Millennial Money: Living On $47K A Year In Kailua, Hawaii

JD Wilson, 38, makes $47,000 a year as a third grade teacher in Kailua, Hawaii. Before he became a teacher,  he studied at the East Stroudsburg University of Pennslyvania where he received his bachelor’s degree in history. After graduation, he joined the US Air Force and served in missions such as Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After military service ended, he founded a company called Lead U where he would travel to different schools and help teach students about leadership. However, after operations halted due to COVID-19, he moved to Hawaii where he currently works as a third grade teacher, and does his business virtually.

Wilson has a monthly budget of $3,320, but he admits that finances is his weakest point. He currently lives paycheck by paycheck, and his finances had forced him to live a minimalist lifestyle.

One major lesson he learned was how to treat his savings.

“I feel as though I’ve treated my savings as a second checking account,” he said. He wished that he would have learned at a younger age the importance of not touching savings account.

Looking ahead, he hopes to establish a healthier budget and work on building savings for himself and his company.