It mostly has to do with the cost of living. Also, some people just don't know how to live within their means. Those would be the two big factors.

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~Vicki~
Mama to Hailey, 4 and Ella, 2

someone feel free to remove this reply, i'm only posting it to be able to see page 5, since every time I click on "last page" it sends me to page 4.

it really comes down to where in the country you live. i also live in new jersey, and it is very costly here. we live on about 55,000yr and are just getting by. i don't lead an extraggant lifestyle by any means. home prices start at 390.000 just for a fixer-upper. we are lucky because we purchased our home 8yrs ago before the housing market went crazy.insurance is very costly here, everything is!

We live on $70k but we are only comfortable. Meaning if I want steak tonight, I can buy it but I cannot buy a new car until DH'S truck is paid off. Or if I see a shirt I want I can get it, but we had to put DH's new Howard Miller grandfather clock on a credit card and pay it off in a couple of months.We live in a fairly expensive area of NY and most of our money is going to fixing up our house then we will be doing alot better. We could certainly live off less ( and have done so) but we want certain things in life like a nice house so we spend alot now to enjoy it later.