Ask Lemmy

Not yet.

There is a line. People who make their money from assets have been doing well. People who make their money from wages have not.

Not yet. But it feels like the squeeze is getting tighter every month that passes. It feels like I can't get through a day without having to spend money on some shit. And I'm not talking about luxuries. I'm not talking about avocado toast or coffee. I'm talking about fixing shit in my coop apartment. Getting new brakes on my car. Getting clothes for my kids. New shoes because mine literally have a hole worn through them. I try to go with low cost options. I buy food in bulk and meal prep. It feels like the system is nickel and dime-ing me harder and harder every day. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but the future feels bleak. Capitalism is bleeding us dry while keeping us alive. We are the prisoners of financial vampires.

Scientific Socialism, look it up

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

Not everybody.

All of the worst people you know of or can imagine are doing GREAT.

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.

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.

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.

I'm not struggling but damnit i want some fucking slack.

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.

Not just financially, also mentally and emotionally!

Financially, no. Emotionally, fuck yeah.

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.

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"

The US consumer is flashing red flags all over the place

K shaped Economy Hits Walmart

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..

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

We're living in the worst K shaped economy in recent history. yeah. We are.

I have been rather fortunate, and well paid (~$120K after taxes and savings). Even 3 years ago, I didn't have to think about money day to day. I was brought up with a very modest lifestyle, so the things that feel extravagent to me were affordable in that context.

Today my wife and I eat out less, shop for groceries differently, and plan things that used to be a small purchase more carefully. It's not a struggle in the important senses, but I have a clear feeling of "it's going to get worse", and I want to make lifestyle adjustments ahead of that rather than falling behind it.

Everyone except the already very wealthy yes.

Elect Republicans, get republican policies.

The country still hadnt really recovered from Reagan, then we got Bush, then we got Trump.

Obama and Biden could only do so much to stop the dumpster fire, and Nazis are famously bad for the economy.

We're by no means struggling relative to what many are going through right now, but we definitely already lost multiple safety-nets in a very brief amount of time under Trump's 2nd term.

I am well off, but not well off enough to lift other people out of their misery. I contribute what I easily can, but every day I wish for the world to change, even if that means having less income as a result.

i'm fucked.

I'm not, have a pretty high double income. But, a lot of my friends are. I'm starting to notice things getting more expensive, but I was pissed off before that.

I don't have to be struggling myself to be upset at how things are going. I guess not everybody is like that.

I am.

I'm so god damn hungry.

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.

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

Everytime i manage to save a few thousand and think im adding to my savings, suddenly we need a root canal, i blow a tire, doctor wants an MRI because he felt something odd.... and poof, all my savings are gone.

I have moved back in with parents, who are struggling to pay their own bills. It's mutually beneficial, but goddamn does it make transitioning hard. I doubt they would kick me out since they'd lose the house when they can't pay bills, but in the meantime I would need to find somewhere to put up a tent and hope I can store my stuff somewhere cheap.

Since my spouse got fired over a medical issue, and their health has since spiraled, we have been eating through our savings. "Luckily" I just started a second job today.

Sure would be great if you could survive on a single income as a family like people used to be able to do. We'd have to make billionaires extinct first(and even then it'd be a long road getting from here to there) and unless society does a 180, that's not happening.

My economy is incredibly solid, and I'm not the most frugal. Could live off savings for more than a year.

Living in Scandinavia, background in physics.

I've been aggressively cutting my food bill and making do with the cheapest staple foods. Not ramen, but like the cheap vegetables, bulk rice and legumes, not much meat, no dairy. Making my own sweets, bread, ECT. Lots of soups, stews, vegetarian curries. Getting free fruit from neighbours trees. That's the biggest expense I can cut right now. I'm increasingly frugal on just about everything else, and doing side gigs wherever I can. I even stopped buying books and started going to the library once a week.

I wouldn't say I'm struggling, but I'm all out of things to cut.

The fediverse undoubedtly skews to the educated middle class; most of us are squeezed but not dry.

I've been unemployed since 04-2025, and while I still have a long way to go, my savings are starting to dwindle. The job market is tough for coders that find generative AI, wasteful, unethical, and a copyright hazard, in addition to not being much impressed with the output, even from tests earlier this year. I wonder if the new convenience store needs people.

Is it great? No, but I'm above water and not having to cut back. Couldn't afford kids though