"Can you afford the basics? What are the basics, anyway? According to a recent article in USA Today, it takes about $150,000 a year in order to cover the basics, set aside money in savings, and enjoy a few extras. If you make less than $150,000 a year, the implication is that you are going to be just scraping by. The results come from a WSL/Strategic Retail survey that looked at shopping habits in America, and found that those with incomes of between $100,000 and $150,000 a year were experience higher rates of financial struggle. I found this interesting, since it comes less than two years after a study pinpointed $75,000 a year as the ideal salary for happiness. Photo via Wikimedia CommonsAll of this begs the question: Do you really need that much money to live comfortably?" - Shevonne from Bookmarklet