I currently earn around GBP460 per month (Yeah... no typo... 460)
This is my first job as a programmer, so I'm coming in from the "I'll work for nearly nothing if you discard the lack of a degree for long enough to see how good I really am" perspective, though I have it written in to my contract that I get a wage increase of GBP0.60 for every 2 months I'm employed there for the first year, then if they still want me, they hire me for the same they pay their other employees who hold degrees.
460 is really low, I am broke all the time, I refuse to take government hand outs on principle (I am a very proud person) and my girlfriend doesn't work.
I came from a poor family, I wasn't expected to even attend high school, let alone graduate from it. The way I look at it this this, in a few years time, I could be very well off, or I could not be. There is really no middle ground for me, I will fight tooth and nail to succeed in this industry.
Add to this the news that my girlfriend is pregnant (I literally just found this out about 2 hours ago, clearblue pregnancy test which cost about 1/20th of my monthly wage decided to drop that bomb on me!) and you can see that my situation is pretty dire.
I would love to move on to another job some time soon, hopefully higher paying or in a nicer area, but this is unlikely to happen until I have some serious experience behind me.
All in all, I want around GBP800 per month, to be comfortable, but a realistic amount to start next year is probably more like GBP600.
Truth be told though, I'm still in shock (I'm only 19, wasn't really expecting this) and really worried about my financial future.
I live in Lancashire, England and I support myself and my girlfriend. Also, to digress slightly, I like the name Oliver John. Oliver John Armstrong - that's worth every penny I'll ever own.
Edit: Rewrote that god awful post.