Your numbers mean literally nothing to me. What do your expenses cost per month? Children? Food? Housing? Student loans? Car payment? What is your income tax rate? Sales tax rate? Insurance? Phone? Internet?
Expenses: $1500
Children: none yet, but subsidized child care, paternity leave and other subsidies makes it pretty cheap
Food: $500
Housing: $400 (own apartment with my SO)
Student loans: $150
Car payment: no car, bike most places
Income tax rate: 32%, but employer pays another 30%, so effectively 62%
Sales tax: 25%
Insurace: $15
Phone: $15 (cheapest possible plan)
Internet: included in housing
Note: I also lived in the US before, with simliar savings rate, which was even easier.
My housing is 3 times your housing budget.
My student loans are $200/month.
My car payment is 300/month.
Income tax rate 9%.
Sales tax: 0
Medical insurance: $8000/year
Auto (and other) insurance: 1200/year
What I do have an issue with is "if you can't save x amount per month, you're living beyond your means". It's not that black and white. My trust fund question was legitimate. I also think that if you have a support system behind you (i.e. parents you could ultimately live with if you couldn't find work), it makes taking a year off with very little income, much more likely....as does, having a trust fund backing you up.
I recommend reading this: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-...
I pay for health insurance out of my own pocket, which is over 8000/year.