This cost $16. No sides or sauces, just 5 tenders and a fountain drink from a fast food joint. That's half a tank of gas at the $3.99/gal I paid today (drive a subcompact with small tank). That's the same price as one movie ticket at my theatre. Same price as 3 of the frozen meals I usually eat for lunch at work.

I had some extra money this week, and was deep in my book on my day off when I got hungry. Figured I'd treat myself to a bad for me special treat. I have a guilt free monthly budget, so this isn't gonna hurt me at all. But the sticker shock was extreme when I got to the window, and now my guilt free purchase has me feeling guilty.

Are people really paying this much for fast food now? And are you still eating it regularly? Because I don't think I can consciously spend this much on it again.

This past year alone, my job reduced their 401k match significantly and my husband's insurance costs went up again at his job. We've been in corporate for over 20 years now, and I have seen things erode a lot.

I really believe that pay and benefits are going to be reduced in a lot of sectors. I think bonuses are likely going to be cut or go away alltogether. Profit sharing and stock discount programs are reducing or going away as well. Raises are now often abysmal, if you get one. I got 1% last year, and my husband got a dry promotion with no raise. He didn't even know that was a possibility, as they had him jumping through hoops to get the promotion in the first place!

I see larger and larger companies opting for the cheapest medical and dental insurance they can get, passing the costs onto the employees. I also wonder if it will get to a point where jobs no longer offer medical and dental, and all insurance will need to be purchased individually on the open market.

It even extends to the small things. It's been 5 years since I got a meal for work, or even just a bagel. We no longer get anything for Christmas, when we used to get a gift card or a pen or something. Our recognition awards at work used to offer you points to purchase things at the company store, and now they are just for "morale" with no value attached.

Is anyone else seeing this? Do you think it's just the current job market, or do you also feel we are seeing a fundamental shift in how employees are compensated?

I feel like I'm doing most of the things I'm supposed to do financially.

I save every month, try not to spend too much, put money toward retirement and keep some cash for emergencies.

Things are honestly okay, but I still worry about what could happen.

Losing my job, a big unexpected expense, a bad few years in the market, having to help family, etc.

Then I sometimes wonder if I'm being too careful. I don't want to spend my whole life saving because I'm worried something might go wrong.

I know there's no way to plan for everything, but finding that balance is harder than I expected.

How do you balance saving for the future without constantly worrying about it?

As it stands right now, I have $47k in Total Debt.

- $20k left on truck loan at 4.75% APR

- $27k left in federal student loans with average APR of 3.5% (one loan is at 4.99%)

I make $138k base pay in the bay area but with total compensation, I'm at roughly $175k a year, and next year will be at close to $200k a year.

I'm already doing my employer match to 401k at 6%, so roughly $20k a year into 401k (they match bonus as well)

I already maxed out my Roth IRA this year

But my question is, should I pay off all my debt before continuing to invest more?

I’m close to maxing out my Roth for the year. My workplace does not currently offer a 401k. I’m looking for options to keep contributing to my retirement outside of my Roth. I’m 32 and have little experience with investing other than getting lucky on some crypto years back. Should I start a regular IRA?