# How much would you need? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585 "2011-06-07T02:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/1 "2011-06-07T02:31:59Z")
It has come to knowledge that a few of my coworkers are living in situations where they’re not buying for their lodgings for various reasons. While this doesn’t really peak my interest, they seem to blow through money very fast. I have to wonder on what since rent/mortgage/property taxes usually take up the bulk of the salary. I pose this to the dope: If you didn’t have to pay for where you were living how much would you need to live? Also, do you have kids? Poll to come! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/2 "2011-06-07T02:50:50Z")
You know what this question needs? A timeframe. What did you have in mind, a month, a year, forever? I assume year, but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/3 "2011-06-07T03:13:20Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > You know what this question needs? A timeframe. What did you have in mind, a month, a year, forever? I assume year, but you never know. A year. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/4 "2011-06-07T03:19:30Z")
Excluding savings and mortgage, our monthly expenditures come to $1900, so that’s a little under $23K. I suppose that’s the bare minimum we need to survive, take-home. There are always emergencies, however, and I bet we’d need to save at least another 7K a year to be sure we could cover those without any problem. That’s for two adults. We are adding a baby here in a bit, but I don’t think our expenditures will go up as much as is typical for that: my husband is quitting his job (we already save that income: it’s not included in the expenditures I quoted), so we won’t be adding childcare expenses. I mean, I know it’s going to cost a lot, but not the $15K or whatever a year in child care expenses a lot of people have. ETA: That’s “need” to maintain our current lifestyle. “Need” to survive would be much lower, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/5 "2011-06-07T05:12:45Z")
The other thing this poll needs is a quantifier. I could (and have) gotten by nicely on under $10K… But now I have a family … $20K would keep us alive, but it would be pretty grim. I am assuming that the OP meant the bare minimum. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/6 "2011-06-07T05:48:22Z")
Right now I need $13K to survive. That doesn’t include future maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/7 "2011-06-07T05:49:21Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > You know what this question needs? A timeframe. What did you have in mind, a month, a year, forever? I assume year, but you never know. …and a location. On 50k/year I could be the richest guy in town, should I be in a small Indiana city. Near Chicago, I’d be fairly middle-class. In Chicago, I’d be near homeless. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/8 "2011-06-07T13:45:52Z")
My monthly nut is about $8,000, some months a little more, some a little less. If I didn’t have to pay for lodging, which I assume means I wouldn’t have to pay property taxes either, I’d save about $3,600/month. So my answer is $60,000 annually. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/9 "2011-06-07T17:14:09Z")
\ It’s “pique” your interest, not “peak” (or “peek).” \ ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/10 "2011-06-07T17:19:09Z")
I can actually answer this question, because I get housing benefit due to a low income, so in a way I don’t pay rent. I live on a little over 8,000 quid a year, post-tax and including all benefits, for me and one 12-year-old in central London. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/11 "2011-06-07T17:57:09Z")
I not only could live on $10K ex-housing, I currently do live on about that (slightly more, but way less that 20K). I just don’t have time to spend all my money. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/12 "2011-06-07T18:05:00Z")
I need higher options ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/13 "2011-06-07T19:21:11Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > You know what this question needs? A timeframe. And a currency. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/14 "2011-06-07T19:35:47Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I need higher options Seriously. Does the OP expect us to shit in toilets made of something OTHER than gold? I can’t live like that. ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/15 "2011-06-07T19:55:23Z")
To maintain current living standards including retirement savings levels, etc. it would be a number a lot higher than the top end of this poll for us. In 2010 our total mortgage payments for the year were only a little more than 7% of my total gross compensation. Housing isn’t the worry for us…we have a nice place no doubt and it is a fraction of our monthly expense. It’s raising three kids, saving for three college educations and a comfortable retirement on a timeline of our choosing that takes most of the money. Having said that, if we had to, we could “survive” on very little. Been there and done that. Don’t plan to go back. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/16 "2011-06-07T19:59:19Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Seriously. Does the OP expect us to shit in toilets made of something OTHER than gold? I can’t live like that. I pay $6500 per month to my ex wife. That adds up pretty fast. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/17 "2011-06-07T20:01:58Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I pay $6500 per month to my ex wife. That adds up pretty fast. Ok, so your ex-wife gets to shit in a golden toilet.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/18 "2011-06-08T02:08:39Z")
Are we talking “life or death” or “to maintain current lifestyle?” ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/19 "2011-06-08T02:22:25Z")
To live like I do right now, under 10k. To live like a normal human being with insurance and emergency funds, maybe 20. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585/20 "2011-06-08T07:53:52Z")
20k, no kids. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-need/584585.md?page=2)