How much is enough money?

How much money would you consider "just enough to cover reasonable living expenses"?Here are a few thoughts for you:There will always be someone else richer. Millionaires envy billionaires.Directors envy producers.You will never be on the top of the heap, so it is more productive to just focus on your career and on your family and not get too caught up in the rat race.Is it became easy to conflate someone else's perceived wealth with the fact that they just blew  every penny they had.

In other words, they might be dropping every dime into the house and the car to give the outward appearance of wealth and prosperity when in fact they are leveraged to the teeth and their personal finances are like a house of cards; ready to fall over with the slightest of disturbances.

For example,  a receptionist/admin who made $40,000/year. That didn't stop her/him from buying an Audi A4. Sure, not the most expensive of cars.

My point is that many people work their ass off only to go on to portray a sense of prosperity/wealth that is greater than their actual wealth. Don't fall into that trap. That's how you end up shallow, broke, and unhappy.

Nice cars = more money spent on gas + more money spent on insurance + more money spent on maintenance + more money spent on major repairs. Objectively, does that make any damn sense to you? Is anyone who matters in your life going to remember you for the car you drive? Only the people who shouldn't matter will remember you for that.

Big homes = big headaches. But a big house brings nothing but headaches and when you get older you just can't take care of it anymore. You just want to simplify things. When you grow up have a simple home with a nice yard. That's all you need." That's stuck with me.

I think it is admirable that you want to give your kids a safe place to grow up and access to good schools. But so much of your kids safety and education comes down to the environment you provide them in your own home. The best private school in the best neighborhood doesn't ensure prosperity.

I live in Autralia now and can say I love this place for many reasons including several of the top public and private elementary and high schools in the country, a thriving work environment ripe with opportunity, excellent weather, a general focus on simplicity and sustainability when it comes to living your life, tremendous access to outdoor activities, and a lack of flash/material wealth. There are over 100 billionaires living in the bay area. I've actually been lucky enough to work with a few of them. If you looked at how they dressed, the cars they drove, and the homes they lived in you would think they are your typical middle class person. I love that about this country.

The way we see it, wealth is simply having more than you need, and poverty is having less. Many folks with little money and few possessions are far wealthier than high-earners who are in hock up to their eyeballs.

Cultivate a simple attitude. You and your family don't have to live like monks We can get comfortably (indeed happily) with less and less, and still set aside a few bucks for "sunny days" (or rain). Although we may never be rich, we're financially free. You can be too!

Saving is better than earning. Every $1,000 you don't spend -- be it on a fancy car or jewelry, fast food or greeting cards -- means more than $1,400 that you won't have to earn. That's because no income tax is due on money you don't spend.

Price check on everything! It's worth the time to comparison shop.  check around for the best price.

Second-hand is often first-rate, and always our first choice ... for cars, appliances, clothes ... you name it. We get great stuff at terrific prices. If you always buy new, you won't believe how much money you can save by letting someone else break in the jeans.

Free is the best price of all. I rarely turn down a usable item that's offered to me gratis, or that I can barter for or scavenge.

It always pays to ask: "Can you do better on the price?" "Is there a less expensive way to do this?" Sometimes there isn't, but often I get a great bargain or invaluable information. There's nothing to lose. After all, not asking is an automatic "No!" If you're nice about it, the worst you'll get is "Sorry, !"

Do what's truly important to you. There are 24 hours a day, 168 hours in a week, 52 weeks in a year, and an unknown number of years in a lifetime. Do you really want to spend your allotted time scraping for gold?

Even though we work long hours, being our own bosses allows us all the time we choose for doing what we love best -- being with family and friends, gardening, taking our canoe out into the marsh, walking a desolate beach.

"I'd rather do it myself!" can be a very profitable attitude, . For example, how'd you like to save $10,000 or so by selling your house without a broker ... in 5 days?!

I've saved us a fortune by figuring out how to repair most of the mechanical and electronic gizmos that we've acquired, even while living the simple life. Broken cars, computers, washers, TVs, VCRs, fax machines, furniture ... they've all been my patients.

More often than not, I can come up with enough spit and glue to get our woeful widgets working. If not, I can still take them in to be serviced. Each time I try, I learn a bit more, and feel better about myself.

Do-it-yourselfers end up with more money to bank. Give it a try!

Get advice and give consent. Don't take it for granted that the "experts" know everything.  Sure, we ask for advice, read what we can, get second and third opinions ... but then we make our own decisions.

The following examples are after tax:

$550 (American in Spain)

$1,100 (Cambridge, UK, no kids, no mortgage)

$1,000 (California, no mortgage, no kids)

$1,400- $1,700 (rural, homeowner)

$1,825 (SF)

$2,250 (Boston, 2 people, homeowner)

$2,900 (New York City)

$3,450 (Hermosa Beach, CA)

$4,600 - $6,000 (SF/NY)

$5,000 - $7,500 (California)

$7,000 (Family in Australia) Before tax or after tax?

$8,900 (Single software engineer, male)

$12,000 (Single female, 28, SF)