<p>Sax, I hear ya. I have four siblings – only one makes over $30k (and that is a recent happy event). He drives a 1989 Accord with 635,000 miles (not a typo), does not have cable and still has dial-up internet. None of their spouses breaks $30k, though two of my BILs, with overtime, get close. Depends on how their employers are faring. Their college-age kids qualify for Pell. They live in cheaper areas of the country, but it is still thin ice on which they are skating. If their cars need repair, they drag out the tools (or borrow them from Dad), hit the auto supply store or junkyard, and do it themselves. Retirement savings? Not on the radar. Major medical expenses? That would be the tsunami that wipes them out.</p>
<p>actingmgt, my kids were getting assignments that required the internet and/or had to be written on the computer starting in 4th grade. That was 10+ years ago. When they were in HS, some assignments were submitted online. The digital divide is real. </p>