re: Perfect Annual Salary?

Purely hypothetical example of a $100k single earner in his late 20s:

$100k
-20k federal
-4.5k state
-6k social security
-1.5k medicare
-1.5k hdhp
-1k disability
-17.5k 401k
-5.5k roth ira
-3.25k hsa
= $39.25k =  $3,270 per month

$3,270
-405 electricity/water/sewage/trash/natty gas/cell phone/internet
-890 car/insurance/gasoline (a not completely shitty 30k car)
-200 consumer debt
-1300 house/insurance/taxes (a not completely shitty 160k house or a not completely shitty apartment)
= $880 = $220 per week

$220
-50 groceries
-75 going out (maybe 2x)
-25 household goods
= $70 per week = $3,640 per year

$3,640
-home repairs & maintenance
-car repairs &maintenance
-lawncare/furnishings/appliances (frick you $800 a pop appliances)
-life insurance
-golf/fishing/hunting
-entertainment/movies/books/netflix/siriusxm/itunes
-replace tv/computer/phone/ipad
-clothing/dry cleaning/gym/haircuts
-charity/gifts/vacations
-etc.

It's not a struggle by any means, but it's not the magic number that our psyche has led us to believe, and it's certainly not the perfect salary because tradeoffs still exist attempting a basic middle class lifestyle.

The hypothetical person in the example probably knows he is fortunate and is appreciative, but due to cognitive biases, he can't shake what Biggie said: mo' money mo' problems. Being poor, you have nothing to lose. Being rich, you can afford to lose. Being in the middle, you're always getting fricked and about to lose it all.