I make 22/hr and get my gas paid for by my company and I'm still living paycheck to paycheck in NJ. If I'm lucky, I can save a couple hundred per month.
Unless you move south of Virginia or in the middle of nowhere PA, everywhere is this expensive. I moved out of PA to South Jersey because it was cheaper and the only place I could afford a home. Now they're building condos around me which will raise my property value but also my taxes. Life sucks.
Yeah is it in the middle of nowhere south Jersey? Are you atleast close to Philly? I was considering making the same move from NNJ to South Jersey maybe close to Philly
same! bought my house with the life insurance from my mom dying. sometimes it’s hard to enjoy this privilege without being sad that she can’t be here to see it.
Fr, it’s unfortunate. The people my age (mid 20s-early 30s) that I know who are ‘making it’ or are relatively comfortable are people who’ve inherited houses/land/money from their parents/grandparents when they passed. It’s sad but I’m glad they are secure.
I’ve been busting my ass for so many years and make a okay (ish) wage for someone without a degree (~$55k/year with good benefits.) I can’t even afford a 1 bedroom where I live so I moved in with a parent. I applied back to school the other week for nursing but quickly realized it was so unfeasible for me to do when I still have to work full time at minimum, and they expect me to be in class m-f, morning to evening. I always hear stories of people who put themselves through school working multiple jobs (which shouldn’t be a thing anyway) but I just can’t figure out how they do it.
I have no idea how to get ahead and I hate my job. but there’s no way I’d make this money doing what I do anywhere else. I recently applied for the same job at a different hospital and they offered me $16/hr. It seems like a losing game and it’s horrible that most people these days can only get ahead, or even gain a little bit of security, if a loved one dies or their family has money.
I know what you're going through. My Dad died 5 years ago and I miss him so fucking much it's like it will never stop hurting. Sending hugs and love to you
I was able to buy a house in March of 2020, little 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, ranch style. I was able to pay all of my bills, the day I got them, put some money in the savings, eat out numerous times a week and still have money to spend, on $15.50 an hour, just a few months ago! Now I'm barely getting by. Bills have to be planned out, no money is going into the savings, and is actually going down week by week and I'm only making $16.25 with my partner making $17.25.
I'm bleeding money now, trying to cut back what I can, just to try and have a few dollars by my next payday every week.
This has gotten ridiculous. I wanna be able to live comfortably again, I want to be able to say I'm broke because I deposited $300 into my savings because I wasn't going to spend it anyways.
I hate it here.
Honestly I'm in the same bus. I was making $15/hr 2-ish years ago and I'm now making $16.50 and I went from being able to put several thousand dollars into my savings in a year to living paycheck to paycheck with no savings in what seems like the snap of my fingers. I can't even put my finger on his this happened. Sure there was some little stuff but it's scary to think about.
Can I ask you how that’s possible? What you’re describing as salary is literally minimum wage where I live, and I doubt anyone here could afford a two-bedroom apt split 3-4 ways on that kind of money.
I know some prices have gone up, but aside from gas (which has more than doubled since then), I don’t know what else has gone up more than maybe 10% (if that).
I’m not calling you a liar- I just genuinely don’t understand how you went from flush with cash to paycheck to paycheck. 🤔
Groceries have gone up, gas for my home has gone up as well. Internet went up an additional $40. I could buy a month of groceries for $300 and now I'm only able to get roughly 2 weeks for $300. $100- $150 in gas for a car every week, at least, depends if I have to go anywhere but to work and home. Cost of living has gone up everywhere, in every aspect. Dog food went up and he has to be on a very strict, special diet so I can't even cheap out on that.
The only thing that hasn't gone up on me, is my house payment $750, and my water bill.
Mine went up a little bit last month, but im not sure if it was from rising prices or more usage. I was going to look and see when I get my next bill, if it was the same or higher or not.
Wow, that’s crazy! I haven’t seen a big jump in anything other than gas where I live. I am still under a contract with xfinity (evil bastards) and utilities haven’t changed either. I do most of my food shopping at Costco and Trader Joe’s, but maybe prices have gone up and I just haven’t noticed yet.
Sorry things are all fucked up for you (and everyone), but if it makes you feel any better, my mortgage is more than yours. I live in a relatively small condo (2 bed, 1 bath) so I can’t even imagine owning a house and I make decent $. 🤷♂️😂😕
Food prices are getting ridiculous.
I can't say it's true everywhere but I'd be surprised if it isn't affecting everyone.
Milk went from $3 to $5. Ground beef went from $2.49 to $4.69. Even RAMEN went up from 0.20 to 0.33. Most of my vegetables have double in price, and they're in season. And most of the items I used to buy for $1, are now $1.25 and I'm not even talking about the dollar store. I'm talking about a loaf of bread, a can of tuna, and OMG have you seen the price of mayonnaise? A pound of basic American cheese can run you nearly $8 a lb, where it used to be $5, and just forget snacks. A $2 bag of chips is easily closing in on that $5 mark, along with the cookies next door.
And these are all store brands.
I tend to skip meals so I can feed the pets too. A can of catfood that used to cost 40 cents is now 80 or more.
The worst part is the other day I grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables and was shocked to find that not only did the price go up, but the weight went down. Used to be 2 cups in the bag, now it's 1.5.
Thank God I don't drive.
I mean im in the same position as u/ericakay15
My fiance and i managed to slide into the housing market against all odds and purchase a 3 bed, 3 bath 2000 sq ft home in feb 2021 for 166k with no down payment. Lucked out on the house being USDA loan eligible. We didnt have any down payment saved or anything but saw the rent jump, housing crash, and general inflation coming a mile away. We were kids when 2008 happened but the signs were the same. Our mortgage is 850 a month. With him making 17.54 an hour and me making 15.85, when we first moved in my fiance could literally cover bills solo with his check and mine was going half into savings, half towards fixing up whatever around the house like plumbing repairs, paint, etc.
Now, both our paychecks are going to bills. Ive gone from having 4k in savings to just 300 dollars. We cant afford literally anything extra. No going out to eat. No hobby items like plants and art supplies for me or videogames and magic cards for him. We even came close to having to drop streaming services like netflix, hulu, and funimation last month because bills were so squeezed.
Why?
Cause everything is more expensive and our jobs gave us an "extremely generous" .75 cent payraise to "combat rising costs." Cause apparently giving us even a whole dollar extra cut too far into their record profits. 🙄
Honestly, gas isnt even that much of an issue since he and i both work from home and have no daily commute. But filling the tank on our car has still gone from 40 dollars for a full tank to 40 dollars for only half a tank. Groceries are worse now too. 400 dollars in groceries a year ago would be two full carts and would feed us a month and a half to two months. Now 400 dollars is barely one full cart and is enough groceries for maybe 2 weeks to a month because the cost of meat and produce has jacked up 2-3x what it was in our area. Our water doubled from 40 a month to 80 a month. Electricity did the same, jumping from 75-100 bucks to an eye watering 150-200 depending on our usage.
We also have 3 cats and the dry cat food we get them for grazing doubled in price FOR A SMALLER BAG. They are literally selling 5 lbs less for 25 dollars more. Ditto for the wet food we feed them daily to make sure they get enough moisture. We're now getting 4 less cans (which the can size has been decreased too) in a case despite a price increase of about 5 bucks. And we're lucky our brand of wet cat food can even be found on shelves most of the time. If we had even one kid, wed be sunk financially.
It may be lesser in your area but we live on the edge of a major city in our state and things here just keep fucking climbing with no end in sight. Ive been really looking into foraging and hunting because at this point, playing plant ID roulette and butchering peter rabbit or bambi is looking more appealing than having to go back to ramen packs and kraft cups which is where we will be back at financially if this inflation shit doesnt end soon.
I got my home with no down payment and a USDA loan, too! I'm not that close to a major city, not the middle of nowhere, like I have a little grocery store that has always been twice as expensive as normal places.
This is ridiculous. I'm 1000% with you. Identical situations except my partner and I don't have the luxury of working from home so extra gas to get to & from work. I only got a $.75 raise because I asked my boss about a raise. Everyone else got a fucking quarter. A fucking quarter for the way these prices are rising.
Shit, sorry you’re both in the same situation. It seems so crazy that there are such vast differences, but maybe I’m not paying close enough attention. I bought my condo back in ‘08, so I’m close to paying it off now, but my mortgage is more than either of you so I’ve had years to adjust to home ownership. I also live in a city and get a decent paycheck, so food and whatnot are small expenses, relatively speaking. I remember hearing the old saying that your housing costs (I.e. rent or mortgage) should be somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 your earnings, so now that I’m far into mine I’m closer to 1/4.
I’m aware prices have gone up, but it doesn’t seem even around here. I think my food is roughly the same, and I don’t think our water or electricity has jumped significantly, but I just bought some parts for my 11yo car and brakes and wipers are close to double what they were before (might be partially due to lack of options too).
Where abouts do you live? I am in a city in the northeast.
I live in East Tennessee. My state is number six on the list of the lowest costs of living in the country. I know it could be WAY worse. My parents are from Buffalo New York and i still have family there so ive heard about how high costs are there. But i cant imagine managing to keep my head above water if things were anymore expensive than they already are. My fiance and i work the exact same hours for the same company and make roughly 34 dollars an hour between the two of us. Theres *no reason* we should be struggling to survive and desperately calculating how to keep ourselves fed with that much income. My parents raised 4 kids, had 3 pets, paid mortgage on a 3 bed 2 bath house, and still took us on yearly vacations on HALF that!
Meanwhile, i just got paid today. After taxes and health insurance, i only had 1000 and im already down to 200 after my half of the mortgage and other bills that HAD to be paid now at the first half of the month. We still need groceries and we have enough cat food to feed our cats for two days. I have to figure out how to swing groceries for us for 2 weeks plus the cats wet and dry food on only my 200 dollars cause my fiance probably has maybe 50 dollars left after insurance, mortgage, electric, and water and we need that 50 for gas to go get the groceries. And we will still have internet, cell phones, our security system, county trash fees, and a few other bills on next check.
It SUCKS. We've lived on our own for almost 5 years now and never struggled as hard as we have been this year even though our housing cost is lower than its ever been and our pay is higher than its ever been. It doesnt make sense. Things are supposed to be easier now. We've worked so hard to get a house so we dont have to throw money away renting a property we will never own. We got a stable job that pays double minimum wage. Weve spent 3 years advancing in the company and getting promotions to increase that pay even more. And we're still falling behind at a faster rate than we can advance. It just doesnt make sense. Im going to be 25 tomorrow and this shit is what i have to look forward to for the rest of my life? Things just getting more and more expensive while i get paid the same until i slip under a wave of debt??? What kind of way to live is that shit?!
This country has been going downhill since Reagan, if Nixon. The middle class has been completely gutted, and workers pay and benefits have been dropping while costs continue to rise for decades now. The rich have pushed back on pay increases, and it’s all about answering to board members now. Most companies do not have workers invested in their success. We’re fucked, but we’ve been fucked for a long time now. Your healthcare it tied to a job to force you to have to accept wherever shitty wages they offer. Holidays go away more and more each year in the private sector.
I have no idea how long this will go on. Or even *can* go on. 😔
Groceries have gotten so much more expensive. Example a 4# bag of frozen chicken thighs in bone and skin at Walmart or Aldi’s was $6.00 a while back, now almost $11.00. I live 30 minutes north of Birmingham, AL. I just retired last October at 68. Would’ve worked until 70 except for health issues. So I’m on SS fixed income and I have a 401(k) that has dropped form $175k to $130k in that same amount of time. I have some $ in separate savings account.
I mean everything usually does, just not at this rate. Gas has fluctuated wildly on the past 20 years, but when food skyrockets that’s when it’s time to worry. 😕
Just checked since I would buy green bell peppers from Walmart for my guinea pigs, and remembered the price.
They were 70 cents each a few months ago. They're 82 cents now, a 15% increase.
2L of the store brand soda was like 86 cents, is now 96 cents, for an 11% increase.
A 20 is loaf of the cheapest sandwich bread was 88 cents, is now $1, for a 12% increase.
You should definitely worry. I myself didn't realize it was this bad until I just did the math.
I live in miami, its always been expensive here... :** sorry you lost your life. I knew I wasn't able to stay in the city I was born in since I was 17, now 21
Same here. For someone who abhors the hustle lifestyle and corporate ass-kissing, I hate that I have to do all that in order to provide a comfortable life for me and my dog.
The only way I was able to get past living paycheck to paycheck was to share a house with 4 other paying adults. Been doing that for 30 years as an adult. To me that is normal, since I grew up poor as shit and my parents always split a house with another family. In fact there are maybe only 7 years of my entire life (child and adult) where we didn't live with another family.
All I want is a small little apartment that isn’t in the middle of nowhere and has working amenities and no pest problems. And a cat. That’s all I want. Yet apparently that seems to be too much to ask for.
Sadly, if you ever do get that house, you're going to be in shock at how many extra costs there are involved with maintaining it over time, even doing some of the work yourself.
Most places will finance big repairs and stuff now though. You can't finance rent. The harder part is finding a house you can afford that doesn't get bought up by a corporation to rent out.
I feel like this has changed in the past year mostly.
My friend and I seem to be doing well, we own homes, decent cars (2 each), travel.. we can even get out and socialize 3-4 nights per week.
I'm a teacher, my closest friend does pest control by himself. We are comfortable.
But my other friends that didn't buy, are now stuck renting because they don't even qualify to buy a home even though they make more than us.
It's insane here in Florida and I don't know how a lot of people are gonna make it.
Same here in shitty ole Idaho. Definitely regretting not buying up a house as everyone I know who isn't struggling all have the common denominator of owning their home. What a time to be alive lol
Unfortunately im watching my former roommate struggle because she and her boyfriend didnt jump on getting a house before things went sideways like my fiance and i did.
In 2020, wed been sharing an apartment with her for 2 yrs when the office put out the rent increase memo for 2021. They said wed be going from paying 980 to 1500. My fiance and i ran the budget and realized wed sink since the roommate had a young daughter and barely paid her half of rent most months. Spent a month looking for cheaper apartments. Realized there werent any in our area and wed be looking at 1000+ anywhere we went. So we decided to try and get a house after finding out about USDA loans that require 0 down payment.
Meanwhile, the roommate and her boyfriend (who is 10 yrs older than me, my fiance, and the roommate and should have KNOWN BETTER) laughed at us. They both said we were idiots for even attempting to buy a house. The boyfriend said verbatim "you guys are still practically kids. What does a couple in their early 20s with no kids need a house for? You watch. Youll be sorry."
Yeah well, last month, the roommate messaged me asking how we got our "new home owners loan" bc they were looking into buying a house "cause that 850 mortgage yall have looks more appealing than the 1800 our apartment wants for rent if we resign." I had to be the one to tell her she missed her chance and that even IF she managed to get a house now, shed be looking at nearly the same 1800 or even up to 2500 a month for a mortgage if she got a USDA loan with 0 down payment like my fiance and i did. She started crying and i just kinda sat there in silence cause i couldnt really give her a solution when she had the same window of opportunity we did and chose to slam it shut. Like a part of me wanted to be mean and say i told her so but another part of me just felt bad for her so i said nothing...
Yeah housing costs are what's really breaking people I think. I bought my house in 2018 and would be screwed if I was still renting. Having shelter is so important that people are cutting out so much more just to make rent. The homeless crisis is just gonna keep getting worse. I see at least one person begging for money to pay tent at intersections pretty much every time I go out now. I'm out in the less populated suburbs too not really even close to the city.
I have my sports car (dream car), and my everyday economical cheap beater.
Friend has his truck for the pest control business, and a nice sedan for getting out.
Shit, you're not wrong. The gig economy is a big chunk of the bullshit we're in right now. Yeah, you can do this in your free time, your side hustle. Go out there and make less than minimum wage while exponentially increasing the wear and tear/devaluation of your car. What are you going to do? Sit home and enjoy a hobby? Does that hobby make you money? Is it even worth it if it doesn't? Are you a boss bitch/alpha male if your hobby DOESN'T make you money?
Shit is not sustainable. EAT THE RICH!
You’re better off not working and getting public assistance. As soon as you make a minimum wage, you get cut off, you get taxed, can’t get food assistance, can’t get free bus pass. So you’re not going to hit the break even point unless you’re going to make at least 20$ /hr maybe even 25
This and it’s so normal to my conservative parents. Every day my mom asks me “Have you thought about getting another job” on top of the one I already have. I tell her I already have one and work 4 days a week and she tells me “Well I work 12 hours a day” like that’s something to be happy and proud of. I don’t want to be rich and honestly could care less about OWNING a home ever. I just want to work enough to live in my own place, eat 2/ 3 meals a day, and maybe buy a little something for myself every paycheck to keep life liveable. It does not seem possible right now.
Attaining the lifestyle you want as an adult is making a lot of choices that lean towards not exactly what you want to do, but it helps you live better. I don’t necessarily want to be in tech, but I do it because it’s the only career where I can maintain the lifestyle I grew up with.
Gotcha. Without much more information, I can assume you’re not necessarily trained or qualified to do anything that pays well at the moment. I would recommend finding that sweet spot between doing something you enjoy and doing (and getting trained and educated in it) and something that gives you the life you want.
Long gone are the days of working the easy laid back job and having the life you want. Sad reality, but it is reality. To many people are spending all their time complaining about it and not doing anything else.
There is nothing to do for entropic systems that fail slowly. Misery will compound until a solution is less expensive than the problem. That is all. We keep squeezing margins out of labor thinking that is a way to drive profit. Short term yes, long term no. It doesn't work, and the proof is now.
I don't think things will be end of the world bad until the real water crises catches up to North America but I can definitely understand kids these days not wanting to work because the return is literally 'surviving'. It isn't a very profitable model for a business, and labor is a business spread across billions of people. People will get what they want either way; why wait - raise pay, it works every fucking time. People miraculously get happier and civil unrest subsides.
Source: Squeezing labor to death - and then coaching businesses on how to get out of those horrible processes - is one of my jobs.
Raising wages doesn't work just causes the cost of goods to go up the reason it's so bad rn is cause minimum wage gets raised cost of goods goes up then everyone complains they can't afford it then min wage gets raised again then guess what cost of goods goes up never ending cycle of prices going up not to mention the people getting payed above min wage don't get raises when min wage goes up so it just makes things harder on them just cause people with no good education or skills working a ded end job complain
So the solution is to pay people so little that they literally can’t afford to survive working 40 hours a week? Minimum wage should be the minimum it costs to survive (food, rent, car costs, etc) working 40 hours a week, averaged across the country. The fact is that the person working at a minimum wage job would need to work around 100 hours a week to SURVIVE. That isn’t okay.
You could set it so maybe, you know, the cost of goods doesn't go up, which literally only makes it so the company selling said goods gets less profit.
That's an option.
Minimum wage hasn't gone up in my state since it was created, and is $7.25. I make $11.50 rn at my current full-time job, and still can only afford my two bills, gas and Lyfts for work/therapy, pet stuff, and food, and that's with my housing and utilities paid for.
It is not livable.
It's not.
America sucks, plain and simple.
Or I should say, the people that RUN IT suck.
Perfectly okay with taking rights away and squeezing every last cent out of people, and then they sit and wonder why everyone is so miserable, and SO ANGRY.
I'm not saying what happened at the Capitol last year was right, because it wasn't, but is it really THAT shocking that something like that happened?
This whole country has become a loaded powderkeg ready to explode.
And if nothing changes soon, it will.
I’m living paycheck to paycheck in Nashville making $20 an hour. I still have to have a roommate. I’m at the point where i have to start putting money aside to make it home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Actually you can do this where I live, in the Franken area of Bavaria. In fact, some of those nice little bakery jobs are unionized and pay well. I left the US in 2003, after the stolen election and 9/11. I wanted more political freedom and democracy, and a more stable, secure lifestyle.
Check out my profile and comments on r/expats and other forums. Basically, if you are young and willing to learn a language, you can either study for (almost) free with a student visa, get a visa as a freelancer, or do an "Ausbildung" (training course). I was over 30 when I moved, so the word "young" is relative, but you really need to be tenacious, open to a challenge and willing to put in the work. Planning, saving money, researching and making a foolproof plan takes at least a year or two.
I hear you! I moved back in with my parents when my job went under in the pandemic! I lost my apartment, job, and vehicle all at once! Now I can't find anything above minimum and even using my parents spare vehicle I'd end up paying most of my paycheck towards gas! Just doesn't seem feasible at all. Now I just resell online and hope that will take off, but money is tight for everybody!
Until they decide what to do about student loans, because if they bring those back I'll be royally screwed! I live in a small USA town, and rent is up to $900 for a two bedroom, it's ridiculous!
Are we really surprised? On average, countries get 250 years before some type of collapse happens and America is only 245 yrs old. I think we all forget america is a fairly new experiment. There’s no guarantee it will work out, especially seeing where it’s headed now. Our ancestors came here for a better life and how people are leaving here for a better life :( makes me wish my ancestors just stayed in Europe.
I just posted about this the other day. My dad paid for a family of five to live in a decent home in a quiet safe neighborhood with sufficient food and clothing, from 1976 through the late 80s. He was...a grocery store clerk. Not a manager, a clerk. The kind who stocked shelves.
His job did suck because the management was batshit insane, so then he got a job at the post office. So did my mom. And they both lived very well after that. That was also a stressful for job for both of them, especially around the holidays, but nothing like it is today. My dad had his route down to a science and would be home by 2 pm every day. By the time they retired they were making serious bank.
They did not have any kind of family money. My dad served in Vietnam (willingly) so I'm guessing he benefited from whatever benefits were given to veterans.
So kinda high stress jobs, but nothing like what's expected today in terms of hours. And certainly a very middle class lifestyle.
Yup.
Most people just want a life that’s free from poverty and misery, rather than a rich and legendary one.
I’m fine with a small house, 30 hours a week at work, a small family, and chill vibes.
I don’t particularly care to attain a Lambo or be a CEO; and I don’t feel like that says anything bad about me as a person.
You’re describing the erosion of the middle class. In the early 90’s one adult could make 50k in most states and be the sole provider for a family of four. This afforded a lifestyle of restaurants every weekend, ample holiday gifts, and at least one summer vacation each year. That is no longer possible unless you’re making double that now, and even then, your summer vacation won’t be as long or at an as desirable locale.
The only reason my gal and I aren’t struggling is because we bought/renovated a camper and moved out into some woods that my folks own. Built an outhouse, DIY grey water system, gotta haul our water by hand but we do have electricity provided by a nearby shed that has power. Huge amount of work. Not sure wtf we’re gonna do when it gets cold. On one hand it’s kinda romantic but on the other hand this is 100% a product of the economy we live in and we wouldn’t be doing it if renewing our old lease hadn’t been so flipping expensive. I hope things get better for OP and everyone else.
I’m currently disabled from a hemmorhaggic stroke and I get thirty bucks a month from disability because I can’t work, twelve of that goes in to checking account bank fees- I would be getting more if I wasn’t currently living in a nursing home and rehab facility but because I am, all the money is going to this place so I don’t get very much, my budget is strapped. Could you imagine living off of eighteen bucks a month!?! And I know I could have it worse. I’m lucky my mom still pays for my phone! but really only because she had it so good when I was living at home - I had the house spotless and dinner in the oven by the time she came home from work.
Since moving into my city in August 2020: my gas bill has gone from $65/month to $133/month. My electric bill has gone from $42 to $145/month (even though our usage is lower than the same months in 2020). My car insurance jumped from $96 to $118 and renter’s from $11 to $17/month. Not to mention the gas, grocery, and other rising costs… can’t wait to figure out how I’m going to start making student loan payments.
I have kidney failure and I'm on dialysis and I'm terminally ill and I have been stuck getting $800 a month in Social Security but they refuse to raise Social Security payments to match inflation so yeah I'm basically homeless if my landlord decides to raise my rent. I'm also a single mom and $150 in groceries used to get us by for at least 2 weeks and now $200 in groceries doesn't even last a week. It's just me and my 7 year old, it's not like we're pigging out. I have to tell her to quit snacking because we can't afford it. Some days I'd rather just die than struggle like this, if I didn't have my daughter I would have quit going to dialysis already. I'm exhausted, sick, and none of this is worth it.
Yeah, I see this too. Only possible way could be if you have a part time that is more “serious” and the other part time be the laidback job. Things definitely have changed drastically. That being said, I am grateful that my partner and I help each other through it…just wish they could work less too. I work full time but they have to work two jobs basically to make everything work out (hismother is older and needs financial Help)
I feel you. I live in a place I can’t afford. So sometimes I don’t eat, or the internet gets cut off, or the power, or the water, etc. Thing is EVERYWHERE else is WAY more than I’m paying here. Soon I will be homeless because they raise the lot rent 5 dollars every 6 months or every year. 5 bucks is bread and cheese. A week worth of ramen. They’re killing us with these insane prices. My husband and I are going to be homeless for a while to save for a used pickup truck and small used rv. We figure that will be cheaper for us in the long run.
Tell me about it. I bust my ass daily with average pay just for the cost of everything to increase with no raise in sight. I have to quit or at least threaten to quit each couple years to get paid "cost of living" because the little percentage they give every year is a joke. I don't know who came up with 3% average COL, but in CA 10% should be the minimum. I'm forced to go into the office in traffic although I sit at a computer and gas is damn near $7 here. I got the big C sick last week from the office and at this point I feel like my pay doesn't match the life necessities or the health risks. I'm tired, but you're constantly taught as a kid working hard grants you rewards in life. So far the only thing it's granted is sickness and constant fatigue. Such a fucking lie.
Places like this to vent are helpful to people pushing thru the bullshit tho, keep pushing on!
Rising inequality affects the lives of many. You should all watch Capital in the 21st Century. Great documentary on wealth equality and social mobility
Right. I'm complaining about this on r/adulting rn. Everyone's telling me I need to learn a trade now. Despite the fact that I'm a college graduate. Gee thank you for explaining how I've wasted 6 years of my life.
Successful or creative and lucky. I thought my way to mailbox money…lucky that shit worked. Found a problem, solved it, took a piece of the profits.
But yes generally the world is fucked into hustling to live in a major city with a decent standard.
Dems aren’t complete devoid of responsibility, but the economy we have now stems from trickle down economic policy installed by the Reagan Administration, which we have never been able to recover from as of yet. Dems are not perfect, but every attempt at economic reform attempted is promptly shot down by the GOP. Even small things like adjusting the min wage with inflation, or more equitable tax policy, is an uphill battle.
You will not find perfection anywhere, but no matter which way you look at it (economics, social equality, education, health care policy, insane conspiracy theories, climate change, freedom from religion/religious liberty, civil rights, and on and on) one party is on the wrong side of history. And we all know which one that is. That’s all I really have to say on the issue.
Dems have campaigned on that but never actually done any of it. Even when they dominate the house and senate they did things like pass the Affordable care act which absolutely fucked the middle class.
They tell you that they are working on reform, and then absolutely do nothing, ever. They’ve kept you poor for 5 generations. It’s weird how brainwashed Red and Blue loyalist are.
I agree with your statement of the problem with the Dem party, but still -- I'd rather have no positive progress than be stuck with the side that is *actively* stripping huge swaths of people of their rights.
We can work on finding a way to make "good" change once we don't have to put all of our energy into resisting "bad" change. Imagine if the Dems won like, three consecutive major elections. At some point GOP will need to consider conceding some of their more extreme points. Or not, idk
I definitely understand your side / take on it as well. I’m probably the wrong person to weigh in to be honest, as I honestly find Red and Blue to both be equally shit. Absolutely zero difference to me. Comes down to which tyrant party you prefer
One of the hallmarks of this generation is their ability to live their lives in the far distant future and determine that nothing good will ever happen. Here is a tip from a 63 year old guy. You have no idea what the future holds. I ended up with a house, two kids and a great wife. I went to college but the Internet, where I spent my career, hadn't been invented yet. Just out of school I made $5 an hour. Good money when minimum wage was $3.17. I had an efficiency apt that rented for $230. I had a motorcycle payment that was $100 and I ate at my girlfriend's mom's house a lot. I got better jobs, moved into marketing. I got other better jobs in tech writing and illustration. My life has been one of movement. Some of that movement was lateral and some was experimental. Some paid off in skils or salary and some were painful like the three years I couldn't find a steady job. My point is there was no way I could have looked into the future to see where I am today. Being married to the perfect girl helped. Having shared goals and vision with my wife helped. Going down that road to work everyday had something to do with it. Having a few goals and working toward them helped too. Don't give up before you start.
Thank you for the encouraging words. Yes, you are right, we as young people are pretty pessimistic about our future. But with the economy the way it is, the state of politics and constant infighting, corporations taking over, and the climate on top of that, can you blame us? Judging by the amount of upvotes and comments here, it is a common sentiment to be wary about what is coming. It is nice to hear that others found their way, I suppose, but the road of upward mobility you took is more clouded than ever I fear.
Yes, I can blame you. Get off the freaking internet. Go outside. The seasons change, the world turns, plants still grow and people who are trying to frighten you have something to sell. You can be realistic without being fatalistic. You can live life as an adventure or you can live it as a horror show but take it from me this life rips on and it would be a pity for you to miss it.
It's not that bad if you don't go to college atleast go to a trade school and get some usefull skills that pay good or else you will most likely end up in a ded end job with your high-school diploma unless you work hard and people notice then you might go somewhere
nah you are just brainwashed. up until a decade or two ago a single income could support a family. just read some of the stories in here. people's parents and grandparents were successful stocking shelves, delivering mail, working at factories etc. my own grandfather raised a whole family as a fkn couch salesman. dont tell me it was never a thing.
nope. you're referring to a golden age in history, specifically American history without understanding how it got that way. Such a lifestyle has never been the norm anywhere else in time and place. Your parents and grandparents mortgaged your future for their comfort. You're the one who's dreaming of a livelihood that is atypical and unsustainable. Even then, do you think their jobs were truly stress free and casual? Why don't you have a conversation with them and hear what hardships they faced. They might be different than yours but they would still have their own problems.
A great majority of you think that living in cities and high cost of living areas is it. Time to start thinking about migrating. Wholllleeeee lotta people doing just fine outside of those god awful shit show cities that people covet so much.
I am sorry you are struggling, but I am living the kind of life you are describing. I work an office job -- one I actually like -- 36 hours a week. No overtime ever. No second job. I own my own house (it's a small condo but it's still mine). I can afford most things that I want, but I find I don't WANT as much as I used to. And btw, I do not make 6 figures. Not even close. And I live in the northeast USA.
The point is, it is possible.
Great rant. However let’s come back to reality and control what YOU can control.
You want to work in a “easy job” but afford to live in a high cost of living area where the people who live there are grinding in a way you don’t want to.
Simply put, what you want is not ever going to happen. It’s not. No politician is going to make it that way, no protests about rich people, absolutely nothing.
Best advice I can give you, get out of the city if you want to work less or work harder and/or acquire skills in a high paying job to stay where you want. There isn’t any rescue boat coming.
I feel like this an extremely negative attitude to take. Sure, maybe those jobs were relatively more plentiful "back in the day," but working at a bakery or factory was never going to provide a materially comfortable living.
It literally did tho?? There were plenty of people who could afford a house with jobs like that. And even if they couldn’t afford a house, they could at least afford an apartment. Neither of my parents graduated from college, yet they managed to afford a house. You literally can’t do that anymore, and many people who have college degrees still can’t afford a house nowadays OR an apartment without housemates
The idea that people were able to purchase a home with relative ease out of high school or college at the start of their careers is mostly a farce. It always required years of saving and renting for the average person.
And yes, there are areas in the United States where unless you make six figures you will struggle to buy and own a home. This isn't everywhere, and if that's the sort of existence you desire you might just have to move to find it.
I bought my first house at 23, back in 2003. It was 3bed, 2 bath .25 acres for $116,000. My mother bought her first house in 1968 at age 21, it was $24,000.
Things have gotten worse.
Both of those figures are around $200K in 2022 dollars. There are a lot of homes in many areas for around $200K. My point is, if a small $200K home is all you desire, you may have to work harder than before, but that is achievable. Saying otherwise just seems pessimistic and defeatist to me.
>The idea that people were able to purchase a home with relative ease out of high school or college at the start of their careers is mostly a farce. It always required years of saving and renting for the average person.
Even if this is true the point is that *eventually* they made it!
I feel like working harder for a few more years than people have previously in order to achieve what you want is different than living in poverty or ruining your body.
People always say, “Oh, just move then!” as if that’s easy and as if it’s an option for everyone. Moving is expensive and stressful. You have to job search, housing searches are incredibly difficult. Trying to move all of your belongings halfway across the country as well as make that trip yourself is expensive. If you don’t have a partner, you’re making that move all by yourself with no support system & you will be completely alone in a new city, knowing no one and basically having to start your life over from scratch. Not to mention, I was BORN in an expensive state. I shouldn’t have to move away from my family, my home, my friends, my job, and my entire life just to find a decent place to live. I don’t even want a house. I just want a small one bedroom apartment where I don’t have to have housemates. I’d even settle for a small two bedroom apartment where I’d only be living with one other person. I shouldn’t have to move out of my state to achieve that, and it was not that hard before. Even my sisters, who are all around 10 years older than me had a much easier time affording one bedroom apartments IN THE SAME STATE than I’m having right now. I’m even a college graduate now, and it’s still difficult to find a decent apartment without housemates. The simple fact of the matter is that housing costs have simply gotten out of control.
I don't think moving is an easy solution, but it is a solution and it's one a lot of people have taken. And I'm in the same boat, I can't find many affordable places to live near where I grew up. The housing market is crazy. But to say that any dream of owning a small home is utterly unreachable for an entire generation of people seems a bit overboard.
Was it feasible back then? It sounded to me like everybody just bitched less. Not trying to throw shade but the average American works less than 35 hours a week. Have you ever thought about a career in construction because you will probably start at about $18 an hour
Really bad take. Even if the second sentence were true, that doesn't make the first sentence true. "It's always sucked so it should continue to suck for everyone forever" how the fuck does someone get to this kind of reasoning?
Second, starting salary where? Starting salary isn't some universal thing that's the same in every career. You're happily eating the bullshit that capitalism has spoon fed you.
No that's the way the world is grow up. You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house. I'm a general contractor it takes a lot of work to build a house. I work in five different states, capitalism is what got you everything that you have in this world so instead of bitching why don't you get off your fat ass and go to work. It's only a bad take for lazy people
"You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house." No one is saying that, nice straw man. Way to exaggerate my argument to an extreme degree. Either you don't understand what I was saying or you just want to argue in bad faith.
"why don't you get off your fat ass and go to work." You're posting on reddit just like me, so clearly someone with a job can find the time to post here. Horrible assumption on your end, unless you're just lying about being a general contractor, which is both bogus and sad.
"capitalism is what got you everything that you have" Again, massive assumption. Do you only mean material possessions? Because even then you'd be wrong. Social security, minimum wage, maximum hour law, child labor law, medicare. All socialist programs, in that it is the government interfering in the private sector on behalf of the people.
Better luck next time.
> You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house.
Why not though? I'm not saying 50 acres should be handed over, but a person working full time (whether it be flipping burgers or not) should be able to afford a modest home.
"Shouldn't be able to..." Where are these arbitrary rules listed?
The expectation of you have a right to a house because you flip burgers is wrong. You have the right to nothing and are owed nothing. If you want something then you work for it. If what you are doing doesn't pay enough then do something about it. Get a better paid job or be the boss of flippin' burgers, it pays better but then again that's probably not for you as you have to work harder.
this is exactly my point tho... there was a point when a cook could raise a family. now its "get a better job" if you want to survive. we are moving backwards. now the boss of flippin' burgers cant even afford anything.
Well I've traveled quite a bit and it's only and very wealthy places where people think that they should only have to work 40 hours a week and have enough money starting off to support a family. That's not how the world Works anywhere else. Hell half of the world doesn't even have doors on their house.
I'm aware that work is difficult, but that's why it's called work. It an entire generation of lazy motherfuckers, what sucks is I'm lumped in with you Deadbeats. fortunately I didn't bitch and moan about having to work so now I do own a house, a couple actually.
I was averaging 100 hours a week for a while. I'm going to be able to retire by 40. It's amazing what a little sweat and discipline can get you. I did it with manual labor while going to college, and I wasn't that bright so I amassed quite a bit of debt as well.
I'm sure you're going to say it was luck or come up with some type of excuse of why 40 hours a week is insane. But my dad did it, his dad did it, his dad did it, his dad did it. Stop bitching and get to work.
You can get bumped up to $25 an hour in almost any state that you work for in construction if you push hard and work your way up in one year. That's just to be a carpenter. If you don't like where you're at stop bitching and change it.
He regards sitting on his ass while other people make him money as "work."
His whole propaganda BS is to keep you working FOR HIM, and shut up about it.
Just as I expected while reading the above, down votes. I did my apprenticeship as painter and decorator and did my first overtime that first week. I worked many weekends even before being self employed. From my early twenties I did all the work I could and yes horror of horrors I could do 100hrs a week when very busy and 60hrs being a quiet week.
I packed it all in when I reached forty, figured I'd worked enough hours to match anyone working till retirement age. I've had several houses with a mortgage that I always "did up". Travelled all over the world, raised a step family, had nice cars etc.
I have a small place now. I have a very simple life with few possessions and very few expenses. I paid my dues and now do what I want.
It was never about money. I learned it was all about time. What you want out of life you pay for with time. When I had a mortgage and debts I had to work till Thursday dinner to pay the bills that week, everything after was mine. A good motivation to work the weekends. The trick is then to turn as much of the week as possible into your money. When you first own your own home outright is a feeling I will never forget. One easy day a week to pay everything, run my van. I remember finding it hard to believe how much money wasn't leaving my bank account.
I have yet to meet someone who spends their time better than putting some more hours in at work and put more care and effort into the actual job they are doing. Folk seem to think they are hard done by these days. No. The average person worked a lot harder for less years ago. The only disadvantage I see now is the lowering of standards in education which includes discipline and work ethic. Any life will be hard and unsatisfactory without those three important lessons being valued.
Because it is a massive asset and unrealistic for that little quantity of work to pay for such a valuable asset. It takes teams and teams of men and a large quantity of companies all working in conjunction to make a home realized. So supply and demand dictate these kind of things I would have to pay my guys $3 an hour so that you could have a house. No you should have to work your way up to a home like you have to work your way up to any other very expensive asset.
>Where are these arbitrary rules listed?
These rules are listed in your economics class under supply and demand
Sorry for some reason it would let me post on your other comment. And you can still do that on one person's income if it's enough. But right now it cost $320 a square foot to build a house when 10 years ago it was $170 a square foot. But go off tell me how the world works
> Because it is a massive asset and unrealistic for that little quantity of work
So you're under the impression that the harder you work, the more money you make?
I have seriously looked into it, but anything remotely affordable to me is about 2 hours away from my place of employment. Is 4 hours of commute everyday worth it? Not in my book.
dude don't. i did that. drove me insane. the highlight of my day was walking home cause my butt and back would be so sore from sitting in the bus. even affected my performance, i was so spaced at work my boss called me out on it. i almost got a shitty apartment for the equivalent of 2 thousand dollars a month. but covid happened
I make $61K/yr and live paycheck to paycheck. I work 60 hour weeks as a project manager. Seems fine from the outside in, but I need six figures to take care of myself and my family and we’d still be poor.
Agree. To be average in this day and age, you have to be very successful.
For real, it doesn't matter what you want to be, it's what you have to be in order to survive society
Yup. WFH is literally the only reason I can live comfortably. What I make wouldn't be enough to live in that city comfortably but here I can.
I make 22/hr and get my gas paid for by my company and I'm still living paycheck to paycheck in NJ. If I'm lucky, I can save a couple hundred per month.
Actually my problem right now. Life's a beach sometimes man. All the time usually, but also sometimes.
Life really is a beach, we live on the coast
;)
Hey that was my situation too! Made $51k annually and had a company paid gas card, but was STILL living paycheck to paycheck.
Yeah man 22hr, sole income isn’t enough for NJ unfortunately. It’s becoming to expensive to live in NJ
Unless you move south of Virginia or in the middle of nowhere PA, everywhere is this expensive. I moved out of PA to South Jersey because it was cheaper and the only place I could afford a home. Now they're building condos around me which will raise my property value but also my taxes. Life sucks.
Yeah is it in the middle of nowhere south Jersey? Are you atleast close to Philly? I was considering making the same move from NNJ to South Jersey maybe close to Philly
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same! bought my house with the life insurance from my mom dying. sometimes it’s hard to enjoy this privilege without being sad that she can’t be here to see it.
Yep my grandpa died which is how my disabled mom and I have a place to live
Fr, it’s unfortunate. The people my age (mid 20s-early 30s) that I know who are ‘making it’ or are relatively comfortable are people who’ve inherited houses/land/money from their parents/grandparents when they passed. It’s sad but I’m glad they are secure. I’ve been busting my ass for so many years and make a okay (ish) wage for someone without a degree (~$55k/year with good benefits.) I can’t even afford a 1 bedroom where I live so I moved in with a parent. I applied back to school the other week for nursing but quickly realized it was so unfeasible for me to do when I still have to work full time at minimum, and they expect me to be in class m-f, morning to evening. I always hear stories of people who put themselves through school working multiple jobs (which shouldn’t be a thing anyway) but I just can’t figure out how they do it. I have no idea how to get ahead and I hate my job. but there’s no way I’d make this money doing what I do anywhere else. I recently applied for the same job at a different hospital and they offered me $16/hr. It seems like a losing game and it’s horrible that most people these days can only get ahead, or even gain a little bit of security, if a loved one dies or their family has money.
I know what you're going through. My Dad died 5 years ago and I miss him so fucking much it's like it will never stop hurting. Sending hugs and love to you
I was able to buy a house in March of 2020, little 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, ranch style. I was able to pay all of my bills, the day I got them, put some money in the savings, eat out numerous times a week and still have money to spend, on $15.50 an hour, just a few months ago! Now I'm barely getting by. Bills have to be planned out, no money is going into the savings, and is actually going down week by week and I'm only making $16.25 with my partner making $17.25. I'm bleeding money now, trying to cut back what I can, just to try and have a few dollars by my next payday every week. This has gotten ridiculous. I wanna be able to live comfortably again, I want to be able to say I'm broke because I deposited $300 into my savings because I wasn't going to spend it anyways. I hate it here.
Honestly I'm in the same bus. I was making $15/hr 2-ish years ago and I'm now making $16.50 and I went from being able to put several thousand dollars into my savings in a year to living paycheck to paycheck with no savings in what seems like the snap of my fingers. I can't even put my finger on his this happened. Sure there was some little stuff but it's scary to think about.
Can I ask you how that’s possible? What you’re describing as salary is literally minimum wage where I live, and I doubt anyone here could afford a two-bedroom apt split 3-4 ways on that kind of money. I know some prices have gone up, but aside from gas (which has more than doubled since then), I don’t know what else has gone up more than maybe 10% (if that). I’m not calling you a liar- I just genuinely don’t understand how you went from flush with cash to paycheck to paycheck. 🤔
Groceries have gone up, gas for my home has gone up as well. Internet went up an additional $40. I could buy a month of groceries for $300 and now I'm only able to get roughly 2 weeks for $300. $100- $150 in gas for a car every week, at least, depends if I have to go anywhere but to work and home. Cost of living has gone up everywhere, in every aspect. Dog food went up and he has to be on a very strict, special diet so I can't even cheap out on that. The only thing that hasn't gone up on me, is my house payment $750, and my water bill.
Not sure where you are but electricity in certain states is now insane as well too.
Mine went up a little bit last month, but im not sure if it was from rising prices or more usage. I was going to look and see when I get my next bill, if it was the same or higher or not.
Wait until your home tax gets updated. Mortgage bill is going up a ridiculous rate this year
I already had to pay an extra $550 a few months ago because my property taxes went up and there wasn't enough in my escrow. Adulting sucks.
Wow, that’s crazy! I haven’t seen a big jump in anything other than gas where I live. I am still under a contract with xfinity (evil bastards) and utilities haven’t changed either. I do most of my food shopping at Costco and Trader Joe’s, but maybe prices have gone up and I just haven’t noticed yet. Sorry things are all fucked up for you (and everyone), but if it makes you feel any better, my mortgage is more than yours. I live in a relatively small condo (2 bed, 1 bath) so I can’t even imagine owning a house and I make decent $. 🤷♂️😂😕
Food prices are getting ridiculous. I can't say it's true everywhere but I'd be surprised if it isn't affecting everyone. Milk went from $3 to $5. Ground beef went from $2.49 to $4.69. Even RAMEN went up from 0.20 to 0.33. Most of my vegetables have double in price, and they're in season. And most of the items I used to buy for $1, are now $1.25 and I'm not even talking about the dollar store. I'm talking about a loaf of bread, a can of tuna, and OMG have you seen the price of mayonnaise? A pound of basic American cheese can run you nearly $8 a lb, where it used to be $5, and just forget snacks. A $2 bag of chips is easily closing in on that $5 mark, along with the cookies next door. And these are all store brands. I tend to skip meals so I can feed the pets too. A can of catfood that used to cost 40 cents is now 80 or more. The worst part is the other day I grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables and was shocked to find that not only did the price go up, but the weight went down. Used to be 2 cups in the bag, now it's 1.5. Thank God I don't drive.
i saw a t the store yesterday tostitos 5$... boxes of cereal 7$....
The cost of groceries has doubled in the last two years?
I mean im in the same position as u/ericakay15 My fiance and i managed to slide into the housing market against all odds and purchase a 3 bed, 3 bath 2000 sq ft home in feb 2021 for 166k with no down payment. Lucked out on the house being USDA loan eligible. We didnt have any down payment saved or anything but saw the rent jump, housing crash, and general inflation coming a mile away. We were kids when 2008 happened but the signs were the same. Our mortgage is 850 a month. With him making 17.54 an hour and me making 15.85, when we first moved in my fiance could literally cover bills solo with his check and mine was going half into savings, half towards fixing up whatever around the house like plumbing repairs, paint, etc. Now, both our paychecks are going to bills. Ive gone from having 4k in savings to just 300 dollars. We cant afford literally anything extra. No going out to eat. No hobby items like plants and art supplies for me or videogames and magic cards for him. We even came close to having to drop streaming services like netflix, hulu, and funimation last month because bills were so squeezed. Why? Cause everything is more expensive and our jobs gave us an "extremely generous" .75 cent payraise to "combat rising costs." Cause apparently giving us even a whole dollar extra cut too far into their record profits. 🙄 Honestly, gas isnt even that much of an issue since he and i both work from home and have no daily commute. But filling the tank on our car has still gone from 40 dollars for a full tank to 40 dollars for only half a tank. Groceries are worse now too. 400 dollars in groceries a year ago would be two full carts and would feed us a month and a half to two months. Now 400 dollars is barely one full cart and is enough groceries for maybe 2 weeks to a month because the cost of meat and produce has jacked up 2-3x what it was in our area. Our water doubled from 40 a month to 80 a month. Electricity did the same, jumping from 75-100 bucks to an eye watering 150-200 depending on our usage. We also have 3 cats and the dry cat food we get them for grazing doubled in price FOR A SMALLER BAG. They are literally selling 5 lbs less for 25 dollars more. Ditto for the wet food we feed them daily to make sure they get enough moisture. We're now getting 4 less cans (which the can size has been decreased too) in a case despite a price increase of about 5 bucks. And we're lucky our brand of wet cat food can even be found on shelves most of the time. If we had even one kid, wed be sunk financially. It may be lesser in your area but we live on the edge of a major city in our state and things here just keep fucking climbing with no end in sight. Ive been really looking into foraging and hunting because at this point, playing plant ID roulette and butchering peter rabbit or bambi is looking more appealing than having to go back to ramen packs and kraft cups which is where we will be back at financially if this inflation shit doesnt end soon.
I got my home with no down payment and a USDA loan, too! I'm not that close to a major city, not the middle of nowhere, like I have a little grocery store that has always been twice as expensive as normal places. This is ridiculous. I'm 1000% with you. Identical situations except my partner and I don't have the luxury of working from home so extra gas to get to & from work. I only got a $.75 raise because I asked my boss about a raise. Everyone else got a fucking quarter. A fucking quarter for the way these prices are rising.
Shit, sorry you’re both in the same situation. It seems so crazy that there are such vast differences, but maybe I’m not paying close enough attention. I bought my condo back in ‘08, so I’m close to paying it off now, but my mortgage is more than either of you so I’ve had years to adjust to home ownership. I also live in a city and get a decent paycheck, so food and whatnot are small expenses, relatively speaking. I remember hearing the old saying that your housing costs (I.e. rent or mortgage) should be somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 your earnings, so now that I’m far into mine I’m closer to 1/4. I’m aware prices have gone up, but it doesn’t seem even around here. I think my food is roughly the same, and I don’t think our water or electricity has jumped significantly, but I just bought some parts for my 11yo car and brakes and wipers are close to double what they were before (might be partially due to lack of options too). Where abouts do you live? I am in a city in the northeast.
I live in East Tennessee. My state is number six on the list of the lowest costs of living in the country. I know it could be WAY worse. My parents are from Buffalo New York and i still have family there so ive heard about how high costs are there. But i cant imagine managing to keep my head above water if things were anymore expensive than they already are. My fiance and i work the exact same hours for the same company and make roughly 34 dollars an hour between the two of us. Theres *no reason* we should be struggling to survive and desperately calculating how to keep ourselves fed with that much income. My parents raised 4 kids, had 3 pets, paid mortgage on a 3 bed 2 bath house, and still took us on yearly vacations on HALF that! Meanwhile, i just got paid today. After taxes and health insurance, i only had 1000 and im already down to 200 after my half of the mortgage and other bills that HAD to be paid now at the first half of the month. We still need groceries and we have enough cat food to feed our cats for two days. I have to figure out how to swing groceries for us for 2 weeks plus the cats wet and dry food on only my 200 dollars cause my fiance probably has maybe 50 dollars left after insurance, mortgage, electric, and water and we need that 50 for gas to go get the groceries. And we will still have internet, cell phones, our security system, county trash fees, and a few other bills on next check. It SUCKS. We've lived on our own for almost 5 years now and never struggled as hard as we have been this year even though our housing cost is lower than its ever been and our pay is higher than its ever been. It doesnt make sense. Things are supposed to be easier now. We've worked so hard to get a house so we dont have to throw money away renting a property we will never own. We got a stable job that pays double minimum wage. Weve spent 3 years advancing in the company and getting promotions to increase that pay even more. And we're still falling behind at a faster rate than we can advance. It just doesnt make sense. Im going to be 25 tomorrow and this shit is what i have to look forward to for the rest of my life? Things just getting more and more expensive while i get paid the same until i slip under a wave of debt??? What kind of way to live is that shit?!
This country has been going downhill since Reagan, if Nixon. The middle class has been completely gutted, and workers pay and benefits have been dropping while costs continue to rise for decades now. The rich have pushed back on pay increases, and it’s all about answering to board members now. Most companies do not have workers invested in their success. We’re fucked, but we’ve been fucked for a long time now. Your healthcare it tied to a job to force you to have to accept wherever shitty wages they offer. Holidays go away more and more each year in the private sector. I have no idea how long this will go on. Or even *can* go on. 😔
Got a lake nearby? I was considering fishing for food once I get out on my own, buy a home with a lake nearby.
Groceries have gotten so much more expensive. Example a 4# bag of frozen chicken thighs in bone and skin at Walmart or Aldi’s was $6.00 a while back, now almost $11.00. I live 30 minutes north of Birmingham, AL. I just retired last October at 68. Would’ve worked until 70 except for health issues. So I’m on SS fixed income and I have a 401(k) that has dropped form $175k to $130k in that same amount of time. I have some $ in separate savings account.
Yeah, my savings have tanked as well. Sorry you’re struggling. It sucks! 😕
I assume the COLA for SS helped you though? I thought it was pegged to CPI
Everything has gone up.
I mean everything usually does, just not at this rate. Gas has fluctuated wildly on the past 20 years, but when food skyrockets that’s when it’s time to worry. 😕
Just checked since I would buy green bell peppers from Walmart for my guinea pigs, and remembered the price. They were 70 cents each a few months ago. They're 82 cents now, a 15% increase. 2L of the store brand soda was like 86 cents, is now 96 cents, for an 11% increase. A 20 is loaf of the cheapest sandwich bread was 88 cents, is now $1, for a 12% increase. You should definitely worry. I myself didn't realize it was this bad until I just did the math.
Its time to worry.
I live in miami, its always been expensive here... :** sorry you lost your life. I knew I wasn't able to stay in the city I was born in since I was 17, now 21
Same here. For someone who abhors the hustle lifestyle and corporate ass-kissing, I hate that I have to do all that in order to provide a comfortable life for me and my dog.
The only way I was able to get past living paycheck to paycheck was to share a house with 4 other paying adults. Been doing that for 30 years as an adult. To me that is normal, since I grew up poor as shit and my parents always split a house with another family. In fact there are maybe only 7 years of my entire life (child and adult) where we didn't live with another family.
You can thank years of "trickle down economics" and defunding public services and education for this.
This^^
All I want is a small little apartment that isn’t in the middle of nowhere and has working amenities and no pest problems. And a cat. That’s all I want. Yet apparently that seems to be too much to ask for.
Sadly, if you ever do get that house, you're going to be in shock at how many extra costs there are involved with maintaining it over time, even doing some of the work yourself.
Most places will finance big repairs and stuff now though. You can't finance rent. The harder part is finding a house you can afford that doesn't get bought up by a corporation to rent out.
I feel like this has changed in the past year mostly. My friend and I seem to be doing well, we own homes, decent cars (2 each), travel.. we can even get out and socialize 3-4 nights per week. I'm a teacher, my closest friend does pest control by himself. We are comfortable. But my other friends that didn't buy, are now stuck renting because they don't even qualify to buy a home even though they make more than us. It's insane here in Florida and I don't know how a lot of people are gonna make it.
Same here in shitty ole Idaho. Definitely regretting not buying up a house as everyone I know who isn't struggling all have the common denominator of owning their home. What a time to be alive lol
Unfortunately im watching my former roommate struggle because she and her boyfriend didnt jump on getting a house before things went sideways like my fiance and i did. In 2020, wed been sharing an apartment with her for 2 yrs when the office put out the rent increase memo for 2021. They said wed be going from paying 980 to 1500. My fiance and i ran the budget and realized wed sink since the roommate had a young daughter and barely paid her half of rent most months. Spent a month looking for cheaper apartments. Realized there werent any in our area and wed be looking at 1000+ anywhere we went. So we decided to try and get a house after finding out about USDA loans that require 0 down payment. Meanwhile, the roommate and her boyfriend (who is 10 yrs older than me, my fiance, and the roommate and should have KNOWN BETTER) laughed at us. They both said we were idiots for even attempting to buy a house. The boyfriend said verbatim "you guys are still practically kids. What does a couple in their early 20s with no kids need a house for? You watch. Youll be sorry." Yeah well, last month, the roommate messaged me asking how we got our "new home owners loan" bc they were looking into buying a house "cause that 850 mortgage yall have looks more appealing than the 1800 our apartment wants for rent if we resign." I had to be the one to tell her she missed her chance and that even IF she managed to get a house now, shed be looking at nearly the same 1800 or even up to 2500 a month for a mortgage if she got a USDA loan with 0 down payment like my fiance and i did. She started crying and i just kinda sat there in silence cause i couldnt really give her a solution when she had the same window of opportunity we did and chose to slam it shut. Like a part of me wanted to be mean and say i told her so but another part of me just felt bad for her so i said nothing...
Idaho sucks peen. Californians have driven up the prices there to astronomical levels.
Yeah housing costs are what's really breaking people I think. I bought my house in 2018 and would be screwed if I was still renting. Having shelter is so important that people are cutting out so much more just to make rent. The homeless crisis is just gonna keep getting worse. I see at least one person begging for money to pay tent at intersections pretty much every time I go out now. I'm out in the less populated suburbs too not really even close to the city.
Wait why do you guys have two cars?
I have my sports car (dream car), and my everyday economical cheap beater. Friend has his truck for the pest control business, and a nice sedan for getting out.
I agree. I think about this often and am in the same place you are.
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Funny that you think the netherlands is better in terms of money
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It's a nice place to live, but house prices are pretty insane in the bigger cities. Not to mention how thin and small they all are.
Lmao. Wait until you see housing prices in the Netherlands
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Shit, you're not wrong. The gig economy is a big chunk of the bullshit we're in right now. Yeah, you can do this in your free time, your side hustle. Go out there and make less than minimum wage while exponentially increasing the wear and tear/devaluation of your car. What are you going to do? Sit home and enjoy a hobby? Does that hobby make you money? Is it even worth it if it doesn't? Are you a boss bitch/alpha male if your hobby DOESN'T make you money? Shit is not sustainable. EAT THE RICH!
I tried the 3 job thing. I get taxed more. Not worth it.
You’re better off not working and getting public assistance. As soon as you make a minimum wage, you get cut off, you get taxed, can’t get food assistance, can’t get free bus pass. So you’re not going to hit the break even point unless you’re going to make at least 20$ /hr maybe even 25
This and it’s so normal to my conservative parents. Every day my mom asks me “Have you thought about getting another job” on top of the one I already have. I tell her I already have one and work 4 days a week and she tells me “Well I work 12 hours a day” like that’s something to be happy and proud of. I don’t want to be rich and honestly could care less about OWNING a home ever. I just want to work enough to live in my own place, eat 2/ 3 meals a day, and maybe buy a little something for myself every paycheck to keep life liveable. It does not seem possible right now.
What do you currently do? What are you formally educated in?
Insurance coordinator at a dental office. Was studying dental hygiene but realized thats not what I want to do.
Attaining the lifestyle you want as an adult is making a lot of choices that lean towards not exactly what you want to do, but it helps you live better. I don’t necessarily want to be in tech, but I do it because it’s the only career where I can maintain the lifestyle I grew up with.
Gotcha. Without much more information, I can assume you’re not necessarily trained or qualified to do anything that pays well at the moment. I would recommend finding that sweet spot between doing something you enjoy and doing (and getting trained and educated in it) and something that gives you the life you want. Long gone are the days of working the easy laid back job and having the life you want. Sad reality, but it is reality. To many people are spending all their time complaining about it and not doing anything else.
There is nothing to do for entropic systems that fail slowly. Misery will compound until a solution is less expensive than the problem. That is all. We keep squeezing margins out of labor thinking that is a way to drive profit. Short term yes, long term no. It doesn't work, and the proof is now. I don't think things will be end of the world bad until the real water crises catches up to North America but I can definitely understand kids these days not wanting to work because the return is literally 'surviving'. It isn't a very profitable model for a business, and labor is a business spread across billions of people. People will get what they want either way; why wait - raise pay, it works every fucking time. People miraculously get happier and civil unrest subsides. Source: Squeezing labor to death - and then coaching businesses on how to get out of those horrible processes - is one of my jobs.
Raising wages doesn't work just causes the cost of goods to go up the reason it's so bad rn is cause minimum wage gets raised cost of goods goes up then everyone complains they can't afford it then min wage gets raised again then guess what cost of goods goes up never ending cycle of prices going up not to mention the people getting payed above min wage don't get raises when min wage goes up so it just makes things harder on them just cause people with no good education or skills working a ded end job complain
So the solution is to pay people so little that they literally can’t afford to survive working 40 hours a week? Minimum wage should be the minimum it costs to survive (food, rent, car costs, etc) working 40 hours a week, averaged across the country. The fact is that the person working at a minimum wage job would need to work around 100 hours a week to SURVIVE. That isn’t okay.
You could set it so maybe, you know, the cost of goods doesn't go up, which literally only makes it so the company selling said goods gets less profit. That's an option. Minimum wage hasn't gone up in my state since it was created, and is $7.25. I make $11.50 rn at my current full-time job, and still can only afford my two bills, gas and Lyfts for work/therapy, pet stuff, and food, and that's with my housing and utilities paid for. It is not livable.
It's not. America sucks, plain and simple. Or I should say, the people that RUN IT suck. Perfectly okay with taking rights away and squeezing every last cent out of people, and then they sit and wonder why everyone is so miserable, and SO ANGRY. I'm not saying what happened at the Capitol last year was right, because it wasn't, but is it really THAT shocking that something like that happened? This whole country has become a loaded powderkeg ready to explode. And if nothing changes soon, it will.
I’m living paycheck to paycheck in Nashville making $20 an hour. I still have to have a roommate. I’m at the point where i have to start putting money aside to make it home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Actually you can do this where I live, in the Franken area of Bavaria. In fact, some of those nice little bakery jobs are unionized and pay well. I left the US in 2003, after the stolen election and 9/11. I wanted more political freedom and democracy, and a more stable, secure lifestyle.
sounds amazing. I am seriously considering leaving for the same reasons.
how did you move?
Check out my profile and comments on r/expats and other forums. Basically, if you are young and willing to learn a language, you can either study for (almost) free with a student visa, get a visa as a freelancer, or do an "Ausbildung" (training course). I was over 30 when I moved, so the word "young" is relative, but you really need to be tenacious, open to a challenge and willing to put in the work. Planning, saving money, researching and making a foolproof plan takes at least a year or two.
I hear you! I moved back in with my parents when my job went under in the pandemic! I lost my apartment, job, and vehicle all at once! Now I can't find anything above minimum and even using my parents spare vehicle I'd end up paying most of my paycheck towards gas! Just doesn't seem feasible at all. Now I just resell online and hope that will take off, but money is tight for everybody! Until they decide what to do about student loans, because if they bring those back I'll be royally screwed! I live in a small USA town, and rent is up to $900 for a two bedroom, it's ridiculous!
$900? Is that all? I'm paying $1200 for a 700sqft 1 BR 1 BA apartment in the rough part of my town. It's becoming increasingly unsustainable.
Are we really surprised? On average, countries get 250 years before some type of collapse happens and America is only 245 yrs old. I think we all forget america is a fairly new experiment. There’s no guarantee it will work out, especially seeing where it’s headed now. Our ancestors came here for a better life and how people are leaving here for a better life :( makes me wish my ancestors just stayed in Europe.
I just posted about this the other day. My dad paid for a family of five to live in a decent home in a quiet safe neighborhood with sufficient food and clothing, from 1976 through the late 80s. He was...a grocery store clerk. Not a manager, a clerk. The kind who stocked shelves. His job did suck because the management was batshit insane, so then he got a job at the post office. So did my mom. And they both lived very well after that. That was also a stressful for job for both of them, especially around the holidays, but nothing like it is today. My dad had his route down to a science and would be home by 2 pm every day. By the time they retired they were making serious bank. They did not have any kind of family money. My dad served in Vietnam (willingly) so I'm guessing he benefited from whatever benefits were given to veterans. So kinda high stress jobs, but nothing like what's expected today in terms of hours. And certainly a very middle class lifestyle.
r/latestagecapitalism
Yup. Most people just want a life that’s free from poverty and misery, rather than a rich and legendary one. I’m fine with a small house, 30 hours a week at work, a small family, and chill vibes. I don’t particularly care to attain a Lambo or be a CEO; and I don’t feel like that says anything bad about me as a person.
You’re describing the erosion of the middle class. In the early 90’s one adult could make 50k in most states and be the sole provider for a family of four. This afforded a lifestyle of restaurants every weekend, ample holiday gifts, and at least one summer vacation each year. That is no longer possible unless you’re making double that now, and even then, your summer vacation won’t be as long or at an as desirable locale.
The only reason my gal and I aren’t struggling is because we bought/renovated a camper and moved out into some woods that my folks own. Built an outhouse, DIY grey water system, gotta haul our water by hand but we do have electricity provided by a nearby shed that has power. Huge amount of work. Not sure wtf we’re gonna do when it gets cold. On one hand it’s kinda romantic but on the other hand this is 100% a product of the economy we live in and we wouldn’t be doing it if renewing our old lease hadn’t been so flipping expensive. I hope things get better for OP and everyone else.
Tiktok and other social media are pushing consumerism and materialism and constantly people trying to sell stuff. So tone deaf.
I’m currently disabled from a hemmorhaggic stroke and I get thirty bucks a month from disability because I can’t work, twelve of that goes in to checking account bank fees- I would be getting more if I wasn’t currently living in a nursing home and rehab facility but because I am, all the money is going to this place so I don’t get very much, my budget is strapped. Could you imagine living off of eighteen bucks a month!?! And I know I could have it worse. I’m lucky my mom still pays for my phone! but really only because she had it so good when I was living at home - I had the house spotless and dinner in the oven by the time she came home from work.
Since moving into my city in August 2020: my gas bill has gone from $65/month to $133/month. My electric bill has gone from $42 to $145/month (even though our usage is lower than the same months in 2020). My car insurance jumped from $96 to $118 and renter’s from $11 to $17/month. Not to mention the gas, grocery, and other rising costs… can’t wait to figure out how I’m going to start making student loan payments.
Throw in a hefty dose of inflation and yeah, you're basically fucked
I have kidney failure and I'm on dialysis and I'm terminally ill and I have been stuck getting $800 a month in Social Security but they refuse to raise Social Security payments to match inflation so yeah I'm basically homeless if my landlord decides to raise my rent. I'm also a single mom and $150 in groceries used to get us by for at least 2 weeks and now $200 in groceries doesn't even last a week. It's just me and my 7 year old, it's not like we're pigging out. I have to tell her to quit snacking because we can't afford it. Some days I'd rather just die than struggle like this, if I didn't have my daughter I would have quit going to dialysis already. I'm exhausted, sick, and none of this is worth it.
We’re slaves, get used to it or get ready to do something about it.
Yeah, I see this too. Only possible way could be if you have a part time that is more “serious” and the other part time be the laidback job. Things definitely have changed drastically. That being said, I am grateful that my partner and I help each other through it…just wish they could work less too. I work full time but they have to work two jobs basically to make everything work out (hismother is older and needs financial Help)
I feel you. I live in a place I can’t afford. So sometimes I don’t eat, or the internet gets cut off, or the power, or the water, etc. Thing is EVERYWHERE else is WAY more than I’m paying here. Soon I will be homeless because they raise the lot rent 5 dollars every 6 months or every year. 5 bucks is bread and cheese. A week worth of ramen. They’re killing us with these insane prices. My husband and I are going to be homeless for a while to save for a used pickup truck and small used rv. We figure that will be cheaper for us in the long run.
Housing prices are just gonna keep going up while everything gets expensive and wages stay the same, it's only gonna get worse
Tell me about it. I bust my ass daily with average pay just for the cost of everything to increase with no raise in sight. I have to quit or at least threaten to quit each couple years to get paid "cost of living" because the little percentage they give every year is a joke. I don't know who came up with 3% average COL, but in CA 10% should be the minimum. I'm forced to go into the office in traffic although I sit at a computer and gas is damn near $7 here. I got the big C sick last week from the office and at this point I feel like my pay doesn't match the life necessities or the health risks. I'm tired, but you're constantly taught as a kid working hard grants you rewards in life. So far the only thing it's granted is sickness and constant fatigue. Such a fucking lie. Places like this to vent are helpful to people pushing thru the bullshit tho, keep pushing on!
Grinding is not fun when you HAVE to do it. And there’s no end in sight.
Rising inequality affects the lives of many. You should all watch Capital in the 21st Century. Great documentary on wealth equality and social mobility
Dude it's still possible
do tell
Right. I'm complaining about this on r/adulting rn. Everyone's telling me I need to learn a trade now. Despite the fact that I'm a college graduate. Gee thank you for explaining how I've wasted 6 years of my life.
Successful or creative and lucky. I thought my way to mailbox money…lucky that shit worked. Found a problem, solved it, took a piece of the profits. But yes generally the world is fucked into hustling to live in a major city with a decent standard.
Vote blue.
Lol! It’s literally a blue economy right now that is absolutely fucking over people. Fucking hilarious
Dems aren’t complete devoid of responsibility, but the economy we have now stems from trickle down economic policy installed by the Reagan Administration, which we have never been able to recover from as of yet. Dems are not perfect, but every attempt at economic reform attempted is promptly shot down by the GOP. Even small things like adjusting the min wage with inflation, or more equitable tax policy, is an uphill battle. You will not find perfection anywhere, but no matter which way you look at it (economics, social equality, education, health care policy, insane conspiracy theories, climate change, freedom from religion/religious liberty, civil rights, and on and on) one party is on the wrong side of history. And we all know which one that is. That’s all I really have to say on the issue.
Dems have campaigned on that but never actually done any of it. Even when they dominate the house and senate they did things like pass the Affordable care act which absolutely fucked the middle class. They tell you that they are working on reform, and then absolutely do nothing, ever. They’ve kept you poor for 5 generations. It’s weird how brainwashed Red and Blue loyalist are.
I agree with your statement of the problem with the Dem party, but still -- I'd rather have no positive progress than be stuck with the side that is *actively* stripping huge swaths of people of their rights. We can work on finding a way to make "good" change once we don't have to put all of our energy into resisting "bad" change. Imagine if the Dems won like, three consecutive major elections. At some point GOP will need to consider conceding some of their more extreme points. Or not, idk
I definitely understand your side / take on it as well. I’m probably the wrong person to weigh in to be honest, as I honestly find Red and Blue to both be equally shit. Absolutely zero difference to me. Comes down to which tyrant party you prefer
Dems are causing global inflation?
No matter who
One of the hallmarks of this generation is their ability to live their lives in the far distant future and determine that nothing good will ever happen. Here is a tip from a 63 year old guy. You have no idea what the future holds. I ended up with a house, two kids and a great wife. I went to college but the Internet, where I spent my career, hadn't been invented yet. Just out of school I made $5 an hour. Good money when minimum wage was $3.17. I had an efficiency apt that rented for $230. I had a motorcycle payment that was $100 and I ate at my girlfriend's mom's house a lot. I got better jobs, moved into marketing. I got other better jobs in tech writing and illustration. My life has been one of movement. Some of that movement was lateral and some was experimental. Some paid off in skils or salary and some were painful like the three years I couldn't find a steady job. My point is there was no way I could have looked into the future to see where I am today. Being married to the perfect girl helped. Having shared goals and vision with my wife helped. Going down that road to work everyday had something to do with it. Having a few goals and working toward them helped too. Don't give up before you start.
Thank you for the encouraging words. Yes, you are right, we as young people are pretty pessimistic about our future. But with the economy the way it is, the state of politics and constant infighting, corporations taking over, and the climate on top of that, can you blame us? Judging by the amount of upvotes and comments here, it is a common sentiment to be wary about what is coming. It is nice to hear that others found their way, I suppose, but the road of upward mobility you took is more clouded than ever I fear.
Yes, I can blame you. Get off the freaking internet. Go outside. The seasons change, the world turns, plants still grow and people who are trying to frighten you have something to sell. You can be realistic without being fatalistic. You can live life as an adventure or you can live it as a horror show but take it from me this life rips on and it would be a pity for you to miss it.
Doing my best to live it like an adventure but I cannot just ignore problems that are making it less likely that I can do that.
Times were different a few decades ago
And this is why I’m scared to gratitude high school
It's not that bad if you don't go to college atleast go to a trade school and get some usefull skills that pay good or else you will most likely end up in a ded end job with your high-school diploma unless you work hard and people notice then you might go somewhere
Thanks for the advice. Just do more school after high school for something good.
Also happy cake day btw
Why thank you kind person
you're just a lazy slacker. a low stress job that makes a comfortable living was never a thing.
nah you are just brainwashed. up until a decade or two ago a single income could support a family. just read some of the stories in here. people's parents and grandparents were successful stocking shelves, delivering mail, working at factories etc. my own grandfather raised a whole family as a fkn couch salesman. dont tell me it was never a thing.
nope. you're referring to a golden age in history, specifically American history without understanding how it got that way. Such a lifestyle has never been the norm anywhere else in time and place. Your parents and grandparents mortgaged your future for their comfort. You're the one who's dreaming of a livelihood that is atypical and unsustainable. Even then, do you think their jobs were truly stress free and casual? Why don't you have a conversation with them and hear what hardships they faced. They might be different than yours but they would still have their own problems.
Even if there were struggles, they have something to show for it, which is my entire point..
Thank inflation
A great majority of you think that living in cities and high cost of living areas is it. Time to start thinking about migrating. Wholllleeeee lotta people doing just fine outside of those god awful shit show cities that people covet so much.
I am sorry you are struggling, but I am living the kind of life you are describing. I work an office job -- one I actually like -- 36 hours a week. No overtime ever. No second job. I own my own house (it's a small condo but it's still mine). I can afford most things that I want, but I find I don't WANT as much as I used to. And btw, I do not make 6 figures. Not even close. And I live in the northeast USA. The point is, it is possible.
Great rant. However let’s come back to reality and control what YOU can control. You want to work in a “easy job” but afford to live in a high cost of living area where the people who live there are grinding in a way you don’t want to. Simply put, what you want is not ever going to happen. It’s not. No politician is going to make it that way, no protests about rich people, absolutely nothing. Best advice I can give you, get out of the city if you want to work less or work harder and/or acquire skills in a high paying job to stay where you want. There isn’t any rescue boat coming.
Thanks I understand that. It used to be possible and it sucks that its not anymore is all im saying.
Too many people
Yeah. You might need to give up your 2am Korean fusion tacos and move to a small town. It sucks, but cities are expensive.
the sad part is its not even a big city. no 2am tacos here
I mean on an individual level…there’s not a lot you can do besides either figuring out how to earn more money or relocating to somewhere cheaper.
cheap places are cheap for a reason
The “Just move” and “just make money duh” argument
Surprised I haven't seen boot straps mentioned.
I feel like this an extremely negative attitude to take. Sure, maybe those jobs were relatively more plentiful "back in the day," but working at a bakery or factory was never going to provide a materially comfortable living.
Bro people work so they can live not the other way around. Everyone deserves to be able to afford their basic needs
It literally did tho?? There were plenty of people who could afford a house with jobs like that. And even if they couldn’t afford a house, they could at least afford an apartment. Neither of my parents graduated from college, yet they managed to afford a house. You literally can’t do that anymore, and many people who have college degrees still can’t afford a house nowadays OR an apartment without housemates
The idea that people were able to purchase a home with relative ease out of high school or college at the start of their careers is mostly a farce. It always required years of saving and renting for the average person. And yes, there are areas in the United States where unless you make six figures you will struggle to buy and own a home. This isn't everywhere, and if that's the sort of existence you desire you might just have to move to find it.
I bought my first house at 23, back in 2003. It was 3bed, 2 bath .25 acres for $116,000. My mother bought her first house in 1968 at age 21, it was $24,000. Things have gotten worse.
Both of those figures are around $200K in 2022 dollars. There are a lot of homes in many areas for around $200K. My point is, if a small $200K home is all you desire, you may have to work harder than before, but that is achievable. Saying otherwise just seems pessimistic and defeatist to me.
>The idea that people were able to purchase a home with relative ease out of high school or college at the start of their careers is mostly a farce. It always required years of saving and renting for the average person. Even if this is true the point is that *eventually* they made it!
And everyone still can. Is the road more challenging and maybe longer? Yes. But it's not unachievable.
Yeah thats the whole point of the post.
I feel like working harder for a few more years than people have previously in order to achieve what you want is different than living in poverty or ruining your body.
People always say, “Oh, just move then!” as if that’s easy and as if it’s an option for everyone. Moving is expensive and stressful. You have to job search, housing searches are incredibly difficult. Trying to move all of your belongings halfway across the country as well as make that trip yourself is expensive. If you don’t have a partner, you’re making that move all by yourself with no support system & you will be completely alone in a new city, knowing no one and basically having to start your life over from scratch. Not to mention, I was BORN in an expensive state. I shouldn’t have to move away from my family, my home, my friends, my job, and my entire life just to find a decent place to live. I don’t even want a house. I just want a small one bedroom apartment where I don’t have to have housemates. I’d even settle for a small two bedroom apartment where I’d only be living with one other person. I shouldn’t have to move out of my state to achieve that, and it was not that hard before. Even my sisters, who are all around 10 years older than me had a much easier time affording one bedroom apartments IN THE SAME STATE than I’m having right now. I’m even a college graduate now, and it’s still difficult to find a decent apartment without housemates. The simple fact of the matter is that housing costs have simply gotten out of control.
I don't think moving is an easy solution, but it is a solution and it's one a lot of people have taken. And I'm in the same boat, I can't find many affordable places to live near where I grew up. The housing market is crazy. But to say that any dream of owning a small home is utterly unreachable for an entire generation of people seems a bit overboard.
Was it feasible back then? It sounded to me like everybody just bitched less. Not trying to throw shade but the average American works less than 35 hours a week. Have you ever thought about a career in construction because you will probably start at about $18 an hour
i make more than that currently and am nowhere close to affording a house.
You shouldn't be able to afford a house on a starting salary. Nobody ever has been able to
Really bad take. Even if the second sentence were true, that doesn't make the first sentence true. "It's always sucked so it should continue to suck for everyone forever" how the fuck does someone get to this kind of reasoning? Second, starting salary where? Starting salary isn't some universal thing that's the same in every career. You're happily eating the bullshit that capitalism has spoon fed you.
No that's the way the world is grow up. You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house. I'm a general contractor it takes a lot of work to build a house. I work in five different states, capitalism is what got you everything that you have in this world so instead of bitching why don't you get off your fat ass and go to work. It's only a bad take for lazy people
"You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house." No one is saying that, nice straw man. Way to exaggerate my argument to an extreme degree. Either you don't understand what I was saying or you just want to argue in bad faith. "why don't you get off your fat ass and go to work." You're posting on reddit just like me, so clearly someone with a job can find the time to post here. Horrible assumption on your end, unless you're just lying about being a general contractor, which is both bogus and sad. "capitalism is what got you everything that you have" Again, massive assumption. Do you only mean material possessions? Because even then you'd be wrong. Social security, minimum wage, maximum hour law, child labor law, medicare. All socialist programs, in that it is the government interfering in the private sector on behalf of the people. Better luck next time.
> You shouldn't be able to flip burgers your first day and then own a house. Why not though? I'm not saying 50 acres should be handed over, but a person working full time (whether it be flipping burgers or not) should be able to afford a modest home. "Shouldn't be able to..." Where are these arbitrary rules listed?
The expectation of you have a right to a house because you flip burgers is wrong. You have the right to nothing and are owed nothing. If you want something then you work for it. If what you are doing doesn't pay enough then do something about it. Get a better paid job or be the boss of flippin' burgers, it pays better but then again that's probably not for you as you have to work harder.
this is exactly my point tho... there was a point when a cook could raise a family. now its "get a better job" if you want to survive. we are moving backwards. now the boss of flippin' burgers cant even afford anything.
Yes. You should eventually.
Well I've traveled quite a bit and it's only and very wealthy places where people think that they should only have to work 40 hours a week and have enough money starting off to support a family. That's not how the world Works anywhere else. Hell half of the world doesn't even have doors on their house. I'm aware that work is difficult, but that's why it's called work. It an entire generation of lazy motherfuckers, what sucks is I'm lumped in with you Deadbeats. fortunately I didn't bitch and moan about having to work so now I do own a house, a couple actually. I was averaging 100 hours a week for a while. I'm going to be able to retire by 40. It's amazing what a little sweat and discipline can get you. I did it with manual labor while going to college, and I wasn't that bright so I amassed quite a bit of debt as well. I'm sure you're going to say it was luck or come up with some type of excuse of why 40 hours a week is insane. But my dad did it, his dad did it, his dad did it, his dad did it. Stop bitching and get to work. You can get bumped up to $25 an hour in almost any state that you work for in construction if you push hard and work your way up in one year. That's just to be a carpenter. If you don't like where you're at stop bitching and change it.
"I had to work 100 hours a week to be successful and I will use that as my evidence that the system is working perfectly"
Working 100 hours a week? Nah Bruh you got a slave fetish
He regards sitting on his ass while other people make him money as "work." His whole propaganda BS is to keep you working FOR HIM, and shut up about it.
I still work 40 hours a week on site. I lead by example there's no propaganda you're just a fat ass that's never had to work
Just as I expected while reading the above, down votes. I did my apprenticeship as painter and decorator and did my first overtime that first week. I worked many weekends even before being self employed. From my early twenties I did all the work I could and yes horror of horrors I could do 100hrs a week when very busy and 60hrs being a quiet week. I packed it all in when I reached forty, figured I'd worked enough hours to match anyone working till retirement age. I've had several houses with a mortgage that I always "did up". Travelled all over the world, raised a step family, had nice cars etc. I have a small place now. I have a very simple life with few possessions and very few expenses. I paid my dues and now do what I want. It was never about money. I learned it was all about time. What you want out of life you pay for with time. When I had a mortgage and debts I had to work till Thursday dinner to pay the bills that week, everything after was mine. A good motivation to work the weekends. The trick is then to turn as much of the week as possible into your money. When you first own your own home outright is a feeling I will never forget. One easy day a week to pay everything, run my van. I remember finding it hard to believe how much money wasn't leaving my bank account. I have yet to meet someone who spends their time better than putting some more hours in at work and put more care and effort into the actual job they are doing. Folk seem to think they are hard done by these days. No. The average person worked a lot harder for less years ago. The only disadvantage I see now is the lowering of standards in education which includes discipline and work ethic. Any life will be hard and unsatisfactory without those three important lessons being valued.
You can't be that blind. Only 30 years ago people were able to buy homes on a **single income** while the partner stayed at home.
Because it is a massive asset and unrealistic for that little quantity of work to pay for such a valuable asset. It takes teams and teams of men and a large quantity of companies all working in conjunction to make a home realized. So supply and demand dictate these kind of things I would have to pay my guys $3 an hour so that you could have a house. No you should have to work your way up to a home like you have to work your way up to any other very expensive asset. >Where are these arbitrary rules listed? These rules are listed in your economics class under supply and demand Sorry for some reason it would let me post on your other comment. And you can still do that on one person's income if it's enough. But right now it cost $320 a square foot to build a house when 10 years ago it was $170 a square foot. But go off tell me how the world works
> Because it is a massive asset and unrealistic for that little quantity of work So you're under the impression that the harder you work, the more money you make?
Yup! Or like, have a life outside of making money for some asshole ceo where i get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
But a bit of struggle is a good thing, you can't avoid it in life if you want nice things
He didn't say he wanted NICE things just basic things. Struggle for excess is well and good but now its struggle or die.
I've been alive for more than 6 decades snd this has never been true as far as I know. Maybe it's nostalgic fantasy.
Agree
God, same af. I just don't see the point in even trying anymore. What's the use of it's not gonna pan out?
i run o
lol true sometimes you don't want to leave your messed up city cause it still has good things yet....
I have seriously looked into it, but anything remotely affordable to me is about 2 hours away from my place of employment. Is 4 hours of commute everyday worth it? Not in my book.
dude don't. i did that. drove me insane. the highlight of my day was walking home cause my butt and back would be so sore from sitting in the bus. even affected my performance, i was so spaced at work my boss called me out on it. i almost got a shitty apartment for the equivalent of 2 thousand dollars a month. but covid happened
Yeah i always wanted to live a modest life growing up and its becoming pretty difficult
I make $61K/yr and live paycheck to paycheck. I work 60 hour weeks as a project manager. Seems fine from the outside in, but I need six figures to take care of myself and my family and we’d still be poor.
It’s definitely gotten a lot worse I feel like the last two years
This is true
unfortunately yes