24k after tax is horrible. I’m 23, live on my own in a 1 bed apt - make $17.15 an hour and still made $36k this past year according to my W2 which I have no idea how. Doesn’t make sense. I work a lot of overtime. My bills are $1200-1400 a month and I don’t have car insurance. I make more than 2k after taxes a month working a basic job. I love my job but if I had no family- I would have nothing to eat.

Don’t be like me. Save for bills. Don’t settle. The highlight of my year will be a vacation I would have almost saved 18 months for. Just cause you don’t have rent right now, don’t be comfortable in that salary. If you have no kids-you have no social safety help. And yes, I have degree but my job doesn’t require anything. So especially if you have a certain skill set, 24k is not good enough.