How much money do you have to a make to have comfortable living

To really live right I think you need to make about 150k.

 

Money finds a way to spend itself.

Discipline seperates those who "live comfortably" from those who struggle to get by... even the wealthy can have trouble "living comfortably"

 

How would that be comfortable? Property taxes would be about $7000. Homeowner's insurance would be $1500. Gas would be about $1000. Electricity and other utilities would be about $4500. I'm probably missing more but that would still only leave you with $1000 for food.

 

Especially if you add kids, paying a large chunk of their college, medical bills, vacations, anniversary gifts... the list is endless.

I look back fondly on my days living the hippie life, with my garage apartment by Hermann Park for $65 a month, bills paid. The giant attic fan that place had, and how I scarcely had to turn on the window unit to cool the place off. Except in August. August in Houston is a degree short of hell on earth, temperature wise.

Thirty cent a gallon gas for the Vomit Comet, although I could find it for less. Making a huge batch of pinto beans for the ubiquitous "red beans and rice," and adding stuff to it to vary the taste. How good that brown rice smelled when I lifted off the lid and took a whiff. Shoving 2 twin beds together, and inviting a chick over for beans and rice. "That's a hell of a big bed!" Just for you, sweetheart.

Dollar pitchers of beer, if you knew where to go. Concert tickets for the top acts for 3 to 5 bucks. Taking a chick to see Hendrix for $10, for both tickets, and then ending up on the second row, center. Paying for a semester of classes for around 300 dollars. Maybe that was for two semesters. Can't remember. Good times.

What the hell... good times! Worth saying again.

 

Well, I did say minus the property taxes. So that would be at least $4-$5k for food.

If you think about it, whats really important in life. Good health and wife/kids or a bunch of materialistic junk?

 

You mean like $1000.00 a year?

I agree with DonnyMost. Except I like to spell the word "separates."

In order to live comfortably, and I don't care if you live in the 5th Ward, the East End, or River Oaks, you need to make MORE than you spend. <- period

In short, I think you need to earn ~ %120 of what you spend.

 

currently I am think 150K would make my family very happy, but you never know.

 

600,000.

 

since i eventually want to have a family, and would like to make my future family's lives even better than what my parents provided... i'll say 500k+ a year.

 

here's another question:

would you rather make $70,000/year and live where everyone else makes $80,000 or make $60,000/year and live where everyone makes $50,000/year?

 

I think that's a question that could easily find it's way to D&D!

 

My answer to this question changed dramatically when I moved to NYC.

 

I make 6,000 dollars a year right now, working part time. That is not good.


After I get through with all the schooling I plan on going through (if I make it that far), I project to earn anywhere from 80 to 150k a year. I think I could get by on 80 easily.


I think 50 a year would do me. 100 would be really fomfotable for my girlfriend and I, especially in this town, I would say.

 

I wish I still got an allowance, gas card and a free car from my parents. That was pretty sweet.

 

I'm shooting for low-to-mid six-figures. I'll probably also be single well into my thirties and I'm unsure about having kids. Yeah, I'm a greedy b*stard, but I'll also have more than a handful of student loans to pay off.

 

I can live comfortably on 50, but I would be alot happier making 25 and working half as much.

 

The answer depends on where I live.

$100,000 in Houston? Live like a king, baby.
$100,000 in New York? Pass me the ramen noodles.

I wish my wife understood this concept. (She wants to move back to the NE.)

 

Well, if you're gonna live in a backwoods town in the northeast, a 100,000 will have you living like a king and then some! The town I live in, 100,000 would basically mean you're filthy rich.

 

Beautifully phrased, though sad in a way. I like it.

 

About $3.2 million a year.

Sincerely,