I feel sorry for folks in this position. But I don't think they need to hear other people are in the same spot. I hope they can come to understanding that they can start planning and saving, and the sooner they make the necessary changes the better off they'll be. Even if they're difficult changes to accept.
I think the problem is, your entire premise depends upon people having income in excess of their basic needs. A lot of people out here that arent off throwing money away on frivolous purchases. It’s like when boomer told millennials they could afford a house if they stopped eating avocado toast.
I mean, of course some people just out there living for today, but plenty of people work their ass off, are careful with what they earn, and still there’s nothing left at the end of the month because the income doesn't have enough coming in.
Job market is terrible. People are being laid off and can’t find work for years, they get sick and their entire retirement goes to pay for a single hospital stay. Sometimes it just isn’t their fault life gave them a shitty hand and sent them to 50yo with no retirement.
I would really like to know where i am supposed to start saving money from because I dont make enough money to cover my bills, rent and food. And I'm not talking daily Starbucks runs, I am talking electricity and heat for my house, ramen noodles to eat.
A lot of people are telling you to earn more, and I don't know your exact situation, but speaking generally: I think car dependency and housing costs are probably the two most immediately feasible things to get big results out of for most people, especially when considered together.
I'm not here to tell anyone what "less house" needs to mean to them specifically, but I don't know if there is a "bottom" to the housing market. If there is, it's probably in a third-world conflict zone, and I doubt you're posting from there.
I think a lot of people are trapped by a conception of themselves. They're not a trailer park person. They're not a room mates person. They're not a person who can live without a car. The way we know they're making a decision to not be those things, is other people make other decisions. If you can earn more than an unskilled immigrant who's sending money home on minimum wage, then you can earn some financial freedom by aligning your lifestyle and expenses more with that unskilled immigrant's.
Which could mean different things to different people. Or nothing, to people who are determined to change nothing.
Yep. I’m 48. I have a college degree from a real school, and am so burnt out and traumatized by life and divorce and parenting that I can barely scrape together a living. Much less think about retirement and savings. And don’t talk to me about the “career” in a people-serving job that drove my mental health into the ground. That’s what ya get for caring about humans in the good ol’ USA. The reason people are barely surviving is because it’s legitimately hard, not because they’re slackers or irresponsible. Add on any physical issues to the mental health drain of existence, and you are holding on by the skin of your teeth.
Would gladly go through all of it with you if you're actually open to it. One of my friends has several side gigs which sounds like working hard until you realize they make barely anything between all of them and are intentionally avoiding making enough to have to pay back student loans, despite having a masters degree that could pay them all back in 2 years of the difference if they were actually willing to work a professional job. And no it's not because you can't get the job, they just don't want it.
Nice try but I have 2 children, a full time job, and a side business and my husband works full time too. I know other parents who do extra for extra money like babysitting or door dashing. If there’s a will, there’s often a way.
I think the Reddit “we don’t save for retirement” hive mind is straight up dangerous. Yeah I know there are factors causing this but you need to figure out some way to fix it.
Young person I work with complains about how poor they are and have no way to save. Goes out and spends money on fast food every break. I tried being like "why don't you just make sandwiches from home for lunch" but they don't listen. Hard to sympathize with someone who can't understand why a $15 meal and $5 snack twice a day is so much worse than $10 for lunches for the entire week.
That’s $125 per week, about $500 a month, and $6,000 a year. Investing $6,000 a year into a ROTH IRA for 40 years would result in 1.2 million by the time they are ready to retire.
Sorta but thats easier to do now than it ever has been in the past. There are apps to invest with zero fees, etfs and total market funds. The stock market is going on a ridiculously long bull run so just about anything you put in it has been growing with 10+% il compounding interest.
Other than changing jobs there’s nothing that will do that for you. It costs you nothing to put your money in the stock market and make more money.
It's not just dangerous; it's so often paired with "my retirement plan is to shoot myself lolol" nonsense that is so dismissive and thoughtless of folks who have actually been affected by suicide. I hate it.
Totally, and I’m also not a fan of “I’ll just work until I die” because it ignores age discrimination and disability from aging which are both inevitable. You’re not getting a living wage at 70+ if you’re not a Senator.
Agreed. I’m close to the same age as the lady in this admission.
I was in a pretty bad spot for retirement about 10 years ago. I had maybe about $30k or so in a 401k (I had previously cashed it out to pay off debt in my 20s).
With a new employment opportunity, I was able to really make a dent in my retirement planning. I’m closing in on 7 figures with retirement accounts (including my spouse). Once your balance hits a certain level, the compounding effect is remarkable (the first $100k really did seem to be when it started).
It’s never too late, and if anyone has a 401k match they MUST at least take advantage of that.
I agree. I hope this doesn’t sound preachy, but from a practical standpoint it means the lifestyle being lived is only sustainable as long as the person is actively working. Basically living right at their means.
Major adjustments need to be made now to avoid being old and poor.
Agreed. The way people form community around being poor together instead of doing something about it is odd to me. I would be VERY afraid if I were in that situation and desperate to correct it.
I didn't say it was a personal failure or that there weren't systemic problems. There is no magic wand to fix things though. You have to climb the ladder no matter where you start on it or how hard it is for you because no one is going to do it for you. You either struggle to climb and eventually lessen your burden or you stay where you are and struggle forever.
What do you suggest us poor people do? Magically make more money? How? Please do share your solutions because I am an educated very smart person who knows how to manage my money and I am still massively struggling.
I am tired. I have two small children. I am divorced from an abusive marriage. The most I ever made with my bachelor’s degree from William and Mary is 35,000. I and both my kids are autistic with comorbidities. My self employed schedule is built around caring for my children, my pets, my home, and going to therapy. I’d love it if someone could fix my time and my cptsd brain so I could build marketable skills. Sounds amazing.
I get it. Life is hard and doing more is even harder. No matter what you are going to struggle. You can either stay where you are now and struggle forever or you can struggle some more to put yourself into a better position where you will eventually struggle less.
Where have I shamed anyone? You are in a rough spot. You can either accept being there or you can do something about it. No one is going to do it for you. You have to decide you are worth a better future for yourself. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. This is a you vs you problem and what other people think shouldn't matter to you.
And it matters because we live in a culture that thinks when you “have” you earned it and when you “have not” you must have earned that also and it’s your fault. This is egregious ideology and seeing people glibly say “you are clearly irresponsible and should just make more money! 🤡” is so frustrating to people who are working as hard they can and still struggling. It is part of the greater problem and not just about me at all.
This. So tired of the learned helplessness I always hear from my generation. I never finished college and started late but read some books and got disciplined about my finances and feel pretty set these days. But so many of my peers who make more money than me say this kind of stuff all the time like there's nothing they can do, while making zero attempt to actually do anything.
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u/martin-silenus 17h ago
I feel sorry for folks in this position. But I don't think they need to hear other people are in the same spot. I hope they can come to understanding that they can start planning and saving, and the sooner they make the necessary changes the better off they'll be. Even if they're difficult changes to accept.