Reply #45: What are your expenses like - if you don't mind my asking...

[radhika]

I know lots of people making less - but:

They usually don't have to pay for healthcare, or simply do without.
They often have preferred housing situations - use of a family home, they live with a wage-earner, room mates.
No education costs...for self or children.
The have assets that come outside of wage earnings - divorce settlements, grey economy, insurance settlements

Here in LA, a single person trying to living alone in a reasonable safe neighborhood, paying their own utilities and expenses and the like won't make it without one of the above. I know, I've been there.