<prompt> Human: I had a job interview with a small political fundraising firm in the DMV area it was over the phone. It was really a mess because I had been stuck in traffic so by the time the hiring manager called me, I was still in my uber and my interview was spent getting out the car and going in my place etc. Eventually I stabilized but during the interview, I was asked about my salary expectations and I was so frazzled and all over the place, I said 40k-45k instead of 60k-55k. Now Ive gone through all rounds of interviewing and am potentially going to receive an offer by the end of the year but if they offer me something in the range that I said I expected, how can I counter it since I already told them that I only needed x amount when in reality due to cost of living expenses in this area and student loans, I need y amount? Im really conflicted because I dont want to seem like I initially lied just to get in the door but I also need at minimum 50k to survive.TLDR: said the wrong figure when asked over the phone during interview and now want to now how to negotiate when a real offer comes on the table so that I dont look duplicitous.  <response>: You can say something like Yes, I was thinking 45k, but after having learned more about the job and my responsibilities and talking to members of the team, I think 55k would be more than fair. Then, you can come down to 50k if you need to.Talking about your cost of living or debt is not going to do anything for you. I would focus on how much value you will be bringing from Day One and how youre excited to get started right away as soon as you work out these details. 