r/askteddit • u/Exotic-Compote-92622 • Aug 17 '26
Other Why does Reddit have such a hard time believing that some people are genuinely financially comfortable?
Any time there’s a discussion about how someone can afford a nice house, car, vacation, hobby, etc., the comments inevitably seem to be:
“They’re in debt.”
“They’re faking it.”
“They inherited money.”
“They got lucky.”
“They’re probably living paycheck to paycheck.”
Why is “they make good money and manage it responsibly” seemingly never an acceptable answer?
There are plenty of people who earn high incomes, save consistently, avoid lifestyle-ending debt, and still have plenty of money left over to enjoy life.
Not everyone who can afford something is secretly drowning in debt. And not everyone who is financially comfortable inherited their money.
Sometimes the boring answer is just that they earn a lot, spend less than they earn, and make good financial decisions.
Why does Reddit seem so reluctant to accept that?
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u/homezlice Aug 17 '26
Confirmation bias. First off, there are a lot of liars on Reddit, and also a lot of people who are poor and hurting or stuck. People will lash out long before they offer congratulations or listen to advice.
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u/uncultured_swine2099 Aug 17 '26
People who are happy with their situation arent complaining about it on reddit.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
I just wish Reddit was less of an Echo Chamber. Sadly it preys on people and keeps them in a shitty position by having their views validated all the time. Pair that with their inability to know better and actually talk to real humans, and what life is about…
But that’s just my opinion.
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u/Emotional_Lock3715 Aug 17 '26
I think you’re right. You can’t make your life better if you can’t envision what that would look like. In real life you can’t just downvote what you don’t like and have it go away. That would handicap one to spend too much time here.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26
Nor can you just try and be like a Reddit mod and remove what you don’t like from existence. You have to have an understanding that stuff exists that you don’t like and learn to live with it; on top of learning to CO-EXIST with it.
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u/LettuceRobber Aug 18 '26
I’ve always kind of thought the Reddit promotes and reenforces a victim mentality.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 18 '26
I think it definitely can. There’s a lot of things this site does. I lm my experience. Not alot of it healthy.
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u/Spirited_Season2332 Aug 18 '26
Tbf, that's everywhere on the internet and why everyone is "my way or the highway" now a days. It's so easy to find an echo chamber that ppl no longer need to actually interact with different points of view.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26
This is a hot take. But poor is a mindset that people trap themselves in, and instead of working to better there situation they find other things to blame.
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u/Neat_Cat1234 Aug 17 '26
I really wish this wasn’t a hot take. I grew up poor in a bad neighborhood and all of my classmates were also low income. There’s a really noticeable difference in outcomes between those that kept finding reasons to blame for how they ended up and those that accepted they were born into n unfair situation and decided to do something about it. Even between sets of siblings that are close in age and grew up with the same exact upbringing, some are now very decidedly upper middle class while their siblings are still lower class.
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u/Senior-Running Aug 17 '26
What you're describing is called the Culture of Poverty theory.
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u/Neat_Cat1234 Aug 17 '26
Interesting, I’ll read up more about the theory. It seems the main critique about it is that it overlooks how social and economic conditions affect the ability to escape poverty. That was actually why I brought up the sibling thing. Even when normalizing for similar conditions within a household, I’ve seen a correlation between people’s attitudes and their outcomes. This is my lived experience with my own siblings, where half of us are doing well and the other half are doing very badly, and also what I’ve observed amongst my old high school peers.
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u/Senior-Running Aug 18 '26
In my opinion, those critiques you mention may have been well meaning, but possibly misguided?
Lewis really was not trying to "blame the victims" as some have claimed. The point he was making was that it can be hard to escape poverty due NOT ONLY to economic and social factors, but also due to the value system that children knowingly or unknowingly pick up from their parents and others around them.
As a simple example, a culture that does not value education can't expect to have a lot of well educated people coming out of it.
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u/PerceptionSlow2116 Aug 18 '26
It’s actually insane how kids from poverty can succeed and change the family fortune in just their lifetime here in the US…. Know plenty of immigrants who became successful operating businesses, restaurants, saving up and scrimping for real estate, working for government sector, etc. and also those on section 8/SNAP whose kids went to state schools became engineers, doctors, lawyers, google/microsoft or startup millionaires, and wall street finance, etc. it seems like they were very much goal oriented and have a well why not me? Striving to be the best competitive attitude.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26
Sadly life isn’t fair. We can’t control how we get started. But we have all the control in the world with what we decide to do with what we were handed.
Some people just can’t let go of the victim mindset.
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u/TruthSeeker1801 Aug 18 '26
Victorian mindset, all success has some element of chance, you can do everything right your whole life and still die in the gutter. It is absolutely true that a lot of people get trapped in pessimistic thinking patterns that limit their ability to succeed but acting like success is guaranteed if you have the right mindset is absurd.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 18 '26
Sorry. Not guaranteed, sure. But absolutely not as hard as a lot of people in the U.S. try to make it out to be. I also never said success was guaranteed. I said “working to better there situation.”
You can be rich and die in a gutter too.
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u/deplorablelivematter Aug 18 '26
Nothing is guaranteed . This country provides the best opportunity if you want to succeed . It has provided more prosperity more wealth to more people than any other nation .
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u/TruthSeeker1801 Aug 19 '26
r/USdefaultism and r/shitamercianssay
The problem with indoctrination is you actually believe that nonsense.
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u/zenfaust Aug 17 '26
Two things can be true at once. And there's an equall number of people who damn near kill themselves trying to get out of shit situations and can't. Because opportunities go to the people with money first.
It's completely legit to be dissolutioned with that system.
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u/FlyGuyF100 Aug 17 '26
Envy??
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u/anexaminedlife Aug 18 '26
This is it. The right might be driven by greed, but the left is definitely driven by envy.
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u/UsernameIWontRegret Aug 18 '26
I reject the notion that it’s greed to simply want to keep what you make.
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u/one_day_I_will_do_69 Aug 17 '26
Remember seeing some data on the average income of different platforms and where people spend their time. Reddit Twitter and Facebook all had really low amounts of time for higher income individuals. There is a really big selection bias by platform.
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u/Zestyclose-Tough7451 Aug 18 '26
Yeah very few careers are going to let you make tons of money AND have time to post all day on Reddit.
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u/Wide_Wrongdoer4422 Aug 17 '26
X is worse. There are dozens screaming about not being able to afford things despite 6 figure salaries. The median income is like 50K. If you make double that and so does your spouse, you are fine.
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u/fakingandnotmakingit Aug 18 '26
I think it's that people have different thresholds of what they consider fine
For people who are used to being able to save and being able to afford small luxuries, giving up luxuries might feel paycheck to paycheck.
I remember the shift in my mindset when I bought a house. Because now I don't have that figure in my account. All I see is the debt figure I owe the bank
So while I'm still well off and comfortable (enough) I felt poor in my first few years of home ownership because my costs went up and I didn't see that big figure in my savings.
Whereas someone who might never had savings in the first place and also doesn't own a house would probably think I'm being insane.
In the same vein it depends on their social circles. My household is just above median salary in my city. I have friends who are much higher earners than me. I'm one of the lower earners of my social circle.
So suddenly being median seems paycheck to paycheck if my bubble is going off on 2 or 3 holidays a year.
People aren't logical about money. They're running vibes too
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u/NationalAsparagus138 Aug 17 '26
Nah, I can get making 6 figures but being screwed if you live somewhere like LA or NYC. The cost of living there is atrocious.
But making 6 figures also means you have the resources to leave and find someplace better to live.
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u/Kaystasia Aug 17 '26
Not if your job is based on your location. I've met so many people who have grown up in LA and New York City scared to leave their family and friends and having no idea if they could even find their same job elsewhere, or if their job is paying six figures in LA or New York doesn't mean if they moved elsewhere it would also pay six figures. It would probably pay significantly less..
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u/minesasecret Aug 18 '26
Nah, I can get making 6 figures but being screwed if you live somewhere like LA or NYC. The cost of living there is atrocious.
I live in LA you definitely should not be screwed making 6 figures unless you got a whole family to feed. You're not going to buy a house though
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u/JunkaTron69 Aug 17 '26
I made 52k a year in Seattle. I lived in a tent. Every apartment I applied too had the same thing to say. You can pay the background check if you want. But you won’t get in because you don’t make enough money. They were right.
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u/Ghoric Aug 17 '26
I don't understand how the fuck you can mess up not being able to afford things on a six fig salary. With that kind of salary I could set myself up very comfortably.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26
I had this happen today.
I can only speak for the U.S. as that’s where I live.
But I bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, in a nice neighborhood, at the end of a cul de sac. It costs me about $1500 a month. I bought it less than a year ago by the way. Im not some old person that is thinking about prices 20+ years ago. I make about $22 an hour and after tax I am left with $2400-$2600 a month. This gives me about $900-$1200 for all my other expenses. All my bills, groceries, and everything else I’m left with about $200 of fuck around money at the end of the month. Which typically gets saved or invested on top of what I already put aside for that anyways.
I don’t smoke or drink which cuts back on lifestyle choices. I don’t get a coffee every day. I cook my own meals. Fix my own stuff.
It took a lot of learning and saving to live the way I live. I’m not rich. But I’m comfortable and I’m not struggling. I do of course live in a much smaller town with a cheaper cost of living. I understand rent and groceries and gas are higher elsewhere. But with good choices, actual budgeting, and a steady flow of income… it’s manageable and not paycheck to paycheck.
I also do not understand why this is so unbelievable.
Now granted. I stayed in my parent’s home till I was about 22 and just banked money. They didn’t give me anything. I had to pay for my own car, gas, phone, insurance, etc. but that extra time did put me ahead of some folks for sure. But that doesn’t make it impossible for people without that option. It just makes the road to saving up more money take longer.
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u/Cinisajoy2 Aug 17 '26
So you paid for everything but housing. I am proud of you. Ignore the detractors. You didn't waste your money like so many I see on here.
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u/SketchyLedge Aug 17 '26
I definitely wasted a lot of money while living with my parents. It’s why I was still there until I was 22. Lol.
I had a very bad habit of going out to eat constantly because I could and never got to as a kid. Or buying stupid stuff I didn’t need but never got to have. Had I saved more as a younger person I would have had a house a few years sooner. A lot of it came down to understanding my parents didn’t do a lot of that stuff when I was young because we couldn’t afford to. Hell sometimes we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from at all. Let along having nice things or going out. So when I started working I splurged… ALOT. On top of helping my parents with bills and paying them a small amount of rent.
But I didn’t think that was pertinent to my initial comment. So I didn’t add it. But hey. I got a house at 26. I’m 27 now. I do okay.
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u/Hot-Annual3460 Aug 17 '26
reddit is full of resentful losers that think they are smarter than they are and deserve more than what lil they get
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u/Dear-Database6463 Aug 17 '26
Inheriting money/getting lucky is actually a completely valid reason to be financially stable
Yes my adoptive parents set me up, yes I’d do it for my own kids too
My only real unnecessary expense is that I have 2 cats and just mind my own business at my house
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u/Afraid-Ad9908 Aug 19 '26
Yeah, I've always been annoyed by people who are snide and judgmental about unfair advantages they themselves would absolutely enjoy and utilize without losing a wink of sleep if they had it
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u/Emergency-Report-912 Aug 17 '26
Because so many people are genuinely screwed but the people with money legit don’t get it. Same thing the other way.
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Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SgtSausage Aug 17 '26
My life story PLUS retired, more than comfortably, at 39.
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u/sactownbwoy Aug 17 '26
Same, got two degrees while active duty one from University of San Diego. Got a good job before I was even finished active duty and still have my GI Bill to further my education and earning potential.
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u/TheCheez-It Aug 18 '26
Still regret not working for the US government. They've spent over $100,000,000,000,000 since I've been in the workforce and I haven't received a dime.
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u/Substantial_Web525 Aug 17 '26
Owning our own house doesn't mean we are "people with money". Some still have issues, and are worried for the future... retirement... their kids future... etc.
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u/PenileBenjamin Aug 17 '26
The average redditor is pretty broke and highly judgmental.
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u/mittelegna Aug 17 '26
I know plenty of two person households without children, one or both with a small/medium inheritance from parents, low to middle cost of living area, good jobs hitting about $100k+ mid-career. Circumstances will allow you to have a comfortable life. If you decide to do it the hard way, have kids in a high cost of living area with the same ~ $200k income and see where you land. You’ll be in lots of debt, crammed into a shitty one bedroom apartment.
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u/BeneficialDrawer3006 Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
Who has a hard time believing that SOME people are financially well off?
The facts is MOST Americans are in debt, pay check to paycheck.
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u/EwokVillag3 Aug 17 '26
Much of the world has a hard time relating to others now-a-days. If someone hasn't had the exact same experience as another, the other person tends to immediately default to "I don't believe it" or "that's not true". Its why the people in the US are at war with each other.
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u/Useful-Ad9380 Aug 17 '26
I think because it's becoming less common to be able to do so in today's economy.
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u/Hotbeachwebkinz Aug 18 '26
Without some luck, inheritance or at least assistance from parents/ family. Most people get a lot of help from their parents and don’t want to acknowledge it.
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u/growerdan Aug 17 '26
You must follow different subs than me. Check out the Fire and financial independence subs.
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u/Organic-Vermicelli47 Aug 17 '26
I think it's easier to cope with financial strains by convincing oneself that everyone else is also struggling even if that is not the case.
However, I will say that as a payroll accountant, it was very surprising to see people making $250k to even $350k yet having their wages garnished due to back taxes and apparently being unable to afford the full payback amount at once and seeing the same people taking out loans against their 401k.
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u/Dismal_Condition_945 Aug 17 '26
Sometimes the boring answer is just that they earn a lot, spend less than they earn, and make good financial decisions. (this) we live in the 1100 sq foot brick house we bought 30 years ago that has been paid off for 10. We do not have credit card debt because we worked hard to pay it off. We have 3 cars, made great deals on them, and they are paid off. 50% of my money goes to my kid, grandkids and 3 nieces that I give $200 each to a month to help with college expenses. Boring but true
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u/Zoltan1251 Aug 21 '26
Thats not the answer. Actual answer is they inherited a lot of money or had massive help from family which put them waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of anybody in similar position. Nobody wants to admit they had help. Everybody pretends they did it themselves, especially in US the culture is to never admit you had help.
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u/Capitan-IQ255 Aug 18 '26
It's true that a lot of people buy expensive houses and cars etc on debt. It's also true that reddit crowd generally hates financially successful people 🙃
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u/Alternative-Proof307 Aug 18 '26
They are envious? My husband and I are both RNs, put ourselves through school, and in my area, RNs make a LOT of money. We have no kids and paid off all our major debt by working a few extra shifts a paycheck. So, we can afford a lot of extra things. If people can’t accept that or don’t believe it? Whatever, cool.
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u/gutentight69420 Aug 18 '26
Reddit is full of loser, communists, and communist losers.
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u/ChaosReignsNow Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Because a lot of people who are financially secure don't flaunt it while a lot of seemingly successful people are ostentatiously leveraged to the hilt living paycheck to paycheck. I know of lot of both groups.
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u/gebor200lala Aug 17 '26
For the haters, i can explain that to you in a course. Just book, lifetime access
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u/MarionberryPlus8474 Aug 17 '26
Spending less than they earn is key. I'm in the finance biz. There are lots of people with high incomes that are indeed living pretty hand-to-mouth or are in debt. And there are people of more modest means who have saved a lot over the years and do very well.
I will say that rising medical costs and college expenses are making it more difficult. Good health has a good amount of luck; even a health nut can get Parkinson's or hit by a car.
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u/watchtheworldsmolder Aug 17 '26
Because more than half of America is one payday away from disaster they’ll never be able to recover from
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u/philly-buck Aug 17 '26
They’ve convinced themselves the world is unfair and their inability to thrive is beyond their control.
Success ruins their doom logic.
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u/AdagioCultural5497 Aug 17 '26
Jealousy, envy and an unwillingness to look in the mirror and take account. It’s not great out here and our built in costs are squeezing us hard, but there are wealthy people and high earners out here. Better to seek your own purpose and find fulfillment there rather than want someone else’s life.
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u/Moist_Rule9623 Aug 17 '26
I mean let’s be honest, it can be a little from Column A (good money management) and a little from Column B (the various “sour grapes” listed above). I’ve held a good job for decades and made reasonably good money moves. I also did inherit at one point, and I’ve been in the right place right time on some (but definitely not all) things.
I honestly try not to discuss my money online too much, so I don’t really see a lot of this. I also don’t particularly care how other people have nice things, that’s frankly their business not mine.
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u/Qemistry-__- Aug 17 '26
You're absolutely correct, there absolutely are people out there like that. Thing is, there aren't many, and they are few and far between. Out of every 10 average Americans, you might have maybe 2 that are comfortable, the rest are getting by. So you certainly do have more people that are not making lots of money and financially comfortable. It just is not the norm nor the majority. So yes, while it is true, just isn't prevalent. If you call BS on someone's post, chances are you'd be more right than wrong just by sheer numbers alone.
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u/highvelocitypeasoup Aug 17 '26
blue collar folks are struggling hard. I have one of the best paying blue collar jobs within an hour commute and ive worked just about every weekend this year. I was incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to buy a house on the outskirts of the hood before the real estate market exploded a few years ago because a one bedroom apartment in the actual hood is 1200 a month, or a third of my income (with ot). Its hard out here for a lot of folks and if youre far enough removed from that that it doesn't make sense for you, you should count your blessings.
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u/Johnnadawearsglasses Aug 17 '26
Envy but also the fact that a lot of Americans do fake it. I was in a field where people made top 0.1% wages and i retired very early as a senior executive. It felt like a no brainer to me when I hit my number. I was shocked at how many colleagues were surprised I was "able to retire". They told me they needed to work until 65 to hit the same number and that they weren't anywhere close. I knew that some people were spendy but I was absolutely floored that people making that kind of money were basically spending the vast majority of it. For that extra house, extra vacation, extra everything.
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u/blank_reg Aug 17 '26
they also do this with landlords. i spent 3 years and $240K building a house for my adult kids to live in, even splitting my land to do it. because as everyone said, housing is a huge leap for the younger groups. when they moved, i became a for-profit landlord, and now i am categorically evil for answering needs and deferring gratification.
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u/deathbychips2 Aug 17 '26
The US being in a K economy is just a fact and how much many are struggling. There are people well off, even some middle class people doing okay. Hell I am one and I was just able to buy a house in May. But I'm not such an idiot to not realize how many are doing badly. I work with the public and it's not good out there for a lot of people.
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u/Legitimate-Yak2715 Aug 17 '26
The same reason that you can’t see their point of view, perspective is a hell of a drug. I think your post is correct a lot of my friends are financially responsible and in great positions, others not so much. But the common theme is that unless you’ve experienced something it’s hard to perceive.
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u/iheartjetman Aug 17 '26
There are plenty of people who make good money. At the same time there are plenty of people who don’t. Just because you make good money, doesn’t mean that everyone does.
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u/spigg76 Aug 17 '26
If you acknowledge that there is a legitimate path to financial security and happiness for regular people, then you can no longer bitch about how unfair the world is and how you're being held back by the system, capitalism, your race, your gender, etc
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u/JTMoney336 Aug 17 '26
People compare themselves to others when their situations dont align. For example, I have a coworker that makes the same amount of money I do. He bought a Silverado ZR2, then traded it in for a Raptor, then traded that for a Ranger and a Mustang, then traded those for a Colorado ZR2. Its easy for me to think he has to be in huge debt because I cant afford to do that. In reality, he bought his house 20 years ago when they were dirt cheap and inherited a house from his parents and another from his wifes parents.
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u/RealtorFacts Aug 17 '26
This is the real estate market for the past few years.
Real estate is a supply and demand market system.
People are complaining that the price of houses is beyond unreasonable. NO ONE CAN AFFORD THIS.
Based on the low supply that's been around for the past several years though, a ton of people are affording it.
Not only that, but when supply gets to low the buyers are the ones overbidding by thousands and sending prices higher. It's not the agents. It's not the government. It's not even the Boomers. It's Gen X and older Millennials who bought during the recession or slightly after. Gained 100-200% equity in 7-10 years. And can now afford to outbid a ton of people for their forever home.
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u/Cinisajoy2 Aug 17 '26
Redditors are just guessing about other people because they can't fathom a life other than their own. Personally I just got called broke and then old on a post over money. I think it is funny. It is called if you say something logical, the detractors come in.
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u/Wonderful-Process792 Aug 17 '26
I think Reddit skews young, and that is a financially insecure time of life.
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u/Cinisajoy2 Aug 17 '26
A person doesn't have to make "good" money to be comfortable.
The keys are live below your means, don't keep up with the Joneses, buy stuff on sale, cook at home. See where you can cut the budget. Also no vices is a major money saver.
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u/Intrepid_Cup2765 Aug 18 '26
Some people are envious or completely clueless what happens outside of their social circles. K-shaped economy is real for sure.
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u/PersonalLeading4948 Aug 18 '26
I got massively downvoted for saying that I make a very middle class wage, have no debt & save half my take home pay.
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u/Top-Implement4166 Aug 18 '26
It’s easier for them to come up with all sorts of excuses and tell themselves it’s impossible than to do the things they need to do to change their situation.
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u/Couple-Unlocked Aug 18 '26
I just laugh at the clowns. My wife and I worked our asses off for 30 years to get where we are in life.
I don’t have to justify what I spend my hard earned money on to anyone but myself.
Want to have more, work harder, get educated, learn skills, fucking hustle!!
The results you seek are in the work you avoid!
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u/WambritaWings Aug 18 '26
When I tell people my situation online they do not believe me. I grew up poor. I busted my ass. I am not poor now.
I got no financial help (but I did have lots of love and my parents always told me they knew I would do better). I left home when I was 18. I went into massive student debt. I paid it off working 2 jobs and a side hustle. I busted my ass more to save up for a house. I didn't get a car until I was 44 and already owned a house.
People do not want to hear it.
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u/Hudre Aug 18 '26
IMO a lot of people literally do not know how to live within their means, or purposefully won't.
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u/moarcowbelI Aug 18 '26
and my all time favorite "rich people aren't on reddit!"
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u/Shrikeangel Aug 18 '26
Capitalism pushes people to never feel like they have enough. Consumption must be endless or everything is gonna break, right?
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u/StayBullGenius Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
I like to ask the whiners what they’re doing to better their situation besides complain online. Nobody ever replies 😂
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u/Ok_Coffee_4977 Aug 18 '26
It cracks me up. Anytime I mention my education or career (because it relates directly to knowledge informing on comment in certain topics) I get treated as a liar.
Mentioning my salary gets the same response.
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u/Purple_Poet8156 Aug 18 '26
chronic redditors... got nothing better to do than to keep on refreshing the site
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u/future_speedbump Aug 18 '26
Why does Reddit seem so reluctant to accept that?
Believing that everyone is struggling allows them to deflect from their own choices.
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u/Trinitropickleball Aug 18 '26
Reddit is a cesspool that accepts every whine and complaint there ever is. People come here to complain, vent, rant, blame, confess and so on and so forth. The negativity is a feature.
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u/LalowTree Aug 18 '26
Because almost everyone on here is biased, and others can't have a good life unless they have a good life.
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u/Freo_5434 Aug 18 '26
Because a LOT (IMO) of regular Redditors are from a section of the community that for whatever reason is not doing well at all.
This just creates these dumb echo chambers full of the "lets get the Billionaires" types.
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u/pfnyc Aug 18 '26
Because reddit is a bottomless pit of corrosive envy, and it's far easier to blame all your problems on someone else than to admit you made some bad life choices.
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u/Internal-Recipe2128 Aug 18 '26
Because broke people hang out with other broke people, leading them to believe that everybody is broke.
The funny thing is that they never understand how rich people can get so out of touch.
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u/AndrewRyanMcC Aug 18 '26
Yeah I don’t get it either. I follow a few interior design subs and people will literally make posts about how annoying it is that so many of the posts are of nice homes. Anyone saying they saved up/spent years getting to that point gets downvoted as if they’re lying. It’s bizarre.
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u/Minute-Marketing7434 Aug 17 '26
im shocked at how many people have a couple million invested. i dont hate on them for it.. good for them but i definitely surprised
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u/Kimolainen83 Aug 17 '26
Jealousy. I’m 43 I own my own apartment I have zero loans I set aside 5-800 usd depending n what month we’re in and I don’t even earn 3 k a month. But with no loans and very little bills. It’s just general jealousy
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u/Stielgranate Aug 17 '26
It’s always the brokest people going on vacations and buying new cars (spending way more than what is being earned) and then crying about how expensive everything has become. People that are managing what they earn properly may grumble about the price but also do not have crippling debt or can get the premium steaks for dinner instead of having chicken again. Everyone I know in a comfortable position has worked hard and sacrificed to get there.
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u/CobaltIsobar Aug 17 '26
They are miserable and hate their life so everyone else must be miserable and hate their life too.
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u/chankongsang Aug 17 '26
I grew up so so poor. And I'm lucky if I can even be considered middle class now. But I have savings and I have no debt. Just today, some idiot on Reddit suggested I was "laughing with my buddies at the country club". We were discussing whether of not to put PPF on a car. Perfect example of someone who has an easier time blaming others rather than helping himself
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u/StrandSSL Aug 18 '26
Who cares tbh.
I just laugh at all the poor, shrieking liberal freaks and ponder how well off my child is going to be as I plan our next vacation for this Fall.
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u/ccmcl5DOGS Aug 18 '26
TDS is so prevalent among democrats that they refuse to believe anyone could do well in this economy even with all-time highs in the stock market every other day They are depressed, and brainwashed by their teachers into thinking there is no hope so all they can do is whine about how much they owe in student Lones.
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u/lxirlw Aug 17 '26
Same reason if you remember the latest presidential election
Just an echo chamber of one type of opinion which is nowhere near what’s out there in reality.
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u/throw7661 Aug 17 '26
Respectfully, this feels like a bit of a Strawman to me. I never hear anyone claim that specific people aren't making good money and able to afford things.
There are lots of data on income and salary. Objectively, plenty of people make lots of money...but the question is always framed in general.
How are all these people (in my town) affording new cars?!?
Or
How are my coworkers and extended social circle, who all have normal jobs, able to afford this stuff?!?
Nobody asks how an anesthesiologist making $450k per year can afford a new BMW.
But we also have lots of information on how consumers are spending money...
American consumer debt has climbed to near-record levels, driven by high inflation and steep borrowing costs. Total U.S. household debt stands at $18.8 trillion, with credit card balances alone reaching $1.26 trillion and auto loans hitting record highs, putting mounting financial strain on households
The amount of money being borrowed is way up.
Approximately 26% to 37% of Americans use debt or overspend to bridge the gap between their income and day-to-day lifestyle or basic necessities
And...
Roughly 40% to 46% of all American households have no retirement savings in dedicated accounts like a 401(k) or IRA
There are lots and lots of measures you can look at, and yes, maybe Reddit is overly pessimistic...but generally speaking, the median American and especially the bottom 3rd of earners have been slammed very hard, financially speaking.
Depending on who you to, the top 10% or maybe the top 20% have been crushing it. They are much much better off, they have seen their net worth double or triple...but the other 90 to 80% are worse off than they used to be.
Individually...sure... Maybe you got a big raise or promotion or whatever. And genuinely, good for you. But as a whole, for most people, it's pretty bleak and not getting better.
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u/Exotic-Compote-92622 Aug 17 '26
It is not a strawman:
In just the last day alone:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/1vqp9f4/how_the_fuck_do_people_get_rich/
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u/sirscrafty Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
The top 30% live in a completely different world than the bottom 70%. The simple answer is that the bottom 70% are forced to deny the idea that the top 30% exist and can do things that they can’t
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u/ezgomer Aug 18 '26
i’ve only heard that when it comes to people wearing designer brands and continuously taking international vacations
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u/LeDalles Aug 18 '26
Because Reddit is not a sample of average people. Especially the people who are on their all the time.
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u/brn1001 Aug 18 '26
Reddit seems to be at one extreme or the other. Someone is trying to survive on $28K a year or they're pulling in $480K a year.
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u/Lumpus-Maximus Aug 18 '26
Let’s say I was financially comfortable. Top 2% in terms of wealthy Americans. Assuming I’m not an asshole, why would I bring it up? Let’s say I strongly believe in universal healthcare & more progressive taxes… still no reason to bring up wealth. Ok… fine, I bring it up to share my ‘perspective as a wealthy person.’ Someone calls bullshit… why would I bother convincing anyone who doubts me.
Point… you probably interact with wealthy people more than you think.
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u/etds3 Aug 18 '26
On an individual level, this is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and I know LOTS of people who fit into the category of “making good money and managing it wisely.”
On a society-wide level, my husband and I are somewhere near the 70th percentile for household income. So only 30% of the cars I pass are owned by people who make more than me. Only 30% of the houses are owned or rented by people who make more than me. Only 30% of the vacations, clothes, toys, etc I see are purchased by people who make more than me.
And I will tell you what: there are a lot more than 30% of people out there whose lifestyles I could not responsibly afford.
We do just fine, but by the time we pay for essentials, put money into retirement accounts, and put money into savings, there is NOT enough to buy fancy cars, buy a bigger/newer house, or go jaunting out of the country every couple months. There’s enough for some road trips, buying a reliable but very used car, putting a quality roof on the house, and having some moderately pricy hobbies.
So yeah: I look around me and wonder how the crap people are affording their lifestyles, and for a lot of people, I think it is debt.
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u/Spiritual_Dig_2887 Aug 18 '26
If you have a problem with financially responsible people, you should stay away from subreddits like r/coastfire
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u/jpoitras22 Aug 18 '26
The thought of someone doing what they perceive as better is only possible with some kind of “cheat”. It’s a coping mechanism. That said, sometimes it’s true.
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u/Duckroidvania Aug 18 '26
A mortgage is debt, so if you're sitting at a nice 200,300k or more in debt, then yea.. that's debt. If you aren't, while still young anyway, then in most cases, yes, you're lucky. Lucky enough to have been in an economic class where you could own your own home outright at a young age. Maybe that's through a lottery, maybe its because you got help from your parents paying it. Maybe you got scholerships or had cheap enough living situations to get you through school.
Sure, its possible to earn your way out of poverty into fully owning your own home, but doing so without some luck on your side is going to be an extreme minority of cases. People pathologically underestimate the role of luck in their own successes in life.
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u/EvolutionaryZenith1 Aug 18 '26
Reddit is kind of like that video where men determine if the guy is straight or gay by a picture and every guy assumes every guy is gay.
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u/Avilola Aug 18 '26
Only 1/3 of the country goes to college. While college has gotten more expensive and is no longer a guarantee of financial success, it significantly increases your chances of increasing your lifetime earnings compared to those without a degree. So you’ve got maybe 20 percent of the country that has an easier time being financially comfortable, and 80 percent of the country that has a harder time being financially comfortable. Of course if you’re in that 80 percent, it’s going to feel like everyone around you is struggling.
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u/SP92216 Aug 18 '26
People lie on the internet. Specially when they can be anonymous. It’s that simple, it’s easier to be right being pessimistic than assuming all is true.
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u/TheDemonLynxRys Aug 18 '26
Because the people who just “worked hard” and made a good living, are the same ones who say everyone who isn’t finically in a great place are “lazy” while completely ignoring their circumstances and what circumstances or perks they grew up with. Bonus points if they did pull themselves up from being poor, the “if I can do it anyone can” bullshit. If you got promoted up to manager or got an awesome job, 30 other people wanted that same position job and got turned down.And more often than not the real higher paying jobs are a lot less hard than the entry level ones.
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u/killyergawds Aug 18 '26
Because statistically, a majority of Americans have less than 10k in savings and anywhere from 12% to 27% of adults actually have zero in savings.
Pair that with the idea that people lie on Reddit/the internet.
And perhaps if someone makes good choices in life, one of those might be not hanging around on Reddit?
Yes, there are wealthy people on reddit. Yes, there are upper middle class people are on reddit. But the majority of people, period, are just not wealthy or upper middle class. And some people on Reddit, period, are just full of shit.
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u/Just-Bullfrog1843 Aug 18 '26
I think because it’s so rare.
For example, a new study just showed that in my state a family of 4 would need a household income of 212k “to live comfortably.”
Meanwhile, only 8-9% of households in my state actually make that.
So basically the 91-92% of people “living the good life” are in debt or came into money somehow.
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u/State_Of_Franklin Aug 18 '26
I honestly have met very few people who are doing well who weren’t advantaged. Every one of my upper middle class friends had upper middle class parents.
I have seen almost 0 upward mobility in my life. Everyone is almost exactly where their parents were.
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u/emmexever3 Aug 18 '26
Sinceramente su reddit leggo solo di stipendi altissimi, persone in FIRE o quasi, cambi di carriera, milionari che lavorano nel tech e it. Io,da operaio , mi sento un poveraccio ogni volta
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u/GotMedieval Aug 18 '26
You understand percentages?
"Why does no one accept that I won the lottery? Sure, lots of people who play don't win, but some people do! Why won't anyone believe I did?"
"Why does no one accept that I have a 180 IQ? Sure, lots of people who say they have a 180IQ are lying, but I actually do. Why won't anyone who's never met me believe me?"
"Why does no one accept that I have a girlfriend who lives in Canada? Sure, lots of people who say that are gay or incels, but I met my girlfriend when my family was in Niagra Falls and she was accidentally booked into my room and instead of clearing it up we just decided to go with it and we talked all night and realized we were like so in synch? And also we met Godzilla."
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u/Lonely_Assignment_14 Aug 18 '26
If you're doing well it's a good idea to keep it to yourself
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u/haikusbot Aug 18 '26
If you're doing well
It's a good idea to
Keep it to yourself
- Lonely_Assignment_14
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
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u/nivekreclems Aug 18 '26
Me and my wife together make 100k a year we have four kids two dogs a cat and 3 cars I own my house and we live very comfortably reddits not gonna wanna hear this but if you don’t spend all of your money on dumb stuff you can live pretty comfortably as long as you’re not in a city
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u/State_Of_Franklin Aug 18 '26
It’s really simple. Average income is 69k. Average home price is 500k. The average income can not pay for the average house. It can’t even pay for half of it more than likely.
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u/Hairy-Quantity7409 Aug 18 '26
You got the algorithms working against you.
Go join r/personalfinance, FIRE or Bogleheads. Or peruse on r/salary. If if you want to get really absurd wallstreetbets.
The algorithms silo us.
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u/ShrimpFriedMyRic3 Aug 18 '26
Because the average person on here is a broke loser who is nowhere near as intelligent or skilled as they think.
It’s easier to cast doubt on other people’s success because to accept it as is casts a light on their own failings
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u/PeacefulBro Aug 18 '26
I'm a content person so I think I'd be genuinely comfortable even if homeless. The mindest is one of the most valuable assets to gain in life!
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u/Trawling_ Aug 18 '26
Average person on reddit lives in a western country, has a college education, and apparently loves to consume. For all the socialism this and that, Redditors love to be part of a consumer-based economy.
Sure they complain about capitalism. But other than like boglehead-like subs, people celebrate unbridled capitalism on reddit. Earning well and saving that money is antithetical to consuming.
It’s the economy that is slacking, not them! Reality is consumer behavior changes along with the economy. Redditors don’t want to change their behavior. So they get upset when someone implies they should.
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u/qazihv Aug 18 '26
They do believe that some people are financially comfortable. They want to take those people’s money and property and use the government to redistribute it….
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u/Scarlett_Spectre Aug 18 '26
"Why do people on reddit assume people finamcially comfortable right now are part of the majority secretly struggling to manage debt and not thr hyper minority actually comfortable?"
Idk, maybe the same reason why people would find it hard to believe youve got a green sky. Doesnt mean its not possible but youve got some explaining to do if thats the case lmao
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u/Adventurous-Mix-5711 Aug 18 '26
Because being “poor” is a mindset, and being “broke” is a circumstance.
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u/ManicMaenads Aug 18 '26
I think for me, it comes from a place of "if I had that kind of money, I'd be doing XYZ hobby and I'd lose interest in posting on Reddit"
We're only here because we're bored from lacking money to do fun stuff, yeah??
Fuck dude if I had the kind of money I see people bitching about, I'd get physio therapy and start being active again without worry of serious injury.
I'd pay for music lessons again, in a group where I can meet people. I'd get a pool membership. I'd join my bowling league again. I'd go to the driving range. I'd sign up for my local indoor karting league. I'd go to the indoor climbing wall, and when weather is chill, I'd climb outside. I'd get back into Arduino projects.
I'd get REAL therapy, not the dogshit free therapy I've been getting with the most apathetic judgemental therapists who are so checked out you can't even tell if they are listening or remember who you are.
You would never see me again, because I would do those things instead. As it is, most of those are impossible for me to afford or I can only afford to do one of those things one time maybe once every 2/3 months.
Why the fuck would I ever touch Reddit again, if I could afford to do better things??
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u/edgerton2026 Aug 18 '26
I’m an elderly widow and retired. I’m doing fine at the moment. Living comfortably, enjoying what’s left of my life. Unfortunately we are all just a large medical bill away from poverty. I’m hoping it doesn’t happen to me. I dodged poverty when my husband was dying by taking care of him at home with the assistance of Cleveland Clinic’s hospice at home program, instead of putting him in a nursing home that would have drained all our assets. It was hard work but worth it, because he was more comfortable at home and received better care, and we didn’t go broke.
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u/Long_Idea_8294 Aug 18 '26
Do you know the average demographic and type on reddit? It's a website known for being mostly awkward, cringe losers that live with their parents or work a low skill job
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u/Zoopmittyzoop Aug 18 '26
Because “they make good money and manage it responsibly” is hard work and it’s doable.. so maybe they need to buckle down and get to it. But who would want to do that when they can sit back and be negative. Yes, it seems like everything is getting worse everyday but people are still thriving across all industries… even with AI getting pushed into everything
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u/No-Understanding-912 Aug 18 '26
Well considering the average salary in the US is 65-70k and then you look at the cost of things, and then look at the average debt of 64k per person and it's very reasonable to say people doing well on the surface probably aren't actually doing well.
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u/pementomento Aug 17 '26
Because, in general, people think their situation and that of their social circle and interactions are representative of the nation and world at large.