid in nyc- 7K a year. i don't have housekeeper, summer home, nanny. other expenses like clothes, haricuts etc. lets say 10K a year. this comes to 175 a year, but i agree, you need 350K of income to net that.
[ Reply | Options ]Your life is not modest. $5k rent may be "average" (and I think that's arguable), but it is not average for your HHI. So you need to live within your means. You also do not need to spend $5k on vacation and $7k on camp - those are LUXURIES.
[ Reply | Options ]Your rent, as you've been repeatedly told, is not average--it's high. I assume you spend 15,000 a year on groceries. I too only travel to inlaws for vacations and spend nowhere near $5000 to do it. We spend $4000K on summer camp (asphalt green). we also don't spend close to $10K on clothes and haircuts. Finally, I honestly can't believe, if you're for real, that you have the audacity to come back here and defend yourself. You have some real self-examination to do.
[ Reply | Options ]As I've said, I make several times more than what you do and I what I pay towards housing do not come close to what you pay. I most certainly do not spend $10k a year on clothing and haircuts. Do you really mean $1500 a year on groceries? I do spend that much on vacations, but we travel to Asia and Europe for a couple of weeks, not to my inlaws. Do they live in Dubai or something?
[ Reply | Options ]-
Well, we don't really stay at fancy hotels because when we tour a city, we really tour a city and we really stop by the hotel to nap, shower and sleep. To that end we usually just rent an apartment instead of a hotel. Saves a ton of money on food, too.
[ Reply | Options ]that's really not a lot of money for a long-haul trip. we typically spend about $5-7k per week of vacation, but admittedly, we don't typically use miles and we do stay at upper-end places and eat out pretty expensively. i remember a couple of years ago, we spent about $5k on a three day trip to disney! that was a bit ridiculous.
[ Reply | Options ]
-
don't feel so bad my condo maintenance is $5k, but we own the apt with no mortgage...so you and I "support" that average..
[ Reply | Options ]$5K is not avg market rate rent for a 2 BR in NYC. I just saw an ad for a 2 BR/2BA on West 96th, doorman, gym in building, etc. for $3800. We pay $3650 in a 2 br/2b doorman on W 89th. And we make 5 x's what you do but are saving to buy. You must be in a prewar with large square footage to be paying that. You need to 1) move 2) have DH get a job...3) stop stuff like camp when DH not working, etc.
[ Reply | Options ]You will not qualify. You spend $5k a month on rent and expect FA? LOL. Move to Harlem and pay $2500 for 3BR. No way you can maintain your lifestyle even w/o private school at $80k hhi after taxes.
[ Reply | Options ]I'll bite- although I think you might be fake- First of all- from a financial standpoint, I am in a very similar situation (1.6 mm liquid, dh makes around 150k- I SAH right now) - Never in a gagillion years would I even expect to apply for FA for privates- the only way private is a reality for us is if DH starts to earn more and I go back to work (which I plan on doing sooner than later) The next thing I have to mention- is how dumb I think you are spending/managing your money- you can look into specific investments (triple tax free bonds for example) that would guarantee a nice interest income for you to make ends meet- you need to work with a finance expert of some sort- I would look into buying a 2 bedroom apt- in a place like Hudson Heights- where you can get a sprawling 2 bedroom pre-war for around 800k with a maintenance under 2k- they have a great k-8 public district- or start looking in parts of bklyn & queens- we own a decent sized place in a good school district and our housing payments are less per month than yours- you guys just sound dumb- but I'm hoping this is fake- sorry.
[ Reply | Options ]
-
UrbanBaby Asks...
Are you or your partner ever naked in front of your children?
Already voted? View Results
Flashback
The Kid's Menu
Video: Cooking With Grandma Gigi
Granddaughter Olivia helps make plantation casserole...
Also:Lunchbox Recipes
School Lunch Obsessive (video)
Make your Own Baby Food
Baby Food Taste-Off
Is it wrong to ask minors to mix martinis?
Can you tell a pregnant boozer to stop?
