Home Economics and Other Taboo Topics

Recently I wrote about the annual cost for light-to-medium use and routine maintenance on two paid-off cars. 

$6,022.

This had been quite a shock to me, because while yes, we are all acutely aware of the wallet-squeezing strength of gas prices, I hadn't really considered the other ongoing costs in the vehicle category.

Having no car payments felt akin to free.
There's a big difference between "debt-free" and "free".

Measuring Middle Class

Our youngest child, a second grader, will tell you we're rich. Our eldest, a junior in college, will tell you we're dirt poor-- why else would we refuse to buy her a brand new sports car, right? Everybody else in our family is of the belief that we are medium. Middle class, and proud of it.

But what does that mean, really? What does middle class look like? There are enough statistics out there to keep your eyeballs and math-brain engaged for a decade, but so much of it speaks in generalities that it's tough to make the translation between paper and reality.

Traditional taboo topics include age, weight, and income. I think household expenses have crept into this category through the years, and I'm starting to realize that if nobody talks about them, we'll never really understand our culture. Our American life. Our American dream.

With my husband's blessing, I'm going to put it all out there and show the world what our middle class is made of. My hope is that it will generate dialogue about our perceptions toward the economy. (Okay, my secret hope is that it might generate some money saving tips, too!)