ManaMinori 4,145 June 4, 2017 Share June 4, 2017 Seems that the basic cost of living is steadily rising with no end in sight. Even for the poor/low income. We rent, and we're paying over $400 a month now, which is a little over $100 spike since we first moved in. Then there's groceries, and food stuff isn't getting any cheaper either. Nor is clothing. Or gas, for transport. And fuggetabout entertainment. Yeesh! (Going to a movie and getting snacks there is $40 for 2 people) How do people feel about the squeeze just on basic costs of living? (Shelter, food, clothing) 1 Under the Jellicle Moon- a site with cuteness, cat boys, and comic strips / Star Dreams Fanclub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br O N Y 382 June 4, 2017 Share June 4, 2017 Well, in general I can confirm that the prices of most things have gone up, for instance a half liter bottle of cola costs 1.19 euros now where I live, but about 8 years or so ago, it used to cost only 89 cents, the same goes for pretty much everything in the supermarket. But this is not the whole picture, just looking at prices alone ignores stuff like inflation and average wage increase. For instance in the US, the average hourly earnings 1979 were 6.51$, but until 2015 it went up to 21.20$ per hour. http://reason.com/archives/2016/01/19/cost-of-living-vs-wage-stagnation-in-the In addition, not all things have gone up in price, things like phone or internet costs , and prices for plain tickets drastically decreased, and all these factors more then compensate for the overall price increase. The overall purchasing power is actually increasing, I mean you can easily observe this, people now can buy much ore then they could 20 years ago. Bromine Oxygen Nitrogen Yttrium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba86 1,541 June 4, 2017 Share June 4, 2017 it is going to continue to go up because of inflation, money is designed to lose value over time It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeps 297 June 4, 2017 Share June 4, 2017 Cost of living is trending up, pay rates are staying the same. Options for people seem to be dwindling, at least here in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest June 4, 2017 Share June 4, 2017 Everything's just going to get worse if everything stays the way it is, not just the prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenholmZombie 1,330 June 6, 2017 Share June 6, 2017 The basic cost of living here in the U.S. is going to continue getting worse sadly. While the prices for the everyday essentials (food, shelter, bills, etc) continue to increase, the average American's wage is stagnating. Stuff like this is what's leading to our nation's increased rates of poverty and homelessness and will ultimately result in the death of the American middle class. RavenholmZombie - Brony since 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBD 17,254 June 6, 2017 Share June 6, 2017 (edited) I try my best to save money by limiting myself on my housing needs, collect coupons, and keeping eyes on good sales for groceries. So i guess some just need to learn how to save and not spent on too much useless things. Edited June 6, 2017 by TBD ♪ "I practice every day to find some clever lines to say, to make the meaning come through"♪ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the VGNerd 885 June 7, 2017 Share June 7, 2017 Governments and the President need to do something about the soaring prices for living. If nothing is done, then they'll be seeing a rising surge of homelessness, not to mention the spikes of unemployment rates. They expect their own people to be rich and well-off yet they seem to be demanding more money, especially coming from landlords who are being too overly greedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zyrael 1,471 June 7, 2017 Share June 7, 2017 well, as long as trump keeps making life easier for billionaires and going golfing with america's money, we should be fine. veritati adhaerere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeric 46,851 June 8, 2017 Share June 8, 2017 On 6/4/2017 at 1:41 AM, Nightmare Muffin said: How do people feel about the squeeze just on basic costs of living? (Shelter, food, clothing) I suspect that noone wants to see the purchasing power of the dollar decline. Not even business or corporations. You mentioned something that is critical to a robust economy, you mentioned entertainment. Basically disposable income. Much of our consumer based businesses rely on disposable household income to generate revenue. Jobs are out there and available, but they are not typically higher earning positions. There are even many unfilled well paying manufacturing jobs, but relocation is a impossible barrier for many. There are also an absurd amount of jobs in technology, but it requires a time and money investment to pursue them, and that is if a person possesses the altitude. And yes, the shrinking disposable income is a bubble of sorts. We have jobs supporting products that are too varied with too many options. As disposable income contracts, companies will start losing y/y revenue and start laying off accelerating the issue. Is there a fix? Not so sure that there is. This new economic climate has never happened. Perhaps the negative income tax concept that Friedman proposed could help if it worked like a refundable tax credit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunarpalette 2,175 June 8, 2017 Share June 8, 2017 Wow, um... I'm sure my parents have to pay a lot for the life we live but when I move out(in just a few short years) I am really going to try and not waste. Y money on too many things. I got a chart and everything! I look up some things to estimate the cost and put that into account. But we will see if all my calculations and percentages are correct! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EpicEnergy 23,218 March 8, 2020 Share March 8, 2020 I think the cost of living is too high for today's standards, especially being in the middle class. 1 *totally not up to any shenanigans* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Early Sunsets 2,107 March 8, 2020 Share March 8, 2020 (edited) It is fairly high, definitely more so in some areas than others. The cheapest apartment where I live is $450 monthly. It's not too bad, and there are definitely better and worse options out there. And food isn't that expensive, but you'd sacrifice health if you went too cheap, so it all depends on how you're willing to live. Same with entertainment and such. You could easily get by with just internet and a no-data phone plan, and just buy data whenever you plan to go on a trip or something. Or, if your needs are barebone, you could rely on public WiFi, which would save even more. Edited March 8, 2020 by Booker 1 Rainbow Dash Fanatic "You stroll down memories of younger, brighter times 'cause you never realize what you've got till you leave it all behind." ~ dBPony "So we’re here at the end, did we teach you well, my friend? Don’t look so sad to see us go, after the rain comes rainbows." ~ Princewhateverer "Darlin' you'll be okay." ~ Vic Fuentes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splashee 28,564 March 8, 2020 Share March 8, 2020 On 6/4/2017 at 7:41 AM, Nightmare Muffin said: How do people feel about the squeeze just on basic costs of living? (Shelter, food, clothing) For a while I think it is a good thing (while saving up money for the future, or waiting for a better job opportunity). It can help, but it can also get very depressing. Difficult to answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,440 March 9, 2020 Share March 9, 2020 It’s currently impossible where I live to live on your own when you’re young and starting in your career. Rent averages about $1800-$2000 a month here; my monthly take home is about $1600. Take away basic necessities and it’s not possible to make rent unless you have two jobs or are living with someone else. This is the case whether or not you had higher education, because most places are looking for someone between 20-26 years old with 40 years of experience. tl;dr want to live on my own but cannot afford it. 2 And that’s the bottom line, ‘cause Stone Cold said so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsychicKid 6 March 9, 2020 Share March 9, 2020 Luckily for me and my fiance, cost of living is pretty low in my area. The worst thing about it is there's a very high food tax at restaurants, and we like to eat out a lot as a guilty pleasure. Both he and I make decent wages, but we would be in pretty serious trouble if either of us lost our jobs, especially him since he makes more than I do. I'm fortunate in that my father takes care of my car insurance and phone bill, because I'm still part of a big family plan that makes it cheaper overall, so this is allowed us to save a decent amount of money if something bad happens. In general, we're in a pretty good spot, but I know plenty of others who are my age and in far worse off conditions. Cost of living does continue to go up, and wages are not going up appropriately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphor 11,529 March 10, 2020 Share March 10, 2020 Thankfully, I live in a state with a low cost of living. Property taxes are also cheap, unless you live in the city. Still, I can feel the squeeze of rising utility costs, insurance, fuel, grocery, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastian 13,319 March 10, 2020 Share March 10, 2020 Well, we don't have to pay rent, we don't pay for health like operations and stuff but we pay for meds, its really cheap though. What costs more here is the food, which is nonexistent some times. You see, the problem here is that some things are missing like food and meds and that payment here is not the best but you have a home, you have education and you have all security that if you get sick you will be cured, all free of charge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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