Sam McCloud
Well-Known Member
occupations that are stationary and local where by the employee commutes to/from home everyday?
Let's say I am an accountant for a local bank in Fort Wayne, IN and I gross $65,000 a year. I only have to commute 5 miles per day 5 days per week in my economical car that's paid off. I have a 1-br apartment I pay $500/mo. in Indiana and the landlord pays for all the utilities. I'm single with no dependents other than myself. I have no pets or house plants. I cook my own meals at home and shower at home every morning. I can buy all my groceries at local Walmarts and Kroegers. I use the local laundromat to do my wash and I change into clean clothes at least once everyday. I belong to a local gym and pay $30/mo. as a member.
Now, hypothetically, I take a job with a mega-carrier as an OTR driver while still maintaining my apartment in Fort Wayne for at least the first year. I might see an average of five home days per month. On the road I will have to rely on the services of truck stops for most of my daily living needs. Let's say I make $65,000 gross the first year for "Tom Jones Trucking, LLC" whose home terminal is let's say 200 miles of Fort Wayne. I'm using the same income amounts for easy comparison. I know $65K gross year may sound like wishful thinking for a rookie driver but I use this amount to make comparisons easier. I wanted to become a driver because paperwork and numbers-crunching all day long was boring as hell. The roar of diesel engines and the grind of gears sparked my fancy.
Also, I don't like to use my sleeper cab as a kitchen so I will heavily rely on restaurants (not fast-food joints) over the road and will choose the healthiest choices possible from menus. I will generally buy stuff for sandwiches to keep in my cooler for lunch and snack stuff as fresh fruit but I want one hot full-course breakfast in the morning and one hot full-course dinner in the evening served to me by a waitress at a table. Even as a driver I would like at least one hot shower and one clean change of clothes daily. I like to keep fit and pump iron for fitness so gyms at TSs will be important for me in my lifestyle.
Which job will have allowed me to put more money in savings for that hypothetical year after income taxes and the cost of living? The bank accountant position or the OTR driver position assuming both jobs grossed the same?
Do truck drivers really sustain a higher cost of living than somebody with a "home" job all other things equal?
How much (or what percentage of your gross pay) were you able to put in the bank last year from your company OTR position assuming you at least maintained cheap apartment for that timeframe and weren't making car payments?
This also assumes you are single and have no animals or houseplants to need paid care for. You have no spouse or children to provide for. Everything you earn is for you only except for what the IRS takes, your home state takes and what TS/roadside businesses take out of your pocket that would otherwise be saved by having a "home"/non-traveling job.
What percentage of your GROSS annual pay could you commit to savings?
Let's say I am an accountant for a local bank in Fort Wayne, IN and I gross $65,000 a year. I only have to commute 5 miles per day 5 days per week in my economical car that's paid off. I have a 1-br apartment I pay $500/mo. in Indiana and the landlord pays for all the utilities. I'm single with no dependents other than myself. I have no pets or house plants. I cook my own meals at home and shower at home every morning. I can buy all my groceries at local Walmarts and Kroegers. I use the local laundromat to do my wash and I change into clean clothes at least once everyday. I belong to a local gym and pay $30/mo. as a member.
Now, hypothetically, I take a job with a mega-carrier as an OTR driver while still maintaining my apartment in Fort Wayne for at least the first year. I might see an average of five home days per month. On the road I will have to rely on the services of truck stops for most of my daily living needs. Let's say I make $65,000 gross the first year for "Tom Jones Trucking, LLC" whose home terminal is let's say 200 miles of Fort Wayne. I'm using the same income amounts for easy comparison. I know $65K gross year may sound like wishful thinking for a rookie driver but I use this amount to make comparisons easier. I wanted to become a driver because paperwork and numbers-crunching all day long was boring as hell. The roar of diesel engines and the grind of gears sparked my fancy.
Also, I don't like to use my sleeper cab as a kitchen so I will heavily rely on restaurants (not fast-food joints) over the road and will choose the healthiest choices possible from menus. I will generally buy stuff for sandwiches to keep in my cooler for lunch and snack stuff as fresh fruit but I want one hot full-course breakfast in the morning and one hot full-course dinner in the evening served to me by a waitress at a table. Even as a driver I would like at least one hot shower and one clean change of clothes daily. I like to keep fit and pump iron for fitness so gyms at TSs will be important for me in my lifestyle.
Which job will have allowed me to put more money in savings for that hypothetical year after income taxes and the cost of living? The bank accountant position or the OTR driver position assuming both jobs grossed the same?
Do truck drivers really sustain a higher cost of living than somebody with a "home" job all other things equal?
How much (or what percentage of your gross pay) were you able to put in the bank last year from your company OTR position assuming you at least maintained cheap apartment for that timeframe and weren't making car payments?
This also assumes you are single and have no animals or houseplants to need paid care for. You have no spouse or children to provide for. Everything you earn is for you only except for what the IRS takes, your home state takes and what TS/roadside businesses take out of your pocket that would otherwise be saved by having a "home"/non-traveling job.
What percentage of your GROSS annual pay could you commit to savings?
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