Making six figures and struggling on LI: The Padilla family of Patchogue

Padilla grew up in Queens. He first moved to Long Island in 2000 and five years later started working at Gabreski, where he said he makes about $65,000 a year. His wife moved to Long Island three years ago. Padilla, a first sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, got back from a tour in Afghanistan. At the time, they were happy to find an affordable house in a nice neighborhood. They paid about $290,000, Padilla said, and have a monthly payment of $2,200, including taxes, which is about $600 more than when he was renting an apartment. But that's just the beginning of the expenses, he said.

Pictured, Robin Padilla, 33, arrives home with her 16-month-old son Xavier after picking him up from day care with the help from her stepson Frankie. Padilla greets them at the door of their Patchogue house.

The first hit to the Padillas' combined $145,000 in salaries is the 25 percent he estimates is taken out in income tax. Then there is the mortgage payment, and the $531 he pays each month for health insurance. After that, the Padillas budget $150 for cellphone bills; between $500 and $600 on groceries; $135 for cable, phone and Internet; $200 on heat and electricity; $25 for water; about $870 on car payments and insurance; and $400 on credit card bills between them. Franklin Padilla also pays $580 a month in child support for his 12-year-old son Frankie from his first marriage; and Robin Padilla pays $467 a month in student loan debt.

Pictured, Padilla cooks the family dinner after working at his job with the Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach on Monday, April 11, 2016.

The Padillas said they pay $1,200 a month on day care for their 16-month-old son, Xavier.

"That's kind of cheap, from what I understand," Padilla said. "That's a set price. If he goes, doesn't go, that's still what it costs. You add that up and it's pretty costly."

Robin Padilla said diapers are another expense at about $120 a month. She said after moving to Long Island from Michigan, she was shocked at the cost of living.

"We're comfortable if we don't have anything unexpected happen," she said. "But that's not how life works."

Pictured, Robin Padilla plays with Xavier after picking him up from day care on Monday, April 11, 2016.

Their other big expenses are hospital bills. Xavier was born seven weeks early in November 2014 and stayed in intensive care for three weeks. This came just nine months after the Padillas had another son, Christopher, who was stillborn.

Aside from the emotional hardship, Padilla said the circumstances also caused a financial hardship as Xavier's hospital bills piled up on top of Christopher's. The family's portion of their hospital bills not paid by insurance was about $12,000, she said. They're chipping away at that by paying $120 per month, she added.

"For Xavier, the bills have been astronomical," he said. "And that is with me having decent insurance. I had to take a loan against my retirement to help pay for Christopher. So yeah, it is hard."

As they pay off those bills, it forces them to rely on credit cards more than they would like, Padilla said. "When you're trying to pay off the hospital bill, sometimes you're short and you have to buy groceries."

Pictured, the Padilla family holding a photo of Christopher.

"We're doing our best to stay above water but it's pretty much paycheck to paycheck," Padilla said. "We're broke but we're not going under. Whenever we start going under, there's always another paycheck but then it's pretty much gone."

He said they will receive $500 back on their tax refund this year -- money that is already committed to fixes around the house.

They consider themselves lucky that they have family living elsewhere so they can build vacations around visiting them -- Robin's parents are in Michigan and Franklin's are in Puerto Rico.

"We start planning the trip about five months early because we know we have to look for bargains," Padilla said. "We have to try 10 different ways to make the trip work. My dad will usually help us out with some of the trip."

Pictured, Franklin Padilla, right, picks up his son Frankie, 12, a seventh-grader at Ronkonkoma Junior High School on Monday, April 11, 2016. Franklin sees his son from his first marriage once during the week and every other weekend.

Padilla said he and his wife used to go out to eat once or twice a week, but since their sons were born, that's down to once or twice a month -- and only when they can find special deals.

"We spend a lot of time at home with the kids," he said. "Whenever we do something it's on the cheap, and we've been doing this for a couple of years now so we get used to it."

Pictured from left, Frankie Padilla, 12, Xavier, 16 months, Robin, 33, and Franklin, 45, have dinner in their three-bedroom Patchogue home on Monday, April 11, 2016.

The idea of that lake house in Michigan nags at them. In addition to Robin Padilla's family being there, her job is, too. She works remotely for the University of Michigan as a statistician. The only problem with doing the job from her home office on Long Island is that her $80,000 salary is based on the cost of living in Michigan.

Padilla said he is waiting for his son Frankie, 12, to finish high school on Long Island and then, they'll likely move. "I can get a really nice house on the lake in Michigan for $50,000 less and $6,000 less on taxes," he said. "It will be a lot more comfortable."

Pictured, Frankie and Robin Padilla entertain 16-month-old Xavier while Franklin Padilla makes dinner at their house in Patchogue on April 11, 2016.

Correction: This article has been updated to include additional car and debt payments as part of the monthly expenses reported by the Padillas.

More photos of the Padilla family

Robin Padilla arrives home with her son Xavier after picking him up from day care, Monday, April 11, 2016.

Robin Padilla arrives home with her son Xavier after picking him up from day care, Monday, April 11, 2016.

Robin Padilla plays with her son Xavier after picking him up from day care, Monday, April 11, 2016.

Franklin Padilla, right, picks up his son Frankie, 12, a seventh-grader at Ronkonkoma Junior High School on Monday, April 11, 2016.

Frankie Padilla, 12, a seventh-grader at Ronkonkoma Junior High School, does his homework at his dad and stepmother's home in Patchogue on Monday, April 11, 2016.

Robin Padilla, 33, son Xavier, 16 months, and stepson Frankie, 12, play in the baby's room on Monday, April 11, 2016, as Franklin cooks dinner for the family.

Franklin Padilla, left, looks on as his wife and son play with the baby on Monday, April 11, 2016.