[Sylvanfan]

First of all....you're getting jipped if you're paying that type of tax on those earnings. But still if you're smart with your money theres still enough to get some set aside. But you're conditioning yourself to live on a budget and as your income grows it will pay dividends down the road. IMO I made like 27,000 my first working year out of school and living on my own and it made me learn how to budget and work with a small amount of money. When my income did go up I didn't need to change my living style that much and was able to increase my ability to save substantially. I doubt I would have been able to do that if I didn't have to slug it through a tough first couple of years.