Questions: Society & Politics

At what point can you breathe and not feel afraid about whether you can cover bills for the month on time and make it to the next month?

Let's use USD for the poll, you can post the local amount and reasoning in the comments though. I know the numbers are going to be very different based on what part of the U. S. and world as well.

I started feeling comfortable when our income hit about $55,000 around 10 years ago. That was the point where I was no longer sweating while waiting desperately for the next paycheck to arrive to pay for things. Finally, we could breathe a bit easier. That amount allowed us to pay bills (including two mortgages) and have a bit left over each month to pay down debt.

Now, the amount would be higher. We've experienced a bit of lifestyle creep, two massive teenagers who eat way more, some inflation, and more mortgages. Let me run the math... We would need about $80,000 to hit that same level of ease today.