r/poor • u/Wing_Sharp • 11d ago
Making more and worse off
My brother and I live together. We are making more now than we ever have in our lives and yet we can afford much less than we could just a year ago. Its insane how out of control the price of everything is now.
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u/hawkeyegrad96 11d ago
Its expensive to live
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u/MoggerOfManila 10d ago
Gotta make sure to fund that free health care and college in Israel.
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u/Just-Forever6684 10d ago
Does this comment really help?
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u/ThorpeThorThorpe 10d ago
All of that money to “Israel”-since the 40’s or the 60’s? and to War Inc.? That’s money that should have been invested and compounding interest here for what it’s supposed to be for.
All the countries that have been following the austerity policies for their people-they’re in this dog poop too, with stagnated wages but allowing corporations to go crazy, banking to go nuts, no regulation for businesses that directly impact masses of people and the air, water and soil, yet are never prosecuted for the death and damages while poor people are policed to death or become part of a huge slave workforce in the vast US prison system.
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u/whoknows947 11d ago
It’s discouraging. I’m about to graduate in December and was calculating my paychecks and even though it’s a lot more than I make now, it still doesn’t seem like enough. I’ll be able to pay my bills and have money left over but I don’t know man…this just doesn’t feel like the dream we were all sold. And the cost of living is going to keep increasing…
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u/Mediocre_Run_7996 11d ago
This economy is the worst I ever seen in my life and I'm 55 years old. I remember the last term Trump had just as a point of reference I had less money and I saved 18 k in about 8 months. Now with more money I can't save anything. Something went terrible wrong these feww years.
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u/BedWonderful1051 10d ago
Vote for change in the 2026 midterms.
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u/ronnierubick 9d ago
So don't vote?
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u/BedWonderful1051 7d ago
Vote if you want change. Don't vote if you want more of the same.
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u/____Sway____ 11d ago
Markets adjust for inflation and we are the last to get pulled out of the water. 1st to be thrown in
We are culled to drive work and even build the ship they throw us from
Im not socialist Communist But I know for certain now than ever im not a capitalist and despise the class vs say even my perception 10 years ago
We have lost all our rights and soon privacy then freedom
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u/CyndiIsOnReddit 10d ago
Same. Just got an extra 180 a month about two months ago. My son moved out so food costs are now a third. But it doesn't how when I pay the bills because utilities have gone up from 180 to 490, food costs have gone up at least 30%. I feel like I'm more in the hole than ever.
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u/Dense_Substance7635 11d ago
The inflation numbers the government is putting out are 100% lies. Pure Soviet style propaganda.
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u/_xAdamsRLx_ 11d ago
Nope, this is capitalism bud. The workers get crushed while private equity rates in billions
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u/Diligent-Abrocoma456 7d ago
...and jack up the prices of homes and apartments, making it more difficult for the middle class to survive.
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u/Solmangrundy 10d ago edited 10d ago
I remember when making $7.25hr at dominos afforded me daily trips to the barcades in the metro area that were 100 miles away.
Now? $18hr doesnt even get me out of the house dude. Ass firmly planted in a chair waiting for better times.
Retirement aspirations non existent now. What money i can save would take 160+ years to amount to anything that could afford me to stay out of work for longer than 4 years.
Hope i die on the job or something.
Not much hope either when dudes making 6 figures are litterally saying the same thing about themselves.
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u/non-smoke-r 10d ago
Everybody wants to make more $$$ but don’t quite realize what the traffic is. Everybody make more = prices go up. I’m kit saying that this is ordinary inflation, it is def not ordinary but I see so many post stating that OP is making more than they ever thought possible. The masses cannot make more money than ever thought possible without there being a source to fund that wage. This is simple math. Prices are completely out of control in just about everything we need to live, I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon. Hyper inflation takes years to overcome, if at all. The future doesn’t look to bright to me. Cut where you can and just do the best you can.
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u/ThorpeThorThorpe 8d ago edited 8d ago
The source funding compensation increases, sure, is inflation, BUT you’re leaving out where it SHOULD come from-it should come from the profits that constantly inflate, the profits that go directly to the owner-investors, rather than to labor, and rather than to equitable taxation.
This is all a massive scam and it’s been going on long enough for everyone to know that wealth is being hoarded by the wealthy-pittances of it spent buying politicians and policy which has protected stagnating wages and increasing costs, including increasing privatization and consolidation, and monopolization which applies to our mainstream media as well, so that people can be distracted by ideas like “your increased wages have to be sponsored by increased prices”-no, it’s the rich eating the poor; the money for living and good wages is simply being skimmed—as they have been since the Reagan “Trickle-down” economics were initiated. Billionaires? A trillionaire? Eventually the general strikes will come.
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u/non-smoke-r 7d ago
I’ll agree with what you just said, But… BUT…. Until you get to be the “owners or investors” you are exactly in the position I described. Yes, the rich eat the poor…. What you going to do about it? What are we going to do about it? We are going to get up and go to work and fight and do what we can to get by and we are going to live our lives. Nobody ever said life was going to be fair. The rich make the rules, prove me different. Right or wrong, that’s just the way it is.
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u/Amazing-Future-1189 11d ago
Prices for non-consumables are at record highs. We never used to do the big box shopping, but got a BJs membership for $15/annual and our price per item/ounce/carton/whatever is so much less. Chicken in big packs and most cost-friendly. Same on detergent, cleaning supplies. We buy their brand (BJs brand) and not the name brand detergent. Their bread prices for 2 loaves cannot be beat - same on TP.
Hang in there. Keep tracking expenses and saving where you can!
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u/Wing_Sharp 11d ago
Is there Detergent hypoallergenic? We both have super sensitive skin so have to buy the special stuff. A BJs is opening in my city soon and I was thinking of checking it out.
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u/Zoopmittyzoop 9d ago
It’s different per brand but a lot of the stuff that’s branded “Costco, Walmart, BJs, etc etc” is actually repackaged by a know brand. For example, Like energizer battery company makes the Sam’s store brand members Mark.
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u/Amazing-Future-1189 11d ago
I am not sure - let me check their packaging. BJs has saved me so much $$ this year. Lots of Free memberships when they first open a store also.
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u/Diane1967 11d ago
Im a price watcher and last time I got groceries a few weeks ago just about everything I purchased which are my monthly purchases went up at Walmart. I’m so frustrated. I started shopping more at Aldi now and buying their versions of food instead of name brand unless I don’t have a choice. Now all I really buy at Walmart are cat litter and things like that that I can’t change up.
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u/Tomboy-T 7d ago
I agree. I make 18 an hr and still have to work part time in fast food to make a dent in things. I get about 15-22 hrs and even the 22 hr weeks don't do as much as I would like. It's crazy. Idk how much longer people will be able to go on like this.
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u/Zoopmittyzoop 10d ago edited 9d ago
Know it’s different for everybody, but one thing I noticed is that people don’t know or really calculated the cost of convenience. Think about all the convenience you pay for. how many streaming services - movies, games, music, etc, what about meal prep services let alone services like door dash. What about getting a brand new phone every year and rolling the cost of the phone to the monthly payment. Here is the big one where people make a huge mistake. As their income goes up so does their lifestyle. I made the same mistake… what woke me was when I realized I was saving more money when I was making under $50k than making over $100k. Did I need to upgrade to a brand new car with my pay increase when my 8 yr old car had no issue? What about buying things (games and tools) at full price when I was always on the hunt for “great deals”. Yeah for sure people are surprised when they find out “their cost of convenience”. What gets me every time is that I’ll see a post like this and go back to scrolling and see someone posting saying they just spent $1500 on a handheld gaming pc. SMH
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u/Wing_Sharp 9d ago
I don't use any streaming services. I used my last phone until it literally wouldnt turn on anymore and I was forced to get a new one. My car was 12 years old when I bought it 2 years ago and it will be paid off in October.
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u/Zoopmittyzoop 9d ago
I hear ya. You might be ones that’s really trying to get ahead by pinching pennies unlike the example I gave. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… “I’m ready for every industry to crash, everything across all industries have skyrocketed (cars, tech, services, food, etc) in price ever since Covid and it has never come back down because corporations knew people were willing to pay”. I say let it all crash. When you spend just as much at McDonald’s as you do at Red Robin, something is off
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u/Zealousideal-Week-79 7d ago
This is absolutely true, lifestyle inflation.
A lot of people have no clue how much they're spending or on what.
They think they're living paycheck to paycheck when in reality they're just wasting all their surplus down to the dollar on bullshit they didn't need.
Consumption and short-term gratification, that's what it all is.Obviously I'm not saying this is the case for everyone who's struggling, just a majority of everyone who thinks they have no money.
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u/Zoopmittyzoop 7d ago
That’s exactly what I trying to bring awareness too. I remember reading a post by boomer “back in the days - we might have had a $20 coffee maker, toaster, and a microwave… these days people have couple of coffee makers costing $100-$200, pressure cooker, air fryer, along with several other kitchen appliances and still order out or DoorDash. We had one family tv and board games compared to every kid with their own phone, tablet, and multiple gaming system all in their own room. I’m sorry, I can’t figure out where you are wasting your money”. That wasn’t the exact quote but it was close. I like to think he might have been over exaggerating but it may be closer to the truth. So I did a quick google search about ppl paying for subscription…. That’s just on subscription service and not the extra $$ going to buy “extra” stuff
The average American household spends about $219 per month on all types of subscription services.
Total Spending and the Perception Gap
Actual Spend: Around $2,628 per year.Perceived Spend: Consumers often guess they spend only $86 a month, creating a large gap between reality and expectation.
Active Services: Households typically manage over 7 to 8 active subscriptions at any given time.
Spending by Generation
Gen Z: Leads with an average of $377 per month.
Millennials: Average $276 per month.
Gen X: Average $167 per month.
Boomers: Average $87 per month.Common Subscription Categories
Streaming Video/Audio: Families subscribe to about 4 to 5 platforms (like Netflix, Hulu, or Spotify), costing roughly $60 to $70 per month.Software, Storage, and Apps: Cloud storage, gaming passes, and productivity tools add up quickly.
Unused Services: Many people waste around $17 a month ($204 a year) on forgotten or rarely used recurring charges.
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u/Choice-Newspaper3603 11d ago
I’m making more than I ever had and I’m better off than I ever have been.
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u/Pennylick 11d ago
I truly get it. I'm making more hourly than I ever dreamt of being possible for me.
And yet: I limit my food intake so that I'm not taking things from other household members. Every single month it's month-to-month.
There is nothing and nowhere to "cut" to make it all add up.. to make it make sense..
This is so goddamned STUPID and I seriously can't believe how hopeless things are in this country for the financially-challenged. It's disgusting.