Hello, fellow non-STEMer. Masters in English (American literature) reporting for duty.
I earned ~$22,000/year as an adjunct instructor when I lived in America, and it was depressing. In 2010, I spent 104% of my income (pre-adjuncting as a graduate teaching assistant at $10,000/year without tuition assistance--thanks, student loans!). In 2011, I spent 77% of my income for a whopping savings of $5,239.98.
Sure, I absolutely could have spent less than I did had I been equipped with my current knowledge and confidence in the kitchen. (I wasted a lot of money on take-out and frozen meals.) But even with my low income, I made decent headway on paying back student loans immediately after getting my MA and saved enough to get the hell out of there. I wasn't happy. But the unhappiness wasn't exactly because I wasn't earning much--it was because I wasn't earning much AND I was working my ass off.
So I moved to Korea. In 2012, the year I moved to Korea, I spent almost 95% of my income. Ouch! A big part of that was my very unmustachian use of a pet re-locator service to get my cat here (worth it, but would still do it differently if I could have another go) and paying off my student loans.
Now I make ~$26,000/year base (plus more for summer camps, winter camps, and private lessons I might pick up). No rent. No car or car-related expenses. Cheap health insurance and medical care. My income went up and my expenses went way down. I'm also not working my ass off, with a mere 17 hours of work a week (this semester, anyway--hopefully I'll get more classes next semester for even more money!). In 2013, I spent less than 25% of my income--approximately $8,000.
I guess I'm just sharing all of this information to remind you that you have choices. You aren't stuck with your current level of income or cost of living. I'm not saying you should move to Korea (although it's GREAT here!), but, you know, maybe something/where else.