Feels like it. I’m getting the most pay in my life and 5 years ago it would have been comfortable. Now with the cost of everything I’m just eeking by. Hell I drive a 30 year old car still as I can’t afford a new one or even a newer used one
Motorcycles are much cheaper, easier to maintain, and convenient if you don’t live in a place with snow. If I ever go back to America, I am selling my 20 year old toyota and buying a sensible Honda Motorcycle.
I would totally ride a motorcycle if I wasn’t surrounded by people on their cell phones not staying in their lane.
The bigger danger is people not looking or their brain not working and pulling out directly infront of you.
Unless you live in America, then the biggest dangers by far, accounting for >3/4 accidents are drinking and riding or going into a turn too fast for conditions and eating shit.
Here in vietnam, its probably people with a phone in their hand riding into the back of stuff, then alcohol.
In Cambodia its probably people with shit tires and no helmet lowsiding and getting squished by an oncoming truck or banging their heads.
I’ve been bumped by people doing the no-look-lane change once hard enough to deform my foot peg, as long as you have grip, there is a lot of force trying to keep a moving bike upright.
I actually used to ride believe it or not. But with starting a family and the insane amount of distracted driving here in the US I quit. It’s disturbing to see people with their phone in their hands while driving. Plus I didnt want to leave my family without a father. I loved riding and still miss it
I used to ride, but even bikes are getting quite more expensive, and it’s much dangerous to ride on at least in the US as everyone is driving bigger and bigger vehicles and more distracted as well.
you can’t afford a 25K civic or similar?
issue i see with people is they seem to want 50K cars. at least going by the average price of new car purchases, but most car buyers buy like 2x the car they actually need.
Something like 65% of people can’t afford a $1k emergency. NO thry can’t afford a payment on a 25k civic. We are all people scraping couch cusions to get a used car lot $4500 Toyota.
Don’t know about you, but a $4,500 used Toyota in my neck of the woods would be an early 2000’s Toyota with 200k+ miles and in serious need of expensive repairs. And those living paycheck to paycheck wouldn’t have a way to put down the cash to buy even that car.
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Nope not with kids and a lack of child care. One parent stays at home as their paycheck got devoured by child care and I work. Both of us with degrees in tech too. Once both kids are in school maybe she’ll be able to work part time but obviously someone still has to go pick up the kids. I have zero family support. My parents died of cancer and meth.
I’d love a hybrid civic or corolla. Hybrid mostly to save on gas. I absolutely don’t need a F150 or something
childcare is about 3K a month max in a HCOL. even with 2 kids that’s 6K a month.
if you both have degrees in tech in your 30s, you should both be making like way more than 6k a month. neither parent should stay home, unless it’s a lifestyle choice. i have known a few people who did this. a dual income tech couple should be pulling in well over 200K/yr
and yeah if you are poor because of lifestyle choices… that’s not struggling. that’s you choosing to make less money than you could. or i suppose you could be 24 or something and both be making 60K, but why you had kids so early is against a lifestyle choice and your struggle would again be self-imposed.
and by the sounds of it you very much could afford a cheap least or car payment. a lease on basic hybrid civic is 250/mo or so. sounds you aren’t open to leasing a car though and think you have to purchase it outright.
Got to love when people say 24 is young to have a child and it’s a choice. Not every state allows abortion, and even with birth control and contraception, children occur.
At least in the US the average new car price is now close to $50k. That’s the reason car loans now are going upwards of 7 years. A lot of the car price is more and more expensive safety features being added on cars. Add in, you are quite a lot safer in a modern new car compared to even a 20 year old car.
Not everybody.
All of the worst people you know of or can imagine are doing GREAT.
I heard one of their private rape islands got shut down. That had to be inconvenient.
I’m doing great.
if I claim I’m doing awful, does that make me a good person all the sudden?
B-> !A != !B -> A
Edit: Don’t post logic equations tired, folks.
It’s just basic logic.
Yeah, shits tight and every institution is in decay. On the other hand it’s only gonna get worse until it gets better, so theres that.
…and it’s probably going to get a LOT worse.
To put things in perspective, imagine it being way, way worse in 5 years and the point you are at right now is the least struggling you’ve been through that you can remember. You might look fondly at these days, before shit hit the fan.
Try to save whatever you can.
Yeah that’s why I think its important to be a part of a community, if you can.
More than that, we have to be a worldwide community, because those who are receiving the benefits of our hard work act at that level. Left, right, democrat, republican, none matter, the strings are pulled by the same people. We are in this together, we have to see through the bullshit and help each other.
I’m not struggling but damnit i want some fucking slack.
One thing I’ve noticed is that movies and TV shows don’t use exact amounts of money anymore.
‘The Rockford Files’ always talked about Jim’s $200.00 a day fee, and characters would say things like ‘Hey, this is a fifty dollar jacket’ or ‘That house must have cost $100,000.’
The $5.00 milkshake was a big plot point in ‘Pulp Fiction.’
Prices are going up so fast that what was unreasonably expensive when the script was written will be the norm by the time the show gets aired.
I noticed that when watching How I Met Your Mother as a teenager, they almost always avoid naming specific amounts of money. The narrator might replace an amount of money with “crapload” or the characters might show eachother a money offer on a piece of paper. Older shows like All In The Family, made in the 70s, frequently mention specific amounts of money but now, with inflation, those amounts of money sound laughably low. Bread for 11 cents? I always figured modern shows avoid mentioning specific amounts of money to try and keep it timeless so in the future people won’t laugh at what was considered a high or low amount of money at the time
To be fair, they’re trying to make “evergreen” content, meaning it stays funny/meaningful/believable/etc. no matter how far into the future that you watch it.
That wasn’t really a thing until the 90s though. Probably started with The Simpsons
I’m good. Though, I feel like I don’t really have the life I expected for my current level of income. Like my parents made a lot less, but had it better.
Even before my unemployment I felt this way. I mean by felt that its just a fact. My father never went to high school. Im not saying did not graduate. Im saying never went. Mom only worked a few part time jobs and never for a need for money. Grew up in a massive 5 bedroom house and we always had 2 or more cars. Dad was a janitor. I have a BS and masters and had changed to IT due to my first career not paying enough and have no kids (I had 6 siblings). One car and two bedroom condo is my max achievement and im running through savings in my 50’s. Oh my dad had multiple pensions and a good amount of retirement savings.
Nah, I’m doing just fine. I have a steady job, frugal lifestyle and quite substantial savings/investments for someone my age. I could live for years without income.
what field are you in, if you don’t mind me asking?
Self-employed general contractor.
Same.
Also self employed. Got plenty of work lined up, savings, pension, cheap mortgage.
Each year looks a little better than the last one.
I think part of the reason it seems everyone is struggling is because of two reasons.
One, lots of people are struggling. Two, no one wants to hear from the few who aren’t.
no one wants to hear from the few who aren’t.
How is that making everyone struggle?
It doesn’t.
It makes it seem like everyone is struggling coz you don’t hear from anyone else.
How does one get a pension when self employed?
Sign up with a pension company and pay money into it like any other monthly bill.
I’m in the UK so might be different elsewhere.
We don’t generally have to worry where our next meal is coming from, but there is little to no wiggle room after that. Savings? Lol. Investments? See savings. No vacations. No subscriptions. Just rent, food, and bills. We’re one unexpected large expense away from homelessness at any given time. But we do have the essentials covered.
Financially, no. Emotionally, fuck yeah.
Same. Im at the point fortunately where by pocketbook can still stretch farther than my ability to deal with this bullshittery. I will live. But I’m pissed about it. And my heart goes out to those that can’t. I don’t have a solution but I hope we fix it soon.
As lower income households struggle to afford Walmart, Walmart is growing in popularity with higher income households seeking out sales.
“Walmart posts worst comparable sales performance in six years”
Well, might go hungry for a while if I need any clothes or whatnot. Trying to juggle side jobs to make it livable, and treat credit card with caution.
Microbiologist, Russia
Good luck, take care
We’ll see brighter days indeed!
It’s pretty bad at the moment.
Had to sell the helicopter after last quarter’s revenues tanked and fuel prices are out of control. Kinda awkward since the yacht still has a helipad.
Really just hoping people are too into their own yacht to notice…
i’m fucked.
I’m very lucky
I live in a civilised country (not 'Murica)
A few years ago I worked my arse off doing something very niche and managed to save a lot of money
I live a fairly simple life, but I do drink a lot, so that’s an expense I could cut
I travel a lot at the moment, and when I stop doing that I’ll be able to save quite a lot of money
I know how fortunate I am, and how difficult it is for some people, especially in the US
This is probably not an appropriate question, but… are you hiring?
There are many ways to immigrate here
Especially if you are willing to live in one of the smaller places
I’m an immigrant myself, and moving here absolutely changed my life
Where is ‘here’?
"Straya, cunt
What was your niche specialty?
I’m not going to say that, because it’s a very small world sometimes
I hope you understand
Of course. Glad you found something that worked out for you
Not struggling, but not living the high life, either. No retirement savings, so I’ll be working until I die, probably, but at least I like my job.
This is me, except I don’t like my job either. Still, when I compare my situation to others in my city, it could be much worse.
And while I don’t have any retirement savings yet, I’m 35…if I can get that ball rolling soon, I’m hoping I’m not completely fucked.
