If you complained about losing pay during the shutdown, they said you hate your country.
But the people who caused the shutdown still got paid.
Crazy how patriotism always means you sacrifice and they get richer.
They tell us to work harder.
So we did.
Two incomes.
Side hustles.
Overtime.
And guess what?
We are still living paycheck to paycheck.
The problem is NOT effort.
The problem is the economy.
I got a letter from the public school system because I pulled my kids out of school for 9 days so far this semester.
Disney world, hunting trip, camping trip, visit family.
No regerts.
Car insurance used to be a bill. Now it is a second rent.
Premiums exploded across 2024–2025 and insurers are still pushing double-digit hikes.
You did not get worse at driving.
The system got better at extracting.
If your renewal looks like a shakedown, that is because it is.
🚨 BREAKING: In a stunning announcement, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that he is going to release Dietary Guidelines that will ban ultra-processed foods, ease restrictions on saturated fats and fundamentally transform what American soldiers and schoolchildren eat.
@MrPitbull07 There is no circumstance I could afford to pay the mortgages on the homes I own that I rent if someone cannot pay. If the mortgages were paid I might do it for a month or something.
My tenant has been renting from me for 5 years and she has NEVER given me a problem. Rent always on time, she keeps the house spotless, and anytime something breaks she gets it fixed and just lets me know it’s taken care of. She’s really been a blessing as a tenant. Today she called me crying, saying she’s been sick and had to go on FMLA. She doesn’t qualify for disability, so right now she has no way to pay her rent. I told her not to stress and gave her 90 days rent-free. I’d rather lose the money for a few months than lose a good, respectful tenant who has always handled her business. Sometimes it’s not about profit it’s about compassion.
My parents bought a brand new house with 1400 square feet for $150K in 1990 while making 70K combined income
(just under half the houses value)
For that ratio to hold my Fiancée and I would need to make just shy of $450K to afford a 1400 square foot new build which now go for about $900K
@WillRicci I support my family of five on one income.
2,700 sq ft home
1 paid off car
3 smartphones
4 TVs w/ subs
Microwave, central heat/AC
Home cooked meals
No debt
Homeschool 3 kids
Jiu Jitsu classes
All insurances
Clothes we need
Rare vacations (by choice)
It’s tough, but possible.
Can a family live on one income today?
Yes, but not today’s lifestyle on yesterday’s budget.
Here’s what it actually looks like:
• 1,000 sq ft home, not 2,500
• One used car
• One family phone — no smartphones for kids
• One TV, no subscriptions
• No microwave, no central A/C
• Home-cooked meals, no dining out
• No childcare, 1 parent stays home
• Public schools only
• Local sports, not travel leagues
• Basic health insurance: pay dental & extras out of pocket
• Simple clothes, thrift store toys
• Rare vacations, little debt
That’s how most families lived for decades and they raised kids, built communities, and made it work.
The issue isn’t that you can’t raise a family on one income.
The issue is that we’ve inflated “middle class” to mean upper middle luxuries: two cars, two iPhones, dining out, Amazon Prime, orthodontics, soccer trips, Disneyland, and a home office with Wi-Fi.
In 1960, one income worked because expectations were lower, families were more self-reliant, and debt wasn’t a lifestyle.
You want one income? You can do it.
But you have to live like the people who actually did it.
Not poorer, just simpler and more deliberate.
The people of the past didn’t have a choice, but you do.
Imagine this
$3,500 mortgage
$1,400 car payments
$2,500 childcare
$1,000 student loans
$1,000 credit cards
That’s $9,400/month gone before groceries. How can people survive?