How much money a year do you need to live?

[CapnAwesome]

Every once in a while on these forums the discussion of how it's impossible to live off of (fill in the blank) amount of money is somehow brought up, normally in a political context. The amount of money is almost invariably far more than I make in a year. What you really need to live a basic existence is way way less than most people in the first world think. My guess is that most people have never found out how easy it is to go without some of the things that they think are necessary and live a life devoid of material possessions. People will repeat the mantra that money doesn't buy happiness and then spend their whole lives trying to fill a void in their life with material nonsense.

I'm just curious as to how much money people think is necessary to live a basic existence in the United States (or wherever you are from)?