I find the fact that you are "not living paycheck to paycheck. But barely..." on 96k a year laughable. My wife and I live 60K a year (pre-tax)and are doing just fine. We have two vehicles, give generously to charity (10-15%, have date nights once a week, and are contributing to our retirement funds. Something is wrong with your spending. Instead of being so defensive, why don't you realistically look at your monthly spending and ask what you could cut. Account for every dollar. Every dollar. And you will be amazed at how you spend. It's not that there are big items, it's the little nickel and dime purchases that rack up. Shore up the little pleasures (like buying Starbucks every day) and you will find yourself flush with cash. The question is, are you willing to change your lifestyle in order to have more income in your bank account. Once you change your spending habits, it will be easy to live on 96K a year!