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What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 2:37:15 PM

NeedToUseYou

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My shift button on one side of my keyboard is not working so I may have capitalization issues.

I was having a conversation some time back, and the issue of how much money do each of us personally think we need came up.

The idea is if you were 100% guaranteed a certain amount of income every month, and that amount would stay fixed in buying power forever, how much would you require to just take it, and never work for cash again, but you are 100% limited to that amount only, and couldn't make anymore than that. You wouldn't have to work, or do anything if you didn't want to.

My number is pretty low about 4500.00 a month, if I was 100% sure it was coming every month, and it scaled with whatever external factors. I'm sure I could live happily off that tend my garden, behind a modest house, and few year old car, and vacation once maybe twice a year.

My friend was more like 6000.00 a month, which seems like a high figure, considering your expenses related to work would go down to nothing. You could set around in your underwear half the time. I don't see that amount being required, but my view is not important.

So, I'm just curious what are peoples view of minimum standard of living... As we hear so much about people "struggling", I'm wondering what exact income standards are they struggling against.

I'm sure it will vary alot depending on location, like around here I was looking at a real estate on google and the nicest house for sale was 325 thousand dollars, now that house is very nice by all but the top .01 percents standards. I'd guess in a more healthy area that would easily be a million plus, and in some crazy markets probably untold millions.

The funny thing is when I was a kid on welfare my pot smoking friend was friends with the spoiled brat pot smoking kid of the owners (really, he was a complete arrogant ass), and I've been in it, it is nice. Anyway, that doesn't matter, point is regional factors, seem to play a huge role in income requirements. Someone from Chicago would guess you'd needed a 300K a year job to live there. Down here, you could probably get in it, making half that possibly.

So, what is your view of minimum income required to live, well, but not high on the hog either.

A general type of area you are in would be nice for perspective.. Like me Small Town Semi-rural Illinois - 4500.00 .

< Message edited by NeedToUseYou -- 2/16/2010 2:52:51 PM >

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 2:47:21 PM

willbeurdaddy

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I wouldnt live in small town Semi-rural Illinois.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 2:50:52 PM

NeedToUseYou

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quote:

ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

I wouldnt live in small town Semi-rural Illinois.

I wasn't saying you would, I'm saying to state where you are in generic terms. I'm in Semi-rural Illinois, and mine was 4500.00. It's to give perspective to the number.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 2:55:59 PM

willbeurdaddy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou

quote:

ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

I wouldnt live in small town Semi-rural Illinois.

I wasn't saying you would, I'm saying to state where you are in generic terms. I'm in Semi-rural Illinois, and mine was 4500.00. It's to give perspective to the number.

Even limiting the geography its too broad to answer. Kids? What age? What prospects for financial aid? Aging parents to care for? How long in that $320,000 house etc.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:07:22 PM

thompsonx

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I need about $4000 a year.
I have no mortgage.
My vehicles are paid for.
I make my own fuel (bio-diesel).
I have a large garden and live stock.
The V.A. is my primary health care provider.
So I have money left over at the end of the month from my S/S check.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:07:37 PM

kittinSol

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Money's never a bad thing, but neither is love

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:10:24 PM

NeedToUseYou

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quote:

ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

quote:

ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou

quote:

ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

I wouldnt live in small town Semi-rural Illinois.

I wasn't saying you would, I'm saying to state where you are in generic terms. I'm in Semi-rural Illinois, and mine was 4500.00. It's to give perspective to the number.

Even limiting the geography its too broad to answer. Kids? What age? What prospects for financial aid? Aging parents to care for? How long in that $320,000 house etc.

People can add in kids to the details if they want, etc., I'm not sure what financial aid has to do with it, or the house, I just used that house as an example of varying cost of living.

All I'm trying to ascertain here, is what is poor, middle class, etc... around the country. Here if one made 50K you are doing well enough, you aren't rich, but you can have a nice enough house, car, etc..., I assume 50K in Chicago would afford you a 35K lifestyle by comparison. In other areas 50K might get you to the bread line. In Detriot, 50K might allow you to buy a city block in a couple of years.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:24:59 PM

switch2please

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In my current situation (renting a small apartment in Denver, two pets, no kids, within walking distance to everything I need - hence no car) I'd need a guaranteed $700 a month to live comfortably.
I go to free open mics regularly and go out with friends now and then, usually cook at home (lots of produce, not much meat, and cheap wine), read constantly but always used books, get my clothes at consignment stores, grab a cup of coffee twice a week or so, buy art supplies on sale, and take advantage of free museum days... I'm not used to having a lot of money, and I don't have many expenses. I'm not well off, but I certainly have what I need and then some. That said, I really don't need much.
With a guaranteed $700/month I could easily travel for a couple months between leases too. Nothing wrong with staying in a hostel :)

If anyone's offering free money though, I'd probably up that figure to put my sister through college...

< Message edited by switch2please -- 2/16/2010 3:25:46 PM >

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:29:57 PM

JonnieBoy

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Wanders into thread misguidely optimistic that it might be full of things deep and meaninful to people, sorry to interrupt, having now spotted how clear the topic title makes it that money is life.

To some ... maybe.

Pirate

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:41:47 PM

CelticNightmare

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I use less that a third of the amount you cited. I'd take the remaining three grand a month-save it and invest in land. While I was saving,I would look up research grants,and what it took to form a small cooperative venture to aquire those grants.

Then,I would go out and buy the land-put a trailer on it to live-and get a well and utilities put in. And work on building a fabrication shop to build things-start a small business and use the proceeds from that to pay down the principle-reducing mortgage payments at the same time.

The property would be at least fifty acres. Next would come wind or hydroelectric generators-depending on location and resources. Becoming more self reliant-and further reducing expenses over the long term (rebates from the feds can also be gotten for doing this sort of thing.)

Next, I would build an " Aquaponic test node"

Aquaponics use a combination of gravel trays and fish in tanks to grow food. Nitrate fixing bacteria in the gravel convert waste ammonia into nitrates-which are absorbed by the plant roots-making them grow like mad-and cleansing the water for the fish. Methods into monitoring and automating the process would be researched and extensively documented.

In time, more of these would be added, and made into a larger scale business, covering more acreage. The property would be paid off, and profits put in the bank.

I could do my various forms of art on the side for relaxation.

Money is an opportunity. Like a seed-you can just toss it down on barrenness and piss it away..(consumer mode)

Or plant it in fertile earth and nuture it-and make it grow.

< Message edited by CelticNightmare -- 2/16/2010 3:43:56 PM >

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:43:23 PM

NeedToUseYou

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quote:

ORIGINAL: JonnieBoy

Wanders into thread misguidely optimistic that it might be full of things deep and meaninful to people, sorry to interrupt, having now spotted how clear the topic title makes it that money is life.

To some ... maybe.

Pirate

LOL, what nonsense... I love how people live in their own made up world of non-existent intent.

God, I hate extremists, money is not everything, but its not nothing either, love is something, but you can't eat love. Ideally, you'd have enough of both. Sorry, my question is about the minimum amount of one and not the other. However, your viewpoint that I'm inferring life is 100% quantified in terms of money is a farce, wholly existing in your head.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 3:51:22 PM

Level

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Where I live now, the way I live now, I'd $2000 a month.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 4:01:20 PM

camille65

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From: Austin Texas
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So much depends on where I live. Now that I'm an apartment dweller in a city I survive (barely) on 24K or 2K a month but that literally leaves me with no leftover money once the medical stuff is paid. If I were back in my old house w/o a mortgage again it would be less all around, it was rural which meant I didn't have to maintain the exterior and I could grow/hunt some of my own food.

Where I live now to be truly comfortable I could live on 2600 a month which would enable some occasional luxuries.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 4:17:56 PM

JonnieBoy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou

quote:

ORIGINAL: JonnieBoy

Wanders into thread misguidely optimistic that it might be full of things deep and meaninful to people, sorry to interrupt, having now spotted how clear the topic title makes it that money is life.

To some ... maybe.

Pirate

LOL, what nonsense... I love how people live in their own made up world of non-existent intent.

God, I hate extremists, money is not everything, but its not nothing either, love is something, but you can't eat love. Ideally, you'd have enough of both. Sorry, my question is about the minimum amount of one and not the other. However, your viewpoint that I'm inferring life is 100% quantified in terms of money is a farce, wholly existing in your head.

Nonsense ? which bit ? that the topic title is unclear ?

Hope youre not suggesting that I was pushing a love trip thing ... sure seems that way.

(btw we cannot eat money either ... old American saying ... )

What drugs does one take to get to the bit that goes "viewpoint that I'm inferring life is 100% quantified in terms of money is a farce, wholly existing in your head.", or are you just having a bad day ?

Hating extremists is a popular pastime in the "civilised" world ... mostly partaken in by people who love hating and couldn't care less about how "extremist" the target of their hate is.

Some people need hate to live ... in my opinion ... which blows your distiortion out of the water.

So now ... tell me where I expressed a viewpoint on what you infer prior to this post ? (You can hate me all you want, ain't gonna change the fact that I didn't)

You taking something personally here that ain't there?

Pirate

< Message edited by JonnieBoy -- 2/16/2010 4:27:24 PM >

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:06:40 PM

dreamerdreaming

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I've been homeless before, so I know I can survive with little to no income. But if it weren't for the charity and generosity of strangers, I'd have gone hungry a lot more, and been colder in the wee hours of the morning.

More recently, I've been making a nice profit in real estate. So I'm good now.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:16:51 PM

NeedToUseYou

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quote:

ORIGINAL: JonnieBoy

quote:

ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou

quote:

ORIGINAL: JonnieBoy

Wanders into thread misguidely optimistic that it might be full of things deep and meaninful to people, sorry to interrupt, having now spotted how clear the topic title makes it that money is life.

To some ... maybe.

Pirate

LOL, what nonsense... I love how people live in their own made up world of non-existent intent.

God, I hate extremists, money is not everything, but its not nothing either, love is something, but you can't eat love. Ideally, you'd have enough of both. Sorry, my question is about the minimum amount of one and not the other. However, your viewpoint that I'm inferring life is 100% quantified in terms of money is a farce, wholly existing in your head.

So now ... tell me where I expressed a viewpoint on what you infer prior to this post ? (You can hate me all you want, ain't gonna change the fact that I didn't)

Pirate

"the topic title makes it that money is life. "

Anyway, if you did not mean to infer that my topic is about what you said, then I take it all, back. So, what exactly was the point of the comment? I may be dense, have a toothache, and minor headache, so explain please.

< Message edited by NeedToUseYou -- 2/16/2010 5:20:53 PM >

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:37:59 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

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I can get by quite easily on $2,000 a month right now. Paid cash for the car, have zero debt, only have a couple of credit cards which I use to keep the credit score up and pay off every month. With 2 grand, I can travel, go to a concert or a hockey game, eat chocolate every day, and buy all the books I can read. I'd be happier than a bear in a bee colony.

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:41:14 PM

LadyAngelika

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quote:

ORIGINAL: kittinSol

Money's never a bad thing, but neither is love .

~ Post-StV'sSlut

On ne peut pas vivre d'amour et d'eau fraiche ;-)

- LA

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:41:53 PM

windchymes

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When I read the title of the thread, my mind started formulating responses such as "fresh air, a dog, good books....." I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed that the intent was actually MONETARILY what do you need?

It's okay, you didn't mean to mislead anybody, it's a perfectly reasonable thread topic, and I don't think anyone has a true gripe with you for starting it. We all just interpret things differently :)

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RE: What do you need to live? - 2/16/2010 5:48:18 PM

pahunkboy

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that is tough - as one can have surprises and emergencies.

...anyway--rents have crept up here- so- it really depends on ones situation.

if one is down and out- it can be very hard to get a household going.

yet- once you have one together- the perils you find in most metros are not as severe here.

I of course- am "still" working on my first million. lol

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