A question for adults with steady jobs?

Question

Can a person survive on two OR three thousand and seven hundred ($2,000+ to 3,700+ U.S.) dollars a month?

I'm a college student, and would like the opinion of adults with jobs, perhaps owning homes or renting apartments if this is possible.

Should I pick a career with this amount of income per month? Is it logical?
I would like to purchase my own home someday...

Answer 1

My gross income is currently $2,200/month. I get by in Columbus, OH. It is not easy, and I don't recommend it, but it is possible.

Answer 2

My household brings in about $2000 USD/month and we barely scrape by ((with two kids to support)) and besides a $300/month car payment we have no debt. Our rent is only $530/month too and most places you'll find it's much higher than that.

If your rent is low and you're only one person eating and needing clothing off that income then you could do it. Everyone needs to know how to budget, no matter how much money they make. But ask yourself if there's room for advancement and more money on the horizon and if you're willing to live with it if the answer is no....

Answer 3

I live on approximately $1900 a month ... I have a mortgage, I have two kids that live with me, and two clunkers ... my daughter drives one of them. It's very difficult, but it's possible ... depending on where you live. Perhaps if I had made the decision when my kids were younger to have a better career, my life would be better now, but when they were little, I chose jobs that were close to their daycare center, school, etc., (I chose not to commute a long distance) because I was the only responsible parent and if one should get sick or injured, I wanted to be able to get to where they were relatively quickly. It has paid off in an odd way, I guess. My daughter is 16, has a job, is looking into which college she wants to attend, she KNOWS what she wants to do (radiology), and a few weeks ago when I was worried about Christmas, she suggested we wait until after my tax return comes to have Christmas ... she was more interested in our being together and decorating. My son, 14, is already asking different adults about their jobs, what kind of training is involved, etc. ... he's leaning towards a career in law enforcement. Both know how to save money when they get it. And if they have money and pick up something they like at WalMart, they REALLY think about whether they want it or not before they spend their money. And they aren't too interested in American Eagle, Hollister, etc. In fact, my daughter, especially, is a great bargain hunter ... her best bargain to date being a pair of jeans on clearance at Penney's amounting to less than $2.00 after all the discounts. I'm not saying I don't ever feel guilty about not being able to buy them what they'd like to have, but I'm told by other parents that my kids are incredibly mature and grounded. My daughter opened a checking account several months ago and has never bounced a check. Many adults don't know how to manage their checking accounts that well. My son puts at least half of whatever he is able to earn from odd jobs in his savings account until he's saved enough to buy something he really wants.

It takes some balancing ... learning to stretch grocery dollars (I stock up on turkeys during the holiday season when they're less than 40 cents a pound), buying things on clearance, learning to make due (my washer doesn't get all the water out during the first spin, so I use two spin cycles to get the water out ... it's cheaper than buying another washer right now), bundling up and huddling around a space heater to keep warm instead of cranking up the thermostat, going out to eat once or twice a month rather than a few times a week, making coffee at home rather than buying it at Speedway, etc. You adjust ... you have to. You learn how to squeak by.

Answer 4

I'm an American and I don't understand your monetary system. I've learned through experience that when you are dealing with money...the ones that have it, are the ones that make the rules. To answer your question..2 or 3 thousand doesn't compare with hundreds of thousands. To survive? We see people that survive everyday begging for dollars. Six dollars will pay for a good meal today. It starts all over again tomorrow.

Answer 5

I live near Pasadena, CA, recent college graduate, and have an entry level job in bookkeeping for about $2200 per month. I share a one bedroom with my fiance, and we split all expenses. I save about $500 per month, but we live very frugally. My fiance is a real estate agent, and a rough estimate he says is about $2000 mortgage on a $300,000 property in this area (if you can find anything that cheap). Obviously, I would not be able to afford it, but someday we'll be able to do it together.

Answer 6

That depends on where you live- I live in New York City, and it would be near impossible to live on $24K or $36K per year without roommates. If you live elsewhere, things are much cheaper, and yes, it's more than possible.

College students tend to have an overinflated idea of what they'll be making when they hit the Real World....patience and hard work (cliche, right??) actually do pay off.

Answer 7

I'd say atleast $3000 to live comfortably but also keep in mind the price of living and whether or not you'll have a spouse helping you and plan to have children. $2000 is okay for now but in the long run you'll need more.
Good Luck!