Prices are going up like crazy.
$15 an hour isn’t enough.
I get treated like shit by both my boss and customers on the daily.
Cost of housing is just insane how can anyone afford this?
What are we doing to fix the issue? I see a lot of talk about these situations that very much effect all of us. I’m 21 and super scared. I don’t know what’s going to happen and especially how I’m going to set myself up for success.
The most I’m doing right now is working a minimum wage job, going to school for a degree in computer science and I’m not sure if that’s even the right path for me.
It’s just a living hell, going to work just to be yelled at all day and then come home to work on homework for the next 2-6 hours and then go to sleep, wake up, repeat.
It’s an endless cycle of misery, with some sprinkles of joy.
That’s besides the point, I’m afraid, afraid that prices will keep rising and the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.
I’m afraid of years to come, I’m afraid of what the future has to offer in America.
I remember learning about the American dream in middle school and I used to imagine the American dream was the whole U.S coming together to unite and solve all world problems and make it a safe beautiful place for everyone to live in comfortably.
Wow was my young naive self wrong.
I essentially grew up with the internet, and the younger generation and myself are able to know these things about inflation and politics more profoundly because of the internet.
Back then it was word of mouth, no one online to help you figure out an issue at work, how to do taxes or learn about finances unless you went to school for that.
Growing up my parents didn’t know Jack about finances or how to save money properly. And it’s showing that it’s effecting my siblings and I. Constantly making poor financial decisions and not recovering from it.
They grew up, fell in love, had kids in their 20’s and just went with the flow.
I can’t afford to do that, and they can’t either anymore. We live with our grandparents because they weren’t financially smart and couldn’t afford a place to live over those 20 years.
It’s thanks to them and the internet that I can take initiative to get myself out of poverty so I can at least have time to enjoy life experiences.
People always ask me if I’m going to finally ask my girlfriend of 5 years to marry me and I always tell them “not unless I’m financially stable”.
It’s gotten to the point where my girlfriend and I said screw the wedding and want to get married at the courthouse and a photographer. (Of course we won’t merge our banks I’ve learned online it’s better to have our own separate accounts and 1 shared account for housing bills and such).
I don’t think I can even have kids if I wanted to, and who would want to put innocent souls into this dying society anyways?
I don’t blame my parents, but it’s scary learning the truth so late and not realizing how much worse it’s going to get.
I’ve talked to my papa and he says if things get worse he’ll have to sell the house he’s worked so hard on for the past 40+ years and move back to his family in Mexico.
He came here way back when for the American dream and he realizes that it doesn’t exist anymore.
He’s worked his ASS off in construction for over 25 years and he has a good amount saved for retirement but after learning about how bad inflation has gotten and how much of a scam it all is. I don’t think he’ll have enough to survive until he’s 90.
I’m in a fortunate enough position to learn about finances and how to slowly but surely get out of poverty. However I’m afraid it won’t be enough.
I’ve learned that the rich didn’t get rich because they worked hard.
That was a hard truth to face.
I’m not pessimistic, I’m scared.
What is being done?
How f*cked is my generation and younger generations?
Will I be in the 9-5 cycle for the rest of my life?
Will I even ever be able to afford a home?
I don’t ask for much, I just want a nice home, nothing fancy, a normal mode of transportation, basic living necessities, and my loved ones.
Hell, I live with my grandparents, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, two other brothers including myself and my sister who all work and we can STILL barely be able to afford to live here.
I don’t know what to do and I’m afraid.
But I haven’t given up, I will learn as much as I can to stay afloat and hopefully make enough to support my family in the future when I know they won’t be able to afford anything when they’re older.
I get super depressed just thinking about it but I have to push myself for a better future, not just for myself but my loved ones as well.
Will it ever get better?