Our expenses in 2013 were under $20K per year, including vacations, but I was working for an airline until last October and we would travel on the very cheap, like under $500 for a week in Hong Kong or Istambul.
Our typical monthly budget for 2014 is higher because I must commute by plane to Yellowknife where I now work. While my commute adds about $6,000 per year, I tripled my salary. While in Yellowknife, I house-sit most of the time for free (which usually includes finishing whatever is left in the fridge) or stay with friends. I am also using my bike to commute and to run most errands whether I am in Yellowknife or Calgary. Also, we now rarely use our car, which sits in the garage 3 weeks out of 5 (my wife prefers to use public transit), and being new, requires little maintenance except a couple of oil changes a year. Our condo is paid for, so this is our real annual budget.
Food and restaurant: $600 (a bit high, but this includes a teenage daughter, and an adult son camping in our living room, hopefully temporarily)
Condo Fees: $380
Power: $50
Internet: $25
Phone: $105
I hate this but we are stuck with needing a land line for the condo, $35, just to buzz people in, and I have 6 months left on my cell phone plan, $70, after which I will ditch the cell phone
Condo Insurance: $10
Car (Gas and Maintenance): $40
Car Insurance: $100
Buss Pass: $100
Clothing (wife owns a clothing consignment store): $0
Miscellaneous (art shows, etc.): $50
Airfare (commute to work): $500
Total: $1960
We still plan to take at least a few weeks off this year to go to either Japan where my wife is from, or Spain/France/Italy where my relatives are, but I plan to use Aeroplan points (thanks to another thread, I just made over 60,000 points by signing up for 4 credit cards in the past two months), so airfare would be under $500 for both, and hotel/food under $1,000 or much less if we do some couchsurfing or stay with friends and relatives. Total cost for our annual vacation will be under $1,500.