My wife and I both work 40 hours a week. No kids, our mortgage is thankfully below the average rent for the area, and we have vehicles.
But our credit is shit. We're both drowning in student debt from college loans that we thought we'd be able to afford once we finished but we can't get jobs in our fields. I cried today when my mechanic told me that my car isn't safe to drive because I can't imagine ever having the amount of money that I need to fix it. I can't qualify for a new (used) car loan, I don't have time for a second job between work, my commute, and grad school (so more student loans) without seriously risking my mental health. Every time we have a few extra dollars, it has to go to either a bill we're behind on or strategically set aside for a week in the near future when we know we'll be in the red.
It isn't fair. You follow the rules, you work hard, and it just never seems to get better. My boss drives a Tesla while I have to decide if I can afford to eat lunch every day. I pay so much in taxes and get no benefits. Any time I apply for any kind of benefits I'm told I make too much to qualify. I'm just so disenfranchised with this way of living.