Rent- $770 (including water)
Electricity- $55
Internet access-$30
Cell phone- $35
Car insurance-$30
Gas- $45
Food- $550
Miscellaneous-$100
Monthly-$1615
Annually- $19,380
This budget is reasonable based on how I live. My cellphone plan is very cheap and I spend little to no money on entertainment. I use Yahoo DSL, which is cheap but has very shitty service. The only cost that is exceptionally high is Food: I go out to eat everyday, because I don’t have the time or skill to cook. The miscellaneous costs include clothes and personal items, which I don’t buy every month, but when I do, can be very expensive: I treated myself to a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses this month.
Overall, I bet I could live happily with just making 25k a year. That’s plenty to cover my expenses and I could invest the rest. If I wanted to save money, I could get a house and the mortgage would definitely be lower than $770. Also, if I learned to cook, I could save a lot on the food expenses. Based on my budget I could go on at least one vacation a year, or buy a new car.
This just goes to show you don’t have to be a millionaire to…