Well, let's figure it out.
Average rent for a two-bedroom home in anywher BUT the huge metropolitan areas? I'd say what--750-900 a month? (In Key West fifteen years ago, a studio apartment went for around 1500 dollars and the same in Manhattan while in Tennessee and Ohio it was 500 or so. Judging from rental prices in the paper (suburbs of metropolitan area) that figure is about right.) So, taking it at an average, we're looking at $9900 annually.
Average utilities, assuming people aren't idiots (just water/gas/electric)--let's say an average of $200 per month. Add another $2400 and we have $12,300 total.
Insurance--just for cars. Another what? $700 per year?
Car payment--just one. Let's see--maybe another $2400.
Food--even eating ramen a couple of meals per week, you're still looking at six grand a year.
So now we're at $21,400. Roughly.
Gas--well, this is fun. I'm thinking twenty bucks a week is low, but I'll go with it. $1040 a year. make the total $22,400.
So already, just on bare bones' basics, we only have about $11,000 left to spend.
If you have self-pay health insurance, that's another three grand a year. So now, there's only $8,000 left.
Cable and internet? Another $1500 a year minimum. We're down to $6500.
Yeah...thirty four thousand doesn't last long at all. And that doesn't even COUNT people with kids.