Do most UPS jobs pay enough to support a family of four?

[Catatonic]

When I started in 1973 as a p/t - NO
When I started as a driver in 1977 - NO
When I went into management in 1979 - Hell NO
Flash forward 20 years after we had an established home with buying a new car every 4 years (wife got the new one and I got the old one), daughter out of college and using UPS stock dividends to supplement income - YES
And we never lived an extravagant life-style and put away 25% to 35% every year into savings.

Which comes to the crux of this thread - have you been able to live a life-style living off one UPS income

For many people, the real problem is they think they are entitled or deserve to live a life-style above their income.
I know people who get by on less than $20,000 / year.
They drive older (older being 15 or years) cars,
they have a flip phone using Tracfone and/or do MajicJack VOIP,
they get broadcast TV (no cable or satellite) or absolute basic package on cable/sat,
no iPhones or iPads,
a few use internet access from their neighbors wi-fi or go to McD's or the Library,
They rarely eat-out,
they use coupons at the grocery store,
they don't have health insurance (Obamacare will hopefully help),
they don't take vacation except to visit other relatives ...

Anybody have other ways to "live within your means" on a reduced cash flow?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I earn $70K/year. I live in a modest condo, drive a leased car and have no debt other than my mortgage. I live a frugal yet comfortable lifestyle. When I was married our combined was $140-150K. We lived quite comfortably on that---it would have been a huge adjustment if mine were the only income. We could do it---we did it while in the military---but it would involve some sacrifices.

 

[jaker]

I make enough to provide for my family of 4 me, wife and 2 teenage boys

We live comfortable both of us have newer cars and so forth , now I will admit our savings are not where I want it to be but I have not been driving all that long so we where in that build up stage and now things are leveling off , so this year we agree to start moving more money over to savings

 

[barnyard]

I am going to find out in December. My wife was laid off and benefits run out in December. She is going back to school and it will be another year till she is done with that.

We figure that we will cut back a little on going out and stuff, but otherwise, things should not change a whole bunch. Long term, if she stayed at home it would cut some of our travel and motorcycle plans. She is planning on finding another job in 18ish months or so.

 

[island1fox]

UPS Rags for many years P/t 2.19 per hour.

UPS Riches--took over 36 years of hard work and numerous jobs hourly and then into Management and climbed the Tough Management Ladder one rung at a time.

Many On the Cafe knock Management or upper Mnagement --some say very easy --others say out of touch --you will never know the real truth unless you did it !!

Today , Enjoying Life and Retirement every minute of every day . Great Pension, Healthcare, Investments, etc etc.

I life that I had only dreamed of ---Yes the American Dream is alive and well.

 

[want to retire]

My pkg/feeder job plus my wife's library job(middle public school) has kept our heads somewhat above water. No savings/vacations(my truck is a 97)...wife's somewhat newer as she usually gets new and I get her hand me downs. Daughter in college has just about buried us for a decade. 32 years in. Retirement is a distant hope. With the govt threatening Social Security and a real possibility of my pension dissolving or receiving much less could, conceivably force me to work until my 70's. Being forced to buy healthcare or being penalized doesn't help either. At 50, I'm years away from even being offered healthcare(to buy) from UPS. Not complaining, just the facts. Live a very average middle income lifestyle(I think)(compared to what I see other folks live in/drive/vacation and such). Not frugal but nothing special. Don't worry a whole lot about utilities or fuel bills. As long as I'm healthy(and wife also). It should work out. We could sell our home(nothing big or special) and move to the hood and save some......put the daughter on her own and such........that's just not me.

 

[Jones]

My pkg/feeder job plus my wife's library job(middle public school) has kept our heads somewhat above water. No savings/vacations(my truck is a 97)...wife's somewhat newer as she usually gets new and I get her hand me downs. Daughter in college has just about buried us for a decade. 32 years in. Retirement is a distant hope. With the govt threatening Social Security and a real possibility of my pension dissolving or receiving much less could, conceivably force me to work until my 70's. Being forced to buy healthcare or being penalized doesn't help either. At 50, I'm years away from even being offered healthcare(to buy) from UPS. Not complaining, just the facts. Live a very average middle income lifestyle(I think)(compared to what I see other folks live in/drive/vacation and such). Not frugal but nothing special. Don't worry a whole lot about utilities or fuel bills. As long as I'm healthy(and wife also). It should work out. We could sell our home(nothing big or special) and move to the hood and save some......put the daughter on her own and such........that's just not me.

32 years in and no savings? Please tell me that's a typo.

 

[Catatonic]

32 years in and no savings? Please tell me that's a typo.

Maybe that's why he's "want to retire" rather "ready to retire".

 

[barnyard]

32 years in and no savings? Please tell me that's a typo.

No kidding.

 

[anonymous6]

Anybody have other ways to "live within your means" on a reduced cash flow?

we have been doing it for the past 25 years. it's easy if you put your mind to it. there are many books on this. read "The Millionaire Next Door" for one. most millionaires became that way because they learned to live below there means.

there is no problem with doing the things you listed. what's wrong with driving a 15 year old car if well taken care of? i drive a 28 year old car with 319k miles on it. we go on simple vacations, buy beautiful stuff from thrift stores to furnish our home, eat in most of the time rather than take out, pay ourselves first through automatic retirement, make a concerted effort to plan ahead, and on and on.



it's easier than most people think.

 

[overallowed]

I have 29 years in and I just started driving feeders. Wife has been on ss disability almost our entire marriage of 25 yrs. No kids because of disability. Between my income and wife's disability, we make about $95,000 per year. Don't drive new cars, but upgrade periodically. Did home upgrade in '07 but have that almost paid for. No debt other than mortgage.
Saved close to $200,000. Travel as much as we can afford, in case we never make retirement. Hoping to get out at age 66, barring severe pension cuts and social security cuts. Feeder job will prolong career.

 

[scratch]

I have been able to support my family of four on just my full time job. We struggled at first because we used to spend money on things that we didn't need. My wife found out in 1996 that she is just about legally blind, so nobody will hire her. She will sometimes work as a substitute teacher for the local school system, because they are so desperate to hire people for the lousy pay. We live in a small house we had built 26 years ago. We don't drive expensive cars, my Chevy pickup is ten years old and going strong, she drives a 2008 Ford Escape. The oldest son is through college, the youngest is in his Senior year at Ga. Tech. We don't take expensive vacations, maybe we will go to the beach for four or five days once a year. I just recently bought a 51 inch Samsung TV, I thought I was just about the last person in the world that had an old 25 inch. Not much worth watching on there anyways....

But, saying all that, I do put away some for retirement. I have my 401K, a little in an IRA and mutual funds. I recently got rid of a lot of credit card dept, I should be completely out of that by Spring. I am consolidating my first and second mortgage, I am closing on a 2.75% loan at 8 AM with an attorney before I go into work. I am currently getting myself in the position where I hope that I can retire from UPS in 28 months. I want to stay out of my savings completely, maybe I will get a part time job or try to start up a small side business to do that.

I think that as a society we waste so much. We don't need a good bit of the things that we spend money on. The four smart phones, cable TV, and high-speed internet in my house cost me about $380 a month. Thats a car note right there. I don't run out and try to buy the latest gadgets that come out. I have learned over the years that I have to be happy with the things that I have. I am lucky to have a good paying job where I am better off than most of the people that I deliver to.

 

[Catatonic]

we have been doing it for the past 25 years. it's easy if you put your mind to it. there are many books on this. read "The Millionaire Next Door" for one. most millionaires became that way because they learned to live below there means.

there is no problem with doing the things you listed. what's wrong with driving a 15 year old car if well taken care of? i drive a 28 year old car with 319k miles on it. we go on simple vacations, buy beautiful stuff from thrift stores to furnish our home, eat in most of the time rather than take out, pay ourselves first through automatic retirement, make a concerted effort to plan ahead, and on and on.



it's easier than most people think.

I forgot thrift stores.
I have not paid more than $3 for a shirt or $9 for pants. Socks and underwear I buy at Walmart.

We furnished our house on used (antique) furniture and are still using the same Coffee/end table oak furniture we bought in 1979 (although I have refinished twice).
Many of my furniture pieces were free - picked up from the curb.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

UPS Rags for many years P/t 2.19 per hour.

UPS Riches--took over 36 years of hard work and numerous jobs hourly and then into Management and climbed the Tough Management Ladder one rung at a time.

Many On the Cafe knock Management or upper Mnagement --some say very easy --others say out of touch --you will never know the real truth unless you did it !!

Today , Enjoying Life and Retirement every minute of every day . Great Pension, Healthcare, Investments, etc etc.

I life that I had only dreamed of ---Yes the American Dream is alive and well.

your definition of American Dream is quite a bit different than people with a heart and soul.

 

[jaker]

I forgot thrift stores.
I have not paid more than $3 for a shirt or $9 for pants. Socks and underwear I buy at Walmart.

We furnished our house on used (antique) furniture and are still using the same Coffee/end table oak furniture we bought in 1979 (although I have refinished twice).
Many of my furniture pieces were free - picked up from the curb.

I don't know how you guys do the thrift store thing , call me a snob but I go to work bust my butt to go buy a used item ( when sometimes you can get it new for just a little more ) I can't do it

Now don't get me wrong if I can get it used for a really good price I will , but not clothes or home items

I think people try to live a little cheaper but from what I see their money goes to toys instead , we don't have toys and all my friends do and they always ask us why we do a little better then most ( I don't have over 10 grand in toys in my garage ) so my money goes to what is needed and used

 

[want to retire]

32 years in and no savings? Please tell me that's a typo.

Nope. Paycheck to paycheck for 32 years. Remember, I'm not complaining. I've invested in my own college and other stuff-tools and the like. And the wife didn't work for several years while we raised our daughter. I've got 4 degrees in aviation and 400 hours flying. No regrets. Because......say this happens....I've been having migraines.....had am mri last week..I have surgery Friday. Who knows.....

 

[anonymous6]

I don't know how you guys do the thrift store thing , call me a snob but I go to work bust my butt to go buy a used item ( when sometimes you can get it new for just a little more ) I can't do it

Now don't get me wrong if I can get it used for a really good price I will , but not clothes or home items

I think people try to live a little cheaper but from what I see their money goes to toys instead , we don't have toys and all my friends do and they always ask us why we do a little better then most ( I don't have over 10 grand in toys in my garage ) so my money goes to what is needed and used

it's unbelievable what we have found at thrift stores and garage sales over the years. we rarely pay more than 10 cents on the dollar for items that are practically new. i found a brand new $300 backpack for $15. a beautiful rocking chair for $8, a free snowblower that just needed the fuel lines to be cleaned out. found a book for $1 and sold on amazon for $100. I used to make $300-400 a month selling books found this way before I went FT. we could go on and on about the great deals. it is very fun too.

the last couple years with the economy the way it is , has been the best time to buy anything. people are practically giving stuff away. just check craigslist. during hard times like the depression and recessions , people with cash stashed away do a lot of buying, especially real estate while everyone else is panicing and selling.

 

[Shifting Contents]

When my wife and I got married I made 300 a week. We had very little extra to spend. My wife is a stay at home mom. Rented a house from my parents so a missed/late rent check wasn't a worry. No cable, cell phones paid for by my dads bussiness (10 dollars a month share add on). I drove a 10 year old car that I got a deal on from one of my father's clients who owns a dealership.

I make 1200 plus a week now. The only changes are that my wife has a brand new SUV, we have basic cable, we pay for our phones, and we pay our mortgage which is less than our rent at my parents. We have plenty of savings and take a huge vaacation every year when school let's out.

I drive a 18 year old collectible car I paid cash for, we have zero credit card debt, our three kids get everything they need NOT want. We actually had a slight tussle over getting my 8 year old an mp3 player on black Friday.

To answer your question. If done right it is possible. This family of 5 has no problem.

 

[texan]

I forgot thrift stores.
I have not paid more than $3 for a shirt or $9 for pants. Socks and underwear I buy at Walmart.

We furnished our house on used (antique) furniture and are still using the same Coffee/end table oak furniture we bought in 1979 (although I have refinished twice).
Many of my furniture pieces were free - picked up from the curb.

There is nothing wrong with that Hoax.

A lot of people go in debt to surround themselves in the best of the best, and still do not always have peace.

Especially with those monthly payments for the best of the best.

 

[Chris Rettig]

Well I did not retire a rich man but riches are just for this world. I started at UPS as Christmas help in 1977,hired full time Jan 23,1978 as a driver .I put up with UPS bull stuff til I retired in June of 2009 with 31 years in. My wife never worked , drove cars to work til they died ,house paid of with the help of the stock split , my 25 yr old son is done with college in 3 weeks and in dedt up to his ----, but he said retire and I'll take loans out . I believe UPS did pay well enough for a family of 4 , we always took vacations with our two boys ,life was good,meet a lot of people ,but I got to say missing my 4th Christmas season coming up is the best thing about union dues ever did for me . The first is in 6 days and it's pay day again. Merry Christmas to all and I have never missed a day of working there since I retired.