Maybe I shouldn't be really complaining since I have a fancy IT job with 405k, FSA/HSA, insurance for the whole family etc, but I find it alarming that even though I make several times above the average in my area, we are struggling to save up even 20k$ and I'm living in supposedly inexpensive city in a supposedly inexpensive state (Cleveland, Ohio). We spend almost everything I earn even though we buy most of our clothes at a thrift store, own single 20 years old car and rent 1/2 of a house for 1600$. Most of my family expenses are food (~1500$ for 3 people), daycare (1000$) and rent. My wife is struggling to find a job even though she has an engineering degree (last time she was rejected by some upper HR manager because she is “lacking international work experience” whatever that means) which is a part of a problem, but still…
I just can't wrap my head around how you people survive with families in places like NY, LA, FL if you make less than 100k$. That's cruel.