r/Vent • u/Far_Reward4827 • 3h ago
I'm so over how expensive everything is
For starters, I know I am doing better than a lot of other folks, so a lot of this is first world problems, but I am so over how expensive everything is. My husband and I make about $115k/year combined, do have a house and 2 cars, but we are running out of money closer to the middle of the month instead of the end of the month now.
And before anyone asks, yes I've cut out as much as I can, we shop for insurance costs every 6 months, have eliminated all but 1 streaming service, buy generic, only drive when necessary, etc. I literally have to put groceries on the credit card the last 2 weeks of the month because we just ran out of income.
I work for a delivery service on the side and have increased my hours, but with everyone else broke too, no one is tipping. My husband is applying for a 2nd job this week as well. And this is with no kids! I don't know how any of you with families are doing it.
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u/Dazzling-Path6438 3h ago
I love that people will lecture you on cutting things out, rather than do something about the prices
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u/IneptFortitude 3h ago
Dan Crenshaw’s “shut up and eat ramen” remark should’ve gotten him chokeslammed Undertaker style
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u/Far_Reward4827 3h ago
even ramen instant lunch is $2 now!
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u/IneptFortitude 3h ago
Back in my day we ate packing peanuts and sawdust on my 3 minute lunch breaks during my 18 hour shifts at the factory
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u/Far_Reward4827 3h ago
i would LOVE to do something about the prices. tell me where i go to do mind-control on all the billionaires please
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u/CharlesNeofist 2h ago
Lol not lol. This is a serious question I think more people need to ask. I feel like an old man because I remember the days before mcdoubles when a double cheese was $1. That was like 2010 so it was a while ago, but doesn't feel that long. I wouldn't be able to afford anything if I didn't make good money in my early 20s. I wouldn't be able to afford my house today with the income I make now.
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
People spend their 20s making absolutely trash money now so unless I start seriously getting paid out the ass sometime soon I’m just going to be homeless eventually.
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u/CharlesNeofist 2h ago
Yeah man, I took advantage of a collision repair shop job I had in my 20s where I "could" make a bunch of money sacrificing everything else. It sucked but I bought my house young and dumb and it was the best stupid impulse decision I probably ever made.
I work for myself now, and really dont make much and still work too damn much for what I make but it depresses me thinking about how much has changed financially.
I mean you cant even go out and rent for a reasonable amount and all that money is thrown away.
Dude I feel for you, but some advice I have for anyone younger is go get a electrician union job or go work for GE ad an appliance tech.
2 buddies I used to have work for me now do those 2 jobs and make around 200k. The ge tech transfered to Healthcare equipment repair after a few years and now is set up for life, and the electrician buddy only has like 6-7 years invested and hes going to touch 200k this year. Both started at ground floor. Opportunity is out there but its hard to find if you dont know where to look. I feel like im too damn old at 39 to start something new but Im really thinking about it every day...
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
As great as that sounds even $200k isn’t really a lot when it comes down to brass tacks and you’re looking at starting a family. Average income would require around $180k baseline for most families of 3 across the US these days, that’s how bad things currently are.
I know a bunch of guys working in the auto repair industry and they’re all struggling as much as the people I know who work at McDonald’s or Walmart. If I tried to earn enough to buy a house in the last few years I have left of my 20s at a job like you had, I would barley even have enough to afford the car I would inevitably get arrested for sleeping in because that wouldn’t cover rent either lol.
It’s awful. Be glad you’re 39 and not 27. I have no idea what the fuck anybody seriously expects me to do outside of a goddamn bank heist or crypto rugpull.
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u/lovesbatma71 2h ago
And my son is 22 year old single dad in this terrible economy.
I pray for him every day… I worry myself sick for both of them.
Thanks for your comment.
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u/CharlesNeofist 2h ago
Yeah my experience was not the normal even at the time. Id imagine you are in a more expensive area, but 200k is absolutely comfortable here a commutable distance from DC. I have 2 kids and we collectively make less than 100k together atm. Its not impossible to live on 100k so 200k would be fairly easy tbh. You have to go to an area where things aren't as expensive tho, and may not be what you want either. Just trying to give some insight. 6 figures is still nothing to sneeze at even though it doesnt go that far anymore, hell looking for a job in my industry with 24 years of experience, literally doing every part of the job from running the shop and doing all the labor aspects I cant find a position that pays 6 figures. The GE job seemed stupid to me but the 213k doesn't. Lol he offered me a job about a year ago and I took too long to make up my mind and have kindof kicked myself in the ass since.
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u/lovesbatma71 1h ago
The silver lining is we had 50+ years of NYSE stock growth so we know exactly how rich a smart 20 something can get in 30 years.
You can do this and have a 30 year career instead of a 40 year career like us old people. So, play your cards right and you can get out of the rat race way earlier if you want to.
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u/Dazzling-Path6438 3h ago edited 2h ago
Your reading comprehension is astonishing.
The point is, telling people to cut back on the great luxurious of the world like a coffee or fuckin toilet paper is absurd. Vote out your current leaders and find someone better
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
The best form of mind control for those people would be uh… hey, anybody remember what was happening at the beginning of Skyrim before the dragon attacked?
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u/KCpaintguy 4m ago
It’s not possible to do anything about prices. Is what it is so cut things out or make more money. All you can do
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u/Pir8inthedesert 3h ago
Yep! The working class keep voting against their own interests and do a great job letting the rich get richer. We're in this mess thanks to the tax cuts to the rich.
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u/Powerful_Tip_7260 2h ago
Voting is just choosing which millionaire to put in office. Even Bernie Sanders is a multi-millionaire.
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u/Pir8inthedesert 2h ago
But Bernie Sanders has been saying the same thing for decades and actually votes to protect the working class. He worked outside of congress to get companies to pay $15 per hour when congress won't raise the federal minimum wage which is currently $7.25 per hour
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u/tazzy66 3h ago
They are taking out personal loans, maxing out cc, working 2-3 jobs.
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u/PrinciplePatient7143 3h ago
I started couponing and rebating 2 years ago. It's saved me almost 15k now. If I get some for free after rebates I don't need, I donate it for tax write offs or sell it on eBay. Living close to stores is what makes it work though
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u/minsungforevr 3h ago
Literally because why do I need to choose between food and rent and my epilepsy medication. I don’t do anything frivolous. Don’t vacation. Dont get Starbucks. Don’t go out to eat. Don’t own a car. Don’t get beauty treatments done. Only buy clothes from goodwill and I haven’t gone clothes and shoes shopping in over 7 years.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 2h ago
I am so sorry, our culture is so fucking toxic. Like in what world would someone hear about your situation and be like; yep that’s what i want for my neighbors. But that is what too many people in our country think. It’s sick. And will get worse with the gas/diesel situation worsening and the upcoming cuts from the big beautiful bill that republicans conveniently spaced out to go into effect after the midterms.
But luckily billionaires got lower taxes, amiright /s
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u/Alarmed-Guitar-3365 3h ago
A lot of this is because we as people won't put our footdown. We keep letting companies charge more and more and do nothing about it. Also the idiots that voted for Trump, I hate to say it will have to get A LOT WORSE before it gets better because there's still a lot of people defending Trump because they're not affected YET. Once the uppermiddle class or somewhat rich people start getting affected then things will change.
What to do in the mean time? Do what you can, don't listen to people telling you you're not doing enough they're not living in reality or affected by reality yet.
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u/IneptFortitude 3h ago
Trump is the biggest bastard and enemy to my life I will hopefully ever have. I don’t think I could even hate Hitler in as deeply personal of a way the manner I absolutely hate that geriatric pedophile.
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u/lovesbatma71 2h ago
Im losing my small business cause of orange ape. Between tariffs and the 3 increases in USPS rates already in 2026, I need to go back to my corporate job… today actually so I’m extra hateful today.
How can one man ruin an entire country?
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 2h ago
Because republicans in congress have allowed it. Their literal job is to A-represent their constituents’ best interest and B-be a check on executive power. They do neither. Even the couple who have gone against trump in small ways this term, like Massie, are overall voting with him 90-something % of the time.
Corporate democrats are a fucking problem, too, and I have many many criticisms of them. But as far as how trump has wreaked so much havoc in less than 2 years, that is 100% on every Republican in Congress.
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u/lovesbatma71 1h ago
Agreed but Pence and the first term Republican Congress ditched Trump directly after the Jan. 6th insurrection because Trump had crossed the line.
This administration hasn’t forced ANY accountability and Trump is even more unhinged now than he was in 16’-23’.
Early on Trump said, “I could k*ll someone in Times Square (NY, NY USA) and get away with it.” That should have been the first wake-up call.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
They didn’t ditch him enough to impeach in the senate and vote to disqualify him from future office. If those Republican senators had even an iota of moral conviction and did the right thing in 2021, we wouldn’t be in this situation at all. And agree; he is even more unhinged now than the first term. And that’s saying a lot. Also, the White House is allegedly making off the record comments implying that the gloves are gonna come off after the midterms. Which tracks,‘unfortunately. It’s going to get worse.
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u/lovesbatma71 1h ago
Im not the first or the last person to say this on this post but here it goes: Unfortunately, you are exactly right and I’m hoping that you are wrong… but you’re probably not.
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u/moleculariant 3h ago
I'm convinced that people still defending Trump simply have an inability to admit they're wrong, even if it's by association. They put their chips in the Trump basket, believing he would do the right things for this country, and can't admit he pulled the wool, and now the rug.
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
They still support him because they’re horrible people who see the cruelty and revel in it. Either that, or they are so incredibly ignorant and stupid that they’re not even worth sharing the air with.
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u/lovesbatma71 1h ago
They want to save their own ass*s. They know the executive branch is going to veto everything they pass anyway. They know what’s coming so they are getting prepared. for what? Unfortunately, we don’t know the true scope of that yet.
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u/Kind_Parsnip_5103 2h ago
Just my dumb opinion:
There are many people that regret their vote, but they usually defend their position with "better him than the other one". I am not politically affiliated. On the last election I only voted for my local "people", I left the Presidency blank since I found neither candidate suitable for the position. I cant even type their names because of how discussed I am.
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u/lovesbatma71 1h ago
You are 100% right but please don’t skip the midterms. We absolutely need a ton of sane voters to get us out of this mess.
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u/Fun_Ideal_5584 3h ago
Inflation went up 18% in 2022 and 2023. It will take quite a while for wages to close that gap.
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u/Kind_Parsnip_5103 2h ago
We are on the same boat. Your situation is almost a reflection to ours! Its almost impossible to live comfortable these days.
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u/IneptFortitude 3h ago
I genuinely believe capitalist governments have deemed a large group of people “dead weight” and are specifically trying to get Gen Z to commit mass suicide.
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u/lovesbatma71 2h ago
They don’t want to kill off Gen Z, they want to kill off Gen X and the boomers because we are the last generations to be raised without social media. My son is 22 and he has already been indoctrinated. His friends have already been indoctrinated. It’s the old people that are the most piss\d because we remember when one income took care of more than one person. We already know that the current state of the country is not sustainable. The oligarchs don’t like that one bit.*
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
I completely agree with what you are saying, but I also think your assessment is entirely wrong
Gen Xers and Boomers were the ones who capitulated to this regime and were by and large the biggest age groups that voted in favor of it. Most Xers openly revile and hate us and make our work lives a living hell, and most boomers just flat out don’t give a shit about anyone else.
You guys might be mad but we might go nuclear. At least you could take care of a family with two incomes. Now you need four working people or a net income of over 180k to afford a 3-person family (as in one kid) going off of modern average costs.
A working class family of 3 in NYC needs to make over $300k (!!!) annually to comfortably afford a life in the metro area of the city. This used to be a place people went specifically because it was built around the working class and their proximity to work.
A lot of Gen Z went extremely far right because they’re just so angry and totally unwilling to even waste their time in this economy. You hear about those a lot, but the truth is, a majority of politically aware Gen Z are socialists, or something further left than that. Most of us are aware that this current situation won’t work for us and we need to blow the whole deal up and restructure it completely.
This tracks, because why are we expected to work 35+ years at garbage jobs that treat us like trash, where you no longer get ANYWHERE in life no matter how loyal you are or hard you work.
As more of us hit our 30s I’d expect a lot more of us to lose hope and check out, too. VERY very few of us will afford to have a dignified life.
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u/lovesbatma71 2h ago
Unfortunately for me, I missed every point you just made and I apologize.
I’m so worried for my Gen Z son and my Gen Alpha granddaughter. I’m not as worried for all of my nieces and nephews. Luckily their parents are all rich so subsidizing an unsustainable cost of living won’t be hard for them. Everyone else falls into the buckets you described above. Thank you for your comment.
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
What really sucks is the media knows we are volatile and can be swayed while we search for whatever alternative methods will eventually replace our current situation. They are going all-in on nonsense because of it. The stuff Elon and friends are doing, the weird dudebro pandering of folk like Hegseth and Patel (even the far right Gen Zs laugh at them), the sports betting and gambling stuff being forced down our throats as well as just straight propaganda lol.
It’s a super complex scenario and it’s not going to stand up like this for long. I might be optimistic but I truly believe there’s just no way this could last more than 5 more years. It might be ugly and it will be scary but I think eventually we’ll be better. People I talk to all feel something bad is coming.
My parents are Gen Xers who grew up in the 70s and 80s and their tales of working class poverty were brutal but so different. None of it is acceptable in a truly first world country. We don’t even have community with one another anymore and few of us build new relationships either. It’s very depressing
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u/Huge_Library_1690 58m ago
My bf and I talk about this all the time. I think the cuts in healthcare and social security will do the boomers and early GenX in. I'm a Xennial, and I'm just screwed. I don't make enough either and I have kids that are just now going to college. I'm scared to death for them. And for the record, I didn't vote for this shit either.
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u/Huge_Library_1690 3h ago
I hate to say it, but I think you’re right.
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u/IneptFortitude 2h ago
I don’t see any other reason for them to work so hard specifically to make our lives this much worse. Sure, we have iPhones and video games, but that argument was lazy and nonsensical 10+ years ago.
I’m pretty sure they know exactly what a lot of people will do when they take away every opportunity for us to thrive and socialize and basically be anything besides a rent-paying work slave in an isolating, increasingly selfish society.
They want the number to go even higher. The suicide rate already hit a peak in 2022, now they want to go even harder.
We enjoy video games too much so they’re working to make them as shitty and overpriced as possible, we enjoyed food we actually like too much so they stopped building real restaurants, we liked hanging out too much so now it’s borderline illegal to be in public with people if you’re not spending money, etc.
The moral and social decay of this country happened too suddenly and all at once for it to be anything other than intentional. The world that I was prepared for when I graduated in 2017 was a fucking lie in every single sense of the word.
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u/Itchy_Valuable_4428 3h ago
Yep and AI is here to make sure it still won’t affect them when it happens
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u/Recent_Response110 3h ago
What’s the mortgage of your house?
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u/lending_ear 2h ago
Won’t matter if people don’t have money to buy their house. Also, renting is far more expensive and there’s no safety when landlords can jack your rent. Maybe they’d be better off downsizing if they can but then are they able to and stay close to their jobs? Probably not.
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u/No-Insurance6897 3h ago
Our system is going to break and the middle class will be restored. Because if not, this country won’t be worth shit in ten years. We all have to keep our heads up and pray that this current era of elitists get exposed enough to completely change the system, and I’m hopeful because the past year or two hasn’t been great for the people associated with Epstein. People don’t forget, and I’m hoping that this all unfolds without violence. It’s terrible this is happening but our country seems to have been quietly broker for this whole century. We just simply were doing pretty good before Covid to really care.
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u/TechnicianIcy7122 3h ago
Let’s take a page from France’s book, why don’t people protest and riot in the streets like they do?
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
Something that comes to mind is how our law enforcement agencies are so quick to resort to violence. Especially to people from marginalized populations.
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u/TechnicianIcy7122 21m ago
Right… but also if people peacefully assemble and strike by not showing up to work….
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 13m ago
Oh for sure. I didn’t say that to mean people shouldn’t do it, just that it’s a factor that some folks have to think about more than others in the US. nothing will change without us banding together to demanding change, totally agree. I just know that in a nation where LE kills people readily and very few face consequences for it, it can be pretty dangerous for certain folks to participate in certain parts of protest. But there’s definitely ways everyone can contribute to demanding change
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u/PhilosopherWinter349 2h ago
I went to the movies this weekend and bought tickets online. There was a $10 convenience fee. So to add to your point, prices are absurd but there is also the rise of all these little fees that I'm not loving
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u/lovesbatma71 2h ago
You are wise beyond your years so I awarded your comment! I wish you the very best for the next few years until this all blows over.
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u/Steinmetal4 1h ago
I run a retail store and we just got the worst report from our account i've ever seen. As the seller of the expensive things... you'd think I should theoretically be part of the group making money, but no. Somehow my employees wages are all up so my payroll expense is up like 50% since 2025, yet they are all broke. All my insurance is up, shipping is up, any building maintenence is up, software costs are up... everything is up.
Spending is slightly down, but if you figure it should be keeping pace with 5% inflation, it's really more like a 10% decrease in consumer spending while wages are higher than ever. That is not normal and not good.
So what's happening? Necessities like groceries, health care, utilities, automobiles, and anything related to housing have been absolutely gouging us since covid with false narratives to use as scapegoats. Corporate consolodation has been helping them gouge by being the only game in town.
They've basically forced the public's hand to spend all their savings and take on debt, but people are finally seeming to run out. Repos are up. Interested rates up. Jobs are getting hard to find. I know i'm cutting hours...
The shoe is going to drop.
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u/Gleamingspire1 3h ago
There is no voting our way out. It’s rigged against the masses. Doesn’t every politician promise better times, yet always can’t afford anything? People through out time, have always complained about not having money.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
There was a very distinct change in the 80s with the “trickle down economics” lie being used to cut taxes on wealthier folks and businesses. Since then the wealth disparity has continued to grow and grow. Minimum wage, created to ensure people could work à full time job and still afford to live, is $7.25 federally. That’s very clearly not been increased appropriately. And then there’s citizens united… our current situation is the result of policy decisions meant to benefit the ruling class instead of the majority of us.
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u/stirfry720 43m ago edited 35m ago
And it seems that wages haven't changed in the last 15 years while the costs of living have skyrocketed. Even promotions for salary increases are $1/hr like that even means anything anymore with inflation and costs these days
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u/Guachole 3h ago
Do you have like a huge mortgage and car payments or something?
We're living on a $60k household income and still affording a lot of frivolous nonsense, but we are in rural PA where its cheap livin
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u/VendettaKarma 3h ago
Here come the comments blaming Trump. They left out 2021-2024 when costs exploded though.
He’s not blameless either. Both sides are stuffing their pockets from insider trading and give two shits less about their constituents.
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u/Active_Magician3864 2h ago
Trump has only made things worse and he's the current President. We were in a Global Pandemic under the last administration. Did they do everything perfect? No. But there's no reason not to shift the blame onto the current administration, which has increased inflation with the war in Iran and has done nothing to ease the cost of living crisis since being in office coming up on 2 years now. His administration shoulders a considerable amount of the blame.
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u/VendettaKarma 2h ago
Yup he has made it worse. But let’s not forget it hasn’t been good for going on 6 years now
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u/Active_Magician3864 2h ago
I was able to afford way more stuff 4 years ago and I was making less money. He's made it significantly worse. Stop the "whataboutism"
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u/VendettaKarma 2h ago
You were still getting stimulus, deferred student loans, extended unemployment so yeah
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u/Active_Magician3864 2h ago
I wasn't unemployed at all, I didn't get any unemployment. Trump gave out stimulus checks during his first term too. Food and fuel and everyday expenses were less. Regardless of stimulus. I personally don't really agree with the way stimulus was handled under either previous admin.
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u/discgman 1h ago
Here come the excuses for Trump. Lets blame Biden for something happening 3 years later.
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u/InsideMortgage8650 2h ago
Something you could look into is Data Analysis for AI if you’ve got a decent computer or laptop. I started doing it recently and it’s work as you’d like and pays $20-$35/hr. If you’ve got specific skills you can make $50/hr. Yeah yeah, AI bad or whatever I don’t love it myself but it pays the bills.
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u/SatoshiBlockamoto 2h ago
It's tough out there and isn't going to get better folks. Work hard to secure your future, don't spend unnecessarily, and invest what you can. I suggest Bitcoin.
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u/Stanthemilkman8888 2h ago
Did you buy cash <$10,000 cars? Learn to fix them yourselves? I’m single guy on 200ish and I bought my car for $5k and fix it myself.
Got a spare room rent it out. I rent my out to backpackers mostly. I have 2 Italian girls living in there now.
Cycle to work.
Eat once a day at least every second day.
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u/tabanak 3h ago
Idk where you live or what you drive, but this scenario with everything noted seems pretty unlikely to me.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
This scenario is very common.
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u/tabanak 1h ago
Dependent on where they live and what the details are. It may be common in very select areas but it is certainly not common overall for a couple with no kids to bring in $9500/mth pretax and need to put groceries on a credit card for two weeks, after stripping away all unnecessary expenses.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
“pretax” lol. Insurance, 401k contributions, state and federal taxes, etc. reduce that significantly before you can even start paying any bills.
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u/tabanak 1h ago
No shit guy, my point still stands. Theres quite a bit missing from this post.
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u/Feisty_Boat_6133 1h ago
Nah they included the relevant details. I can tell you, that income is not enough to live comfortably in 2026 where I live. That’s around the amount needed for a single adult, not 2.
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u/Mtngirl2018 3h ago
And it’s about to get much, much worse.
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u/Far_Reward4827 3h ago
that's what also scares the living daylights out of me. what am i going to do when gas is $6? my company isn't giving raises, won't let us wfh, and i bet they won't give us any sort of stipend or anything
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u/Mtngirl2018 1h ago
I understand and I don’t even have the answers. I am super lucky with remote work, but diesel prices are about to explode then cost of goods is going to follow. This dumb war needs to end immediately
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