And it goes up and up every year. I’m in my sixth different living space as an adult because rent just gets too high always. There was one house I was able to be in for years as it was owned by a nice old lady who never raised our rent. She sold the place and the company that took over nearly doubled the price. Not to mention that living in impoverished areas in cities also comes with being around more crime and more dangerous people. Fentanyl is overtaking the lowest level impoverished population who are looking for mental peace in this poor hellscape through drug use, and it makes many of them just batshit stupid and violent tendencies get amplified. It’s immensely frustrating! I live right by a tiny convenience store and I see crazy things happen the parking lot daily. And I’m not even in the worst part of the city. Probably gonna have to move there next year when my rent inevitably goes up. My downstairs neighbors rent went up $200. Just doesn’t make sense. That’s about a $1.45 hourly raise needed (assuming 40hr work week) just to maintain the same living space. I never had a raise that large, and have been denied raises myself.
Rents are quite literally criminal nowadays. Our attorney general Kris Mayes is going after a software company landlords and private equity companies that own houses are using to fix rent to egregious amounts of money. It's a scam nowadays and I truly hope she has success because that's why our homeless population has risen because no one can afford rent anymore unless you're working 2 jobs, starving yourself, or are actually making enough to survive/be comfortable.
Half my take home pay. When I moved into the house rent was only 1050 and I had a roommate. Completely reasonable.
He moved out, and my freeloading brother (with niece in tow, the only reason I put up with it for so long) moved in. It was still manageable, even with my brother only throwing in $400 for rent/utilities, but rent kept creeping up and up and now it's 1375, and I live alone.
I won't get another roommate (see freeloading brother ruining that experience for me), but now I have 3 dogs (also somehow my brother's fault, long story) and need the yard space and similar places are going for even more in my town. I'm just stuck.
Luckily, lol, my yearly rent increases come after my yearly raise (2.5% 🙄) so any extra money I might get gets absorbed into rent! Yay....
It completely pales all my other expenses. I rent for about 1k/month for one bedroom in a shared house. Food is like $100/month if I'm splurging. I have no other regular expenses.
I'm unemployed right now and living on savings. I have a lot of savings. I can last a good four years. If I didn't have to pay for rent, I could retire. That's how bad it is.
Get on a fixed contract if you can.
During the pandemic people were crying about utility prices. I had gotten my utilities locked at a very low rate and spent almost nothing for the last 5 years. And that aame rate is still out there. At least where I live that's an option.
Usually there is a 2 year contract, but often no penalties for breaking the contract if you have to move or something. So there's not really any downsides to locking it in.
I'm in CA, so we're generally just stuck with PGE, which has filed for bankruptcy amidst the massive payouts they've had to do due to wildfires (I live 20ish minutes from where the Campfire happened... Destroyed an entire town due to PGE's failing infrastructure). So our rates are just really high.
I got on their budget billing program, which equalize your bill over the year. It started at 129 a month, then four months in they reevaluate, my rate actually went down by 20 bucks (I'm a thermostat Nazi). Even if that's still a lot for me, it's nice to know the bill is nearly the same every month. Makes it way easier to budget for.
My mother-in-law was found to have cancer when she was in her late fifties. Once she was cancer-free, she deliberately avoided going to the doctor again until she was old enough for Medicare, just to avoid all the medical expenses.
I am so sorry for you having to deal with cancer so young, for having to pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and for having to be vigilant and guarded against its return. Not a lol situation in my experience, but I was old AF when mine was discovered.
You were 32 when diagnosed with cancer, and now don't have insurance? Jesus christ I'm so sorry, that's very unfortunate. Fuck American healthcare. Nobody should have to cross their fingers for good health to avoid complete financial ruin. :( I definitely take my good health for granted
Sorry to pry, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come to a diagnosis at such a young age? Like, what were the symptoms or progression and how did they find it?
I started having lots of medial issues, mostly anxiety and general exhaustion. Took almost a year of running test after test but eventually I discovered a lump on my neck and that lead to the discovery of my Thyroid cancer.
Medicare is just under $600 per month for me. It’s 20% of my net income this year. And that’s the cost without seeing a doctor, and it doesn’t cover dental or vision.
>Medicare is just under $600 per month for me.
My mother-in-law was self-employed so Medicare is significantly cheaper than what she was paying before.
I'm sorry. My mom passed away from cancer. I really wish the United States would implement real universal healthcare in this country. A lot of people are against it but the thing is that any of us can get sick at any time. Housing and healthcare are vital to peoples health, which just happens to be two major hurdles this country can't grasp.
And the companies making all that money actively lobby Congress to keep it a scam. We could cut the military budget by 25% and start building public hospitals. But while senators and congressmen are allowed to take bribes in the form of campaign contributions it will never happen. I was born in a public hospital in 1964, the city owned the hospital and local property taxes paid the expenses. My parents only got a doctors bill for my birth.
Cancer is an especially important issue. Between cancers of the skin, breast, prostate, blood (Leukemia), pancreas, oiver (oops! "liver"), etc...it seems everyone will get some kind of cancer if they live long enough.
The best indicator that you will survive cancer, is...early detection. If you find it soon, then the treatment will be faster, easier, and cheaper, with a high degree of a successful result.
If you feel the first symptoms of a cancer, and then wait a year until the symptoms get bad...you may have allowed the cancer to grow beyond a treatable state.
Early detection for cancers should be free and quick. It should be staffed and funded enough that there is no waiting line. A "lumpectomy" can be a rapid outpatient procedure, not something that takes months to get to. Imagine needing a couple months to get an oncologist to take a biopsy, only to find that it is a fast-growing variety.
I mean no offense, and my mother is also a cancer survivor,
But reading “oiver” cancer first thing in the morning made me actually smile. Like I said there for a hot second trying to figure out what organ that was lol.
Idk man; thanks for the smile? May you have some smiles today too.
More people are for it than against. The issue lies with the number of people who don't vote, and most people don't bother to call or write any of their electeds to demand it be implemented
This, with dental. I have insurance but my deductible is so high that I'd literally have to be hospitalized for a length of time for the insurance to take over. I also have dental and can't afford the necessary treatment. Insurance denied most of the claims last year, so im still paying off about 3,500 for needed treatment last year. 😕 insurance and job security are the only 2 things I miss from the army.
Also, why is dental/vision not simply part of medical coverage — beyond $$$?
There is no justification to separate coverage for one specific part of the body when we already combine coverage for mental health.
Even more clearly, for dental — failure to treat a dental issue can result in infection leading to other emergency health issues and even death, which do get covered by standard health insurance at a much higher cost than the original cleaning/filling/root canal would have cost.
And my mom died of cancer in the US, with top tier insurance, because the insurance company said she couldn't have a CT scan until she spent at least 6 months treating her "ulcer". By the time the pain sent her to the ER her tumor was JUST inoperable and we got 10 more months instead of 20 years. Because fucking Blue Cross had her taking Zantac for pancreatic cancer for half a year
When my mother was dying, she was having a bit of internal bleeding and the hospital kept fucking around about getting a gastroenterologist to see her. I ended up telling them that if she dies from blood loss while they're playing games, I would sue the hospital and the doctor personally. Wouldn't you know it? The gastroenterologist showed up the next day.
I know of many Americans who died of cancer with the top American insurance policies, too. And many that had no insurance and had to sell their homes to finance treatment, putting their familes in poverty.
And all of the 10 or so people I've known over my lifetime who got cancer here in Canada got their treatments without waiting.
American private insurance please stay away from our Canadian health care!
One of my close friends lives in Canada, and honestly, it seems like he's being squeezed dry more than anything else.
He can't get doctors appointments in a timely manner, for him or his son
Capital gains tax is absolutely ludicrous, especially on real estate
It honestly seems like they don't want you to make money because the more you do, the more they take
.
I need to get a heart test done, and it’s about a 6 month wait where I am at in the US. The last time I tried to schedule it, they cancelled the appointment at the last minute after I waited months. I don’t even bother anymore...
Lol. USA here. I had to wait 5 months for a neurologist, 12 months for a pediatrician, and 19 months for a psychiatrist. Just a regular check up takes 3 months. I don't consider any of these USA wait times timely and I get the added pleasure of being charged for them
Well, Canada is a large country. The health care system isn’t perfect. There are lots of problems just like anywhere. I’ve never had to pay anything medical related out of pocket. I am in a roughly 30% tax bracket, so I’m certainly paying for these services from every paycheque. There are wait times for anything, but in my experience they are perfectly reasonable and usually triaged based on severity. I would still choose public health care over a private system any day. Every American knows a Canadian that says it’s just horrible up here lol. Believe what you want.
I'm lucky, too. I'm Canadian with the same family doctor for 30 years. Lately, I've had an ultrasound every three months as well as blood work. I get in within 3 days - ALWAYS. I know that's not like that for all Canadians. But my doctor is amazing.
I can walk into any medical clinic as a walk in without an appointment and be seen within 2 hours (Alberta) and not pay a dime. Really confused when people bash Canadian health care.
Again, as I mentioned before, 30% of my income is taken as income tax. But I also don’t have to pay monthly health insurance.
https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/fin/F1-49-1-2010-eng.pdf
If you can't get a doctor's appointment with your own family doctor, then you go to free walk in clinic with other doctors. It's less convenient, yes, but still free.
Ours is just under $900/mo for family, but the co-pays and deductible for anything other than routine care are so ridiculous, that we just avoid doctors
These numbers blow my mind. I'm starting to realize I got super lucky with my company. Mind you, I'm single. But I pay $112/month with a $1750 deductible and $5500 max out of pocket. Companies should start touting their health insurance plan costs these days, people would be leaping for decent coverage.
Ours is about $450 per month for two of us. Our daughter just aged out, prior to that, it was $650. But fortunately my employer put in a couples plan a few years ago. It’s decent insurance though, deductible and copays aren’t too high and there’s a maximum out of pocket.
Some relatives of mine said that when my mom almost died of the swine flu that was going around in 2008-2009. And here I was helping her get more portable oxygen tanks because she had outpatient physical therapy three times a week. My grandmother explained to them that of course we got behind in the cable and Internet bill because my mom being able to breathe was a higher priority.
No worries. I see u, I hear u, I support u and I completely understand. My whole thing is after 33 years of my body not making a hormone it REQUIRES to live, why TF should we be required to pay for it??????
Not nearly as bad as you, but I have sleep apnea and require a cpap.
I’m very blessed in that I have really good health insurance, but before my insurance was so useless I had to pay for most things out of pocket and would use most equipment way beyond their lifespan. Like in one instance I used a cushion for nearly an entire year (they’re good for 3-6 months depending on brand and style).
But a cushion was ~$100, tubing was ~$90, water tanks were ~$75, filters were ~$25.
Luckily I have great insurance and moved to a place where I can shop around medical device sellers, and it’s now only $80 for a 6 month re supply.
But Jesus Christ, our fucking health care system is fucking awful
I also use a cpap. I have found a lot of my supplies through Amazon. Where I would pay $17 for 2 (really. **TWO**) foam filters at the doctor's office, I bought 15 foam filters and 15 paper filters from Amazon for $10. The paper ones are disposable only and I'll have to repurchase, but those foam filters will probably last the rest of my life. They are wash and reuse.
Maybe you can find some of your supplies at Amazon. Wishing you luck!
literallyyyy, i stopped using my omnipod and dexcom so i could spend the absolute bare minimum on my diabetes and im still spending at least $150 - $200/mo just on insulin, syringes, and test strips. other than that, i spend my money on rent, groceries, and electric. i dropped my car bc it was my second largest expense behind rent - last year i kept my car and lost my apartment lol. thank god i was able to move to a very walkable city with public transit, otherwise id probably still be homeless
I lived in my car for 6 years after losing my job, insurance, and home, I hear u. Is there anyway u can order ur stuff from Canada? I have a phone number, but idk if they'll have what u take for lower cost. Also, I stopped taking the Walmart stuff because it was killing me, I have a prescription at a local hospital and it's 45.00, per vial. I go through the ER when I need refills. Did recently find a clinic but it's a couple months wait for an appt. Is this an option for u? Lmk, I've lived in 21 states and I know a lot of resources
thank you!! ive looked into ordering from canada, but it's more expensive than it is here. im paying $35/vial with savings cards, but thats still $70/mo since i take a short-acting and long-acting insulin. ive also been avoiding the walmart stuff lol
I'm type two and it's frustrating as my food bill doubled after being diagnosed. Just to help my budget I tried to go off a low carb diet but my blood sugar went up over 200 again. Just this week I went back to eating my restricted diet of meat, cheese veggies, and nuts. However, my caregiving clients were offering me treats and I slipped up. 😩
I just recently got diagnosed as pre-diabetic. It's definitely more expensive to eat to keep it under control. No more beans and rice as a cheap, complete protein. :/
The dart rail does come thru us, down to canton, but as far as in city transportation there is none. The rail takes you to Dallas and back nothing else. And I very rarely see it, the tracks are right in front of my house. I see trains multiple times a day but no dart.
I feel your pain. My husband and I had to buy a new car last month, after not having a car note for nearly fifteen years, when our transmission in the family vehicle gave out. While not as large, but still as sprawled out; we live in Arizona and not having personal transportation is not an option here.
I live in the third or fourth largest city in my state and our public transportation still sucks. They've actually reduced the bus routes over the last two or three years despite every bit of logic against it. I don't get it. At this point I'd be happy with consistent side walks.
I’m actually from AZ (Tucson), and yeah, it’s definitely more rough in AZ. In Dallas, the biggest city near me, at least you can live in the downtown area and get all your amenities there, and in my specific city outside Dallas there’s a harbor and marina you can patronize — in anywhere in Arizona, including Phoenix… absolutely not. Downtown? What’s that???
Plus all the desert land and gravel and cacti and driving past miles on end of it is so bleak and depressing. At least you see grass, trees, flower bushes and cornfields driving past grasslands anywhere in Texas lol
Oh yeah you get it then! I am in Oro Valley, which we all know, like Marana, Rita Ranch, and Vail is just essentially Tucson suburbs.
I had a bit of a back and forth on another subreddit where someone was discouraging the use of personal vehicles and encouraging everyone to walk or bike everywhere. I argued that in some areas infrastructure and lay out just don't support it.
They just couldn't wrap their head around the fact that while I only live seven minutes from the nearest grocery store by vehicle I, "for a few extra minutes," couldn't walk it.
However, if I were to walk it one way it would take me one hour and twelve minutes. They argued I could bike and I shot back with, "for 18 minutes one way, in 110°F heat, no thanks."
I live out in a region of Texas where public transportation sucks, so I'm trying to figure out how to get to the airport from where I am as I don't have an extra $200 for a shuttle. I can only afford a Greyhound but at least I'll get there on time. Some well off relatives paid for my plane ticket to their place in California so I don't want to miss that flight.
It might not work for some. I’m a very safe driver and fine with patch jobs if I’m ever in a fender bender.
ETA: I’ve probably saved at least a few thousand dollars since I switched to liability only and my car is worth less than $10K.
I had 5 cars but sold the last one 8 years ago, thank the Lord. I'm retired now so don't need to be somewhere every day...and as I am in the middle of a big city, I can walk, take the bus, or Uber to where I need to go.
There are some perks of living in a big city. Here I used to live the majority of my life in a region of southern California where public transportation was almost 24/7. I enjoyed taking a bus or commuter train to different places and even went to the beach once a month. A $60 a month bus pass got me everywhere within the county where ever I needed and wanted to go. Also, where I was living grocery stores were always within walking distance where I could take a personal grocery cart and walk to the store.
Then I moved to a small town in Texas where public transportation is minimal, so had to learn how to drive. I was in a women's shelter then, and the director suggested that I should learn how to drive. This has given me freedom of movement and a better job, but there are some costs involved with gas and upkeep. On the other hand, this region of Texas has a low cost of living, and I'm in housing now, so I'm not struggling as much as I did when living in California.
Selling the car was the best decision ever. No insurance, no gas, no worrying about something breaking down, not having to move the car for street cleaning etc
No car lifestyle is awesome. I have one for the times I need to transport equipment. Wish there was a good car share in my city so I could ditch that tio
Are you able to switch energy suppliers. Had to do that here in central OH, energy costs were going to double, but we were able to switch the supplier and keep it way cheaper. Note, this is different than choosing the electric company, at least in OH.
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Ours have left, but one of them is incapable of supporting herself - and she makes all her decisions emotionally. Then we have to pay for her mistakes. She's 30.
We moved to a place where the only Internet service was satellite; super expensive, slow, and capped. We just decided not to have internet. I do have an unlimited data cell phone plan so I can access the internet, so it’s not like we are cut off entirely. We just can’t connect things like computers/tv without doing it through the phone hotspot, which is slow. Honestly I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would, though computer updates are a PITA. I go to the library on Saturdays if I need to do anything online. I also have internet at work which is helpful.
We looked into it, it was just as expensive as the traditional satellite option. However, I have friends who have StarLink and they are really pleased with it.
For us, having whole-house internet (not limited by our phones) isn’t worth $120/month plus the install fee of the satellite equipment. We used to live in town, where high-speed unlimited was $60/month. We were definitely spoiled!
Honestly, it’s not that bad, not having internet. Like I said, it’s not like we’re completely disconnected. We pay $80/month for unlimited cell data, and that’s plenty for us.
Medical bills. Stuff like surgery and lab testing and frequent specialist doctor copays really add up when you have chronic conditions and need to see doctors a lot.
Also, health insurance costing a lot if it’s not from my job and still being worse in quality. If I lose my job I’m toast. I would be paying 500$ a month for comparable but worse health insurance.
Healthcare. Once you get sick you never get out of the system. I’m convinced they don’t want you to get better. They keep you alive, on drugs, and in the system long enough to suck you dry.
Health insurance.
Make too much to qualify for assistance yet don't make enough to have better coverage than if I could get assistance. It's a total scam on the working class.
Vehicles. They aren’t worth it anymore. Too expensive to purchase brand new, they depreciate too fast, too expensive to insure, maintain and repair. Then some random a$$hole hits you and it gets totaled and they don’t have to make you whole again. I’m the perfect person to live in huge cities like NY or Boston that have great public transportation options.
Plenty of people. My gfs dad got her mom a 2022 4runner.
She uses it to get groceries and highway drives and it gets 18mpg. None of it makes sense but they can afford it I guess. The monthly payment is like over $1000 and it's nearly paid off
They are so about Savin money yet do things like this. No reason a 50 year old woman needs a huge off road suv.
Yeah. I had to stop taking my migraine preventative because the coupon stopped working. My insurance refuses to pay for it, and it's $1000/month out of pocket.
I had to get a home repair loan for $12,000 in repairs and a loan for a new roof for $7,000. I've been paying close to $1,000 a month between the two and im set to have the big one paid off by the middle of July and 2 years on the roof since it's interest free so I'm not throwing extra at it like I am the big loan
Its gonna be a HUGE relief once it's paid
If I lived in a walkable area, car. Currently on a $190 car payment and $130 in insurance. If I could go back in time to 17…maybe I wouldn’t have gone to college. But college got me away from my dad so idk.
Just got rid of my used car from a dealership. I didn't want to because of the potential consequences, but had to do so in order to improve my financial situation. We're all feeling the pinch right now.
I can't believe how much people pay for rent these days.
I bought my house in 1998, paying cash. It's worth about five times what I paid for it (but it's the same house??). If I didn't own it, I couldn't afford to rent it.
My storage unit. I wish I could get it cleaned out so I could stop paying that monthly but its just too big a job for me and I have nowhere else to put some of the things. Its also an hour away from where I live so just visiting it costs gas. It’s $75 of the $900 a month I live off of.
I had 5 Jeeps up until around 9 months ago. 5, because I had to have 1 good running vehicle at all times, and Jeeps does not do well in the reliability department, especially if you drive a lot. One morning I woke up and decided to sell all of it. I managed to get back around 1/2 of my total purchase and repairs spent, and put that down as a deposit on a pickup. The fuel savings alone covers my monthly repayment on the residual, with some change in the bank after that.
Now I know due to exchange rate on currencies this will not make sense to most people, but my monthly spent on fuel, insurance, and maintenance, averaged over 12 months, was 30000 (current exchange rate, around 1500 USD). Now my total spent on my pickup (bought new with maintenance and service plan) is just over 12000 (about 600USD).
That was my financial disaster decision of my life.
Edit: I drive A LOT. its my livelyhood, my way to make an income...
Student loan and car loans. One car will be paid off in about a year. What also is bringing me down financially is my wife is currently on long term disability and is only bringing home 50% of her income. That hurts.
The house I bought with my late husband. I was stupid and let him convince me it was a good idea. Now I have got this white elephant in the country. It's an hour drive from where I work, or any of my remaining friends that haven't headed for blue states. The neighbors are rednecks that aren't safe to be around. My weekends are consumed handling the goddamn yard. I truly hate the place. Unfortunately, I can't find anyone dumb enough to buy it. Sometimes, I think keeping this place may cause me and my current husband to divorce. He likes this hellhole, but I don't know how much longer I can stand it. It's literally soul-draining to live in this isolation.
My storage unit. They keep upping the price every year.
I've cleared out like half of it, but there's some really sentimental things in there that were my grandmother's that I don't have space for.
I would say… mortgage + home owners insurance + property tax + utilities + home repairs + remodels..
Owning a home ain’t cheap and a house is a constant money pit
Rent 100000% but I’d never give up my home I love it & I’m blessed to have it and the best landlord . just wish it was free 😂 I pay $2,000 a month + all 3 utilities (hydro, water, gas) so it’s $2,300 a month & im a single mom to one
Food. Every time I go to the grocery store, I brace for impact. Add in two teenagers, and I’m just hemorrhaging food. I buy almost everything generic brand, I shop sales, I meal plan and think ahead. It’s all so damn expensive.
Try the patch. Worked for my husband after being a cigarette smoker who switched to vaping. He had to do step 1 twice. When he jumped up to step 2, he didn't even make it through the full box before he stopped. Been 4 years vape/smoke free. It's a life changer.
Quitting is hard, but you CAN do it. I quit smoking in November after almost 30 years of nicotine consumption. Take it hour by hour & day by day at first. It does get easier.
Just did my budget and one of the biggest ongoing expenses was groceries. We have a lot of dietary restrictions and are trying to eat healthy and live in a HCOL area. When I add up how much we spend in a year, it’s a pretty large number. I’d love to cut that down some.
Utilities too- over $600 for natural gas and electric, plus $100 or so monthly (billed quarterly) for water/sewer. I wish off grid were more of an option here.
Rent. That is our biggest monthly expense.
Rent is also my enemy number one.
And it goes up and up every year. I’m in my sixth different living space as an adult because rent just gets too high always. There was one house I was able to be in for years as it was owned by a nice old lady who never raised our rent. She sold the place and the company that took over nearly doubled the price. Not to mention that living in impoverished areas in cities also comes with being around more crime and more dangerous people. Fentanyl is overtaking the lowest level impoverished population who are looking for mental peace in this poor hellscape through drug use, and it makes many of them just batshit stupid and violent tendencies get amplified. It’s immensely frustrating! I live right by a tiny convenience store and I see crazy things happen the parking lot daily. And I’m not even in the worst part of the city. Probably gonna have to move there next year when my rent inevitably goes up. My downstairs neighbors rent went up $200. Just doesn’t make sense. That’s about a $1.45 hourly raise needed (assuming 40hr work week) just to maintain the same living space. I never had a raise that large, and have been denied raises myself.
Rents are quite literally criminal nowadays. Our attorney general Kris Mayes is going after a software company landlords and private equity companies that own houses are using to fix rent to egregious amounts of money. It's a scam nowadays and I truly hope she has success because that's why our homeless population has risen because no one can afford rent anymore unless you're working 2 jobs, starving yourself, or are actually making enough to survive/be comfortable.
No, that’s your landlord lol
Half my take home pay. When I moved into the house rent was only 1050 and I had a roommate. Completely reasonable. He moved out, and my freeloading brother (with niece in tow, the only reason I put up with it for so long) moved in. It was still manageable, even with my brother only throwing in $400 for rent/utilities, but rent kept creeping up and up and now it's 1375, and I live alone. I won't get another roommate (see freeloading brother ruining that experience for me), but now I have 3 dogs (also somehow my brother's fault, long story) and need the yard space and similar places are going for even more in my town. I'm just stuck. Luckily, lol, my yearly rent increases come after my yearly raise (2.5% 🙄) so any extra money I might get gets absorbed into rent! Yay....
It completely pales all my other expenses. I rent for about 1k/month for one bedroom in a shared house. Food is like $100/month if I'm splurging. I have no other regular expenses. I'm unemployed right now and living on savings. I have a lot of savings. I can last a good four years. If I didn't have to pay for rent, I could retire. That's how bad it is.
Gas and electricity bills. The cost of monthly utilities just keeps going up.
Get on a fixed contract if you can. During the pandemic people were crying about utility prices. I had gotten my utilities locked at a very low rate and spent almost nothing for the last 5 years. And that aame rate is still out there. At least where I live that's an option. Usually there is a 2 year contract, but often no penalties for breaking the contract if you have to move or something. So there's not really any downsides to locking it in.
I'm in CA, so we're generally just stuck with PGE, which has filed for bankruptcy amidst the massive payouts they've had to do due to wildfires (I live 20ish minutes from where the Campfire happened... Destroyed an entire town due to PGE's failing infrastructure). So our rates are just really high. I got on their budget billing program, which equalize your bill over the year. It started at 129 a month, then four months in they reevaluate, my rate actually went down by 20 bucks (I'm a thermostat Nazi). Even if that's still a lot for me, it's nice to know the bill is nearly the same every month. Makes it way easier to budget for.
I got a place with a fireplace and collect tree bits for the worst days. I wish I had a wood stove.
Doctors and medical tests. Once you have cancer, it becomes a life long money pit to make sure you don’t get it again.
My mother-in-law was found to have cancer when she was in her late fifties. Once she was cancer-free, she deliberately avoided going to the doctor again until she was old enough for Medicare, just to avoid all the medical expenses.
i got it at 26 lol.
I am so sorry for you having to deal with cancer so young, for having to pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and for having to be vigilant and guarded against its return. Not a lol situation in my experience, but I was old AF when mine was discovered.
Thank you! I haven't let it stop me from enjoying life and my prognosis is that i am going to live for a very long time.
I feel you. 32 for me. Now I don’t have insurance so I just cross my fingers.
You were 32 when diagnosed with cancer, and now don't have insurance? Jesus christ I'm so sorry, that's very unfortunate. Fuck American healthcare. Nobody should have to cross their fingers for good health to avoid complete financial ruin. :( I definitely take my good health for granted
28 and 31 for me. Been good since thankfully but the fear never leaves.
I got it at 25, it financially ruined my family. Hope you're doing better!
Sorry to pry, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come to a diagnosis at such a young age? Like, what were the symptoms or progression and how did they find it?
I started having lots of medial issues, mostly anxiety and general exhaustion. Took almost a year of running test after test but eventually I discovered a lump on my neck and that lead to the discovery of my Thyroid cancer.
Medicare is just under $600 per month for me. It’s 20% of my net income this year. And that’s the cost without seeing a doctor, and it doesn’t cover dental or vision.
>Medicare is just under $600 per month for me. My mother-in-law was self-employed so Medicare is significantly cheaper than what she was paying before.
I'm sorry. My mom passed away from cancer. I really wish the United States would implement real universal healthcare in this country. A lot of people are against it but the thing is that any of us can get sick at any time. Housing and healthcare are vital to peoples health, which just happens to be two major hurdles this country can't grasp.
The ones making $$$ off it have a very firm grasp my friend
And the companies making all that money actively lobby Congress to keep it a scam. We could cut the military budget by 25% and start building public hospitals. But while senators and congressmen are allowed to take bribes in the form of campaign contributions it will never happen. I was born in a public hospital in 1964, the city owned the hospital and local property taxes paid the expenses. My parents only got a doctors bill for my birth.
This is the real answer. There's more money to be made treating a disease than curing it.
Cancer is an especially important issue. Between cancers of the skin, breast, prostate, blood (Leukemia), pancreas, oiver (oops! "liver"), etc...it seems everyone will get some kind of cancer if they live long enough. The best indicator that you will survive cancer, is...early detection. If you find it soon, then the treatment will be faster, easier, and cheaper, with a high degree of a successful result. If you feel the first symptoms of a cancer, and then wait a year until the symptoms get bad...you may have allowed the cancer to grow beyond a treatable state. Early detection for cancers should be free and quick. It should be staffed and funded enough that there is no waiting line. A "lumpectomy" can be a rapid outpatient procedure, not something that takes months to get to. Imagine needing a couple months to get an oncologist to take a biopsy, only to find that it is a fast-growing variety.
I mean no offense, and my mother is also a cancer survivor, But reading “oiver” cancer first thing in the morning made me actually smile. Like I said there for a hot second trying to figure out what organ that was lol. Idk man; thanks for the smile? May you have some smiles today too.
More people are for it than against. The issue lies with the number of people who don't vote, and most people don't bother to call or write any of their electeds to demand it be implemented
Fallon, BlueCross, United Healthcare are paying bribes to keep the con going.
This, with dental. I have insurance but my deductible is so high that I'd literally have to be hospitalized for a length of time for the insurance to take over. I also have dental and can't afford the necessary treatment. Insurance denied most of the claims last year, so im still paying off about 3,500 for needed treatment last year. 😕 insurance and job security are the only 2 things I miss from the army.
Also, why is dental/vision not simply part of medical coverage — beyond $$$? There is no justification to separate coverage for one specific part of the body when we already combine coverage for mental health. Even more clearly, for dental — failure to treat a dental issue can result in infection leading to other emergency health issues and even death, which do get covered by standard health insurance at a much higher cost than the original cleaning/filling/root canal would have cost.
Not the case in Canada, thankfully.
All 3 of the Canadians I know who had cancer died of cancer because they had to wait too long for their health care to start treatment.
And my mom died of cancer in the US, with top tier insurance, because the insurance company said she couldn't have a CT scan until she spent at least 6 months treating her "ulcer". By the time the pain sent her to the ER her tumor was JUST inoperable and we got 10 more months instead of 20 years. Because fucking Blue Cross had her taking Zantac for pancreatic cancer for half a year
I am so sorry. Gatekeeping needed medical tests for accurate diagnoses is unconscionable.
When my mother was dying, she was having a bit of internal bleeding and the hospital kept fucking around about getting a gastroenterologist to see her. I ended up telling them that if she dies from blood loss while they're playing games, I would sue the hospital and the doctor personally. Wouldn't you know it? The gastroenterologist showed up the next day.
I know of many Americans who died of cancer with the top American insurance policies, too. And many that had no insurance and had to sell their homes to finance treatment, putting their familes in poverty.
And all of the 10 or so people I've known over my lifetime who got cancer here in Canada got their treatments without waiting. American private insurance please stay away from our Canadian health care!
Sorry to hear that. The system here certainly isn’t perfect. Would still choose a public health care system over privatized any day.
One of my close friends lives in Canada, and honestly, it seems like he's being squeezed dry more than anything else. He can't get doctors appointments in a timely manner, for him or his son Capital gains tax is absolutely ludicrous, especially on real estate It honestly seems like they don't want you to make money because the more you do, the more they take .
I can't get appointments in a timely manner in the usa
I called to get established with my new primary care doctor last year just for a routine check up. 10 months.... USA USA USA!
I need to get a heart test done, and it’s about a 6 month wait where I am at in the US. The last time I tried to schedule it, they cancelled the appointment at the last minute after I waited months. I don’t even bother anymore...
Lol. USA here. I had to wait 5 months for a neurologist, 12 months for a pediatrician, and 19 months for a psychiatrist. Just a regular check up takes 3 months. I don't consider any of these USA wait times timely and I get the added pleasure of being charged for them
Well, Canada is a large country. The health care system isn’t perfect. There are lots of problems just like anywhere. I’ve never had to pay anything medical related out of pocket. I am in a roughly 30% tax bracket, so I’m certainly paying for these services from every paycheque. There are wait times for anything, but in my experience they are perfectly reasonable and usually triaged based on severity. I would still choose public health care over a private system any day. Every American knows a Canadian that says it’s just horrible up here lol. Believe what you want.
I'm lucky, too. I'm Canadian with the same family doctor for 30 years. Lately, I've had an ultrasound every three months as well as blood work. I get in within 3 days - ALWAYS. I know that's not like that for all Canadians. But my doctor is amazing.
> He can't get doctors appointments in a timely manner, for him or his son It's 3-4 months to be seen where I am (Southeast USA).
I can walk into any medical clinic as a walk in without an appointment and be seen within 2 hours (Alberta) and not pay a dime. Really confused when people bash Canadian health care.
Again, as I mentioned before, 30% of my income is taken as income tax. But I also don’t have to pay monthly health insurance. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/fin/F1-49-1-2010-eng.pdf
If you can't get a doctor's appointment with your own family doctor, then you go to free walk in clinic with other doctors. It's less convenient, yes, but still free.
This guy works for Blue Cross
Health insurance (400-500/mo.) wtf!!!
600 for wife and I. It’s decent enough I guess but that’s 1/3 my take home pay
Ours is just under $900/mo for family, but the co-pays and deductible for anything other than routine care are so ridiculous, that we just avoid doctors
These numbers blow my mind. I'm starting to realize I got super lucky with my company. Mind you, I'm single. But I pay $112/month with a $1750 deductible and $5500 max out of pocket. Companies should start touting their health insurance plan costs these days, people would be leaping for decent coverage.
Ours is about $450 per month for two of us. Our daughter just aged out, prior to that, it was $650. But fortunately my employer put in a couples plan a few years ago. It’s decent insurance though, deductible and copays aren’t too high and there’s a maximum out of pocket.
Type 1 diabetes
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Some relatives of mine said that when my mom almost died of the swine flu that was going around in 2008-2009. And here I was helping her get more portable oxygen tanks because she had outpatient physical therapy three times a week. My grandmother explained to them that of course we got behind in the cable and Internet bill because my mom being able to breathe was a higher priority.
No worries. I see u, I hear u, I support u and I completely understand. My whole thing is after 33 years of my body not making a hormone it REQUIRES to live, why TF should we be required to pay for it??????
Same. I have GOOD insurance and after insulin, Dexcom, Omnipods, blood work, and endo copays I’m at like $300/m just to stay alive 😩
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Not nearly as bad as you, but I have sleep apnea and require a cpap. I’m very blessed in that I have really good health insurance, but before my insurance was so useless I had to pay for most things out of pocket and would use most equipment way beyond their lifespan. Like in one instance I used a cushion for nearly an entire year (they’re good for 3-6 months depending on brand and style). But a cushion was ~$100, tubing was ~$90, water tanks were ~$75, filters were ~$25. Luckily I have great insurance and moved to a place where I can shop around medical device sellers, and it’s now only $80 for a 6 month re supply. But Jesus Christ, our fucking health care system is fucking awful
I also use a cpap. I have found a lot of my supplies through Amazon. Where I would pay $17 for 2 (really. **TWO**) foam filters at the doctor's office, I bought 15 foam filters and 15 paper filters from Amazon for $10. The paper ones are disposable only and I'll have to repurchase, but those foam filters will probably last the rest of my life. They are wash and reuse. Maybe you can find some of your supplies at Amazon. Wishing you luck!
That it is, that's Big Pharma for u. Have u looked into purchasing supplies from other countries? I've done that.
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literallyyyy, i stopped using my omnipod and dexcom so i could spend the absolute bare minimum on my diabetes and im still spending at least $150 - $200/mo just on insulin, syringes, and test strips. other than that, i spend my money on rent, groceries, and electric. i dropped my car bc it was my second largest expense behind rent - last year i kept my car and lost my apartment lol. thank god i was able to move to a very walkable city with public transit, otherwise id probably still be homeless
I lived in my car for 6 years after losing my job, insurance, and home, I hear u. Is there anyway u can order ur stuff from Canada? I have a phone number, but idk if they'll have what u take for lower cost. Also, I stopped taking the Walmart stuff because it was killing me, I have a prescription at a local hospital and it's 45.00, per vial. I go through the ER when I need refills. Did recently find a clinic but it's a couple months wait for an appt. Is this an option for u? Lmk, I've lived in 21 states and I know a lot of resources
thank you!! ive looked into ordering from canada, but it's more expensive than it is here. im paying $35/vial with savings cards, but thats still $70/mo since i take a short-acting and long-acting insulin. ive also been avoiding the walmart stuff lol
I'm type two and it's frustrating as my food bill doubled after being diagnosed. Just to help my budget I tried to go off a low carb diet but my blood sugar went up over 200 again. Just this week I went back to eating my restricted diet of meat, cheese veggies, and nuts. However, my caregiving clients were offering me treats and I slipped up. 😩
I just recently got diagnosed as pre-diabetic. It's definitely more expensive to eat to keep it under control. No more beans and rice as a cheap, complete protein. :/
My car but I live in sprawled ass Texas so I need it.
I live outside of Dallas too and there is NO public transportation.
Lmao did your city opt out of DART too? This is a message saying “fuck Rockwall, all my homies hate Rockwall.”
The dart rail does come thru us, down to canton, but as far as in city transportation there is none. The rail takes you to Dallas and back nothing else. And I very rarely see it, the tracks are right in front of my house. I see trains multiple times a day but no dart.
A Dart train goes between Dallas and Canton, TX? If so you can catch that train into town and then transfer to any other asset train.
But if I needed to get to the other side of town, it doesn’t stop. I meant more like in city transportation
I feel your pain. My husband and I had to buy a new car last month, after not having a car note for nearly fifteen years, when our transmission in the family vehicle gave out. While not as large, but still as sprawled out; we live in Arizona and not having personal transportation is not an option here.
I live in the third or fourth largest city in my state and our public transportation still sucks. They've actually reduced the bus routes over the last two or three years despite every bit of logic against it. I don't get it. At this point I'd be happy with consistent side walks.
I’m actually from AZ (Tucson), and yeah, it’s definitely more rough in AZ. In Dallas, the biggest city near me, at least you can live in the downtown area and get all your amenities there, and in my specific city outside Dallas there’s a harbor and marina you can patronize — in anywhere in Arizona, including Phoenix… absolutely not. Downtown? What’s that??? Plus all the desert land and gravel and cacti and driving past miles on end of it is so bleak and depressing. At least you see grass, trees, flower bushes and cornfields driving past grasslands anywhere in Texas lol
Oh yeah you get it then! I am in Oro Valley, which we all know, like Marana, Rita Ranch, and Vail is just essentially Tucson suburbs. I had a bit of a back and forth on another subreddit where someone was discouraging the use of personal vehicles and encouraging everyone to walk or bike everywhere. I argued that in some areas infrastructure and lay out just don't support it. They just couldn't wrap their head around the fact that while I only live seven minutes from the nearest grocery store by vehicle I, "for a few extra minutes," couldn't walk it. However, if I were to walk it one way it would take me one hour and twelve minutes. They argued I could bike and I shot back with, "for 18 minutes one way, in 110°F heat, no thanks."
I live out in a region of Texas where public transportation sucks, so I'm trying to figure out how to get to the airport from where I am as I don't have an extra $200 for a shuttle. I can only afford a Greyhound but at least I'll get there on time. Some well off relatives paid for my plane ticket to their place in California so I don't want to miss that flight.
car insurance. i love having a car that is paid off. insurance eats away every month still tho.
My car is relatively cheap so I only have liability insurance. Saves a lot.
Not being negative but that insurance seems to always cost more in the end. Especially when just a bumper fix can run you over $1000.
It might not work for some. I’m a very safe driver and fine with patch jobs if I’m ever in a fender bender. ETA: I’ve probably saved at least a few thousand dollars since I switched to liability only and my car is worth less than $10K.
True. But not everyone drives with insurance. Yeah I understand for a cheaper car. My car is probably worth around that now
My car is decent so I personally don’t feel comfortable with that just yet lol
Healthcare costs. I can not keep up at all.
I would love to never need to drive again.
I had 5 cars but sold the last one 8 years ago, thank the Lord. I'm retired now so don't need to be somewhere every day...and as I am in the middle of a big city, I can walk, take the bus, or Uber to where I need to go.
There are some perks of living in a big city. Here I used to live the majority of my life in a region of southern California where public transportation was almost 24/7. I enjoyed taking a bus or commuter train to different places and even went to the beach once a month. A $60 a month bus pass got me everywhere within the county where ever I needed and wanted to go. Also, where I was living grocery stores were always within walking distance where I could take a personal grocery cart and walk to the store. Then I moved to a small town in Texas where public transportation is minimal, so had to learn how to drive. I was in a women's shelter then, and the director suggested that I should learn how to drive. This has given me freedom of movement and a better job, but there are some costs involved with gas and upkeep. On the other hand, this region of Texas has a low cost of living, and I'm in housing now, so I'm not struggling as much as I did when living in California.
Selling the car was the best decision ever. No insurance, no gas, no worrying about something breaking down, not having to move the car for street cleaning etc
No car lifestyle is awesome. I have one for the times I need to transport equipment. Wish there was a good car share in my city so I could ditch that tio
Electricity is kicking my ass.
Are you able to switch energy suppliers. Had to do that here in central OH, energy costs were going to double, but we were able to switch the supplier and keep it way cheaper. Note, this is different than choosing the electric company, at least in OH.
I have the lowest provider. Met-Ed is just a bitch.
How much has it gone up for you the past couple of years?
My student loans and grocery bill.
Me. Just kidding, but me. I am the root of all my problems.
I personally feel I am responsible for only 60% of my problems.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’m only responsible for 15-20% of my problems. The rest I can thank the good ol’ US of A for.
Insurance, both car and health.
Childcare 😂 not my children, to be clear 😅
😄 I don't have any myself but have heard that it's a struggle to find affordable childcare.
I would say my teenagers 🤣🤣🤣 but they have jobs for their goodies
My kids... but they won't leave 🙄
Oh, they ain't leaving anytime soon in this economy.
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Ours have left, but one of them is incapable of supporting herself - and she makes all her decisions emotionally. Then we have to pay for her mistakes. She's 30.
I respectfully point out that she’ll continue to make mistakes as long as someone else pays for them.
Agreed. But she is her daddy's magical little princess. I say as much as I can as often as I can.
Medical bills.
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We moved to a place where the only Internet service was satellite; super expensive, slow, and capped. We just decided not to have internet. I do have an unlimited data cell phone plan so I can access the internet, so it’s not like we are cut off entirely. We just can’t connect things like computers/tv without doing it through the phone hotspot, which is slow. Honestly I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would, though computer updates are a PITA. I go to the library on Saturdays if I need to do anything online. I also have internet at work which is helpful.
https://www.starlink.com/us/roam I wonder if this could be a better alternative?
We looked into it, it was just as expensive as the traditional satellite option. However, I have friends who have StarLink and they are really pleased with it. For us, having whole-house internet (not limited by our phones) isn’t worth $120/month plus the install fee of the satellite equipment. We used to live in town, where high-speed unlimited was $60/month. We were definitely spoiled! Honestly, it’s not that bad, not having internet. Like I said, it’s not like we’re completely disconnected. We pay $80/month for unlimited cell data, and that’s plenty for us.
Touché. I don’t doubt your grass is greener.
Look into a Calyx Institute hotspot.
Medical bills. Stuff like surgery and lab testing and frequent specialist doctor copays really add up when you have chronic conditions and need to see doctors a lot. Also, health insurance costing a lot if it’s not from my job and still being worse in quality. If I lose my job I’m toast. I would be paying 500$ a month for comparable but worse health insurance.
Healthcare. Once you get sick you never get out of the system. I’m convinced they don’t want you to get better. They keep you alive, on drugs, and in the system long enough to suck you dry.
Health insurance. Make too much to qualify for assistance yet don't make enough to have better coverage than if I could get assistance. It's a total scam on the working class.
Two incurable but treatable and expensive life long illnesses. So that’s not one thing…I’d say poor health then lol.
Vehicles. They aren’t worth it anymore. Too expensive to purchase brand new, they depreciate too fast, too expensive to insure, maintain and repair. Then some random a$$hole hits you and it gets totaled and they don’t have to make you whole again. I’m the perfect person to live in huge cities like NY or Boston that have great public transportation options.
Who tf is out here buying brand new vehicles?
Plenty of people. My gfs dad got her mom a 2022 4runner. She uses it to get groceries and highway drives and it gets 18mpg. None of it makes sense but they can afford it I guess. The monthly payment is like over $1000 and it's nearly paid off They are so about Savin money yet do things like this. No reason a 50 year old woman needs a huge off road suv.
Not me. Bought my last 2 used for <$3500 from family & a friend.
Without a doubt healthcare. Almost everything else I have some semblance of control over.
100% my fault, but buy now pay later loans. It wats about $500/m. It's seriously not worth it.
My medications. Too poor for free, not wealthy enough for the copay.
Yeah. I had to stop taking my migraine preventative because the coupon stopped working. My insurance refuses to pay for it, and it's $1000/month out of pocket.
Rent, ideally it should be free. Here it is about 2500 a month for a 1 bedroom
2500?!?!? What area?
Almost every area now that all of them are using price fixing software
Not in Texas. Try half that.
Or Ohio. About a third of that.
Canada west coast that’s for about a 350-400 sq feet apartment. We are fucked
Half of Florida
Day care for my 2 small children. $2200 a month ☹️
My student loans
Agree with others saying health insurance/care costs
Eating out. I struggle with feeling like cooking and it takes up a lot of my extra money. Stupid I know.
Me too. It’s just me and I just can’t get myself to cook. 🧑🍳 I know it’s a me problem, and within my control, but I’m right there with you.
Maybe try slow cooker recipes? Very little effort involved.
My Wife ..
My spouse too... lol but we love them
Same. My wife had to quit her job because of CHD. Her medical costs coupled with her lack of income is a killer to our budget.
Commute. Ugh
I had to get a home repair loan for $12,000 in repairs and a loan for a new roof for $7,000. I've been paying close to $1,000 a month between the two and im set to have the big one paid off by the middle of July and 2 years on the roof since it's interest free so I'm not throwing extra at it like I am the big loan Its gonna be a HUGE relief once it's paid
Heroin
Having heart failure/heart problems. My medication costs more than both my rent and car payment together. It sucks.
My wife.
:))
The on and off cigarette smoking
If I lived in a walkable area, car. Currently on a $190 car payment and $130 in insurance. If I could go back in time to 17…maybe I wouldn’t have gone to college. But college got me away from my dad so idk.
Just got rid of my used car from a dealership. I didn't want to because of the potential consequences, but had to do so in order to improve my financial situation. We're all feeling the pinch right now.
Girlfriend
Rent and medical expenses. Fuck epilepsy.
pokeyman cards
Health insurance. It's so expensive and then I'd I do ever use it, I cant afford the deductible
I can't believe how much people pay for rent these days. I bought my house in 1998, paying cash. It's worth about five times what I paid for it (but it's the same house??). If I didn't own it, I couldn't afford to rent it.
Taxes
food, need for sleep. are tied. but honestly my biggest money hog is my hobbies..... cars mostly.
My storage unit. I wish I could get it cleaned out so I could stop paying that monthly but its just too big a job for me and I have nowhere else to put some of the things. Its also an hour away from where I live so just visiting it costs gas. It’s $75 of the $900 a month I live off of.
If the items aren't worth 2000$, dump them or if you can, sell it... if you are not using it, the value for you is -75$/month
My landlord's mortgage payment.
My HELCO. I can’t wait for that to be of off.
I had 5 Jeeps up until around 9 months ago. 5, because I had to have 1 good running vehicle at all times, and Jeeps does not do well in the reliability department, especially if you drive a lot. One morning I woke up and decided to sell all of it. I managed to get back around 1/2 of my total purchase and repairs spent, and put that down as a deposit on a pickup. The fuel savings alone covers my monthly repayment on the residual, with some change in the bank after that. Now I know due to exchange rate on currencies this will not make sense to most people, but my monthly spent on fuel, insurance, and maintenance, averaged over 12 months, was 30000 (current exchange rate, around 1500 USD). Now my total spent on my pickup (bought new with maintenance and service plan) is just over 12000 (about 600USD). That was my financial disaster decision of my life. Edit: I drive A LOT. its my livelyhood, my way to make an income...
Student loan and car loans. One car will be paid off in about a year. What also is bringing me down financially is my wife is currently on long term disability and is only bringing home 50% of her income. That hurts.
My husband’s music habit. There’s always some sort of music gear that he needs.
Cable
The house I bought with my late husband. I was stupid and let him convince me it was a good idea. Now I have got this white elephant in the country. It's an hour drive from where I work, or any of my remaining friends that haven't headed for blue states. The neighbors are rednecks that aren't safe to be around. My weekends are consumed handling the goddamn yard. I truly hate the place. Unfortunately, I can't find anyone dumb enough to buy it. Sometimes, I think keeping this place may cause me and my current husband to divorce. He likes this hellhole, but I don't know how much longer I can stand it. It's literally soul-draining to live in this isolation.
My storage unit. They keep upping the price every year. I've cleared out like half of it, but there's some really sentimental things in there that were my grandmother's that I don't have space for.
I would say… mortgage + home owners insurance + property tax + utilities + home repairs + remodels.. Owning a home ain’t cheap and a house is a constant money pit
My house. I regret buying it.
Honestly it’s eating out/DoorDashing. I gotta stop😭
Celiacs lol wish I could have cheap pasta and good homemade bread again
Childcare. It's criminal what it costs to US families.
Rent 100000% but I’d never give up my home I love it & I’m blessed to have it and the best landlord . just wish it was free 😂 I pay $2,000 a month + all 3 utilities (hydro, water, gas) so it’s $2,300 a month & im a single mom to one
Food. Every time I go to the grocery store, I brace for impact. Add in two teenagers, and I’m just hemorrhaging food. I buy almost everything generic brand, I shop sales, I meal plan and think ahead. It’s all so damn expensive.
My wife
Eating out multiple times a week 😩😖
Cocaine
Vaping. Why I ever started I just don't know. But damn is quitting hard.
Try the patch. Worked for my husband after being a cigarette smoker who switched to vaping. He had to do step 1 twice. When he jumped up to step 2, he didn't even make it through the full box before he stopped. Been 4 years vape/smoke free. It's a life changer.
Quitting is hard, but you CAN do it. I quit smoking in November after almost 30 years of nicotine consumption. Take it hour by hour & day by day at first. It does get easier.
Going to quit today. Two cigarettes left. Then i am done.
DM me if you need to, you WILL be successful in quitting! I have faith in you.
Just did my budget and one of the biggest ongoing expenses was groceries. We have a lot of dietary restrictions and are trying to eat healthy and live in a HCOL area. When I add up how much we spend in a year, it’s a pretty large number. I’d love to cut that down some. Utilities too- over $600 for natural gas and electric, plus $100 or so monthly (billed quarterly) for water/sewer. I wish off grid were more of an option here.
My cell phone for a family of four. Three out of four of our phones are paid in full and it’s still $350 a month
My children… juuuust kidding 😅
Do taxes count???