That’s decent money in NJ. Like others have said, so you got to be smart about your spending. Buy a used car, don’t go out for all your meals, don’t buy stuff you aren’t really going use/don’t need.

Your coworkers are complaining about money because NJ is an expensive state, and they’re likely like the majority of consumers in our country, and buy stuff all the time kinda just for the sake of it. I’m guilty at times too. Just control your spending and keep a budget and you should be fine.

Make sure you start investing though. That’s the smartest thing you could do. Start low, so you don’t overwhelm yourself, and then see how your bank account looks after a couple months. You could always increase your contributions if you can afford to do so.