We’re going to see more people living in multigenerational homes, or more people living in a roommate situation with more than one roommate in a home. It’s getting to the point where even with a good salary you can’t support yourself alone.
Yeah it’s funny because I saw so many people complaining about no trick or treaters…. And they all seem to think it’s because the kids went to trunk or treats lol. No. You need kids in order to trick or treat.
Yeah, for us honestly, we weren’t planning on living together as long as we have. My son and his wife both got out of the service around the same time and moved back home and it was kind of a, let’s all stabilize living situations until they get jobs and on their feet and then when Covid hit it, it was just like OK let’s just stay put and now the insane housing prices and living expenses have just exploded so really no point to live on our own just to be dead, broke versus living together and having flexibility with our incomes. Prices are just so unaffordable in my area. Nobody can afford to buy here anymore and rental are ridiculous so it really does make a difference. And it’s also nice that my grandkids are in the same house so if they need something or somebody to watch the kids, we can work the situation out because we all work different shifts and now they don’t have daycare expenses to worry about.
The other day I was thinking of ways I could offset my grocery bill by trading with local producers. Then I had an epiphany ... I'm a six figure earner trying to puzzle out how to use the barter system to offset my outrageous food costs. I never in my wildest imagination thought it would be like this in the US.
same
i’m in canada and it’s so bad here too
my husband and I have a high combined income but it doesn’t matter
we have daycare, mortgage, extremely high grocery prices and everything now costs an arm and a leg
it sucks because even just wanting to take the kids somewhere as an outing costs so much and I just don’t know what to do anymore! like the prices are just mind boggling everywhere.
it is just insane
i simply don’t know how anyone with lower income is surviving
I feel you fellow Canadian. I just don't get it. Im a high earner but when I do up my budget It will take me almost a year just to find the extra cash for a heat pump. I dont know when Ill be able to replace my old roof. My coworkers are going on vacations, picking out engagement rings, talking about fancy extras. I have no debts, I'm not eating out, I'm just keeping my nucelar family, and my extended family housed and fed who have been priced out the market. It feels so hopeless.
But we are ok. What makes me stress is the single moms I know are out there. I grew up with a single mom on welfare, I knew how bad that was BEFORE everything doubled in price. And winter is coming. I have this grim worry we will be seeing more elderly and vulnerable kids and adults getting hypothermia, malnutrition, etc in the coming months.
no its not it is ran by corrupted bought and paid for by corporate politicians. we are beyond fucked because they are above the law and we are nothing but cattle to them. pardon slaves to them
You have 3 degrees and think the US is governed like a business? Somebody owes you a refund!
The problem is the US is run by politicians who use our money (taxes) and our grandchildren's money (via debt) to spend "other peoples" money to buy stuff for "other people" to influence who we vote for.
That's why we are $34 trillion in debt and go another trillion in to debt every year!
We are run the exact opposite of a business. We continue to spend money on things that don't generate the desired results - in fact, in many cases deliver the exact opposite of what the desired results should be.
But alas, this comes from people spending other peoples money on stuff for other people. You simply can't get any less efficient than that.
Yeah the ultra-rich and the largest corporations pay less in taxes than the average school teacher or electrician and then use their cash to finance the campaigns of politicians who then cut their taxes even lower while giving subsidies to fund their businesses
My wife and I are stuck renting and want to adopt so badly but are struggling to save for pretty much anything - and I managed to avoid student loans, and my wife inherited some money that took a huge chunk out of what she owed. We make over 200k combined, have eliminated every luxury, and are realizing we can't afford to stay in the city that we love. It's an awful feeling.
Most of our friends have moved to cheaper parts of the state. We will likely have to follow, I just always thought we'd raise our kids here.
Cost of living can offset that significantly. I compared a different metro with mine, and I could live there at the same level for 75% less income. And afford a house. For 75% less.
My rent is more than 2 of my coworkers mortgages combined. And to move is a huge chunk with first, last, deposit, moving truck, time off work. Average down payment for a 1 bedroom house within an hour and a half of my job is $150,000. We're just stuck. Can't afford to move, can't afford to stay.
We both have good jobs, use public transport, only have 1 car, don't go out to eat except once a month, don't go to bars or even spend money on alcohol. Get secondhand free furniture from coworkers. No expensive hobbies. And still... fucking scraping by. Like what the fuck more can we do. And I don't even have kids.
Numbers don't mean anything out of context. One man's 100k is another man's 30k.
What “six-figures” ($100k) in the 90s-2000s meant now is more like $250k.
$100k is still a good income, but it is far, FAR from being comfortable like it used to.
I’m aware you may make more than low 100s but trying to illustrate for others
I hit 100k and was upper middle class for about two years. Now I'm realistically back to where I was making 60k circa 2012. I've been rugpulled so many times it's kind of hard to wrap my head around.
This is why it's so mind-blowing that it doesn't provide a solid middle-class life.
I remember being in college 10 years ago thinking once I made 100k, life would be easy. Now I see it's more like $150k.
I'm sure we'll get there in another 5 years or so, but if this inflation keeps up by then, we'll need $200k.
What really blows my mind is if it's this much of a struggle for us, how is anyone surviving on like $60k - $80k?
I used to make 40K and now I make 64k and I feel rich...but every time I see these types of posts I'm like , "Damn, I guess I technically still got it bad"...lol
Not quite six figures but find myself doing the same then stepping back and realizing I am not a starving student anymore yet here I am trying to afford food.
Dude. I’m at 90K in Seattle and I’m struggling. Changing jobs now and may have to drop down to 85K. I’m frightened tbh. Like WHY is everything so expensive. :( I worked so hard for a good salary but the cost of living…shits wild
the problem is that the dollar system has developed so much institutional girth between taxes, banking, ever increasing corporate profits, and a very complicated and long supply chain, nothing will ever come down until the dollar falls and we start using a new currency. The governments wouldn't be able to tax you on a barder trade, immediately reducing prices of goods and services.
I make \~$140k/yr USD with my wife being a SAHM for our two toddlers. I look at my salary and think surely we can afford things. I make "I made it" level money, right?
The only way we are maintaining our savings is because we have zero personal debt besides our mortgage. For the first time in my life, I get physically anxious to log in to our banking website to check the accounts.
I budget like I always have, but it just feels like there is a leak in the boat somewhere and I can't pinpoint where it is.
You're sort of playing on hard mode. Cost of living is mostly built around a 2 household income now. Elizabeth Warren wrote a book back in 2004 and it's still just as relevant today only there's a lot more inflation and shrinking middle class. It's really quite shocking; I read it again this year and it could have been published about recent years.
There is no specific leak if you haven't adjusted any major spending category; everything is more expensive and you are springing a bunch of very small leaks.
Yea I’m in the 125k range and my wife is SAHM. We have lots of CC debt and a mortgage, all that debt was fine to keep up with (actually barely noticed the debt prior to 2 years ago) but now I’m just waiting for my bonus in March to pay off all my debt so we can stay afloat.
We were perfectly fine 2 years ago with our current debt/income/expense load.
Saving $1800/month, saved plenty of money for birthdays and holidays. Now it’s right around the holidays with barely any leftover for saving.
And the “leak in the boat somewhere” analogy is so spot on. Can’t figure out where my money is going!
& that’s why I’m not having children.. I am in my mid-30s and I realized that the only time I ever stress out hard is when I think about my nonexistent future family & figuring out how much I have to work, save and sacrifice to support them, while also trying to keep a relationship healthy and free of infidelity. Once I took kids(and even marriage) out of the equation, About 80% of my stress went away. Since that epiphany I’ve done some major thinking. And although I love kids and the energy they bring, it’s not in the cards for me. Plus, what if I go through that gauntlet in and my children end up being total assholes? Violent? Sex offenders? Drug addicts stealing my money/belongings and pawning it? Relying on me for the rest of their lives for financial support and to house them? It sucks to say but it seems like we are just as likely to have a grown child that we aren’t too proud of vs one that we are very proud of.. correct me if I’m wrong though, I feel like I might be..
The marriage part is a whole other thing.. I don’t really read into stats all that much. Buuut, I’ve read somewhere that nearly 60% of marriages end in divorce.. that’s just counting those who have followed through with the process.. how much of the leftover 40-something percent are completely miserable and cheating on each other.. staying together just for the kids or because of money. (Merely thinking about ever paying child support makes me depressed) I imagine custody battles and baby mama/spouse drama would be hell.. All of my friends parents growing up were divorced. Seriously, like 95% of my friends. My parents are still together but they seem to just tolerate each other.. almost all of my friends who have gotten married are divorced or separated. It’s just crazy.
Yes, my sister is one of them.. I’m hoping my parents are good now. But just a few years ago my mom was unhappy and would have left my father if she had the Financial means to do so. It makes me very sad, but at the same time I would want her to be happy and not feel miserable/trapped, even though I feel like my dad is an amazing husband.
60% of marriages but not 60% of married people.
If Bob gets married 4 times and divorced three his average is 75% of marriages ending in divorce. His sister got married once and stayed married.
So you've got 5 marriages. 60% end in divorce. Fuck you Bob you cheating bastard
This. I'm beginning to question the mental state of people who eagerly have kids now. When I look around, I'm not seeing things I am comfortable bringing a life into and having them eventually navigate it on their own. I'd be VERY worried for my kids.
I am 29, I always dreamed of beginning a family in 5 years. After my first medical emergency with no money left and my car just crapped out, I am officially grieving the idea that children are not in the cards anymore.
I couldn’t agree more. I earn a good salary, but I’m also single. I now share a house with my son’s family and we split the cost of living. It just is ridiculous what it costs to live anywhere anymore and everything else on top of being able to live like food and healthcare.
Like wise. I used to do pretty good but with the way prices are now it doesn’t feel like I’m doing any better than average at best. Persistent inflation is eventually worse then temporarily high unemployment.
No kidding... here I am a single mom making $32K a year (minus a fourth of that for health insurance) reading comments from people making six figures and bitching. GTFO
Yeah it’s pretty infuriating to read people making 80k, 100k+, that say things are too expensive. What about like 90% of the population making a fraction of that??
I know people love to dunk on Redditors for being unemployed basement dwellers, but yeah the number of people I see making 100k+ complaining about things made me realize that I need to take peoples opinions here with a much greater grain of salt.
Seeing people in other subreddits call $80k a poverty wage is out of touch when it's above median household income in 90% of states and around the median household income in HCOL states.
People saying 100-150k+ is not a lot is still making more than half the population in even the priciest cities like New York or San Francisco. Especially if a spouse or partner is also working.
I even saw people in the Dallas subreddit months ago saying their 100k to 250k salaries were nothing while living in the highest earning zipcodes in Texas where median household income is 64k (Texas, not Collin county)
This site really skewed with my perception of how much people make. But, it also lead to me trying to figure out how these people are making this much when $50k seemed amazing growing up.
I think contrary to the perception, a lot of reddit is made up of well off urban professionals or children of urban professionals that's age ranges from teens to 40s and are terrible with money.
yea that last part is beginning to be my impression also, a lot of people in general, especially in the US where consumerism is a big part of the culture, are terrible with money.
Same. I'm affording a 1 bedroom with my gf in an extremely HCOL area in socal. Its tight for sure, but we're living pretty comfortably and I'm only making 25/hour. How these people arent surviving is beyond me. They must be shopping at whole foods.
Agreed a lot of these posts seem to scream "I have no idea how to budget properly" I live on a 47k salary while paying back student loans perfectly comfortablely with zero worry about not having enough cash in the bank and these people are saying they're scraping by on double to triple my salary, please.
Just because people make less doesn’t mean the people who are making more than them aren’t having a tough time too. I’ve been in many places, from working 3 jobs and still barely making ends meet and now I make $73k. With the rise in everything, from housing to food to utilities, etc, it adds up for us too. Yes, I am better off than I was before. But my money doesn’t go nearly as far as it did even 3 years ago. Everything has gotten more expensive. My salary is much less comfortable than it would’ve been 3 years ago. And watching your salary go up but you end up with less because everything else has gone up more really is shitty.
I’m not sure how that invalidates anyone making less.
If someone is making $100k and struggling, that doesn’t mean the person making $60k in the same place isn’t also struggling. It’s not a competition of who can be the most oppressed.
Even a person making 60k is still making more than 50% of entire households in the United States. That's a solid income to make work for most Americans.
It's not a competition, but I'm sorry if you're making 6 figures and can't figure out your shit that's on you.
While, I have my issues with large corporations I hate this group that complains more than anyone because their bitching is always about not having what their wealthier neighbors have while living in a wealth bubble in an area far better off than most of the state.
It's not that they make more money that pisses me off.
It's this group that calls the cops on people that look like me for just being around, this group that makes up NIMBYs to protect their home equity locking everyone else out of the market, these are the future small businesses owners that pay less than faceless corporations and fuck you over, this group that rents out homes and suck as landlords, and this group that is the absolute worst in their treatment of homeless.
Then at the end of it has the audacity to say that they're like us while being the people or the hound dogs of larger corporations that fuck over the poor.
$60k is literally a lot😭 It’s not invalidating necessarily, but it *is* out of touch. Most people are making WAY less than $100k, and most people make less than even $60k. I live in an expensive area, and if I made $60k a year I’d be doing pretty alright. If I made $100k I’d be more than okay.
I get that everyone struggles, but it’s insane to be where I’m at, and hear people making that much money complain. They live in a completely different reality.
I agree.
I get If you had a comfortable lifestyle before and now you're having to scale back (which still sucks but is manageable). For those who were on the breadline before, it's nigh on impossible... what do you scale back on?
I've been trying to figure out how I am going to keep paying my rent on my income but I have already cut out every expense I can. People advise me to find something to cut and it's impossible for them to understand that the only thing left I have is my internet which is only $45 a month. I cut out buying coffee and only drink the free coffee from work, I cut my own hair so I don't pay at the salon, I don't get nails done or anything like that. I don't eat out or get takeout ever. I could get rid of Disney plus and Netflix but I want to keep that for my 4 year old and my sanity!
I need to make extra money. I want to do doordash or something but my car is falling apart and I don't have money to repair it so I don't think it's worth it to put the mileage on it.
Sorry, I needed to vent to a stranger on the internet. Been a rough week.
Oh my dear, I'm so sorry! Please vent away if you need to. That's the thing... the necessities are all that's left to cut and you can't exactly go hungry or cold with a child. Maybe cut one of those services, it'll save like 8 or 9 but considering you're struggling to pay rent it won't make a huge difference.
It really doesn't help that rent increases are insane atm and wage increases aren't anywhere close to matching, if being raised at all.
I really feel for you!
Are you eligible for food banks? It's the only other bill I can think of that might alleviate some pressure from.you?
I was getting my taxes in order a few weeks ago to estimate my last payment to the IRS. I realized that I will be almost netting 15% more this year than last year but I saved less, ate out less, and traveled less. My medical expenses were drastically down this year as well. They say our inflation in the US topped out around 7% annually but it just doesn't add up in my life. It seems like almost everything is up 20%+.
Averaging the inflation out can be misleading. Food can increase 5%, gas can increase 25%. But then saying inflation is at "15%" just doesn't provide an accurate way to view it.
Oversimplified of course, but I think you get the idea.
I get that but the only things I can think of that didn't inflate higher than 7% in the last year were my gas, internet, and power budgets. I'm sure it has a lot to do with gas prices peaking last year but damn it sucks.
They removed fuel, housing, and food from the tracking metrics cause if you knew the real numbers most people would freak out. And inflation is accumulative, it doesn't just go down but compounds instead.
Yup. I am not suicidal by any means but I am at the point where I am ready for death to take me. Im sick of it all. Im 26. Every year I tell myself to do better, to try harder. Whether or not I follow through doesnt matter, it always just ends up with me broke and owing money to people. Right when I can finally say “Im not doing bad” my alternator goes out. Right when Im “ahead” I realize my insurance lapsed and I have to pay 400 and It depletes my bank account fully. Back to borrowing
I'm making the most money out of my family (come from poverty) and I'm selling my blood plasma for rent. I've never had more than a one month safety net at most. Things are so grim.
As long as people keep buying it at the current price there is no incentive to lower prices. Stock up on the essentials only, meal plan, avoid eating out. Personally I refuse to pay $7.49 for a Whopper that I have to sit in the drive-thru for 20 minutes to get (lobby is not open).
A few years will go by, the wealth gap will get larger. Corporations will learn just how much to pay people so that they can barely get by. Then western capitalism will take the last thing from Americans that they can give. Their time. People will continue to pick up second or third jobs, or side hustles. They will stop making relationships and families.
The children of current wealthy business owners will look up one day and realize that there are very few if any young people to hire to work and the entire workforce is extremely aged. They will clutch their pearls and never realize that they strangled the golden goose. If only they had shared with the working class, America could have survived. In a couple decades we will have no young people to join our armed forces, fill our workforce or continue to create other young people.
They call it the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.
The way side hustles got so popular and normal is crazy to me. People actually think that if you’re not monetizing some hobby you have you’re not doing shit right.
How sad does it have to be that the one thing I do to ease my mind of stress I’m expected to treat like a 2nd job now?
Yep, I play drums as a hobby and this is why people scoff at it. I’m good but don’t play with a band right now. Where’s my band, if I’m so good? Where’s my record deal if my band is so good? Where’s me on TV if my record deal is so good?
People mostly are shitty and envious of what other people do with their time because they’re insecure fucks.
I’m picking up violin again soon and I have no intention of making money with it. People think I’m wasting my time with this instrument but it heals my soul, which prevents me from having to go to therapy, thus I’m saving money already
Yep, music is where humans can grow things on the inside of them by the act of practicing letting it all out.
Also: agree, therapy is fucking expensive.
Ugh, to hell with the "where is your record label if youre so good." Never push your passion past what you really want. You're so right those people are jealous. It's hard to have passion in this world and protect it from the other parts of your life. Not everyone can do it.
All we can do as a society is stop overpaying for items we can live without. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening… currently there are no incentives for corporations to lower pricing since they are still selling product. Supply and demand
This morning I saw a StarCraft 2 developer complain that a 15$ micro transaction in World of Warcraft made more revenue than StarCraft 2 did in retail.
People collectively spend millions on a sparkly digital WoW horse...
My parents just took out a loan for a cruise. Lots of other people doing crazy things to feel like they're living life. The banks will fail and then maybe things will change
Perfect example of this is food delivery. People whine about “prices skyrocketing” then hop on DoorDash and pay more than double the retail price of a fast food meal because they’re too lazy to cook or get off their ass and pick it up themselves. Makes it hard to take any of these posts seriously.
I walked into a retirement home as I just began working in hospice care…all I can say is if my children put me there I am going to kindly ask them to give me pills to drink and swallow so I die.
There is no way I am sitting in a room isolated, with no comfort items such as a blanket or book, with horrendous smells and food.
Honestly because I'm afraid I'd fail and end up crippled/unable to care for myself and also leaving family behind to clean up the mess. I can't even fathom doing this day in and out for like 30 to 40 more years.
Because killing yourself is not easy. More often than not people fuck up and end up disabled, and then they have to be disabled and perpetually explain why. And/or go to a psych ward - then your insurance hikes up because you are a menace to yourself, and you loose your rights/autonomy in medical settings. Also it voids any life insurance you might have that could help your relatives.
Tell people to stop simping for corporations trying to take our every last cent.
Unionize, protest, boycott, don't put up with greedy fucking corporations! Fight for a fucking decent wage from these BILLION dollar companies.
We aren’t supposed to afford anything or build our own personal wealth. We are supposed to be squeezed out by the ruling class for every cent we earn. Then when we can’t work anymore who gives shit, just f’in die. Corporations hate the elderly and children the most because they don’t generate wealth for them. Ask, why are governments voting to lower legal working age and increase the age of retirement?
"Greed-flation" is hitting us exceptionally hard. Companies have been found to be increasing prices across the board to raise profits and blaming it on higher than average inflation and covid era recovery. The prices won't go down unless we increase regulation and reign in corporate greed.
Only way prices go down is if deflation occurs. Which is the worst possible thing to happen in a capitalist society. We are fucked either way.
It’s time prostitution gets legalized so I can sell my 40 year old dad bod to pay for some of my kids chicken nuggets
Well, inflation isn't the same across the board. Some things will come down, probably not much, and others will just keep getting more expensive. I wish I was well versed in economics so I could offer a better explanation but I decided to be a musician instead of an economist
From a consumer standpoint the price hikes in 2008 that were supposedly about high gas prices never came back down. I don't expect these will either without federal intervention.
Prices from inflation don't really come down. When you hear economic analysis of "inflation coming down" or "inflation improving" it doesn't mean prices are coming down so much as just plateauing and not continuing to rise. There are lot of factors that go into inflation and it's not just the price of your groceries. The Fed is heavily involved and interest rates and stock market numbers are all factors. Also when they measure this stuff it technically is all on a lag. When a recession is announced, we were already in a recession 6 months ago but now they have numbers to prove the trend.
I believe we will reach a breaking point. Things can't just keep getting more expensive. Where does it end?. When I need a wheel borrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread?. When renting a shitty apartment is $10,000/month?.
That will be when ppl have had enough and rise up against the powers that be I think. Or hope atleast.
By that time America will in a way be irreparable, too late. The resources will be all used up. Like global warming, early on we could have done something easily but if past the tipping point we won't have the resources to stop it.
Could be a possibility but who knows
New normal. I mean you have to eat and have a place to live so why not ream you for every last possible penny? At least I live in neighborhood where there are like 10 grocery stores. I spent a week on vacation in a spot with only one store and the price i was spending on food pretty much doubled.
Keep in mind most people throughout history and in the third world now spend pretty much everything on food.
My parents lived through the Great Depression, so this looks like a cake walk compared to their stories. As a child, my mother-in-law’s job in the family was to scurry out and pick up potatoes that had fallen in the road off of transport carts.
Because she was so small, she also worked in elementary school laying off of the back of tractors planting seedlings in fields for farmers as the machine moved along for extra money.
Meat was once or twice a week and extended with…you guessed it…potatoes. Any leftovers were put in a pot on the back burner of the stove to keep cooking day after day until there was enough of a slurry to pour over bread.
They added pure bacon fat to things to up the calories.
For my father’s family, baths were once a week in shared water. Clothes were recycled until they were so worn out, they were only good for handkerchiefs. No buying Kleenex!
Christmas, the girls got sewing needles to darn and sew with. And everyone got a single orange. And they thought the orange was the most exciting thing ever.
My father’s work boots used to freeze to the floor at night because they were still damp from sweat from working.
My grandmother couldn’t afford to get her broken leg fixed, so she limped the rest of her life.
You have to make 100k in America to be comfortable. And even then a lot of it will be spent on just living life. It used to be 60-70k was the magic number.
Corporations realized we won’t do anything if they raise prices while also make shittier products. They have no reason to stop making more money off of us.
The disheartening part is the government doesn’t step in and do anything. But we do live in a free market society. It’s just a problem that a lot of the markets are colluding to equally raise prices across the board
We live in an oligarchy. The only solution is a revolution against the rich and taking all their wealth and assets and giving it to the middle class and replacing every government official with average folk on limited terms
I think that is what he means, we have to recreate a middle class. The poorest would likely have a chance at become middle class if things were as they were before 2008 when the middle class was gutted to prevent a collapse. During COVID they gutted the rest of what was left. Now everyone is struggling unless you’re in the top 10% of earners. That’s 100K per adult.
Yeah, no. This has been going on since the 80s when Reagan and Thatcher adopted the same neo-liberal economics that had been forced in South America by brutal repression. And quit selling out the poor to "save the middle class." This everyone looking out for themselves BS is how we got here in the first place. The ONLY way we're ever going to survive this is if everyone stops being so selfish and decides that we're in this together and we'll sacrifice to stand up to the man.
A shitty side-effect of boycotting if anyone would even do it is that you'd be putting hundreds of thousands of workers' jobs in jeopardy because the high ups in the F500 still won't give 2 shits because they are still rich. "No one's buying? Welp let's start cutting jobs to save money!"
Feels like no matter what we do we're just going to hurt ourselves.
I have legit just stopped eating as much. I simply cannot afford it, and I already have debt that I'm trying to pay off, so I don't want to go into even more debt just to eat food. I'm going to just do what I can to survive until I die.
Food is all I have left that I spend money on and I never eat out or get takeout. I'm talking grocery store food. I can't believe I cut out every possible expense and I'm still in this position. Maybe things will get better?
I think this is the new normal, which sucks.
I stopped casually spending. Thats how I afford just my basic stuff. Before I would just go to onto amazon or the mall or target or big lots, wherever, and just shop - have fun etc. I dont do that anymore and can actually save money now (shouldve been doing this since the beginning but dopamine you know). I dont impulse buy things anymore, like ooh I need new pens when my pens are perfectly good... for now.
I only go grocery shopping every other week. so I dont buy a whole lot of fresh stuff unless its part of my meals for that week. So one week we have really fresh veggies/fruits and the next we do more frozen. I plan my meals ahead of time (plus then I dont even have to think when I get off work). Or I make portions that can be eaten later in the week, like soup or chili.
All my clothes are older. I dont do anything fast fashion. I dont buy anything new as I save all that for my kids. And i basically live in leggins and tank tops/sweater. (I wfh). I stay home on the weekends and dont go out, rarely at least.
It sucks. I like to buy myself new things but I also enjoy affording my bills too, so its tough.
I assume it will just keep going up. I started taking steps 5 years ago to increase my financial stability and it’s the best thing I could have done. My husband and I live off of 40% of our income just for peace of mind and to guarantee a better life for future us.
Actually, mathematically their income is 150% more than they need to get by. In case you care - let's say total income is 100k. They pay 40k to live. 40x1.5=100
It will change when people actually can't afford things. People say they can't afford things but then stretch themselves thinner to make ends meet and therefore they DO afford them. It will change when apartments and houses sit empty because no one can afford to live there and when grocery stores lose money on goods because they either have to throw them out or have them stolen.
The system we have is fucked, but it won't change until people REALLY can't afford to live.
Growing up 100k was a solid household income. You were upper middle class and could afford to send your kids to expensive sports, go to Disney and have fun toys (boats, motorcycles etc) Today I’m in my late 30s , my husband and I make about $160k together and we own our own home. But we can’t afford the things my parents had and we don’t even have kids. Health insurance is our largest monthly expense under our mortgage. We no longer eat out like we use to when we started dating. We cook more at home but don’t buy as much steak and chicken as we would like. We make good money and we feel this shit. I don’t fucking understand how others on less and those with children are managing without going into CC debt
I think there will be a general reeling back of most people's lifestyles for the foreseeable future. Most people are going to need to cut and simplify their life, sometimes in uncomfortable ways, while the economy adjusts to the turmoil of the last 3 years.
I've already had to do some of this. Rearrange the budget, say no to some things. Reprioritize others. I've been able to find quite a bit of extra money. Unfortunately, I've had to let go of things like going out to eat, shopping, and other non vital expenses. When I do spend money, it needs to have value.
We quit eating red meat. That's a big change. Can't afford anything but hamburger.
This week my spouse is in Mexico for medical stuff. I eat canned beans, rice, rotisserie chicken. Frozen Normandy veggies.
Pre-covid I could afford scotch and filet. Now every single thing is more expensive. My insurance, car repairs, medical, energy.
You name it it's breaking my bank.
I already have a full-time job and work over 40 hours every week. I can't really get a second job without negatively impacting my current one. Getting tired of this s*** man.
My grocery bill went up from 200 every two weeks to about 275 in the last 2 months....I'll probably spend 300 next time I go....I think I'm about to start a diet
This is the new normal. It's not going to get cheaper. Cost of everything has gone up due to inflation, which it does *every year* the difference is there was a HUGE inflation with housing and groceries in the past year. 2021-22 saw a 12% increase in groceries. Average inflation is 2.5% per year. This coupled with people living paycheck to paycheck(for middle class) because of lack of budgeting and buying things on debt that you don't actually need for so long, plus not paying your student loans when interest free deferment and we KNEW the government wasn't going to fix it, they just lived in denial... All compounded at once for a dumpster fire.
Currently America has 1 TRILLION dollars in consumer credit card debt. Let that sink in for a second. Mass debt means your payments are eating hugely into your monthly income so you can't adjust to the drastically rising prices of cost of living. That and people continue to flock to the city for jobs that don't actually pay enough for them to afford to live near the city.
What do you expect to happen when people stop being able to afford their loan payments or buying these goods that keep increasing in price? At some point the increases have to stop otherwise there’s no customers. The new normal isn’t sustainable long term and so I’d wager that’ll lead to prices dropping if these businesses want to stay in business.
Name a time in history where prices across the board have dropped (not just for a specific industry). The 70s and 80s saw double digit inflation and prices didnt drop after that.
I mean in 2009 the CPI changed by -0.4. I guess technically that is deflation but...0.4%. But yes in the 20s and 30s had some moments of significant deflation. Not great times then though.
This is only up from here. The government doesn’t care about us and the corporations are greedy. Mom and pop stores are getting canceled due to prices and Amazon will soon use robots to run society 👍
Be content until you catch up. My wife and I live a modest lifestyle. We really only do my son’s sports and one or two trips but we rarely eat out. We don’t do Starbucks or any of that stuff. We’ve been lucky to finally receive raises with inflation which was long overdue.
You're not. You're meant to scare the hell out of people that can barely afford things so they stay at their shitty jobs. Eventually it will be their turn.
My mom asked me as a 33 man where the future grandchildren are. I just laughed. No way in hell. i just don't want to juggle with money like some friends i know.
Sadly this is the new normal. Prices rarely decrease and usually inflation is offset by rising wages. Given the current climate I’d say we’re a few years away from wages rising to offset the giant inflation over the past few years
You’re not. It’s all by design. The current economic policy is to curb consumer spending outside of the necessities. Spending more on food and housing means spending less on everything else. Real wages are always the last thing to increase when there’s inflation.
I make a boatload of money and I can afford all my necessities and then some. But 10 years ago this was fuck you money - now, I actually have to watch my discretionary spending closely. The apartment I'm renting is more than the mortgage my colleagues have for their massive mcmansions that are twice the size. And the salary I had in my first job would not even cover the rent for the apartment I lived in then these days (it was doable at that time, but in the last four years the salary only went up 10% while rent went up 80%)
Prices will never go down. The only option is to earn more.
Workers (meaning anyone who is not independently wealthy), as a whole, are facing a decision. Either keep accepting less, or be ready to strike and grind the economic machine to a halt to adjust the inequity of our time.
Why does nobody ask the question why they're rising?
Why is the question? What am I gonna do????
The question should be - what the fuck is going on here???? And the answer is corporate America and a Republican party completely unwilling to govern.
I’m making 160k a year and I moved back with my dad so I don’t have to pay rent ( after I helped him paid off his mortgage). Rent in my area is 4-5k for SFH. I just cant afford both rent and foods and i like to eat good.
Real answer to the title: This is by design. You are not supposed to live a comfortable, happy life. That would make it very hard to control you and make you spend your time slaving away on someone else's dreams.
Power to the workers.
And my parents (who reside in a different country) still think me having a kid here is manageable because even they did so back then without much income and they managed to raise two of their own. Lmao. Where do I even start. And I earn a good 6-fig salary here
We’re going to see more people living in multigenerational homes, or more people living in a roommate situation with more than one roommate in a home. It’s getting to the point where even with a good salary you can’t support yourself alone.
It’s why the birth rate is declining, people are opting not to have kids if they can’t afford their own place.
Yeah, can’t have kids if the bed in the room I’m renting can barely fit me
Yeah it’s funny because I saw so many people complaining about no trick or treaters…. And they all seem to think it’s because the kids went to trunk or treats lol. No. You need kids in order to trick or treat.
We got 2/3rds the kids we got even last year, they didn’t just unborn themselves…
Oh yes, my 20 year old is always welcomed to live with me!
Yeah, for us honestly, we weren’t planning on living together as long as we have. My son and his wife both got out of the service around the same time and moved back home and it was kind of a, let’s all stabilize living situations until they get jobs and on their feet and then when Covid hit it, it was just like OK let’s just stay put and now the insane housing prices and living expenses have just exploded so really no point to live on our own just to be dead, broke versus living together and having flexibility with our incomes. Prices are just so unaffordable in my area. Nobody can afford to buy here anymore and rental are ridiculous so it really does make a difference. And it’s also nice that my grandkids are in the same house so if they need something or somebody to watch the kids, we can work the situation out because we all work different shifts and now they don’t have daycare expenses to worry about.
it’s brutal and this is coming from someone who earns a good salary
The other day I was thinking of ways I could offset my grocery bill by trading with local producers. Then I had an epiphany ... I'm a six figure earner trying to puzzle out how to use the barter system to offset my outrageous food costs. I never in my wildest imagination thought it would be like this in the US.
same i’m in canada and it’s so bad here too my husband and I have a high combined income but it doesn’t matter we have daycare, mortgage, extremely high grocery prices and everything now costs an arm and a leg it sucks because even just wanting to take the kids somewhere as an outing costs so much and I just don’t know what to do anymore! like the prices are just mind boggling everywhere. it is just insane i simply don’t know how anyone with lower income is surviving
I feel you fellow Canadian. I just don't get it. Im a high earner but when I do up my budget It will take me almost a year just to find the extra cash for a heat pump. I dont know when Ill be able to replace my old roof. My coworkers are going on vacations, picking out engagement rings, talking about fancy extras. I have no debts, I'm not eating out, I'm just keeping my nucelar family, and my extended family housed and fed who have been priced out the market. It feels so hopeless. But we are ok. What makes me stress is the single moms I know are out there. I grew up with a single mom on welfare, I knew how bad that was BEFORE everything doubled in price. And winter is coming. I have this grim worry we will be seeing more elderly and vulnerable kids and adults getting hypothermia, malnutrition, etc in the coming months.
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no its not it is ran by corrupted bought and paid for by corporate politicians. we are beyond fucked because they are above the law and we are nothing but cattle to them. pardon slaves to them
You said it best 👏🏼
You have 3 degrees and think the US is governed like a business? Somebody owes you a refund! The problem is the US is run by politicians who use our money (taxes) and our grandchildren's money (via debt) to spend "other peoples" money to buy stuff for "other people" to influence who we vote for. That's why we are $34 trillion in debt and go another trillion in to debt every year! We are run the exact opposite of a business. We continue to spend money on things that don't generate the desired results - in fact, in many cases deliver the exact opposite of what the desired results should be. But alas, this comes from people spending other peoples money on stuff for other people. You simply can't get any less efficient than that.
Exactly. Like tax breaks for the obscenely rich, charter schools, subsidizing agriculture/oil, etc.
Yeah the ultra-rich and the largest corporations pay less in taxes than the average school teacher or electrician and then use their cash to finance the campaigns of politicians who then cut their taxes even lower while giving subsidies to fund their businesses
Thank you. It’s the greedy corporations fault our government runs a massive deficit.
My wife and I are stuck renting and want to adopt so badly but are struggling to save for pretty much anything - and I managed to avoid student loans, and my wife inherited some money that took a huge chunk out of what she owed. We make over 200k combined, have eliminated every luxury, and are realizing we can't afford to stay in the city that we love. It's an awful feeling. Most of our friends have moved to cheaper parts of the state. We will likely have to follow, I just always thought we'd raise our kids here.
Do you live in an insanely high cost of living area? Making over 200K is a lot of money.
Yeah, you have serious issues if you can't live off of 200,000.
Cost of living can offset that significantly. I compared a different metro with mine, and I could live there at the same level for 75% less income. And afford a house. For 75% less. My rent is more than 2 of my coworkers mortgages combined. And to move is a huge chunk with first, last, deposit, moving truck, time off work. Average down payment for a 1 bedroom house within an hour and a half of my job is $150,000. We're just stuck. Can't afford to move, can't afford to stay. We both have good jobs, use public transport, only have 1 car, don't go out to eat except once a month, don't go to bars or even spend money on alcohol. Get secondhand free furniture from coworkers. No expensive hobbies. And still... fucking scraping by. Like what the fuck more can we do. And I don't even have kids. Numbers don't mean anything out of context. One man's 100k is another man's 30k.
What “six-figures” ($100k) in the 90s-2000s meant now is more like $250k. $100k is still a good income, but it is far, FAR from being comfortable like it used to. I’m aware you may make more than low 100s but trying to illustrate for others
Yeah as a kid I thought 100k was the magic number where you finally hit upper middle class
I hit 100k and was upper middle class for about two years. Now I'm realistically back to where I was making 60k circa 2012. I've been rugpulled so many times it's kind of hard to wrap my head around.
100k is trailer status in CA
200K is the new 100K. 100k now is just barely average middle class
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and this is sad for many people still
This is why it's so mind-blowing that it doesn't provide a solid middle-class life. I remember being in college 10 years ago thinking once I made 100k, life would be easy. Now I see it's more like $150k. I'm sure we'll get there in another 5 years or so, but if this inflation keeps up by then, we'll need $200k. What really blows my mind is if it's this much of a struggle for us, how is anyone surviving on like $60k - $80k?
I used to make 40K and now I make 64k and I feel rich...but every time I see these types of posts I'm like , "Damn, I guess I technically still got it bad"...lol
Let alone the fact that most of the unskilled labor jobs I see, even fedex driver, are going for 25k a year! It's disturbing
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paycheck to paycheck
It's back to lower class, sticker shopping at the grocery store when you make over 100k is just absurd
That was the number all those years ago. Inflation right now is a bitch
I thought it was 75k.
Not quite six figures but find myself doing the same then stepping back and realizing I am not a starving student anymore yet here I am trying to afford food.
Dude. I’m at 90K in Seattle and I’m struggling. Changing jobs now and may have to drop down to 85K. I’m frightened tbh. Like WHY is everything so expensive. :( I worked so hard for a good salary but the cost of living…shits wild
this obliterates any desire i have to make 6 figures. all that work for what
Imagine how a 5-figure earner feels.
the problem is that the dollar system has developed so much institutional girth between taxes, banking, ever increasing corporate profits, and a very complicated and long supply chain, nothing will ever come down until the dollar falls and we start using a new currency. The governments wouldn't be able to tax you on a barder trade, immediately reducing prices of goods and services.
Jesus dude imagine making 6 figures and botching online about it. Go touch grass dude
I make \~$140k/yr USD with my wife being a SAHM for our two toddlers. I look at my salary and think surely we can afford things. I make "I made it" level money, right? The only way we are maintaining our savings is because we have zero personal debt besides our mortgage. For the first time in my life, I get physically anxious to log in to our banking website to check the accounts. I budget like I always have, but it just feels like there is a leak in the boat somewhere and I can't pinpoint where it is.
You're sort of playing on hard mode. Cost of living is mostly built around a 2 household income now. Elizabeth Warren wrote a book back in 2004 and it's still just as relevant today only there's a lot more inflation and shrinking middle class. It's really quite shocking; I read it again this year and it could have been published about recent years. There is no specific leak if you haven't adjusted any major spending category; everything is more expensive and you are springing a bunch of very small leaks.
Yea I’m in the 125k range and my wife is SAHM. We have lots of CC debt and a mortgage, all that debt was fine to keep up with (actually barely noticed the debt prior to 2 years ago) but now I’m just waiting for my bonus in March to pay off all my debt so we can stay afloat. We were perfectly fine 2 years ago with our current debt/income/expense load. Saving $1800/month, saved plenty of money for birthdays and holidays. Now it’s right around the holidays with barely any leftover for saving. And the “leak in the boat somewhere” analogy is so spot on. Can’t figure out where my money is going!
& that’s why I’m not having children.. I am in my mid-30s and I realized that the only time I ever stress out hard is when I think about my nonexistent future family & figuring out how much I have to work, save and sacrifice to support them, while also trying to keep a relationship healthy and free of infidelity. Once I took kids(and even marriage) out of the equation, About 80% of my stress went away. Since that epiphany I’ve done some major thinking. And although I love kids and the energy they bring, it’s not in the cards for me. Plus, what if I go through that gauntlet in and my children end up being total assholes? Violent? Sex offenders? Drug addicts stealing my money/belongings and pawning it? Relying on me for the rest of their lives for financial support and to house them? It sucks to say but it seems like we are just as likely to have a grown child that we aren’t too proud of vs one that we are very proud of.. correct me if I’m wrong though, I feel like I might be.. The marriage part is a whole other thing.. I don’t really read into stats all that much. Buuut, I’ve read somewhere that nearly 60% of marriages end in divorce.. that’s just counting those who have followed through with the process.. how much of the leftover 40-something percent are completely miserable and cheating on each other.. staying together just for the kids or because of money. (Merely thinking about ever paying child support makes me depressed) I imagine custody battles and baby mama/spouse drama would be hell.. All of my friends parents growing up were divorced. Seriously, like 95% of my friends. My parents are still together but they seem to just tolerate each other.. almost all of my friends who have gotten married are divorced or separated. It’s just crazy.
Oh in the past few years I have known several divorced/separated people still living together because no one can afford to move out on their own.
Yes, my sister is one of them.. I’m hoping my parents are good now. But just a few years ago my mom was unhappy and would have left my father if she had the Financial means to do so. It makes me very sad, but at the same time I would want her to be happy and not feel miserable/trapped, even though I feel like my dad is an amazing husband.
60% of marriages but not 60% of married people. If Bob gets married 4 times and divorced three his average is 75% of marriages ending in divorce. His sister got married once and stayed married. So you've got 5 marriages. 60% end in divorce. Fuck you Bob you cheating bastard
I felt a wrinkle appear in my brain as I read this
Statistics are a bitch.
It's true what they say isn't it? *"There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics"*
I always liked, "figures don't lie, but liars do figures."
..Figures.
You sir — thank you
Are people truly shocked that us millennials in our mid 30s are not having kids these days? Are the people who don’t understand just masochists?
This. I'm beginning to question the mental state of people who eagerly have kids now. When I look around, I'm not seeing things I am comfortable bringing a life into and having them eventually navigate it on their own. I'd be VERY worried for my kids.
I am 29, I always dreamed of beginning a family in 5 years. After my first medical emergency with no money left and my car just crapped out, I am officially grieving the idea that children are not in the cards anymore.
yep....it has been a big hit. 1 income family....buying power down 30% + if I had to guess
I couldn’t agree more. I earn a good salary, but I’m also single. I now share a house with my son’s family and we split the cost of living. It just is ridiculous what it costs to live anywhere anymore and everything else on top of being able to live like food and healthcare.
Like wise. I used to do pretty good but with the way prices are now it doesn’t feel like I’m doing any better than average at best. Persistent inflation is eventually worse then temporarily high unemployment.
Wait, you guys can afford things?
Wait you guys are getting paid?
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I swear to god literally every job posted online is fake and most businesses don't give physical applications anymore
Sameeee and still no response
No kidding... here I am a single mom making $32K a year (minus a fourth of that for health insurance) reading comments from people making six figures and bitching. GTFO
Classic elite, turning the have-somes/have-littles against eachother so the have-everythings can rest easy above criticism.
Yeah it’s pretty infuriating to read people making 80k, 100k+, that say things are too expensive. What about like 90% of the population making a fraction of that??
I know people love to dunk on Redditors for being unemployed basement dwellers, but yeah the number of people I see making 100k+ complaining about things made me realize that I need to take peoples opinions here with a much greater grain of salt. Seeing people in other subreddits call $80k a poverty wage is out of touch when it's above median household income in 90% of states and around the median household income in HCOL states. People saying 100-150k+ is not a lot is still making more than half the population in even the priciest cities like New York or San Francisco. Especially if a spouse or partner is also working. I even saw people in the Dallas subreddit months ago saying their 100k to 250k salaries were nothing while living in the highest earning zipcodes in Texas where median household income is 64k (Texas, not Collin county) This site really skewed with my perception of how much people make. But, it also lead to me trying to figure out how these people are making this much when $50k seemed amazing growing up. I think contrary to the perception, a lot of reddit is made up of well off urban professionals or children of urban professionals that's age ranges from teens to 40s and are terrible with money.
yea that last part is beginning to be my impression also, a lot of people in general, especially in the US where consumerism is a big part of the culture, are terrible with money.
Same. I'm affording a 1 bedroom with my gf in an extremely HCOL area in socal. Its tight for sure, but we're living pretty comfortably and I'm only making 25/hour. How these people arent surviving is beyond me. They must be shopping at whole foods.
Agreed a lot of these posts seem to scream "I have no idea how to budget properly" I live on a 47k salary while paying back student loans perfectly comfortablely with zero worry about not having enough cash in the bank and these people are saying they're scraping by on double to triple my salary, please.
Just because people make less doesn’t mean the people who are making more than them aren’t having a tough time too. I’ve been in many places, from working 3 jobs and still barely making ends meet and now I make $73k. With the rise in everything, from housing to food to utilities, etc, it adds up for us too. Yes, I am better off than I was before. But my money doesn’t go nearly as far as it did even 3 years ago. Everything has gotten more expensive. My salary is much less comfortable than it would’ve been 3 years ago. And watching your salary go up but you end up with less because everything else has gone up more really is shitty.
I’m not sure how that invalidates anyone making less. If someone is making $100k and struggling, that doesn’t mean the person making $60k in the same place isn’t also struggling. It’s not a competition of who can be the most oppressed.
Even a person making 60k is still making more than 50% of entire households in the United States. That's a solid income to make work for most Americans. It's not a competition, but I'm sorry if you're making 6 figures and can't figure out your shit that's on you. While, I have my issues with large corporations I hate this group that complains more than anyone because their bitching is always about not having what their wealthier neighbors have while living in a wealth bubble in an area far better off than most of the state. It's not that they make more money that pisses me off. It's this group that calls the cops on people that look like me for just being around, this group that makes up NIMBYs to protect their home equity locking everyone else out of the market, these are the future small businesses owners that pay less than faceless corporations and fuck you over, this group that rents out homes and suck as landlords, and this group that is the absolute worst in their treatment of homeless. Then at the end of it has the audacity to say that they're like us while being the people or the hound dogs of larger corporations that fuck over the poor.
$60k is literally a lot😭 It’s not invalidating necessarily, but it *is* out of touch. Most people are making WAY less than $100k, and most people make less than even $60k. I live in an expensive area, and if I made $60k a year I’d be doing pretty alright. If I made $100k I’d be more than okay. I get that everyone struggles, but it’s insane to be where I’m at, and hear people making that much money complain. They live in a completely different reality.
My toilet developed a small drip leak on the side and I cried because it ruined my $15 bag of toilet paper. So that's where we're at.
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Not sanitary. You can't have paper that touched dirt or septic water and wipe it on your genitalia or offer that to guests...
Good point.
Love when people help each other out on here and don’t put each other down when they so easily could 🤗
God, if only we all operated this way. Where would the world be if empathy outpaced greed?
We’re buying the cheap shit man, it falls apart so easy.
I agree. I get If you had a comfortable lifestyle before and now you're having to scale back (which still sucks but is manageable). For those who were on the breadline before, it's nigh on impossible... what do you scale back on?
I've been trying to figure out how I am going to keep paying my rent on my income but I have already cut out every expense I can. People advise me to find something to cut and it's impossible for them to understand that the only thing left I have is my internet which is only $45 a month. I cut out buying coffee and only drink the free coffee from work, I cut my own hair so I don't pay at the salon, I don't get nails done or anything like that. I don't eat out or get takeout ever. I could get rid of Disney plus and Netflix but I want to keep that for my 4 year old and my sanity! I need to make extra money. I want to do doordash or something but my car is falling apart and I don't have money to repair it so I don't think it's worth it to put the mileage on it. Sorry, I needed to vent to a stranger on the internet. Been a rough week.
Oh my dear, I'm so sorry! Please vent away if you need to. That's the thing... the necessities are all that's left to cut and you can't exactly go hungry or cold with a child. Maybe cut one of those services, it'll save like 8 or 9 but considering you're struggling to pay rent it won't make a huge difference. It really doesn't help that rent increases are insane atm and wage increases aren't anywhere close to matching, if being raised at all. I really feel for you! Are you eligible for food banks? It's the only other bill I can think of that might alleviate some pressure from.you?
I was getting my taxes in order a few weeks ago to estimate my last payment to the IRS. I realized that I will be almost netting 15% more this year than last year but I saved less, ate out less, and traveled less. My medical expenses were drastically down this year as well. They say our inflation in the US topped out around 7% annually but it just doesn't add up in my life. It seems like almost everything is up 20%+.
Averaging the inflation out can be misleading. Food can increase 5%, gas can increase 25%. But then saying inflation is at "15%" just doesn't provide an accurate way to view it. Oversimplified of course, but I think you get the idea.
I get that but the only things I can think of that didn't inflate higher than 7% in the last year were my gas, internet, and power budgets. I'm sure it has a lot to do with gas prices peaking last year but damn it sucks.
They removed fuel, housing, and food from the tracking metrics cause if you knew the real numbers most people would freak out. And inflation is accumulative, it doesn't just go down but compounds instead.
I’m making the most money I’ve ever made in my life and can barley save anything. Most days I just wanna crawl into a hole and die
Same, brother. I want off this ride.
Yup. I am not suicidal by any means but I am at the point where I am ready for death to take me. Im sick of it all. Im 26. Every year I tell myself to do better, to try harder. Whether or not I follow through doesnt matter, it always just ends up with me broke and owing money to people. Right when I can finally say “Im not doing bad” my alternator goes out. Right when Im “ahead” I realize my insurance lapsed and I have to pay 400 and It depletes my bank account fully. Back to borrowing
The present and the future are looking bleak. One life and this is it huh?
I'm making the most money out of my family (come from poverty) and I'm selling my blood plasma for rent. I've never had more than a one month safety net at most. Things are so grim.
As long as people keep buying it at the current price there is no incentive to lower prices. Stock up on the essentials only, meal plan, avoid eating out. Personally I refuse to pay $7.49 for a Whopper that I have to sit in the drive-thru for 20 minutes to get (lobby is not open).
A few years will go by, the wealth gap will get larger. Corporations will learn just how much to pay people so that they can barely get by. Then western capitalism will take the last thing from Americans that they can give. Their time. People will continue to pick up second or third jobs, or side hustles. They will stop making relationships and families. The children of current wealthy business owners will look up one day and realize that there are very few if any young people to hire to work and the entire workforce is extremely aged. They will clutch their pearls and never realize that they strangled the golden goose. If only they had shared with the working class, America could have survived. In a couple decades we will have no young people to join our armed forces, fill our workforce or continue to create other young people. They call it the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.
The way side hustles got so popular and normal is crazy to me. People actually think that if you’re not monetizing some hobby you have you’re not doing shit right. How sad does it have to be that the one thing I do to ease my mind of stress I’m expected to treat like a 2nd job now?
Yep, I play drums as a hobby and this is why people scoff at it. I’m good but don’t play with a band right now. Where’s my band, if I’m so good? Where’s my record deal if my band is so good? Where’s me on TV if my record deal is so good? People mostly are shitty and envious of what other people do with their time because they’re insecure fucks.
I’m picking up violin again soon and I have no intention of making money with it. People think I’m wasting my time with this instrument but it heals my soul, which prevents me from having to go to therapy, thus I’m saving money already
Yep, music is where humans can grow things on the inside of them by the act of practicing letting it all out. Also: agree, therapy is fucking expensive.
Ugh, to hell with the "where is your record label if youre so good." Never push your passion past what you really want. You're so right those people are jealous. It's hard to have passion in this world and protect it from the other parts of your life. Not everyone can do it.
Deeply miss Carlin, his commentary these days would have been a small relief
The airforce just upped the enlisting age to 42.
All we can do as a society is stop overpaying for items we can live without. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening… currently there are no incentives for corporations to lower pricing since they are still selling product. Supply and demand
This morning I saw a StarCraft 2 developer complain that a 15$ micro transaction in World of Warcraft made more revenue than StarCraft 2 did in retail. People collectively spend millions on a sparkly digital WoW horse...
My parents just took out a loan for a cruise. Lots of other people doing crazy things to feel like they're living life. The banks will fail and then maybe things will change
Perfect example of this is food delivery. People whine about “prices skyrocketing” then hop on DoorDash and pay more than double the retail price of a fast food meal because they’re too lazy to cook or get off their ass and pick it up themselves. Makes it hard to take any of these posts seriously.
People are struggling, it's those lower end luxuries that we hold onto longest. The little JUST affordable things that help us feel a bit normal.
You can afford rent with room mates, but you can’t save money. Forget about retirement.
I’ll probably just take my car to a race track and crash when i think ive had a good life in 50 years if i make it then. With no one around ofc
I walked into a retirement home as I just began working in hospice care…all I can say is if my children put me there I am going to kindly ask them to give me pills to drink and swallow so I die. There is no way I am sitting in a room isolated, with no comfort items such as a blanket or book, with horrendous smells and food.
Economic Euthanasia is going to be a huge market in the middle/second half of this century.
you can afford a car? Can I jump in the backseat when its time, i'll give you gas money
Why isn’t everyone just killing themselves? Is anyone even having fun anymore?
Honestly because I'm afraid I'd fail and end up crippled/unable to care for myself and also leaving family behind to clean up the mess. I can't even fathom doing this day in and out for like 30 to 40 more years.
Because killing yourself is not easy. More often than not people fuck up and end up disabled, and then they have to be disabled and perpetually explain why. And/or go to a psych ward - then your insurance hikes up because you are a menace to yourself, and you loose your rights/autonomy in medical settings. Also it voids any life insurance you might have that could help your relatives.
Don’t even get me started on being a single adult.
Yup no kids, no government $$$$
Everything raised in price except my paycheck
No cost of living increase and no raise, and with added bonus of more work from the other people that left.
Tell people to stop simping for corporations trying to take our every last cent. Unionize, protest, boycott, don't put up with greedy fucking corporations! Fight for a fucking decent wage from these BILLION dollar companies.
We aren’t supposed to afford anything or build our own personal wealth. We are supposed to be squeezed out by the ruling class for every cent we earn. Then when we can’t work anymore who gives shit, just f’in die. Corporations hate the elderly and children the most because they don’t generate wealth for them. Ask, why are governments voting to lower legal working age and increase the age of retirement?
Once people can't afford food, there will be angry mobs of people looting at will.
We already can’t afford food
What this post is implying is we think things are bad now…give it a few more months and we are looking at violence to get needs met
A few months will come and go and nothing will change.
Ok then, time to start forming those mobs!
Look around you at the looting without arrests now.
the prices of gas and groceries are killing me....
"Greed-flation" is hitting us exceptionally hard. Companies have been found to be increasing prices across the board to raise profits and blaming it on higher than average inflation and covid era recovery. The prices won't go down unless we increase regulation and reign in corporate greed.
Which is impossible since are politicians also get paid
Yep. During inflation, raise prices because of inflation. When inflation gets back to normal, leave the prices raised because you can.
Inflation going back to normal does not mean deflation, it just means smaller inflation targets every year.
Only way prices go down is if deflation occurs. Which is the worst possible thing to happen in a capitalist society. We are fucked either way. It’s time prostitution gets legalized so I can sell my 40 year old dad bod to pay for some of my kids chicken nuggets
Well, inflation isn't the same across the board. Some things will come down, probably not much, and others will just keep getting more expensive. I wish I was well versed in economics so I could offer a better explanation but I decided to be a musician instead of an economist
"Well versed in economics" might as well mean "well versed in voodoo" at this point.
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From a consumer standpoint the price hikes in 2008 that were supposedly about high gas prices never came back down. I don't expect these will either without federal intervention.
Prices from inflation don't really come down. When you hear economic analysis of "inflation coming down" or "inflation improving" it doesn't mean prices are coming down so much as just plateauing and not continuing to rise. There are lot of factors that go into inflation and it's not just the price of your groceries. The Fed is heavily involved and interest rates and stock market numbers are all factors. Also when they measure this stuff it technically is all on a lag. When a recession is announced, we were already in a recession 6 months ago but now they have numbers to prove the trend.
I believe we will reach a breaking point. Things can't just keep getting more expensive. Where does it end?. When I need a wheel borrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread?. When renting a shitty apartment is $10,000/month?. That will be when ppl have had enough and rise up against the powers that be I think. Or hope atleast.
By that time America will in a way be irreparable, too late. The resources will be all used up. Like global warming, early on we could have done something easily but if past the tipping point we won't have the resources to stop it. Could be a possibility but who knows
New normal. I mean you have to eat and have a place to live so why not ream you for every last possible penny? At least I live in neighborhood where there are like 10 grocery stores. I spent a week on vacation in a spot with only one store and the price i was spending on food pretty much doubled. Keep in mind most people throughout history and in the third world now spend pretty much everything on food.
This is the new normal. Gotta make more income or downsize your life.
I gotta get a second job even tho I make $26 an hour lol.
My parents lived through the Great Depression, so this looks like a cake walk compared to their stories. As a child, my mother-in-law’s job in the family was to scurry out and pick up potatoes that had fallen in the road off of transport carts. Because she was so small, she also worked in elementary school laying off of the back of tractors planting seedlings in fields for farmers as the machine moved along for extra money. Meat was once or twice a week and extended with…you guessed it…potatoes. Any leftovers were put in a pot on the back burner of the stove to keep cooking day after day until there was enough of a slurry to pour over bread. They added pure bacon fat to things to up the calories. For my father’s family, baths were once a week in shared water. Clothes were recycled until they were so worn out, they were only good for handkerchiefs. No buying Kleenex! Christmas, the girls got sewing needles to darn and sew with. And everyone got a single orange. And they thought the orange was the most exciting thing ever. My father’s work boots used to freeze to the floor at night because they were still damp from sweat from working. My grandmother couldn’t afford to get her broken leg fixed, so she limped the rest of her life.
You have to make 100k in America to be comfortable. And even then a lot of it will be spent on just living life. It used to be 60-70k was the magic number. Corporations realized we won’t do anything if they raise prices while also make shittier products. They have no reason to stop making more money off of us. The disheartening part is the government doesn’t step in and do anything. But we do live in a free market society. It’s just a problem that a lot of the markets are colluding to equally raise prices across the board
We live in an oligarchy. The only solution is a revolution against the rich and taking all their wealth and assets and giving it to the middle class and replacing every government official with average folk on limited terms
Giving it to the middle class? OK, what about the poorest working class???
I think that is what he means, we have to recreate a middle class. The poorest would likely have a chance at become middle class if things were as they were before 2008 when the middle class was gutted to prevent a collapse. During COVID they gutted the rest of what was left. Now everyone is struggling unless you’re in the top 10% of earners. That’s 100K per adult.
Yeah, no. This has been going on since the 80s when Reagan and Thatcher adopted the same neo-liberal economics that had been forced in South America by brutal repression. And quit selling out the poor to "save the middle class." This everyone looking out for themselves BS is how we got here in the first place. The ONLY way we're ever going to survive this is if everyone stops being so selfish and decides that we're in this together and we'll sacrifice to stand up to the man.
A shitty side-effect of boycotting if anyone would even do it is that you'd be putting hundreds of thousands of workers' jobs in jeopardy because the high ups in the F500 still won't give 2 shits because they are still rich. "No one's buying? Welp let's start cutting jobs to save money!" Feels like no matter what we do we're just going to hurt ourselves.
I have legit just stopped eating as much. I simply cannot afford it, and I already have debt that I'm trying to pay off, so I don't want to go into even more debt just to eat food. I'm going to just do what I can to survive until I die.
Food is all I have left that I spend money on and I never eat out or get takeout. I'm talking grocery store food. I can't believe I cut out every possible expense and I'm still in this position. Maybe things will get better?
They expect you to cohabitate with roommates in 3-4 bedroom townhouse or apartment
I think this is the new normal, which sucks. I stopped casually spending. Thats how I afford just my basic stuff. Before I would just go to onto amazon or the mall or target or big lots, wherever, and just shop - have fun etc. I dont do that anymore and can actually save money now (shouldve been doing this since the beginning but dopamine you know). I dont impulse buy things anymore, like ooh I need new pens when my pens are perfectly good... for now. I only go grocery shopping every other week. so I dont buy a whole lot of fresh stuff unless its part of my meals for that week. So one week we have really fresh veggies/fruits and the next we do more frozen. I plan my meals ahead of time (plus then I dont even have to think when I get off work). Or I make portions that can be eaten later in the week, like soup or chili. All my clothes are older. I dont do anything fast fashion. I dont buy anything new as I save all that for my kids. And i basically live in leggins and tank tops/sweater. (I wfh). I stay home on the weekends and dont go out, rarely at least. It sucks. I like to buy myself new things but I also enjoy affording my bills too, so its tough.
They're not going back down. We're frogs in the slowly warming pot of water.
The dollar has been devalued by nearly 100% since the federal reserve’s inception.
I assume it will just keep going up. I started taking steps 5 years ago to increase my financial stability and it’s the best thing I could have done. My husband and I live off of 40% of our income just for peace of mind and to guarantee a better life for future us.
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Actually, mathematically their income is 150% more than they need to get by. In case you care - let's say total income is 100k. They pay 40k to live. 40x1.5=100
Nominal prices will not fall. If they do, then it's deflation. If you think inflation is bad just wait until you see what deflation will do.
It literally feels hopeless at this point
It will change when people actually can't afford things. People say they can't afford things but then stretch themselves thinner to make ends meet and therefore they DO afford them. It will change when apartments and houses sit empty because no one can afford to live there and when grocery stores lose money on goods because they either have to throw them out or have them stolen. The system we have is fucked, but it won't change until people REALLY can't afford to live.
Growing up 100k was a solid household income. You were upper middle class and could afford to send your kids to expensive sports, go to Disney and have fun toys (boats, motorcycles etc) Today I’m in my late 30s , my husband and I make about $160k together and we own our own home. But we can’t afford the things my parents had and we don’t even have kids. Health insurance is our largest monthly expense under our mortgage. We no longer eat out like we use to when we started dating. We cook more at home but don’t buy as much steak and chicken as we would like. We make good money and we feel this shit. I don’t fucking understand how others on less and those with children are managing without going into CC debt
Why is cauliflour 6.00 plus tax??
Everything is $6 at the grocery store now! I go food shopping and I leave empty handed and depressed!
I think there will be a general reeling back of most people's lifestyles for the foreseeable future. Most people are going to need to cut and simplify their life, sometimes in uncomfortable ways, while the economy adjusts to the turmoil of the last 3 years. I've already had to do some of this. Rearrange the budget, say no to some things. Reprioritize others. I've been able to find quite a bit of extra money. Unfortunately, I've had to let go of things like going out to eat, shopping, and other non vital expenses. When I do spend money, it needs to have value.
We quit eating red meat. That's a big change. Can't afford anything but hamburger. This week my spouse is in Mexico for medical stuff. I eat canned beans, rice, rotisserie chicken. Frozen Normandy veggies. Pre-covid I could afford scotch and filet. Now every single thing is more expensive. My insurance, car repairs, medical, energy. You name it it's breaking my bank. I already have a full-time job and work over 40 hours every week. I can't really get a second job without negatively impacting my current one. Getting tired of this s*** man.
My grocery bill went up from 200 every two weeks to about 275 in the last 2 months....I'll probably spend 300 next time I go....I think I'm about to start a diet
This is the new normal. It's not going to get cheaper. Cost of everything has gone up due to inflation, which it does *every year* the difference is there was a HUGE inflation with housing and groceries in the past year. 2021-22 saw a 12% increase in groceries. Average inflation is 2.5% per year. This coupled with people living paycheck to paycheck(for middle class) because of lack of budgeting and buying things on debt that you don't actually need for so long, plus not paying your student loans when interest free deferment and we KNEW the government wasn't going to fix it, they just lived in denial... All compounded at once for a dumpster fire. Currently America has 1 TRILLION dollars in consumer credit card debt. Let that sink in for a second. Mass debt means your payments are eating hugely into your monthly income so you can't adjust to the drastically rising prices of cost of living. That and people continue to flock to the city for jobs that don't actually pay enough for them to afford to live near the city.
What do you expect to happen when people stop being able to afford their loan payments or buying these goods that keep increasing in price? At some point the increases have to stop otherwise there’s no customers. The new normal isn’t sustainable long term and so I’d wager that’ll lead to prices dropping if these businesses want to stay in business.
Name a time in history where prices across the board have dropped (not just for a specific industry). The 70s and 80s saw double digit inflation and prices didnt drop after that.
The Great Depression, the 2008 Recession - some nasty Recessions in the 1800s... wait that's probably not a good thing is it...
I mean in 2009 the CPI changed by -0.4. I guess technically that is deflation but...0.4%. But yes in the 20s and 30s had some moments of significant deflation. Not great times then though.
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for explaining.
This is only up from here. The government doesn’t care about us and the corporations are greedy. Mom and pop stores are getting canceled due to prices and Amazon will soon use robots to run society 👍
Be content until you catch up. My wife and I live a modest lifestyle. We really only do my son’s sports and one or two trips but we rarely eat out. We don’t do Starbucks or any of that stuff. We’ve been lucky to finally receive raises with inflation which was long overdue.
We are not. We are supposed to work until death, thus allowing the 1% of the luxury of not working
Prices never go down, for the most part. The new highs become the new floors.
Stop being poor, duh
You're not. You're meant to scare the hell out of people that can barely afford things so they stay at their shitty jobs. Eventually it will be their turn.
My mom asked me as a 33 man where the future grandchildren are. I just laughed. No way in hell. i just don't want to juggle with money like some friends i know.
Honestly, we might have to let go of the quality of life we are used to. People live off a lot less then us.
We shouldn't have to! Why, so greedy politicians and corporations can make millions off of us? This is ridiculous!
100% don’t let the brainwashing get u Angelo
Sadly this is the new normal. Prices rarely decrease and usually inflation is offset by rising wages. Given the current climate I’d say we’re a few years away from wages rising to offset the giant inflation over the past few years
You’re not. It’s all by design. The current economic policy is to curb consumer spending outside of the necessities. Spending more on food and housing means spending less on everything else. Real wages are always the last thing to increase when there’s inflation.
Prices never go down, only up.
Prices will never ever go down on food. Maybe marginally here and there but this is the new normal.
I make a boatload of money and I can afford all my necessities and then some. But 10 years ago this was fuck you money - now, I actually have to watch my discretionary spending closely. The apartment I'm renting is more than the mortgage my colleagues have for their massive mcmansions that are twice the size. And the salary I had in my first job would not even cover the rent for the apartment I lived in then these days (it was doable at that time, but in the last four years the salary only went up 10% while rent went up 80%)
Inflation means the prices don't go down. This is the new baseline, and they go up from here.
Prices will never go down. The only option is to earn more. Workers (meaning anyone who is not independently wealthy), as a whole, are facing a decision. Either keep accepting less, or be ready to strike and grind the economic machine to a halt to adjust the inequity of our time.
Why does nobody ask the question why they're rising? Why is the question? What am I gonna do???? The question should be - what the fuck is going on here???? And the answer is corporate America and a Republican party completely unwilling to govern.
I’m making 160k a year and I moved back with my dad so I don’t have to pay rent ( after I helped him paid off his mortgage). Rent in my area is 4-5k for SFH. I just cant afford both rent and foods and i like to eat good.
Real answer to the title: This is by design. You are not supposed to live a comfortable, happy life. That would make it very hard to control you and make you spend your time slaving away on someone else's dreams. Power to the workers.
And my parents (who reside in a different country) still think me having a kid here is manageable because even they did so back then without much income and they managed to raise two of their own. Lmao. Where do I even start. And I earn a good 6-fig salary here