<prompt> Human: I gross 34,500 per year, with no foreseeable increase in salary or job prospects. I work for a small 20 people firm, basically as a glorified receptionistclerk. Since the firm is so small, theres no potential for advancement through the ranks. My undergrad degree is in the humanities, so no real job prospects there. No grad degree or additional certificateslicenses. Im debt free, which is about the only good thing I have going for me.My monthly expenses are about 50 of my income. Youd think that with 50 of my income available for saving, Id be in a good position to save a down payment for a home, sink a lot into retirement, etc. But because my salary is so low, 50 of income isnt actually all that much. It would take me forever to save a down payment for a home, and even then the monthly payments would likely be too high, leaving little to nothing for retirement.Should I even bother? Im thinking that since I can live on half of my income, once I reach some short term savings goals that are actually achievable new car and an emergency fund of roughly 10K, from now on Ill just give the rest of my money away each month. There are plenty of charities, etc. that I wouldnt mind contributing to.  <response>: Youre not in a position to be consistently donating to charities. So you might as well put that money towards an IRA which has a limit of 5500 every year anyhow. 