Inflation is at its peak these days. Pay remains the same, but essentials and other luxury things have become expensive.
A user asked the forum, “What is one thing you flat out just don’t know how people can afford?” Here are the top responses.
EYELASH EXTENSIONS
“Eyelash extensions and the upkeep of them.”
SECRET HIDDEN FAMILIES
“Secret hidden families. I can barely afford one.”
DAYCARE
“I still don’t know how we can afford daycare. At one point, I had two kids in daycare for a year before the oldest went to kindergarten.”
BOAT OR RV
“A boat or RV, Recreational Vehicle (or both)! I can barely afford to exist, much less spend all this money on recreation.”
ORDERING TAKEAWAYS FROM RESTAURANT
“People who eat exclusively by ordering takeaways or delivery from restaurants. It’s mind-bogglingly expensive.”
FAMILY FOREIGN HOLIDAYS
“Multiple-family foreign holidays per year. To be clear, I’m not criticizing anyone on this, and I appreciate that if you live in mainland Europe, it’s easier than here (Scotland).
I am genuinely amused/bemused when I see people on social media on their 2/3/4 foreign holiday of the year.
We went to Portugal last year (A fantastic country, by the way). With two adults and two kids (the eldest boy was playing in a football tournament), it was probably £3.5k, which was done cheaply. We don’t ever go into debt for a holiday, though.”
FIRST CLASS AIRFARE
“First-class airfare is just so overwhelmingly expensive compared to regular seats. I can’t imagine anyone ever having that amount to spare unless you’re incredibly wealthy.”
MODERN-DAY HOUSES
“Modern-day house prices. Once, $600K could buy you a severe mansion. Now, it’s an average family home. I make a good income; my girlfriend also has an average income. Yet we can barely afford an averagely priced house these days.”
BRIDESMAID
“Being a bridesmaid. Weddings have become more elaborate, with multiple showers and bachelorette weekends.”
WEDDING
“Weddings. I’m a wedding bartender, and people dropping $30k on one day is insane.”
VETERINARY BILLS
“Veterinary bills. Even routine care and vaccinations can be $400. If there are unique issues or an emergency, you’re paying thousands, and they won’t care until you pay.”
PET INSURANCE
“Pet insurance. Yes, it is about $100 a month, but my dog had to have two knee surgeries. Without it about $8000. I paid $300 each time. It doesn’t cover routine stuff, just unexpected costs when a pet gets sick.”
ELDERCARE
“Eldercare. $300 a day is typical for most states, and it goes up if they need special care (dementia, etc.)
Out of 4 Americans who reach the age of 21, 3 of them are likely to live up to 65. Among those individuals, 2 out of 3 will require long-term care for an average of 3 years.
Not all long-term care is nursing level, but some are even more expensive, like memory care, etc. It comes to roughly $150k per person and almost double that if you limit it to those who need any.
Somewhere between a generous down payment and a new house. Who can afford that, especially after decades of not working?”
COFFEE FROM BARISTA EVERY DAY
“Coffee from the barista every day. Some people go multiple times a day. Astonishing.”
COSMETIC SURGERY
“Cosmetic surgery or procedures. Lip fillers, skin peels, lashes, and hair extensions. Their husband is a solar salesman, and they stay home with the kids. How can they afford it? I would never understand.”
TRUCKS
“Trucks. I had no idea they were so expensive.”
GETTING NAILS DONE
“A person I know gets her nails professionally done every week.”
DESIGNER CLOTHING
“Designer clothing. Spending hundreds of dollars on pants is ludicrous to me.”
PORSCHES
“Porsches. They’re everywhere now. People drive Porsche, a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), to the grocery store.”
MORE THAN ONE CHILD
“More than one child. My husband and I have a beautiful 4.5-year-old daughter whom we adore. We are so content with her and feel our family is complete. But on top of that, she is expensive. I don’t know how people in the United States can afford more than one kid without absolutely massive lifestyle changes.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.