How much mney does it tke to live "comfortable?"

[ch33zw1z]

The answer depends on who you are and what you consider comfortable, AND where you live. I would say 33k/yr is just enough to live comfortable here in Western Mass. Throw in a house and a kid and you'll be squeaking by.

 

[Scouzer]

$30k. That's what I'm making if you don't count the amount I'm putting into savings.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Heller
how much money do you honestly think you would need to make a year to live "comfortable"?

anything above welfare, which is like $20k for a family of 4. ($10/hr)

anything above that wont buy you much more happiness

<------ Proof

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: JEDI

Originally posted by: Heller
how much money do you honestly think you would need to make a year to live "comfortable"?

anything above welfare, which is like $20k for a family of 4. ($10/hr)

anything above that wont buy you much more happiness

<------ Proof

Well thats not even remotely true try telling some dude working two jobs so that he can afford to take care of his wife and kids that hes no better off than a guy making six figures. Just because you or someone else isn't happy with their money doesn't mean that its no good. At the very least you must appreciate the fact that you don't have to worry about money and even if your life isn't all that great its alot better of than it would be if you had to worry about making the payments on your car and keeping your house/apartment or whatever.

Money may not *buy* happiness, but it can definitely makes it a whole lot easier to be happy. Money opens alot more doors and opportunities. I'm not saying a giant TV or a fancy car should make someone happy, but if you have enough money you can pick whatever makes you happy and roll with it, if you like computers you can spend $5000 on a new one and not worry, if you like sports you can afford tickets to all the good games, if you like music you can afford to go to all the good concerts etc..

 

[Geekbabe]

just putting my feet on the floor in the morning(nice hardwood floors) runs me $1,500 a month

in the greater Boston area 50-60K

 

[feralkid]

Originally posted by: TallBill
I'm only going to personally make like $20,000 this year because I'm a full time student but I'll be living very comfortably.

In China?

 

[TecHNooB]

At least 70k. That's what I want for my starting salary

 

[Deeko]

I live in a pretty expensive area, and I have a lot of student loans. I would need a minimum of $60k to comfortably pay my bills, put money into savings, and still have some money leftover to enjoy myself.

I'm moving soon though, so we'll see what my answer is in the new city.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I am "comfortable" currently doing $27k in NE Ohio, much better off then my friends.

I would be more "comfortable" making $54k+, but currently money isn't my primary concern when I want to do something but more is always better

 

[Cellulose]

Since private school here is around 90k (pounds->dollars) a year for 2 kids we would need around 200k+ since other living expensives are damn expensive (London)

 

[judasmachine]

30k to 50k depending on where you live. Obviously Key West is going to be expensive compared to St. Louis or somesuchstuff.

oh and that's with no bratty clones of yourself.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
At least 70k. That's what I want for my starting salary

good luck with that.

 

[FoBoT]

six figures to get by, seven to live "comfortably"

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Sonikku
"comfortable" depends largely on the point of view.

also really depends on where you live

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
At least 70k. That's what I want for my starting salary

is that lunar dollars?

 

[1sikbITCH]

It's all perspective.

I was raised in a blue collar family which I rebelled against and took up a life of drugs, crime, and other stupidities. I should already be dead; therefore I am not only comfortable owning a modest home and affording the bills, I am downright ecstatic to have a semblance of a normal life.

My friend on the other hand was raised by a self-made millionaire who worked 15-20 hours a day until died of a stroke; and of course my buddy won't truly be comfortable until he overtakes Bill Gates as the richest man in the world. It's weird to sit back with almost nothing to show for myself and be content and pity the guy who is slowly amassing a fortune yet always seems to be ready to commit suicide whenever I talk to him. He'll be dead before he ever feels comfortable.

 

[BHeemsoth]

Originally posted by: ebaycj

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
At least 70k. That's what I want for my starting salary

good luck with that.

It's doable.

I graduate with my BS in CIS this year, and have signed an offer that will put me close to that mark this year.

$62,500 (base salary) + $2,500 (signing bonus) + 3-4% (annual performance bonus).

 

[NuclearNed]

My Mom & Dad have never made much money every; some people on this board might even classify them as living in poverty (even though we never thought that). In spite of that, we always lived comfortably.

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: RaistlinZ

Originally posted by: Blayze

Originally posted by: sonambulo
I'd say about 30K with no kids.

A lot more with kids.

It depends heavily on the cost of living in your area. I think I could live comfortably anywhere in the U.S. on $100,000 a year. But for me "comfortable" means being able to own a nice house, a $50,000 car, travel, and still be able to put away a good chunck into savings.

Single with no children FTW. :thumbsup:

San Diego $50,000/year = barely making it. Wife full time student/have two kids 3 and 6 mos. I can only hope it gets better. (ironically my wife left her job to pursue a masters in speech pathology, but when she got pregnant she became a full time mom. now she's back in the speech path field so here's to 3 more years of living on this income.:beer

 

[jiggahertz]

100k is a pretty good number, if you want to own a house and depending on where in the country you live.

 

[TwiceOver]

In my current scenario (house/car/loan payments) I would say around 75-80K

 

[imported_Lothar]

Is this before or after taxes?

 

[HardcoreRobot]

depends on way too many factors. i lived comfortably in college on hardly any money at all. im living very comfortably now as a young professional with no kids. i expect things to get a bit rougher if there are kids + house payment. you arent taking into consideration marriages or other situations with joint income. 75k goes a lot further if 2 people are making it. 100k doesnt go nearly as far if it is supporting a family of 4. for the retirees of the board, the money lasts a lot longer when your house is paid off and the kids are out of the house. what about those that went to a fancy school but have six figures of debt? makes the new salary shrink a bit... then you can try to factor in the differences of living in BFE or Manhattan, which may be one of the most relevant factors of all.

but if you could sum up the issue in a few words - you can never have enough money

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
I'd say about 30K with no kids.

A lot more with kids.

Yeah, I was just fine when I was single, in my own home, making mid-30s.

Our combined income sounds pretty respectable now - and the number makes me think we'd be pretty darned comfy, but the reality of it is that with two kids, in a nicer school district and a larger house, a car that holds two kid seats, etc, the numbers end up being tighter.

Lots of things have gotten much more expensive since those days though.

 

[MetalMat]

I would say around 40k would be good enough, however due to my human nature I am always shooting for more.