Joy Stoddard, Orchard Park, N.Y

I believe being middle class means having a garage sale and being excited about making $40. This is my friend Becky and me, showing off our “big earnings” after a sale we had at her place in Buffalo, NY. I believe being middle class means you don’t ever have a brand new car. In fact for us, it usually means never having owned a car in the same decade that we’re living in. Being middle class means only have one bathroom in our house. Being middle class means sharing a bedroom with at least one sibling. Being middle class means spending two full summers painting your own house. These are just a few of the things that I believe represent our financial “place” in society.