Respond to this thread if you earn less than $60,000 a year and are surviving... I am doing a little experiment here to prove a point.

I make around 100k a year. My rent is about 2800 bucks for a shitty 2 bedroom apartment. I live pay check to pay check. I make all my own food and freeze it. I have worked since I was 16. I have zero fucks left.

I live on a lot less than $60K......

my tips...look for rentals in semi rural towns. I'm paying $614 a month for a full size 1 bedroom apartment and garage. no dishwasher at that price. includes heat, water, trash pickup and security. And in a great area as far as I'm concerned. the complex has never had a break in. crime is low here.....

I still have a car but use a bike for everything local. saves a lot of wear and tear on the car. and I dropped collision and comprehensive off of my insurance. look up the blue book value of your car and give it a fair rating. you'll be stunned at how little its worth.

I know the US is quite expensive, but seriously, 60k? My wife and I between us are on around £20k, renting in the UK, and doing fine. Not many luxuries, but sometimes get our expenses paid for a working visit to China (like now). Some of our friends are on waaay less than us, and they're OK so long as they own their own home, with no mortgage.

60k??

And here I was thinking I'm a useless prick for living week to week on 45k/year

I quickly found out the U.S. is way more expensive than the U.K. Apart from petrol and a few other items. Running a small business, you will pay huge taxes. Rent is super high in any big city (Im talking £1000 for a 1 bedroom, you could rent 2 for that outside of London). Used cars are more expensive. Health insurance is a total bitch these days, at around £400 a month for a crock of shit. Groceries are expensive too. Not comparing this to anywhere near Londond obviously. That place is hell.

Well under 20k a month.

My basic monthly expenses are around $400.
That's a room in a large 2 bedroom apt (with a nice back patio), shared utilities, internet, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime..etc.

Then about a $100 on food (I'm a cook, so, I get a lot of food from my job.)

Don't have a car, ride my bike everywhere I go.

and I have managed to save a few grand in the bank.

So, far from rich, but I guess I'm doing alright.

I live in Los Angeles and I make WAY less than 60K and am doing just fine. I have decent rent because I live in a warehouse that we've never given the lease up on in 17 years. Our rent goes up maybe 3% a year tops. I pay less than a grand. And it's not some crappy warehouse studio either. It's finished, decorated with art and it's a constant center of community. I'm debt free and have been for a decade.

The key is I simply live within my means and I've intentionally not needed very much. I don't just go and buy a bunch of crap that I don't need. My biggest investments have been in emergency prep and I did it slowly over time.

So yes, it can be done. But I also acknowledge that I am in very fortunate circumstances. It's nearly impossible to find even a single bedroom apartment in LA for under $1600.

Um yes, I am payin' about $1 for a galloon of mulk.

LOLz

About 60
Single, no credit debt..I did just buy a 17 6.2 Silverado, my only bill other than mortage, gas etc and
Rest saved, goes to my cat and grandson

$24.000. 11.75 an hour and that's about where I've been for the last 15 years.. Puff puff.Insane.. But could be worse, could be drinking bulls blood for dinner. Ha. Sooo. It's all fucked...ha hot chicks. Will give you the motivation if needed.. Just saying. Drooooooooooool....ha

Bullshit. $130K and "barely getting by" ... You're in the top 10% of earners on the global scale.

'Troll' or 'useful idiot'.

Which one are you?

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$2800 for a two bedroom apartment? Where the fuck do you live? Pennsylvania Avenue, DC?????

I call BS. Big Time BS. Basement dweller with no connection with reality ...

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the more you make the more you have to pay. would suck to be rich and living pay check to pay check.

I make less than 30. I'm barely surviving. It feels like I'm just getting by. No debt at all tho. No one is calling me or sending me letters saying I owe them this and that.

The more that you earn (through hard-work and diligence), the more likely you are to understand your vulnerability to an earnings-reducing event.

That being the case, the more likely you are to insulate yourself from that eventuality by saving/living within your means - unless you are a privileged prick/gold-digger believing that this world owes you an income that will support an 'above-average' lifestyle.

Don't hate 1st generation success-stories - hate on the multi-generational wealth squandering assholes who have never had to earn an honest $ in their lives.

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I'm surviving on £10k per year money isn't everything. I used to be on £36k lost my job 2 years ago have got alot of health issues my partner works pt self employed and we get by on 10k

I'm an ex-pat Brit in the US. I've been here since 1991. I ran a successful business in the UK during the late '80's. I've run a successful business here too, and have done for the past 25 years.

I don't think that you've ever run any kind of legitimate business in the US, or in the UK.

You're full of crap ...

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i earn £16,000 a year. i have 2 kids also. pay bills full rent full council tax and income tax, but a small amount as im only classed as a low earner.

i have no benefits except child benefit £34 per week which helps do shopping and stock up clothes weekly and not in one abundance.

we scrape by every week paying only minimal payments to bills.
we cant have eno family holiday we cant have or live in luxury, but we do have a nice home which took me years to finally get sorted, we have a loving family and we thrive off each other.
We may have next to nothing, but we are rich in love.
who needs materials when u have each other.
screw the system.
screw values of money,
and enjoy the values of your family!!

nothing and i mean nothing can make or bring this family down.
solid as concrete

what gives u a right to judge someone elses experience?
whether the person above has or has not had a business, just cos you were successful and certain people wasnt.
Your a judgemental oooooh look at me kind of stupid arn't you!
people like you need to take a long run off a bridge.

32,000
Single
No Kids
No Wife
No Girlfriend

Save about $650 a month and have plenty of discretionary cash.

Monthly Debt $286


Got my head out of my ass at 30 and decided to be frugal and responsible with my money.

It took about 2 1/2 years to discipline myself into not spending on whatever, wherever.

I earn less than half of that a year. With this single income I have a family and a house. My bills are paid on time, I have plenty of food in the pantry and a modest sum in savings.

Do you not get tax credits? I'm sure you would be entitled to them.

We are on less than 10K per year (for 2 of us) + tax credits, which nearly covers the mortgage interest. have to pay full council tax , because my partner is self employed. Live day to day, never have 2 pennies to rub together, no car, no working boiler, no tv. We have internet because its a necessity.

I'd say we are only just surviving, can't save any money for anything though, and have no way of paying off the mortgage in 6 years time, we are paying the interest only.

My only gripe is that we are paying a fortune in utilities so that the shareholders and management can have Caribbean holidays, villas on the med and yachts!

We'd be far better off living in a council house and living off the state, but choose not to.

yes my apologies working tax credits also, but that is low also.
yes we could live much better life style if we were to live off the welfare, hell no we wont do that, im 35 years old and have worked since 14 yrs old.
i will never feel human if i just dossed about the house claiming off welfare, when im perfectly healthy enough to work, in which we do.
i feel your pain, our only luxury is our internet and thats standard and slow.

It's easy to survive on less than $60k if you're frugal and know how to budget.
I'm not on welfare, and I don't get food stamps.

I made over 100k for a while, but then I got epilepsy, and now I can't work full time because If I work more than 2-3 days a week, I start getting clusters of seizures because I am light-sensitive.and computer-sensitive.

I might not even make 20k this year.

I live by myself, because I am single. Thinking about buying some land in the mountains and putting a trailer on it, instead of paying rent every month.

Im on 20.000$ a year. bills paid my fridge and pantry are full. my home is clean the kids are at uni I love to cook so I am not cooking frozen food or using tins. We eat well no debt I own everything i have, bought a car paid in full last week, updated my kitchen big appliance also last week, when I need extra money I call on the universe. I may not collect rent but I own every thing I have and no debt.
people I know that make over 60k single earner, 180k married and ponder how the hell I do it.

those people I know that earn big money waste it, buying crap for their kids to make feel better than other kids, they buy many $$$ worth of food only to have the kids ask for it and then not eat it, or just eat the crap stuff that looks brown or golden in the kitchen. The more ppl earn the more they waste and they think nothing of it, its almost like I can afford it so I can throw it out. and then they complain poor me or look at me.

20K I dont leave out gifts etc, I tell my kids never eat the last egg or the last drop of milk.
I do also have a cat and a dog, 4 kids that eat like adults, fill the car up.

i forgot to mentionI I have NO credit card debt. I do use credit cards, but I always pay off my balance every month. I never carry a balance. I have no car debt (my car is paid off). I have no house debt- I live in a decent, moderately-priced apartment in a decent neighborhood.

Now, if my car breaks down, I will have to figure out how to shift my spending in order to afford a new one....but right now, I am doing fine.

Come to think about it, I have no debt of any kind. But I do save as much as I can for a rainy day, and that way if I get sick and can't work for a while, I survive without going homeless.

I don't go out to eat. I rarely go clothes shopping, unless I buy my clothes at Target.

$18,000/year here, and yeah, I'm surviving better than alot of people I know. I also believe I'm waaaaay happier than most people I know who make waaaaay more money. Just gotta know how to budget stuff, live within ur means, and understand what true happiness is. I may not make much money, but I've got a wealth of stuff that money can't buy--friends, family, good health, talent, and a perfect soulmate :)