Aggressive MMM savings strategies aside, $52k isn&#x27;t a ton of money... Your profile says you are in Kansas City, so lets run some numbers really quick...<p>$52k means take-home (after tax) is about $38.5k.<p>This site [1] says monthly rent is about $1.4k plus $150 in utilities. One car payment on modest transportation will be about $200&#x2F;month and insurance and gas might cost $200 more.<p>We&#x27;re up to about $2k&#x2F;month in expenses for what is a relatively normal cost structure. That monthly take-home on $38.5k annually? $3.2k.<p>We&#x27;re down to $1.2k remaining cash each month and haven&#x27;t considered heathcare, food, student loans, retirement, savings. And there aren&#x27;t any kids in this equation yet, which causes another pile of problems if we assume the 1.8&#x2F;family rate from the CIA Factbook.<p>These are just ball-park, but then, so is that household income. It is <i>very</i> easy to eat up income without living an extravagant lifestyle full of smartphones, laptops, and luxury vehicles.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.expatistan.com&#x2F;cost-of-living&#x2F;kansas-city" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.expatistan.com&#x2F;cost-of-living&#x2F;kansas-city</a>