When people ask how much your income is..
 

..how do you respond?

I was asked this question earlier from a acquaintance at my barbecue in front of some other guests. I do not want my income to be public knowledge between my friends and co-workers. I want to know if any one had been asked how much they make and how they responded. Thanks.

Best response I would go with... Would simply be "enough" or "not enough" depending on your mood at the moment... It's an incredibly rude question to ask and doesn't even warrant a "nice" response. IMHO

Just an awkward stare should suffice.

Just fvckin tell 'em.

Wages have barely kept up with inflation for, oh, about 95% of the population for the past 30 years, so it's unlikely anyone will be shocked by your income, whether it's "high" or "low".

Anyway, if you can afford a Z you can't be doing that awful, relativley speaking... (hey, just cheered myself up!).

This is an old boomer thing -- back then people actually earned a decent living (i.e., one income supported a family with more money for luxuries), so perhaps it was weird to talk about. Today, two incomes are needed to get by, often with some debt.

Anyway, Gen X and Y have no reason to feel awkward -- just tell it like it is.

Also... if it's co-workers, it would be nice to know if you are getting a decent salary or getting screwed, no?

I bet the whole norm was started by bosses anyway. By making people feel uncomfortable talking about their salaries you can make it harder for people to determine whether or not they are getting paid what they're theoretically worth.

Couldn't agree more, 2 wages are generally needed today for most people :)
I personally don't go around telling everyone what i make, but if someone asks I usually tell them. (Or I tell them "not enough" haha)

i would not tell them a number...

first of all it is none of their business.
second of all if it is 'high' then they might feel bad,
if it is 'low' then they might feel bad

i have to disagree with people who measure their 'worth' with salary. a salary is what you are making for doing a particular job at a particular time. you are certainly 'worth' more than this at any given time. it is a function of your businesses ability to pay for the services you provide compared to the amount they can charge customers for the resulting goods... not a measure of your worth.

i usually say "i'm doing alright, i make enough to get by and still have some fun, but that's about it" (which is the truth)

I use to make twice as much when I was in business for myself. Now I am military and I get paid whatever the government deems fit for soldiers. Almost as much as a city bus driver!

I don't do it for the money. I made a choice to serve my country and that came at a price. So when people ask me how much I make, I usually ask them, "I dunno, what's Freedom worth"?

I usually say "more than you"

Where are you getting this? Salaries today are still great. I'm 22 and while my wife works, we could easily get by on just my salary, and pretty comfortably support a family.

Op- response depends on how much you make, especially relative to other people. What do you do?

dont tell if you dont want to. simple as that.

anyone can argue you should or shouldnt... reall yits up to you. if you want to tell em go ahead and if you dont, then dont.

just keep in mine that alot of big corporations actually make it a point / policy not to discuss salary's among co-workers.

But yeah, whether or not its appropriate would depend on the person asking to be honest. there isnt a single clearcut statement someone can make where its always appropriate or always not.

Most of the time, i personally just respond "not enough thats for sure"

Very easy, the best way to address tactless questions is with humor IMO. The DR. Evil ransom request has worked wonders for me on numerous occasions all the while graciously shooting down those questions... My typical answer after an intended dramatic pause is this one ...


Most people with a brain would stop there with the question and realize that it's time to move on. I do very well for my age thank goodness for that, but I would never ever willingly divulge my exact earnings to a random group of individuals. The conversations would absolutely become weird after that ;)

Hey Bert, how much you make???!

I would usually say something like "its not important" or "you dont need to worry about that" ...