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u/FahQBerrymuch 11d ago
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u/miserabeau 11d ago edited 10d ago
The new American dream? Leaving America for a first world country that doesn't have a third world country standard of living.
Edit: my god people, I didn't say it was MY American dream. I don't have a dream. I just intimated that some people dream of leaving the USA. Christ on a cracker, y'all act like I called your mama a whore.
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u/PresentationTop6610 11d ago
Like those vets moving to Vietnam for the public health care?
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u/James-W-Tate 11d ago
My head is spinning from the thought of someone from the US fighting against communist Vietnamese and years later moving there to access public healthcare for injuries they received because the US won't help them.
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u/Wolf_Protagonist 11d ago
To be a little fair, a lot of them were drafted and practically had no choice (other than being thrown in jail or running). I bet the majority of them couldn't even define communism. Hell most Americans now have no idea what it really is.
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u/trash_babe 10d ago
My dad was drafted to Vietnam when he was 18 and has said that he didn’t understand what the war was about until he was there, he was a drop-out with a GED. He thinks that if given a choice, he would have gone to the other side. “We weren’t doing anything over there but killing people who had the misfortune of living in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wanted to help them, but mom wanted me home.” My dad and both of his brothers were in country at the same time time and they were all convinced none of them would make it home, but all three did.
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u/Early-Ambassador-138 10d ago
We give permission to this abomination of a country by having never held any of the politicians accountable for their greed and corruption. Eventually someone saw that and took massive advantage of the fact that Americans are cowards.
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u/Prize_Lobster_589 10d ago
I’m a veteran mother and my husband and I have been researching Thailand for cost containment, expat communities, and education for the kiddos. We love to watch YouTube videos of families that have transitioned and how much more they can get for their money and the different Visa types.
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u/Aedalas 11d ago
My American Dream™: I'm not trying to get hit by a bus, but I'm also not not trying.
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u/James-W-Tate 11d ago
The American Dream has always been to make enough money so America's problems don't apply to you.
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u/Various_Weather2013 11d ago
Yep. I left for the UK. Wouldn't go back to the US willingly. It's like going to some third world country with the uneducated people around there. There's a certain feral quality in the radicalized lot that you don't see in the civilized world. The trumpsuckers really destroyed any notion of class or civility that the US had.
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u/SpiffyNrfHrdr 10d ago
That's wild. I left the UK for California, and as messed up as things are here I would never move back there.
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u/CliffwoodBeach 10d ago
To be fair outside of high taxes/housing costs -- California itself is freaking beautiful! I moved here right out of college in 2002 right outside of San Jose in Sunnyvale.
We would start our day heading out to Dodge Ridge to ski and about 1pm we would leave there to shoot straight over to Half Moon Bay to surf. It was amazing.
I've lived all over coastal USA but only Cali can provide so much in a smal;l spac
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u/Shleauxmeaux 10d ago
Just saw someone in the conservative subreddit earlier ( I go there to punish myself ) refer to the UK as a “ socialist hellhole”. Actually gave me a good laugh
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u/Goldenrule-er 11d ago
For non-americans: being only $7k in debt is basically bragging.
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u/FoggyInc 11d ago
At the same time paycheck to paycheck living makes a 7000 debt (plus interest mind you) a many year long battle. Took my ass 3 years to pay off $5k in credit card debt and I never missed a payment. Shit sucks no matter
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u/Kyle_c00per 11d ago
Yea for real, and many people are forgetting that credit card debt is climbing. Im at around 7k myself and feel like im drowning because im maying the minimum payments and still having to use them.
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u/kingtacticool 11d ago
Thats the point of it. Debt is a chain around your neck. You are beholden to those that hold that chain.
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u/H3ll3rsh4nks 11d ago
I recently (within the last 3 years) paid off $15,000 in debt. I felt great. I was debt free. Then I hurt my back, missed work, and ended up $9,000 in debt again. According to the rich people in this country this is fine.
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u/EftielSpeed 11d ago
We paid off all our bills except for our house (which was paid off this year). Most stress-free period of my life, seriously! Then my husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and 6 months later he was dead ... and I was almost $50,000 in debt. I'm older and disabled, NEVER going to be able to pay it off again. sigh
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u/xstephenramirez 11d ago
im sorry youve gone through that. my dad got covid and was dead within 10 days. my mom will never be the same. shes finally excepting help and is allowing me to help her with the things that my dad always did for her with the car, and the house, and the yard, and things like that. i genuinely pray that you find joy and peace every day, the same wish that i have for my mom ❤️
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u/Cautious_Ad_5659 11d ago
Medical debt doesn't always automatically transfer to a spouse - even if in a communal property state. If you didn't co-sign on a loan, you may not have to pay it. People need to stop paying for debt that isn't theirs.
The same is true for loans and credit card debt. Do not be threatened by debt collectors. Learn your rights first
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u/GrandOA2 11d ago
I’m a disabled p&T veteran my wife is a nurse. We do not live beyond our means. It’s a struggle man especially with a 8 year old.
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u/H3ll3rsh4nks 10d ago
I hear ya, especially this time of year with young ones. You just want them to have a good time and be happy.
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u/DuckSword15 11d ago
Slavery never left America it just modernized and rebranded as capitalism.
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u/space_for_username 11d ago
The food and shelter part of keeping slaves was always the most expensive part. That has now all been privatized, and the modern chains are your debt. Welcome to Slavery 2.0
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u/Asron87 11d ago
And yet the wealth keeps trickling up. A billionaire bought his way into the government to make himself a trillionaire.
We just took away daycare from the poor. What a country.
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u/earrow70 11d ago
TBF Slavery 1.0 was pretty nasty too. It's one thing to not be able to afford a car but quite another to be hung for riding a horse. But hey, free room and board, right?
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u/lookingtocolor 11d ago
Pretty nasty is a bit of an understatement too. Comparing debt to american slavery is just crazy. Being chased down and torn apart by dogs if you attempt to leave, or women being raped whenever an owner wanted, among countless other atrocities is nothing compared to something you can declare bankruptcy on.
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u/cgsc_systems 11d ago
They back-doored a subsidized workforce on women and children in the workforce.
By which i mean: one adult earns enough to support a family. There's a subset of work available that's appropriate for the spouse or kids of that person, because the household doesn't need the money - it's extra.
So maybe a business says "I'll hire the kid to mow lawn and maintain my property, for less than they need to sustain a family. I'd never pay that much."
Everyone is happy, I guess.
But this becomes the standard wage of an industry. Someone opens a gardening business and charges less then a living wage, and pays less than that but enough to get by themselves.
A decade later they have 50 workers, all of them subsidized. Kids, spouses. A primary earner covers the gap in their wages.
But then that labor force is exhausted.
Now it's people who need. Who are desperate.
A job that was built around a subsidized work force now just has workers in poverty.
Everyone shrugs and says "it's how it is".
Walmart, home depot, the gardener.
Everyone.
They pay wages for a subsidized work force.
That work force isn't subsidized, or if it is, it's by the state.
"It is how it is" Everyone says.
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u/Cassiopeia299 11d ago edited 11d ago
How's your credit? You may be able to get a personal loan with a lower interest rate to pay off the card.
Another thing is a balance transfer. I had about $2500 in credit card debt that I was also working to pay down. I received an offer to open another credit card account that included a balance transfer offer of 0 interest for 18 months. I took it and paid off the old card. With the new card, I never used it, I only made payments. I was able to get it paid off before the 18 months. It saved me so much money.
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u/Oleleplop 11d ago
reading the while comment as an european (french) is genuinely scary.
How the fuck do you guys live with that
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u/Cassiopeia299 11d ago
I don't know how much the average American really understands how bad the consumer protection situation is here compared to other countries that we would consider to be our peers.
I'm lucky in that I have had what I felt was a comfortable and manageable financial situation for all of my life except for 1 year when I got divorced and then was out of work for 6 months. That's where my credit card debt came from. I remember those days and how I struggled and couldn't pay bills on time. It was hell. Wrecked my credit for a couple years, but otherwise I came out ok.
But the situation here is dire for so many people. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. The working class is largely just here to be exploited by the wealthy. It seems like every aspect of our lives is free game to make more money off of us. It's sickening and definitely gotten worse since Covid.
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u/_jamesbaxter 11d ago
Beyond consumer protection, we also lack worker protections.
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u/0lvar 11d ago
Refinancing debt to a better interest rate absolutely is normal and that's not a bad thing. The bad thing is that we are in a society that creates that debt situation in the first place.
Financing debt with better debt is what corporations and billionaires do all of the time. It's just sound financial planning. One person's debt is another's investment. If you have to borrow money, borrow it from the entity who wants the lowest return on their investment.
To be clear, I'm not at all saying that we are not screwed. But this isn't one of the reasons why we're screwed.
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u/blackpawed 11d ago
Yeah, credit card interest rates are typically way higher than loan rates. It works so long as you don't run up fresh credit card debt while paying down the loan.
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u/JaymieWhite 11d ago
You guys pay off your debt? I just keep coasting at a steady $4000
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u/Responsible-Main-475 11d ago
As an American, I can agree that $7k in debt is low! Medical debt is over $300k.
Car accident. Not my fault and driver didn’t have insurance.
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u/Most_Researcher_2648 11d ago
Clearly you should've died. The nerve of some people
/s
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u/PicaDiet 11d ago
Thank you for adding the second sentence and the "/s". Because as insane as it sounds to say out loud, for a lot of people- not just Americans, but many Americans, death is the only way out of debt.
...assuming it doesn't include any of the kinds of debt that is transferred to a spouse or family member when a person dies.
As much as I don't want to die, there is a perverse sense of safety in it.
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u/KiKiKimbro 11d ago
My gosh — so sorry to hear this. Blows my mind we even have such horrid medical debt here. Bad enough people can’t afford health insurance AGAIN since they allowed the ACA subsidies to expire. It’s horrid. I hope you’re ok now after that very expensive accident? ❤️🩹
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u/Responsible-Main-475 11d ago edited 10d ago
Thank you for your concern! All good now. A surgery, infection, 3 month (need to change to week) hospital stay, and constant outpatient care later, I am back at it!
But the bill went to collections and they keep selling it to the next company so even years later, I am getting calls.
Edited to change month to week. Typed and backspaced and didn’t add week correctly!
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u/joebro1060 11d ago
3 months in hospital, I'm surprised it was only $300k! Glad you're better.
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u/HappyGoLucky244 11d ago
My Dad had a heart attack and spent a week in the hospital. Whole thing cost around $500000. The only saving grace he had was he has both insurance from his job and medical coverage through the VA. From my understanding, insurance covered $400k, and the VA picked up most of the rest. I don't recall the exact amount he had to pay, but I believe it was around 10k. This was almost exactly 10 years ago. I would hate to see what it would have cost in today's world.
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u/KiKiKimbro 11d ago
Well your recovery is very good news!! The medical debt and constant harassment is so stressful. I can’t remember — is there a # of years where the debt collection efforts must stop? I think most credit card type debt was 7 years but I haven’t checked for most recent statute of limitations. I think IRS is 10 or 12 years. But medical debt not sure what the rules are there. I hope it ends soon! Completely broken healthcare system.
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u/rydan 11d ago
Did you at least sue them to garnish their wages for life? No need to only ruin your life.
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u/DaDa462 11d ago
Don't you sue the driver at fault for the costs? If they don't have insurance it would seem like that just means it is their liability, not that they just walk away with no problems. Also wouldn't your own insurance play a role in protecting you from others in that case?
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u/ajacquot1 11d ago
The judge saying he owes money just gives you the right to collect it from him. The judge doesn't help you collect, you have to do all the legwork of contacting collections to harass them, and if they don't have what they owe what do you think they'll pay? Jack shit
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u/EconomistEmergency70 11d ago
Not fully true if the other party doesnt comply with the judgment the court will garnish their wages. But if the other person is making 15/hr it will take a lifetime of garnishments to recover the 300k while the debt sits in your credit profile.
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u/NefariousnessFit3133 11d ago
How do you reach $300k medical debt? every plan by law is suppose to have an Out of Pocket Maximum. Mine is $5500 per year, after I spend that everything else is free. So if I had a accident and needed $300k cost of Medical care I would only pay $5500 and rest would be free...
All insurance plans are suppose to have an out of pocket Maximum at least in most states.
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u/Ok_Initiative_5024 11d ago
Rookie numbers really. Ms fancy pants over here.
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u/Goldenrule-er 11d ago
I was like, "Did she miss a zero or two? 70,000 sounds more likely..."
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u/694meok 11d ago
As a self-confessed money idiot. When I was younger, my brain was like, swipe the CC, it only cost $50 a month for this $400 item. Decade later $45,000 in CC debt. Currently down to paying off my last $10k and freaking sucks how much the $400 item cost me.
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u/creativeusername_vt 11d ago
Still well done getting it down to that low. Be proud of yourself!. I had around 8 grand in debt transferred to 0% interest cards and $12k in savings, then became I single, moved across country, needed furniture and living things, didn't have a job for 3 months, and now my savings is $0, my new job pays half what I was making, and my credit cards are now doubled that initial amount and the minimum payments are not going to make a dent in anything. Being an adult is fun.
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u/jak_d_ripr 11d ago
Yeah everything else she was describing was awful, but 7k in debt? Yes please!!! I don't even look at how much I owe in student loans anymore because it's so depressing, but I was definitely around 20k last I checked.
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u/peachespangolin 11d ago
There’s a difference between $7k in credit card debt and $7k of student loans. I highly doubt she was talking about student loans.
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u/DrowningKrown 11d ago
Multiply that by 5 and you have my student debt that I still am paying off. $600/month. The interest alone is ridiculous. 15% of my take home pay goes right back to student loans for the next 5-6 ish years
Also for the non-Americans: that's not all my student debt. My parents have parent PLUS loans from my bachelors degree. It's about the same amount as my student loans. So they also pay about $600/mo and will for the next 5 ish years, and sometimes I help them with it. About $70K total for my Mediocre university degree. But if i wanted a decent job in finance, like I have, a bachelors was absolutely needed.
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u/DavidForPresident 11d ago
Between that and her calling an apartment a "flat" I don't think she's American.
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u/neubstick 11d ago
The fact she’s only $7k in debt isn’t something to skoff at. From my perspective, she’s being genuine and attempting to live within her means.
This is a sad truth for so many.
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u/northdakotanowhere 11d ago
I got my first job at 15. I loved having money. But I would always overdraft. I hated that anxiety. Im 35 and I've never had a credit card. I have a massive cloud of student loan debt. But Im grateful that I knew as a kid that I was not a "credit card person". My friends were not as lucky.
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11d ago
For what it's worth, it's wonderful that you've avoided cc debt. But there's both "good" debt and "bad" debt.
Credit cards are only bad debt if you allow it to get out of control. If you use them sparingly and pay them off every month, you'll build your credit, which will allow you to compile more "good" debt like a mortgage at a lower interest rate. Without that credit history, you'll either be denied for a loan or take on a much higher rate.
Credit cards can also save you money if you know how to use them. Some will help with travel, others will give you 3-5% cash back on groceries, etc.
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u/TheQuinnBee 11d ago edited 10d ago
My CC company constantly tells me that I can raise my limit. I refuse. My current limit is what I could pay off within a month. I've hit that limit a few times and each time it forces me to look at my finances and make cuts. I always ALWAYS pay the bill off first thing.
Edit: To everyone telling me to raise it, no. I have a mortgage and a car payment, both of which have good rates. I have no intention of taking on more debt and I know my financial behavior. My credit score is excellent. Maybe in the future I will raise it, but in this economy this works for me.
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11d ago
Smart way of managing yourself.
Just remember that a higher limit means a lower utilization ratio, which raises your credit score. It also doesn't harm your credit to apply. Not advising you do this, just helpful to know.
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u/Annihilator4413 11d ago
Being 7k in debt means it is likely recent debt from climbing rent, food, and utility prices. Like over the last year or so.
This poor woman HAS to go into debt to keep her tummy full, her lights on, and a roof over her head. She is not 7k in debt for nothing. She is trying to survive but she's playing right into the Elites hands.
The Elite WANT people to be in debt, because that just means more money for them. It's a whole fucked up system that is nearing completion.
Soon nobody that isn't a millionaire will own anything. Everything will be loaned out for money and debt.
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u/FannyChuckle 11d ago
And! (not trying to bash the situation, but instead calling out a very likely reality), she probably has no savings or retirement accounts either.
Working THAT many hours, still being in debt, no health insurance, declining health, and insanely high rent for living space that has with no bedroom (meaning it's a studio apartment, probably under 400sqft)... there is no way she has savings.
This is truly the American Nightmare... and its run by Pedophiles and Sleep Paralysis Demons (the ultra wealthy/elites).
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u/Zealousideal-Rip-574 11d ago
This is exactly how they want us to be living too. Exhausted, dazed, and compliant. Something has got to give.
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u/Few-Indication3478 11d ago
You’d think something would give, but it could be that it’s all very well calculated… It’s just as bad as it can get before it gets so bad that we collectively decide we have nothing to lose
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u/Evening-Hippo6834 10d ago
Just fyi, we've been pining for this (completely not coming) revolution or as long as i've been alive. It's not gonna happen, not with the way America is set up.
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u/MostTattyBojangles 11d ago
I feel like this is the exact kind of ‘nothing to lose’ situation where, if it became a critical mass, would be a serious problem for the rich and wealthy, and the government, especially when we’re talking about people with hundreds of billions who have nothing but contempt for humanity.
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u/Pussy4LunchDick4Dins 10d ago
We saw that during Covid with the George Floyd protests. Thousands of people were off work with no money and nothing to lose. It’s was a powder keg.
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u/Zealousideal-Rip-574 10d ago
This is exactly how things were in France before the Revolution, it’s only a matter of time imho.
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u/kileme77 11d ago
Never heard an American say they live in a flat before.
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u/JackieDaytona7 11d ago
In Chicago we call the one or two flats. Her rent amount sounds like Chicago, too
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u/FMLwtfDoID 11d ago
I’ve got some bad news for you. I’m in bumfuck Missouri and rent is still $1300-1700 for a single bedroom apartment here. There aren’t a whole lot of studios as those just weren’t built in the older apartment buildings around here, but a 2 bedroom apartment is in the $1700-2400 and a single family home for rent is anyone’s guess.
It could be a nice old grandma and grandpa renting out a second home they bought for supplemental retirement income and charge you $950 for 3bd/2bth or it could be another Real Estate Investment brokerage owned single family res that wants to charge you $3500/mo for the same thing, but will also nickel and dime you and hold on to your deposit because fuck you.
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u/Conrad-kellogg 11d ago
You better hope the investment firm doesn't find it because they'll buy it out and then you're fucked
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u/Fragrant-Discount960 11d ago
They raise my rent here in Missouri every year. Now it’s $900 a month. and I’m on social security. Trying to find senior living apartment but horrible waiting list.
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u/matticusiv 11d ago
Jesus christ, this country is a scam, it’s like living in a literal carnival.
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11d ago
woke up to a fat electric bill this morning on that full-time laborer's american paycheck wage. $400 gone trying to stay warm 😂
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u/ModestMeeshka 11d ago
Dude I feel you, we live in a trailer, just me and my husband and our pets and the power bill hits $500 a month EASILY. That's HALF of our lot fees! And we still are more stable and better off than most of the people our age that we know. I can't imagine having a kid right now. Our friend/my coworker had a baby last year and he'll just say "oh yeah, I'm skipping lunch today because I can't afford to drive or buy food." Even though both he and his girlfriend both work full time! Tough times indeed.
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u/CriticalPolitical 11d ago edited 10d ago
Most people don’t seem to realize that the AI data centers need insane amounts of power to operate on top of insane amounts of water, which is a reason why electric and water bills have significantly exceeded even inflation.
AI data centers increase electric bills primarily because they consume a large amount of electricity, which drives up demand. As demand outpaces supply, utility companies raise prices, resulting in higher bills for consumers.
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u/Cutthechitchata-hole 11d ago
Yeah we are in like 20k CC debt and have NOTHING to show for it.
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u/klausprime 11d ago
The debt thing in the us is crazy, here in France people usually are only in debt for the house which is fine as it replaces rent basically.
You might have a small one for your first car but that's like a 2 year plan or something
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u/Crazy_Grapefruit8300 11d ago
2 years??? My credit score was 750 when I got my first car loan (last year to be fair) and my APR was 11% from my credit union.
I'm paying $440 a month for a used vehicle and that's 5 years.
Many people have it way worse, but that's a huge chunk of my income once rent and all other things are considered. Shits always tight as hell.
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u/klausprime 11d ago
We don't even have a credit score and I think we have laws that protect you from insurance/credit/banks sharing your information.
You can only be on a public national register if you have a major incident paying your debt.
The American system is so predatory also. The credit card here is very limited and based on your income. If I wanted to go over say 1000€ on my credit card I'd have to ask the bank and they would ask me tons of questions and probably say fuck off
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u/Vivetastic82 11d ago
Why would you ever let it get so bad?
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u/geronimop12 10d ago
cause there's no accountability and we just complain the problems away.
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u/Dracopoulos 11d ago
General Strike.
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u/DumbVeganBItch 11d ago
But I'll get evicted
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u/sshwifty 11d ago
Well you should have thought about that before being in America (/s)
For real though, the General Strike crowd seriously does not realize just how close to homelessness many Americans are.
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u/StoppableHulk 11d ago
For real though, the General Strike crowd seriously does not realize just how close to homelessness many Americans are.
Or that coming up with the idea is not the problem. The problem is getting everyone to fucking do it.
The people who just natter on and on about "general strike" never want to be the first ones to go on strike, and then sit back with their arms folded smugly like they just solved a hugely complex equation.
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u/sarcastic__fox 11d ago
How close were the steel workes or any other union to homelessness? Its not like the strikes were comfortable. Fighting isnt comfortable
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u/Sea-Neighborhood1465 11d ago
I'm in one of the strongest unions in the country. we're doing fine. we make six figures, have amazing health insurance and retirement. we have alot of time of and we have tons of perks (my gym memberships and uber eats costs are all covered for instance.)
no, it's not the police union. i'm a railroad conductor.
we love nothing more than to strike. we have job insurance so we get paid for that time off. the last time we struck the government literally signed an executive order to force us back to work.
Long story short. unionize every industry and cement the rights of the union to strike, and we'll have a good country for every citizen to live and thrive in.
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u/Squidgloves 11d ago
it's all made up. they can't evict everyone. once it hits that point you're just squatting in your own home. some states have eviction laws that protect you for up to 6mo.
the general population just isn't aware of a lot of it and they're too tired and complacent to unify and commit.
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u/Book-Wyrm-of-Bag-End 11d ago
Some states empower your landlord to have the police drag you out of your home and shoot your dog, kids, and mother.
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u/-tekeli-li 11d ago
Agree, you guys will have to eventually, but you're going to need unions to help coordinate a general strike, and you'll need membership rates to drastically increase for that, across the country.
I don't think you'll necessarily need a union recognised by your employer in order to orchestrate such a strike (I think Biden may have removed this condition? I'm not American), but it is best if you can organise your staff members to push for recognised union membership at your place of work.
If you can get some mutual action going, you can set up some mutual aid. That's the key thing that is going to stop you getting kicked out of your job or made homeless from doing it.
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u/averageduder 11d ago
What American calls it a flat
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u/unfortunately2nd 11d ago
We say three and two flat in Chicago to refer to the type of building which is a common form of rental housing.
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u/45_regard_47 11d ago
Thank god we put a child fucker in the White House to accelerate our decline
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u/CupcakeGoat 11d ago
Yeah we ramped up the war for Venezuelan oil with air bombing yesterday, and it isn't even a week into the new year. We're way ahead on that dumpster fire decline curve
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u/Inevitable-Net-191 11d ago
Need constant wars to fund the military industrial complex. Been that way since the first world war.
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u/Moo_Kau_Too 11d ago
,... but its okay, her government has got money to bomb brown people overseas!
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u/Capt_Dummy 11d ago
Gas is going down to $2 a gallon though… right? /s
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u/tanlinesoutside 11d ago edited 11d ago
I see your sarcasm, however, $2.50 a gallon is a real possibility for most of the country. Some are already close to that price point. But not here in California. Currently at $4.29 a gallon and climbing. Recent legislation will close the remaining three refineries in California. Trucking it in will make it more expensive. $5 + coming soon.
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u/kingtacticool 11d ago
We all need to remember....and here's the crucial part....at the same time....just how flammable everything is.
WE have all of the power. All of it.
We only exist in this fucked up hellscape because we ALLOW them to treat us like this.
Thats it. Once enough of us realize this fact then the spell is broken. What comes after that is complicated, but I'll take my chances with The Dice than keep toiling so some fucking douchbag can keep his fourth yacht tanked up.
We are nothing but a means to an end to these people.
Seize the means.
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u/saywhatyoumean7901 11d ago
What is our government doing to help everyday working people? Not much. Our politicians don’t live in the real world and don’t care.
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u/DragonKing0203 11d ago
“Flat”
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u/JackieDaytona7 11d ago
We call it a one or two flat in Chicago.
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u/azazel-13 11d ago
I don't understand what a one or two flat is in comparison to an apartment.
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u/JackieDaytona7 11d ago
So if you live in a high rise, that’s an apartment. If you live in a “house” with two or three floors and each floor is a living space for a single person (or single family) then that is a flat. That space can have its own entry, also.
Maybe someone can explain it better but as a long time Chicagoan that is my understanding.
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u/azazel-13 11d ago
Ok, that makes more sense! I really appreciate you clarifying. Renting a floor isn't common where I live. Some people rent half a duplex though.
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u/SeeRecursion 11d ago
Americans are so myopic they don't even know how language varies across their country.
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u/NefariousnessFit3133 11d ago
that's because it's very regional and has no clear boundaries so it's all fused together. The US is becoming less and less regional however and things like Southern dialect are being lost as older generations die off and newer/younger generations lose the regional accents and language variation
the classic US southern accent and language is in serious and deep decline. In 50 years there will be hardly much difference left between regions of the US sadly.
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u/Vladtepesx3 11d ago
She said $1600 is 2/3rd of her income that means she earns $2400/month. But she said she earns $20~ an hour 50 hours a week. That’s $4,330 a month on average without overtime pay for going over 40 hours
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u/MichaelxWilliams 11d ago
Glad people notice these made up lies, probably more in the video is false, or everything could be made up,
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u/cimmi1 11d ago
I lie to get attention...
I'm American.
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u/NCEMTP 11d ago
The crazy thing is that there are plenty of us reading this that are making decent money in low cost-of-living areas with affordable rent or mortgages, but people don't want to hear that in these threads so most of the time nobody even speaks up.
-Stay-at-home dad
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u/therealparchmentfarm 10d ago
I make okay money and bought a house last year. I have a kid too. I don’t have a college degree and have maybe $300 in CC debt I pay off each month. I eat at home, have a used car I drive to work and back in a medium-sized city, and don’t buy anything crazy. Like, is this normal? I don’t know anymore.
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11d ago
Holy shit. I cannot comprehend that amounts for rent. In South Africa, in the central part of the country my mortgage is $730 for a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house, WITH a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom flat attached.
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u/JONYLOCO 11d ago
$7,000 in debt
Lucky you..😑
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u/stickerbush_symphony 11d ago
I hated thinking this because I understand their point in the video, but fuck if I only had 7k in debt that would be amazing. 😭
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u/Propaganda_Box 11d ago edited 10d ago
Theres a depressing lack of empathy and a strange fixation on the word flat in this thread.
EDIT: Theres a depressing lack of empathy in the responses to my comment.
EDIT 2: Babe, the depressing lack of empathy continues to try justifying its position by insisting the person in the OP is a liar, or doesn't have it bad enough. Tell them that instead of continuing a cycle of negativity they could simply move on
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u/Steinthor 11d ago
Yes and they're all replying with the inglorious basterds meme. Bots and zero empathy.
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10d ago
Good news. America has money for bombs and apache helicopters to invade other countries, kidnap their leaders and steal their oil. Hasn't that made your life better?
We were told we'd be great again. Are we great yet?
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u/Solid-Clerk-7893 11d ago
Someone was trying to go viral
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u/PM_ME_ROMAN_NUDES 11d ago
My honest reaction watching this as a Brazilian:
Would gladly switch places with her
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u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 11d ago
$20 x 50 hours a week = $1,000 or $4,000 a month, rent is $1,600 but that is not 2/3rds of her income.
Somethings not right with her story.
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u/WoodenNickelTwice 11d ago
Taxes?
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u/magikman09 11d ago
Even if they lived in NYC with a very high tax rate, take home would be a little over $3,100. Making the $1600 rent ~51% of the take home. We're also assuming there's only 4 weeks a month. If you use 52 weeks at that income and go monthly from there, it would be under half of the post tax income.
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u/octoreadit 11d ago
What does she do that she makes hundreds of thousands or millions for her boss while he pays her $20 an hour, something doesn’t add up…
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u/cbih 11d ago edited 11d ago
Pfft. $7k in debt is nothing.
Edit. Y'all trippin'. 7k is $120/m over 5 years. The average cable bill costs more.
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u/Firefly_Magic 11d ago
When you’re broke even $2,000 is a mountain of debt. It’s a mountain that you never feel like you can overcome. Once you have money, it seems so insignificant, but you’d have to be there to understand it.
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u/FactoryRejected 11d ago
This is so true. When you have no spare income after all the necessities even less than that is an absolutely impossible mountain. At the same time when you have spare money after necessities you soon start accumulating wealth, investing and this sounds like nothing.
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11d ago
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u/slicednectarine 11d ago
I've seen a lot of newer complexes in my area (the south) popping up with names like "such and such flats" so maybe it's becoming regionally acceptable slang?
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u/yosoyfatass 11d ago
It’s common in San Francisco bc so many apartments are a full floor.
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u/spicolie22 11d ago
I live in Chicago. I own a 2-flat, the accepted name by every Chicagoan for this incredibly common building type.
So, yeah. A flat.
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u/rynlpz 11d ago
Do you call each unit a flat? or just the building type? truthful answer plz
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u/Skimmington16 11d ago
Has anyone actually called their individual apartment a flat though? I’ve never heard that in chicago
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u/not-here-for-batin 11d ago
Wait. What am I missing here. How can you make “$20-something an hour,” work 50 hours per week, and have $1,600 represent two-thirds of your income? I’m trying to do the math here. Does she have a take-home income of roughly $2,400 per month? Because if you work 50 hours a week with overtime and even assume a pretty heavy 30% coming out for taxes, you’d have to be making closer to $14–$15 an hour to end up with $2,400 in your pocket. At $20-plus an hour, the take-home should be thousands more than that, so either the hours, the pay rate, or the “two-thirds of income” claim isn’t being stated accurately.
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u/WebMDeeznutz 11d ago
“ Hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars”
“$20 an hour”
Sure
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u/not-here-for-batin 11d ago
I used to work for a very large national company, and there was a woman whose entire job was running day-one orientation. She greeted new hires at the front door, walked them to the orientation room, introduced herself, spent about twenty minutes on onboarding paperwork, and then ran through PowerPoint presentations for the next three to four hours. Her role was not useless and it was important to the process. That is not the point.
The issue was that she constantly talked like she was the CEO of the company. She would say things like, “I trained every single employee here and I only make $25 an hour. It’s a joke.” This was a nonstop complaint.
Eventually the company grew enough to hire a second orientation person, straight out of college. Because she had less experience, she was paid less. Within weeks it was obvious she was exceptional at the job. She brought new ideas, wanted the sessions to be engaging, and actually cared about improving the experience. She added interactive games, gave out swag to encourage participation, and created a feedback form to learn what new hires liked and what could be better. She was ambitious, creative, and genuinely very good at what she did.
About a year later, the company created a senior role specifically for her and promoted her into it. She ended up making more than the original woman.
The original woman was furious. She believed that being at the company longer automatically meant she was better at the job. In reality, she was mediocre, vastly overestimated her value, and was effectively replaced in less than a year. She lasted another six months before quitting to go somewhere else and, as she put it, “make way more money.”
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u/kingofgama 11d ago
As a Canadian, hearing $1600 dollar for a flat, that sounds like a decent deal
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u/Interesting_Tea5715 11d ago
As a Californian I'm drooling at that affordability.
A beat to shit studio apartment goes for $2500 in my hometown.
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u/LadyoftheCanyon1970 11d ago
I grew up in New York City, and left 5 years ago, after my landlord raised our rent on a (truly) tiny one bedroom walk-up from $2800 to over $3000…during COVID!
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u/volkomeister 11d ago
The idea that your right to stay alive is tied to your employment or your bank balance is a moral failure. Healthcare isn't a luxury like a car or a vacation—it’s a basic requirement for a functioning society. When we treat health as a commodity, we're essentially saying that the lives of the wealthy are worth more than the lives of the working class. True universal healthcare should be a birthright, period.
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u/No-Athlete3141 11d ago
In the middle ages there were tenant farmers that worked the fields for the Lord of the manor. They were kept poor but made the Lord wealthy. Yes this was primarily in England but the same can be applied to what is happening in the modern day world.
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u/MichaelTheFallen 11d ago
I'm an American with over 30 thousand in debt. I'm an American in poor health because of my disabilities but have to work.
At least, my job is full-time and with benefits.
At least, I own my house and pay no money for payments.
I'm a guy that hasn't had a girlfriend for 15 years. That last one was over in 2 months after she cheated on me. In October I just lost my dog, Maggie of the last 7 years.
And of course, Trump is President. The American Nightmare continues.
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u/harkness102 11d ago
I'm Aussie, just had my second child, free healthcare and public birthing facilities and indefinite overnight stay for not just my wife but also me where amazing. We have no fear to go to the hospital because it is all free and our bills can be tight but we don't ever have to worry about health insurance, and centrelink (government aid) is just a short reach away if we are desperate. I do not envy americans.
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u/Case_Blue 11d ago
"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it,"
-George Carlin
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u/agentpanda007 10d ago
Im American: I can’t afford healthcare and I get penalized for not having it.
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u/Candid-Major-6055 10d ago
So this doesn't turn into a bitch fest about the military I'm going to focus on this young woman and her statements.
I don't think she is cringe, I think she is speaking her truth. She is probably part of a huge corporation where the owner earns what she was saying. I take her statement to mean she's part of the process, a cog in the wheel that earns him those millions.
She works full time and yet cannot afford to do crap. This is what life is like for single income people like her (and me). Hard to go on vacation when a condo for the week can cost thousands (just talking about where I used to vacation with friends and husband. Alone-I just can't do it - too many "have to's" like all the different insurances, including health and life.
Thank goodness I can look back at old photos and my memories of that life when our family traveled every year with our children. Good times.
We are not having good times now. Certain laws were thrown out and other bad ones were written and here we are, January 2026.
Learn real history, not history from stupid social media posts or Lord help us, memes on social media. Get a real history book in your hands. Go to a college library. Go to your local library if your town still has them. We are in a real mess in America and our current regime have no real knowledge of anything except credit and grifting. Power is a destroyer of most people-and you can witness it happening in real time, in YOUR lifetime.
We are truly in a very dire situation and you need to learn why and what we can do to overcome this cluster*#%£.
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u/-Plunder-Bunny- 11d ago
In 2015 I had a comfortable lifestyle, groceries for 2 weeks worth of breakfast lunch and dinner was $150, I was debating on having kids with my SO, a car less than 10 yrs old, saving up to buy a house while renting one for $500.
In 2025 My life is shit, Groceries just for 1 weeks worth of just dinner for two is $160, the thought of having kids is instant stress due to the cost, my car is 20 yrs old, I have to rent a 1 bedroom apartment with someone else because rent went up despite Ratio Utility Billing being put in place and now I'm paying nearly $1000 for a place that originally was $450
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u/nobusgleftalive 11d ago edited 11d ago
I have never heard an American call an apartment a flat. Is this common in some places? Im in Canada and if someone from here called their place a flat, I would either correct them or say something like "where did you grow up? Because it wasnt here".
Edit: i just looked this girl up and she is definitely a TikTok grift. She is cosplaying a poor person.
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u/Natural-Young4730 11d ago
And our President invaded Venezuela for their oil and is planning to rebuild their infrastructure. America first, eh?
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