So lookin' at something like this in *today's* money............
(Assuming I've got the house paid off & all I've gotta worry about are the following).......
Property Tax.............$4,000/yr
(Utilities)
Electric.....................$1,200/yr
Gas............................$300/yr
Phone (cell/land.).......$1,800/yr
TV/Internet................$1,200/yr
Water/Trash.................$500/yr
Entertainment..............$2,500/yr
Clothes......................$1,000/yr
Food..........................$5,000/yr
Home/Auto insurance...$1,500/yr
Misc Doc/Dentist.........$500/yr
Gifts/Holidays............$1,000/yr
Annual vacation..........$1,500/yr
And all this above is assuming I still mow my own lawn, wash my own cars, do my own brake jobs, don't need a single tire for my cars, don't have a single appliance problem, or have anything expensive happen to me or my wife.
Looks like $22,000. With any luck, I *might* be able to pull it off at $40K/yr 'pre-tax' (maybe $45K depending on my tax bracket) if that's what it would reeeeeally cost.
Of course my pessimistic gut tells me to double that amount, but the truth probably lies somewhere in-between.
Anybody thinkin' different #'s????