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

cosmo1

Perhaps.
Staff member
Hamm's Special Light. Fifteen bucks and change for a thirty-pack, and really not bad at all!

(My bad habit when we go out is a Guinness or two.)
 

rod

Retired 22 years
We lived comfortably in a modest home. The kids (or should I say we) never got into the "must buy the lastest fashion thing" although we did buy them top name atletic shoes and jeans and stuff like that for B-days and Christmas. We paid for their 1st vehical (used ) and we paid for their car insurance if they were on the honor roll. (its surprising how quick they could buckle down once they found out what insurance costs). I was lucky enough to be married to a great wife who absolutely hates to shop and didn't play that "keeping up with the Jones" thing. Our daughter got her 4 year degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison which she paid for for the most part by working while going to school. The wife quit work for 7 years when the kids were little (I know--that isn't what you call quit working) but other than that she toiled away at an 8 to 5 job for years. When I pulled the plug at UPS--- thanks to our tucking a few bucks away, the UPS Thrift Plan and finally UPS opening up their precious stock to us peons and some smart advice from our financial advisor, we had about $450,000 socked away. I was raised to "save for a rainy day" .
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
We live in a summer cottage we have been upgrading. We had no debt til he got sick. Even with great insurance, we racked up 20k, from me needing time off, and using the credit card to do it. Im happy I had it. We will be debt free in 1 yr.
We went from 2 incomes to one overnight. We had two truck/car payments, and separate credit obligations. We have survived, and if I live long enough to keep working we will thrive again.
There are many ways to cut expenses, we have done it all. Mostly we buy what we used to go out and pay 4xs as much for. Such as lobster and crab, etc, at the store instead of a restaurant. Thrift stores, Goodwill are my friends, and even if I didnt need to I still would. I cant remember the last time I bought anything new. We still have 2 trucks, one has 297000 on it, but it still runs and looks good.
I wouldnt change a thing, except I wish we had learned to live this way before and he was still good as new.
 
W

want to retire

Guest
No kidding.

I used to have savings......got fired once....decades ago......had to use that money, pay taxes on it so on.....never really recovered. It sure doesn't take much to wipe it all out. Again not complaining.
 

SleepWhenUrDead

New Member
The benefits I get from UPS are why I work there...The pay alone isn't enough to survive and for the first couple of years it was merely enough to pay for gas and dues...I have been there ten years and have always had a second job of some sort and sometimes working full time while pulling doubles at UPS...

I now have 2 children to support and my partner makes decent money we are still struggling but we make it work...

We clip coupons, we do not have cable, the kids wear hand me downs from friends and I turbo shop sales and clearance racks, my credit cards are used strictly to put oil in the tank in winter...My car is older but since it has to get me to work at 3am and drive around 2 growing boys i prefer a more sedanish type of car (if it was just me it would be a little hatchback)

While many people do live way beyond their means, I know how hard I work and it really doesn't feel like I'm living the dream
 

tae111

Well-Known Member
I started as a Package Driver in 1976. Back then we made sick money. I was making more than my Dad who was an Engineer for Bell Labs. Of course he was working 40 hrs. a week and I was working 50+. Most Drivers made around twice what a teacher or policeman made. Many of the guys that started in the late 60"s early 70"s in my center had multiple homes or lots of acerage and drove new cars. You could live very comfortably. How we ended up where we are now is another long story. It's not a bad paying job now but it was almost lucritave back then. My wife is a Nurse and we had two kids that both went to collage. It would be pretty tight here in the northeast to do that on just one UPS salery now though.
 
A

anonymous6

Guest
the absolute best book i have read on money management is Dave Ramseys "Total Money Makeover" I have thousands of books. used to sell on Ebay and Amazon and am gonna save them for a nice pt business when I retire. have read over 100 books on financial subjects and Ramsey is one of the best.

Andrew Tobias is another good one. stay away from Cramer and Suze Orman. just my OPinion.
 

island1fox

Well-Known Member
your definition of American Dream is quite a bit different than people with a heart and soul. ;)


Sure Sleeve --you know me so-so well ---no heart -no soul because I worked hard , played hard and I laugh, love and I live life.

So sick and tired of people who never took a chance, never reached for the stars and when they see or hear of someone that was very successful in so many ways in the jouney of life --they can only try to tear them down.

Problem in this country today --instead of thanking successful people for the millions in taxes paid and the charities they support ==you just hear jealous B.S.

I should not waste my time with HATERS like you :happy-very:
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Sure Sleeve --you know me so-so well ---no heart -no soul because I worked hard , played hard and I laugh, love and I live life.

So sick and tired of people who never took a chance, never reached for the stars and when they see or hear of someone that was very successful in so many ways in the jouney of life --they can only try to tear them down.

Problem in this country today --instead of thanking successful people for the millions in taxes paid and the charities they support ==you just hear jealous B.S.

I should not waste my time with HATERS like you :happy-very:

I think he is about to call you shallow ... just saying.
 

Buck Fifty

Well-Known Member
Yes a full time position will definitely support a family of 4. Key Phrase : It's not how much you make that matters, It's how much you spend !!!
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
the absolute best book i have read on money management is Dave Ramseys "Total Money Makeover" I have thousands of books. used to sell on Ebay and Amazon and am gonna save them for a nice pt business when I retire. have read over 100 books on financial subjects and Ramsey is one of the best.

Andrew Tobias is another good one. stay away from Cramer and Suze Orman. just my OPinion.
I have only heard Dave Ramsey on his radio program and I agree with 90% of what he preaches.
To me, it is the same "common sense" that I was taught, and applied to my life.
When I came to work at UPS in 1986, I had a land note, a note on our 52ft Mobile home, two old cars and $5,000.00 in savings, and a net worth of about $20k.
26yrs later, I am totally debt free, with 20acres, a brick home 3,000sqft under roof, a 1,200sqft barn/shop full of tools, 3 vehicles, a credit score in the 800's and a net worth 40 times greater.
It was achieved by using the same principles as Dave preaches and a lot of hard work.
My employment at UPS as a driver for the last 26yrs has been a big factor, but it has only been a part.
Doing a 105 mile commute to UPS for 9yrs. Working on building my home and sleeping 4hrs a night.
Running my metal fab shop business on the weekends.
My wife managing a country general store and operating her Art Glass studio.
All that was fun, and necessary, when we were young.
Now, I am just taking the $90k I will make this year and reap the benefits.

So to the question Hoke posed.
A drivers job can at least provide for two people who are willing to work and invest in their future.

 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
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.


Always save for retirement first. Very simple people.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
We lived comfortably in a modest home. The kids (or should I say we) never got into the "must buy the lastest fashion thing" although we did buy them top name atletic shoes and jeans and stuff like that for B-days and Christmas. We paid for their 1st vehical (used ) and we paid for their car insurance if they were on the honor roll. (its surprising how quick they could buckle down once they found out what insurance costs). I was lucky enough to be married to a great wife who absolutely hates to shop and didn't play that "keeping up with the Jones" thing. Our daughter got her 4 year degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison which she paid for for the most part by working while going to school. The wife quit work for 7 years when the kids were little (I know--that isn't what you call quit working) but other than that she toiled away at an 8 to 5 job for years. When I pulled the plug at UPS--- thanks to our tucking a few bucks away, the UPS Thrift Plan and finally UPS opening up their precious stock to us peons and some smart advice from our financial advisor, we had about $450,000 socked away. I was raised to "save for a rainy day" .

yeah I'm not that lucky. Oh we'll in a year she will finish school and double up my salary easily. She has earned it all so she can buy all the shoes she wants.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Always save for retirement first. Very simple people.

Good advise because from what I've seen from about 75% of the kids graduating college now days they will be living in their parents basement working dead end jobs------if they have a job at all.
 
A

anonymous6

Guest
money management is at least 75% or more of the game. I raised 4 children on $9 an hr or less until I was 37 years old. It was not a piece of cake with an ill stay at home wife but we did it.

I'm sure that experience has a lot to do with our success 25 years later.
 
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